Return and the Surrounding Circumstances

"Ohhh! Rozemyne, you've returned!"

The person who greeted me upon my return through the teleportation circle with a voice so loud it startled me was Grandfather. The moment he came charging forward with enough force to create rumbling sounds and I flinched, Angelica and Brother Cornelius grabbed his arms firmly, saying "Please calm down!" while Damuel seized his cape and halted his charge, declaring, "Lady Rozemyne is frightened by you!"

"I-I'm not frightened. Are you, Rozemyne?"

"I was merely startled by the momentum. I've returned."

As I greeted him, I looked around. In normal years, the Aub's family along with Father and Mother would have been there to welcome us, but today the only ones at the reception were Grandfather, the guard knights of the Lord Candidates, and several members of the Knight's Order. This year, even the order of return had been slightly adjusted from usual—adoptive father had issued instructions that Lord Candidates were to move together regardless of grade. The unfamiliar situation left me feeling anxious.

"Rozemyne, Charlotte couldn't come back, so you should step off the magic circle quickly."

Wilfried, surrounded by his own guard knights a short distance away, called out to me. I nodded and moved with Ricarda. Just like Wilfried, I was soon surrounded by my own guard knights.

"Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne."

"Damuel, Cornelius, Angelica. I've returned. ...I don't see Hartmut anywhere."

"Hartmut is a civil official, so he's waiting in his room. He wanted to come, but Ottlie is keeping watch over him."

Apparently today's reception had been restricted to knights only. As I sensed the solemn atmosphere and listened to my guard knights discussing how "Ottlie really is a mother worthy of being called a mother for being able to keep Hartmut in check so easily," Charlotte and her attendants moved over.

Once Grandfather confirmed that Charlotte was surrounded by her guard knights, he raised his hand lightly.

"Good. Then, let's return to our rooms. I will protect you all firmly until you enter the North Building, so rest easy."

At Grandfather's command, the Lord Candidates surrounded by their guard knights began to move. I was about to follow when I noticed Grandfather standing with his hand held wide open, waiting. He had just said he would "firmly protect the Lord Candidates," but could it really be alright for his hands to be full?

"There is no need to worry. We will protect you from Grandfather, so please rest easy and hold his hand, Lady Rozemyne."

"Cornelius!"

Even being glared at by Grandfather didn't faze Brother Cornelius, who merely shrugged.

Muttering "That's not the kind of worry I have," I grasped Grandfather's finger just as I had last year and began to walk.

"I was recognized as the top student for the first time this year, you know! I ascended the stage and received praise from the Zent!"

When I spoke of the award, Grandfather rejoiced as if it were his own achievement, but unlike last year, he wasn't looking only at me—his eyes were darting around, clearly on high alert.

"...Grandfather, is it actually quite dangerous?"

"It had been calm recently, but now that all the students are returning at once, we can't rule out the possibility of nobles who had their sentences reduced petitioning directly, or attacking under the guise of petitioning. Those who would be targeted are you lot, who fought so hard to avoid collective punishment. Vigilance is necessary."

"I was thinking I'd like to go to my library in the Temple as soon as..."

I had been planning to visit my library the moment we returned to Ehrenfest, but Grandfather shook his head with a stern expression.

"I'm afraid the only place you can roam freely is within the North Building. ...At least endure until the Spring Prayer feast is over and the nobles thin out. Melchior endured the entire winter. As the elder sister, Rozemyne, surely you can manage?"

The purge brought heightened danger, so Melchior had apparently been told he was forbidden from leaving the North Building on his own. He was even barred from going to the children's room, essentially confined to the North Building.

"Keep Melchior company, Rozemyne. I'm looking forward to tonight's dinner."

Grandfather pointed toward the North Building as he said this. Melchior, together with his attendants, was waiting eagerly at the very edge of the North Building—right where he was told not to go past—for our return.

"Welcome back, Brother! Sister!"

"It was so boring being cooped up in the North Building alone. Unlike when I was in the main building, I rarely got to see Father or Mother, and I'd been looking forward to the children's room too, but they told me not to go because the children whose parents had been arrested might get emotional and do unpredictable things."

While the attendants organized the luggage we had brought back from the Royal Academy, we accepted Melchior's invitation and chatted over tea while he told us about his winter.

Normally, the purge would have occurred mid-winter, but thanks to information from Matthias and the others, it had been moved up to the start of winter. As a result, Melchior had been immediately confined to the North Building as soon as the students departed for the Royal Academy.

Melchior, told to stay alone in a separate building during his first winter after his Baptism Ceremony, had apparently felt terribly lonely. Adoptive Mother had managed to visit him in her spare time now and then, but it wasn't the same as the daily meetings he'd had before the Baptism. He spent every day studying with his attendants, but he seemed to have been feeling quite despondent.

"That's why I'm so happy you've all come back."

"We can't leave the North Building until the Spring Prayer feast, but it'll be nice for us siblings to spend some time together."

After that, until the attendants came to call us for dinner preparations, we played karuta and cards and had fun together.

That evening's dinner gathered the entire Lord family, and we discussed what had happened at the Royal Academy. Melchior was overjoyed at the lively meal after so long, and his eyes sparkled when he heard about how Ehrenfest books were spreading among the students, and how the divine gifts granted through prayers had increased—both signs of Ehrenfest's growing importance.

"More students achieved excellent results this year than last. Conducting multiple joint research projects simultaneously and having them all receive recognition is truly wonderful."

"What impressed me was how well you united the dormitory, which had been predicted to split apart. Well done."

Adoptive Mother and Grandfather's praise was met with nods from Adoptive Father as well.

"As Ehrenfest's Lord Candidates, you have exceeded our expectations. As your father and as the Lord, I am proud. I want you to apply that same skill now to bring order to the turmoil within during the purge."

"Yes!"

It was essentially a dinner of nothing but praise, but in the end, Adoptive Father swept his stern, deep-green eyes around the table, meeting everyone's gaze.

"It's been a while since we've all gathered for dinner. I chose pleasant topics for today, but on the day after tomorrow at the Third Bell, we will hold a Lord family meeting. Unpleasant topics will likely surface, but this is something we must all overcome together."

...The day after tomorrow at the Third Bell.

Sensing in Adoptive Father's severe expression the same tension that permeated the castle's interior, I swallowed hard.

The morning after, following breakfast, I decided to introduce my new retainers who had returned from the Royal Academy to those who had remained behind in Ehrenfest. Although Theodore was no longer among us, all of my retainers were assembled.

"Matthias, Lorenz, Muriella, and Gratia swore their names to me and became my retainers. Eventually, Muriella will re-swear her name to my mother, Elvira."

"Matthias, son of Gieb Gerlach, and Lorenz, son of Gieb Viltur, then."

Brother Cornelius's face twisted ever so slightly. Matthias and Lorenz were children of the central figures among the nobles who had sworn their names to Georgine.

"Brother Cornelius, they've already sworn their names, so please don't glare at them like that."

When I puffed my cheeks and stepped protectively between Brother Cornelius and the three of them, he let out a soft breath and gently tapped me on the head.

"I know from what I observed at the Royal Academy that they won't directly harm Rozemyne. But the voices of nobles calling for collective punishment are still loud, and many of them will demand reduced sentences of their own if these two are spared."

"Cornelius is simply worried that the anger and resentment directed at them will end up falling on Lady Rozemyne instead. He's not doubting their loyalty or fearing that they'll cause her harm."

At Damuel's words, I whispered, "Thank you, Brother Cornelius." I had expected things wouldn't be the same as the Royal Academy once we returned to Ehrenfest, but it seemed the road ahead would be quite rough.

"You know Hartmut since he came to the Royal Academy for the ceremony, yes? These are Damuel, Cornelius, and Angelica—my guard knights. For matters regarding knight work, follow Damuel's instructions. Damuel, please determine the rotation for the guard knights heading to the Temple, including Matthias and Lorenz. Civil officials, distribute information the same as last year. Attendants, please continue with the cleanup."

I assigned tasks to my retainers, then retrieved the Magical Tool Ferdinand had given me from among my precious luggage. The letter sealed in a leather pouch that Magic Power could not penetrate, along with the Magical Tool, had been weighing on my mind ever since.

"I'm going to listen to this in the hidden room."

"Once you've finished, please hand the Magical Tool over to me. I'll turn it into a Schumil stuffed toy."

I nodded at Liesereta with a smile, hugged the pouch containing the Magical Tool, and entered the hidden room. Setting the leather pouch aside, I first played back the Magical Tool Ferdinand had given me on the morning of the graduation ceremony.

"That time started with scolding, but he should have put at least one compliment at the end! I believe in you, Ferdinand!"

Trusting Ferdinand, I played it back—but apparently trust wasn't enough. Sadly, it turned out to be a scolding Magical Tool for Attendants, packed end to end with nothing but scolding from beginning to end.

"How cruel, Ferdinand. You could have included at least one compliment. It didn't have to be anything grand—just something not entirely bad would have been fine..."

Growing sadder as the Magical Tool endlessly repeated its scolding, I opened the leather pouch that Magic Power couldn't penetrate. Inside was another recording Magical Tool and a letter.

"...Huh?"

The leather pouch should have been empty, yet it still held a certain weight, as though something remained inside. I reached in and felt around—there was a shape suggesting something was there, but it wouldn't come out.

"A double bottom?"

Until now I hadn't noticed because of the Magical Tool's weight and shape, but the leather pouch had a double bottom with something else concealed inside. I opened the letter. Ferdinand's familiar handwriting filled the page.

"This Magical Tool has been recorded with compliments as you requested. Always keep it inside the leather pouch so that others cannot hear it. Furthermore, use it only in the hidden room of the library. Should you fail to comply, the Magical Tool hidden in the bottom will automatically cause the compliments to self-destruct."

"Huh!? W-Wait a moment! When did you even conduct that research!?"

I had never heard of a Magical Tool that could make recorded voices self-destruct. I reread the letter multiple times, then placed the recording Magical Tool back in the pouch. If I had activated it before reading the letter, the precious compliments would have been lost forever.

"Safe. Good thing I didn't touch the Magical Tool first. I'm glad I'm the kind of person who prioritizes words over sound."

The compliments were incredibly tempting, but Ferdinand had gone to the trouble of separating the Magical Tools so that no one else could hear them. I would have to endure until I could reach the library—if I let the compliments vanish, I'd only make myself miserable later.

Leaving the pouch in place so that no one else would accidentally touch the Magical Tool and trigger the compliment's destruction, I took only the scolding Magical Tool with me when I left the hidden room.

"Liesereta, this was a Magical Tool filled with nothing but Ferdinand's scolding. If I make it into a Schumil stuffed toy, his voice will endlessly pour out scolding from inside it. Are you really sure you want a Schumil?"

Liesereta smiled happily and said "Of course!" as she took the Magical Tool. Apparently, hearing Ferdinand's voice scold from within a Schumil stuffed toy would strike her as perfectly adorable.

...Liesereta's love for Schumils is something else entirely.

"Lady Rozemyne, what happened to that leather pouch from earlier?"

"I left it in the hidden room. Apparently Ferdinand recorded compliments in the other Magical Tool, but he included a dangerous trap along with it—if you listen in the wrong place, the compliments will be destroyed."

Hearing my words, Ricarda chuckled. "Sending compliments must be embarrassing for him. How very like Ferdinand."

...I really don't think there was any need to rig a self-destruct trap just because it was embarrassing!

After leaving the hidden room, I helped the civil officials sort through information, and after the Third Bell rang, I practiced Feshpiel with my siblings and read borrowed books—all for the sake of Melchior, who had said it was lonely being alone.

"Lady Rozemyne, I am terribly sorry, but could I have a bit of your time this afternoon? There are a few things I'd like to discuss."

Brother Lamprecht called out to me so rarely that I blinked in surprise. Unable to leave the North Building, we couldn't even reserve a meeting room. Unsure what to do, I turned to Ricarda.

"Ricarda."

"Brother Lamprecht is the one calling on you. It must be urgent. There are no particular plans this afternoon, so there's no harm in talking. Please use the Lady's room. However, do have Leonore and Angelica present."

Being instructed to include Leonore and Angelica—who counted as family, given their positions as Attendant and guard knight to my fiancé—I looked up at Brother Lamprecht.

"I'd be grateful. Then, this afternoon."

Once lunch was finished, Brother Lamprecht arrived immediately. I brewed tea, and the attendants withdrew.

"It surprised me, Brother Lamprecht—you rarely call on me like this."

"...This is something I should report myself."

After slightly scratching his cheek, Brother Lamprecht let out a soft laugh. The gentle expression of someone thinking of something precious made my heart stir.

"You had a baby, didn't you?"

"Yes. Born at the beginning of winter. They'd said it would arrive by the end of autumn, but the baby turned out to be quite leisurely—it didn't come until winter."

"Congratulations! Let me send my regards right away—"

"I knew you'd say that and go overboard, which is why I kept quiet until now."

Brother Cornelius wore an exasperated expression as he told me not to make too grand a fuss over the congratulations.

"Why not? If it's a child through the same mother, I should be able to celebrate, shouldn't I?"

Adoptive Mother was also pregnant, but her child would be a half-sibling, and I wouldn't be able to meet them until the Baptism Ceremony. I had been looking forward to meeting the baby of Brother Lamprecht, who shared my mother.

"I'm happy to receive congratulations, but for the time being, we don't intend to let anyone outside the family know about the birth. So receiving congratulations from you is somewhat problematic."

"Why is that?"

In Commoner tradition, when a baby was born, you announced it to everyone so the news would be preserved in memory. Among the Nobility, you typically only told close friends before the Baptism Ceremony, but there was no custom of skipping the celebration altogether—it was simply not spreading the word widely.

"The nobles purged this winter were those who had sworn their names to Georgine and members of Veronica's faction. Those of Arensbach bloodline or those who had been favored by them bore the brunt of the punishment. Because of that, Aurelia, who comes from Arensbach, and the newborn inevitably face harsh scrutiny. That is precisely why we've only told family."

Brother Cornelius looked at me with the same stern expression he wore when on guard duty.

"We who didn't go to the Royal Academy were at the forefront of the purge, so we don't even know where we've made enemies. That is why we're asking for no grand celebrations."

"Aurelia is also on edge about the movements of the Arensbach-aligned nobles, and we want her to spend this time as peacefully as possible. For the safety of Aurelia and the baby above all else, we'd like Rozemyne to keep this secret for a while."

There was something dependable in Brother Lamprecht's expression—something that reminded me of Father when he spoke of "protecting family"—and it made me feel a little happy.

"I understand. I'll keep it secret. It's to protect the family, after all. I really wanted to visit and celebrate with a bang, but for the sake of safety, I'll endure. Just listening to how things are going here should be alright, right? Is the baby healthy?"

When I asked, Brother Lamprecht broke into a broad smile.

"Aurelia is still a bit dazed from the nighttime feedings, but the baby is very healthy, and recently has learned to hold up its head. To avoid danger, both of them are currently staying in the main building, not the separate wing."

When Brother Lamprecht teased that Aurelia was "half-asleep most of the time, only awake for nursing," Mother apparently scolded him, saying "That's simply how hard it is being a mother." Imagining life with a newborn, what resurfaced in my mind was my brief time with Kamil.

"Come to think of it, when will Brother Cornelius and Leonore hold their Starbinding Ceremony?"

He had received Eckhart's estate as well, so perhaps the ceremony would take place this summer. I gazed at Brother Cornelius and Leonore, sitting side by side. Brother Cornelius exchanged a look with Leonore before saying, "...That face you make when you're about to tease—it really is exactly like Mother's."

"We'll take the usual one to two years for preparation. We're already engaged, and the Starbinding Ceremony isn't something to rush into."

"Yes. Like Cornelius, I also think it would be better to wait until Ehrenfest's situation settles down a bit."

It was nice that they got along so well.

"When Brother Cornelius and Leonore hold your Starbinding Ceremony, I'll shower you with blessings with all my might, so leave it to me!"

"Keep it normal! Just normal! If Rozemyne gets too enthusiastic, things could spiral out of control."

"Not at all—it's my brother's ceremony. I'll make blessings rain down without losing to the royal Starbinding, with every ounce of—"

"Stop him!"

Brother Cornelius waved his hands desperately, trying to rein me in. Watching him panic, Leonore laughed in amusement.

"That's enough fun and games from both of you. Can we have a slightly more serious conversation?"

When Brother Lamprecht placed his hand between Brother Cornelius and me, everyone's expressions grew serious.

"It's about Nicolaus..."

Father's son by his second wife, Trudeliede. A half-brother, but because Trudeliede had served Veronica and harbored ill feelings toward Ferdinand, I had been told not to contact him.

"Trudeliede has been captured as well. You know that, right?"

"Yes. She was deeply devoted to Lady Veronica and apparently did all sorts of things."

"And now, Nicolaus is in the children's room."

At Brother Lamprecht's words, I widened my eyes.

"He's still in the children's room? If Father took custody of him, couldn't he have gone home?"