...Huh? Is that supposed to be my job?!
Being told to halt the runaway apprentice scholar of
"Her heart already seems to belong to your side, so perhaps as her master, you should be the one to stop her?"
"Brother
It was rude to
"I am terribly sorry, but I will leave this to Lady
Hannelore looked at Clarissa with a troubled expression. Was Clarissa always this passionate in the Dunkelfelger dormitory? That was a little frightening.
I turned around and spoke to
"Brunhilde, give the gift to Clarissa."
"Understood."
There was a hair ornament I had been asked to give her in case she didn't give up on her marriage pursuit of
I had originally planned to hand it over quietly after the tea party ended, but since Clarissa's passionate speech showed no signs of stopping, perhaps I could present it here and ask her to "view it in her room," sending her away temporarily? She had been standing quietly in the room up until now, so I figured she'd calm down once she stepped back. I wanted her to calm down.
I had Brunhilde pull out my chair, stood up, and slowly walked over to Clarissa. The moment I moved, Clarissa, who had been watching me intently with her blue eyes slightly wide, stopped mid-sentence. In the now-silent room, I could clearly feel all eyes converging on me.
When I called out "Clarissa" and reached toward her, she dropped to her knees as if suddenly reminded of her place.
"Clarissa, your feelings have come through loud and clear. The fact that you haven't been deterred by Hartmut entering the
"Lady Rozemyne..."
"So then, please take this. If you still wish to consider Hartmut, now the Chief Priest, as your partner, then accept this. It is a hair ornament for graduation that I received from Hartmut on your behalf."
I held out the wooden box that Brunhilde had given me to Clarissa. Overcome with emotion, Clarissa's blue eyes glistened as she accepted the box.
"Please open it in your own room."
Then I turned my gaze to Hannelore and Lestilaut. Lestilaut was the one who quickly understood what my look meant.
"Clarissa, you may step back now."
"...No. I wish to remain here to the end and burn Lady Rozemyne's image into my eyes."
"Then stand over there quietly. You're in the way."
"As you command."
Lestilaut skillfully maneuvered Clarissa to the edge of the room and let out a breath. It seemed we had successfully returned Clarissa to a calm state. I too exhaled in relief and returned to my seat.
"That was quite the impressive horse handling."
"...You're too kind. Ah, if there's nothing else to discuss regarding joint research, may I speak about Dunkelfelger's history books?"
"Yes, please do. My brother and father are both very much looking forward to the history books."
Hannelore smiled warmly and urged me to continue. Wilfried turned his gaze to where the scholars were lined up and called out to his own apprentice, "
Ignaz moved forward and handed the sample Dunkelfelger history book to Lestilaut's apprentice scholar. After a few checks, it was placed in Lestilaut's hands.
Lestilaut began flipping through the pages. He had a quite serious expression as he started his review, but what mattered for Ehrenfest was the Aub Dunkelfelger's approval.
Wilfried shifted his gaze from Lestilaut, who seemed too absorbed in the book to be listening, to Hannelore and spoke.
"If there are no issues, we will proceed with selling it in the same format as the sample. Aub Dunkelfelger's response can be given at the Lord's conference."
"I will convey that to the Aub. Leave it to me."
Hannelore accepted with a cheerful smile. Then, after glancing at Lestilaut, who was reviewing the book, she ordered more tea and offered it to us. As I sipped my tea at a leisurely pace, I listened to Hannelore's stories about the history book.
"Your translation of the history book sent a tremendous shock through Dunkelfelger."
"Oh my, how so?"
"As you know, at the
...I didn't know that. Ordinary nobles don't know their territory's history in detail?
Lord candidate children are always taught their territory's history because it's absolutely necessary for them. Those from cadet branches of a lord's family, or high-ranking nobles, might hear about it from their grandparents or parents, or know it if they're close to the lord's family like a milk sibling. I had been drilled by
"Dunkelfelger's history is very old, so the language of the history texts is difficult. It was hard for children to study, and for spouses who married into the lord's family to learn as well."
"...Did no one translate it?"
If it was that difficult, I would think it wouldn't be strange for the territory's scholars to render it into modern language. To my question, Hannelore answered, "All members of the lord's family do translate it."
"But they don't leave many translations behind. Preserving the old language and passing it down was considered a duty of the lord's family."
"That's an admirable principle. If you don't consciously memorize them, old words are easily forgotten and fall out of use. That's probably why the prayers have been passed down through the ages and survived to this day."
"I am honored by your words."
Hannelore gave a slightly ambiguous smile at my words. Then, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands.
"Are you aware that the King's third wife is from Dunkelfelger? She praised your translations as wonderful, Lady Rozemyne. She said that if they become available for purchase, she would very much like to buy them."
"That's an honor."
...The King's third wife means she's Prince
Marveling at this, I offered, "If there are any parts that would be problematic to publish, please let me know immediately. I will make the necessary adjustments," considering that the translations might reach the royal family.
At that moment, Lestilaut, who had been gazing down at the book all this time, raised his head.
"What are you saying? I don't know how things are in Ehrenfest, but there is no history in Dunkelfelger that needs to be hidden or ashamed of."
With a history that long, there were surely one or two parts they'd want to hide. It was impossible that there weren't. But I admired that he didn't want to conceal them, and seeing a lord candidate state it so clearly was refreshing.
...I was surprised by his artistic side, but Lestilaut really does feel like Dunkelfelger.
As I was reflecting on this, Wilfried asked, "How was the sample?"
"It's decent. Unlike the translations you sent, it has illustrations throughout, which is nice. It would be good if they were colorful and vibrant, but since they were drawn with the premise of being in black and white only, it's not a major concern."
From there, it was all about evaluations of the illustrations. It seemed he hadn't been looking at the text but rather studying
"She is my exclusive illustrator. I'm honored by your praise."
"Your exclusive illustrator...? Then did she draw pictures of you too?"
Lestilaut, the artistically inclined, seemed quite interested in Wilma's work. When asked, I tilted my head. I had only entered Wilma's room once. At the time, it had been overflowing with illustrations of Ferdinand, and I think there were a few of me as well.
"It was many years ago, but I once saw a picture of me singing. I think she may have also drawn me playing the Feshpil... or maybe not. These days she must be busy with book illustrations, so I don't think she has the leisure to draw pictures of me."
"...I see."
Lestilaut turned his gaze back to the book's illustrations with a slightly disappointed look. He seemed to have taken quite a liking to Wilma's art. As expected of my attendant.
"Would you also like to see the Ditter story?"
At that moment, I could swear the knight apprentices began to fidget. Perhaps Lestilaut's expression turning stern was for the same reason.
"This Ditter story deals with the Treasure Stealing Ditter. So I would very much like to hear Dunkelfelger's thoughts on it."
The voices of the Dunkelfelger students in the room all chimed in at once: Leave it to us! Not just the knights, but the scholars and attendants as well. How deeply had Ditter penetrated Dunkelfelger's culture? I didn't want to think about it.
"The author did reference Ferdinand Lord's Ditter notes and such, but since it's written by someone of a generation that doesn't know Treasure Stealing Ditter, there may be some parts that are a bit off."
I had looked at Rodrik's manuscript too and pointed out errors and obvious contradictions to be corrected. But since I didn't know the Treasure Stealing Ditter played with the entire Royal Academy, I couldn't say it was perfect.
...If Ferdinand Lord's betrothal hadn't been so busy, I would have had Father and the others review and check it.
"Let me see... This one doesn't have illustrations?"
The first thing Lestilaut pointed out upon seeing the Ditter story handed to him by the apprentice scholar was the absence of illustrations. The illustrations in books produced by the Mine Workshop were handled by Wilma, but the Ditter story alone had no illustrations. It might seem strange at first glance, but this was unavoidable.
"My exclusive illustrator is a Commoner, so she cannot illustrate scenes set in the Royal Academy and the Ditter, which only nobles can perform."
"I see. Both the Royal Academy and Ditter can only be depicted by nobles."
Lestilaut nodded as if satisfied, but this was actually a quite pressing issue for me. Stories were easy to gather, but illustrators were hard to find. I didn't know how to approach them or how to recruit them.
"If there were nobles among us who were skilled at drawing, I would like to ask them to do illustrations, but Ehrenfest doesn't have good candidates..."
As I sighed and talked about illustrator development, Lestilaut was watching me with a displeased expression.
"...What is it?"
"Um, Lady Rozemyne. My brother is skilled at drawing."
Hannelore timidly said this, and I vaguely realized that Lestilaut was volunteering as an illustrator.
"Judging from the hair ornament design sketches, I think Lord Lestilaut's skill is remarkable, and if he were to illustrate, it would draw even more interest from everyone."
They would be realistic, wonderful illustrations, and having illustrations by Dunkelfelger's lord candidate would make the promotional effect outstanding. I wanted them desperately, but Lestilaut was a lord candidate.
"However, I can't very well ask Lord Lestilaut to do this. He's about to graduate, so we can't even arrange a handover at the Royal Academy, and as a lord candidate, he wouldn't be able to come to Ehrenfest after graduation."
I had been thinking that if there was a lower or middle-ranking noble who could draw nice illustrations, I'd want to recruit them after graduation, but lord candidate Lestilaut couldn't move outside of marriage, and he was the next Aub. It was impossible.
When I hung my head in frustration, Lestilaut's expression soured dramatically before shifting back to a social smile. He was either terribly disappointed or angry— one of the two.
"Rozemyne, if you could receive the illustrations through Lady Hannelore, wouldn't it be possible to commission them until our graduation? If it's only illustrations for the Ditter story, it shouldn't take that long. Besides, being inspired by Lord Lestilaut's artwork might make it easier to discover other illustrators."
At Wilfried's words, Lestilaut looked up sharply. With a furrowed brow and gleaming red eyes, he said, "That proposal isn't bad."
...What do I do!? He's totally into it! He's got that furrowed brow, but he's clearly excited, absolutely.
"At least, let me get the Aub's permission..."
"It's no different from what you already do, collecting stories at the Royal Academy. It's just that what you're purchasing would be illustrations instead."
"Brother Wilfried!"
I tried to stop him from saying unnecessary things, but it was too late. Lestilaut's lips curled upward.
"What? Ehrenfest is already doing that? Then there's no problem at all."
I couldn't very well say that collecting stories was a side job for lower-ranking nobles without money. I had been planning to purchase illustrations the same way.
"Um, Lady Rozemyne. Why don't you look at my brother's illustrations first before deciding whether to purchase? You won't know if they match the story unless you see them..."
After letting out a breath, Hannelore whispered softly, "He won't stop now," and glanced between Lestilaut and Wilfried.
The two had already started discussing which scenes to include illustrations in while looking at the Ditter story. I could see the attendant and guard knight behind Lestilaut standing on tiptoe, peering over his shoulder. I could picture Guardian screaming "Wait! How did it end up like this!?" but at this point, there was nothing to do but brace for it.
...You did it, Rodrik! Your first readers outside the territory are royalty, and your first illustrator is a lord candidate of a large territory! Good thing you used a pen name!
"Please limit illustrations to five per volume. I won't purchase more than that."
"Five, huh... That's going to be difficult."
Lestilaut began turning the pages with a serious expression, while Wilfried, who had already read it, suggested recommended scenes.
Seeing the two men getting worked up over the Ditter story, Hannelore and I exchanged glances and shrugged.
"The fact that you're showing interest in both Dunkelfelger's history book and this Ditter story suggests that Dunkelfelger's lord candidates, both brother and sister, are fond of reading."
"Y-Yes. I also very much enjoy reading romance stories at the Royal Academy."
Hannelore laughed and began talking about which scenes from which stories she had liked. Listening to her describe the thrill of falling in love, I gained a small understanding of what Mother's depictions of goddesses represented.
...When the Goddess of Sprouting, Bluanka, appears, it means the beginning of love. Got it.
She appeared so frequently in Mother's romance novels that I had no idea what she was supposed to represent, but it turned out to mean the start of love.
...But doesn't Bluanka appear more than five times in a single story sometimes? That really is about the beginning of love, right?
Harboring a few lingering doubts, I listened and nodded along to Hannelore's account, when I noticed Wilfried looking at me curiously.
"Brother Wilfried, is something wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking that Lady Hannelore reads quite deeply into things."
"Huh?"
When Hannelore and I both blinked in unison, Wilfried chuckled.
"Rozemyne reads one new book after another, but she never talks this deeply about any single story. It feels very fresh."
...I want to talk about romance stories in depth, but I can't read the descriptions well enough to do so! On top of that, I can't relate!
I can understand on an intellectual level that when this flower blooms, the proper response is to feel bliss, or when the autumn wind blows, the correct emotion is sadness over heartbreak— I learned these expressions in literature class, after all. But whether I can actually empathize with those feelings is an entirely different matter.
Think about it. When the autumn goddesses begin to dance, the protagonist's hair sways in the wind and she suddenly bursts into tears. In my case, before I can empathize and feel sad, I'm just left blanking, and a few seconds later I'm going, "Oh, right. Autumn wind. She got heartbroken. But why now? Where were the signs?" I can't immediately understand what happened and end up rereading the surrounding passages several times.
I read romance stories with the mindset of solving a reading comprehension problem or a mystery, listening to everyone's impressions at tea parties to verify whether my interpretation is correct. I simply can't get to the point of empathizing with the protagonist.
"Listening to everyone's impressions is enjoyable, and the differences in how people feel are interesting and educational, but... before I can discuss one story in depth, I want to move on to the next one."
I made sure to add the caveat that it's not that I can't pick up on anything at all. Hannelore kindly chimed in with, "Lady Rozemyne truly does love books."
...Just as I naturally learned how to pray, surely I'll eventually be able to empathize smoothly too, right? Surely.
"Oh, that reminds me. I recently read a bit of the Fernestine story..."
"You've already read it?"
I had only lent it to her very recently. Between coming and going from the research room, I had barely had time to read any of the books I'd borrowed myself.
"Just the very beginning. ...Isn't Fernestine's protagonist based on you, Lady Rozemyne?"
"Huh? No. Fernestine is... a different person."
I couldn't very well say "It's based on Lord Ferdinand," so I hedged. I didn't know why the model for Fernestine was supposed to be me.
At my answer, Hannelore blinked several times.
"Is that so? The description of orange eyes and light blue hair that flows softly in the wind, being beautiful and clever from a young age, being adopted by the Aub and becoming a lord candidate— those aspects all seem to match."
...I didn't think anything of it while reading, but when you pull out the elements like that, it really does sound like me!
Startled by words I never expected, I quickly shook my head in denial. I couldn't let people think I was the model for the ideal beautiful girl that Mother envisioned.
"I wasn't adopted by the Aub— I'm a foster daughter. My
I couldn't allow Fernestine's stepmother to be equated with my foster mother. I denied it vigorously.
"...Could that possibly be true? Is there actually someone in Ehrenfest living such a miserable life?"
Lestilaut cast a suspicious look at Wilfried, who tilted his head. "I don't know, but is there really such a person?" Wilfried apparently didn't know that the model for Fernestine was Ferdinand.
"It's not true, Lord Lestilaut. As clearly stated in the story, this tale is a work of fiction, and all organizations, characters, and so forth are entirely fictional. Even if people seem similar, they are different individuals— it's a made-up story."
"...Still, Lady Rozemyne, you do know the person who served as the model for the protagonist, don't you?"
The suspicious gaze seemed to intensify. Under the scrutiny of Dunkelfelger's lord candidate, I had no choice but to nod.
"Y-Yes, well... But the author said she combined multiple people to create the character, so there isn't one specific person. It's more like, 'This part of the story might be based on that person?' at most."
"It really isn't your story, Lady Rozemyne?"
I could tell Hannelore was worried. I nodded emphatically.
"I have never been treated the way Fernestine was. Right, Brother Wilfried?"
"Indeed. Rozemyne even has her own brother as a guard knight. Her environment would never permit such treatment."
"I see."
Hannelore let out a sigh of relief and smiled. While relieved that she understood, I suddenly realized that I would have to give this same explanation many times over at the Royal Academy, and I felt the blood drain from my face.
...I never noticed the similarities between Fernestine and me! Volume two, volume two— send it quickly, Mother! Once the romance with the prince begins, surely no one will make that mistake anymore!
It was a tea party with Dunkelfelger that dramatically increased the number of matters to report back to Ehrenfest.
Clarissa was glowing with joy over the "hair ornament Lady Rozemyne gave me."
Lestilaut was fired up to draw something even more impressive than Wilma's illustrations.
Hannelore was inwardly very distressed by the two runaway Dunkelfelger students.
That was the kind of tea party it was.
Next up, the reply.