"Everyone out. Come here."
My foster father said this and waved his hand sharply. From the way he sat in his chair and the sharp glint in his dark green eyes, it was already obvious he was in a terrible mood. "Hurry up," his low voice commanded, and his attendants scurried out of the room.
"My discussion with Lord
My foster father's demeanor was so terrifying that I tried to leave with everyone else, but a hand pressed down on my shoulder. It was the Chief Priest, his forced smile plastered on his face as he approached. He was scary too.
"It would be more efficient to discuss everything together. They'll be asking the same questions anyway."
...Oh no! Escape failed!
Leaving me behind with the Chief Priest's hand on my shoulder, my own attendants filed out as well.
I stared at the door as it closed mercilessly shut, and my foster father slammed his fist on the desk.
"Then talk. You were summoned by the King — what did he say to you there? Why did you go ahead and decide on a marriage without so much as consulting me!?"
"Eh!? The Lord's marriage was decided without the Aub there?"
For a noble's marriage within the territory, the Lord's permission was required. There was no way the Chief Priest's marriage — as a member of the ruling family — could be decided without the Lord, who was also my foster father.
"To be precise, this fool was approached during the interrogation and went ahead and gave his consent on his own, which eliminated every possible reason to refuse. The request for my permission came after the fact."
Apparently, the Chief Priest had been called in under the pretext of discussing the damage caused to the surrounding area by the Ternisbefaren's subjugation during the awards ceremony, and that was when the marriage proposal was brought up.
"In cases like that, interrogations are normally conducted individually. You've experienced it at the Noble Academy too, haven't you, Rozemine? That's exactly why I sent Ferdinand without any particular suspicion. If I had known a marriage proposal from
My foster father's words, born of concern for the Chief Priest, made my heart swell with warmth — but the Chief Priest didn't seem to feel the same. He crossed his arms and looked down at my foster father with his cold golden eyes.
"If I hadn't taken this form of after-the-fact approval, you would have found reasons to complain even with a royal decree. You know perfectly well that defying the King would be a foolish act. And yet, you're willing to endanger all of Ehrenfest for my sake? Truly, you've always been too soft on family. Have you learned nothing from that incident where you had to pass judgment on your own mother?"
The Chief Priest delivered these words to my foster father in a smooth, flowing tone, then lowered his eyes and slowly let out a breath.
"There is no choice but to obey the King's orders. You understand that, don't you,
"If you hadn't gone ahead and accepted on your own, there were plenty of reasons to refuse."
My foster father listed off the reasons he had used to decline Ahrensbach, one after another. The Chief Priest gave a slight shrug.
"Neutrality may sound noble, but anyone can see at a glance which territory has more room to maneuver and which the King will prioritize — Ehrenfest, which escaped unscathed by remaining neutral and is now rapidly climbing in rank, versus Ahrensbach, which sided with the King yet had two sons — former heir candidates — stripped down to regular nobles, and whose Magic Power is depleted to the point that their territory is falling into chaos."
Ehrenfest was said to have had the surplus that led to its current rise in rank precisely because neutrality helped it avoid the worst. They were envied by territories that had sided with the losing side and were now in dire straits, as well as territories that had sided with the winners but had to sacrifice their own nobles to fill the vacancies left by the purges, leading to Magic Power shortages. At the same time, they were considered a dangerous territory — one that maintained low loyalty to the central government and the King yet had steadily increased its influence.
The Chief Priest said it was necessary to publicly demonstrate that they accepted the King's request and had no intention of being hostile.
"But that alone isn't a reason for you, of all people, to take on a marriage with Ahrensbach. If you're going to be a consort to a large territory, there are plenty of territories far above Ehrenfest in rank. There should be other candidates with better reputations than someone connected to the
If one were to be a consort candidate for the large territory of Ahrensbach, other territories would certainly be more fitting. Ehrenfest had only risen in rank over the past few years, and there were still many voices saying the attention it received was merely temporary. Having the spouse's backing from a large territory be Ehrenfest would seem incredibly unreliable from an outsider's perspective.
"It seems my connection to the Temple is also a problem. Word has reached the King's ears from various quarters that Ehrenfest is treating me coldly."
The Chief Priest, who had consistently been the top performer, had been sent to the Temple around the same time as the previous Lord's death and his own graduation. And I, who had also consistently been the top performer, had been placed in the Temple as the High Priest despite being the Lord's adopted daughter.
"The Aub of Ehrenfest doesn't involve his own children with the Temple, yet subjects other candidate heirs to terrible treatment. He's so talented — why not release him from Ehrenfest?" That seemed to be the kind of talk going around.
"I've been told to increase my time at the castle a bit more, but I've been slipping back to the Temple — though people elsewhere wouldn't know that. Still, who exactly is saying such things?"
"I heard it's coming from
...It was probably motivated by goodwill toward the Chief Priest, but it was just causing trouble.
I knew that my view of the Temple was completely different from other people's, but I couldn't help thinking they were causing unnecessary problems. The skill of manipulating information to sway surrounding territories' opinions in one's favor was something Ehrenfest still sorely lacked.
"If the Lord were to act to block the marriage while completely ignoring the opinions of surrounding territories, Aub Ehrenfest's reputation would plummet. Surely you can see that would be disastrous?"
At the Chief Priest's words, my foster father's eyes widened.
"You're going to let my reputation determine a marriage that affects someone's entire life!? Besides, I don't believe for a second that you would accept based on mere rumors. You could have refused. You turned down the meeting with Ahrensbach — what changed your mind after that? There must be something else. Out with it. That's your bad habit — don't bottle everything up."
My foster father seemed to sense that the Chief Priest was dancing around the core issue, and a sharp gleam entered his eyes. The Chief Priest let out a single breath and turned his face away.
"I don't want to disclose this, as it isn't confirmed information..."
"Just tell me."
"The information from
After this preface, the Chief Priest slowly looked around and lowered his voice.
"...The Aub of Ahrensbach doesn't have long to live."
"What?"
"If Justus's information is correct, she will likely ascend far above during the betrothal period."
"What did you say?"
The betrothal period between the Chief Priest and Dietlinde was supposed to be about a year. If it was within that timeframe — there truly was no time to spare.
"Whether that information is accurate or not, I currently have no way to verify it. But if it is true, then the Aub of Ahrensbach's desperate actions — trying to move the King, insisting so adamantly on me as a consort — become understandable. It provides a certain explanation for her insistence."
If the Lord were to pass away during the betrothal period, the only members of the ruling family left in Ahrensbach would be a minor heir candidate on the verge of graduation, an heir candidate who hadn't even enrolled in the Noble Academy, and a widow. With just that, it would be nearly impossible to sustain a large territory.
"The Aub would want to begin the handover immediately, I imagine. Ahrensbach needs an unmarried, adult heir candidate with the administrative experience and Magic Power to serve as acting Lord of a large territory right away. And the only person in all of
"If the Aub herself is so pressed that she must appeal directly to the King, then the necessary Magic Power clearly hasn't been distributed throughout the territory. You saw the area around the Border Gate during
I remembered how the landscape had been so clearly divided at the border between Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach. The difference had been so stark that I was shocked.
"That is the state of their own territory. The former Berkeshok territory that was transferred during the political upheaval may have been deprioritized and left unattended."
If that was where the terrorists who had launched the surprise attack had established their base, the King would need to act swiftly as a matter of urgency.
"Then wouldn't it be better for the central government to manage the former Berkeshok territory instead of Ahrensbach?"
"If they had the resources, they would have done so already. The Second Prince and his wife are already stretched to their limits, I imagine."
My foster father said that the number of royals had plummeted since before the political upheaval, leaving them unable to do everything they wanted to. The Magic Power shortage throughout Yurgenschmidt was apparently even more serious than I had previously imagined.
"Everywhere is struggling, but honestly, the Magic Power situations of the central government and Ahrensbach don't matter to me."
The Chief Priest said this and slowly let out a breath.
"What matters is what lies a bit further ahead. Once the Aub of Ahrensbach ascends far above and there are only two minor heir candidates remaining — do you know who would hold the most power in that situation?"
My foster father fell silent and glared at the Chief Priest. In that scenario, the one who would hold the most power was clearly
"After the Aub of Ahrensbach ascends, in an Ahrensbach that will fall even deeper into Magic Power deficiency — can you predict what lengths Georgine might go to? If another territory's son were to marry into Ahrensbach, do you think he would show any consideration toward Ehrenfest? For Ehrenfest, it would be far more convenient to have someone in Ahrensbach who could gather even a little information and keep Georgine's actions in check."
"You're going there for that reason? You were so reluctant — refusing Ahrensbach with such distaste! To marry a daughter you said you found unpleasant just from looking at her face, because she resembles your mother!?"
My foster father glared at the Chief Priest, who spoke with such composure, with a frustrated expression.
"Yes. When I consider going as the betrothed to Ahrensbach, carrying out the handover while taking control of the territory, the time we have left is far too short. Above all, I determined that I was the most suitable candidate."
"If it's not that you reluctantly went along with it, but that you saw the advantage and chose it yourself, then I won't say anything more. I still have plenty of complaints about your habit of keeping secrets and acting on your own, though."
The Chief Priest said "I'm glad you understand" at my foster father's words and ended the discussion there. My foster father may have been satisfied, but I was far from it. Ehrenfest's benefit was all well and good, but what about the Chief Priest's own benefit? That was what mattered most.
"I understand that Lord Ferdinand is the most suitable. But is that what Lord Ferdinand himself desires?"
At my words, the Chief Priest began counting on his fingers the benefits to Ehrenfest.
"It demonstrates loyalty to the King, earns goodwill from the central government and Ahrensbach, improves the evaluation of Ehrenfest, and makes it easier to obtain information to keep Georgine in check. Additionally, if I'm confirmed as the consort of Ahrensbach's next Lord, nobles from the former
Still wearing his forced smile, the Chief Priest said "This would be the best choice for Ehrenfest," and I felt anger bubbling up inside me. As always, he was only pursuing the interests of those around him and of Ehrenfest, completely ignoring himself.
"Lord Ferdinand, I'm not asking whether this is best for Ehrenfest."
"Hm?"
The Chief Priest tilted his head as if he didn't understand what I was asking.
"What matters is whether Lord Ferdinand himself wishes to marry."
"I..."
As I stared up at him, the Chief Priest deepened his forced smile. Ah, he's trying to dodge the question — I could tell right away.
"If you say you wish to, then please stop wearing that plastered-on smile. If you think you can fool me with that face, you're sorely mistaken."
Pointing my finger sharply at him in imitation of Richarda, I watched as the Chief Priest's smile vanished in an instant. The unpleasant crease between his brows returned, and his pale golden eyes glared down at me, brimming with displeasure.
"Weren't you wishing for it too?"
"What?"
"You want Ahrensbach, don't you?"
He grinned a demon-like smile, as if to say "Shall I take it for you, as you wish?"
"That means I want fish — oh, and books too, but — that's not what you mean and you know it! I don't matter in this! What matters is Lord Ferdinand's true feelings!"
When I got angry, the Chief Priest let out a quiet little laugh. Then he exhaled softly.
"...I want the information and control over Ahrensbach, but I don't wish for the marriage. However, I believe it's necessary to achieve my objective. I'm going because it's necessary. That's what I want you to understand."
These near-honest words from the Chief Priest — who so rarely voiced his own desires — gave me a small measure of satisfaction. But only a small one. From the forced smile that immediately returned once our brief exchange was over, I still felt he was hiding something.
"There will be a mountain of handover matters, so both Rozemine and I will be sequestered in the Temple for a while. If anything comes up, send an ordnance."
"Understood."
My foster father seemed ready to wrap things up, but the Chief Priest's forced smile hadn't completely disappeared. As I stared up at the forced smile, the Chief Priest raised his brows slightly, as though something had just occurred to him.
"Sylvester, Ehrenfest is entering a period where it must be mindful of other territories' influence and build connections — even through marriages — with territories of slightly higher rank. You, of all people, need a second wife and a third wife, whether you want them or not. Think carefully."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I'll think about it, so now get out."
My foster father waved his hand irritably, and I was chased out of the office. Waiting outside were my guard knights
As the Chief Priest tried to slip away with
"Rozemine, that's unbecoming."
"Hey, Lord Ferdinand. When we return to the Temple, please give us time to speak privately — just the two of us."
The Chief Priest's face hardened slightly, as if on guard.
"It's not appropriate for two people who are both betrothed to others to meet alone. Give it up."
No matter what he said, I had no intention of backing down on my demand.
"In the discussion just now, my foster father seemed satisfied, but I'm not. With so many questions still weighing on my mind, if I can't consult Lord Ferdinand, I'll have no choice but to ask various other people. About the fruits of
Smiling sweetly as I made my request, I received an extremely unpleasant glare from the Chief Priest. Sure enough, the things he'd discussed with the King went beyond what he'd reported to my foster father. He still had secrets.
"...When we've returned to the Temple. Until then, don't go asking anyone else."
"Understood."
I noticed that the forced smile had vanished from the Chief Priest's face — replaced by one of deep suspicion as he looked down at me — and I felt a small measure of relief.
I had intended to return to the Temple right away, but things didn't go so smoothly. With the Chief Priest's marriage to Ahrensbach decided, meeting requests poured in from all directions. I was summoned to tea parties with the mothers, where I was subjected to rants brimming with anger and frustration. And letters requesting meetings from civil officials who wanted to be involved in the printing industry for next year began piling up.
I encouraged the mothers to "pour those emotions into your manuscripts as sublimation," and attended to the civil officials who wished to be involved in the printing industry.
Wilfried and Charlotte had received a great deal of work from Mother and were overseeing its distribution to the civil officials, so I decided to leave the printing industry to those two civil officials.
"I have plenty of other things to do."
Handover of Temple duties, preparation for the Noble Academy, lectures on restorative medicine — there were many things I needed the Chief Priest to teach me.
Once the Chief Priest had efficiently worked through a number of meetings, I returned to the Temple with him.
It was a meeting with an angry Sylvester over the Chief Priest's high-handed ways.
Even so, the mountain of pretenses remained for the Chief Priest.
Next time, I'll press a little closer to the Chief Priest's secrets in the Temple.