After being scolded by Richhilda, I headed to the library again that afternoon after finishing lunch.
First, I reviewed all the things I had been warned about. I was to avoid getting too close to
Furthermore, once I returned to my room, Richhilda would point out anything she found problematic about the day's conversation, and I would study noble conversation and social etiquette this way.
Richhilda told me that good questions to ask Solange today would be whether she had time to attend tea parties and whether she was already attending anyone else's. Apparently, I was not to push any further than that today.
"Your Ladyship has arrived."
"Welcome, Your Ladyship."
"I've come to continue reading from before. Could you please bring out Carrel?"
I was greeted by
"Good day, Professor Solange. I am terribly sorry for causing you trouble earlier with my selfish behavior. It seems I got too carried away simply because I was finally able to come to the library. It's quite embarrassing."
"Please think nothing of it. I am truly delighted to know just how much Lady
Solange, who had been writing something, looked up and gave me a gentle smile. I breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that my apology had been accepted.
"Starting tomorrow, I won't be able to come until the third bell. Today was my first time at the library, so my musician gave me permission, but I've been told I'm not allowed to visit the library until my Fespiele practice is finished. It's so disappointing."
After breakfast each day, I meet with my retainers to plan the day, compile activity results for the Academic Improvement Committee together with
"Come to think of it, Professor Solange, I heard you manage the library by yourself, but do you attend or host tea parties?"
"Yes. At this time of year there are fewer visitors, so I have somewhat more free time, but once the students' schedules open up, I become quite busy. So not only do I not attend tea parties, I don't host them either."
She mentioned that when there were multiple librarians, they used to take turns attending, and as she spoke, she looked at Schwartz and Weiss and softened her expression.
"Now that Schwartz and Weiss are helping me, my work has become much easier and I feel less lonely. I am very grateful to you, Lady Rozemyne."
...Thank goodness. It wasn't just that I had been a nuisance.
Schwartz and Weiss had started moving because of the side effects of my overexcited blessing, and what proved useful to Solange was Schwartz and Weiss—not me personally.
Still, I had been worried about leaving only a bad impression, so I felt relieved to know I had at least been of some small help to Solange.
"I would love to have a nice long chat with you sometime, Professor Solange, if you have the time. There are things I'd like to discuss—about Schwartz and Weiss, and about the book I'm trying to make."
"You're making a book? ...Lady Rozemyne truly does love books, doesn't she?"
I nodded with a smile at Solange, whose blue eyes had gone wide.
"I'm gathering the knight tales sung by minstrels and the stories passed down from parent to child in Ehrenfest, and putting them together in book form."
The knight tales were already done—I had even printed and sold them—but since I was still actively collecting stories, it wasn't a lie. To pique her interest in a tea party with me, I tossed out a topic that Solange, the librarian of the
"Oh my, Lady Rozemyne, you enjoy not only reference books but stories as well? There aren't many in this library, but we do have some storybooks."
"Really? I'd love to read them!"
"Then let me show you."
Solange walked at her leisurely pace toward a corner of the first floor's reference shelves where older, seldom-read materials were gathered. As she guided me, she explained that since most students were busy reading reference books for their final exams or copying texts for nobles to earn money, very few actually read stories.
The Royal Academy was only in session during winter, so most students had packed schedules filled with coursework and socializing—they simply didn't have the luxury of enjoying recreational reading.
"The stories are around here. There are also copies of the Holy Book, so please feel free to look at them."
"I appreciate it."
I called over Schwartz, borrowed a Carrel for myself and
Since these were knight tales, they all shared the general premise of going out to defeat magical beasts, but some were tales of camaraderie among knights, and others were war stories about the knights of a small fief desperately resisting after being targeted by a major territory. They were all quite varied. However, the language was archaic and difficult to read. And perhaps because they had been written down while listening to minstrels, the handwriting was somewhat messy, making some parts hard to decipher.
"Lady Rozemyne, this is a bit too difficult for me. I need to study more."
Philine had been trying to compile information the same way, but she seemed unable to make much progress through the text. Since I had been reading the Holy Book, which uses even more archaic phrasing than the knight tales, I didn't find it terribly difficult myself. But Philine, who had only recently started studying with the simplified picture-book version of the Holy Book and wasn't yet accustomed to older writing styles, probably found it quite challenging.
"All the books I make will be rewritten in easy-to-read language, but going forward, I'll also need books that help people learn to read older phrasing. If civil officials can't read old documents, they'll have trouble with their work in the future."
"That's true. I'll do my best."
That day, I finished by reading knight tales and the day came to an end. I decided to borrow one knight tale book to take home. I wanted to use it as material for creating new stories.
"Weiss, could you please handle the checkout procedure for this?"
"Got it. ...Your Ladyship, deposit, large copper coin three."
"Richhilda, could you handle it?"
"Understood."
I had been told the deposit was equal to the value of the book, but it was still expensive. I was struck by the magnificence of the libraries of my Reina era, where books could be borrowed for free. I wanted to offer my gratitude and prayers to the great Ranganathan, who established the Five Laws of Library Science.
...To make free lending possible, I'd need to spread printing far and wide. That's a long road ahead!
The next day,
"The library in Ehrenfest's castle contains materials needed for official duties, so naturally the Royal Academy's library should be full of Royal Academy materials, right? I think the frequently used reference books are simply placed in convenient spots on the first floor for students to access easily. After all, the stories were in a corner on the first floor."
When I said this, Hartmut mentioned that he'd like to see materials related to the Ditter if any existed. Upon hearing Hartmut say there might be records of battle performance and magical beasts, Cornelius and
After finishing Fespiele practice and when the third bell rang, I led the students who had become interested in the library and we trooped along to the library.
"Good morning, Your Ladyship."
"Good morning, Schwartz and Weiss."
"Your Ladyship likes books?"
"Yes, I love them. That's why I come to the library almost every day when I can. I'd like to return these, so could you please process them?"
I stroked the magic stones on Schwartz and Weiss's foreheads, telling them to keep up the good work. The students from other years who hadn't been present during registration exclaimed in surprise.
"The rumors about large schmils being in the library were actually true?"
"How adorable. I'll need to put extra effort into making new outfits for them."
I overheard these whispered conversations in passing as I left the return procedure to Schwartz and Richhilda and turned back to face Solange.
"Good morning, Professor Solange."
"Good morning, Lady Rozemyne. You have quite a large group today."
"Yes. I'm looking for some materials and wanted to ask you where they might be."
"What kind of materials?"
Hartmut stepped forward in front of the tilting-headed Solange.
"Would there be any materials related to Ditter? We'd like records of which territories defeated which magical beasts."
"Since Ditter is frequently conducted during training, we don't have a comprehensive record of all Ditter matches. However, before the civil war, there were lectures on the strategies of Treasure-Stealing Ditter, so I believe some older reference books may contain information. Additionally, among the compiled records of high-performing students each year, there are references to the top rankings in the Inter-Territory Tournament."
"Ohh," Hartmut and Cornelius exchanged excited glances, their eyes gleaming. The older reference materials should be covered by
"Professor Solange, please show us the materials on the Inter-Territory Tournament. Which shelf are they on?"
"Lady Rozemyne certainly seeks out unusual materials. Students tend to focus only on reference books for copying work and lectures to earn money."
She said this with a laugh and turned her back to us.
"The reading room prioritizes the reference materials students use most frequently, so materials intended for record-keeping and preservation are stored in a separate archive. Please wait just a moment."
Solange went to the archive for materials, located behind the administrative office rather than in the reading room, and brought back carefully bound documents. Seeing materials that were clearly handled differently from the rest, I looked up at Solange.
"...Could these perhaps be materials that are not allowed to be taken out?"
"That's correct. Checkout is prohibited. If they weren't returned, that would be a problem. However, there's no issue with viewing them in the reading room."
"I appreciate it."
As I reached out to take the thick stack of materials, Hartmut immediately stepped in from the side and took them for me.
"Lady Rozemyne, I'll be the one to copy these. There's additional information I want besides the Ditter data."
"Then I'll leave it to Hartmut."
"May I borrow Philine to help?"
Copying everything alone would take far too long. It seemed Hartmut intended to divide the work with Philine.
After surveying the library interior, Hartmut approached Solange with a troubled expression.
"Professor Solange, for copying by multiple people, I'd like a somewhat larger table. Are there any desks besides the Carrel?"
"On the second floor, we could push tables together, but since these are non-circulation materials, I'd prefer you copy them where they can remain within sight. Let me lend you the registration table from my administrative office."
She said that since all new students from every territory had completed their registration, it was fine now, and she guided Hartmut to the administrative office.
"That's very helpful. We'll copy them as quickly as possible."
Led by Solange, Hartmut, Philine, and two others entered the administrative office. While Hartmut glanced through the materials to determine the division of work, Philine and the others quickly prepared the paper and ink I had supplied.
Solange watched the four of them with an affectionate smile as she came out of the administrative office. Spotting us still waiting in front of the work area, she looked over us with a cheerful expression.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Leonore, who had first exchanged a glance with Cornelius, stepped forward.
"Excuse me, are there any materials about magical beasts? It would be very helpful if there were information about how to hunt the magical beasts in this region, their strength, weaknesses, and so on."
"If you're looking for something other than reference books, they would be among the scrolls on the second floor. They're old, but they were written by a professor who specialized in creating magical tools, so they're quite detailed. They seem to have been made for gathering materials."
As she spoke, Solange made her way up to the second floor with her characteristically unhurried movements. Very few students appeared to look at second-floor materials, and Solange laughed, saying, "It's quite unusual—I'm rarely asked to guide anyone to these materials besides professors."
Students who would later stay at the Royal Academy as assistants were apparently used as convenient teaching aides from their student days, helping carry materials and being told to read certain books. By watching their behavior in the library, Solange could tell which students would eventually remain at the Royal Academy.
"There are more students who don't even try to learn that there are books beyond reference materials. At the Royal Academy, there's a strong tendency to prioritize socializing over studying."
Study was something you could do in your own territory, but interacting with people from other territories was something you could only do at the Royal Academy. Socializing inevitably took priority. In the past, when a Stappe was awarded upon graduation, there had been far more studious students than now.
"Even so, it's not even been a month since the Royal Academy term began, and this many students are coming to the library instead of attending lectures. Ehrenfest certainly has many outstanding students."
Solange walked unerringly toward the shelf she had in mind.
The scrolls piled on the shelves looked very much like bolts of fabric neatly rolled up in a craft shop. Like the price tags attached to fabric, small wooden tags hung from the scrolls, making them look even more similar. The wooden tags had brief bibliographic information written on them, allowing the contents to be identified.
"Here we are."
Solange checked the tags one by one in a particular section before pulling out a scroll. She then set it on a reading stand designed for scrolls. Since a scroll curled back up when let go, making it impossible to copy from, the reading stand had clamps to hold it open.
"There are illustrations too, so it's very easy to understand."
The scrolls written by an old professor contained not just magical beasts but also information about magical trees, accompanied by illustrations that were admittedly not very good. I wanted to read these later.
When the scroll was opened, it displayed descriptions of two types of magical beasts, so we decided to copy on the left and right sides of the reading stand. Since the knights-in-training needed the beast information, one of them prepared paper and ink.
"Leonore, could you do the copying? Her drawings are more beautiful than mine."
When Cornelius said this and tried to hand the copying task over to Leonore, she murmured, "I don't mind, but..." and then stared intently up at Cornelius.
"Cornelius, are you bad at drawing?"
"To be honest, not particularly."
Leonore smiled softly as she watched Cornelius awkwardly avert his gaze slightly, and her expression was incredibly gentle.
...Wait? Could it be that Leonore has feelings for Cornelius?
That's when I finally remembered my conversation with Leonore, who had been worried about the rumors surrounding
...Leonore doesn't want to become a noble lady like my mother—she's aiming to be Cornelius's first wife!
I silently cheered for Leonore in my heart. It might seem odd for me to say this, but my family line, starting from my grandfather, had a very strong male influence. In a family that trained the body before the mind, I truly hoped Leonore would do her best and also put effort into intellectual pursuits.
Since it seemed everyone had found the books they were looking for, I returned to the first floor and continued reading from where I had left off in the storybooks.
That afternoon, Philine headed off to practical training, and the guard knights rotated between Leonore and
I caught a glimpse later of what Cornelius's drawings looked like, and they weren't actually that bad. If that was him being modest, then my drawing skills might be quite low indeed.
"Lady Rozemyne, I'd also like to have a nice long chat with you someday."
As I was leaving the library, I was called back by Solange. Having just spent a pleasant time reading many books, I almost tilted my head in confusion, wondering what this was about, before it hit me. That's right—I had been the one who said I wanted to talk.
"Since you can't leave the library, Professor Solange, how about we hold a tea party in the administrative office? If you don't mind, I'll prepare tea and sweets and bring them along, making sure not to be a burden."
"...That would be extremely helpful for me, but is that really all right, Lady Rozemyne?"
Rather than looking at me, Solange directed a surprised glance at Richhilda, the attendant who would be most burdened by the tea party. Richhilda nodded lightly.
"I've heard what the Lady wishes to discuss. She has thought about what would best reduce Professor Solange's burden, and this is her conclusion. If we hold it here in the administrative office, Professor Solange's preferences will take top priority."
"Originally, I wanted to invite Professor Solange to my tea party, but she manages the library alone and must be very busy, right? So I thought, like preparing for a picnic, I could prepare the tea and sweets and bring them here."
At first, Richhilda had been shocked. She told me that normally nobody would bring tea and sweets to someone else's place and simply borrow the venue. Still, I carefully explained my thinking about how to reduce Solange's burden, and she understood.
"It's really just because I was considering how busy Professor Solange is, so I..."
"No, it would be a great help. Then, with your permission, Lady Rozemyne, may I accept your kind offer?"
"Yes!"
Following Solange's schedule—she mentioned that Earthday would have more visitors, so the day before would be better—we arranged to have tea with Solange the day after tomorrow.
When I returned to the dormitory and informed my attendants of the tea party plans, Brünhilde's eyes went wide. "I never expected we'd have a tea party with Professor Solange scheduled before the one with the music instructors."
"I arranged it around Professor Solange's schedule. She said more students have been using the library than in previous years, so she'd like to hold the tea party earlier—whether it's because of Schwartz and Weiss that they're curious, I'm not sure."
This time, rather than aggressively promoting my desire to become a library committee member, Richhilda had told me to aim for building a friendly relationship.
First, at the tea party, I needed to decide when to schedule the measurements for Schwartz and Weiss's outfits. After that, I planned to bring along the handwritten manuscript I was working on and ask about Solange's hometown and stories she knew.
"You don't seem particularly nervous about it, Lady Rozemyne. In that case, perhaps it's a good thing that the tea party with Professor Solange is coming first."
At Brünhilde's words—she had been eager about using the tea party to set trends—I tilted my head. During winter, Solange essentially shut herself inside the library, and she didn't seem to interact much with the other professors. I didn't think a tea party with Solange had much to do with trend-setting.
"Even if she sequesters herself in the library during winter, she has interactions with the other professors during other seasons, doesn't she? After all, Solange already had information about the first-year students' grades from Ehrenfest. So she's not completely cut off. Before attending a tea party where you'd be nervous in front of so many professors, this gives you a chance to gauge the reactions of a central noble, and you might get useful opinions about clothing, hair ornaments, and sweets."
Brünhilde said that by testing Ehrenfest's culture against a central noble's sensibilities, they could get feedback that might help prepare strategies for the music instructors' tea party as well.
"I was planning to discuss Schwartz and Weiss's outfits and books with Professor Solange."
At my words, Brünhilde narrowed her eyes slightly. After glancing at Richhilda, she bent down a little and met my gaze as if to gently instruct me.
Since I had discussed my lack of social knowledge and experience with them, my attendants had started giving me more guidance.
"Lady Rozemyne, it's always best to prepare as many topics as possible in advance. Besides, if you don't consciously prepare topics ahead of time, you're the type to finish the entire tea party talking only about books. Please don't forget topics beyond books as well. Professor Solange is a middle-ranking noble, so she'll smile and listen intently to whatever you say. That's exactly why you must pay close attention to your partner's reactions."
"...Yes."
Lieselota also nodded with a worried look at Brünhilde's advice.
"I've also heard from Lord Wilfried that Lady Rozemyne tends to lose sight of her surroundings when it comes to books. As a lord candidate, please maintain your dignity and learn to act rationally. ...It's all right. There is nothing impossible for Lady Rozemyne, who guided my sister to graduation. I believe in you."
"I'll be careful."
Lieselota's eyes, brimming with expectation and trust, were almost painful to meet. I wanted to be thoroughly prepared so as not to fail, and then face the tea party with confidence.
The Ehrenfest students in the library, showing interest in books that no other students borrowed and diligently copying them.
While Rozemyne was absorbed in reading, Professor Solange watched her with a curious expression.
Next time, the tea party in the library.
※I've posted an activity report about the book information.