"I left the dormitory early in order to apologize to the royals, so I never expected Lady
When
"I also had business with the royal family."
"Oh… could it be that I've intruded?"
Hannelore started to fret, certain she'd committed yet another faux pas, so I shook my head with a reassuring smile.
"I simply wished to deliver a hair ornament ordered by Prince
"My, while we're at it, I'd love for Lady Hannelore to see it as well."
Eglantine smiled and nodded along with my excuse. I immediately shot a glance at Brünhilde. Brünhilde promptly handed the box containing the hair ornament to Prince Anastasius's attendant. After the tedious process of having the attendants verify the box and its contents with each other, Anastasius smiled with satisfaction and placed the box in front of Eglantine, declaring, "I shall present this to my beloved wife."
Seeing the hair ornament exchange take place so warmly, Hannelore finally relaxed with a smile of relief.
"Prince Anastasius also placed an order for a new hair ornament, I see? My brother has ordered one as well, and he's been eagerly awaiting its arrival."
"We received the order from Lady
Sure enough, Eglantine exclaimed, "My, five of them?" and I seized the opportunity to explain the design of Detlinde's hair ornament. At the very least, the royals needed to know that it wasn't Ferdinand's personal taste, and that the way you arranged the pieces could change everything.
"The ornaments can be combined freely to suit the occasion, location, and outfit. That was Lady Detlinde's design. She said, well, that she couldn't trust Ehrenfest's taste…"
"Oh, but I'm perfectly satisfied with Ehrenfest's design, and I think today's hair ornament is lovely as well."
"You're too kind. I'll be sure to pass your satisfaction along to my exclusive artisans."
While we were showcasing the hair ornament, others began to arrive.
…So this woman is the first wife of the Knight Commander—the one in charge of the Central Knights.
"I'm sure Ehrenfest has its own reservations about us, but please bear with us," she said.
"Lady Orthania?"
When she spoke so suddenly, I blinked in surprise, and Orthania wore a sorrowful smile.
"When His Highness
…And the Knight Commander already knew that Lord Ferdinand was
I couldn't help but think the timing had been truly awful. If they hadn't bumped into each other at the Library, perhaps there would have been no strange suspicions, and perhaps Ferdinand wouldn't have had to go to Ahrensbach at all.
"In his line of work, my husband is suspicious of everything, but if he weren't, he wouldn't be fit to serve as Knight Commander. I know he often earns resentment because of his position, but I do my best to settle matters amicably and ensure mutual benefit. Please understand."
At Orthania's words, I managed a smile.
She was right—Ferdinand hadn't been seized without question simply because he carried royal blood and had behaved suspiciously. The order he'd been given was to leave the
…I just wish it hadn't been Ahrensbach.
I'd been told to appear happy about it, so I couldn't very well say, "There's no benefit for us here." I flashed a bright smile.
"We each have our own circumstances, and the impressions we hold personally often differ greatly from the opinions of those around us."
As I finished my conversation with Orthania, Hildebrand promptly arrived. He'd been gently pushed forward by Artur, the head attendant. He seemed more accustomed to greetings than last year, and I couldn't help but think, "He's grown," with a warm smile.
"I was told that from the third year on, Rozemyne's lectures would end much later, so our opportunities to meet would decrease significantly. I'm very glad we could see each other like this."
"I'm glad to see you as well. I was so excited to find out what books Prince Hildebrand would recommend for me."
While Hildebrand and I exchanged greetings and light conversation, Hannelore was receiving apologies from the two librarians beside us.
"We're terribly sorry—news didn't reach us properly. We never imagined that Lady Hannelore would be visiting the Library so frequently that the administrator would have to change…"
"The administrator has already been transferred to Lady Orthania, so please rest assured, Lady Hannelore."
When Solange informed her that the administrator had changed, Hannelore showed a smile of heartfelt relief. She must have been truly worried about it.
Seeing Hannelore at ease, I let out a breath of relief myself, then turned my question to Orthania.
"I assumed that as long as the Senior Librarians were supplying magic power to
"Magic power was needed for other matters, so I had put Schwartz and Weiss—who still had some power to spare—on the back burner."
At Orthania's words, I tilted my head in puzzlement. "Were there Magical Tools in the Library more important than Schwartz and Weiss?" I couldn't imagine anything in daily operations—lending, unauthorised book removal registration—that was more essential than they were.
Seeing my confusion, Orthania sent a troubled, pleading glance toward Anastasius and Eglantine.
"If we're speaking of day-to-day operations, Schwartz and Weiss are certainly important. However, Orthania had other tasks to carry out under the royal family's orders."
"As there are archives that can only be opened with the Senior Librarian's key—which Lady Solange has already described, so you must be aware, Lady Rozemyne—she was tasked with searching the archives."
Opening the sealed archives and investigating whether the
"Re-registering the keys in the Senior Librarian's room, and becoming their administrator, both require magic power. There simply wasn't enough left over to supply Schwartz and Weiss as well."
She'd apparently planned to supply them with magic power once she'd obtained the keys.
"According to the journal and Solange's information, there are three keys, and all three are needed to open the archives. So I tried to obtain all three, but being alone, I could only hold one at a time."
She'd thought that pouring in magic power would grant her the keys, but it turned out the keys couldn't all be held by one person—you needed three separate administrators. Once registered as the second key's administrator, she lost her qualification for the first.
"That's why I'd like the Library Committee members to become key administrators."
"Won't you be calling in librarians from the Central Province?"
"I would very much like to, but gathering three Senior Officials at the Royal Academy just to open an archive of uncertain importance is no easy feat. The royal family has also told me that unless something truly significant is found, only Orthania should handle this."
The day-to-day work with students could be managed with Schwartz, Weiss, and Solange. There wasn't the personnel to spare to dispatch three Senior Officials only to end up with nothing to show for it.
"Under normal circumstances, these archives are never opened and cause no problems whatsoever. I believe the burden on the Archduke Candidates would also be lighter than supplying magic power to Schwartz and Weiss. What do you think?"
As Solange said this while looking at me and Hannelore, Anastasius nodded.
"The supply of magic power to Schwartz and Weiss will be managed centrally. Orthania and Hildebrand will handle it for now. While enrolled, Hannelore and Rozemyne will serve as key administrators alongside Orthania and help open the archives."
The keys would be kept in the Library, so they would only need to be called when an archive needed to be opened.
"As your grade advances and lectures grow busier, simply opening a key shouldn't be much of a burden. Supplying large amounts of magic power to Schwartz and Weiss could be difficult depending on the lecture content."
The arrangement was designed to reduce our burden. At Anastasius's words, Hannelore and I exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison.
"Understood. We'll take on the role."
As the two librarians and Anastasius nodded in acknowledgment of our agreement, Hildebrand spoke up timidly.
"Um, just Rozemyne and me? Even though I'm on the Library Committee, won't I be a key administrator too?"
"Were you not the one who said you wanted to supply magic power to Schwartz and Weiss?"
At Anastasius's retort, Hildebrand looked downcast. "Well, yes, but…"
"I didn't think I'd be left out."
"If you haven't enrolled at the Royal Academy yet, even if you entered the archives, you wouldn't be able to judge what books are inside."
Hildebrand drooped even further.
"Prince Anastasius, may I read the books in the archives?"
"The Library Committee's role is only to open the keys—inspecting the contents is the librarians' job. Allowing someone to enter where we don't know what's inside would be problematic."
…What a waste. Those are brand-new archives! Tch.
Being one of the key holders yet unable to read unfamiliar books trapped inside was practically torture. But I understood that if the Grutrissheit was indeed there, it would be best for Ehrenfest—I, who was already under suspicion—not to get too close.
"I-I'll do my best to hold off on entering right away, so if there are any books or materials you determine are safe for me to read, please allow me."
"Then you may read them after we've verified the contents."
That concluded the serious discussion, and the tea party began in a warm, pleasant atmosphere. Each person had brought their own sweets, which were laid out. Everyone tasted a bite of each, both as introductions and as tasters.
"This is the quatre-quarts recipe we purchased from Ehrenfest, with Raule from
The alcohol used to preserve the Raule appeared to be Dunkelfelger's own, giving it an entirely different flavor.
"Is the alcohol different? It has a distinct taste from Ehrenfest's Raule quatre-quarts, but it's very delicious. I think it's wonderful how you can enjoy flavors tailored to each region like this."
"I look forward to the new sweets Lady Rozemyne brings every year as well," Solange said with a chuckle, helping herself to the yogurt mousse tart I'd brought. White yogurt mousse was decorated on top with Lutrébe jam in a pattern, making it a lavish, winter-appropriate confection.
"The base of this white part is just yogurt, so please add sweetener to your taste."
The sweets brought from the Central Province were cute to look at, but they were inevitably too sweet. I tried my best, but I retired after three bites of every single one.
After we'd enjoyed our tea and sweets, it was time to share our thoughts on the books.
…Now this is a book lover's tea party! This is too much fun!
"The knight story Rozemyne lent me was easy to read even before I enrolled at the Academy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it."
For Hildebrand, the knight stories had been just the right reading level for his progress. A little challenging, but thrilling and suspenseful—he'd been so absorbed, desperate to find out what happened next.
"I also want to give my all so I can one day offer a beautiful magic stone to the princess of my heart, just like the knights in those stories."
Hildebrand spoke with some excitement about which knight's tale he'd enjoyed most, his purple eyes sparkling. Hearing him say he wanted to grow strong enough to defeat powerful magical beasts, I couldn't help but think, What a boy! I could tell everyone else was looking on with warm amusement.
"Lady
"…Lady… Letizia?"
Hildebrand blinked with a confused expression, as though he didn't quite understand what I'd said. I tilted my head, thinking it had been announced at the Lord's Conference.
"Prince Hildebrand's fiancée is Lady Letizia of Ahrensbach, isn't she? She came to the border gate to welcome Lord Ferdinand when he departed for Ahrensbach. We had a brief conversation, and she was truly adorable."
"Is that so. But I…"
When Hildebrand's tone dropped slightly, I realized that perhaps they'd only been announced at the Lord's Conference and hadn't actually met yet, so it hadn't sunk in. And then, just moments later, I remembered.
…Prince Hildebrand was the one
I'd brought up the topic of a fiancée he'd never even met—the one his parents had chosen for him—and might have trampled all over his innocent first crush. I panicked inwardly.
…But I can't just blurt out Charlotte's name out of nowhere, and if everyone found out about his first love, it would cause problems for Prince Hildebrand! Aaaagh, what do I do?! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I never meant to trample on your first crush! I'm not even thinking about how happy Mother would be if she knew!
"Um, Rozemyne. I—"
"Prince Hildebrand, your engagement has been decided as well, hasn't it? Congratulations!"
Hildebrand's attempt to speak and Hannelore's words overlapped. At Hannelore's congratulation, everyone began offering their well-wishes, and Hildebrand smiled softly, saying, "I appreciate it." He wasn't opposed to the engagement—he simply wasn't yet aware of it.
As I reflected on this, Hannelore looked around at everyone present and smiled with a playful air.
"All of you have such wonderful partners. It seems I'm the only one left out, doesn't it?"
It was true—everyone besides Hannelore was either married or engaged. Solange chuckled.
"Oh, but Lady Hannelore is only in her third year. The most fun is still ahead of you! Is there perhaps someone you have your eye on?"
"No… but well, let me think. …I'd love it if someone offered me a wonderful charm like the one Lady Rozemyne wears—just like a romance from Ehrenfest."
Hannelore said this with a bashful smile, shaking her head, and everyone's eyes turned to my rainbow-magic-stone hairpin. I tilted my head slightly, touching the rainbow magic stone.
"This is a charm given to me by my guardian, who prepared the magic stone, Lord Ferdinand, who designed it, and Lord
Once again, I was emphasizing that Ferdinand's taste wasn't bad, and highlighting that Wilfried had been the one to gift it.
"…To think someone would prepare such a precious magic stone for you. Lady Rozemyne, you must be truly cherished in Ehrenfest."
As Eglantine gazed at the rainbow-magic-stone hairpin with wide, shimmering eyes, I nodded with a smile.
"I believe I am. They indulged my wishes, allowed me to create my favorite books here within the territory, and even gave me a Library."
As I spoke, I gestured to the books I'd brought along for everyone to borrow.
"There are new books this year as well? I read the Ehrenfest romance collection too, and I thoroughly enjoyed it—some of the stories were familiar, and I'd find myself thinking, 'Could this one be about so-and-so?' It brought back very nostalgic memories of my own Academy days."
"I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed it, Lady Solange. This year's Academy romance collection is composed of stories gathered by apprentice officials from other territories, so it's quite different from previous years. The identities of the people in the stories are much harder to pinpoint now."
The stories collected at Ehrenfest's tea parties had centered on people from my mother's and her friends' generation, so they skewed heavily toward Ehrenfest. The ones that weren't from Ehrenfest tended to be famous tales passed down at the Academy, making identification relatively easy.
However, the stories gathered by apprentice officials in hopes of earning reward money were, by their nature, chosen to be as unique as possible so that no one else would have the same tale—meaning many were obscure, from various territories, and much harder to identify.
"But it's not just romances—I've also prepared books for the gentlemen. Stories about building friendship through treasure-stealing ditter. Prince Anastasius, if you're interested, I'd be happy to lend you a copy."
"I'm interested, but wouldn't it be a shame to keep Hildebrand waiting?"
Anastasius pointed his finger at Hildebrand. The boy looked deflated, like a dog being made to wait. Normally, since there was only one copy, lending it to Anastasius would mean Hildebrand had to wait his turn, given the difference in rank.
…But don't worry!
"I can lend copies to both of you at the same time, so there's no problem. Brünhilde, Richarda, please distribute the Academy romance collection and the ditter stories."
"As you wish."
Brünhilde handed out Lodreich's ditter story, and Richarda distributed the new Academy romance collection. The ditter story had originally been planned for the first tea party with Dunkelfelger, but since it was the only new story geared toward boys that both Anastasius and Hildebrand could enjoy, it ended up being presented to the royal family instead.
…How impressive, getting read by royals right off the bat, Lodreich!
I glanced over and saw him standing in the corner of the room with an incredibly uncomfortable expression—the look of someone who desperately wanted to know how they'd react but also desperately didn't.
Eglantine picked up the distributed book and blinked her amber eyes.
"…Lady Rozemyne, are all of these the exact same book?"
"Yes. The technology that allows us to produce identical copies is called printing, and we plan to make it Ehrenfest's new core industry going forward. Dunkelfelger's historical book will also be published this way. It will take some time to verify the content first, so we can't release them immediately, but—"
As I explained printing, Solange and Orthania compared the books in their hands and exclaimed in surprise, "The illustrations are exactly the same too!"
"The perfectly uniform text aside, couldn't something be done about the covers?"
Anastasius flipped through the pages with a grimace. The plain covers clearly didn't sit well with nobles accustomed to ornate decoration.
"This paper enclosing the pressed flowers serves as the cover. As for why Ehrenfest's books use paper covers like this—it's so that you can attach your own preferred leather cover. Prince Anastasius and Lady Hannelore probably prefer different covers, right? Since our books are only bound with thread, they can be easily disassembled, and bringing them to the workshop to have a cover made requires no extra effort."
"Hmm…"
Anastasius still looked dissatisfied as he examined the book. He'd probably never seen a book without a proper cover before.
"Think of Ehrenfest's books as being sold with only the interior. By skipping the cover finishing, we can reduce costs. We've designed them to be affordable enough that even lower-ranking and middle-ranking nobles can purchase them."
Solange, a middle-ranking noble herself, was visibly pleased. "That's very considerate." Hannelore picked up one of Ehrenfest's books and smiled brightly as well.
"Ehrenfest's books are lightweight and easy to carry, and they're easy to flip through like this—so I really like them. They're far more approachable than books you can only read with the help of an official or attendant."
Hildebrand agreed with Hannelore, who'd just cast a glance at the thick Dunkelfelger book.
"I know exactly what you mean. Compared to books so large and thick you have to stand at a reading desk to read them, these are so much easier to handle, aren't they?"
…Books so big you have to stand to read them?! What are those?! I want to see them!
I was about to lean forward eagerly when Brünhilde, stationed behind me, gently pressed me back. I checked that the magic stone on my necklace hadn't changed and settled back down.
"Does Ehrenfest only have these thin books?"
"They're only bound with thread, so we can't make them that thick. That's why we compete on quantity."
I said this and turned to Brünhilde. She nodded and, together with Richarda, began distributing another book.
It was Mother's latest work: "The Tale of Ferrenstine." When Ferdinand's marriage had been decided, she'd vented her turbulent emotions into a story, and as expected, it couldn't be published as-is. So the protagonist's gender had been changed.
Ferrenstine had lost her mother in childhood and lived modestly with the attendant her father had assigned her. Before her
What followed was the stepmother's relentless bullying. Upon entering the Royal Academy, Ferrenstine became notable for her beauty and outstanding grades. She was targeted by jealousy from other Archduke Candidates and subjected to harassment, but compared to what her stepmother had done, it was trivial.
Experiencing true freedom for the first time without her stepmother at the Academy, Ferrenstine fell in love with a prince. However, as a motherless Archduke Candidate, she was told she was no match for the prince, and everyone around them opposed the relationship.
To separate them, Ferrenstine was ordered by royal decree to marry into a greater territory. That territory was the stepmother's homeland, and her betrothed was a bully who bore a striking resemblance to the stepmother.
Unable to defy a royal order, a weeping Ferrenstine prepared to accept her fate—but the prince refused to give up on her. He tried every means to save her. Ferrenstine, who had initially rejected his help because she didn't want to be a burden, finally took the hand of the prince who had repeatedly petitioned the king and won permission for their marriage. It was a story with a happy ending.
…No matter how self-indulgent the author is, the heroine simply must be saved.
When my adoptive father read this, he realized Ferdinand was the model and burst into laughter, saying, "
Incidentally, both "The Tale of Ferrenstine" and Lodreich's ditter story were full-length works—unlike the previous short-story collections, these were serialized novels. They physically couldn't fit in a single volume, and because printing took so long, they would be released in installments as they were completed.
Seeing everyone holding the books in eager anticipation, I grinned. This was the first step in my grand plan to spread the "can't-stop-reading-the-next-chapter disease" throughout all of
…I hope you all catch the "must-read-the-next-chapter-or-I'll-die" sickness just like me! My book-lover virus—spread to everyone!
We also heard the reason for the change in Schwartz and Weiss's administrator, and it was decided that we would become key administrators.
I wished they'd just drain all my magic power, but I kept that thought to myself.
And then, the newly published books were presented.
The first people outside of Ehrenfest to read Teacher Lodreich's debut work would be the royal family.
Next would be the tea party and planning session with Dunkelfelger.