Having been dragged to my foster father's office by my guardians under the pretense of "letting them hear what happened," I sat down in the lonely chair that had been placed in the center of the room, cold sweat trickling down my back as I looked around at the three guardians surrounding me.
...Oh boy, I'm surrounded by some really scary faces right now.
"Clear the room. Only I,
"Lord
"We will hear from her first, and determine if that's necessary afterward. Leave us now."
"Understood."
My foster father, his brow furrowed as deeply as the Chief Priest's, ordered my retainers to leave.
...No, don't leave me behind!
Watching the door close mercilessly with a click, I was already on the verge of tears. The atmosphere felt like a hostile job interview.
As I frantically looked for an escape route, the Chief Priest shrugged and sighed.
"There's nothing to be done about it. You sent your retainers away and spoke with the prince. He determined there were things he didn't want others to hear. It's best to respect the prince's wishes as much as possible."
"So you're saying I should tell you everything I discussed with Prince
"Exactly. Without that knowledge, we cannot establish a course of action for Ehrenfest."
My foster father said that, but having to recount Anastasius's rather personal romantic confessions was somewhat depressing, and I was terrified of the idea of him finding out I'd spilled everything.
"It was truly personal in nature, so I think Prince Anastasius would be unhappy to know I spoke about it."
"Had you been an ordinary noble, this kind of interrogation wouldn't have been necessary. But you are constantly doing things beyond our expectations. Hold nothing back. Otherwise, we cannot guide your future actions."
That was probably true—having guidelines and cautions for future behavior would be helpful. There was a high chance I was doing outrageous things without even realizing it.
When I nodded, my foster father took his seat. Father stood behind him, and the Chief Priest sat down in the chair normally used by the scribes, tapping the desk with his fingertips.
"Now then—shall we hear how you ended up in such a deep relationship with royalty whose enrollment period should overlap yours for only one year? The prince dismissed his Attendant, which means you must have had a rather intimate conversation."
"...Huh? A deep relationship?"
I tilted my head in puzzlement at the Chief Priest's unexpected words. I had promised not to approach him, so we only ever met when he summoned me. Our conversations were basically limited to romantic matters concerning
"It happened through circumstances beyond my control. I couldn't defy a royal command, so I just went along with it, and things ended up like this."
"...What?"
Despite answering with complete seriousness, my foster father glared at me. But even if he glared, facts were facts.
"I don't understand a thing," the Chief Priest muttered, flipping through a few sheets of paper in front of him.
"When was your first contact with the prince? The reports we received say it was the dedication dance, but if there's anything else you can think of, tell me honestly."
"...Um, the first time was when we exchanged greetings at the social gathering. He picked a fight with me, saying I was different from the rumors about the Saint." When I recounted the social gathering, all three of them held their heads in their hands. My foster father pressed his fingers to his brow and let out a groaning sound.
"I never heard anything about this, Rozemyne. Did you truly pick a fight like that with royalty?"
"...I was getting nothing but complaints, so I got a little annoyed, but it's not like I was deliberately picking a fight..."
As I said this while letting my gaze wander, the Chief Priest wore a chilling smile and said in a quiet voice, "That was about as sarcastic and spiteful a response as anyone could possibly give. My head hurts just thinking about it."
I sucked in a breath at the Chief Priest's anger-smile that sent chills down my spine, and Father shook his head with a sigh as well.
"Being told something like that the very first time you meet someone—surely the prince was taken aback."
...Well, that's just great—it sounds like I'd been failing from the very beginning.
"So I finally get it. Because I picked a fight first, Prince Anastasius was being sarcastic during the dedication dance too, wasn't he?"
"Explain in detail. There seem to be some significant discrepancies with the reports we've received."
Questioned by the Chief Priest as he tapped the papers in front of him, I recounted what happened during the dedication dance. I also reported that I had declared I wouldn't approach him, since Anastasius had suspected I was using some kind of strategy to get close to him.
My foster father glared at me while kneading the furrows between his brows.
"I sympathize with the prince. He's probably never encountered someone with such a complete lack of common sense before."
...I'd really rather not hear that from a foster father who does whatever he pleases.
"I wanted to avoid getting involved in troublesome matters, and I was also worried about people thinking I was targeting Prince Anastasius. So after thinking about it, this is how things turned out."
"When a small, weak duchy like Ehrenfest gets involved with royalty, nothing good comes of it, so your thinking isn't wrong—but your methods are consistently terrible."
I was told to use more moderate and roundabout refusals from now on. Apparently, once spring came, I'd be undergoing intensive social training. Just thinking about it made me depressed.
"But you rejected him as flatly and impossibly as anyone could—and yet your contact with him only increased. Why?"
"That's what I mean—it just happened. The next contact was at a tea party held by the music professors. Because Eglantine was attending, Prince Anastasius dropped in uninvited. When the professors asked if he could join, even I couldn't exactly refuse, could I?"
"Ah, that was the right call—declining would not have been an option."
My foster father pressed a hand to his stomach and nodded.
I went on to tell them about how Anastasius demanded I compose a song, then abruptly said he didn't want it after all, how I was pushed around by his typically royal selfishness, how he stormed off in a huff, and how Eglantine smoothed things over.
"Oh, and I also heard stories from the professors about my foster father's time at the
"Forget that immediately!"
"Aaahhh," my foster father groaned, clutching his head for an entirely different reason than before. I shook my head and said, "I can't." My retainers had been at that tea party too. Rihyarda had heard everything.
"I can't forget, but I'll keep it a secret from
"Unlike the story about Sylvester—which everyone above a certain age in Ehrenfest already knows—this information about the prince is actually quite valuable. So the Second Prince is infatuated with the
The Chief Priest's golden eyes gleamed as he looked at me. It seemed that things taken for granted within the Royal Academy were not at all obvious to my guardians. I decided to reveal the information I'd learned from the music professors as well.
"Then perhaps this is also valuable information? Eglantine used to be a princess. The professors told me she is the daughter of the Third Prince who died in the civil war, and that she became the adopted daughter of the former
"Hm?"
The three of them raised their eyebrows slightly.
"Understanding the former lord's wish to restore Eglantine to her royal status, both the First Prince and the Second Prince have proposed to her. Apparently, whichever prince Eglantine chooses will be significantly closer to the throne."
"...Rozemyne, you are in far too deep. That's information only nobles who are very close to royalty would know. Sylvester—you'd better decide which side you're going to take sooner rather than later. As long as Rozemyne is involved, you'll be dragged into this whether you like it or not."
Seeing my foster father's face harden, I slumped my shoulders. Ehrenfest had escaped the previous civil war precisely because it remained neutral. But this time, because I had gotten too close to Anastasius, the chances of being dragged in had increased dramatically.
...What if my actions end up causing trouble for the duchy?
"Rozemyne, we haven't yet heard about the matter of the prince summoning you. Your contact with him wasn't limited to just the tea party, was it?"
"To explain that, I'll need to start with
"The business about going to the library to register and becoming their master? I read the report and still couldn't make heads or tails of it."
My foster father urged me to continue, so I nodded and began to speak.
"I had been told by Wilfried to delay the registration until all the first-years passed their coursework, so I pushed them to study with all my might. When they all passed, I was so overjoyed about the library registration that I completely lost control of my emotions. On top of that, I hadn't gotten used to handling the Magic Power I'd unlocked in the Ivory Training Hall, so it just gushed out—and when I offered a prayer to the gods, I became the master of Schwartz and Weiss."
"...That's roughly what I expected. But Schwartz and Weiss should have already had a master. Did you simply overpower them with sheer Magic Power?"
At the Chief Priest's words, I realized just how few people knew about the changes at the Royal Academy's library. Graduates who only knew the old Academy assumed Schwartz and Weiss were simply functioning as they always had, while current students didn't even know the two existed.
I explained to the Chief Priest that the purges in the Central District following the civil war had left no high-ranking noble Librarians, and that a middle-ranking noble like
"She was a Librarian who knew the collection inside and out—one I'd relied on frequently myself... So she's gone now."
"I'd heard that the aftermath of the purges was causing problems here and there, but not being able to staff even the Royal Academy's library—the Central District must be in serious trouble."
My foster father let out a deep sigh. Given Ehrenfest's track record, it had weak ties to the Central District. Being neutral, it wasn't often invited to tea parties hosted by the higher-ranking duchies, so information didn't flow in very freely.
"Without Schwartz and Weiss, things are very difficult for Professor Solange. I volunteered to help, and since I can't officially transfer to the Central District as an archduke candidate, it was decided I'd supply Magic Power only during my enrollment. The prince told me that as long as I'm doing it of my own free will, I can supply Magic Power as I please."
"...Making Rozemyne my adopted daughter was a stroke of genius. There was even a chance she could have been poached by the Central District during her enrollment."
Father said this in a heartfelt tone, and my foster father puffed out his chest proudly. "My stroke of genius," he declared.
"Even so—becoming their master simply by bestowing a blessing without lifting a finger... You really are beyond all norms. ...Well, never mind. According to
"Oh, I have quite a number of souvenirs from Professor Hirschur. She says she'll need Ferdinand's help with Schwartz and Weiss. Also, one of the Magical Tools he made in the past seems to have broken down, and she'd like that repaired as well."
"Hmm."
The Chief Priest's lips curved upward ever so slightly—he seemed to be in a better mood now. Seizing the opportunity, I decided to mention the other souvenir as well.
"As for souvenirs, I also have the sheet music for the song dedicated to the Goddess of Wisdom and the song dedicated to the
"...Rozemyne, we heard nothing about this."
My foster father narrowed his eyes in displeasure, but I tilted my head innocently.
"I told you about it just a while ago, didn't I? He commissioned me to compose a song, then said he didn't want it after all, and I ended up earning his displeasure... Even his incomprehensible actions are motivated by love, and since he was the one who made the request in the first place, I think it would be best to deliver it through him."
When I asked if it would be better to skip him and send it directly to Eglantine, the Chief Priest pressed his fingers to his temples.
"First, confirm the prince's wishes. Make sure you don't act on your own."
"Huh? But I promised I wouldn't contact him from my side, so that's impossible."
"I can't break a promise made to royalty," I said, shaking my head.
"Rozemyne—please tell me you're not planning to ignore a royal commission for such a reason!?"
"Don't say such awful things—I'm not ignoring it. I'm simply waiting. All I can do is wait patiently for Prince Anastasius to contact me. When he realizes he needs it, he'll come to fetch me."
"Are you an idiot? The prince isn't going to come."
"He did. I was enjoying a peaceful reading session in the library when Prince Anastasius had me dragged away."
Remembering how my precious reading time had been cut short and how I'd been unable to visit the library for days after collapsing, I grew angry—only for all three to stare at me with wide, shocked eyes.
"Rozemyne! When you say the prince had you dragged away—you mean you made him come pick you up from the library instead of just going when summoned!? There are limits to how unreasonable you can be!"
"Huh? But I didn't particularly want to approach him, and I'd already promised not to make contact..."
"Rozemyne—revoke that promise. You don't want to spend the rest of your life being dragged around by the prince, do you? Do you want everyone to perceive you as someone the prince personally comes to fetch? You'll be the subject of ridiculous rumors, you'll make unnecessary enemies, and you certainly won't be able to focus on your reading."
When they explained that what should have been handled through ordonnances and correspondence was instead being done by summoning me—and that being summoned dealt a massive blow to my reading time—I clapped both hands to my cheeks and gasped, "Eeek!"
"As soon as I return to the Royal Academy, I'll revoke it immediately! I can't stand any more of my reading time being taken away!"
"Sigh... As long as you fulfill the bare minimum of social obligations, sequestering yourself in the library might actually be the safest and most reassuring option for everyone."
Hearing the Chief Priest say this with an exhausted sigh sent my opinion of him soaring. The fact that he'd actually tell me it was fine to hole up in the library as much as I wanted—I wanted to make today a national holiday.
Overcome with joy, I jumped to my feet and threw both hands in the air.
"Ah, Ferdinand, you look like a god! To the gods, I—"
"Prayers aren't needed. Sit down."
"...Yes."
I'd been about to pray, but I was cut off. What a shame.
"Rozemyne—have you done anything else involving the royals?! Please tell me that's everything!"
At my foster father's anguished cry, I reviewed my actions. I'd been dragged off by Anastasius, taken medicine, had my consciousness fade, and collapsed.
"For heaven's sake—why did the prince drag you away in the first place?"
"A romantic rampage. He apparently wanted information from Eglantine's tea party."
I then told them about how Eglantine, fearing she'd become a source of conflict, had said she couldn't choose either prince as her escort at the graduation ceremony—and how that seemed to have sparked some kind of idea in Anastasius's mind.
"Also... I taught Prince Anastasius the song for the Goddess of
"Hold on. Why didn't you consult us before proposing a hair ornament to the prince?"
"Huh? ...It just came to me while I was writing the thank-you letter for visiting me and the report of my return. I thought it might be a good way to smooth things over."
All three guardians raised their eyebrows in unison—I had apparently been causing trouble even during those three short days of preparation for my return.
The Chief Priest rose to his feet with a click, his chilling smile looming closer, and then both my cheeks were pinched hard.
"Rozemyne—have I not taught you to refrain from acting on impulse? I thought I had made the importance of reporting, communicating, and consulting perfectly clear—was my teaching not nearly thorough enough? Or did it all flow out along with your Magic Power during those two years of sleep?"
"Don't pinch me!"
I was scolded and told that when I didn't know what to do, I should refrain from acting independently and instead prepare a written inquiry to send to them. Apparently, Wilfried had been sending written inquiries over and over, trying to figure out how to stop my actions.
When I slapped my palms together in realization—so there was a method like that—all three guardians sighed in unison, concluding that my education before departing for the Royal Academy had clearly been insufficient.
"Because you spent two years asleep, of course. It seems we'll have to give you an education in social relations before the next school year."
The result of their prioritized, intensive education—focusing on the dedication ceremony and academic performance—was the current me, I supposed.
"Normally, a first-year from Ehrenfest would never have anything to do with royalty. Furthermore, because of Rozemyne's physical limitations, I didn't expect her to finish her coursework so quickly. My plan was that once she finished classes and spent a little time enjoying the library, I would recall her before the real social season began, have her perform the dedication ceremony, and send her back to the Academy just in time for the Interduchy Tournament—that way, her lack of social skills could be somewhat masked..."
"You've exceeded Ferdinand's projections."
My foster father said this with amusement and grinned, but the Chief Priest looked at him coolly. "The one who suffers from having his projections exceeded is the Aub Ehrenfest who has to attend the Lord's Conference," he pointed out.
"Rozemyne—truly, in such a short time, you've managed to accomplish quite a feat. And this is all before the social season has even begun?"
"Foster Father, what's done is done. Let's try to think more positively."
"You fool. This isn't a matter of something that's already past. Both your relationship with royalty and your relationship with the greater duchies will have a major impact on Ehrenfest's future."
Glared at as if he were about to pop me, I quickly changed the subject.
"Then, to make things as favorable as possible for Ehrenfest, let me talk to
"That may well be, but I'll say this plainly, you fool! There are limits to your thoughtlessness! I told you not to take unauthorized actions regarding business or tribute goods. What are you doing behind the Lord's Conference's back!?"
Shouted at by my foster father, I reflected that accepting Anastasius's order had indeed been hasty.
"...I'm sorry. Would it be better to cancel even now?"
"That's precisely why I'm angry—cancelling something with royalty isn't so easily done."
"Sylvester, if it can't be cancelled, then the only option is to make it beneficial for the duchy. If the Klassenberg princess ends up wearing the hair ornament at the graduation ceremony, the advertising effect would indeed be significant."
The Chief Priest shook his head wearily.
"Oh, then why don't we go ahead and print the love story of the two of them together with the hair ornament and sell them as a package? Wouldn't that cause the printed materials to spread like wildfire as well?"
I didn't want to release the reference materials to other duchies just yet—still needed to maintain the coursework advantage—but I did want to spread printing as quickly as possible. A royal romance was the most perfect subject matter imaginable. Gossip spread incredibly fast.
If I printed and sold it on a single sheet of paper, like a broadsheet, the unit price could be kept low. Additionally, if I sold binder-style collected editions and released new installments whenever fresh information emerged, people could enjoy it in different ways—some buying only the parts that interested them, others collecting every issue.
"Rozemyne—so you intend to side with the Second Prince from now on?"
"What? No. I'm siding with Eglantine. Whether she chooses a prince or doesn't, it seems like it would make for excellent novel material that would sell very well. And considering the advertising benefits for the hair ornaments and rinsham, it would be best to spread things from high-ranking women downward."
At the conditions I laid out, my foster father shook his head.
"Rozemyne, you're only thinking about profit as a merchant."
"I still don't really understand what benefit there is in acting as a noble. Is siding with Eglantine a problem?"
I looked to the Chief Priest for his opinion. He had been deep in thought, and after lowering his eyes for a moment, he slowly exhaled.
"Rozemyne's choice is not particularly bad. If we take her words at face value, the Klassenberg's intentions will have a major influence in determining the next king. In that case, siding not with a prince but with Klassenberg could be said to be a relatively safe course of action."
He then turned his gaze toward my foster father, adding, "Though the decision rests with the Aub Ehrenfest."
Watching my foster father brood over a problem that clearly wouldn't be solved anytime soon, I tilted my head.
"Whether to side with someone or not—personally, I think that can be put off for now."
"Rozemyne?"
"More importantly, I think it would be better to consider what to do when the trade of rinsham, hair ornaments, Plant Paper, and quatre-quarts comes up at the Lord's Conference. Since Prince Anastasius and Eglantine are definitely interested, I believe trade agreements will take priority over any factional maneuvering."
If Eglantine chose not to pick a side, things would likely continue at an impasse for a while, and once she did choose, the throne would tip decisively in one direction. Rather than worrying about something as uncertain as someone else's choice, it was better to deal with the problems that would definitely arise in the near future.
"Unlike the Plantin Trading Company's Plant Paper workshop, the
If we wanted to draw people in, having merchants come to Ehrenfest would be the best approach—but if they arrived to find no goods available, customers would lose interest, and merchants who traveled from far away would be furious. If outsiders increased and fighting broke out over scarce goods, public order would crumble easily.
Even if people said this wasn't the way nobles thought, the ones who would actually suffer were the Gilberta Company, the Plantin Trading Company, the gate guards, and the rest of my associates. I wanted to make whatever moves I could in advance.
"I think it's better to address the situations that will definitely arise in spring rather than worry about the political landscape in the Central District years from now."
"You're right. Summon Benno and Gustaf. We'll need to get everything sorted before the spring Lord's Conference."
With Rozemyne having veered completely off course from what they had anticipated when they put their heads together, the guardians could do nothing but hold their heads in their hands.
Great profits always come with great troubles.
Next up: The summoned merchants.