"My great-grandfather's hatred has hardened into stone. Because of Lady
Giebe Raizengaing turned his gaze back to us and slowly let out a breath. Then he looked around at all of us—including the Attendants in the room—and gave a bitter smile. "It's quite different from five years ago, isn't it? Now almost all of the lord's family's Attendants are connected to Raizengaing."
"We have been protecting Raizengaing long before Ehrenfest became what it is today."
From there, he told the history of Raizengaing. For Ehrenfest, where winters are long and the northern territories are blanketed in snow and ice, the lands of Raizengaing to the south had always been a precious granary. For generations, they had used magic power to cultivate the land and expand the farmland, and through submission and marriage alliances, they had protected this vast granary even as the Aub changed.
"To protect Raizengaing, we showed submission to the Aub. That was our way of life. Personally, I had intended to show submission to Lady Veronica once Grandfather passed away as well."
"What?!"
"You said Grandfather hates and resents Grandmother..."
"Almost no one can be treated so obviously coldly without harboring ill feelings. But regardless of how they may feel, they are still the lord's family. If showing submission and protecting the land is Raizengaing's way of life, then regardless of what lies in one's heart, one should show that submission."
Unlike Great-Grandfather, who had experienced what it was like to go from being at the pinnacle to having his daughter and grandchildren treated coldly because of another domain's princess marrying into the family, Giebe Raizengaing had been in a state of being treated coldly from the moment he was born.
He had chosen to face reality, show submission, and try to rise again from there. He planned to have the lord take a second wife from Raizengaing, to have the heir marry a Raizengaing daughter, and to continue building connections through marriage just as before.
"But then, everything changed. Before Grandfather could pass away, Lady Veronica was stripped of her position. And almost at the same time, Lady
When I told him about the light of blessing I had given everyone at the Baptism Ceremony and about the adoption agreement with the Aub, Great-Grandfather was overjoyed, believing it was a blessing for Raizengaing. He apparently became incredibly energetic, declaring that Raizengaing's glory had returned!
As an adopted daughter, I had the qualifications to become the next Aub. Since Wilfried's reputation hadn't been very good at the time, most of the Nobility assumed that the lord intended to make me the next Aub to continue his own bloodline and pair Wilfried off as my spouse.
Major reassignments of civil officials and Wilfried's Attendants were carried out, a large-scale reform of the children's room was undertaken, and new books and toys led by me and the Chief Priest were put up for sale—these changes within the castle were so sweeping that even Giebe Raizengaing, who lived far away, could tell.
"If Lady Rozemyne became the next Aub, then the new Lord would be of Raizengaing blood without any of Lady Gabriele's
But then the attempted kidnapping of
"Even while Lady Rozemyne was asleep, Ehrenfest continued to change at a dizzying pace."
The Raizengaing faction gradually began taking important positions in place of the Veronica faction, and an atmosphere developed where Wilfried and Charlotte would compete to become the next Aub. Even the Raizengaing faction, which had been united in pushing for Lady Rozemyne as the next Aub, could not prevent itself from gradually splitting apart while I remained unconscious.
"Just when he was about to give up, he was told that I had awakened, and that I would be attending the winter socializing season."
Great-Grandfather apparently shouted, "This is the gods' arrangement! We must absolutely make Lady Rozemyne the next Aub!" at the top of his lungs and then choked and had to take to his bed.
He had no objections whatsoever to a blood relative becoming the next Aub. During the winter socializing season, Giebe Raizengaing once again gathered and united the Raizengaing faction.
"But then, Grandfather's wish was once again wiped clean by the engagement between Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne. Not only that, the situation of a Raizengaing daughter becoming the first wife of the heir started bringing back vivid memories of the past."
Ehrenfest was now rising in rank. A domain that had previously been ignored was now attracting attention. "Will another great domain's princess marry in, and once again Lady Rozemyne, as the first wife, be forced to swallow her pride? Even if she becomes the first wife of the next Aub, will Lady Rozemyne—the one who contributed the most to raising our rank—end up at a disadvantage?" Great-Grandfather apparently imagined all of this on his own, grew angry on his own, and was directing the resentment that should have been aimed at Lady Gabriele and the then-Aub toward Wilfried and my adoptive father instead.
To avoid such misfortune, he was absolutely determined to make me the next Aub no matter what. They say people get stubborn as they age, but on top of that, he had taken to his bed and shut himself away, leaving him out of touch with the changes in the world and firmly stuck in his own thinking. I thought Great-Grandfather was being a bit too extreme, but apparently there were still many elderly members of the Raizengaing faction who sympathized with him.
"Grandfather's hatred of Ahrensbach is immense, because he knows what it means to fall from the pinnacle and to be treated coldly for so long. Can you, Lord Wilfried or Lady Rozemyne, dispel that hatred?"
Giebe Raizengaing looked at Wilfried as if testing him. But Wilfried showed not the slightest sign of concern and merely shrugged.
"I don't know if I can dispel his hatred, but there's nothing to do but meet and talk with him. I have no intention of repeating that kind of history."
"I would appreciate that."
...Still, "dispel his hatred"... Great-Grandfather sounds like some kind of living ghost or evil spirit.
Before the Dedication Ritual gets busy, let's set a date and time for the visit, Giebe Raizengaing said, turning to his Attendant.
"Come to think of it, does Raizengaing not hold a Dedication Ritual similar to
I had heard that during the winter socializing season, every Giebe wanted to replicate the Dedication Ritual that was hailed as Haldenzel's miracle. When I asked what the situation was in Raizengaing, the Giebe quietly shook his head.
"Raizengaing has lost its stage, so we cannot do it like Haldenzel."
"Was it Raizengaing that broke the stage?"
I furrowed my brows involuntarily, remembering the various events that had followed after I opened the Holy Book to research how the stage was built. The Giebe denied it with a bitter smile.
"No, Raizengaing didn't break it. We lost it over the long course of history."
In Raizengaing, as they had cultivated the farmland and expanded it further and further, they had repeatedly moved their base of operations to improve convenience. Because it was so long ago, no documents remained, and they had completely lost track of where the original base had been. They didn't even know whether it was damaged or not.
"Is that still okay?"
"If it were in the north like Haldenzel, whether or not they could accelerate the snowmelt would be a matter of life and death. That's why, even though they were in the north, the Giebe who broke the stage had gone pale with shock—but Raizengaing is in the south, so even without a magic circle to summon spring, there isn't that much impact on agriculture."
Unlike Haldenzel and its surrounding areas, the presence or absence of a magic circle wasn't that critical an issue for them. It was more in the realm of "if it increases the harvest, it'd be nice to have."
"With Lady Rozemyne's small Holy Cup, there's no problem. Raizengaing will be able to fulfill its role as Ehrenfest's granary once again this year."
"Lady Rozemyne, it's time for your visit with Great-Grandfather."
"Brunhilde,
"When you're Nobility, you're connected by blood somewhere or other. Great-Grandfather talks about Lady Veronica's blood and whatnot. But both Lord Wilfried and Lady Charlotte have the lord's blood, so even if it's not that concentrated, they still have Raizengaing blood mixed in."
Brother Cornelius said this with a shrug, and Leonore let out a small laugh.
"For Great-Grandfather, the concentration of that blood is more important than anything else. That is why he wished for Lady Rozemyne to become the next Aub."
"...Do all of you Attendants feel dissatisfied that I don't intend to aim for the position of next Aub, just like Great-Grandfather?"
When I asked, all of my Attendants shrugged in unison. Their expressions clearly said it was better not to press the issue.
"I believe we should proceed as Lady Rozemyne wishes. And as new trends are born and Ehrenfest prospers, I will support you as your Attendant."
Brunhilde smiled and said there was no stopping me even if she tried, and Hartmut nodded vigorously beside her.
"As Brunhilde says, no matter what Lady Rozemyne does, I will support her with everything I have to make her appear all the more saintly."
He said it with a bright smile, telling me to leave any failures to him—but why did I feel uneasy rather than reassured? It was so different from Brunhilde's dependability.
"...What is it? We're being told essentially the same thing, but it sounds so different coming from Brunhilde versus Hartmut."
As we talked, we moved through the corridor in a lesser beast and caught sight of Wilfried and Charlotte waiting for us.
"Brother Wilfried, Charlotte. Thank you for waiting. You both look troubled—what were you talking about?"
"I was thinking that since I share Grandmother's blood and was raised by her, it would be difficult for me to secure Raizengaing's cooperation. But after hearing Giebe Raizengaing's story, it doesn't seem that hard to bring them on board—as long as we can handle the former Giebe Raizengaing. That's what we were discussing."
At Wilfried's words, Charlotte kept her troubled expression and touched her cheek.
"But I can't think of what to say or what to do to make the former Giebe Raizengaing let go of his anger... Sister, do you have any good ideas?"
As we made our way to Great-Grandfather's room, I opened my mouth.
"I don't have any good ideas. It's the same thing I told Giebe Raizengaing. Rather than speaking through someone else, he needs to speak in his own words about what he will do and what he wants to do."
No matter how much Great-Grandfather asked, I had no intention of becoming the next Aub, nor could I ever be. All I could say was "Please give up."
"I never expected to be able to do anything about his resentment or his anger. From the start, I've never thought I could fix this. All I'm going to do is declare to Great-Grandfather that I have no intention of becoming the next Aub."
"I admire your ability to cut through it all so cleanly. If the person said to be Raizengaing's hope makes such a declaration, I worry the former Giebe Raizengaing might soar to even greater heights."
At Wilfried's words, I recalled the scene where Great-Grandfather had collapsed right in front of me, and I felt a twinge of trauma.
"...That would be problematic. Then again, I certainly can't say something like 'I'd be happier as a second wife if I could be involved in the printing industry and have free run of the library, since that would give me more free time.'"
"I've never heard such a candid thought either!"
Wilfried shouted at me, and I put on a serious expression and said, "Actually, that's really how I feel."
"Sister, the Raizengaing Nobility won't accept that!"
"I know. That's why I always hide my true feelings."
I told them I only let it peek out occasionally, and both Wilfried and Charlotte sighed heavily.
"Be very careful with your words, Rozemyne. At the very least, we can't have the former Giebe Raizengaing soaring to greater heights during this meeting."
"Right."
And then we arrived at the detached wing where Great-Grandfather was staying and were allowed inside. In the spacious, luxurious room, instead of lying in bed as I had expected, there sat Great-Grandfather—properly dressed and seated in a chair. Was it my imagination that he looked more energetic than last year?
"O-oh, Lady Rozemyne. Welcome to Raizengaing. That we should be blessed to see you once more—truly, this must be the gods' arrangement!"
Great-Grandfather was expressing his joy in an extremely exaggerated manner, and he acted as if Wilfried and Charlotte were completely invisible. An Attendant lightly tapped his shoulder, but he irritably brushed the hand away.
"Great-Grandfather, my siblings are here with me. Brother Wilfried and Charlotte—can you see them?"
When I spoke up, Great-Grandfather blinked several times as if he had just noticed, then squinted.
"Ah, you see, when one gets on in years, one's eyesight does grow rather poor. Everything around the radiant Lady Rozemyne appears quite difficult to see. My sincerest apologies."
He said this with perfect composure and then greeted the two of them—though his gaze never actually landed on them. It was impossible to tell whether he genuinely couldn't see them or was simply ignoring them.
We were ushered to our seats—mine, Wilfried's, and Charlotte's—and tea and sweets were brought out. Since it was difficult for Great-Grandfather to taste-test the food for poison, an Attendant took a bite on his behalf and assured us it was safe.
We drank tea and nibbled on sweets, and it became something of a tea party. Great-Grandfather praised my recipes and spoke highly of how
"If you mix in a little fruit juice when making the quatre-quarts, you can enjoy the flavors of the season," Charlotte suggested.
"The flavors of the season... now that does sound lovely."
Great-Grandfather closed his eyes slightly at Charlotte's suggestion and began talking about the seasonal vegetables and fruits grown in Raizengaing.
"Giebe Raizengaing, I have something I'd like to discuss—"
Wilfried tried to start the conversation as the atmosphere turned pleasant, but Great-Grandfather showed absolutely no reaction to his voice. He sat with his eyes lightly closed and unmoving, and it was impossible to tell whether he was hard of hearing, pretending not to hear, or had fallen asleep. This was going to be difficult. Just getting him to listen to what we had to say seemed like it would be a struggle.
"Great-Grandfather. Great-Grandfather."
"What is it, Lady Rozemyne?"
At my call, Great-Grandfather startled and moved his shoulders, then slowly turned to look at me with unsteady movements.
"Great-Grandfather, you can hear my voice, then?"
"Oh yes, I can hear your most lovely voice perfectly well."
...He's pretending he can't hear? Well then, there's nothing for it. I'll just have to tell him myself.
"Great-Grandfather, I will not become the next Aub. I don't want to."
The moment I made this declaration—the thing I most needed to say—Great-Grandfather froze for a moment, then slowly raised his hand and pressed it to his ear.
"...Hmm? ...Ah, I do apologize terribly. My hearing has been so poor these days, and to have missed Lady Rozemyne's lovely voice—what an utter disgrace."
Great-Grandfather apologized for having missed my words, so I repeated myself.
"Great-Grandfather, I will not become the next Aub. I don't want to."
"GYAAAAAAAA!"
Great-Grandfather suddenly let out a piercing shriek and collapsed face-first onto the table. He lay there without moving a muscle.
...Great-Grandfather has died!?
"Eh? ...Eh!?"
"Kyaaaa!"
"I told you, choose your words more carefully! That was far too direct!"
As we panicked at the sight of Great-Grandfather slumped over the table, his Attendants came in and said, "It's quite all right. This happens regularly. Please do calm down."
"He's merely a bit overexcited and will wake up shortly. Please drink your tea and wait."
"That's all well and good, but..."
There was no way I could calmly drink tea in a state like this. As I looked around in a daze, I noticed that Wilfried was surprisingly composed.
"This being a regular occurrence... even if you say that, it's still bad for the heart."
"Brother Wilfried, you look awfully calm, though!?"
At my words, Brother Wilfried raised his eyebrows slightly.
"It's because I'm used to dealing with you collapsing suddenly. Look—even your Attendants are far more composed than I am."
"Eh?"
Brunhilde and
"When you collapse at tea parties, I end up having to play the role of those Attendants in the room. Soothing the guests and cleaning up your messes... Charlotte, are you all right? This must be the first time you've seen someone collapse like this, isn't it?"
"I-I'm fine. I need to get used to this quickly, I suppose."
Charlotte, looking pale as she watched Great-Grandfather being carried away, said this.
"There is no need for Lady Charlotte to get used to it. We Attendants are already working on measures to prevent Lady Rozemyne from collapsing."
Brunhilde smiled as she poured fresh cups of tea. As I drank, I could see an Attendant gently shaking Great-Grandfather.
"There, please wake up now. You're still in the middle of tea with Lady Rozemyne."
"Mmm..."
It took him some time to sit up, but unlike when I lost consciousness, he got up quickly enough that I suspected this might all be an "ultimate fake-out."
"I-I am terribly sorry about that."
"Former Giebe Raizengaing, there isn't that much I need to say."
"Guf!"
Every time I tried to speak to Great-Grandfather after he regained consciousness, he collapsed again—five times in all. His Attendants made no move to stop him, so in fragmented sessions, we continued our conversation.
"Mmm, I do apologize."
"You've come back to us, Great-Grandfather. Now then, where had we left off?"
"You had gotten to the part about the engagement approved by the king," Hartmut supplied immediately.
"Ah, yes, that's right. Great-Grandfather, are you going to object to the king's decision? Surely you have no such intention?"
"...Of course, I have no such intention. I am simply... deeply concerned for Lady Rozemyne's well-being."
"There is no need for concern, Former Giebe Raizengaing. I vow to make Rozemyne my first wife and put an end to Raizengaing's suffering."
Great-Grandfather turned his gaze toward Wilfried for the first time. This time, rather than the theatrical avoidance of before, he had chosen to face him directly. In that instant, the air filled with a bone-chilling cold—the kind of hatred that even being hidden away could not conceal.
The crinkle-eyed smile that had been on Great-Grandfather's face dropped away as if it had been scooped clean off. His expressionless face—no, it was precisely because he was expressionless—that conveyed all the more the deep suffering, humiliation, and hatred he had endured through a lifetime.
I felt Wilfried catch his breath. The hand resting on the table was trembling under the pressure. I stretched out my hand as far as I could and touched Wilfried's. For a moment, he flinched, looked at me, and then slowly nodded.
"Having gotten engaged to Rozemyne, who carries the blood of Raizengaing, I wish to build a good relationship with Raizengaing. There is no falsehood in that."
"What will you do if a princess from a great domain marries in?"
Great-Grandfather asked in a hoarse voice.
"When I am in the same position as the first Giebe Grethel, before welcoming a princess from a great domain, I will arrange for my children and father to be formally adopted, guaranteeing their status as heir candidates."
"There will be pushback from the great domain."
"My father has already agreed to take that on. I will not repeat the same mistake the Aub made."
"...So even the Aub has his resolve."
After saying this quietly, Great-Grandfather fixed his gaze on a single point and went completely still. I couldn't tell whether he was staring at Wilfried or at his own past.
We waited for Great-Grandfather's response, but instead, his Attendants urged us to leave, saying, "Let us end here for today."
We said our farewells and quietly left the room. When I looked back one last time, Great-Grandfather remained exactly as before, staring at a single point, unmoving. But he seemed to be crying quietly.
There is a gap between Raizengaing's position and Great-Grandfather's feelings.
The current Giebe and Great-Grandfather are from very different generations, so their feelings toward Veronica and the others differ considerably.
Next, I will be staying behind to watch over things during the Archduke Conference.