"
When
"However, Lady Rozemyne is also involved as a prerequisite for any discussion. After the recent political upheaval,
Managing territories divided by boundary lines was difficult for both Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger, but Drewanchel, which had supplied a large number of archnobles to fill the gaps left by the diminished Central nobility, was apparently in an equally difficult situation behind the scenes.
"Now, Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger have redrawn their boundary lines and will incorporate the territories they've been managing into their own domains. So what will happen to the Central nobility after the Central District's territory is reduced and the Central
Ferdinand made a slightly troubled face at Adolphine's question about whether the benefits Drewanchel gained as a winner would be guaranteed in the same way as Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger.
"With the Zent's transfer to the Royal Academy and the royal family's appointment as Aub, all Central nobility except for the royals' retainers are to be returned to their respective territories for the time being. Nobles will still be dispatched from each territory to the Central District, but whether they are employed as Central nobles will be left to the discretion of Lady
Adolphine, who had apparently anticipated this development after hearing Ferdinand's explanation, nodded slowly and said, "Since the Blue Priests are being returned as well, I had thought the Central nobles would also be sent back to their territories first."
"I do not object to the new Zent choosing who will surround them, nor to housing Central nobles in their territories' dormitories to reduce the burden. However, that means Drewanchel, unlike Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger, will lose not only the benefits my marriage was supposed to bring, but also the benefits it should have gained during the political upheaval."
Adolphine nodded several times, indicating she would use this information in her discussions with Drewanchel. Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but speak up.
"...I understand Lady Adolphine's situation. Lady Eglantine, Lord
"Rozemyne, this is not your place to intervene."
Ferdinand glared at me lightly, warning that any endorsement from me at this point would be tantamount to an order, but I had no regrets whatsoever.
"I know I'm being presumptuous. But I sympathize with Lady Adolphine's urgency and desperation. Please allow me at least a word of support."
Adolphine's current situation was like what mine would have been if I had been adopted by Trauerqual only to have all the benefits that were supposed to go to Ehrenfest completely nullified. If it were me, I would absolutely be furious, calling it a breach of contract. And if, instead of becoming the Zent's adopted daughter, I had been downgraded to the adopted daughter of a fallen territory's Aub, and on top of that, instead of bringing benefits to Ehrenfest, I had to ask Ehrenfest for cooperation and impose a burden on them, I would definitely consider dissolving the adoption.
...Though, unlike adoption, marriage involves a woman's honor, so the circumstances would be different...
"Since Lady Adolphine's marriage is one of political convenience, I understand the situation. But wouldn't it be unwise to decide on a divorce right here and now? It concerns the territory's plans and her own future, so I don't think it should be decided hastily..."
The marriage between Sigiswald and Adolphine had presumably been the result of careful consideration of the power balance between Drewanchel, the royal family, and the territories of
"Of course, I do not intend to make the decision immediately here. I plan to discuss it with Drewanchel's parents and all the members of the royal family, and reach a conclusion before the Lord's Conference at which Lord Trauerqual and Prince Sigiswald assume their positions as Aub. ...However, my Star Binding was conducted as an ancient ritual. Therefore, I wondered whether a divorce might also require an ancient ritual."
Adolphine wanted to ask whether a couple bound by an ancient ritual—one that no one had ever seen before—could be divorced using the same methods as usual. They were technically newlyweds in their first year of marriage, but from the sound of it, divorce was a foregone conclusion.
...Hmm, is this just how things are...
Once the premise of a political marriage collapsed, was that simply the end of it? They had gone to the trouble of becoming husband and wife, so I wished they would try to help each other or something. But that was something an outsider like me—who didn't know what kind of contract had led to the marriage—had no business commenting on.
"Please wait a moment. I will look into it. ...Gutrissheit."
I brought out
"Adolphine, I didn't think you were so attached to your position as royalty. We've spent nearly a year as husband and wife, haven't we?"
Adolphine blinked in surprise at the accusatory undertone in Sigiswald's words, as if he were reproaching her for being cold-hearted.
"It was a political marriage, so obtaining a position as royalty was the premise, was it not? Were we ever truly husband and wife to begin with?"
"Weren't we a couple blessed by the Supreme God? Besides, if you—a woman who has only just come of age—were to divorce, what would become of your future? You wouldn't be able to remarry, and you'd be stuck in Drewanchel."
Hearing this from Sigiswald, Adolphine looked extremely troubled. I suspected their conversation was completely off track. But the circumstances of their marriage were not something to discuss in a public setting like this.
Adolphine opened her mouth as if to say something, then put on a smile that suggested she had given up on trying to explain things to Sigiswald. However, she did not waver in her intention to divorce.
"Prince Sigiswald, when one sees the threads of the Goddess of Time, Dreifangute, no one can resist reaching for them. Even Liesekhilfe cannot withstand that temptation."
Adolphine was firm in her resolve to divorce, and if it was to be decided through discussions between the two families, it was not my place to intervene. I looked up from Mestionora's book and watched Adolphine and Sigiswald.
"Lady Adolphine, from what I've found, you should be able to divorce following the same procedures as before. ...However, from now on, both Prince Sigiswald and Lady Adolphine will find it more difficult to receive the Supreme God's blessing."
Apparently, they would receive only about half of what they normally would through prayer.
"I am deeply grateful, Lady Rozemyne. You've been most helpful. Thank you for taking the time to do this for me."
Adolphine smiled with visible relief. Even upon learning that the Supreme God's blessing would be reduced, there was no change in her amber eyes. Her resolve seemed firm. Having learned that there was no difference in the divorce procedure, Adolphine immediately secured promises from both Eglantine and Trauerqual to arrange discussions with Drewanchel. Impressive.
Seeing that Adolphine had finished her questions and stepped back, Ferdinand spoke up.
"Then, since the dedication stone can be completed in three days, shall we schedule the Gutrissheit inheritance ceremony and the unveiling of the new Zent for four days from now, with some room to spare? As with other ceremonies, it will begin with the Third Bell."
"Four days from now!?"
Eglantine raised her voice in surprise, but I agreed with Ferdinand's proposal. It was a fairly generous schedule. I thought it was remarkably considerate, even for Ferdinand.
"After all, as long as you have the materials, making the dedication stone isn't that difficult for someone of royal blood like Lady Eglantine. I already taught you the incantations and methods for healing the gathering site at the last Lord's Conference, so collecting the materials shouldn't be too hard. Two days should be more than enough."
"Two days would be sufficient if all you needed to do was make the dedication stone, but then there wouldn't be enough time to prepare for the ceremony. Lady Eglantine will need to practice the dedication dance as well..."
"Ah, yes, if I'm going to be compared to Lady Eglantine, then three or four days of practice wouldn't be nearly enough for me."
I had finally gotten to the point where I could dance without falling over, but I still wobbled here and there. Being compared to Eglantine was pretty rough. I tried begging for a bit more practice time, but that was rejected.
"Figure it out, even if you don't have enough practice time. We need to finish this as quickly as possible and return to
"I understand. ...Oh, Ferdinand. What should I do about my outfit?"
When I asked Ferdinand, he raised an eyebrow slightly. I thought I heard him say, "Anything is fine." But I had to make sure, because there weren't many outfits I could wear right now.
"Lady Eglantine, being an adult, has festive clothing from her Coming of Age ceremony and Star Binding, so that's no issue. You'll be bestowing the Gutrissheit upon the new Zent, so why not wear the High Priest's ceremonial robes?"
If it was the High Priest's ceremonial robes, I was used to wearing them, and I wouldn't have to worry about whether they'd arrive in time, so that was reassuring. I would have to ask Rizelita and the others to retrieve them from Ahrensbach.
"On the day of the ceremony, Lady Eglantine, please perform the dedication dance in magic-stone shoes. The pillar of light won't rise unless magic power is transmitted."
"Will I need magic-stone shoes too?"
"You're in a state where you're constantly overflowing with the goddess's divine power, so shoes won't make a difference in the outcome. Do as you please."
...Huh? My overflow is that bad?
I had no awareness of it at all, but apparently being in a state where the pillar would rise even without anything done to your shoes was not normal.
"Also, I plan to place
"Wait, Ferdinand! You want to make Hartmut the tutor for Prince Anastasius!?"
My adoptive father raised his voice in surprise at the suggestion of having an Ehrenfest archnoble serve as a royal's tutor. After glancing at my adoptive father, Ferdinand turned his gaze to Anastasius.
"Hartmut is the most knowledgeable about religious ceremonies among the personnel we can lend."
"The one most knowledgeable about religious ceremonies is you, Ferdinand, is it not?"
Perhaps thinking it would be easier to learn from an archduke candidate rather than an archnoble, Anastasius nominated Ferdinand. But without missing a beat, Ferdinand refused the offer.
"While I may be more knowledgeable, I don't have the luxury of taking on that role when I must give instructions to the Ahrensbach nobles in Rozemyne's stead. If you find Hartmut unsatisfactory, or if Prince Anastasius is confident he can prepare for Lady Eglantine's scheduled succession ceremony in four days without a tutor, then I won't lend him out. Please make your preparations with the Central Temple's people."
Just how much could Anastasius accomplish leading the Central Temple's Blue Priests, who were in a state where
...Ferdinand was cutting off all avenues of retreat while simultaneously earning the royal family's gratitude. Truly a demon lord.
But I couldn't lose to Ferdinand's demon lordry. What was being negotiated here was the lending of my own retainer. This shouldn't be decided over my head when I was Hartmut's master.
"Prince Anastasius, since you'll be keeping my retainer for four days, there will be a fee. Please cover the travel expenses as part of the royal family's costs."
My adoptive father and the others stared at me in shock, but this was one point I couldn't yield. If there was any way I could outdo a demon lord, it was with business sense.
"Also, I promised to invite Lady Hannalore to the ceremony where I bestow the Gutrissheit upon the new Zent. Aub Dunkelfelger, please bring Lady Hannalore to the ceremony as well."
"We will certainly bring her."
While I was satisfied with the Dunkelfelger couple's readily agreeing, Trauerqual thought for a moment before slowly raising his hand to request permission to speak.
"Lady Rozemyne, I have a proposal."
"What is it, Lord Trauerqual?"
"How about inviting the archduke candidates from various territories who are currently studying at the Royal Academy? I believe it would be an excellent opportunity for those closest to becoming the next Zent candidates to learn from a young age about the importance of religious ceremonies, the sacred nature of the Gutrissheit, and the significance of prayer."
Trauerqual said that from now on, people would be praying to the gods and increasing their elemental affinities, and showing them the path to becoming Zent that lay beyond could be a step forward in the temple reforms.
After thinking it over briefly, my adoptive father said, "I agree," and concurred with Trauerqual.
"However, I would like the scope of invitations to be limited to those who have completed their
I smiled faintly at my adoptive father's words. I would have to work hard to be a proper role model for Melchior and the others.
"Since there are also preparations to be made for the Royal Academy, such as brooches, whether to include children who haven't yet enrolled will be left to each Aub's judgment. But isn't it a wonderful thing for children to be exposed to religious ceremonies from a young age? I am in favor."
"What do you plan to do if some problem arises from including the younger children?"
Ferdinand glared at me sharply, but I simply shrugged.
"At the Ehrenfest Temple, newly baptized apprentice Blue Priests observed religious ceremonies, and aside from becoming more serious about religious matters, nothing problematic occurred. Would archduke candidates—who are supposed to be well-educated—really cause problems? Besides, if they did, wouldn't that be the parents' responsibility?"
If any problems did arise, it would publicly demonstrate that the child had been terribly poorly educated. The Aubs would only bring children they weren't embarrassed to show in public. As a result, no problems should occur.
"The inheritance ceremony we're conducting this time is a spontaneous religious event, unlike the Star Binding and other regular ceremonies held at the Lord's Conference. Since it won't become an annual event, let's make a special exception this one time and allow children who have completed their Baptism Ceremony to participate."
When I declared this proudly, Ferdinand tapped his temple and muttered, "She's putting on airs, but she just wants to show off in front of her younger siblings, doesn't she."
...As expected of Ferdinand. He saw right through me.
Permission was granted for archduke candidates who had completed their Baptism Ceremony to participate as well, the flow of the ceremony was confirmed, and the discussion came to an end.
Adolphine had much she wanted to say about her first year of married life, but she held back.
Sigiswald was considering appearances and future support, wondering if there was any way to avoid the divorce.
Anastasius was dreading the thought of being ordered around by Hartmut, who put Rozemyne above all else.
Rozemyne was practicing hard to show her best side to
Next time: the unveiling of the new Zent.