After the tea party with
"Hey."
I heard someone calling out to someone else. Thinking how one should be quiet in a library, I flipped a page with a soft rustle.
"Hey, little one from Ehrenfest."
"Lady
According to Leiseltault from
...My opinion of the prince just went up a little.
"How may I help you? If you need a particular book,
When I flashed him a smile about thirty percent warmer than usual, Anastasius's expression twisted as though he'd bitten into a bitter bug.
"'How may I help you' is not the issue here. Your tea party with Eglantine ended three days ago! Why haven't you come to report? Don't tell me you're going to say the letter requesting an audience went missing?"
...So he wasn't a book-loving prince after all. What a shame.
My favorability rating plummeted in an instant. I let out a heavy sigh of disappointment.
Saying the letter requesting an audience went missing is a standard excuse that amounts to "I handled my part properly, but it seems the scholar in charge was negligent..." It's similar to when someone important does something wrong and claims "My secretary did everything on their own authority."
Glared at by his irritated gray eyes, I blinked several times and tilted my head.
"But I made a firm promise never to approach Prince Anastasius on my own initiative. I couldn't very well break a promise to a royal, so I was patiently waiting to be summoned."
...That was my public stance. In truth, I figured that if I tried to contact Prince Anastasius myself, it would cause a whole fuss, so I used the promise as a shield and left things alone until he summoned me.
"Since I promised not to reach out to you, I was at a loss for what to do."
"And yet you were so immersed in your reading that you didn't even notice me calling out to you directly?"
Anastasius snorted, but I played dumb and offered him a smile. "I'm relieved that an opportunity to make my report has finally come."
The discussions with Anastasius had been held in private with everyone else sent away, so none of the retainers knew a report on the tea party with Eglantine was required. That was why they were all pale as ghosts right now.
"Very well. I'll have you summoned now. Report to me immediately."
"I have no gifts or anything prepared, though..."
I wished he'd let me pick another day, but Anastasius was clearly in a hurry. "It doesn't matter. Hurry up," he said, flicking his black mantle open and striding toward the reading room exit.
I got up from my chair and reached for the book on my desk. If my report to Anastasius dragged on, I might not be able to come back to the library. I needed to check it out before leaving.
"This book, could I check out—"
"I'll handle that for you. I'll also return the key for Karel, so please go make your report to Prince Anastasius first, Lady Rozemyne."
"...Yes."
Lieseleta promptly took the book from my hands, and Richarda urged me along with "My lady, please hurry." Reluctantly torn away from my reading, I left the library with the feeling of being pulled back by the hair.
...Ah, I messed up.
Accompanied by Richarda,
I'd been summoned by the prince and was now trailing along behind him. With more and more students having gaps in their schedule as lectures gradually opened up, being escorted by a prince made me incredibly conspicuous.
...I should have just quietly submitted my request for an audience like a normal person. Stupid me!
As I trudged along looking dejected on the inside but straining to keep my chest out and a smile on my face, Anastasius stopped and turned around.
"You're slow. Far too slow, Rozemyne."
"My apologies. Prince Anastasius, please don't worry about me and go on ahead."
It couldn't be helped that I walked slowly. Anastasius and I were of completely different builds. I was already struggling to keep up without running out of breath. If I pushed any harder, I'd make a fool of myself. I was supposed to be healthier now, but that didn't mean I had stamina.
...At this pace, I'll collapse before we even get there!
Lately, I hadn't walked anywhere except back and forth to the library, so my stamina clearly hadn't improved. Come to think of it, I hadn't been doing radio calisthenics lately either. The Chief Priest would probably scold me if he found out.
...Well, whatever. He's got plenty of things to scold me about already, so one more won't make much difference, right?
"Lady Rozemyne, pardon me."
"...Richarda."
Without waiting for my response, Richarda swept me up into her arms.
Relieved, I instinctively slumped against her. The next moment, I felt Anastasius's gaze and straightened up slightly.
"What are you doing?"
"Lady Rozemyne has always had a weak constitution and lacks stamina. Her complexion has been growing worse, and she looked as though she might lose consciousness at any moment, so I had her carried like this."
"Lose consciousness? I heard from Rufen about this, but it was true?"
He had apparently heard the story about how I collapsed in the innermost chamber while trying to obtain my Staupe, because Anastasius's eyes went round.
Even so, Rufen was a bit too loose-lipped, wasn't he? Maybe he had a role in passing information to royals and higher-ranking lord candidates. It felt like Rufen had told them absolutely everything about my situation.
"She is sturdier than she was before, but my lady must not be overexerted."
Richarda's arms tightened around me protectively as she held me. Watching this, Anastasius narrowed his eyes in bewilderment.
"If you can't even walk this distance, wouldn't moving within the castle also be impossible?"
"For movement within the castle and the dormitories, the Aub Ehrenfest has granted permission for my lady to use her ridebo. However, she naturally cannot use one within the
Without a royal's authorization, riding a ridebo indoors was out of the question.
"Then just stay as you are. Hurry."
Anastasius sighed and said that before striding off.
Carried in Richarda's arms, I continued on. I noticed more and more gazes gathering on us and pulled my mantle over my head, wanting to escape the stares. Of course, actually doing that would only attract more attention, so I couldn't.
"Are you all right, my lady? Your complexion has grown quite poor."
Moving straight ahead, Richarda spoke in a small voice, almost a whisper. I must have overdone it a bit. Being carried by Richarda had made me relax for just a moment, and now I felt lightheaded and nauseous.
"...Bad enough that I'm wishing for Lord
It was rare for me to be the one to ask for medicine. Richarda closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then let out a soft breath.
"Please sit here, Lady Rozemyne."
Anastasius's head Attendant, an elderly gentleman, offered me a seat, and when he saw how unwell I looked, he shot a reproachful glance at Anastasius. The fact that someone who barely interacted with me was frowning like that showed just how poor my complexion must have been.
But Anastasius merely shrugged lightly and waved it off.
"Rozemyne, have everyone else leave."
"Would it be possible to use a Magical Tool to prevent eavesdropping? We did so at Lady Eglantine's tea party as well."
I didn't want to send Richarda, who had the medicine, away from my side, so I made the suggestion, but it was immediately rejected.
"That won't work. Some apprentice scholars are skilled in lip reading, so Magical Tools for preventing eavesdropping are useless."
It was troublesome, but Anastasius clearly knew from experience that lip readers could be present and that Magical Tools wouldn't help in these situations. And for a royal, that level of caution—even around a child like me—was undoubtedly essential.
With no other choice, I took the medicine from Richarda, drank it, and sent my retainers away.
Left alone in the room with only Anastasius's retainers remaining, I was offered tea and sweets, which I sipped in small amounts. Right after the pleasantries concluded, Anastasius got straight to the point. He had apparently been waiting quite impatiently for this report.
"Rozemyne, what was Eglantine's answer? Who will escort her at the graduation ceremony?"
"She said she'd like to ask a relative to escort her."
"That's the same answer as everyone else. Utterly useless."
Anastasius shook his head lightly at my answer, then glared at me with those gray eyes as if to say, "This is the result after making me wait all this time?" But there was no other answer to give.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of service to you, Prince Anastasius. However, it is a fact that Lady Eglantine said she couldn't choose either option."
If I may take my leave then—just as I was about to wrap things up, Anastasius raised a hand lightly to stop me.
"Wait, Rozemyne. What did you just say?"
"Yes?"
"What do you mean she couldn't choose either? Does that mean Eglantine has someone she loves who is neither my brother nor me?"
...How did he get to that conclusion?!
Recalling Eglantine's distressed words, I wanted to clutch my head. Unlike Anastasius, whose brain was thoroughly steeped in romance, Eglantine was genuinely troubled—deeply so, especially when factoring in the past political conflict. To the point where a lord candidate of a greater duchy was willing to enter the
"Lady Eglantine is not in a position where she could entertain someone she loves. Surely even you know that well, Prince Anastasius?"
With two princes proposing to her, saying she had someone she loved would only make the situation far more complicated. When I let out a small sigh, Anastasius's eyes narrowed sharply.
When Anastasius fixed me with a serious gaze, it was all the more frightening given how well-featured his face was. I swallowed hard and straightened my back. The dull throbbing in my temples was nagging at me, but this was neither the place nor the atmosphere to wallow in discomfort.
"What do you know? What did Eglantine tell you?"
Eglantine's family had been killed in the political conflict, and as the Third Prince's daughter, she didn't want to become a seed for further power struggles. Setting aside her intention to enter the Temple, this much should have been obvious to Anastasius, who was much closer to her and had interacted with her many more times, compared to me who had only met her twice.
"I would think you would know already, Prince Anastasius..."
"Whether I know it or not is for me to decide. Speak."
Whether it was the authority of someone in a higher position or simply his force of personality, I found myself obeying without question and opened my mouth. Aside from her intention to enter the Temple, there should be no harm in telling him.
"Lady Eglantine lost her family in the political conflict, didn't she?"
"Yes, that's right."
"That is why she said she doesn't want to choose. Even if ordered by the King or the
As I cautiously watched Anastasius's reaction, he wore a surprised expression.
"Eglantine wants to return to the royal family? That's what I heard, but..."
An unexpected remark from Anastasius. I was surprised too and blinked.
"Who told you that? I heard it was the grandfather who regretted making Eglantine his adopted daughter and taking away her royal status who wanted to restore her to the royal family."
When I tilted my head and said this, Anastasius murmured "The previous Aub?" and raised his eyebrows.
"...So Eglantine herself doesn't wish to become a royal?"
"As far as I've heard, Lady Eglantine desires peace."
"Peace...?"
Was it because nobles spoke in roundabout ways? Or because they relied on intermediaries to gauge opinions? The two of us already seemed to be at odds, with me—who had only met her twice—knowing things that Anastasius didn't, and with Eglantine's true feelings already having failed to reach him.
"This is just my own thought, so I'd appreciate it if you could dismiss it as a child's idle babbling, but rather than worrying about who escorts whom, shouldn't you and Lady Eglantine first discuss what you each want, without anyone else serving as a go-between? It really doesn't seem like your feelings and desires are reaching each other at all."
"What do you mean they're not reaching each other?"
Anastasius scowled, but it would be stranger to think they were on the same page in the current situation.
"Lady Eglantine said that the two princes' proposals were motivated by a desire to get closer to the throne."
"That's not it. I, for Eglantine—"
"I don't need to hear the rest. Rather than me, an outsider, please tell that directly to Lady Eglantine herself."
In this state of feeling awful, I really had no interest in hearing love confessions meant for someone else. If anything, I just wanted to go home.
"From what I can see, Prince Anastasius's feelings appear to be warped and reaching Lady Eglantine only through the wall of power struggles. Why not start by asking Lady Eglantine what she truly wants?"
Was he shocked by the fact that no matter what he said, everything was assumed to be about securing the throne? Anastasius's shoulders visibly drooped.
Even so, I couldn't very well say to a royal, "You two are this far out of alignment, so why not wish Lady Eglantine happiness and just gracefully give up?"
"Lady Eglantine was searching for a way to stay out of the power struggles and avoid marrying into the royal family. She said she wished she could become the Aub Klassenberg, but if she became the Aub, would that truly allow her to avoid marriage to a royal?"
"...At the very least, she would no longer have to be married off. It's relatively rare for a woman to become Aub, but in that case, she would take a husband instead."
Even among betrothed couples, when an heir died and a woman had to suddenly inherit the Aub title, the engagement was often broken off. This was because the man had to be a lord candidate capable of marrying into her family.
Conversely, if the brother of the woman who was supposed to become Aub suddenly had a viable heir emerge, the engagement might be broken off as well. That was the relationship between
"I don't know whether you should prioritize Lady Eglantine's feelings or the throne, or whether you have some brilliant idea that I couldn't possibly conceive of, but I believe the one who needs to choose and work toward a path from here on out is you, Prince Anastasius."
I didn't know much about royal politics, so I had no idea what would be needed to claim the throne, how to gracefully bow out now, or what groundwork with those around him would be required.
"...It might be difficult for Lady Eglantine, caught up in the royal family's power struggles as she is, but I simply hope she can spend her days in peace and tranquility, even just a little."
Anastasius murmured "I think so too," and then, as if struck by some thought, curled the corner of his lips into a grin.
"Rozemyne, that was unexpectedly good information."
"You're too kind."
Looking at the eager gleam in Anastasius's eyes, it was abundantly clear he had no intention of giving up on Eglantine.
I didn't know what he planned to do, but I figured he should keep trying until he was decisively turned down. If the outcome was that Eglantine found happiness, then that would be fine.
"Prince Anastasius, this is just a bonus piece of information, and it's quite presumptuous and blunt advice, but would you like to hear it?"
"Speak."
Anastasius furrowed his brow slightly and tilted his chin upward, urging me on. I propped up my increasingly foggy head with a hand against my cheek and spoke slowly.
"If you watch the rehearsals, you'll see that Lady Eglantine puts a great deal of effort into the Dedication Dance. For the sake of balance, I think you should take your Dedication Dance practice more seriously, Prince Anastasius. When dancing side by side, you come up short by comparison."
"Hm?"
Ignoring the displeased look on Anastasius's face, I continued.
"Also, I can teach you the love song that caused people to faint even in Ehrenfest. Why not give it a practice, if you're confident in your fehspiel? ...Lady Eglantine has a deep appreciation for the arts, so perhaps you could appeal to her from that angle?"
When complimenting someone, instead of simply saying "You're good," it was better to praise them specifically for what you found appealing. Telling Eglantine "I like your voice" would probably make her heart flutter more than "Your voice is beautiful."
At my words, Anastasius's face twisted into the expression of someone who'd bitten into a bitter bug, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
"Rozemyne, you've been remarkably blunt with me. Not even my own retainers say things like this."
"I apologize. Then please disregard everything."
I'd said what I thought needed to be said. Whether Anastasius actually put any of it into practice was none of my concern.
Anastasius irritably tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingertip.
"Rozemyne, let me give you some advice in return. You should hide your emotions a bit more, be stingy with information, and raise your own value by making others come to you for it. You're throwing it out there far too freely. People will see right through you and treat you as cheap."
He was irritated, but this was undoubtedly sincere advice. I was well aware of my own shortcomings in social matters, so I accepted his counsel with gratitude.
"I appreciate that. I'll do my best going forward, so please excuse me. My head has been spinning since a while ago, and my consciousness..."
The medicine had eased the nausea somewhat, but the dull headache persisted, and in its place, overwhelming drowsiness was crashing over me.
"
"Right away!"
The last thing I saw was Anastasius rising abruptly from his chair and the head Attendant, Oswin, hurrying toward the antechamber where Richarda and the others waited. Then, slumping against the armrest of the chair, I lost consciousness.
When I awoke, a letter of apology had arrived from Anastasius, acknowledging that he had forced me to make the report despite knowing I was unwell. A get-well message from Eglantine was included, so I figured Anastasius had been scolded by her into writing it.
...I wonder if that meant some progress was made? I'd like to think so.
Looking at the two names written side by side in a friendly manner, I smiled softly.
My part was done.
Thus ended the tale of Anastasius and Oswin, who traumatized Rozemyne as she peacefully lost consciousness.
Next time: the order to return to Ehrenfest.