"Would it be acceptable to place the Magical Tool for storing food here? That way, the wagon can pass through without any issues."
"Has the number of attendants arriving from that side remained unchanged?"
Attendants who had returned from the Interduchy Tournament were meticulously preparing the tea room. I surveyed the room and gave a single nod. The preparations were perfect. Father and
"You students each have your own dinner preparations to make, so please return to your rooms for now."
Richaela, who had been directing the tea room preparations, called out to the students. Those gathered there headed off to their own meals. What remained were the adult Attendants like Richaela and Father's attendants, along with the knights who would be serving as our bodyguards for the evening.
A small bell chimed beyond the door.
"Ferdinand-sama has arrived."
An attendant of Father's standing before the door announced this as he opened it.
"Welcome back, Ferdinand-sama."
When I called out to him, Ferdinand blinked in mild surprise before answering, "...Ah."
"Ferdinand-sama. Rather than 'Ah,' you should say 'I'm back.' Proper greetings are important, aren't they?"
"...I'm back."
He spoke haltingly, his expression reluctant, and averted his gaze from me before turning to greet Father and Wilfried.
"I'm sorry to impose on you. I'll need you to look after me for the evening. Justus and Eckhart—you know Wilfried, correct? And this one is Zelgius. He's an Attendant who has served me in Ahrensbach, and is the son of Lady
An Attendant from Ahrensbach, but evidently not of the
"Pleased to meet you."
Once the introductions and greetings of the Attendant from Ahrensbach were complete, Father invited Ferdinand to take a seat. He instructed me and Wilfried to sit as well, then began preparing to leave the room.
"I'll be having dinner with the students, so I must withdraw, but do try not to scold
Father said he would return after finishing his meal and promptly left the tea room. Watching his hurried retreating figure, Ferdinand murmured softly.
"If you were going to come back here later, there was no need to wait for me in the first place..."
"He must have wanted to see you despite having no time. ...On a different note, Ferdinand-sama. I did as you asked and achieved top marks. And I was also recognized for my joint research. Now then, please praise me."
Before any scolding, I wanted to hear words of praise first. If I had that, I could endure any number of lectures afterward. Father had taught me that if I boasted about achieving top marks, I would be praised, so I puffed out my chest and proudly declared my accomplishment. Then I was tapped on the forehead. I couldn't understand.
"Why was I hit!?"
"Don't you think there are many things I need to question you about or scold you for before praising you?"
As he spoke, a hand reached out swiftly toward me, and I nearly had my cheek pinched. I quickly brought both hands to my cheeks to guard against it.
"Father himself told you not to scold me today, didn't he? Put the scolding aside and praise me first. I've steeled myself to listen to plenty of lectures."
"Rather than preparing yourself to receive lectures, shouldn't you focus on not doing things you'd get scolded for in the first place?"
"Oh, honestly." I shook my head side to side and pouted my lips in displeasure. This was absurd. I had boasted about achieving top marks, yet not a single word of praise had come from Ferdinand's mouth.
"That's why I'm telling you to set aside the lectures and praise me first. If even top marks won't earn your praise, what on earth do I have to do?"
When I exploded with frustration, Ferdinand offered a perfunctory "...That is most satisfactory" in a completely flat tone.
...No! This isn't the praise I wanted at all!
"There's absolutely no sincerity behind that! If this is the best you can do, then regarding the Schummel stuffed animal from the Interduchy Tournament—"
"I'm sorry about that, Rozemyne."
The words that cut me off—words that should have been an appeal to be praised the way he had back then—were, for some reason, an apology. Ferdinand murmured bitterly about his failure to stop "the girl who seized a Magical Tool that was meant for someone else," and the pained expression on his face was the same one he wore whenever the topic of
...Oh no. It seems I accidentally triggered some strange trauma.
"Um, Ferdinand-sama. I'm not asking for an apology—I'm asking for praise. Besides, this isn't something you need to apologize for, is it?"
"But..."
"What happened?" Wilfried, who had been socializing at another table, looked over.
"It's nothing major," I prefaced, and gave him a brief summary of the situation.
"Indeed, it's not Uncle's responsibility."
"Brother Wilfried says so too, so let's drop both the praise and the apology. Allow me to show you to your room."
I cut off Ferdinand, who still looked like he might keep apologizing, and stood up from my seat. "Richaela worked really hard on this," I said, walking toward the inner partition.
"Indeed. Her Ladyship was very eager to make sure Ferdinand-sama could relax at least a little."
Richaela began explaining with a cheerful laugh, apparently trying to brighten the mood. This served as both a presentation for Ferdinand and an explanation for the Attendants.
"We've prepared a space here for Ferdinand-sama to rest. A canopy bed was out of the question, of course, but with the partition, you should be able to relax at least somewhat?"
She explained the placement of storage for luggage, the futon, and the arrangement of Magical Tools used in daily life. Since this was more of a conversation between Attendants, I tugged lightly on Ferdinand's sleeve and pointed to the daybed.
"Ferdinand-sama, we had this brought from Ehrenfest especially for today."
"It was completed?"
"Yes. Compared to other daybeds, I believe it's much more comfortable to sleep on."
When I invited him to sit, Ferdinand did so with visible interest, pressing his seat cushion with his hand several times to test it. Seeing Ferdinand from the front as he sat, I could clearly see how poor his complexion was.
...Was he chugging that horrible-tasting medicine?
He looked satisfied, saying "Ah, this is nice," but the fatigue written on his face wasn't the kind that could be hidden with a slight change of expression.
"Rozemyne. What is this daybed?"
Wilfried, who had never seen a daybed with a mattress before, noticed Ferdinand sitting there and asked in a low voice.
"I had
It's brand-new, I explained to Wilfried, and Ferdinand, as if showing it off, said "If you're curious, go ahead and touch it" while running his hand along the mattress. Wilfried approached the daybed with curious eyes.
"If you rest here properly, that exhausted face of yours should brighten up a bit. It's been a long time since Ferdinand-sama looked this tired, hasn't it? His complexion is just like the King's when I saw him at the dedication ceremony. What kind of life were you living in Ahrensbach?"
My words made Wilfried look at Ferdinand with a puzzled expression. Then he tilted his head in confusion.
"I don't think he looks much different from usual... You really can tell Father's complexion well, can you?"
"You and Ferdinand-sama hardly get to see each other, Brother Wilfried, so it's understandable."
Nobles already practiced hiding their emotions, but Ferdinand had been particularly well-trained in concealing himself so as not to be read by Veronica. Unless you knew him very well, you wouldn't notice.
Perhaps uncomfortable with Wilfried watching him, Ferdinand grimaced slightly and reached a hand toward me.
"Rozemyne, your own complexion is hardly good either. Between the Interduchy Tournament and the award ceremony, you haven't rested at all, have you? You didn't push yourself too hard?"
"Don't say unnecessary things." After having my cheek lightly pinched, the usual health check followed. He touched my forehead and wrist to check my temperature and pulse. The familiar sensation of his hand pressed against my skin was so comforting that I gently closed my eyes.
"Thanks to you, Ferdinand-sama, I've become much sturdier. I didn't collapse partway through today. My bouts of bedrest have been fewer lately, and even when I do fall ill, I recover in two days now."
"But you seem to have a slight fever. Have you taken any medicine since returning from the Interduchy Tournament? It could affect tomorrow."
His hand against the back of my neck was slightly cool and felt pleasant—perhaps because I did have a mild fever.
"I drank some Kindness Incense, so I should be fine..."
"Good. Be sure to exercise regularly to build up your stamina. You're still relying on Magical Tools, aren't you?"
After completing his examination, Ferdinand released me. "I'll do my best," I answered, and when I opened my eyes, Wilfried was watching me with a surprised expression.
"What's the matter, Brother Wilfried?"
"No, I was just a bit surprised."
I wondered what had surprised him, and glanced at his hands—they were pressing against the mattress. He must have been astonished by the coil mattress.
"These daybeds can't be mass-produced yet, and there are still many points to improve, but it's quite comfortable, isn't it?"
"Hm? Yes. It is..."
Wilfried forced a smile while pressing the mattress repeatedly, looking back and forth between me and Ferdinand.
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing. It's nothing at all. ...Oswald, could you please start preparing for dinner?"
At Wilfried's instruction, Oswald began to move while still glancing our way. Attendants carried in large preservation Magical Tools from the Ehrenfest dormitory as well. Inside these were today's dinner and the various dishes Ferdinand would be taking back with him.
Incidentally, we had borrowed this preservation Magical Tool from Mother. She had warmly accepted my wish to "deliver delicious food to Ferdinand-sama," and had even arranged for it to be transported by carriage to the
"Justus, you'll need time to check the food for preservation, so it would be best to do that while we eat."
"You're too kind, Lady Rozemyne. Ehrenfest's food has been invaluable during times when Ferdinand-sama had little appetite. I never expected to be able to resupply here—this is tremendously helpful."
From Justus's words, it was clear Ferdinand had been working nonstop. I glared at Ferdinand, and he gave me a disgruntled look, replying, "It couldn't be helped."
"Zelgius, I'll leave the serving to you."
"Understood, Ferdinand-sama."
And so, dinner began. The menu today was essentially Ferdinand's preferred dishes. I couldn't very well ask the busy dormitory cooks, who had their hands full from the Interduchy Tournament, or the already overworked castle chefs to go to the trouble of making the labor-intensive double consommé Ferdinand favored. So today's meal had been prepared by the Temple's cooks and placed in Mother's preservation Magical Tool to be transported to the castle.
"Oh? You're using Taohen meat today?"
Wilfried's eyes went wide. Taohen was rarely caught in sufficient numbers to appear in dormitory meals.
I whispered to Wilfried, "This is just between us." Our meal had been prepared at the Temple, so it was a different menu from what the others were eating in the dining hall. It featured rare and expensive ingredients in generous quantities.
"The Temple cook decided on today's menu because Ferdinand-sama likes Taohen simmered in consommé with pome."
The cooks who had always adjusted menus and seasonings to Ferdinand's tastes had responded beautifully to the request channeled through
"You must miss having cooks who prepare food to your exact taste, Ferdinand-sama?"
"...I do. Tell them I was very satisfied."
Ferdinand's expression as he savored the Taohen pome stew was remarkably peaceful, clearly showing he was genuinely enjoying his meal. The conversation during dinner centered mainly on the Interduchy Tournament, with Wilfried recounting the interactions he'd had with guests from other duchies.
"Our joint research with
"Hearing that really drives home how much Ehrenfest's standing has risen," Ferdinand said.
Wilfried nodded. "Father said we shouldn't aim to raise our ranking any further. He said Ehrenfest couldn't keep up if we did."
"...You went too far, didn't you?"
Ferdinand shot me a sharp look, and I nodded tentatively. "Well, yes." I had admittedly gone a bit overboard.
"But this year's achievements should result in Ehrenfest being treated the same as the winning duchy, so the ranking itself won't go up. Besides, it all started when Father kept getting badmouthed and I acted on impulse—"
"I understand the desire for a bit of revenge, but you took things way too far on impulse. I specifically told you to always report, consult, and coordinate—and you've completely failed to do so. Isn't that right?"
I listened to Ferdinand's words with a slight droop of my head. The lectures served as a stress outlet, so I didn't intend to stop them, but I wished he could at least wait until after dinner.
"Uncle, Rozemyne keeps forming connections with royalty despite being told not to. Please scold her more firmly."
Ferdinand shot Wilfried a sharp look.
"And you—you should be controlling Rozemyne more firmly yourself. When she's acting out, you need to scold her or guide her in the right direction, or she won't learn. Besides, didn't
...Excuse me?
I was genuinely shocked by Ferdinand's words, spoken with a clearly displeased expression.
"You've given me nothing but reprimands without a word of praise, and yet you've been heeding Father's wishes all along? What were all those lectures for, then?"
"Those were merely advisories. I wasn't scolding you, was I? If I were to truly scold you, I wouldn't let you off with such gentle words."
It turned out that all the lectures so far hadn't even qualified as "scolding" in Ferdinand's book.
"Both you and Wilfried... If you wish, I can scold you to your heart's content. This is me holding back."
Ferdinand said this with a perfectly lovely smile, and Wilfried and I both shook our heads vigorously in unison. If this was him holding back, I didn't want to think about what his maximum looked like.
By the time we finished our lecture-accompanied dinner and moved on to tea, Justus had finished packing the food into the preservation Magical Tool and swapped places with Zelgius for serving duties. My attendants and Wilfried's had also finished eating and returned, while Richaela, Oswald, and the knights who had been guarding us headed off to the dormitory for their own meals.
"On another note, how did this year's winter hunting go? Did it finish without incident?"
"The hunting seems to have concluded, yes. We were at the
As I answered the question about the purge, Wilfried's expression hardened slightly, and he raised his hand.
"Rozemyne, Father has already gone to another duchy. You shouldn't be sharing Ehrenfest's internal affairs so freely."
He was in Ahrensbach gathering information about Georgine, and he was trying to protect Ehrenfest from there. If information wasn't exchanged to some degree, Ferdinand would be at a disadvantage as well.
"Brother Wilfried, Ferdinand-sama is—"
"Rozemyne, stop."
But before I could explain, Ferdinand turned his gaze toward the Attendants' partition where Zelgius was and shook his head.
"Wilfried is right. The information I receive must be carefully vetted. Things are different now."
"That may be so, but sharing information is important too."
When I made a displeased face at the prospect of Ferdinand becoming isolated in Ahrensbach, he gave a resigned shrug.
"I'll discuss Ehrenfest's internal affairs with Sylvester. With you... let's talk about the Schummel stuffed animal. Who were you planning to give it to? Restitution will be required, surely?"
"That's why I'm saying Ferdinand-sama's apology isn't necessary—"
"Rozemyne-sama."
The one who stopped me was Rieseleerta. After asking permission to speak, she smiled slightly and whispered softly to me.
"Might you accept his apology? If making amends would put Ferdinand-sama's mind at ease, then I think it would be fine to let him do so."
I had thought Dietlinde was the one at fault, so I hadn't wanted to accept Ferdinand's apology, but if it would make him feel better, I didn't mind accepting it.
"But even if you say 'make amends'..."
"How about having Ferdinand-sama create a new recording Magical Tool? It would serve as atonement for Ferdinand-sama, and if he recorded a message for Rozemyne-sama, she would surely be delighted?"
Rieseleerta said this while spreading out a cloth with a teleportation circle drawn on it. Then she began taking out a crafting pot and materials one after another. A crafting space took shape in one corner of the tea room.
"I've already spread the other circle in the crafting room. I can't very well prepare a crafting bench, but please use this table. Now then, Ferdinand-sama, please create a recording Magical Tool for Rozemyne-sama."
Ferdinand, who had been watching the crafting space come together in stunned silence, raised the corner of his lips with evident enjoyment.
"Hmm. Indeed, creating something new would count as amends. Time is limited. Rozemyne, would you assist me?"
"I've made them many times before. Leave it to me."
Ferdinand eagerly picked up the materials and began crafting. Even if it was under the pretext of making amends, he clearly found the crafting enjoyable. Seeing Ferdinand's dark, exhausted eyes come alive, I gave Rieseleerta my brightest smile.
Please praise him more, Ferdinand-sama. He's been torturing himself over the pointless guilt of how things turned out with the Schummel stuffed animal.
And there are the junior apprentices who leap at the chance to craft together. A delightful crafting session.
Next time, Part Two.