"I mostly agree with your opinion, but it seems there are quite a few discrepancies in various places. I would like to confirm those first."
The First Wife pressed her forehead, shot a brief glare at Hannalore, and then looked toward my adoptive father and me.
"According to the reports that have reached me regarding the Ditter, if
"That is correct."
When I nodded, the First Wife's expression immediately turned suspicious, and she looked behind her. A man who appeared to be a civil official stepped forward, spread a sheet of paper on the table, and then retreated. It appeared to be a report sent from Dunkelfelger, detailing the conditions of the Ditter.
"Earlier, Lady Rozemyne stated that if Ehrenfest won, you intended to cancel the condition of Hannalore's marriage from the very beginning. When was that decided? It was not recorded in our conditions here."
"It was decided when the Ditter was arranged. When I was speaking with Lady Hannalore, I proposed it to her, didn't I?"
When I sought confirmation from Hannalore, she nodded vigorously.
"During the apology for my brother's selfish behavior, Lady Rozemyne proposed it to me."
While Restiaut and
"It sounds as though the conversation took place in the same room on the same day, but if you were using a Magical Tool to prevent eavesdropping, then the contents should not have leaked to anyone else. Were you two required to report what you discussed?"
Suspected of having arbitrarily made our private conversation public, I quickly looked toward my adoptive father.
"I reported it to Brother Wilfried that very evening at dinner, and word was sent to Ehrenfest as well. Right, Father?"
"Ah, yes. A detailed report arrived describing the entire sequence of events."
Having proven my innocence, I let out a sigh of relief. Hannalore also proudly declared, "I informed my brother at dinner."
"Hannalore, dinner would have been too late, wouldn't it? Why didn't you report it to Restiaut directly at the time? By the time the fine details were settled, the conditions had already been signed—you can't just unilaterally rewrite them after the fact."
"Huh? Signed?"
I had reported to Wilfried that "if we win, we'll call off Hannalore's marriage," received his approval, and Hannalore had happily agreed, so I thought the matter was settled. But that conversation had not taken place at the formal meeting where the conditions were being decided.
Hannalore had relayed my words to Restiaut, but it seems that after the detailed negotiations were concluded and Restiaut and Wilfried had signed the agreement, the proposal was judged to be unofficial.
"For a marrying Ditter, they always prepare a contract like this. It's to prevent the initial conditions from being overturned after the Ditter is over."
"This isn't a report to Dunkelfelger? It's a contract?"
Looking more carefully in surprise, I could indeed see Wilfried's signature on it. Apparently it was also necessary for allocating the budget.
My adoptive father peered at the contract with a troubled expression.
"I knew that detailed conditions had been decided, but I never received a report that a formal contract had been exchanged."
"I didn't hear about it from Brother Wilfried either."
When we both glanced toward Wilfried, Hannalore murmured, "Perhaps Master Wilfried didn't recognize it as a formal contract."
"It's standard practice for Dunkelfelger, and it's necessary for using the Noble Academy's budget. But neither the Aub Ehrenfest nor Lady Rozemyne thought of it as a binding contract, did they?"
My adoptive father and I exchanged a glance and nodded. Without any explanation from Restiaut, it was highly likely that we would not have recognized a document needed for budget purposes as a binding contract.
"It seems the explanation on our end was also insufficient."
The First Wife slightly furrowed her brow, then pointed at the condition regarding the Ditter's outcome.
"This states that Hannalore is to become the Second Wife, but there is no notation regarding the cancellation of that condition."
"I... thought we could propose it later in a discussion between the two Aubs after we won."
"Does that mean Ehrenfest intends to change the conditions at will after winning? That would defeat the entire purpose of establishing the conditions beforehand."
...She has a point.
I hadn't known that the conditions were established so precisely through a formal contract, but when I had become angry over having the arrangement of "we won't pressure you if we win" overturned, I had essentially been demanding the same thing of Dunkelfelger. Sinking my shoulders in remorse, I received an even harsher follow-up from the First Wife.
"Furthermore, Lady Rozemyne, you stated that you agreed to the Ditter based on Restiaut's word that Ehrenfest would not face pressure regarding the annulment of the engagement if you won. However, no such condition exists either."
"Huh? A marrying Ditter—the winner is supposed to decisively give up on the marriage, isn't it? That is what Restiaut told me..."
Blinking in confusion, I asked. The First Wife tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"I have heard that Ehrenfest prioritized taking Hannalore as the Second Wife over that condition. The contract mentions Hannalore, but there is no item regarding giving up the proposal."
Originally, a marrying Ditter's condition was a decisive forfeit, but I had objected because I found that unacceptable and wanted Hannalore to become the Second Wife. As a result, Restiaut had understood that the forfeit was no longer necessary and reported it to Dunkelfelger accordingly.
"So the forfeit condition was removed without my knowledge... This is the first I'm hearing of it."
As I murmured in disbelief, my adoptive father let out a deep, exhausted sigh and tapped me on the head.
"You imposed a different condition, so it's only natural the original one would be nullified. Going forward, be careful not to act separately during negotiations, push forward with your own agenda, or neglect to confirm the conditions."
While admonishing me, my adoptive father turned his gaze to the First Wife.
"So, based on this contract, Dunkelfelger understood that Ehrenfest was prioritizing incorporating Lady Hannalore as the Second Wife over canceling the proposal, and you made various offers in the hope of bringing benefit to Ehrenfest."
It wasn't just in noble society—even in the merchant world, it was taken for granted that a formal contract carried more weight than a verbal promise. The offers meant to benefit Ehrenfest based on the contract all turned out to be meaningless, and that was entirely our own failing.
Aaaagh! How could this happen!
Recalling my behavior from earlier, I clutched my head. I had said something incredibly rude to the First Wife. If possible, I wished I could erase her memory entirely.
"I made claims that were completely different from the contract and behaved incredibly rudely. I am truly sorry."
My adoptive father followed with his own apology.
"There appear to have been significant misunderstandings regarding the premise of the Ditter. We were negligent in confirming the details, and I sincerely apologize."
"No, there is no need for apologies. Ehrenfest was unfamiliar with the intricacies of a marrying Ditter, and yet the explanations provided were sloppy, our oversight was insufficient—our own shortcomings were considerable. If anything, I should be the one apologizing."
The First Wife apologized for the fact that Restiaut had challenged them to a Ditter without the King's permission for the engagement, that Hannalore had not properly restrained the Dunkelfelger men who tended to run wild during Ditters, and that Dunkelfelger had proceeded under their own assumptions and neglected to provide adequate explanation and confirmation of conditions.
"Hannalore, you must reflect as well. It was good that you did not forget to apologize even while feeling dejected about the marriage proposal being thrust upon you, but during Ditter negotiations, you must never take your eyes off the men. It was your role to restrain Restiaut, who wanted to press the advantage, and the knights who were getting worked up, and to provide Ehrenfest with detailed explanations. If you want to cherish your friendship, you must take this to heart."
"You've awakened to your sense of duty as a woman of Dunkelfelger, haven't you?" the First Wife said with a smile. Hannalore's smile froze—her expression was so strained it seemed as though the words "That's impossible!" might come out at any moment—but she still nodded meekly.
"I'll be more careful."
"Now then, please tell us precisely what Ehrenfest hopes to gain from this Ditter. If you are not seeking Hannalore as the Second Wife, then let us settle this before the Aub who insists the Ditter is absolute arrives."
The First Wife glanced briefly toward the Dunkelfelger delegation as she made her suggestion, and my adoptive father straightened his posture.
"From our side, we would like them to give up on the proposal to Rozemyne. That is our foremost wish. Additionally—I must ask this as a favor—please never challenge Ehrenfest to a Ditter again. Whether it is a marrying Ditter or not."
My adoptive father politely indicated in noble speech that Ehrenfest was burdened and inconvenienced by being challenged to a Ditter by Dunkelfelger every year.
"This time, we absolutely could not afford to lose, so we used a great many Magical Tools and recovery medicines. We cannot keep facing Dunkelfelger repeatedly. Ehrenfest is a modest middle domain, after all."
In response to my adoptive father's words, the First Wife promised, "Indeed, you hold a Ditter every year. I will put a stop to them within the scope of my awareness."
"However, please do not accept challenges right away either. If you accept, we will be unable to intervene."
"...Understood."
According to the First Wife, Ehrenfest's willingness to accept the Treasure-Stealing Ditter every year had led Dunkelfelger to regard it as a domain that loved Ditter. She said that a report had even arrived from Lufen stating that "Lady Rozemyne, who is too frail to take the knight course, has a fondness for Treasure-Stealing Ditter, just like Lord
...That's completely inaccurate!
"Lady Rozemyne, are you dissatisfied with the conditions the Aub Ehrenfest has proposed?"
"The things that are precious to me are in Ehrenfest. So no matter how tempting the offer, I cannot make the decision to leave Ehrenfest."
When I stated this clearly, the First Wife's expression softened slightly.
"Hannalore, among what you know, what benefits does Ehrenfest offer?"
"Mother?"
"They've been imposing on a domain every year that doesn't actually enjoy Ditters, haven't they? To improve relations going forward, we should prepare a token of apology. It needs to be something that serves as an apology from Ehrenfest as a whole, not just to Lady Rozemyne personally."
After pondering for a moment, Hannalore suddenly clapped her hands.
"How about we offer Brother's illustrations? Lady Rozemyne and Master Wilfried have both been wanting the illustrations for the Ditter story. However, Brother objected to other people being involved in the printing process, so the illustrations have been put on hold. If we offer them with the understanding that they can be used in any way Ehrenfest sees fit, I believe it would contribute to Ehrenfest's printing efforts."
Hannalore explained while watching the First Wife's reaction. Her red eyes, which she had earlier said never listened to her ideas, now shone with pride and liveliness.
"Hannalore says this, but would Restiaut's illustrations truly benefit Ehrenfest?"
Comparing the skeptical First Wife with the expectant Hannalore, I nodded emphatically.
"I believe it would be an excellent proposal in terms of sales for the Ditter story. Wouldn't you agree, Father?"
"...There must be something more beneficial."
My adoptive father grumbled, pressing his hand to his forehead—if they were going to ask for a favor, they might as well request Dunkelfelger's patronage. The First Wife laughed it off, saying, "Now that you mention it, Dunkelfelger's shield was destroyed by Lady Rozemyne, wasn't it?" and briskly shifted the conversation toward using Restiaut's illustrations as an apology.
"Ehrenfest would be grateful, but are you certain you can release Master Restiaut's illustrations without his permission?"
"This will be a good opportunity for Restiaut to experience what it feels like to have matters concerning himself decided by others without his consent. Compared to having one's marriage partner decided for them, this is still relatively mild. ...Yes, let us offer those illustrations to Ehrenfest as well."
The First Wife giggled, as though hatching some scheme, and said, "The dormitory has Restiaut's masterpiece, you know."
...Ah, I can sense the same anger in the First Wife's smile as I do in Lord Ferdinand's. Hang in there, Lord Restiaut.
With the matter of the Ditter temporarily settled, the conversation moved on from the illustration licensing agreement to the topic of printing. I was asked how many history books and Ditter stories they intended to prepare, how they planned to sell them, and I answered each question in turn.
"In order to print Dunkelfelger's books, I would ideally like to have a printing press placed in Dunkelfelger, and so I was thinking of eventually having you purchase a printing Magical Tool."
"Unfortunately, we are unable to sell the printing Magical Tool."
The printing press isn't a Magical Tool, I muttered inwardly, and the First Wife slowly nodded.
"I am aware. According to Restiaut's reports, you have no plans to release the printing technology outside the domain in order to prevent it from leaking. How, then, do you intend to expand printing?"
Typically, one would sell to the Central Government or larger domains and let the new technology trickle down from above. She wanted to know why Ehrenfest was keeping it confined. I was told that Ehrenfest's way of thinking defied conventional logic. Perhaps it was my fault.
"For the time being, we plan to accept manuscripts from various domains and print them in Ehrenfest. Once the systems surrounding printing have become sufficiently established through that exchange, we will then expand outward."
Even the nobles of Ehrenfest did not yet fully understand, but my intention was to solidify the rights and flow of money involved in printing within the domain first, then spread that system to other domains as well.
My adoptive father nodded at my words and smiled at the First Wife.
"If and when the decision is made to expand to other domains, I can make a promise that we will approach Dunkelfelger first."
"Is that so. Then, what I am curious about is the story of Ferdinandestiine..."
My adoptive father, who knew who the model was, carefully suppressed a laugh so as not to react to the First Wife's grave expression.
The First Wife said that, based on reading the first volume alone, it seemed as though I was the model for Ferdinandestiine and was being oppressed by Ehrenfest.
"It is well known that Lady Rozemyne was the one who began collecting stories at the Noble Academy and started the lending and borrowing of books. One can sense Lady Rozemyne's cries for help woven into the narrative. The rumors about Ehrenfest that reach the Lord's Conference are almost all unfavorable, after all."
She said that she must keep a firm hand on the reins so that Dunkelfelger, which had once gone rogue trying to rescue Ferdinand, would not repeat the same mistake by trying to rescue me.
I certainly could not say, "The model is not me—it's Lord Ferdinand," in this setting. Even less could I say, "His mother was consumed with grief over being ordered to go to
"If you read the second volume, I believe that impression will go away. So when we lend it to other domains, we will lend both volumes together. Thank you for the kind warning."
"Having the first volume end midway was quite frustrating, so doing that would make many people happy. The cliffhanger really does make you desperate to read the continuation."
Hannalore told me how much she had enjoyed it while praising Ehrenfest's books. But thinking back, I realized I had never mentioned that the Ferdinandestiine story was a three-volume series. Quietly, I turned to Hannalore, who was now eagerly looking forward to the second volume.
"Um, Lady Hannalore. Actually, the Ferdinandestiine story has three volumes."
"No..."
Hannalore pressed her cheeks and her expression turned to one of despair. She began earnestly deliberating whether she should wait until all three volumes were complete or try to read them as quickly as possible. Beside her, the First Wife was discussing the book's sales strategy with my adoptive father.
...I heard before that the Interduchy Tournament serves as a prelude to the Lord's Conference, but is the Lord's Conference always like this—negotiating over matters?
As I was thinking this while watching the surrounding civil officials, a bright voice cut in.
"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt what seems like a very pleasant conversation, but might I at least offer my greetings?"
Ferdinand and Dietlinde arrived. At the appearance of the very Ferdinandestiine model who had just been the topic of discussion, the corner of my adoptive father's mouth twitched with amusement. Where he might usually ask, "What are you scheming?" his expression said nothing of the sort. Ferdinand wore a forced smile and stood half a step behind Dietlinde.
...He looks terrible!
Ferdinand's complexion was clearly awful—he looked like he hadn't slept. Despite the forced smile, it was painfully obvious. The smile that should have looked gentle instead seemed angry. Had Dietlinde done something to upset him?
"I must visit all the domains to greet them as my fiancé's intended. I'm so busy, so busy... How convenient that the First Wife of Dunkelfelger happens to be here as well."
...Ah, Ferdinand's smile deepened.
Dietlinde did not speak to my adoptive father or me, but instead began talking with the two Dunkelfelger representatives. It was about their joint research.
"The joint research between Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest is also drawing considerable interest with many people gathering for it, but Lord Ferdinand's apprentice's research on Ahrensbach is truly remarkable as well. Do come and see it."
After glancing at Dietlinde promoting the joint research, Ferdinand came toward my adoptive father and me. Excusing myself with a brief word to my adoptive father, I stood and approached as quickly as I could while striving for elegance.
"Lord Ferdinand, it's been so long—oww!"
I had no idea why I was being pinched on the cheek the moment we reunited. I hadn't yet reported anything that should warrant anger.
Tears springing to my eyes from the familiar pain, I pressed my cheek and looked up. Ferdinand's smile had vanished. He glowered down at me with an icy gaze, a deep crease between his brows.
"I have a mountain of things I want to say to you, but I shall restrain myself here."
"Then please also restrain yourself from pinching my cheeks."
"Hmm. I shall take it under consideration."
"...You'll consider it? Please actually follow through as well."
When I glared at him, Ferdinand snorted. I was absolutely certain he would pinch me again next time.
"I came because I saw Dunkelfelger here. Rozemyne, did you bring that mantle?"
"Of course."
I turned and looked at
"Would someone summon Heiszhitze?"
One of the knights sent an Oldnantz, and Heiszhitze arrived promptly. Even though no Ditter was taking place, he looked excited and extremely pleased.
"Lord Ferdinand, congratulations on your engagement. Hearing that you've come from the
Ferdinand offered Heiszhitze a remarkably gentle forced smile.
"Yes, I've heard that Dunkelfelger and many others helped ensure I could secure this most favorable arrangement. Thanks to Dunkelfelger's efforts, I was granted this connection with Lady Dietlinde, granddaughter of Lady
"Oh my, Lord Ferdinand, to think you would praise me so highly!"
As Dietlinde blushed, congratulatory words poured in from those around them.
Among them, only Heiszhitze turned deathly pale.