Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story-1 - Chapter 13

Cornelius — A Miserable Morning Full of Regret

A previously unpublished chapter set near the end of Part 3 Volume 5, posted online in a collection of disconnected short stories. Cornelius, overcome with regret after failing to protect Rozemyne and catch the true culprit, has a thought-provoking conversation with his mother.

Author’s Note: This started out as the beginning of the sales bonus for Part 3 Volume 5, but it got cut when the story became too long. As you can see, I ended up turning it into its own little chapter. You could (somewhat loosely) call this the first part of the next short story in this book, “To Protect My Little Sister.”

“Cornelius,” Lord Ferdinand said to me, “if you are truly sorry, capture those who harmed Rozemyne.”

I nodded, then went with Grandfather to apprehend the criminal. We followed a rott to Angelica, who had managed to restrain Viscount Joisontak, then I went off to inform Father and the aub that we had completed our objective. After failing Rozemyne so greatly, I had managed to atone for my mistake, even if only slightly.

Or so I thought. Following an interrogation by Aub Ehrenfest himself, it was confirmed that Viscount Joisontak had invaded the northern building and kidnapped Charlotte—but he hadn’t been the one to attack Rozemyne.

In short, I still haven’t caught the criminal. I haven’t done anything!

As time went on, that knowledge weighed more and more heavily on my soul. I tossed and turned in bed, unable to find peace even in the pitch-black darkness. It was making my overnight attendant very concerned.

In the dark, where I was unable to sleep despite my best efforts, awful thoughts came to mind unbidden. I could still see Rozemyne, unconscious in Lord Ferdinand’s arms. She was wrapped in cloth, but her face, ashen and covered in scratches, still peeked out from among its folds. Her skin was normally quite pale, but now it was deathly white, as if she were no longer with us. The fact that she wasn’t even reacting to the potion-soaked rag in her mouth only added to my worries.

At the same time, I remembered seeing Rozemyne during her baptism ceremony, crumpled on the floor and covered in blood. Both then and now, I had failed in my duty to protect her.

Will she be okay?

That was my only thought. Lord Ferdinand had said during Viscount Joisontak’s interrogation that she would survive, but after seeing the look in his eyes as he inspected our surroundings, I couldn’t help but imagine that she was in a terrible state.

Viscount Joisontak had mentioned receiving his soldiers from Viscount Gerlach, so the aub and the Knight’s Order were now directing their attention at him. This meant I was unable to find out any more about Rozemyne’s condition or the details of the situation.

If only I’d stayed with her and not Lady Charlotte...

I had been completely focused on saving Lady Charlotte and Angelica, so I hadn’t seen the moment Rozemyne’s highbeast was captured. Instead, I’d only heard her scream while I was detouring through the sky above the forest, satisfied and relieved about having made it in time. I’d frantically looked around, only to see her highbeast ensnared in light and being dragged down into the forest. Then, the trees had started swaying far in the distance.

And after I was told that a guard knight should never take their eyes off their charge, not even for a single moment, no matter the circumstances...

It had only been for a brief window—not even ten seconds—but that was all it had taken for Rozemyne to end up in danger. I hadn’t been able to understand what was happening at first. Fear dulled my senses, and my blood ran cold. My breath caught in my throat, and my vision flashed white.

I’d wanted nothing more than to race to Rozemyne’s rescue, but abandoning Lady Charlotte wasn’t an option. I asked Angelica to stop channeling mana into her enhancements and Stenluke so that she could produce her highbeast, then left Lady Charlotte in her care while I tried to pursue the kidnapper.

But by that point, it was too late. Rozemyne didn’t respond no matter how much I called for her.

At the very least, if we knew who was responsible, I could capture them...

I wouldn’t forgive the criminal who had put Rozemyne through so much suffering. Was it actually Viscount Gerlach, whom Viscount Joisontak had spoken about?

I need to capture them with my own two hands, as soon as possible.

Racked with feelings of powerlessness, regret, and anger toward the criminal, I squeezed my eyes shut. I needed to fall asleep as soon as I could.

My attendant urged me out of bed, but I didn’t feel rested at all; I’d started awake several times in the night, and not once had I managed to fall into a deep sleep.

Despite my exhaustion, I got up and went to have breakfast. Today was the day of Viscount Gerlach’s interrogation, and I needed to attend—as a guard, but also to get some emotional closure.

By the time I arrived at the dining hall, Mother had already finished eating. “Oh, Cornelius,” she said. “You are up early this morning.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

One of the attendants poured me a hot drink. I watched the liquid as it swirled in my cup, then took a sip. Immediately, the warmth of the beverage spread through my chest.

For breakfast, I was served some bread with a side of tanieh cream. Mother was sipping her tea, not reacting at all, but the gesture wasn’t lost on me. Tanieh cream was my favorite, but she had forbidden me from having it without her permission ever since autumn, when I’d eaten it on a daily basis. For her to have prepared some for me now meant she must have been worried about me.

I spread the tanieh cream on my bread and then took a big bite. Its delicious sweetness helped to raise my spirits... but then I remembered that it had been Rozemyne who gave me the recipe in the first place, and the storm of emotions that had been swirling through my head since last night bubbled up out of me.

“Mother, I’m Rozemyne’s apprentice guard knight, but I couldn’t protect her when it mattered most. I should have stayed with her instead of rescuing Lady Charlotte. That was my duty...”

“Cornelius... I understand how you feel. But it was Rozemyne who told you to save Lady Charlotte, was it not?”

I nodded. Mother was right. Under normal circumstances, I would have left Lady Charlotte’s rescue to her guard knights and the Knight’s Order; it was only because Rozemyne had flown off to save her that I’d taken action as well. As merciless as that may have seemed, it was the duty of a guard knight to protect their lord or lady.

Mother’s dark eyes sharpened ever so slightly. “Then refrain from speaking or acting in ways that suggest you regret rescuing Lady Charlotte. If anyone should feel responsible, it should be Lady Charlotte’s own guard knights, who could not handle the black-clad soldiers and failed to protect their lady from danger.”

Her words were as harsh as one would expect from the first wife of the knight commander—but she could only say that because she had not seen the situation herself. Thinking back to how many enemies had appeared and how everyone had been positioned, it would have been near impossible for Lady Charlotte’s guard knights to manage alone.

As I thought back to the trained movements of the black-clad soldiers, I started moving gewinnen pieces around in my mind. Theoretically, if we had attacked the three soldiers who ambushed Lady Charlotte, Angelica and I would have ended up fighting one each, while the third would have gotten to Rozemyne unopposed.

Though she wouldn’t have been picked up and carried away like Lady Charlotte, since she was in her highbeast.

“You aren’t wrong, Mother—but I don’t believe you are entirely correct either. I was there during the attack, and I can say in good conscience that Lady Charlotte’s guard knights did not act incompetently.”

“If you are capable of such rational analysis, Cornelius, then think not of what has happened but of what is to come,” Mother said, bringing her teacup to her lips once again. “Lord Ferdinand said that Rozemyne will awake, though perhaps not anytime soon, so we can rest easy knowing she is safe.” It annoyed me how casually she was speaking.

I stabbed my fork into the bacon I was served. “Lord Ferdinand did not give any details as to her condition. It is not like you to naively trust someone, Mother.” Both she and Eckhart placed too much faith in Lord Ferdinand, in my opinion.

“Oh my...” Mother said. She covered her mouth with one hand and gave a refined giggle. “Lord Ferdinand always speaks as ambiguously as possible to keep his own words from being used against him, yet he said in no uncertain terms that Rozemyne will survive. She will be safe in his hands.” She sighed, then continued in a quieter voice, “Though, I admit, we do not know how long her recovery will take... Lord Bonifatius is furious about her being kept in the temple, but Lord Ferdinand considers it for the best, and I trust his judgment.”

“But why?” I asked. “If her condition really has stabilized, should she not be moved somewhere more secure? The temple is primarily staffed with gray priests, and there are so few guards stationed there.”

As far as I was aware, Rozemyne only had two guard knights who could enter the temple: Damuel and Brigitte. Lord Ferdinand only had one: Eckhart. With so few capable fighters at their disposal, what did they plan to do in the event of another attack?

“Perhaps, but nobles generally do not go there. Rozemyne, Lord Ferdinand, and their retainers are the only exceptions, which makes it much easier to protect Rozemyne from those who would try to harm her under the guise of a visit. Do you not agree?”

Mother went on to explain that, according to Eckhart, there was a hidden room in the temple that Ferdinand often used. Rozemyne was being kept inside, and moving her anywhere else would potentially be more dangerous. Mother told me all this coolly—which was far from amusing when I’d spent all night worrying myself sick.

“You certainly are calm, Mother, considering all that has happened.”

“I am not calm. Rozemyne, who has come to be known as the Leisegangs’ greatest hope, is at death’s door. The very thought of all the fretting I will need to deal with gives me a pounding headache.”

The Leisegangs had spent years under Lady Veronica’s thumb—and now they were pinning all of their hopes on Rozemyne. In their eyes, the future of their house rested on her very shoulders.

We had thus far kept Rozemyne’s meetings with other nobles to an absolute minimum, since she was sickly and unaccustomed to society’s expectations, but we had planned for that to change this winter. We were going to have her meet with the giebes in her family as socializing practice while at the same time spreading the printing and paper-making industries. She would have unified the Leisegangs, gotten them involved in the new industries, established their superiority over the former Veronica faction...

Now, however, their hopes were crushed—and in more ways than one. I could imagine their outrage all too clearly.

“Well... I can see why this is going to be difficult for you,” I remarked.

“Why are you acting like this is not your problem as well, Cornelius? You will need to interact with their children in the playroom and the Royal Academy. You would do well to speak with Lord Karstedt and the aub before then so that you know what information to hide and what to spread.”

I could already imagine the Leisegang children bombarding me with questions. Last year had already taught me that Rozemyne had drawn a lot of attention to herself.

Mother continued, “Under these circumstances, I do not expect your father to be able to leave the castle. He will probably be living in the knight dormitory for some time. If you visit him to discuss what I mentioned, could you ask whom we are considering as the next Giebe Joisontak? The province borders Gerlach, so it will prove critical for upcoming socializing events.”

“Regardless of whether I visit the Knight’s Order, I do not think Father will have time to discuss something so personal...”

Anyone who spent a year as an apprentice guard knight would be able to guess how much work the knight commander was having to endure right now. At the very beginning of winter socializing, when nobles from every province were coming together, an Ehrenfest noble had attacked the archducal family. A personal meeting was out of the question.

“Well, I ask only that you keep it in mind, should the opportunity arise. The more means of gathering intelligence we have, the better. For now... I will tell Eckhart and Lamprecht to come home for dinner today.”

I knew it. Mother is calm, cool, and collected.

Seeing her contemplate whom she would ask to obtain intelligence on the state of the archducal family made me feel that I was still immature, as both a noble and a guard knight.