Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.6 - Chapter SS1

My Hopes and Their Problems

The ordonnanz that would change my life arrived after the Archduke Conference, on my day off work.

“Lieseleta, this is Elvira. My apologies for sending this when you are not on duty, but there is something we must discuss. Could you visit my estate at fifth bell?”

After repeating its message twice more, the bird disappeared. I picked up the yellow feystone now sitting in its place, slowly blinking at the abrupt nature of the invitation, then turned to my fiancé, Lord Thorsten. We had planned to spend the day together.

“But what about our promise?” I asked.

“You have only one choice, do you not? We may meet at any time, but this invitation is from Lady Elvira. Please prioritize her over me. I will await good news.” He then began getting ready to go home, looking quite pleased.

In response, I gave a vague smile and nothing else. On the surface, he was a kind fiancé who prioritized my circumstances over his own, but the “good news” he spoke of soured my mood.

I suspect he will want Lady Elvira to arrange a meeting with Lord Bonifatius as compensation for this abrupt summons...

My meeting with Lady Elvira would almost certainly be about Lady Rozemyne’s departure; no other reasons for her invitation came to mind. Would there even be time to request a meeting with Lord Bonifatius? I already knew what Lord Thorsten sought: excessive leniency for his family who were captured during the purge.

“I am only a mednoble...” I said under my breath. “Asking Lord Bonifatius to bend the rules for a man who is not even my husband is much too great a burden...”

My sister often met with Lord Bonifatius for training, but I seldom interacted with him. I was in no position to make such a personal request, and asking for the reduction of punishments from the purge was dreadfully shameless. Even though Lord Thorsten’s family had only acted on Lady Veronica’s orders, they had still committed their crimes. I could not help feeling that they should pay the price.

If our marriage is going to be like this, I do not look forward to the future.

It had become all too clear that Lord Thorsten, an archnoble, was only marrying into my mednoble family so that he could connect with Lord Bonifatius through my elder sister. It was exhausting that he was putting so much pressure on me before we were even married.

“My apologies again for the abrupt summons,” Lady Elvira said. “Cornelius informed me you were not working today.” She seemed eager to begin our discussion before Lady Rozemyne arrived.

We had an inoffensive conversation about Lady Rozemyne’s time at the Archduke Conference while waiting for our tea to be prepared. Then the room was cleared, and Lady Elvira handed me a sound-blocker as though it were the most natural thing in the world. The true reason for my being here was about to become clear.

“Lady Florencia is due to give birth soon, which means I will take charge of preparing for my daughter’s move. I also intend to coordinate which retainers will accompany her.”

I could tell from the look in her dark eyes that she wanted me to stay with my lady. I was glad, but I also resented my elder sister, who had managed to secure a place by Lady Rozemyne’s side simply by wishing for it.

“Because she spends so little time in the castle, Rozemyne has made do with fewer attendants than usual, no?” Lady Elvira asked. “As a result, her only attendant after the move is going to be an underage mednoble who started serving her not even half a year ago. How terribly worrying...”

Attendants were tasked with maintaining the lifestyle of their lord or lady. They were often closer to their charge than any other kind of retainer, which was why anyone who left their home duchy through marriage or for any other reason would go with their most trusted attendants. Lady Rozemyne was less fortunate, though; the only attendant due to accompany her to the Sovereignty was Gretia. It was unorthodox and, as Lady Elvira had said, worrying.

But it cannot be helped when one considers whom Lady Rozemyne keeps as her archattendants...

Rihyarda had served the longest, but she was Aub Ehrenfest’s attendant first and foremost. She had even returned to his service after the purge, to help make up for the fresh gaps in his retinue. As far as attendants went, she was a unique case in that she served whomever the aub said she should. Even without the purge, she would likely never have left Ehrenfest.

As for Brunhilde, she had gotten engaged to the aub during the feast celebrating spring. Moving to the Sovereignty was not an option when she was due to become the duchy’s second wife. She had much experience doing business with the royal family and top-ranking duchies, on top of her already strong socializing skills, so Lady Rozemyne truly was going to miss her.

As for Ottilie, her husband, Lord Leberecht, served as Lady Florencia’s retainer. She would not be able to move to the Sovereignty unless they divorced or he started serving Lady Rozemyne instead. The former was entirely unrealistic, and the latter was unlikely when the archducal family already had so few retainers.

“It seems you do not intend to accompany my daughter, Lieseleta. Has she failed you as your lady?”

“Not in the least. I chose to serve Lady Rozemyne, and my feelings have not changed. However...”

I closed my mouth, hesitant to reveal my family’s circumstances. I did not wish to burden Lady Elvira with my concerns; dealing with requests from Lord Thorsten and his family would surely be trouble enough.

“Be open with me, Lieseleta.”

“I am my house’s successor. And since I cannot consult my parents, my hands are tied.” I could not leave my position without discussing it with Father, but as Lady Rozemyne’s move remained private, I could not make such adjustments. “Furthermore, I am already engaged to Lord Thorsten, one of Lord Wilfried’s retainers. Neither of our families would allow our union to be canceled.”

“To prioritize love? I can arrange for your Starbinding to be brought forward to this summer so that he can go with you as your husband.”

I imagined that future, then shook my head. Even in the Sovereignty, Lord Thorsten would never mesh with Lady Rozemyne’s retainers. He was a noble of the Veronica faction at heart, so his presence would only burden my lady.

“I do not love him,” I said, then sighed. “It would probably be best for my house if our engagement were canceled, but my family are mednobles; we could never make such a move against archnobles.”

Elvira placed a hand on her cheek and gave me a look of concern. “I agree that Lord Thorsten, a member of the former Veronica faction, would not get along well with your house, which has loyally served Lady Florencia from the beginning. I expect he gave you an unreasonable demand to be carried out during this meeting.”

Lord Thorsten was already using me to get closer to Lord Bonifatius, but that was not all. Anytime I sought to exchange intelligence that would close the gap between our lord and lady, he would smile and declare, “It is only natural for an adopted daughter to give away her accomplishments. Please ensure Lady Rozemyne knows this.” He stubbornly clung to his opinions and showed not the slightest interest in compromising with me.

And that brazen request he made! “Ensure that Lord Bonifatius resolves my family’s problems for me.” The nerve!

“I wanted to cooperate with Lord Thorsten to support the future archducal couple,” I said, “but things are not going as I anticipated.” Our perspectives seldom aligned, and our engagement had only served to exacerbate the divide between our charges.

“So, if you will excuse my bluntness: Would you accompany Rozemyne if you could, Lieseleta?”

“Yes, but I am a mednoble; I do not have the socializing experience necessary to be the retainer of a princess.”

Brunhilde had done business with the royal family and top-ranking duchies almost entirely on her own, and Ottilie had served as head attendant during the Archduke Conference. There was nothing for me to do but oversee Lady Rozemyne’s chambers and day-to-day activities—and even those tasks would ultimately fall to Gretia next year.

“Um... were Lady Rozemyne to request it, I would jump at the chance to continue serving her. But I could never act on my desires alone; I would need an order from her or someone of sufficiently high status.”

“Your perspective is sound. Rozemyne always strives to respect the desires of others, but she must be taught when to voice her own desires as well.”

Did she mean to say she would speak to Lady Rozemyne for me? At the thought of my wish coming true, I started to suspect this was merely a convenient dream.

“Lady Elvira, why would you go to such lengths for my sake?” I asked.

She chuckled. “I do this not for you but for Rozemyne. One cannot learn overnight how to manage her medicine or care for her when she collapses. Do you truly think I could entrust her to a single fresh-faced attendant and some Sovereign nobles who have never spent time with her before? It is my duty as the person overseeing my daughter’s departure to ensure that you stay by her side.”

Rather than feeling hurt, I was overcome with relief. If she truly was acting for her daughter, I could trust that she would not change her mind at the last moment.

“Furthermore,” she continued, “you have dedicated your life to Rozemyne, have you not? For her sake, you increased your mana to the point that you could not find anyone within your house to marry. For her sake, you strove to become a qualified doctor. It seems a waste to give up such a loyal retainer.”

I swallowed. As she had said, after witnessing the true extent of my lady’s poor health, I had elected to take the courses necessary to become a doctor. Unfortunately, because of my late entrance into Lady Rozemyne’s retinue, there had not been time for me to complete enough of them.

“To begin with, I doubted that I would actually receive the qualification. My aim was simply to build upon my medical knowledge as much as I could. That is why I did not inform anyone of my decision—not even my family or my fellow retainers. How did you find out, Lady Elvira?”

“Cornelius always pays close attention to his peers. But it was Hartmut who first noticed, it would seem.”

My choice of courses and the potions I brewed had given Hartmut enough information to deduce my intentions. I really had tried to keep them hidden, but as it turned out, not even my best efforts were enough.

“Not only was I unable to become a qualified doctor, but I still cannot brew the potions Lady Rozemyne drinks on a daily basis,” I said, looking Lady Elvira in her dark eyes. “Furthermore, as a mednoble, I will not be of any use when it comes to socializing. Am I even worth the trouble?”

She returned my look and said, “Hartmut and Clarissa can take care of the brewing. And as for any socializing duties, those can be entrusted to the scholars—or to the Sovereign nobles who surely specialize in such work. But you are the only one who can protect Rozemyne’s everyday life.”

“Her everyday life...?”

“Indeed. That is the most important duty of an attendant. Rozemyne needs someone who can provide normalcy after the adoption.”

Hearing that I was not only wanted but valued so highly made a warm feeling spread through my bosom. “I shall devote my life to serving Lady Rozemyne,” I said, reaffirming my dedication.

Lady Elvira wasted not another moment—she got Lady Rozemyne to reveal that she wanted me to accompany her, then swiftly arranged a meeting with my father. As soon as he received the invitation, he came with me to Lady Elvira’s estate, whereupon the room was cleared and we were given sound-blocking magic tools. That was enough for my father to realize the severity of our discussion, and immediately his face stiffened.

“We are gathered today to discuss something very important to me,” Lady Elvira said, “so let us begin in earnest. Have someone replace Lieseleta as your house’s successor so that she can continue to serve as Rozemyne’s attendant.”

My father was taken aback. “That suggestion is—”

“You would do well to keep this to yourself, but Rozemyne is moving to the Sovereignty at the king’s request.”

Father inhaled sharply before Elvira dryly explained the circumstances: one year from now, Lady Rozemyne’s engagement would be canceled and she would move to the Sovereignty. Because she would not have any archnoble attendants with her, she would need to rely entirely on a member of the former Veronica faction who had given her name in the winter.

“I proposed that Lieseleta accompany her,” she continued, “but she had to refuse the idea, since she is expected to succeed your house and is engaged to one of Lord Wilfried’s archnoble retainers. You are the head of a family of attendants, correct? I expect you know how important they are to someone leaving their home duchy. I consider it essential that Lieseleta remain by my daughter’s side and shall do everything in my power to make it happen.”

In no uncertain terms, she had ordered my father to let me go while also offering to help with any issues my departure might cause. He cast his eyes down in thought, then looked up at me and said, “Lieseleta, do you want to go?”

“Yes,” I replied, remembering how Lady Elvira had admonished my lady for not making her feelings clear. “Lady Rozemyne personally asked me to accompany her, and if our family matters can be resolved, that is what I wish to do.”

“I see... Well, with Lady Elvira offering her assistance, we should not struggle to replace you. Go, if your mind is made up.”

“Truly?”

“Uderick will take your place.”

Uderick was a man of our house to whom I had previously been engaged. Unfortunately, our union had crumbled when we attempted to mix colors and realized that my mana quantity had grown so much that we no longer matched. Still, our house would be satisfied with him.

“Uderick was raised to lead the house as Lieseleta’s husband, so there should not be any issues with him becoming the new successor,” my father said, starting to relax. “To be frank, I thought Lieseleta would struggle in the position, so I am grateful this opportunity has arisen.”

“Father...” I gazed down at my feet. “I am sorry that my shortcomings warranted such concern.”

“Your shortcomings?” Father sighed. “No, quite the opposite. You have made too much progress. We are proud to have you as our daughter, but in terms of mana, the head of a house should not be so far ahead of their family. That was what I meant.”

The head of a house was expected to mediate weddings and consult with family members, so a mana disparity would only complicate things. Looking back, Father had struggled to find me a partner after my mana reached a certain point.

“Of course, if Lady Rozemyne’s mana compression method had continued to spread, things would have been fine,” my father said. “We would have made the most of Angelica’s and your bonds to Lady Rozemyne and Lord Bonifatius, and spent future generations turning ourselves into an archnoble house.”

Lady Elvira nodded. “Lady Rozemyne’s departure brings a swift end to that plan, unfortunately.”

“Indeed. When she goes, so, too, will our connection to the archducal family. The cancellation of her engagement will also impact Lord Wilfried, and who knows what Lord Thorsten’s position might be in the future? Making Uderick the head of our house will no doubt be... important.”

“Do you also want Lieseleta’s engagement to be canceled?” Lady Elvira asked. “My knowledge of your situation comes only from rumors, so I would appreciate an account from the head of the house.”

Father frowned, then nodded. “They have asked us to secure favors from Lord Bonifatius, which has been troubling for some time and continues to be a grave matter of concern.”

Lord Thorsten’s family had sought connections to the royal family through my engagement. I served Lady Rozemyne, the spiritual head of the Leisegangs, but they were mostly using me to get close to my elder sister, who was Lord Bonifatius’s favorite and in need of a partner.

But as the purge saw members of the former Veronica faction punished one after another, some among Lord Thorsten’s family had also been targeted. “They are your family too,” my father had subsequently been told, even though my marriage had yet to happen. “Smooth things over with Lord Bonifatius.”

“I spent much time with the archducal couple while their hearts ached over Lady Veronica’s words and deeds,” my father noted, rubbing his brow as if attempting to ease a headache. “It troubles me to no end that her faction now wants my help to escape punishment, especially when the archducal family is working so hard to right old wrongs.”

“Refusing them for this long could not have been easy...” Lady Elvira said, impressed. The purge had taken place at the start of winter, and we were now at the end of spring—almost an entire half year of enduring their pressure.

“Lieseleta was at the Royal Academy during the winter, and everyone was busy here in Ehrenfest, so there was very little interaction between our houses. I was able to refuse them in the run-up to the Archduke Conference by saying that the archducal couple were lacking for retainers and overwhelmed with their preparations, so requesting a meeting with Lord Bonifatius would only serve to anger him. But now... we are finally out of excuses.”

“That is why Lord Thorsten has grown more direct with his requests,” I added. Then I revealed his demand that I use Lady Elvira’s abrupt summons as leverage, which made both her and my father grimace.

“Even if you do get married,” Father said, “our house is going to lose its connection to the archducal family when you and Angelica leave with Lady Rozemyne. Lord Thorsten’s family will no doubt bemoan that your engagement served no purpose.”

The connections they had obtained at the cost of reducing Lord Thorsten to a mednoble would deteriorate, which would no doubt displease his family. Still, our mednoble house had no choice but to endure. Our fate was clear as day.

“Understood,” Lady Elvira said. “In that case, I will make sure they cancel the engagement. In return, Lieseleta, become Rozemyne’s head attendant.”

“H-Her head attendant? But I am only a mednoble.”

“You have enough mana. Simply choose an archnoble to marry and your status will increase. Many Sovereign nobles will seek to connect with a retainer in your position, and you are going to be closer to Rozemyne than anybody else.”

My focus had thus far been on marrying someone who would support my house alongside me, but now... I could use marriage to become an archnoble instead.

“A mednoble from our house becoming the head attendant of an archducal family member...?” Father said, so shocked that he actually looked disturbed.

Lady Elvira merely shot him a glance before she continued: “Lieseleta, I do not mind if you need time to become acclimated to the kind of socializing expected of you, but please work hard to learn as much as you can from Brunhilde and Ottilie. You will accompany Rozemyne as her adult attendant next term. Receive as much guidance as you can before then.”

“Understood,” I replied. “Lady Elvira, I am in your care.”

“In conclusion, Lady Elvira supports the cancellation of my engagement, and a man of my house will replace me as successor. I am going to accompany Lady Rozemyne.”

In our workroom at the castle, my announcement received a variety of reactions from my fellow retainers. Some stared at me in shock, while those who had been at Lord Karstedt’s estate gave knowing nods.

“Glad to hear everything worked out,” Cornelius said; then a teasing smile crept onto his lips. “Rozemyne’s sure to be over the moon, especially after she made that adorable appeal for you to go with her.”

“Lady Rozemyne truly was adorable when she made that request,” Leonore agreed, giggling at the memory.

I thought back to how Rozemyne had worked up the courage to ask me despite her obvious embarrassment. “I agree from the bottom of my heart, Leonore—Lady Rozemyne was so, so adorable. I shall devote my life to serving her.”

Hartmut and Clarissa both recoiled, their expressions seeming to shout, “Lady Rozemyne asked you to accompany her?!”

She did. In fact, so did Lady Elvira.

“Cornelius...” Hartmut said, grabbing his companion by the shoulders. “I wasn’t invited to this discussion. I also wasn’t told anything about Lady Elvira vouching for Lieseleta.”

“It was a discussion about Angelica’s and Lieseleta’s futures,” Cornelius replied, brushing Hartmut’s hands away. “I don’t see why I should report anything about their circumstances or my mother’s actions to you. And do you really need to ask why we didn’t invite you? You’ve already agreed to accompany Rozemyne.”

Paying their feud no mind, I turned to Ottilie and said, “Please instruct me so that I can become Lady Rozemyne’s head attendant.”

“Certainly. To be honest, I am relieved to hear that you plan to accompany her.”

Ottilie was running me through an outline of my socializing-focused education when someone grabbed my arm out of nowhere and refused to let go.

“No! You’re so mean, Lieseleta! You bully! You traitooor! You said you would stay behind with me! Am I going to be left out again?!”

I turned to see Judithe, her violet eyes brimming with tears. It had completely slipped my mind, but she was right—I was going back on the promise we had made together.

Oh dear... How am I going to console her this time?