Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.6 - Chapter 5

Mother and Daughter

By the time my embarrassing confession was over, it was late enough that Lieseleta, Leonore, and Angelica all needed to go home. In other words, our first discussion had come to an end. Cornelius and Bonifatius led the trio off, while I stood in the entrance hall.

“Mother,” I said, “I must now return to my room.”

“One moment. Allow me to join you. There is more we need to discuss.”

So Elvira accompanied me. My stay in this estate had only been brief, but my room had always been kept in order so that I could use it whenever I wanted. It really warmed my heart.

“You never did register your mana with the hidden room here, did you?” Elvira asked. “Come with me. Someone your age would never usually enter a hidden room with a parent, but let us experience it at least once before you leave. I should want you to know how to register yourself and your own children when the time comes.”

Ferdinand and I already registered our mana to a hidden room in the temple, but... I’m going to keep that to myself. I wouldn’t put it past Elvira to pull a diptych out of thin air and start furiously writing down ideas.

It was so easy to imagine Elvira’s eyes lighting up that I decided just to thank her and performed the registration in silence. Her eyes crinkled in a show of nostalgia as we approached the door by the bed, placed our hands on its feystone, and poured our mana into it together.

“As your mother, I would have liked to prepare this hidden room when you first arrived, in case your emotions became too much for you to bear... However, because Lord Ferdinand came to watch over you, there were no occasions when you became anxious or depressed, even though you had just come to a new home and were having to call strangers family. As a new mother to you, I determined that you would feel more at ease staying with Lord Ferdinand than holing up in a hidden room, so I missed the opportunity to make it.”

Elvira’s hand was covering mine, and there was a pleasant warmth to her touch. I watched the mana lines race along the door, and a ticklish feeling overcame me as the hidden room started to form behind it. There was no longer a doubt in my mind; when I’d first arrived at this estate, Elvira truly had been prepared to welcome me as her own daughter.

Attendants brought a table and two chairs into the barren room, then prepared us some drinks. We were going to have our own, two-person tea party in the hidden room.

“Now, where shall we begin?” Elvira mused aloud. “I suppose we could discuss Philine and Damuel, whom I elected not to mention earlier.”

“Philine and Damuel?” I repeated, looking at her quizzically. I couldn’t think of a reason why she would wait until now to speak about them.

Elvira smiled. “I did not wish to put pressure on you while we were in the company of others. A lord or lady should have the freedom to decide what they do with their retainers. So I will state my desire, then I will accept whatever you think is best.” She seemed a bit more casual than I was used to, and it was in a relaxed tone that she continued, “Could you leave Philine and Damuel in Ehrenfest? There are many reasons for my request, but to focus on one that applies to them both—there are almost no laynobles in the Sovereignty. Were they to go with you, I suspect they would feel even more uncomfortable than they do in Ehrenfest.”

She went on to tell me that while mednobles and archnobles sometimes brought laynoble attendants to the Sovereignty with them, she had never heard of any layknights or layscholars going there. The mere suggestion of them serving a princess was therefore unthinkable. We had already agreed that I would scope out the Sovereignty for a while before deciding whether to move the Gutenbergs there. Elvira wanted us to do the same thing for Philine and Damuel.

“At the same time,” Elvira continued, “it would benefit Ehrenfest to have those who are comfortable with your methods and capable of communicating with the lower city stay here even longer. There are grave concerns that your departure will cause the duchy’s nobles to revert to their old ways.”

Only a select few people had a good grasp on my methods and could properly interact with the lower city. Indeed, here in Ehrenfest, Philine and Damuel were very much in demand.

Although our plan was to finish the printing industry handover during the next year, that wouldn’t be enough time for us to fully rework noble culture. Elvira also believed that Brunhilde would struggle to stay in constant contact with the lower city after becoming the duchy’s second wife.

“The same is true for the temple handover,” she said. “Philine and Damuel have spent a tremendous amount of time by your side, assisting Lord Ferdinand with his work. Having them stay will make an enormous difference. As it stands, Lord Melchior and his retainers will be forced to bear a crushing burden.”

Melchior was going to have his hands full with rituals, sure, but I really didn’t expect there to be any issues with the temple’s administration; I planned to leave him my temple attendants, and some of the blue priests like Kampfer and Frietack were already doing impressive amounts of work. But when I said as much to Elvira, she gave me a half-smile and shook her head.

“You might not agree with this, since you were raised in the temple, but retainers of the archducal family will not want to ask the blue priests to educate them. It is a matter of pride. Laynobles are still nobles, and while they will not hesitate to learn from fellow archducal retainers...”

As a former commoner, I didn’t see the blue priests as so beneath me that I would be loath to ask them for advice. Again, though, my common sense as a noble was flawed. Elvira explained that, to ensure the temple handover went smoothly, I would need to be more considerate of Melchior’s retainers.

“Hartmut was taught by Lord Ferdinand, correct?” she asked. “I originally intended to have him stay in Ehrenfest as both the High Priest and an archnoble who could intimidate other nobles, but he gave you his name before I could even approach him. I suppose you will need an archscholar with you, so there is nothing to be done about that.”

To think Hartmut was one step ahead of Mother all along... I mused. His reasons for forcing his name on me were evidently more complex than I’d imagined.

Elvira continued, “If you wish to keep Philine and Damuel with you despite the many reasons to leave them here, might I suggest moving them to the Sovereignty with the Gutenbergs once you come of age?”

“Excuse me?”

“The Gutenbergs cannot be moved right away—and in the meantime, will you not want people here who know about your circumstances? This will prove crucial if you wish to keep your true family safe, you know.”

I gasped.

Elvira’s eyes widened, then she laughed. “Goodness, what is with that expression? I have known you were a commoner since the day I took you in. They would not tell me whose daughter you were, but it took only a bit of probing into the commoners you hold so dear to figure that out as well.”

“Excuse me? Excuse me?!”

Nobody had told me that Elvira knew my secret. I’d tried to pass myself off as a genuine noble whenever I was around her, but she’d known I was a commoner the entire time? I could hardly believe it.

“You intend to move your family to the Sovereignty alongside the Gutenbergs, correct? I believe Damuel is best suited to protect them until that day comes.”

“But why wait for when I come of age?” It was true that I would need to inspect the Sovereignty first, but I wouldn’t come of age for another three years. The handover would take one year, but waiting two more after that felt superfluous, especially when I wanted to relocate the printing industry right away.

“Why? Good grief, Rozemyne... I understand that your current lifestyle and Aub Ehrenfest’s flexibility make you prone to forget this, but underage children are not normally entrusted with major industries. You would do well to understand that you will not have the same freedom with businesses and the like in the Sovereignty as you do here.”

Sylvester had always given me the freedom to do as I pleased, since I’d started the industry in the first place, but the duchy was supposed to be in charge. Those who had yet to come of age would normally have this manner of work taken from them.

“Furthermore, Karstedt has told me that you are currently the Zent candidate closest to obtaining the Grutrissheit. Does it not follow, then, that you will need to take care of all sorts of duties before you can even consider diving into the printing industry? You are going to be educated as a royal and such, I imagine.”

“Ah!”

That hadn’t even crossed my mind. I’d assumed that I would be able to do whatever I wanted after obtaining the Grutrissheit, handing it to Sigiswald, and saving Ferdinand—assuming that I could obtain the Grutrissheit in the first place—but it was more likely that I would be thrown straight into a royal education.

“Will you truly manage as a princess, Rozemyne?” Elvira asked, inspecting me with doubtful eyes.

“Ngh...” I groaned, and slumped my shoulders. Not even I thought I would manage, but things were being decided and moving forward anyway. There was no helping it.

“There are also other reasons to wait. Philine will come of age at the same time as you, allowing her to move to the Sovereignty without giving her name. I should not need to tell you that I do not condone name-swearing being used as a means of moving to the Sovereignty—and to speak truthfully, I do not believe you should take responsibility for any more lives.” Seeing all of the orphans and my name-sworn retainers had apparently made Elvira worry that I was biting off more than I could chew.

“But I was the one who took Philine as a retainer and got her away from the trouble she was facing at home,” I replied. “I cannot make her go back there.” Returning her to that house with her father and stepmother was unthinkable.

“Philine is the proper successor to her house; her father merely married into the family. Thus, it would be easy to return the house to her. Or, if not, I could always look after her as I do Muriella. I should note, though—if she does go to the Sovereignty, she will need to be engaged to ensure her protection. How would you feel about pairing her with Damuel?”

“WHAAA?!”

Her suggestion had come so out of the blue that I’d cried out despite myself.

Elvira watched me for a moment, clearly amused. Because laynobles were seldom seen in the Sovereignty, she explained, Philine and Damuel would need to rely on each other for support. “I expect there will be no shortage of nobles trying to approach your retainers, so Philine might have other options... but at this rate, Damuel will struggle to take a wife at all.”

“Um, would it not be possible for Damuel to wed a mednoble?” I asked, hopeful that climbing a rank was in the cards for him. “I’m told he has the mana quantity of a lesser mednoble, so I thought he might manage somehow...”

Elvira blinked. “He may have talent and your highest praise, but his public reputation leaves much to be desired. As far as anyone is concerned, he is a disgraced laynoble who might be removed from your service at any time. Not even the most generous mednobles would want to marry him. Yes, there was his romance with Brigitte, but that came to be under what were frankly miraculous circumstances: Brigitte’s own reputation was damaged after she abruptly canceled her engagement and started visiting the temple, she had an opportunity to get close to Damuel through work, her brother—Giebe Illgner—had wanted to foster a good relationship with you, she was getting old enough that no other men were approaching her, and she had shown a burning desire to repopulate her house.”

She was right—it was unwise to base my expectations for Damuel on his previous relationship with Brigitte. Instead, I tried to imagine him with Philine. They were definitely close, and while it was possible that Philine was more taken with the idea of being in love, I’d gotten the impression that she at least had some feelings for him.

Damuel, however...

“Damuel once said that Philine had feelings for Roderick, so... this might be difficult. He clearly treats her like a child and does not see her as a potential spouse in the slightest.”

“I see. I thought they would make for a wonderful couple—a knight graciously looking after a lonely young woman who had cut ties with her family and wished to follow after her lady. He would have protected her until adulthood, their feelings for one another growing all the while, but alas...”

“Mother, is that material for your next book?” I asked, my cheeks puffed out. “You are taking far too much inspiration from my retainers.”

Elvira took out a diptych and started to write, a distinct sparkle in her dark eyes. “It certainly is important to note down ideas as they spring to mind, lest you forget them. In any case, do inform Damuel of my suggestion. The most I can do is arrange a prospective bride and offer my best wishes for how their relationship develops. I will not be involved in the final decision—that is for them to make.”

I considered Elvira’s proposal. She had said that she could take Philine into her care while we made our arrangements, but she had said nothing about looking after Damuel.

“Mother, will my absence thrust Damuel into an unstable position?” I asked. “Would you care for him as well as Philine?”

She cast her eyes upward. “I would be able to protect him to some extent, assuming that he and Philine were engaged, but... it is best to leave men to their own kind, Rozemyne. Might I suggest entrusting him to Lord Bonifatius, so that he might preserve his connection to the archducal family? He will need to undergo a lot of training before he can move to the Sovereignty. If he continues to train while commuting to the temple, I expect he will not receive any harsh words from the nobility.”

“Very well. I will ask Grandfather to look after him if Damuel wishes it.”

I was relieved to know that Elvira had, in fact, been thinking of ways to help Damuel as well. But as I was admiring her kindness, her dark eyes sparkled again, and a teasing smile crept onto her face—the same one that Cornelius had given me a short while ago.

“Rozemyne, Lord Bonifatius will accept in a heartbeat if you ask him as adorably as you did Lieseleta.”

“Mother!” I exclaimed, fixing her with the firmest glare I could manage.

Elvira laughed off my complaint and returned to her diptych, scribbling down something or other. Then she looked up, sighed, and sipped from her teacup with a satisfied smile. “Not that long ago, if someone had told me I would one day have the freedom to indulge in my hobbies, I would never have believed them. I am ever so grateful to you.”

“Hm...?”

“The years before you came were my hardest, Rozemyne. Would you care to hear about them?”

I nodded. Though I already knew bits and pieces about Elvira’s past, I’d never heard the full story.

“My wedding to Karstedt came about from the Leisegangs’ desperation to protect themselves from Lady Veronica. We were not particularly close, nor were we particularly antagonistic to one another, so our marriage came entirely out of obligation. However, Lady Veronica’s attendant Trudeliede became his second wife, then he independently decided to take Rozemary as his third, throwing our house into chaos.”

Anytime the second and third wives had butted heads, Karstedt had always shown favoritism to Rozemary. Elvira had thus needed to maintain the balance by allying with Trudeliede, thereby maintaining appearances for Veronica.

“Soon after Rozemary’s passing, Trudeliede bore a child. Lady Veronica rejoiced at the news, declaring the baby to be best suited to become Lord Karstedt’s successor. I felt myself steadily being pushed out of my position and driven into a corner.”

Lord Adelbert had taken ill not long after, and Veronica’s dominance had reached its peak. Meanwhile, at Karstedt’s estate, Rozemary’s death had started a war between Elvira and Trudeliede, wherein the second wife was borrowing her lady’s power. Karstedt had started using work as an excuse to avoid going home.

I’m well aware that power struggles are a pain, but come on, Father! That’s just wrong!

“Then, the previous archduke Lord Adelbert passed away. Lord Ferdinand lost his shield and entered the temple, succumbing to Lady Veronica’s pressure, while Eckhart, who had sworn his name to the young lord, quickly fell into despair. It was Heidemarie who supported him during this low point.”

Eckhart had married Heidemarie, and the subsequent reveal that she was pregnant had seemed to cheer him up considerably. But then she was poisoned, and in the blink of an eye, Eckhart lost both his wife and unborn child. The tragedy took a heavier toll on him than anyone could bear to witness.

“I never knew...” I muttered.

“Eckhart had just started to get back on his feet when you arrived, and it was not the right time for any of us to tell you.”

Even when Eckhart was still despondent, Veronica had probed Elvira about having him serve Wilfried as a guard knight. Elvira had declined, saying that her son was in no state for such a position—so Veronica had instead made the same demand of Sylvester and Karstedt.

“They both refused as well, for various reasons,” Elvira explained. “It turned into something quite miserable; Lady Veronica would say that I’d failed to raise Eckhart properly, that swearing loyalty to Lord Ferdinand was treason to the archduke, and so on. Lamprecht, well aware of the situation, volunteered to take the position himself, since he would be of age by the time Lord Wilfried was baptized.”

In other words, Lamprecht had accepted the burden to end the suffering his mother and brother were going through.

“At once, Lady Veronica overwhelmed Lamprecht with unreasonable demands. He was to court Ahrensbach nobles and take one as his bride, and to know that guard knights must show complete obedience to their lord at all times. I protested what our son was going through, but Karstedt did not listen to me particularly closely.”

Bemoaning what Lamprecht was having to endure, Elvira had implored her husband to speak with Sylvester about improving the situation. Sylvester had barely listened to him, though. And in any case, Karstedt had known about Elvira’s long-standing conflict with Veronica, so he had merely laughed it off and remarked that Wilfried was just like young Sylvester in his tendency to run away from everything.

Oof... That’s all too easy to imagine.

“As he grew up, Cornelius saw his two elder brothers being dragged about by their lords and resolved never to take one himself. He stopped trying with his studies, which was so very frustrating to see. I knew he had the potential to go far, but he refused to take anything seriously.”

Oh yeah... At the start, Cornelius hadn’t been an honor student or anything.

I thought back to before the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron, when he had said that he needed grades fit for an archnoble and nothing more.

“Lord Adelbert’s death enabled Lady Veronica to wield her power even more flagrantly. Haldenzel, my home province, faced ever tighter constraints, while the Leisegangs lost more and more power. I spent each day in misery, unable to envision a future that did not end with Lady Veronica crushing my sons and me.”

Now that I knew more about noble society, I understood just how terribly awkward life must have been for Elvira. She was the first wife of the knight commander, but she had been on bad terms with the archduke’s mother and struggled to communicate with both her husband and the aub himself.

“It was then that Lady Veronica was suddenly detained,” Elvira said. “Lord Sylvester had moved against her, despite our assumption that he had chosen to remain his mother’s puppet.”

After making an announcement regarding the movement of nobles from other duchies, Sylvester had disappeared over and over again, often for days at a time. Soon, the Noble’s Quarter was abuzz with rumors that something had happened to the aub. He had then made an abrupt return midway through the Archduke Conference, whereupon he dismissed the High Bishop, whom his mother had always protected, and sent Veronica to the Ivory Tower as punishment for her misdeeds.

“Karstedt similarly returned from the Archduke Conference and spent countless days busily dealing with Ehrenfest’s criminals. Even after witnessing it with my own eyes, I could not comprehend what was happening.”

Thinking about it from a noble’s perspective, what Sylvester did really was insane. Even I’m taken aback. Like, he chose to do all that during the Archduke Conference, of all times?

“Amid the chaos, Karstedt suddenly told me that the commoner shrine maiden responsible for Lady Veronica’s deposition was going to be baptized into our family. He said that the aub would adopt her immediately afterward, so it would not place too much of a burden on me.”

“Whaaat?!” I exclaimed. “You were about to become my mother; no matter how swiftly I might have been adopted afterward, it wouldn’t have reduced the amount of work forced upon you, both before and after my adoption.”

“Indeed. The carelessness of men...”

Despite that inconvenience, Elvira had agreed to the arrangement for a number of reasons: I was the cause of Veronica’s downfall; I possessed an abundance of mana, which had contributed to the full chalices being sent to Haldenzel; and Ferdinand, my active guardian, had personally asked her to accept.

“Still,” I said, “I’m surprised you went along with it. Taking a commoner as your daughter couldn’t have been easy...”

“I debated it for some time, but then Karstedt ventured that your joining the archducal family would make it far more likely for your guardian, Lord Ferdinand, to return to noble society when the time was right. Eckhart rejoiced upon hearing this. It was my first time seeing him smile in so long—longer than I could remember. Your adoption would help both Lord Ferdinand and my son, and that was reason enough to accept you. I would never have guessed how much more you would do for me.”

Eckhart had gotten a new lease on life when Ferdinand eventually returned to noble society. In his elation, he had even started visiting the temple to serve his lord there as well. Lamprecht was similarly saved when I helped his lord, Wilfried, escape disinheritance—even if only by the skin of his teeth. My introduction of so many new trends had allowed Elvira’s faction to crush the women of the Veronica faction, while Cornelius’s efforts to help Angelica with her studies had done wonders for his own grades.

Elvira continued, “The printing industry has allowed me to devote so much time to my hobbies, not to mention the wealth it has brought Haldenzel. After your adoption, everything in my life began to go well. Even my marriage became far more than just an obligation. As we discussed how we would raise you, Karstedt and I came to develop a more genuine connection.”

Ever since the first time I’d seen them together, I’d assumed that Karstedt and Elvira had a good relationship—at least for one born from a political engagement. But apparently that hadn’t always been the case.

My move to Karstedt’s estate had prompted Ferdinand to visit every few days, which had in turn prompted Karstedt to spend more time at home. He had also needed to play a more active role in my education; because he had accepted me into his house and made a promise to Ferdinand that he would care for me, he hadn’t been able to defer all of my questions to Elvira as he had always done with his sons. There also hadn’t been much time before my baptism where I would be adopted by the archduke, and my complete lack of noble common sense had required him and Elvira to actually work together.

“I was—and still am—grateful to you, and it was my every intention to support you as your mother. However, I could see that you felt more at ease in the temple with Lord Ferdinand, and it seemed unnecessary to force you to spend time with me instead. Especially when you had your adoptive mother, Lady Florencia, waiting for you in the castle.”

In the end, Elvira had decided that she would simply watch over me, ready to be my safety net if ever the need arose. There hadn’t been much to worry about with Ferdinand looking after me... but then a royal decree had sent him to Ahrensbach.

“I was deeply concerned when you lost your pillar of support, but I was also at a loss for what to do. Given your age, I did not want to overstep any boundaries. It would have been one thing to give him a proper farewell after a reasonable preparation period, but his departure came so suddenly and at such a bad time...”

I’d needed to return to the Royal Academy right after Ferdinand departed, so Elvira had resolved to keep a watchful eye on me once again. She would wait and see whether I got back on my own feet during the academic year and whether Wilfried, my fiancé, stepped up to support me now that Ferdinand was gone. From there, she would determine whether it was best to reach out to me as my mother.

“In preparation for the purge,” she said, “Lord Ferdinand tasked me with laying the groundwork necessary to keep the Leisegangs in check. But when winter socializing began and we had just begun to contact them, unexpected news from the Royal Academy required us to start the purge early. The proper foundations had yet to be laid, so the Leisegangs got much more carried away than expected.”

To resolve this, Brunhilde had agreed to become Sylvester’s second wife and to work with Elvira to contain the Leisegangs. The purge had put its elders in exceptionally high spirits, but they were expected to calm down as time went on.

And yet, before the dust had even begun to settle, Wilfried had stated his intention to visit the Leisegangs during Spring Prayer to earn their support.

“As you might recall, Lamprecht tried to stop him, stating that none of the necessary preparations had been made... but Lord Wilfried went through with his plan nonetheless.”

To nobody’s surprise, Wilfried managed only to stoke the flames. Elvira explained that Giebe Leisegang had contacted her afterward, informing her that the elders were uncontrollably furious. The harrowing news had made the blood drain from her face.

So she had gone to Brunhilde, and the two had started to discuss ways to contain the Leisegangs once again. But then the Archduke Conference had arrived, and my adoption by the king had been decided.

“The situation keeps changing before I can even find my feet,” Elvira lamented. “I am impressed that Lord Ferdinand was able to keep up with you for so long.”

Things might not have been too bad if the duchy were at peace, but the purge had brought about great unrest. To make matters worse, Ferdinand, the one person who had been keeping everything under control, was gone. Elvira felt his absence all too keenly.

“I must admit,” she continued with a sad smile, “it has crossed my mind countless times that we might have been able to keep Lord Ferdinand in Ehrenfest if only we had made him your fiancé instead of Wilfried. It is too late for that now, though...”

I sipped my tea and gave her a small smile. “I cannot imagine being engaged to Ferdinand. My focus has only been on ways to rescue him if something were to happen in Ahrensbach.”

“You have already ensured that he will not be punished alongside Lady Detlinde, correct? Excellent work.” She reached out, stroked my cheek, and said, “You truly have done well.”

I couldn’t help but lean into her kind, gentle hand. “This is the first time anyone has praised me for... for that negotiation...” I murmured, casting my eyes down as a sudden warmth spread through my chest. Tears streamed down my cheeks without warning.

“Well, it was an act of compassion for someone in another duchy—nobody can praise you openly for that, nor would they think to in private. This will most likely be the only time I can say this, but... your actions have made my heart soar with joy. By rescuing Lord Ferdinand, you have saved not one life but three.”

My actions had apparently saved Eckhart and Justus as well as Ferdinand. I nodded, mentally adding Lasfam to that list.

“Those three are safe thanks to you and what you have accomplished,” Elvira concluded. “Be proud.”

“Mother...”

“It is only natural to worry for someone who has moved away—especially when you know their life is in danger. Of course, such concerns should not be made public, but... I worry about Eckhart and Lord Ferdinand as well. Rihyarda is definitely concerned about Justus.”

It had seemed to me as if nobody in Ehrenfest cared about Ferdinand, Eckhart, and Justus now that they had moved to Ahrensbach, but that wasn’t true—those who cared were just better at keeping their feelings to themselves. Knowing that put me at ease.

“I was told not to worry about Ferdinand and the others,” I said. “It seemed as though everyone else had stopped caring about them entirely... and that really hurt. That was when I started to get so stubborn, I think. If nobody else was going to look out for them, then I would do it all on my own.”

Elvira looked down, her eyes now brimming with tears. “My daughter is being adopted by the king, and one of my sons has been handpicked to serve as her royal retainer. Once we leave this room, I will not be allowed to show anything but pride for these accomplishments. So... permit me this brief opportunity to grieve over my two children moving so far away.”

“Oh, Mother...”

I’d already known that nobles used their hidden rooms to express their hidden emotions, but this was my first time actually seeing it. Elvira, whom I’d always known for her calm smiles and plotting from the shadows, was now scrunching up her face and sobbing.

“I am worried about those who went to Ahrensbach, but I also fear that your small shoulders will need to bear the entire future of our country...” she said. Hearing her voice her feelings so openly—and seeing the tears pouring down her face—hit me straight in the chest.

The royal family was focused on whether they would be able to obtain the Grutrissheit, and what they would do if they did. The archducal family was focused on how to lead Ehrenfest after my departure. How many among them were worried about what might happen to me if the Grutrissheit ended up in my hands?

Once again, the most I could manage was a quiet “Mother...” I’d always been taught that nobles were never soft on one another, so I’d thought it pointless to even try. But now, for the first time, I extended a hand to Elvira just like I’d done with Mom so long ago. She clasped it, then squeezed it tight.

There really was someone else who shared my sadness.

“Rozemyne, the weight you are about to carry is not one I can carry with you... but I will do whatever it takes to ensure that you can leave Ehrenfest behind without any concerns or regrets. Stay true to yourself, and continue to forge your own way. When you obtain the Grutrissheit, use it not as a bludgeon of power but as a tool to secure your wishes. I know you can do it. You are my daughter, after all.”