"I've been told this for a long time now. ...That no matter where I go,
I could feel the various emotions Wilfried was swallowing down. But unlike Grandpa earlier, Wilfried didn't lose his composure or raise his voice—he simply spoke.
"The only Lord Candidate who can keep Rozemyne in Ehrenfest is me. This engagement was continued as an obligation of being Ehrenfest's Lord Candidate, you told me—and now it's being dissolved..."
From Wilfried's flat tone, I realized that the engagement had also been an obligation for him. Perhaps he had wanted it dissolved all along, but Father and those around him had been preventing it.
...If that's the case, then this royal decree must be just what Brother Wilfried needed, isn't it?
If the royal decree could dissolve the engagement without Wilfried being too hurt, that would be the best outcome. I was thinking this too simply and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"So, Father. What will happen to Ehrenfest's next Aub?"
"Deciding the next Aub is a matter for the future. It won't be immediate."
Father, receiving Wilfried's gaze, looked back at him steadily and spoke calmly. Between their two composed manners of speaking, there was a tension so taut it seemed ready to snap at any moment. It wasn't the simple atmosphere of "I wanted the engagement dissolved, so it's good that it can be done through royal decree." I could feel Wilfried desperately trying to suppress his emotions, and it made my stomach tighten.
"
"Um, Father. That's..."
Charlotte opened her blue eyes wide in disbelief, looking back and forth between Wilfried and Father. Mother, who had been silent until then, smiled gently and spoke slowly.
"Charlotte, you've been patient for a long time. The engagement that was decided to save Wilfried and secure Rozemyne's position—it cut off your own buds of aspiring to become Aub, even though you were a Lord Candidate yourself. And yet, you never once openly voiced your discontent, instead willingly supporting the two of them and always standing in an assisting role. Just how much effort you've been putting into holding Ehrenfest together..."
At Mother's words, Charlotte's blue eyes glistened. Seeing Charlotte's face—happy that someone understood and appreciated her efforts—I was struck by how insufficient my own gratitude toward her had been. She had always been perceptive, comforting me and supporting me, but I felt I had never properly repaid her.
...I really am a terrible sister.
Because males take priority for Aub, and Wilfried is one rank above me, and because I myself had no interest in becoming Aub, it never occurred to me that Charlotte might want the position.
...Father was the one who arranged the engagement, but to Charlotte, what was I...
If Charlotte had been working toward becoming Aub, then I—the one who had saved Wilfried, gotten engaged to him, and secured his position as the next Aub—must have been an incredibly troublesome and inconvenient existence.
I glanced at Charlotte. She was staring intently at Mother, not looking my way.
"If the engagement between Wilfried and Rozemyne is to be dissolved by royal decree, then I would like to give Charlotte options as well. If Charlotte desires to become the next Aub, she must, within the five-year restriction on marriage, supplement her shortcomings and find a suitable spouse worthy of being the partner of Aub Ehrenfest. If Rozemyne ends up going to the Central, the circumstances surrounding Ehrenfest will change greatly once more. Observe those changes carefully, and make the choice you believe is best for you."
Mother laid out multiple options for Charlotte: she could aim for Aub, she could marry a higher-ranking noble and stay to support future Ehrenfest, or if she believed going to another duchy would serve Ehrenfest, she could marry after more than five years and transfer there. Charlotte listened to Mother's words with a bright, happy smile, nodding along.
"Father, when will the next Aub be decided?"
At Charlotte's question, Father closed his eyes briefly.
"As I said before, it won't be immediate. First, whether the adoption will truly be dissolved a year from now—that's not yet certain even at this point. It's been said it will likely happen with high probability, but for one year, things remain as they are. I won't even tell the retainers; we'll continue in this state. Be careful not to say or do anything careless."
Even as she nodded, Charlotte's mind was probably racing with various thoughts. She was looking at Father, but seemed lost in her own considerations.
"As far as I'm concerned, deciding the next Aub can wait until after I or
Charlotte answered "Understood!" brightly, her eyes shining. Mother gazed at her with a dazzled expression, then turned her gaze to Melchior.
"Melchior, the same applies to you. If you wish to become the next Aub, you must work hard to become worthy of it."
Melchior thought for a while after Mother said this, then shook his head.
"The next Aub is... something I'll think about after I come of age. First, I'm going to be the High Priest. Right now, there are so many things I need to learn, and it's incredibly busy. And on top of that, Sister Rozemyne will be gone in a year. I can't even think about being the next Aub."
Mother was slightly surprised that Melchior wanted to prioritize the duties of High Priest over becoming the next Aub, then smiled gently.
"Yes, that's right. Serving as High Priest, performing prayers, and increasing one's divine blessings—that will be necessary for any future Aub as well. Fulfill the role you've been given, and take your time until you come of age to think about your future."
"Yes, Mother. ...Sister Rozemyne, I'm counting on you for a year of guidance."
Asked by Melchior, whose face showed the determination to work hard toward becoming High Priest, I felt my expression soften into a smile.
"Don't worry, Melchior. Since I can't take my retainers to the Central, they'll remain at the
"...They may handle the administrative work, but the most important duty of the High Priest—sending blessings like you do, Sister Rozemyne—is the hardest thing for me."
When Melchior puffed out his cheeks slightly, Father waved his hand with a bitter smile.
"Rozemyne has the amount of Magic Power that royalty desires. It's fine to use her as a benchmark, but it's still far too early for you to try the same thing. Be careful not to push yourself trying to match Rozemyne."
Father counseled Melchior that he would gradually learn magic compression at the
"During this year, Rozemyne must hand over all the work she's been handling—the Temple duties, the printing operations, and so on. On top of that, she needs to prepare for her new life. It's going to be quite difficult. Help Rozemyne as much as you can."
"Yes!"
While Charlotte and Melchior's faces were full of hope, Wilfried's complexion was dark. He had a noble's smile plastered on his face, but he sat rigidly without saying a word.
"Charlotte, Melchior, Bonifatius—Rozemyne becoming the King's adopted daughter is strictly confidential. If other duchies find out, Rozemyne's danger at the Royal Academy will skyrocket."
"Understood."
"Then, the three of you, please leave the room. ...This discussion isn't over yet."
Father said this and turned his gaze to Wilfried. The three looked at Wilfried with concern before returning the anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool and leaving. Only Father, Mother, Wilfried, and I remained in the conference room.
"You held back well, Wilfried."
At Father's words, Wilfried's face twisted in frustration.
"I am the only Lord Candidate raised solely by Grandmother. On top of that, I'm a criminal who entered the White Tower—someone who, by all rights, should have faced collective punishment like the former
"...I don't know. I told you the same thing back then."
"Father!"
Wilfried slammed his hand hard on the table, shouting. The unexpected roar and the loud noise made me flinch.
"Um, what do you mean you don't know how Wilfried will be treated after the engagement is dissolved? When was 'back then'? What happened?"
Father, Mother, and Wilfried all seemed to understand, but I couldn't follow the conversation at all. I was even starting to feel like I didn't belong here.
"Through this purge, Wilfried lost the Veronica faction that had been his backing. With Leisegang's influence growing, if the engagement with Rozemyne is dissolved, Wilfried could be confined to the White Tower by public opinion alone—just to remove his path to becoming the next Aub. Depending on how much we can suppress Leisegang during this year of maintaining the status quo, I have no idea what situation we'll end up in."
The notion that a Lord Candidate raised solely by Veronica alone, and a criminal who had entered the White Tower, could become the next Aub was laughable. Apparently, there were Leisegang-aligned nobles loudly calling for him to be punished.
"Huh? You're saying that when Lord
"...To put it bluntly, that's exactly right."
Father said this and sighed, but Wilfried shot a hostile look at me.
"Wasn't it supposed to be your job—being Leisegang's princess—to suppress them? You've abandoned your own duties, so what gives you the right to make such carefree remarks?"
"Huh?"
Father interposed himself between me, blinking in confusion, and Wilfried, who was glaring.
"Wilfried, stop. Rozemyne, having grown up in the Temple, has little sense of Leisegang being her blood relatives. That's rather Bonifatius's,
"But, Father! During the Dedication Ritual, Leisegang told me that Rozemyne and I are the same age, and I only got special treatment from Father because I'm male and his biological son; that without me, Rozemyne would certainly have been the next Aub; that it's absurd for me to even aspire to the position; that I don't even have the judgment to voluntarily step aside. If Rozemyne's fiancé had been someone of Leisegang blood, shouldn't she have at least tried to suppress them a bit?"
And apparently, there were also comments about how Rozemyne always achieved the highest evaluations every year, so in terms of ability she was the most outstanding Lord Candidate, and that her bloodline and background were completely unblemished, making any comparison pointless.
"Why must I become Aub when I'm despised to that extent? Why must I—the one they hate so much—seek Leisegang's cooperation? Must I endure this kind of treatment for the rest of my life? Must I be constantly compared to you, told to be grateful that it's only because of you that I could become Aub, and feel guilty for even nostalgic memories of my childhood?"
Veronica had caused various problems in Ehrenfest and persecuted Ferdinand, but for Wilfried, she was a kind grandmother who had raised him through his early years. Even if she'd been sent to the White Tower, he would still feel nostalgic for her.
I think it was probably the same kind of feeling as missing Ferdinand who had gone to
"Rozemyne, I have absolutely no desire to live as the husband of someone who worries more about my uncle than about me, and who prioritizes aiding my uncle over aiding me. Standing beside you means being constantly compared to you by other nobles, and being constantly compared to your uncle by you—that kind of life is absolutely repulsive to me. No matter how many times I'm told to make an engagement magic stone, no matter how many times I'm told to give fiancé-like gifts, it's painfully obvious that I'll be compared to your uncle. I absolutely couldn't do it."
I looked down at the numerous amulets Ferdinand had given me. These apparently stimulated a man's pride quite severely.
...But they're amulets, so I can't take them off.
"When I realized I no longer wanted to continue our engagement—where you're so considerate toward my uncle but not toward me—I thought it would be better for you, who already had Leisegang's support, to become Aub instead. ...And then, I went directly to Father to make my case."
At Wilfried's words, I looked at Father.
"I don't think I was ever told about any of this..."
"Of course not. If we'd told you, you would have tried to dissolve the engagement with Wilfried. But since you weren't aiming to become the next Aub, it was obvious that dissolving the engagement would result in royalty or a higher-ranking duchy taking you. It would only cause chaos in Ehrenfest and disadvantage everyone—there was no way we'd let you hear such a story. The retainers must have been working overtime to prevent the two of you from conspiring to dissolve the engagement."
When he put it that way, it made sense. I did feel like my retainers had been blocking my contact with Wilfried.
...Was I really sending worry ORDONNAZ during that time? I was wanting to dissolve the engagement, being told to endure it as an obligation—if worry ORDONNAZ had been flying in every day, that would have been incredibly annoying.
"All Father had to do was order Rozemyne to become the next Aub, but no matter how many times I asked, he wouldn't listen. 'We can't make Rozemyne the next Aub. The next Aub is me.' And to keep you in Ehrenfest, the engagement with me couldn't be dissolved. He told me I had chosen this path, so I had to take responsibility."
Wilfried didn't know this, but neither Father, nor his actual father, nor Ferdinand had ever intended to make me—commoner-born—into the Aub. He wouldn't have been able to accept that.
"As far as I'm concerned, when the engagement was proposed, if Wilfried had refused, or if it had been before Ferdinand received the royal decree a year ago, I could have had the engagement dissolved. But when Wilfried wished for the dissolution, the timing was far too terrible."
Father said this with a weary face. If the engagement were dissolved, it was certain that I would be taken by royalty or a higher-ranking duchy. And with Leisegang's momentum growing after the purge, Wilfried's position would become dangerous too. He said he had no intention of sending Wilfried to the White Tower now—not after they had managed to save him from disinheritance, and he had worked hard to become an outstanding Lord Candidate. I too had no wish for Wilfried to receive such treatment.
"As the Aub of Ehrenfest, I will not choose to let Rozemyne go. You accepted the engagement as an obligation, I told you back then, didn't I? ...Yet despite making me endure it to that extent, what does it mean that Rozemyne is becoming the King's adopted daughter? And now you want me to play the role of fiancé for another year while maintaining the status quo? I'm supposed to spend a year acting as if nothing happened, Rozemyne becomes royalty and abandons Ehrenfest, I lose my position as the next Aub, and I'm supposed to stand in the crosshairs of the remaining Leisegang faction again?!"
Wilfried's anguished cry pierced my heart.
Wilfried, who had gone quiet for a moment, gritted his teeth once, then slammed the table again.
"...This is absurd! If Father had made a decision, Rozemyne would never have become the King's adopted daughter!"
Wilfried shouted that if he had been confirmed as the next Aub, the royal family's demands could have been rejected. But this time, the acquisition of the Gutrissheit was involved, and rejecting the royal family's demands would have been difficult.
"If Rozemyne had become the next Aub and the engagement could have been dissolved, I would have been free. Leisegang would have been satisfied that their wishes were being fulfilled, and they wouldn't have cared whether I lived or died, whether I was a Lord Candidate or not. But if Rozemyne becomes the King's adopted daughter and is gone, Ehrenfest will be thrown into turmoil no matter what. What am I supposed to do?!"
Not being able to see the future, and having the possibility of losing one's position and even one's life—it's terribly distressing. I understand that. Father gazed at Wilfried with his deep green eyes.
"...You can live however you like, Wilfried."
"Huh?"
"If you're not becoming the next Aub, then suppressing Leisegang isn't your job. You don't need to go out of your way to stand in the crosshairs—just leave it to me, Brünhilde, or whoever aims for the next Aub. As long as you don't forget your responsibilities as a member of the lord's family, there's no need to shoulder extra burdens as the next Aub."
Father told him to throw such baggage at whoever was supposed to carry it, and Wilfried looked utterly flabbergasted.
"A year from now, if the engagement with Rozemyne is dissolved, you'll be free. Like Bonifatius, you can serve Ehrenfest as a Lord Candidate. In five years, you could go to another duchy as a husband. You could become a Giebe filling a current need in Ehrenfest, or like Rozemyne, you could create new industries for Ehrenfest. You could take whatever lectures you like in the Knight Course and become a Knight Commander like Bonifatius or Ferdinand. And of course, if you wish to pursue becoming the next Aub without being compared to Rozemyne, you're free to do so."
Just as Mother had laid out a path for Charlotte, Father was presenting Wilfried with whatever future paths he could think of.
"What do you want to become, Brother Wilfried?"
"...What do I... want to become?"
"For the next year, the plan is to maintain the status quo. Couldn't you spend that time thinking about how you want to live after the engagement with me is dissolved? Anything requires preparation, after all. How about making effective use of that year?"
At my suggestion, Wilfried looked at me skeptically. "You couldn't possibly be my fiancée."
"Just as Brother Wilfried couldn't see me as a fiancée, I couldn't see you as one either. I don't even know what the correct way is to interact with a fiancé. Being told 'but you're fiancés' was honestly... very painful."
Even though it wasn't an engagement either of us had wanted, being forced by those around us to talk about romance, and being told to act like a fiancée when we didn't know how—it was never a pleasant feeling.
"But I think that for the next year, we could spend time together as siblings."
As fiancés it didn't work, but as reasonably close siblings—we had managed that before. I extended my hand, asking "Does Brother Wilfried dislike even being siblings?"
Wilfried stared at my hand for a while, thinking, then his expression softened and he took my hand.
"...You're right. Being with you as a fiancée is painful for me too, but as a sister, I have no particular complaints. Let's maintain the status quo while searching for what lies beyond."
Whew. That was a difficult birth.
Everyone ended up choosing their own path.
Ehrenfest's next Aub won't be decided anytime soon.
As fiancés, Wilfried and Rozemyne are poorly matched, but as siblings, they should be able to get along.
Next is the retainers' choices.