"I was told by Father as well, so I need to read the letters and write my replies as soon as possible. However, I've already sent the luggage with the letters to the library, so I'll be heading there tomorrow."
After finishing dinner and returning to my room, I informed my retainers of tomorrow's plans.
"First I'll have the Attendants select colors appropriate for each season for me. Then we can set aside the fabrics for Mother,
"To hand over the fabrics, we'll need to hold tea parties. What would you like to do about that?"
"Huh? Tea parties?"
Apparently, when distributing gifts, it was considered proper to give them individually whenever possible, so as not to create comparisons or breed resentment.
...Ugh, what a pain. I can't keep throwing tea parties just to hand out souvenirs!
"Ottilie, I simply don't have time to select each gift and then host a tea party for every single person. Please think of another way."
The retainers knew better than anyone how busy I was with handover duties and couldn't spare the time for repeated tea parties. The Attendants all looked troubled, thinking hard.
"I feel rather hesitant asking this of Mother, given her condition, but what if after I select my share, we give everything else to Mother and let her distribute them from there?"
"That wouldn't be ideal. It would turn gifts from Lady
Ottilie said that, given the factional dynamics and power structures, it was better not to break the form of gifts coming from me.
"...But I'm leaving in a year, so I think it would be better to entrust them to Mother for the sake of future factional balance. She's the one whose position is most unstable right now."
I hadn't realized it until I heard it at a tea party with
Wilfried had wanted to dissolve our engagement. He'd said he didn't want to become the next Aub. Having the engagement dissolved and his position destabilized was what he'd wished for, so he could accept it. Charlotte and
But Mother had been secure in her position because I, backed by the
Brunhilde and I were close in age, so even if Brunhilde bore children, if Wilfried and I had children of our own, it was obvious which side the Leisegang faction would prioritize. Mother had welcomed Brunhilde's appointment as second wife.
But once my engagement to Wilfried was dissolved, all of those assumptions were overturned. The Leisegang-aligned nobles would all rally behind Brunhilde, and if she bore children, the chances of a child of Mother's blood becoming Aub would drop significantly.
"...Lady Rozemyne, wouldn't you prioritize the Leisegang nobles—your retainers—and Lady Brunhilde? If you dissolve your engagement with Lord Wilfried and terminate the adoption with the Aub, your only remaining ties to Ehrenfest would be your birth family—namely, your connection to Leisegang."
Ottilie asked quietly, watching me intently. I could feel the retainers' gazes as they waited for my answer. I understood that my response would greatly influence the actions of those who would remain in Ehrenfest.
"I want to strengthen Mother's and Charlotte's positions."
I said clearly, looking around at my retainers, most of whom were Leisegang-aligned nobles. I didn't want Mother's position to become unstable, and I didn't want Charlotte—who had chosen to stay in Ehrenfest as a mediator—to end up in a disadvantaged position.
"Brunhilde became second wife to unite the Leisegang faction and stabilize Ehrenfest. She never intended to threaten Mother's position. I will support Mother, the first wife, not Brunhilde."
Mother had also been struggling with the generational transition, her position destabilized by the second wife Tordeleide, who had the backing of powerful forces. She wouldn't blame me for my choice.
"...Very well. We shall set aside approximately half of these fabrics for Lady Rozemyne and entrust the other half to Lady Florence."
"You're keeping half?"
I only needed to select colors for each season—why half? When I blinked in surprise, Ottilie gave a mischievous little smile.
"Oh my, aren't we going to distribute any to our own retainers?"
That had completely slipped my mind. Of course, I should thank my retainers who always worked so hard for me, ahead of even Mother. After having them select my own shares, I told the retainers to pick out whichever fabrics they liked. Then I decided to send all the remaining fabrics to Mother, along with a note asking her to distribute them to the others.
The next day, I went to the library with Gretea as my sole Attendant, all my scholarly attendants, and all my guard knights. We also brought
"Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne."
"I've returned, Lassapham. I need to sort through the packages that have arrived here. Have the raw materials been taken to the workshop? Also, as I requested by Myneletter, I'd like to have a desk and writing materials set up in the hidden room so I can read and write letters..."
"Both are prepared. Once Lady Rozemyne opens the hidden room, they can be set up right away."
After confirming that the chefs were being led to the kitchen by the apprentice attendants, I headed to the workshop with Lassapham in the lead. True to my instructions, packages had been delivered to the workshop.
"Please have the scholarly attendants sort through the materials in this box. Follow Hartmut's instructions. The male guard knights, please help out here as well.
When all the scholarly attendants were mobilized, even
"I'll be reading letters and writing replies in the hidden room, so please handle the sorting and organizing of materials. You know how to sort and store them, correct?"
"Of course. Leave it to us."
Both the
I asked Gretea to retrieve a letter from the box containing items sent by
"This is rather sudden, but I'd like to set up this table and writing materials here for now. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes. There's no need to prepare new furniture."
I nodded at Lassapham and opened the hidden room. Inside were a chair and a Magical Tool containing Ferdinand's "highly commendable." I didn't particularly want others touching it, so I took the leather bag containing the Magical Tool in hand and stepped back out of the hidden room. Then I waited while the table and writing materials were set up inside.
Once the table was in place, I had Gretea bring in the ink and paper I'd brought from the castle, and laid out the letter on top. The disappearing ink was already prepared.
...I'm perfect.
"Alright then, I'll go read now. I only need
Once alone inside the hidden room, I immediately began with Letizia's letter, since Father had told me to reply promptly. It wasn't that I was deliberately saving Ferdinand's letter because it would probably be full of lectures.
The letter described how she had received the cute Schmuil Magical Tool with her parents' voices recorded in it and was very happy. She had initially not known at what point and in what manner to use it against Ferdinand, but
"Thanks to Justus, I've gotten good at using the Schmuil Magical Tool properly... Wait, now that I picture it, that's surreal."
I imagined Justus saying things like "Now!" or "Use it at a time like this!" while presenting the white Schmuil stuffed toy with a crisp flourish to Ferdinand during his lessons, his brow deeply furrowed. The thought brought an absurd wave of laughter welling up.
From the Schmuil came her voice saying "Please praise me once in a while," and Ferdinand would no doubt make a grimace of distaste as he forced out words of praise. If I watched from nearby, I'd probably become the target of his peculiar venting, so it was better to observe from a safe distance.
"Still, Letizia really suffers without sweets... Ferdinand, couldn't you go a little easier on her?"
The letter explained that after the spring Lord's Conference, his education had suddenly become much harsher. The reason wasn't included, but it seemed to be something essential for
"...Hmm, maybe she needs new sweets."
I had been dividing cookies and quatre-quarts into small portions and bagging them so Ferdinand could hand them out easily, but perhaps I should also prepare things like ice cream and tiramisu—items that couldn't be transported without a time-freezing Magical Tool.
For now, the letter said Letizia was very grateful to me, and when Ferdinand sent his thanks in return, she had asked to have her own delivered along with his.
And when she had been wondering what to send as thanks, Justus had suggested spices and seasonings—things that could broaden the range of cooking. It seemed she and Justus were getting along quite well.
...Well, she would certainly be easier to talk to than Ferdinand or Brother
"Since she might not know how to use things that don't exist in Ehrenfest, I've included Ahrensbach recipes that I asked the head chef about, following Justus's advice... because of that. Lady Rozemyne, you're seriously the best!"
I quickly skimmed the enclosed recipes. They were all unfamiliar ingredients, so there was no way to know what they'd taste like without actually making them. I'd have to rely on Hugo and the others' efforts.
...Come to think of it, maybe I could cook something with the new seasonings and spices she sent and ship it back to her?
I wrote that I would send new sweets so Letizia could study a little more happily, that I was glad she enjoyed the Schmuil Magical Tool, and that I wanted her to try some new dishes I planned to make with the seasonings she'd sent.
Ferdinand's harsher teaching apparently had its reasons, and Letizia seemed to understand. I couldn't irresponsibly tell her to ask Ferdinand to be nicer to her. The best I could do was advise Ferdinand to lower the bar for his words of praise and suggest that she push for plenty of compliments.
...Maybe Letizia also needed a recording Magical Tool loaded with "highly commendable."
After finishing Letizia's letter, it was time to read Ferdinand's. There were several letters, so surely at least one would contain scolding and at least one would have words of praise.
"...Which one should I read first?"
Heart pounding, I broke the seal. I unfolded it with a rustle, and scolding was lined up as far as the eye could see.
First came reprimands about how negotiating with royalty to grant a hidden room to a fiancée was extremely unconventional, and how obtaining an exemption from collective punishment through direct negotiation showed excessive worry.
It explained why fiancées weren't given rooms, and how granting one would appear to those around you. Apparently, by securing a royal decree to grant a hidden room, I had done something equivalent to forcing the king to order Dieterlinde to allow men into her bedroom before marriage—and to order Ferdinand to live in the same room as Dieterlinde before they were even married.
I had been trying to keep even a little distance from Dieterlinde, so what on earth was this? When Ferdinand had heard that the king would decree a hidden room, he had apparently been holding his head in his hands.
...Whaaaaat! That wasn't my intention!
For her safety, Dieterlinde had prepared a room in the western wing, and they had both been relieved. However, the room couldn't be granted until just before the funeral, and during their busiest period they had to move, so the relocation had been extremely troublesome.
The room Ferdinand was given had been used back when
...But I understand Brother Eckhart's and Justus's caution. You have to be thorough with these things.
After confirming no traces of poison, they purified the entire room with waschen before moving in. During all of this, Ferdinand had been converting the hidden room into a workshop.
"Because of the move, the distance to the office increased, and it became even farther from Georgine's estate, making it harder for Justus to obtain information. Besides, I can manage without a hidden room. However, it is true that I had been wanting to acquire a workshop as soon as possible, so I shall let this matter rest..." Wait, you've been writing all these lectures up until now! And you call that letting it rest!?
Hmph! I glared at the letter in indignation. Ferdinand and I clearly needed to align our understanding of what "letting it rest" meant.
"Also, I sleep better napping in the hidden room than in an actual bed, so next time I'd like a long chair. The one used during the interduchy tournament was extremely comfortable..." Wait, that long chair was the one you gave me! Didn't you say something about leaving it behind in my place? So either send it to me if you have somewhere to put it, or are you saying I should order a new one!?
At any rate, it was clear Ferdinand wanted to enrich his hidden-room lifestyle. But he might actually start refusing to leave it entirely, so I'd wait to hear Justus's and Brother Eckhart's opinions on the long chair installation before deciding. Yes, that was the plan.
Beyond the letters about the hidden room, there were also ones covering the situation in Ahrensbach, centered around Lanzeneve's visit. The content seemed to have been written just before the funeral began.
When the king's decision to refuse Lanzeneve's princess was relayed, Lanzeneve's envoy presented their side of the story—conveniently doctored—and Dieterlinde sympathized with Lanzeneve, making things extremely complicated.
During the funeral period, she had tried to arrange meetings between the royal family and Lanzeneve, and had offered to hand over magic stones being exported to Lanzeneve at virtually no cost during this time of Magic Power shortage, throwing the trade relationship into complete chaos. When it got so bad that Ferdinand dropped the hammer, Dieterlinde didn't show remorse—instead shouting "You don't truly love me!" and rushing out of the estate where Lanzeneve's envoy was staying.
"No one present could understand what kind of psychological state could produce such words, and everyone was at a loss. As fellow oddities, perhaps you can understand her?"... Wait, whaaaat? Even I wouldn't understand that!
Everything was like this, but thanks to Dieterlinde being enamored with Lanzeneve's prince and keeping him nearby, Ferdinand could focus on work and had gained a bit of emotional breathing room. Still, his workload had increased to incomparable levels.
"Lady Dieterlinde, that's going a bit too far, no matter what..."
Georgine was apparently struggling to admonish Dieterlinde and drag her back from her frequent visits to the estate where Lanzeneve's envoy was staying. Dieterlinde being led back to the castle by Georgine had apparently been witnessed numerous times.
Dieterlinde's behavior was so terrible that Letizia's education had to be made stricter, but within the castle, efforts were coalescing to make Letizia the next Aub as quickly as possible.
...Hmm, could that also be attributed to Lady Dieterlinde?
After Father's arrival and after the alchemical tools and materials had been delivered, the only remaining letters were about magic paper.
The samples of highest-quality magic paper I had sent had turned out to be of unexpected quality. The recipe consumed so much Magic Power in production that it gave him a headache just looking at it. With a Magical Tool that ate this much Magic Power, it would be difficult to provide appropriate compensation. Having reviewed the recipe, he was struck dumb by how wasteful it all was.
"For the above reasons, I have hastily created an improved recipe. Send the magic paper made according to this formula..." Wait, so instead of resting, you've been shut up in the workshop improving recipes! Couldn't that have waited!?
The letter included plausible reasoning about needing to secure as much production time as possible, given the enormous request of three hundred sheets of highest-quality magic paper, but that was no excuse for running himself ragged during a funeral.
The letter also said he had sent the materials needed for the new recipe. Most of what had been packed in that box was material for the new magic paper. None of it was a return gift or souvenir for me.
"Oh, honestly, Ferdinand! Demanding this from the royal family is ridiculous, but I was glad about the hidden room. Just be honest and say you got so absorbed in your first alchemical work in ages that you couldn't stop!"
His high spirits were evident from the letters full of tangential alchemical knowledge and material trivia unrelated to the recipe. He had clearly been enjoying his research immensely.
The new magic paper recipe written on the back was in disappearing ink. It glowed as I touched it, so I transcribed it onto another sheet.
"...Hm?"
The last line wasn't part of the recipe. I set down my pen and stared at the words.
"Could you tell me your
I didn't know what intent lay behind those words.
Was Geduldh being used to mean "homeland," or did it carry some other meaning? How should I answer? What kind of response would my answer provoke? The more I thought about it, the less I understood.
Perhaps he already knew I would be leaving Ehrenfest in a year? Or perhaps he had merely deduced from the other duchies' movements at the Lord's Conference that I would become the High Priest at the Central Temple. As I turned these thoughts over, Ferdinand's face floated unbidden to mind.
A face that was terribly still, utterly devoid of emotion. Pale gold eyes gazing straight at me, and a voice so cold it sent a chill from the soles of my feet to my core: "Do you wish to become king?"
"I do not. What I wish for is to read books."
That was what I had answered then. But now, I couldn't answer so easily.
"If it would help Ferdinand, I wouldn't mind obtaining the
Now, that feeling was probably the stronger one. And I had already taken action without any consultation with Ferdinand. I was already the next Zent candidate, and before the next Lord's Conference, I was going to become the king's adopted daughter and obtain the Grutrissheit.
...What would Ferdinand think of that?
The thought of how Ferdinand would view my choice terrified me, and I found myself unable to give an answer about my own Geduldh. I avoided the question, wrote my reply to the letter, and left the hidden room.
"I need to make three hundred sheets of magic paper, exactly according to Ferdinand's recipe."
If I became the next Zent, I wouldn't be able to do alchemy on Ferdinand's behalf. And if I became engaged to
...I'd give my answer after the magic paper was done.
I postponed the problem.
Just as Rozemyne could no longer write everything in letters due to various circumstances, Ferdinand didn't tell me everything either. He had always been secretive.
My answer to the mysterious question could wait.
Right now, fulfilling Ferdinand's wish was what mattered.
Next would be the Starbinding and the Trombe hunt.