I Want to Become a Library Committee Member

The moment I returned to the dormitory, I told my Attendants that I intended to invite Solange to a tea party, treat her to my hospitality, and tell her I wanted to become a Library Committee member. After all, if I wanted to host a tea party, I would need my Attendants to help me.

"So I would like all of you to cooperate."

"If Lady Rozemyne wishes to host a tea party, then of course we will cooperate, but..."

Lizelotte and Brunhilde exchanged troubled glances and turned to Richarda. Normally, she would have replied with "Very well" right away, and discussions about the arrangements would begin immediately, but their responses were sluggish. I didn't understand why they were reacting this way, so I looked to Richarda for guidance.

"Lady Rozemyne."

When our eyes met, Richarda's expression turned stern, and she called my name. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I sensed a reaction similar to when Benno or the Chief Priest scolded me — an atmosphere like the calm before a thunderbolt struck — and I reflexively straightened my posture.

"What exactly did you mean by treating Solange to hospitality? The lady I have observed until now has always tried to handle things as peacefully and calmly as possible. Forcing someone to comply through power this time — is that truly what you intend? If you make such a forceful demand of someone you've barely met and don't even know well, how do you think Solange will feel?"

I couldn't understand why serving food and being hospitable would be connected to forcing someone to comply through power, so I tilted my head.

"...Isn't offering hospitality and then stating your requests the noble way of doing things? When I served meals to my adoptive father and Ferdinand in the past, I was told that was a very noble approach. Was something wrong with that?"

Richarda closed her eyes tightly and let out a slow sigh.

"It's not that everything is wrong, but right now it is completely wrong."

"I'm sorry. I don't really understand."

When I slowly shook my head, Richarda looked not just at me, but also at Lizelotte and Brunhilde.

"Lady Rozemyne, despite her appearance, is extremely knowledgeable and earned excellent grades at the Royal Academy, so it's easy to forget, but it appears she lacks social knowledge because she spent two years with a blank period. Ferdinand's education also leaned heavily toward cramming in knowledge. You two understand that well now, don't you?"

Lizelotte and Brunhilde nodded.

"Lady Rozemyne, you mentioned that you've hosted meals for Ferdinand and Lord Sylvester and had your requests accepted, correct?"

I hadn't intended it that way, but yes, that had been the result. It had turned into a massive ordeal because of the difference between noble common sense and my own.

"In those cases, hosting the two of them and then making requests was not wrong. When making requests, you were in a lower position than them, and whether you treated them hospitably or not, the decision-making authority belonged to the higher party. However, when someone in a higher position like you hosts Solange and presents demands, it becomes an ultimatum that cannot be refused."

When a lower-ranked person offers hospitality, it simply means "I humbly ask for your favor," but when a higher-ranked person hosts a tea party to offer hospitality while making demands, it effectively says, "I, the superior, have gone to all this trouble to entertain you, so you understand perfectly well what you need to do, don't you?" — which is essentially a threat, or rather, an action that corners someone into giving a verbal commitment, effectively saying, "You absolutely must accept. State right now that you will accept immediately."

"I don't intend that at all..."

I was thinking about winning Solange over with delicious sweets so she'd happily agree, or trying hard to show how useful I could be. I never intended to use power as a weapon.

"Lady Rozemyne, your heart is genuinely devoted to books and you simply want to be involved with the library — you have no intention of threatening Solange. ...I understand that, but Solange and those around her cannot possibly know your true intentions. Lizelotte and Brunhilde know the usual Lady Rozemyne, which is why they were confused, but if the Attendants had simply carried out the master's orders as given, Solange would have been trapped in a tea party she could never escape from."

At Richarda's words, I gulped. I was relieved that things hadn't turned out that way, but then a small question nagged at me.

"...Um, Richarda. I was told that at the Royal Academy, the teachers hold a higher position than the students, so doesn't that apply to Solange as well?"

Teachers were supposed to be higher ranked. If so, shouldn't it be fine for me to make demands at a tea party? When I asked, not only Richarda but also Lizelotte and Brunhilde shook their heads.

"In principle, what Lady Rozemyne says is correct," Brunhilde said.

Lizelotte added to her words, "That's right. If it's a teacher who always lectures students from a position of authority, that principle might hold true for some."

Especially in the case of teachers from other duchesses, since neither party knows the other's status and position within their respective territories, the teacher-student dynamic might carry significant weight.

"But, Lady Rozemyne. Please recall carefully. Didn't Solange say that even her requests for book returns get brushed aside? Do you really think that Solange, after being treated to hospitality by a Lord's candidate like you, would consider herself higher in status than a student and be able to firmly refuse your request?"

Now that she mentioned it, back in the library, Solange had looked extremely troubled while declining my offer to help. I remembered how Richarda had stepped in when she couldn't bear to watch my behavior any longer.

"So I was putting Solange in such distress that Richarda had no choice but to intervene."

"Normally, an Attendant shouldn't insert herself in an official setting like that. Honestly, I was thinking about whether I should just pick you up and carry you home before you caused Solange any further trouble."

Apparently, Richarda had followed me back to my room, heart pounding the entire way.

"Also, you mentioned wanting to help Solange, Lady Rozemyne, but this too is not appropriate."

"Huh?"

I had been helping people all along. With Lutz, Otto, Benno, the Chief Priest, my mother, and the Lord and his wife — there were times when I took the lead, but usually someone else handled the fundamentals while I provided assistance. There was also the matter of how little I could actually do.

"Having someone of higher rank help with your work makes it extremely difficult to do your job. Please imagine it. What would you think if Lord Sylvester told you he wanted to help with your work, wandered around your office the entire time, and started doing things in a completely different way from what you'd been doing?"

I pictured my adoptive father wandering around the workshop, commenting on every little thing about printing, and giving orders on a whim — "Do this, do that" — and I screamed internally. Please, never come back!

"...I understand completely. My presence is nothing but a burden to Solange."

"I didn't intend to go that far, but Lord Sylvester is that kind of presence for you, isn't he?"

When Richarda pointed that out, I realized I had actually called my adoptive father, the Aub Ehrenfest, a terrible burden, and I quickly tried to backtrack.

"No, that's not true at all. I'm very grateful to my adoptive father. I haven't even imagined that having him help would be burdensome or that he should just do his own work."

As I shook my head vigorously, Richarda laughed and said, "I think Solange will feel the same way." Depressed by the realization of how burdensome I must be, I drooped.

"What matters is thinking about how Lord Sylvester should conduct himself so that you can comfortably entrust your work to him."

Having my adoptive father wandering around — there was no way I could work comfortably. Impossible.

"...I understand. I'll give up on becoming a Library Committee member."

"There is no need to give up. All you need to do is ask Ferdinand instead of Lord Sylvester."

"Huh?"

"Ferdinand has been covering for your duties as High Priest and helping you, hasn't he? He must also be giving you various advice, and he may have even changed things about the High Priest's work to make it easier for himself. How do you feel about that?"

I tried picturing the Chief Priest wandering around the workshop just the same, giving orders to the Gray Priests. Come to think of it, over the two years, he had brought in Justus, decided to send a Gutenberg to Haldenzel, and made various changes on his own. But I never once found that to be a burden.

"I find it helpful. In fact, if Ferdinand weren't helping me, I would be in serious trouble."

"Having someone of higher rank help you doesn't necessarily result in a difficult situation. However, to truly be of help, you must consider the other person. Right now, Lady Rozemyne, you are only thinking of yourself. If you could offer Solange a form of assistance that would be beneficial to her, wouldn't she be willing to entrust you with the work?"

Guided by Richarda's words, I nodded softly.

"I understand. I'll call off the tea party with Solange."

"No, the tea party is important, Lady Rozemyne. I believe you should still hold the tea party with Solange."

"Brunhilde?"

When I blinked in surprise, Brunhilde smiled warmly at me.

"Rather than having a request made by someone you don't know at all, it's always easier to accept from someone you're on friendly terms with. The purpose of a tea party is to get to know each other. You have to start by deepening your connection. I will prepare the tea party for Lady Rozemyne."

"Brunhilde, wait a moment and think this through carefully."

Lizelotte raised her hand slightly and looked between Brunhilde and me.

"I agree with holding a tea party to deepen the relationship, but won't it be a burden to Solange? She's the only one managing the library, isn't she? What happens to the library during the tea party?"

At Lizelotte's observation, the excitement that had been inflating my head deflated instantly. Despite all the information I'd received about Solange, I hadn't considered any of this. This was self-centered to an extreme degree.

When I thought about it carefully, Solange was managing the library all by herself. Even if I invited her to a tea party, there was no way she could attend. I also couldn't leave the library in Schwartz and Weiss's care alone, so there was a real possibility that my selfishness would force the library to close so that Solange could attend my tea party.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think it through enough."

"Now that you understand that, you simply need to think carefully about what to do next. And, Lady Rozemyne — most importantly, please consult with us about it. We want you to tell us why you want to do what you want to do, and what you're hoping to achieve."

As she spoke, Richarda knelt before me and looked up at me from slightly below. Then she took my hands, looked down with a troubled expression for a moment.

"An Attendant is supposed to read the master's intentions and act accordingly without being told everything. However, Lady Rozemyne, we have served you for far too short a time."

After my Baptism Ceremony, I became the Lord's adopted daughter and moved into the castle, but even after that I spent more time at the Temple than anywhere else. On top of that, there was a two-year blank period, so even Richarda, who had served me the longest, hadn't actually spent that much time with me.

"In terms of managing your physical condition, I've received various instructions from Ferdinand and I keep your medicine safe. But there are still important things about serving you that I don't yet know."

"I think Richarda serves me well, doesn't she?"

She handles everything to make sure I can live without difficulty. At my words, Richarda slowly shook her head.

"As an Attendant to Lady Rozemyne, I am currently only capable of third-rate work."

Not understanding what she meant, I blinked. If Richarda was third-rate, then who was first-rate? Richarda gazed at me with an unusually serious, dark intensity in her eyes.

"Being able to arrange everything around you so that you can live without inconvenience is the bare minimum for an Attendant. Not being able to sense the master's intentions and only moving when told is third-rate. Being able to instantly understand the intentions once told is second-rate. Sensing the intentions and moving before being told is first-rate."

"...By that standard, Richarda is third-rate?"

I was stunned by Richarda's attitude toward her work as an Attendant. But Lizelotte and Brunhilde, who were listening to Richarda's words, looked dead serious.

"I have served many people. The first was Lady Grethehen, followed by Lady Gabrielle. I also served Lady Veronica, and when asked by Bonifatius, I served Lord Karstedt. I served Lady Georgine as well, and Lord Sylvester too."

Among the names Richarda listed, there were some I didn't recognize. Richarda must have observed all kinds of nobles over that long a period.

"As an apprentice before coming of age, that was one thing, but since becoming an adult, I have taken pride in performing first-rate work. However, I can no longer hold that pride with any confidence. Lady Rozemyne was raised in the Temple, so the fundamental way she thinks differs from every noble lady I have ever served."

Richarda said that when she tried to anticipate my intentions by comparing them against her own common sense and experience, I would do something completely unexpected, or there were things that made no sense no matter how she tried to understand.

"Your passion for prioritizing books over your own health, your approach to improving grades, your actions regarding tea parties... No matter which one I look at, I cannot understand Lady Rozemyne's thinking. I have served many people over the years, but serving Lady Rozemyne is extraordinarily difficult."

From Richarda's perspective, I must have seemed extremely unbalanced and incomprehensible. There were things that would give even adults trouble that I handled effortlessly and with good social grace, and yet there were things that any child who had completed their Baptism Ceremony would know that I stumbled around in confusion over.

"Since I don't know what you know and what you don't know, what you lack and how to fill those gaps, I am groping in the dark just as much as you are."

I hadn't realized I was putting Richarda under that much strain. I reflected on my words and actions since coming to the Royal Academy and felt a twinge of remorse.

Until now, I had people around me who knew I would charge headlong into books. Lutz and the Chief Priest knew that I had lived a life beyond being Mine, so they would immediately stop me whenever I tried to do something that went against common sense.

Neither of them was here. There was no one to correct me when I went off course. I had finally realized something so obvious, and the blood drained from my face. I knew from experience that conflicts and disputes arising from differences in common sense grew proportionally with the power involved.

"My greatest fear, Lady Rozemyne, is that following your words exactly will lead to a result completely different from what you intended. If the Attendant who is supposed to support the master's actions cannot understand the master's intentions, they cannot do good work. So, Lady Rozemyne, please always consult with us."

Come to think of it, there was no one here nagging me to "Report! Contact! Consult!" and I hadn't been doing those things properly in a while.

"Then, Richarda — I want to become a Library Committee member. What do you think I should do to achieve that? Please teach me how a Lord's candidate should make requests."

My words put Richarda in a difficult expression.

"First, please clarify exactly what you want to demand of Solange. I don't understand what a Library Committee member is. What kind of role is a Library Committee member, and what does Lady Rozemyne want to do once she becomes one?"

If it were just assistance, Schwartz and Weiss would be sufficient, Richarda said. During winter, most of the work consisted of student registration and deregistration, book lending and returns, and managing Carel. Other work was shifted to different seasons, so with Schwartz and Weiss, the majority could be handled. During winter, there was no need for a Lord's candidate to provide assistance.

"I was listening to Lady Rozemyne's words to Solange in the library this morning, and from the things you let slip, I thought that you weren't simply looking to help out. You kept making comments about book placement, didn't you?"

Pointed out by Richarda, I faltered. She was right. I didn't want to help Solange — I wanted to bring the Rozemyne Decimal Classification system to the Royal Academy library, create a catalog to make books easier to find, and organize the shelves accordingly.

"I don't like how the library's books have no designated return positions and are just placed wherever. I want to rearrange them so they're easier to use, clarify where each book is, and recover books that have gone missing."

"That has already gone well beyond the realm of 'assistance.'"

Richarda shrugged with an exasperated expression, as if to say it was less about assistance and more about running the library itself.

"Lady Rozemyne, if you called that 'assistance,' I think Solange would be extremely troubled."

Lizelotte wore an indescribable expression as she agreed with Richarda. Apparently, what I had been thinking was incredibly reckless and absurd.

"Is reforming the Royal Academy library really that difficult? I thought if I could become friendly with Solange, things would work out..."

If I could become a Library Committee member, help out, and upgrade the relationship to close tea-time friends — back in my Ritonan days, the library had been quite flexible with various accommodations for me. I had enjoyed having my book requests prioritized and having returned books set aside for me, but it seemed the Royal Academy didn't work the same way.

"If you wish to be involved to that extent, then as the master of Schwartz and Weiss who manage the library, you should request permission to be involved with and help run the library. That would actually be easier for Solange to accept."

"...Huh?"

"You should propose that, as the master of Schwartz and Weiss, you wish to be involved with the library, and negotiate to get approval from the central authorities through Solange. If you have approval from the central authorities, there would be no problem at all with you spending time in the library as you please."

Richarda said this matter-of-factly.

Getting permission from Solange's superiors and running the library however I liked sounded quite different from what I had envisioned as a Library Committee member.

"You're not looking to give orders, but rather to build goodwill and interest first, and then ask Solange to cooperate of her own accord, is that correct?"

"Yes."

I wanted to discuss with Solange what kind of classification system would be best for the Royal Academy library and how to manage the books going forward. I didn't want to issue orders.

"In that case, you'll need to become friendly enough with Solange that she would willingly submit the application to the central authorities herself. That requires socializing."

At Richarda's words, I nodded firmly.

"I'll start by going to the library every day so I can become close enough with Solange to host a tea party!"

"...Lady Rozemyne, you can't host a tea party just by reading books all day. You need to look beyond books as well."

It seemed like quite a long road before I could officially become a Library Committee member.

...For now, I'll settle for being a self-proclaimed Library Committee member.

A lecture from Richarda. The reckless, brakeless Rozemyne has come to a brief stop.

Richarda knew nothing about my Ritonan-era life, so she couldn't fully understand the gaps in common sense. That meant she couldn't apply the precise braking that Lutz or the Chief Priest could.

Richarda, having to put up with this at her age. Hang in there.

Next time: The tea party with Solange.