Seduction

"Give up... is that what you're saying?"

Grandfather's words sent my blood boiling, and I clenched my fist tight.

"That's right. What you should be protecting is Ehrenfest. That was the promise you made when Ferdinand went to Ahrensbach, was it not?"

I had indeed made that promise. With Ferdinand himself, no less. And Ehrenfest held my family in the lower city, the Gutenberg workshop, everyone at the Temple—all of them were people I needed to protect. But I had also promised to protect Ferdinand. There was no way I could give up.

"In any case, how do you intend to intervene in another duchy's supply period? Do you even know how many days it would take to reach Ahrensbach? Would Ferdinand's Magic Power hold out until then? Even if you went, you wouldn't make it in time. Shouldn't you instead be focusing on countermeasures against Georgine, who we know is going to attack us?"

As I listened to Grandfather's reasons for telling me to give up, I gently traced my fingers along the Ahrensbach key I always kept close to my body. If I used the same method as Georgine, I could obtain Ahrensbach's Foundation. It was not impossible.

"So if I could make it in time, I would be allowed to go rescue him?"

I stared intently at Grandfather as I asked. I could feel Magic Power coursing through my entire body. From the corner of my vision, I noticed everyone around us holding their breath and panicking over the "empty magic stones," but I pressed on.

"If I can make it in time, I don't have to give up, right?"

Grandfather grimaced and pulled his chin back as if overwhelmed by pressure. He was probably leaking Magic Power and inadvertently intimidating everyone, but I demanded an answer.

"If Ferdinand-sama's Magic Power holds out, will both you and Father help me? I am willing to make Ahrensbach, the Central Government, the King, even Lady Ehwelimine into enemies if it means saving Ferdinand-sama. I have absolutely no intention of giving up."

Grandfather swallowed hard.

"Grandfather, I became the Archduke's adopted daughter in order to protect the things precious to me. Without power and status, I wouldn't have been able to protect them. Becoming the King's adopted daughter was also to save Ferdinand-sama from collective punishment. But if Ferdinand-sama's life is lost, then the collective punishment and everything else becomes meaningless. There would be no point in me being the King's adopted daughter."

Yurgenschmidt falling apart while everything precious to me was still intact—that I could still accept. But preserving the vessel of Yurgenschmidt while losing the things that mattered to me would be meaningless.

To me, my family in the lower city and Ferdinand were more important than Yurgenschmidt.

"Rozemyne, are you out of your mind? For the sake of one Ferdinand...?"

"Differences in personal priorities are only natural, aren't they? To me, Ehrenfest matters more than Yurgenschmidt, and my family living there matters more than Ehrenfest."

The one who responded to my words was not Grandfather, not even Father, but Wilfried.

"If your resolve is that firm and you have a way to save him, then why not just go?"

"Wilfried!?"

"The defense of Ehrenfest was originally designed to function without you, on the premise that you would be going to the Central Government. So if you and your retainers act, it shouldn't be a problem for Ehrenfest. I think it's far more dangerous to keep you here in Ehrenfest when you look like you're about to lose control of your Magic Power at any moment."

Bonifatius glared fiercely at Wilfried, who had pointed out the change in my expression as he spoke.

"Even if she's decided to go to the Central Government, Rozemyne is still an archduke candidate of Ehrenfest! Ehrensbach would be launching an attack on Ahrensbach!"

"So what? We already know our Foundation is going to be attacked. Then there's nothing wrong with us striking first. The obligation to defend the Foundation upon being attacked is the same for any Archduke. We should just hit them before they hit us."

Father slowly stroked his chin, clearly amused by Wilfried's words.

"Rozemyne, do you have a plan for saving Ferdinand?"

"I believe no one other than me could do it, but there is a method. With Father's cooperation, the rescue would go much more smoothly."

When I tilted my head and asked if he would cooperate, Father's lips curled upward.

"I too would like it if Ferdinand could be saved. However, you are still an archduke candidate of Ehrenfest, and it is a fact that you would be accused of attempting to usurp a duchy. To take action, you need a sufficiently noble pretext."

His deep green eyes were saying that it would be fine to go, so long as there was a convincing pretext.

"Why not simply say we're rescuing our uncle? After all, he's still an Ehrenfest citizen who hasn't even completed his starbinding, and he was supposed to become the consort of the interim Archduke by royal decree."

"...Wilfried, you're still too weak when it comes to dealing with the Central Government and other duchies."

Father said this while looking at me.

*Come up with something, a reason.* If I could do that, I could stride off to save Ferdinand with my head held high. I wracked my brains desperately, searching for a just cause to invade Ahrensbach.

"Ahrensbach has been absorbing people from Lanzenave, and they're aiming to seize the throne of Zent. Rather than teaching the royal family the location of the Grutrissheit and bringing it to them, they intend to obtain it for themselves."

If only Dietlinde were to obtain the Grutrissheit, it wouldn't have been such a major problem. She would be in the same position as me, bringing the Grutrissheit to the royal family. Perhaps, in order to minimize the turmoil within Yurgenschmidt, Ferdinand would have broken off his engagement to her and married Sigiswald instead.

But Ahrensbach was now making a fatal mistake. In order to obtain the Grutrissheit, they had allied themselves with Lanzenave, a foreign nation.

"Ahrensbach, which has conspired with Lanzenave to seize the throne of Zent, is no different from Eisenreich, which was previously incited by Boazgeitz to form an alliance. Ehrenfest, which was created from Eisenreich's dissolution, understands better than anyone the severity of the crime of allying with a foreign nation to target the throne. So when Ehrenfest, along with me as the King's adopted daughter, crushes Ahrensbach, isn't that only natural? Rather than being condemned, we should be thanked by the Central Government and other duchies."

Father laughed at the justification I had come up with.

"Heh... It's not bad as a pretext. However, the disparity in military strength between Ahrensbach and Ehrenfest is enormous. Ehrenfest doesn't have the military force to invade Ahrensbach. You and your retainers alone would really be stepping into enemy territory."

Ahrensbach, which controlled half of the former Berkelstock, had no shortage of manpower. The difference in military power was overwhelming. Ehrenfest, already a middle-ranking duchy with fewer people, was barely managing to solidify its defenses.

"That's more than sufficient. If there are too many people, we won't be able to move freely."

"No, I cannot send you off to Ahrensbach without adequate military force. You, who are to become the King's adopted daughter, are the person who must be protected above all else."

Father said this with a troubled expression.

If Ehrenfest didn't have something, we had no choice but to bring it from elsewhere. And when it came to military force, there was only one option.

"Father, please contact Archduke Dunkelfelger. And let us invite Dunkelfelger to participate in a Ditter. In order to strike down Ahrensbach, which has committed the crime of inciting foreign aggression, and to rescue Ferdinand-sama."

"Dunkelfelger?! You want to involve another duchy!?"

When it came to fighting for the Foundation, you couldn't involve other duchies because you wouldn't be able to maintain control on your own. But in this particular battle, we weren't trying to take Ahrensbach for ourselves. We only wanted to save Ferdinand. And if, as a bonus, we could reduce the military forces Ahrensbach might use to attack Ehrenfest, that would be welcome.

"If we don't use everything at our disposal, we can never win against a greater duchy like Ahrensbach. Dunkelfelger is the strongest card in a Ditter, isn't it? If not now, when would we ever use them? If we appeal to their passion for Ditter, add the backing of the royal decree issued to Ferdinand-sama, and mention Clarissa's situation as well, I'm sure not only the Archduke but also the First Wife would gladly accept."

"...Very well, come. You will be the negotiator."

I was taken to the Archduke's office. Father called over a scholar and had them prepare the Magical Tool used for emergency communication between Archdukes. The tool looked something like a water mirror. I knew how to use it from my training as an archduke candidate, but it could only be used by Archdukes.

When Father connected to Dunkelfelger, a scholar called the Archduke to the line.

"Good day, Archduke Dunkelfelger."

"Archduke Ehrenfest and Lady Rozemyne?! I heard you had taken to your bed... and this is quite..."

Just as Archduke Dunkelfelger's figure appeared in the water mirror, ours must have been visible to him as well. He stared wide-eyed at my grown appearance, then seemed to catch himself and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. I'd like to hear what this urgent matter is about."

I conveyed that Ahrensbach had committed the crime of inciting foreign aggression and was preparing to attack the Central Government. The noble pretext had to come first. Father, with a stern expression, explained the foreign aggression pretext.

"Ehrenfest, which was born from Eisenreich, understands the severity of that crime. That is why we are asking for the cooperation of all of you, the great duchies, to protect the royal family."

Georgine, who was planning to secretly steal the Foundation, would never imagine that lobbying efforts were being made against the Central Government and other duchies. This kind of groundwork would be crucial in future diplomacy.

"Also, the Central Knights have had the Trug incident occur twice now. Given the resulting distrust, I thought it would be best to request cooperation from the knights of the great duchies who currently support the royal family."

I would also issue a warning to the royal family afterward, but I genuinely had concerns about whether the Central Knights were reliable. Dunkelfelger, who had experienced both the intrusion into Ditter and the commotion at Ahrensbach's funeral alongside us, nodded in agreement.

"Additionally, separate from the knights being sent to the Central Government, I would like to dispatch knights to Ahrensbach—volunteers would be fine."

Archduke Dunkelfelger blinked, clearly wondering, "What on earth for?"

"I wanted to invite all of you from Dunkelfelger to participate in a Ditter. Wouldn't the knights of Dunkelfelger be interested in a real Ditter?"

When I smiled sweetly, Archduke Dunkelfelger murmured, "A real Ditter...? You mean the Foundation...?" His instincts were sharp, and I was grateful for it. I smiled warmly.

"Yes. A magnificent Ditter is about to take place between Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach. But the military disparity is quite large, isn't it? That's why I wanted to invite all of you from Dunkelfelger. After all, when one thinks of Ditter, one thinks of Dunkelfelger."

Chuckling softly, I gazed at Archduke Dunkelfelger in the water mirror. I could tell he was completely stunned.

"Ehrenfest will protect its own Foundation. And while I go to seize Ahrensbach's Foundation, I need your assistance. When it comes to offensive power, Dunkelfelger is the best, as far as I know."

I could see the Archduke wavering. I deepened my smile and kept piling on the words to stoke his desire for Ditter.

"Even Dunkelfelger, in this day and age, has never experienced a Ditter fought over the Foundation, has it? Wouldn't you like to experience one, just once?"

"Nngh..."

"A real Ditter with Ahrensbach and Ehrenfest as the stage. I believe it would be a battle with blood-pumping intensity unlike anything a mere competition could offer. Tell me, Archduke Dunkelfelger. Do you know any knights who would want to charge into Ahrensbach's Foundation alongside me?"

Archduke Dunkelfelger, trembling under the temptation of a real Ditter, shook his head.

"Intervening in another duchy's conflict won't gain the approval of anyone other than the knights."

"I see. So to participate in Ditter, you need a proper pretext in addition to passion."

When I pointed out the necessity of a pretext with a smile, the Archduke took the bait.

"Do you have one?"

"If I explained the full situation, it would inevitably sound like coercion, so I had hoped to request cooperation based solely on your passion for Ditter. But I suppose there's no helping it. Allow me to explain."

I lowered my gaze slightly, trying to look as pitiful as possible.

"I'll spare the details, but Ferdinand-sama was poisoned by Lady Dietlinde during Ahrensbach's supply period and is now unable to move. I absolutely must go rescue Ferdinand-sama."

"What did you say?!"

In order to save Ferdinand, it was necessary to secure Ahrensbach's Foundation.

"Dunkelfelger banded together to rescue Ferdinand-sama from the Ehrenfest Temple. Surely you'll band together once more to rescue him from Ahrensbach, where he has been poisoned?"

"It would be atonement for our past actions. No one could object to this. Very well! We shall join the Ditter to seize Ahrensbach's Foundation!"

...You're smiling, Archduke Dunkelfelger. You could stand to show a bit more remorse.

There wasn't a shred of resignation in Rozemyne.

With the spirit of using everything at our disposal, we would bolster our forces to rescue Ferdinand.

Dunkelfelger would be joining the fight.