Engagement Ceremony

Because it was the engagement ceremony, light makeup was applied and my hair was being arranged. Turi's hair ornament and the rainbow-colored feystone hair ornament were inserted, their faint jingling sounds reaching my ears.

The outfit, put on me by several attendants, was dyed with young spring leaves, and the pale green skirt section was layered with a sheer fabric like a clear blue sky. When I pinched the sheer fabric slightly and released it, it fluttered with a feather-like movement.

Once the outfit was in place, a veil was gently placed over my head and secured with pins. While there was no need to inherit the customs of Ahrensbach, this was meant to show our intention to respect their culture as well. The veil, even paler blue than the outfit, was in the color of the Birth Season, and the lace-trimmed sheer fabric reminded me of Mariaveel.

...Somehow it looks a bit bridal? Ah, well, it's an engagement ceremony so maybe that's to be expected. But no. Once I start thinking about that, I'm going to get embarrassed.

"You look beautiful, Lady Rozemyne."

"I'm sure Lord Ferdinand will be quite surprised as well."

While Rihetera and Gretia directed the attendant candidates in packing away makeup supplies and preparing outfits and shoes, Clarissa entered the room.

"Nobles are gathering at the castle one after another, Lady Rozemyne. All the Giebes have reportedly arrived. Some of them seem to be looking around inside the new castle."

"I did tell the Giebes that it was decided suddenly and they didn't have to come, but..."

While I'm thinking that having too many people will make me nervous, Clarissa excitedly insists that no one would want to miss the chance to see the incarnation of the goddess who healed an entire duchy.

"Hey, Clarissa. Have my adoptive father and the others arrived?"

"Yes. The Aub couple, the Knight Commander couple, and Bonifatius have all arrived."

It was an engagement ceremony during a period leading up to the Archduke Conference. No matter that he was my parent, my adoptive father was not in a position where he could leave the duchy for several days for an engagement ceremony. However, since there was now a large quantity of feystones filled with divine power, he was able to participate by using a teleportation circle.

"Oh, and Damuel has come along as one of Bonifatius's guard knights. Unfortunately, the minors had to stay behind on house-sitting duty. I heard Philine and Judith gave him extremely resentful looks."

I might need to get something as a souvenir for Philine and the others. I'll ask Clarissa to pick something out for me.

"If you are ready, then let us present yourselves to the guests from Ehrenfest. If we miss this window, it will become difficult to exchange words. I'm sure the Aub couple and Lord Karstedd are all looking forward to seeing you, Lady Rozemyne."

Prompted by Leonore, I nodded firmly. After the engagement ceremony, everyone was supposed to leave immediately. With the turmoil involving Ahrensbach, where I—an adopted daughter—had seized the foundation of Ahrensbach, become the incarnation of a goddess, and selected a new Zent, the preparations for the Archduke Conference would obviously be incredibly demanding.

And newly established Alexandria was even more strained than Ehrenfest. Honestly, we didn't have the luxury of hosting guests of Aub status for several days.

"My, Rozemyne, congratulations on your engagement. How beautiful you are!"

When my mother congratulated me in her vibrant voice, everyone praised today's outfit one after another.

"Yes, Elvira is truly right. It feels like she's become so much more womanly and beautiful in the short time since I last saw her."

"Just a bit of makeup and you look remarkably more mature. As long as you don't open your mouth, that is."

I thanked my adoptive mother, but I gave my adoptive father a light glare. I didn't want to be told that by someone who looks like a respectable Aub as long as he keeps quiet.

"Adoptive Father, please do keep your mouth closed. You'll ruin the perfectly good Aub outfit."

"Oh my, Sylvester. Rozemyne's beauty isn't solely thanks to makeup. It's the radiance of the Goddess of Light who has gained the Darkness God. ...So, Rozemyne. How did you and Lord Ferdinand come to share your feelings?"

...Mother is in top form. Her eyes are sparkling.

"Whyyyy, Rozemyne!? Why Ferdinand!?"

"Father, you're being far too persistent!"

My father and I worked together, and Grandfather's guard knights tried desperately to restrain him, but he wasn't stopping at all.

"Father isn't wearing a knight's outfit today, I see."

"Because he's participating as your biological father. I apologize for Father making a fuss. He was originally supposed to stay behind, but Wilfried said that since Bonifatius would be going, they could manage one day of house-sitting themselves."

Apparently, Wilfried, feeling sorry for Grandfather being left behind after he couldn't attend the Zent's coronation ceremony, had offered for Grandfather to join. Watching Grandfather barking like he was about to die, am I the only one thinking this was unnecessary?

"You said you weren't in love with anyone! Was that a lie, Rozemyne!?"

"...I didn't lie. I am not in love with Lord Ferdinand."

Everyone simultaneously gasped and turned to look at me with shocked expressions. I could almost hear their silent screams of "What are you saying?" Feeling the immense pressure of their collective reproach, I hurriedly added more words.

"A-ah, well, I don't really understand the concept of being in love, but Lord Ferdinand told me he doesn't expect any romantic feelings from me. He said he wanted us to remain as we are and become a real family. So, we're getting engaged to become a real family."

Everyone stared at me intently. Was I still not saying enough? Feeling the silent pressure, I involuntarily took a step back, and Grandfather's blue eyes glared sternly.

"In other words, this engagement is only to fulfill Ferdinand's wishes? An engagement where Rozemyne cannot be happy is..."

"No, Grandfather. It also fulfills my own wishes. There is no one other than Lord Ferdinand who can help me make my ideals a reality. Besides, just having Lord Ferdinand there gives me peace of mind. Unlike when it came to brother Wilfried or when the engagement with Prince Sigiswald was brought up, I don't dislike this engagement at all. So please rest assured."

Grandfather and my adoptive father both held their heads and let out deep sighs. Had I done something wrong? Did you have to be in love to get engaged or married? I was getting the sense that my adoptive father was about to say "You should call off this engagement," and I felt like crying.

"I'll build Lord Ferdinand's research laboratory, provide the Magic Power needed for his research, come up with delicious meals and help him live a healthy life... I intend to make Lord Ferdinand as happy as I possibly can. I promise you that much at least... so please don't oppose the engagement."

As silence fell, my adoptive mother lightly tapped my adoptive father's arm, saying, "Sylvester, you shouldn't make her anxious right before the engagement ceremony."

"I have no intention of opposing it. I was just reflecting on how I've been until now. ...I'm entrusting my brother to you."

After that, I received congratulations on the engagement from my mothers, and blessings from my retainers as well. Unlike Matthias and the others who congratulated me normally, Damuel—who had come from Ehrenfest along with Grandfather—had a rather complicated expression.

"I think it's very joyous news, but it does feel quite strange that Lord Ferdinand and Lady Rozemyne are getting engaged. I've known Lady Rozemyne since before the Baptism Ceremony, so perhaps that's why it feels even more so."

"The same could be said for you and Philine, couldn't it?"

I wondered how things were between Philine, whom I'd known since the Baptism Ceremony, and Damuel. When I tilted my head, Damuel nodded several times while saying, "Indeed."

...Did something happen?

"Congratulations on your engagement. If Rozemyne desires an engagement with Lord Ferdinand, then as your brother, I congratulate you. But don't be swayed too easily. It's sometimes necessary to take a firm stance with Lord Ferdinand, you know."

Brother Cornelius told me this with a serious look in his eyes. I could tell he was worried about the arrival of winter.

"Lord Ferdinand wouldn't do anything like that, so everyone is worrying too much. Speaking of worrying about me, Leonore, are you taking a firm stance with Brother Cornelius?"

"...What does Leonore and my relationship have to do with anything?"

...Huh, so he looked away at that point? Interesting.

The grand hall was filled with a large number of nobles. Since Ahrensbach was a large duchy, there were naturally far more nobles than in Ehrenfest. This was especially apparent once I stepped up onto the platform.

Ferdinand entered with his retainers. The outfit was tailored in the Ahrensbach style. While there were differences in the cuffs, the jacket—reminiscent of the ethnic clothing from Klarus—suited Ferdinand's tall frame perfectly. The cloth wrapped over the deep green jacket used Ehrenfest's dyed fabric.

Since my retainers and I were on the right side of the platform, Ferdinand brought his retainers up onto the left side. As this was a public engagement ceremony, Ferdinand wore a splendid social smile. Standing right in the center between us was Hartmut.

"This engagement between Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand has been decided by royal decree."

Hartmut held up the document bearing Eglantine's signature, unfolded it wide, and presided over the engagement ceremony. He had been enthusiastic about conducting the proceedings since he said there was no one else for the job, so I left it to him, but I couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy about the possibility of him running off on a tangent.

In theory, the engagement should have been officially approved at the Archduke Conference during the Star Binding Ceremony, but the reason for rushing the engagement was explained: it was necessary to be formally engaged in preparation for the Archduke Conference. From there, he launched into the story about the reproduction of ancient magic and the large-scale healing performed by the incarnation of the goddess. I braced myself for him to keep going, but Hartmut refrained from going off on too much of a tangent and instead prompted me with, "Now, let us exchange feystones."

When I stood up, Rihetera held out a box containing the feystone. I took the feystone from the box and, trying to appear as elegant as possible, stepped forward before Ferdinand.

"My Darkness God. By the guidance of the supreme divine couple in the heavens, this marriage has been decreed."

I declared to everyone that this was an engagement by royal decree. It was a statement that this was not something that could be easily overturned.

"With the thunder of Fairdrenna, spring arrives, and Blue Anfa dances. As the young leaves deepen their blue, the guidance of Leidenschaft was given."

This was supposed to express my gratitude to Ferdinand for his role as guardian and as the teacher who educated me, and to request that he continue guiding me—those were the instructions I had given Roderich. But for some reason Blue Anfa was dancing everywhere, and in the end the sleeves and mantle of the Darkness God were fluttering about. I tried to decode the memorized text, but it really didn't seem to match what I had intended at all.

But my retainers said it was fitting for an engagement ceremony, and everyone in the grand hall looked impressed or let out soft sighs, so I had no choice but to continue with what I'd memorized. I simply didn't have the literary talent to spontaneously express my feelings in the language of the gods.

"I wish to brightly illuminate your world, and I offer this feystone to my Darkness God."

I held out the feystone inscribed with "Please allow me to embroider your mantle." I had tried writing something noblish like "Let us become family," but I wondered if he would be pleased. Only family could embroider someone's mantle. Ferdinand had once had the mantle given to him by his father taken by Veronica when he entered the Temple, and he had been so happy about the new mantle from Sylvester, saying "Not until I officially receive it in Ahrensbach," so I wanted to prepare a proper mantle for him.

Ferdinand looked at my feystone and I could see him catch his breath slightly. His social smile crumbled, and for just one brief moment, he wore a genuine, savoring-happiness smile as he grasped the engagement feystone. He quickly returned to his social smile, but I could tell at a glance that he was incredibly pleased.

When I let out a small chuckle, Ferdinand pursed his lips and said, "I'll decide the design." Perhaps this was the moment to point out that his ears were red. Or should I say, "Please keep the design simple"?

"Lord Ferdinand."

Eustachius called out in a low voice. Ferdinand glanced behind him, then carefully placed my feystone back in the box and picked up his own feystone instead.

"In Yurgenschmidt, you brought Glutrisheit—you are the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom, my Goddess of Light. The all-consuming darkness stretched endlessly, without end."

Ferdinand's words were filled with one divine name after another. If he had written them in a letter, I could have taken my time decoding them, but when spoken so fluently, I couldn't understand them. However, I could see that my mother's eyes were sparkling, and several women were covering their mouths and trembling, so it seemed he was delivering some truly devastating words of love.

...At any rate, I got the gist of it: the Goddess of Light who illuminates the darkness, the Water Goddess who brings change, the Wind Goddess who protects against all malice, and the Earth Goddess who accepts everything—he was comparing me to all the goddesses. Right. It was so over the top that I wasn't sure how much of it to believe, but still.

"I offer this feystone to my Goddess of Light."

Ferdinand said this and held out his feystone. I took the feystone in my hand. Inside the feystone containing all elements, golden glowing letters could be seen.

"I will protect you along with the territory of Alexandria."

I was reminded of the words and promises Father had once made, and my heart pounded. Ferdinand never said things he couldn't do from the start. He also never said things he had no intention of doing. That was precisely why making a promise like this in such a moment felt unfair. I already had the certainty and reassurance that he would always be by my side, yet my pulse quickened, my hand holding the feystone trembled, and my throat grew tight. I could feel my cheeks flushing and my eyes growing moist.

"Lord Ferdinand... Um, I..."

I wasn't sure what to say, but I felt I had to convey my feelings. But the words wouldn't come. They were right there at the back of my throat, so close, but they wouldn't come out.

Ferdinand rose to his feet and spread his sleeves like a curtain to shield me from everyone's gaze, then quickly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.

"Don't cry in a place like this. There's no point consoling you anyway."

"...I can only assume you engraved those words on the feystone on purpose."

As we exchanged hushed words, a sound rose from the nobles that was somewhere between a cheer and a scream. I flinched in surprise at the unexpected noise, and the tears stopped instantly.

"What happened?"

When I looked around, Ferdinand made a bitter expression.

"...I've made a mistake."

"Wh-what kind of mistake did you make?"

"Don't ask."

...Why!?

Ferdinand let out a sigh and stepped away from me. Hartmut had a troubled look on his face. Eustachius was desperately trying to suppress his laughter, and Rihetera was slightly flushed, her gaze wandering aimlessly.

My mother was the only one beaming with joy, waving her schtappe as it glowed. My adoptive father wore a lukewarm smile, and Grandfather was pumping his fist—not his schtappe, but his actual fist—as Father, Brother Cornelius, and the other guard knights desperately tried to hold him back.

"Hartmut, this is your job. Proceed."

At Ferdinand's words, Hartmut composed himself and spoke.

"Let us offer our blessings to the two of whom the engagement has been officially concluded!"

The nobles raised their schtappes and lit them up in unison.

I managed to buy some time, and using a teleportation circle, our guardians arrived from Ehrenfest.

The minors were left on house-sitting duty. Philine and Judith were very upset about it.

We are now officially engaged.

Next time, the Aub of Alexandria's library.