Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 3.1 - Chapter 9

The Archduke’s Castle 

“So, Fran—what is the Starbind Ceremony like in the Noble’s Quarter?” I asked as I ate lunch in the High Bishop’s chambers. 

Fran’s eyes wandered uncomfortably. “The same cannot be said for most other blue priests, but, as the High Priest already has attendants at his estate in the Noble’s Quarter, there was never much for me to do. His other temple attendants and I would simply wait in the estate for his return. We were given the same food as usual, and while the High Priest allowed us to use our time there to rest, we struggled to relax without any work to do. As a result, we would all usually gather to discuss work-related matters.” 

Apparently, Ferdinand’s attendants were all serious workaholics. The fact that he thought he was giving them time to rest, unaware that they were in actuality listless and uncomfortable without work, brought tears of sympathy to my eyes—metaphorical tears, at least. 

“I would feel more at ease staying behind in the temple. The Noble’s Quarter is... not a particularly pleasant place for gray priests to be,” Fran added quietly. 

I lowered my eyes. It was easy to imagine how much prejudice there was in the Noble’s Quarter, and the thought made me a little hesitant to go there. 

As I sipped my post-meal tea, I heard the footsteps of several people approaching my door. Given that the only other room past the High Bishop’s chambers was the ritual chamber, it was safe to assume that they had business with me. 

“Rozemyne, did I not tell you to hurry?! You are the last one to appear. Everyone else is waiting!” Ferdinand stated angrily as he strode into my room. 

“Okay, okay!” 

I hurriedly gulped down the rest of my tea, slid off of my chair, and exited the room with Rosina. My guard knights, both of whom had been keeping their backs rigidly straight since Ferdinand’s loud entrance, were following behind us. 

The plan was for me to stay at the archduke’s castle for the night. Karstedt and Elvira had already prepared a room for me, having sent over clothes and other such things, so I was told that I wouldn’t have to bring much myself. All I needed was my ceremonial High Bishop robes. 

Rosina climbed into the same carriage as the attendants, while I stepped into one with Ferdinand and my knights. I wasn’t sure whether it was because they were of a lower status or because they had been trained as apprentice knights by Ferdinand, but Damuel and Brigitte both seemed smaller and more restrained than usual once we were inside. 

We passed through the wide-open Noble’s Gate to enter the Noble’s Quarter, and then headed over to the massive wall stretching out along its far end. Here we passed through another huge gate, bringing us to the archduke’s castle—or at least, bringing us to where we could see it. It was a radiant, elegant shade of white, seemingly made out of the same material as the temple and the Noble’s Quarter. It looked to be either three or four stories high from the outside, but as I had previously lived in the lower city where six- to seven-story buildings were commonly packed together, the castle itself didn’t seem particularly large. That was probably why it seemed to lack some oomph for me. 

But boy, was it big. In fact, there was so much land between the gate and the castle that walking between the two would be a bit unreasonable. I honestly wanted to ask them to lend some land to the people living in the cramped lower city. The sheer amount of space was probably a signifier of wealth, and I could see buildings I didn’t know the purpose of dotting the lengthy expanse leading to the castle grounds. 

“Those buildings are where the tutors and forest rangers live. There are also farms and orchards, training grounds for the Knight’s Order, barracks for the knights, and a smattering of gardens for tea parties. You will be living in the northern building. The western building is where the archduke’s second and third wives will live when he marries again.” 

I watched as the training grounds and beautifully kept gardens passed by the carriage window, until we eventually reached the castle’s northern entrance. The entrance on the southern side was for workers such as scholars, knights, and nobles who had administrative business with the archduke, while the northern entrance was used by private visitors and the archduke’s family. 

...Yeah, anyone would struggle to feel at home if you had to walk through a crowd of busily working scholars to reach your house. 

I watched Rosina descend from the attendants’ carriage and have the servants take several pieces of luggage from inside. She was the only one who got out, and once our belongings had been taken care of, the carriage departed. Ferdinand’s attendants were probably heading to his own estate. 

Once Rosina had prepared everything, the door to our carriage was opened. Damuel and Brigitte alighted first, then Ferdinand, who held out a hand to help me climb down. Memories of Damuel’s failed attempt immediately flashed through my mind. I looked down to make sure that I could reach the steps, only to earn an immediate scolding from Ferdinand. “Don’t look down,” he murmured quietly so that no one else could hear. 

“I have to. I’ll fall if I don’t watch where I step,” I protested in an equally low voice. Ferdinand briefly closed his eyes, then hefted me into the air and set me down on the ground. I gave him a bright smile and said, “I thank you ever so much,” but all he did was sigh. 

Why?! 

The northern entrance had opened in the meantime, and I saw several people coming out to greet us. There would normally be a lot more, but everyone was busy due to the Starbind Ceremony. 

The butler-esque older man at the front knelt down, and all those behind him followed suit. “Welcome home, Lord Ferdinand. And I presume this is Lady Rozemyne. May I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the vibrant summer rays of Leidenschaft the God of Fire?” 

“You may,” I replied. 

“O Leidenschaft, may my young mistress be blessed. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Rozemyne. I am Norbert, and I am in charge of the attendants in this castle. I look forward to serving you.” A fluffy-looking blue light flew toward me as he spoke, which I accepted into me. I hadn’t been wrong to think that he looked like a butler; he pretty much was one. 

“I am Rozemyne. I trust you to serve me well.” 

Norbert stood once he had finished his self-introduction and turned. “Now, would the reassigned knights please step forward.” I froze in place, having no idea why my knights were suddenly being reassigned until Ferdinand took it upon himself to explain. 

“As Damuel and Brigitte are both unmarried adults, they must attend the nighttime feast that follows the Starbind Ceremony. It is about time for them to be getting changed in the knights’ barracks.” 

“Oh, I see.” 

It wasn’t hard to guess that the feast would be a place for unmarried people to search for partners, just as the lower city’s nighttime feast was. For today, I would be assigned apprentice knights who had not yet reached adulthood. 

“Cornelius. Angelica,” Norbert called. 

Two apprentice knights sharply stood up and stepped forward. One was Cornelius, my older brother, and the other was Angelica, a young-looking girl who seemed to be about Cornelius’s age. She had light-blue hair and dark-blue eyes. It was clear that Brigitte was a female knight from the striking aura around her, but Angelica hardly seemed like a knight at all—she was an adorable little girl with lithe, slender features. I would have more easily accepted that she was an attendant. 

“These are Cornelius and Angelica, who will serve as your guards,” Ferdinand said. “You already know Cornelius, so I shall spare you his details. As for Angelica, you can consider her to be your guard for the Noble’s Quarter. Her appearance makes her quite fitting for standing guard during feasts and tea parties.” His words were enough for me to trust that Angelica was skilled enough to be a knight, but the fact that she was such a pretty little girl still made the thought a little jarring. 

The knights switched places, and I began walking through the castle. All around me were pure white staircases, and equally white hallways that stretched into the distance. The only injections of color were the carpets spread across the floor, which were blue to represent the divine color of summer, and the tapestries hanging on the wall. Nobody explained what was behind any of the doors we were passing. 

We climbed to the second floor and, while walking down yet another hallway, I saw a separated mansion through the window. I pointed at it, and Ferdinand explained that it was the northern building. This was where the archduke’s children lived once they had finished their baptism, and it was connected to the main castle through a hallway that joined onto the second floor. I assumed that was where we would be heading, but Norbert stopped at a nearby door instead. 

“Please follow me. I shall introduce you to your attendants, Lady Rozemyne.” 

My two guards stood beside the door while Ferdinand and I entered with Norbert. It was a parlor-esque room that had a bench, several chairs, and a table, near which a truly old-looking woman who seemed like a physical manifestation of the word “granny” was standing. Ferdinand’s mouth twitched slightly the second he saw her—an unusual reaction for him. 

“Rihyarda, are you to be Rozemyne’s...?” 

“That’s right. Lord Sylvester personally asked me to look after her.” 

As I looked between Ferdinand and Rihyarda, Norbert took a step forward to introduce her. “Lady Rozemyne, this is Rihyarda. She will be your head attendant here.” 

“I appreciate your service,” I said, giving the curtsy that Elvira had drilled into me. Rihyarda broke into a grin. 

“I see that Lord Karstedt has raised you right. I always like to see someone who has such good manners. Lady Rozemyne, I am Rihyarda. It will no doubt be a pleasure to serve you,” Rihyarda said, before beginning to shout out instructions. “You’re Lady Rozemyne’s personal musician, yes? I’ve heard from Lord Sylvester that you’re very skilled. Norbert, take her to where she needs to be. I know that you need as many musicians as you can get today.” 

Norbert crossed his arms over his chest. “At once, Rihyarda. I entrust the rest to you.” At that, he exited the room with Rosina. He would apparently be taking her to a meeting of musicians preparing to play at the feast. 

“Now then, milady—it’s time for business,” Rihyarda said, and I reflexively stood up straight. “First, bathing. We will need to adjust your hairdo to match current trends. Once you are bathed, you will change clothes and eat with the family. Then, you will change into your ceremonial robes and attend the Starbind Ceremony. Once the ceremony is over, you will return to your room, bathe, and sleep. Any questions?” 

For a second, I had assumed that I would only be changing my clothes, but hearing Rihyarda mention bathing made me realize something—I needed to ask whether they had rinsham here. I hadn’t forgotten how dry and gross my hair got when washed with soap. 

“Excuse me, Rihyarda. I need something called rinsham to wash my hair properly. Could you ask my mother to prepare some? Without it, my hair gets dry and brittle. I would rather have an outdated hairstyle than damage my hair by using soap.” 

Rihyarda’s eyes widened as she listened, and then she let out a cackle. “A precocious one, aren’t you! My my my... Well then, consider it done. Could you ask Lady Elvira to handle this, Ferdinand, my boy?” 

...You’re going to make the High Priest run an errand, Rihyarda?! And you’re calling him “my boy”?! Holy cow! That doesn’t suit Ferdinand at all! 

I looked away from Ferdinand, holding back the urge to laugh. Seeing the look on his face now would absolutely make me burst into laughter. 

“...Rihyarda, could you stop calling me ‘boy’ already?” 

“I will when you get married, my boy.” 

Ferdinand is losing! Wow! Rihyarda is incredible! I so wish I could laugh right now. I’d be rolling around, pounding my fists against the floor! 

Ferdinand, no doubt having figured out what I was thinking, shot me a cold glare before walking to the balcony and morphing his feystone into a highbeast. He jumped onto it, and off into the sky he went. 

“I figure he’ll be back in no time. Let’s have some tea while we wait,” Rihyarda said, having already started to prepare some. 

“Erm, Rihyarda... May I ask what your history is with Ferdinand, Sylvester, and my father?” 

“I’d tutored Lord Karstedt since he was a little boy, and then I was Lord Sylvester’s wet nurse. It was more than a little tough for me since they both just loved to move around; neither one would ever sit still. I’ve known Lord Ferdinand since he was a young boy too, going all the way back to when he was first brought to the castle.” 

...Wow! To think there existed a powerhouse who’s known the whole trio since they were kids! 

Rihyarda was the widow of an archnoble, and already had grandchildren. Once Sylvester was too old for a wet nurse, she continued serving him as an attendant, and had now become my attendant at Sylvester’s request. 

Mm... I just hope I haven’t taken away one of the few things keeping our berserk archduke under control. 

We waited for a short while and, soon enough, Ferdinand returned with a small jar. He landed on the balcony and turned his highbeast back into a feystone before coming inside. 

“Thank you kindly, my boy.” 

“How many times must I ask you to stop...? No matter. I will be going to Sylvester’s office. Rihyarda, look after Rozemyne.” 

After observing the very rare sight that was Ferdinand running away, wearing an uncomfortable grimace as he did so, I was taken to my room in the northern building where the archduke’s children lived. 

“Here we are, milady.” 

Boys stayed on the second floor, and girls on the third. It was set in stone that boys would leave the building when they came of age, with the next generation’s archduke moving to the main building while the others moved to residences outside the castle. Girls, on the other hand, were technically allowed to stay until they got married. At the moment, Wilfried and I were the only ones living here. 

We entered through the second-floor hallway connecting the building to the main castle, which led us to a staircase. When I looked around, I noticed that there were knights standing in front of a door a little further in; that was probably Wilfried’s room. I instinctively glanced around for Lamprecht, but then remembered that he was an unmarried adult noble. No way would he be here. He was definitely busy preparing for the feast. 

I went up to my room on the third floor, which was located right beside the stairs. The second I opened the door, I could tell that the inside had been prepared by Elvira. It was just like my room in Karstedt’s estate and in the High Bishop’s chambers—in other words, it was very cutely decorated with red and pink flowers. 

“You must feel right at home here, hm?” Rihyarda commented as she led me to the bathing room. She speedily stripped off my clothes and started roughly washing my hair with the rinsham, quickly getting out the gel, or whatever it was. I could feel it run down my face as Rihyarda dumped hot water on my head; opening my mouth now would be a disaster, for sure. I sat perfectly still, feeling like a vegetable being washed before getting chopped up. 

“You make this so easy, Lady Rozemyne. Couldn’t be more different from those little rascals.” 

She had apparently bathed Karstedt and Sylvester the same way, as her eyes were wrinkling with nostalgia. It was kind of heartwarming to see her love showing so clearly on her face. 

“Goodness, your hair is so silky. Is this because of the rinsham?” 

“Indeed. After you’ve used it once, you can never go back,” I said, recommending the rinsham to Rihyarda. 

“Please wear this at dinner,” she said, looking through the wardrobe and taking out a fancy dress that Elvira had prepared for me. 

Given that today was the Starbind Ceremony, I would need to wear clothing that was even more proper than usual. She secured my hair again using the gel stuff, then pushed in a hair stick. It was the one that Elvira had ordered from the Gilberta Company. 

“Never seen a hair ornament like that before,” Rihyarda said, peering curiously at the hair stick. That reaction all but confirmed that me wearing this as the archduke’s daughter would start a massive hair stick trend. 

Sorry, Benno. I know you’re getting some much-needed rest, but I think you might have more work coming your way soon. 

Once I was changed, Rihyarda guided me to the dining hall, where Sylvester and Ferdinand were already seated and discussing something. She took me to the seat beside Ferdinand. 

“So you’ve come, Rozemyne,” Sylvester said. 

“Hello... Father? Lord Sylvester? It’s been a while. May I ask you a question?” 

“Just stick with ‘Sylvester.’ Drop the ‘Lord’ part, though—gotta maintain some distance for political reasons, but not too much. And sure, go ahead. What’s your question?” 

I went ahead and asked him what time and on what day the Italian restaurant gathering would take place. Sylvester may have had a date settled in his head, but he hadn’t told us anything. 

“...Everyone’s gonna be busy tomorrow recovering from the festival, yeah? And on the day after tomorrow, I’ll be busy seeing off the nobles who got married. So that leaves us the day after that. We’ll go to the temple at third bell, then move to the eatery at fourth bell.” 

“Understood. Is there anything in particular that you would like to see on the menu? Or anything that you don’t want to see?” 

“Just give me stuff I’ve never eaten before.” 

“...How am I supposed to know what you’ve eaten before, Sylvester?” 

“Something like what I ate at Spring Prayer will do just fine.” 

I knew that Sylvester liked new, unique things; the planned menu seemed like it would go down just fine. 

As I asked about the things that Benno had wanted me to double-check, Florencia entered the room. And then, when our conversation was about done, Wilfried entered. His expression softened with relief when he saw me. As expected, he really had been torn up over what had happened during the baptism ceremony. 

Once Wilfried sat down, Sylvester stood up. “Looks like everyone’s here. Let’s get started, then.” 

Wearing a sharp expression befitting an archduke, Sylvester gave divine greetings before proceeding to discuss the Starbind Ceremony, among other things. In the meantime, waiters were busily yet gracefully buzzing around the room, serving us food from large platters. 

Sylvester had said that everyone was here, but Wilfried’s younger brother and sister were nowhere to be seen. It was just Sylvester, Florencia, Wilfried, and myself, with Ferdinand as our only guest. 

“Ferdinand, where are the other kids?” I asked. 

“Those who have not had their baptism are not allowed to attend,” he replied. 

As unbelievable as it sounded, noble children weren’t even allowed to eat with their families before they were baptized. It was apparently forbidden for them to sit with adults until they had been taught proper manners. I probably only considered that such a bad thing because I had loved eating with my family so much. A childhood spent eating alone felt sad, somehow. 

But I was apparently the only one who thought so. Everyone else here was a noble who had been raised that way—even Wilfried was sitting upright at the table. Nobles were taught that they must not stand up until the meal was over; back during my baptism ceremony, disaster thankfully hadn’t struck until the meal was already done. 

For today only, dinner began before sixth bell. It was fairly early as far as dinners went, but this was a formal dinner that lasted longer than normal, and for good reason—it was the last meal that people who were getting married had with their families. 

Once the meal was over, Charlotte and the newly two-year-old Melchior were brought to the dining room by a wet nurse. They were both tiny, and I couldn’t see them while seated. 

“Goodnight, Father. Goodnight, Mother.” 

“Sleep well, Charlotte and Melchior.” 

They embraced and said their goodnights before immediately leaving. According to Ferdinand, that was the only time they ever saw or interacted with their parents. It was such a dry and barren exchange that I could barely believe my eyes. 

“Goodnight, Father. Goodnight, Mother,” Wilfried said while standing up, before immediately leaving as well. 

I did the same, and together we started to make our way back to the northern building. Wilfried was going to be stuck in his room again, but I needed to change straight into my High Bishop robes and head to the large assembly hall where the Starbind Ceremony would take place. 

When we reached the stairs and it came time for us to go our separate ways, Wilfried let out a murmur. “Er... It’s good to see that you’re doing alright, Rozemyne. Sorry about all that.” 

“Everything turned out just fine thanks to Ferdinand’s healing and potions. I’m sorry for worrying you.” 

Looking relieved at having gotten the chance to apologize, Wilfried headed to his room. I climbed the stairs to return to my own, only to find Rihyarda standing in wait with a bundle of clothes in her arms the second I stepped through the door. 

“Now then, milady, let’s hurry and get you changed. More newlyweds are arriving as we speak.”