Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story - Chapter 14

Hannelore — Ehrenfest’s Tea Party

Ehrenfest had announced its plans to hold a large-scale tea party with all of the other duchies, and our invitation arrived the moment Lady Rozemyne returned to the Royal Academy. It couldn’t have arrived any sooner than this, of course—Ehrenfest had a female archduke candidate, and it wasn’t an option for an archnoble to invite archduke candidates from other duchies in her place. Lord Wilfried could have hosted the tea party, but I believed that he was busy with male socializing.

“How loathsome...” Lestilaut grumbled. “That fake saint declined our duchy’s request. Hannelore, you have no need to participate in this tea party.”

According to him, since Ehrenfest had thus far only hosted tea parties for middle- and bottom-ranking duchies, there was no need for Dunkelfelger to participate in this one. I considered this tea party to be a pivotal moment for me, however. Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time was granting me her guidance at last. In her infinite mercy, she had finally afforded me an opportunity to apologize to Lady Rozemyne, whom I had failed to catch so many times before.

“No, Brother,” I replied. “I intend to use this opportunity to meet Lady Rozemyne properly.”

He shrugged and relented, but only on the condition that I brought his retainer Kenntrips with me to the tea party.

I suppose that, despite his complaints, Brother shares my endless curiosity about Ehrenfest...

Of course, I accepted my brother’s proposal; attending the tea party was more important than anything to me.

“Lady Hannelore, Lady Hannelore!” Professor Rauffen said. “I do ask that you challenge Lady Rozemyne to a ditter rematch at the tea party.” There was a hint of desperation in his eyes, indicating that he hadn’t yet given up on the idea.

I furrowed my brow. “Has their dormitory supervisor Professor Hirschur not officially refused the proposal already?”

Professor Rauffen had sent his request to Ehrenfest as soon as he found out about Lady Rozemyne’s return, but Professor Hirschur had naturally refused him. “Lady Rozemyne participated in the duel for the library’s shumils only because she is their master,” she had said. “She is not an apprentice knight, nor is she qualified to play ditter, so we cannot agree to a rematch.”

This response had left Professor Rauffen grief-stricken. No matter how you looked at it, though, Professor Hirschur was completely in the right.

“I am told by my scholars that Lady Rozemyne is busy with socializing. Surely she does not have the time to spend on ditter,” I said. Ehrenfest had already turned down my private request for a personal tea party. Apparently, they had received invitations from Prince Anastasius and Klassenberg’s Lady Eglantine, so they didn’t have time to spare.

It seemed there were many duchies who wanted to form bonds with Lady Rozemyne, who had introduced more trends this year than anyone else, but their requests for tea parties had all been turned down. To make up for this, Ehrenfest had expressed their intentions to host a tea party themselves for everyone to come to. Thus, although my inquiry about a personal tea party had ended in refusal, they held no ill will toward me.

“I shall be off then, Brother.”

“Don’t let your guard down under any circumstances, Hannelore. This may be a tea party, but we don’t know what methods Ehrenfest is going to use. Cordula, Kenntrips—stay on alert as well.”

My brother was quite the worrywart according to his apprentice scholar Kenntrips. He had apparently spent much time trying to figure out how the both of us could attend the tea party together, despite the fact that Ehrenfest was only accepting one participant per duchy, due to the sheer number of duchies being invited.

“I can hardly imagine Lady Rozemyne being someone dangerous, though...” I muttered. It was true that my knowledge about her amounted to little more than occasional glimpses during our lessons and a brief exchange with Lord Wilfried, but I simply couldn’t believe her being the villain my brother seemed to assume she was. Our apprentice knights had only nice things to say about her, claiming that she hadn’t grown arrogant even after snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and that she was judicious enough to understand both her foes’ strengths and her own weaknesses.

Dunkelfelger has always valued strength above all else. I only hope that Lady Rozemyne isn’t being troubled by Professor Rauffen’s incessant messages.

It was third bell when I exited my dormitory and started toward Ehrenfest’s tea party room, walking quickly but not too quickly. Upon our arrival, Cordula touched the feystone attached to the door marked thirteen, ringing the bell to announce that we were here. It opened slowly to reveal Lord Wilfried, who welcomed me inside.

“Lady Hannelore. Thank you for coming.”

“I thank you ever so much for inviting me, Lord Wilfried. I truly have been looking forward to today.”

I was sure that I had arrived particularly early, but when I entered the room, I saw that Lady Detlinde was already sitting in her chair. I then noticed Lady Rozemyne, who was speaking to Lord Rudiger of Frenbeltag.

“You would consider me a relative despite the fact I am adopted, Lord Rudiger?” Lady Rozemyne asked.

“I wish to be as friendly as possible,” he replied.

Oh, how nice Lord Rudiger has it, being able to speak with Lady Rozemyne so freely and whenever he wants. If only that were me...

“Lady Rozemyne... is busy, I see. I will greet her later,” I said, sighing as my unfortunate timing inconvenienced me once again. I was guided to my seat by Lord Wilfried, after which Lady Detlinde greeted us with a smile.

I had already invited Lady Detlinde to many tea parties this year. She was an archduke candidate from the greater duchy of Ahrensbach—a beautiful young woman with distinctive green eyes and fluffy golden hair. I understood that she was currently struggling with the fact that there were few boys her age and of a similar mana level who were willing to marry into Ahrensbach.

Being in a position where one must become the next archduchess is surely difficult indeed.

I had never even thought about becoming Dunkelfelger’s next archduchess; there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that my brother would find an ideal partner from another duchy to support him. Father had mentioned that with my poor timing and lack of confidence, it was highly unlikely that I would ever be married to royalty. To be honest, this news had come as a tremendous relief.

More and more visitors arrived as I continued my conversation with Lady Detlinde, including Lady Eglantine of Klassenberg.

“Lady Rozemyne, I thank you ever so much for inviting me today. I am determined to introduce you to my other friends,” Lady Eglantine said with a reciprocated smile. Her friends then gathered around Lady Rozemyne, and I watched as they were introduced one by one.

I could have socialized with Lady Eglantine as well, but there was no guarantee that she would treat me with kindness. During the recent civil war, Dunkelfelger had joined Klassenberg in allying with the fifth prince, but Klassenberg received better treatment due to housing the former princess Lady Eglantine, so there was a bit of tension between our duchies.

Ehrenfest is neutral, however, so I remain hopeful. Lord Wilfried did not shirk me, and they seem to be on good terms with Ahrensbach as well, so everything should be fine.

And then it dawned on me—Ehrenfest was neutral. It was possible that Lady Rozemyne was handling socializing with Klassenberg and their associates, while Lord Wilfried dealt with Ahrensbach and Dunkelfelger.

Oh, what an awful coincidence...

For a moment, I unconsciously lowered my head, but I quickly stood up straight again; I couldn’t risk appearing down at this tea party.

“Cordula, I wish to leave my seat for a moment,” I said, then stood up and excused myself under the guise of using the restroom. Only once I was alone in a private bathroom did I let out a heavy sigh.

I must not get depressed. The tea party has only just begun.

Dunkelfelger could emulate Ehrenfest, having Lestilaut continue socializing with Ahrensbach and such while I socialized with neutral duchies.

I resolved to apologize to Lady Rozemyne today, and apologize to her I shall.

As I made my way back to my seat, feeling reinvigorated, I saw Lady Rozemyne distributing bottles to her friends. Kenntrips whispered something to Cordula, having stayed behind to observe the tea party, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

“It seems that your unfortunate timing has struck again,” Cordula replied. “According to Kenntrips, Lady Rozemyne stopped by to greet you while you were away.”

What have I done to make Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time despise me so...? I wondered. My newly strengthened spirit was on the verge of shattering once again.

“Lady Rozemyne, what is in those jars? It smells ever so delightful.”

“It is rinsham, a liquid which brings out the glossiness in one’s hair. I’m afraid there’s a limited amount, so I am distributing these jars only to my friends today.”

“Oh my. Are you not distributing them to Lord Wilfried’s friends also?” Lady Detlinde asked, turning to the boy in question with wide eyes. “You are both archduke candidates of Ehrenfest.”

Lord Wilfried shrugged as more eyes gathered on him. “Well, it was Rozemyne who created rinsham in the first place. And unlike girls, I’m not too interested in glossy hair. I generally leave all matters related to beauty products to her.”

I knew from a conversation with Lord Wilfried that rinsham was a popular product in Ehrenfest used to make one’s hair shine. I also knew from talk among the other students that Lady Rozemyne was the one spreading it. That said, this was my first time hearing that she was the one who had created it.

So Lady Rozemyne is skilled at studying and ditter... and she’s also the inventor of rinsham?!

I couldn’t believe my ears; she was beyond comparison to someone like me, who struggled to maintain even a shred of the pride necessary for a greater duchy archduke candidate. And as I sat in a daze, Lady Detlinde began pleading with Lady Rozemyne for rinsham.

“So that means you will be giving me rinsham as well, yes, Lady Rozemyne?”

“Goodness, Lady Detlinde. Did Lady Rozemyne not just say she is distributing them only to her friends?” Lady Eglantine asked. She spoke with a soft smile, but there was no mistaking that she intended to chastise. “I do not believe your words thus far have been friendly in the least.”

Her other friends who had received rinsham nodded in agreement; it seemed that while I was absent, Lady Detlinde had made some comments that weren’t at all cordial. Lady Detlinde immediately came to her own defense, asserting that Lady Rozemyne was in fact her dear cousin.

“I had no idea you viewed me as such a precious family member, Lady Detlinde. My apologies. If you would have me, then I welcome our relationship as cousins,” Lady Rozemyne said with a smile, presenting her with a small bottle of rinsham, which she eagerly accepted.

I was impressed with how gracefully Lady Rozemyne had dealt with the situation; she had very blatantly relented to stop the unpleasant exchange from dragging out any longer. However, almost immediately after this was resolved, other girls began to crowd around Lady Rozemyne, asking for bottles as well.

“Do you not want one of your own, Lady Hannelore?” Cordula asked.

“I wish to be friends with Lady Rozemyne, irrespective of rinsham,” I said. “I will greet her once they have moved on.”

And so, I decided to wait until the conversation had moved past rinsham, not wanting to seem like I was after material goods. I couldn’t apologize for my brother’s actions immediately after receiving a gift, else it wouldn’t seem genuine.

Soon enough, the topic shifted from Lady Eglantine’s hairpin to the graduation ceremony. Now was my chance. I made my way over to Lady Rozemyne, my hands clasped in front of my chest as I repeated a quick prayer in my head.

May Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time offer me her divine protection.

“Um, Lady Rozemyne...”

“Lady Hannelore.”

“There is something I want to ask you, Lady Rozemyne...”

I looked at Lady Rozemyne, who had now been helped down from her chair by her attendants, and realized that I was quite obviously taller than her. I was often told that I was short for my age, and this was my first time meeting a classmate shorter than me.

There was a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that Lady Rozemyne might already dislike Dunkelfelger after my brother’s actions and the ditter match, so it came as quite a relief when she looked up at me with a smile.

I must finally apologize to her for my brother’s actions. Then, we can become friends...

I clenched my fists and opened my mouth, but before any words could come out—

“I thought it important to greet you properly, Lady Hannelore,” Lady Rozemyne said. “It feels like we have been just missing each other all day.”

Ah! Of course! I was so eager to apologize that I almost forgot to greet her!

Her timely remark had stopped me from committing a humiliating blunder, and even now, she looked so calm and composed. I was so ashamed about being such a poor archduke candidate that I wanted to hide away in my room, but despite feeling so depressed on the inside, I managed to keep things together and greet Lady Rozemyne. The only problem was that she was now looking at me with concern.

Is this because Lady Rozemyne noticed I completely forgot to greet her?

All of a sudden, the thought crossed my mind that perhaps I had committed some other blunder. I glanced around the room and noticed that other students were watching me, curious to see if something was about to happen. This realization made the blood drain from my face. My apology was a personal one that needed to be delivered in private, since my brother had no intention of offering a formal apology himself. In other words, it wasn’t something that I could give when there were so many eyes on me.

“I wanted to speak to you about my brother, Lady Rozemyne. But on second thought, this is not quite the place for it. I will save the matter for another time.”

At this rate, I might never get the chance to apologize...

Perhaps I could just say, “I apologize for the incident the other day” and leave it at that. Either way, my intention was to become friends with Lady Rozemyne.

But what if she doesn’t accept my friendship?

“That is not all, however.” My heart was pounding in my chest, but I made my move nonetheless. “I also wanted to ask if we could possibly be friends...”

“Lady Hannelore, I am truly sorry, but we are out of jars to distribute.”

“What...?” I asked, blinking in surprise at that unexpected answer. Lady Rozemyne was glancing at her retainers, looking thoroughly troubled.

Now it looks like I’m unreasonably demanding something that she’s already run out of. That wasn’t my intention at all. Oh, what should I do? Why is this happening? I just wanted us to be friends.

It seemed that my attempt to avoid looking greedy had backfired completely. I couldn’t help but lower my face and say, “No, no...” while feebly shaking my head.

“Lady Rozemyne, I do believe Professor Solange mentioned that Lady Hannelore visits the library often,” came a kind-sounding voice. “Perhaps you could lend her one of your books, as proof of your friendship?”

I gazed up with a start and saw that this suggestion had come from one of Lady Rozemyne’s attendants.

“Oh my! You are a lover of books, Lady Hannelore?” Lady Rozemyne exclaimed, looking up at me with a beaming smile that stood in stark contrast to her previous, concerned expression. I certainly couldn’t admit that this wasn’t the case and that I had only visited the library to see the shumils and search for her.

“Y-Yes, well... I do not dislike them,” I answered. And that... That alone was enough to make her cheeks flush red and her golden eyes sparkle. It was an expression that made it blindingly clear just how much Lady Rozemyne adored books.

“Lady Hannelore, I have some knight stories, but which would you prefer—stories focused on romance or on fighting?” Lady Rozemyne asked. “As an archduke candidate from Dunkelfelger, I presume the latter?”

I don’t particularly care for either, but... I suppose a romance story would be less painful to read.

“If I had to choose, I would say that I prefer stories about romance,” I said.

“I will have it sent to you at once, then. I am quite happy to have made a book-loving friend,” Lady Rozemyne replied with a truly adorable smile. That, alongside the fact that she was smaller than me, made me feel a bit like I was suddenly an older sister.

She seems to have marked me as a fellow bookworm, but... that’s fine. At least I’ve managed to become her friend. If she’s going to lend me a book as proof of our friendship, then perhaps we should offer her one in return... I mean, books are very expensive; the fact that she’s willing to lend us one must show how much she trusts us. We should give her one that indicates we feel the same way.

“Um, in that case, I’ll lend you a book of my own in return. What would you be interested in, Lady Rozemyne?”

“I adore all books, but I would especially like to read stories about knights or romance that are rich with Dunkelfelger culture,” Lady Rozemyne said after a moment spent in thought. The wide, overjoyed smile on her face seemed far more sincere than the one she had worn while managing the tea party, and it made her look a lot more her age.

“I will get it to you as soon as possible. I am so glad that we can be friends, Lady Rozemyne,” I said, taking her tiny hands and squeezing them. She squeezed mine in return.

“I am glad to be your friend as well, Lady Hannelore. I... Oh...?”

Lady Rozemyne paused... then suddenly collapsed. She had dropped to the floor like a puppet with cut strings the moment we gripped hands, and it came so abruptly that I was dragged down with her. I sat there, unsure what had just happened, and when I saw the sight before me...

“Ah... AAAAAAH!” I cried. “AAAAAAAAAH!”

“Rozemyne!” Lord Wilfried shouted.

“Lord Wilfried, handle the rest here. I will take milady back to her room,” Lady Rozemyne’s attendant said. She noted that this was something of a common occurrence, then picked up the unconscious Lady Rozemyne and started toward their dormitory.

As a stir ran through the attendees, Lord Wilfried and those of the Ehrenfest Dormitory explained that Lady Rozemyne was of weak constitution and collapsed often.

“D-Did it happen because I took her hands?” I stammered.

“Not at all, Lady Hannelore,” Lord Wilfried replied. “Rozemyne is just that sickly.”

“I never thought this would happen... I just wished to be friends with Lady Rozemyne...”

“This truly isn’t a major incident. When I first met her...”

Lord Wilfried went on to describe how Lady Rozemyne had collapsed when he tried running around with her on her baptism, how she had fallen unconscious when hit with snowballs, how the blood had drained from the faces of the knights, and so on. He was trying to console me by emphasizing how common this was, but the sight of Lady Rozemyne crumpling right in front of me was burned into my eyes. I could still feel her limp hands sliding out of my touch.

In the end, Lord Wilfried escorted me back to my dormitory and explained the events of the tea party to Professor Rauffen. He then apologized to me for the shock of the situation before taking his leave.

“Come again, Kenntrips? I almost don’t believe it. Hannelore felled the foul saint with a mere touch? Well done, Sister! You’re fit to be a Dunkelfelger archduke candidate after all.”

“Lord Lestilaut, please listen to my report without bias,” Kenntrips said.

“Yes, Brother,” I added. “Listen to him properly.”

Unfortunately, despite my angry interjections, Lestilaut continued saying that I had “felled the saint.” How had he managed to interpret Kenntrips’s dry, honest report in such a twisted way? He didn’t care about reality in the slightest, nor did he give any consideration to my feelings. He couldn’t have been more different from Lord Wilfried, who had even revealed shameful moments of his past to console me.

If only I could have Lord Wilfried instead of my brother...