Preliminary Fitting

"Lady Hannelore, it seems the thread-spinning of the Goddess of Time Dreffangur has proceeded very smoothly. In the afternoon today, you will be moving to Ahrensbach and then returning to Dunkelfelger from there. Please rest quietly in your room until the departure time."

"…I was under the impression I had been invited today to place an order for a hair ornament?"

Hannelore turned toward me with a puzzled expression. I smiled gently and shook my head. After praying together and mourning the dead, Hannelore seemed to have calmed down a little. The tension had drained from her body, and she looked somewhat drowsy.

"I can place orders for hair ornaments anytime, so there's no rush. Your health is far more important, Lady Hannelore. Please prioritize getting some rest."

"I do appreciate your consideration, so for now I'll follow Lady Rozemyne's advice and retire to my room. But I'm very much looking forward to placing a hair ornament order with your personal tailor, Lady Rozemyne."

Hannelore gave a mischievous smile, gave the farewell greeting of "At the third bell, the threads of Dreffangur shall converge," and withdrew to the guest rooms in the main building.

After seeing off Hannelore and her attendants, I was about to return to my own room when Damuel suddenly drew his Stab and assumed a defensive stance. Judithe did the same. I enhanced my eyesight as well. I could see a riding beast approaching. There were others pursuing from behind. The white lion-like riding beast speeding toward us at high velocity could only be Ferdinand.

"Oh, Lord Ferdinand. Good morning. You're rather early today."

When I waved and called out to him, Ferdinand descended onto the balcony from his riding beast with a grim expression, looking over me and my retainers.

"When I thought it might be an attack timed for the dawn shift when the night watch would be worn down, I find it was you releasing an absurd amount of Magic Power at this hour?"

"I was mourning the dead together with Lady Hannelore. Those who perished in Ilgner, Gerlach, and here in Ehrenfest will ascend to the Supreme Gods alongside this dawn… I didn't mean to wake you from your rest, Lord Ferdinand. I'm sorry."

Ferdinand was surely the one who most needed rest, yet he had rushed out thinking our prayers might be an attack. Even if the knights had informed the guard knights, there was no way they would have contacted Ferdinand all the way out at the library beyond the city walls that "we're about to perform memorial prayers."

"No, it happened to be right when my medicine wore off, so there was no particular issue. …Do you need some as well? With a single bell's worth, you can sleep without dreams, dead to the world. It's quite handy when time is short."

"The idea of sleeping without dreams is rather appealing, but the thought of being unable to wake for another two days gives me pause."

I, too, needed to recover my condition in a short time since I wanted to survey the Temple and the lower city. However, with the memory of being left behind in Ahrensbach still vivid in my mind, I was somewhat wary of Ferdinand's medicine.

"Whether you like it or not, it's the kind that wakes you after a short time. …At the third bell, you're supposed to meet with the Gilberta Company representatives at the library. Did you plan to greet the tailors with a sleep-deprived face?"

Being told I had a sleep-deprived face, I pressed my hands to my own cheeks. There had been fighting in Ehrenfest too, and I had heard Father had been reckless at the West Gate. Turi, who had heard about it, must be worried, and I couldn't cause Turi or my family even more worry over me.

I didn't want to resort to the same thing as Ferdinand, who was dependent on his medication, but I decided to accept the sleeping medicine that Ferdinand seemed to find so useful and get some sleep.

"Rozemyne, is anything wrong with your condition? …Ah, that wasn't the question I should have been asking."

"Lord Ferdinand, I was going to bring this up later, but Lady Rozemyne seems to associate magic stones with the events of battle. She's even been having difficulty summoning her riding beast."

When I faltered, unable to find the right words, Damuel answered in my place, and Ferdinand's expression darkened with concern.

"If she fears magic stones, the impact on her daily life could be significant. …The Temple currently isn't a favorable environment, since the Magical Tools planted by Melchior's attendants still haven't been removed. If you absolutely must enter the Temple grounds, it would be better to go in the afternoon after the purification is complete."

I looked up at Ferdinand as he murmured about whether delaying the departure time slightly might work.

"…Lord Ferdinand, have you already been to check on the Temple?"

"No. I only received a report."

It seemed Justus had observed Philine and Hartmut gathering information from Melchior and his attendants. Not heard, but observed—that was very Justus.

"There's no rush. The removal of the traps and the purification can be done first. I'd like to confirm the state of the Temple with my own eyes."

"Tell Melchior's attendants to have the traps removed, Damuel."

"Yes, sir!"

After speaking with Ferdinand, I felt somewhat relieved and took the medicine before sleeping. It really did give me exactly one bell's worth of dreamless sleep, but after that, nightmares came and I was forced to jolt awake. I learned firsthand what Ferdinand meant by "whether you like it or not, it wakes you after a short time." I had managed a solid sleep of one bell's worth, so my condition was better, but my mood upon waking was absolutely wretched.

"Lady Rozemyne, what's wrong?"

Ottilie, who must have been tidying up after taking over the night watch from Gretia, noticed me jolting awake and entered the canopy.

"What an awful wake-up… Lord Ferdinand said it would be handy when time is short, but a life reliant on this kind of medicine…"

Ferdinand probably needed to be warned at least once. Just as I thought that, I remembered what everyone had told me about how it wasn't good for my reputation and I should keep my distance.

…Ah, nobles are such a hassle.

Ottilie suggested I sleep a bit longer, but I had her begin preparing breakfast. While Berthilde helped me dress, I listened to stories of how they had spent their time during the battle. Charlotte and Brunhilde had been in complete support roles, and the most difficult job had apparently been preparing the banquet and the guest rooms for Dunkelfelger.

…I had no idea they could send meals from the castle through teleportation arrays during the Lord's expeditions.

Over breakfast, Ottilie gave me a report on the current movements of my retainers.

"It's an order that Hartmut brought back after the banquet—Lord Ferdinand has commanded us to prepare just enough so that we can spend several days without issue in Ahrensbach. Apparently, Lady Rozemyne must travel to Ahrensbach at least once."

Ottilie smiled with concern, thinking how frightening it was to head back to such a dangerous place right after returning. The retainers who would accompany me to Ahrensbach were apparently the same ones who had gone before, plus the Attendants Lieseleta and Gretia.

"The retainers are all busy with departure preparations on a rotating schedule, so it seems no one is free this morning. Berthilde and I will have your departure preparations complete by the afternoon."

"Until the carriage to the library is ready, please spend your time reading these books. Lieseleta and Gretia prepared books that you haven't read yet, Lady Rozemyne. Lady Elvira said she wants to have as many books printed as possible before Lady Rozemyne is married off."

What Berthilde brought were new Ehrenfest publications that I hadn't had time to read because I'd been so busy with battle preparations. Two books had been printed during the winter while I'd been away. I thanked Berthilde and immediately began reading. Books were the best way to forget unpleasant and frightening things.

"Ah, you've arrived. The Gilberta Company representatives are already here."

At the third bell, I traveled to the library by carriage together with Hannelore, Heisshitze, and the others. When visiting a noble's estate, you used a carriage unless you were the kind of close or casual relationship where you didn't want the visit to be known. Since the Dunkelfelger group was with us this time, we weren't using riding beasts.

"Heisshitze, let's go."

"Yes! Well then, Lady Hannelore, enjoy your shopping."

Heisshitze would escort us to the library, then head to the training grounds with Ferdinand for knight training. It wasn't just Heisshitze and Ferdinand—all of my guard knights who were male were forbidden from entering the library. It was considered improper for them to be in the same building when an unmarried woman was undergoing a preliminary fitting.

Ferdinand and his attendants, along with Heisshitze and the other Dunkelfelger men, climbed into the carriage we had arrived in and headed back to the castle.

"Latzapham was there too. I wonder if he'll be training with the knights?"

"I imagine he'll just be preparing tea and such for the guests. There won't be combat training."

Leonore chuckled and answered as she ushered us into the library.

"Lady Rozemyne, Lady Hannelore. We've been expecting you."

Lieseleta and Gretia had moved ahead and were already setting up for the preliminary fitting with the Gilberta Company tailors. The library's reception room was filled with fabric. Several tailors knelt in rows inside the room. Among them, I could see Turi. I had heard she had taken refuge in the library, but seeing her safe and sound with my own eyes filled me with tremendous relief.

"This lady here is Lady Hannelore, a lord candidate from Dunkelfelger, and she is a dear friend of mine. This past battle, without Dunkelfelger's cooperation, Ehrenfest would very likely have been defeated. As a small token of thanks, I would like to gift her the finest hair ornament, which is why I have invited her here today. Turi, I'm entrusting Lady Hannelore's hair ornament to you."

"Understood, Lady Rozemyne."

I introduced the one wearing the blue mantle as a Dunkelfelger noble, and asked Turi to create Hannelore's hair ornament. Turi met my eyes and let her expression soften with relief.

"Turi, you've received a hair ornament order from Dunkelfelger before, haven't you? It was a request from her brother."

"That order is still fresh in my memory. It was a wonderful design."

She had received the order along with sketches of rare flowers, so it remained vivid in Turi's memory. Turi began asking Hannelore what kind of hair ornament she preferred.

"Should it perhaps use winter noble colors since I'll be wearing it at the Royal Academy? The ornament my brother gave his fiancée was lovely, and the ones Lady Rozemyne usually wears are beautiful too, so it's a difficult choice…"

"If Lady Rozemyne and Lady Hannelore are friends, I could make your two hair ornaments in a similar style. I would use thread colors suited to each of you, so they wouldn't be exactly the same, but…"

"Oh, how lovely! I've always longed for something like that."

Hannelore's red eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands together. Then she let out a small "Ah" and looked at me hesitantly.

"Um, Lady Rozemyne, you wouldn't mind if we had matching ornaments, would you?"

"I'd be happy. Turi knows better than anyone what suits me. Lady Hannelore, please discuss it with her and decide."

Leaving the hair ornament order to Turi, I turned to face the eager tailors. Lieseleta and Gretia undressed me down to my undergarments.

"We'll need everything completed before the Lord's Conference, but Lady Rozemyne still appears quite fatigued."

"Understood. Let's finish this quickly."

Starting with Corina, the tailors took turns putting unfinished garments on me, adjusting them, removing them, and moving on to the next.

"We're also doing preliminary fittings for the personal tailors of lord families who couldn't make it today."

It hadn't been possible to schedule fittings the night before, so the only people present were those from the Gilberta Company, but among the garments that had been brought in, some appeared to be from other workshops.

"From these garments, we'll be creating others as well."

The only reason the clothing had to be rushed so badly was the rapid growth, but if there hadn't been plans to go to Ahrensbach, everything could have been done at a much more leisurely pace. I felt sorry for the tailors being rushed, but having no clothes really was a problem, so I hoped they would do their best.

"…I've ended up with less and less time in Ehrenfest, and I'm causing trouble for everyone."

"We'll be charging rush fees, so please don't worry about that."

Corina flashed a faintly merchant-like expression reminiscent of Benno. That familiar look made the corners of my mouth soften involuntarily.

"These are garments I'll be wearing when meeting with royalty, so please craft them with an emphasis on elegance and dignity."

"Understood. I will create the finest pieces."

The normally gentle and soft-spoken Corina's eyes took on a sharp, focused gleam. Though her reddish-brown eyes differed in color from Benno's near-gray ones, when she wore that competitive expression, it was unmistakable that she was Benno's sister.

As I went through the fittings, thinking how I wanted to see Benno and Lutz as well, I noticed Hannelore watching me. Turi was comparing thread samples she had brought along with Hannelore, searching for the color that suited her best.

"Lady Hannelore, have you finished placing your order for the hair ornament?"

"Yes. …You're having so many garments made at once. And they have such a different style from what I'm used to seeing."

"I tried layering Ahrensbach's sheer fabric, which Lord Ferdinand gifted me, over the newly dyed cloth we've begun producing in Ehrenfest. Ehrenfest doesn't really have a culture of using veils much."

I lifted the sheer fabric on the skirt portion to show her. Hannelore raised a hand to her cheek and studied me with a curious expression.

"Um, Lady Rozemyne. There's something I've been very curious about and would like to ask. If you think it forward and rude, you don't have to answer, but…"

"What is it?"

"Lady Rozemyne, you're a lord candidate of Ehrenfest, the Aub Ahrensbach, a candidate for next Zent… You could choose any of those positions. But which one will you choose?"

Hannelore's words made me blink. It was a question I had never even considered, and no answer came immediately.

"…Lady Hannelore, I'm not in a position where I can choose."

Even though I had dyed the Foundation, I was still a minor without the Zent's approval, so I couldn't call myself Aub. Even though I possessed Mestionora's Book, the portion I could actually use was too small to claim the title of next Zent. By process of elimination, I was currently nothing more than a lord candidate of Ehrenfest.

"I had always admired Lady Rozemyne. Even though you were a first-year at the Royal Academy—the youngest by appearance—you turned down the demands of my brother, a Dunkelfelger lord candidate, and firmly stated your own views to Prince Anastasius, insisting on your own desires. That was all so dazzling to me."

It seemed that when Hannelore had been trying to read the mood around her to avoid being scolded, the me at the Royal Academy had appeared that way to her.

Turi's hands stopped at Hannelore's words. Since Hannelore was a born lord candidate, the Commoner tailors were probably not even on her radar. But to me, the Gilberta Company people were practically family, and I was anxious beyond words about Turi's and Corina's reactions.

…Lady Hannelore, the timing on this is really bad.

My inner voice seemed not to reach her, as Hannelore continued further.

"When you lured Dunkelfelger into becoming true Ditter, and when you appeared at the Border Gate, Lady Rozemyne, you were absolutely radiant with the light of the next Zent. After dyeing the Foundation, when you fought Lanzeneve to save the Ahrensbach nobles who could have been abandoned, you looked like an Aub. At the victory banquet, when you accepted the regrettable marriage arranged by the Aub and your separation from Lord Ferdinand, even though you were a lord candidate of Ehrenfest, you seemed the least like yourself of anyone I've ever seen. It's strange, isn't it?"

Hannelore gazed at me quietly as she drew closer. I felt as though cold sweat was about to start trickling down me as I looked at Turi. Her expression was a mix of concern and "What does that mean?"

"Lady Rozemyne, there's still time if we act now."

"W-What do you mean?"

"The formal announcement hasn't been made at the Lord's Conference yet. I will lend my full cooperation. Let's aim for Aub or Zent!"

I couldn't make sense of Hannelore's words. What was there still time for? I didn't think Hannelore knew about my plan for a library city.

My retainers weren't stopping Hannelore—if anything, they seemed to be waiting to see what answer I would give. Everyone was watching my reaction intently.

"Lady Hannelore, what would be served by me becoming Aub or Zent?"

Dunkelfelger's cooperation was overwhelmingly powerful and frankly frightening. I already knew better than to agree too readily. What Hannelore was thinking, what she was trying to make me become—Aub or Zent—that was what mattered most.

"Why, the culmination of your love with Lord Ferdinand, the object of your affection since childhood, of course!"

The moment Ferdinand's name came up, Turi's eyes went wide. She had on a look of utter shock—the "You were in love with the Chief Priest!?" face. Her hands hadn't stopped the fitting work, but Corina's eyes took on a warm, knowing look as if to say, "Oh my, so she's at that age." It was unbearable. This was completely different from being misunderstood by nobles I barely knew.

…W-Wait. This place is actually full of family members!

"Lady Hannelore, p-p-please, wait. Take a deep breath and calm down… My feelings for Lord Ferdinand are…"

"Lady Rozemyne, there's no need to hide it from me. Didn't you tell me that you had feelings for someone other than your fiancé? From the Baptism Ceremony onward in your early years, he was someone who stayed by your side, walked with you, and supported you…"

…Come to think of it, I had told that fabricated story, hadn't I. I remember now, yes. But Lady Hannelore, the timing is truly terrible!

"Lord Wilfried said that the only person who fits those criteria is Lord Ferdinand. Was there perhaps someone else?"

…Disaster! I had been thinking of Fran and Lutz, but by noble standards, Ferdinand was the only one who matched! No wonder she misunderstood! Oh noooo!

While I held my head in my hands, trying to think of how to correct this, Hannelore was already in full eloquent flow.

"I can't stand tragic loves, even in stories. The story I read this morning was far too bittersweet, too sad, too painful… The thought of Lady Rozemyne enduring such sorrow—all to bring Glutrissheit to the current royal family through an unwanted marriage, marrying a royal with mismatched Magic Power—is more than I can bear. The formal announcement hasn't been made yet. Don't let your siblings dictate your life—seize your own marriage partner with your own hands. If it means making Lady Rozemyne's love come true, I will give my full cooperation. Right?"

…Right? That was a cute way to put it, but Lady Hannelore, you're so very Dunkelfelger!

After resting from when the sky first began to lighten, we moved to the library for the preliminary fitting.

The familiar faces of Turi, Corina, and the others helped me relax a little.

Hannelore, who had finished deciding on her hair ornament.

Rozemyne, stunned silent by the torrent of words from a Dunkelfelger lord candidate.

Next, it was time for what I truly wished for.