A Tea Party with Eglantine
Angelica was putting her absolute all into her studies, having become almost unrecognizable as she worked toward obtaining the fourth stage of the mana compression method.
“Lady Rozemyne’s compression method is incredible,” she had said to Cornelius at one point. “I really respect her ability to come up with so many new things. I want to increase my capacity and raise Stenluke even better.”
It seemed that Angelica had found her motivation, and Cornelius was stuck helping her as she charged directly toward her goal. He had years of experience teaching her from his work in the Raise Angelica’s Grades Squadron, plus he had studied up to sixth-year texts under Damuel’s guidance specifically so that he could tutor her. He was the perfect man for the job.
It helped that Cornelius had already finished his written classes, since this meant he could spend his mornings accompanying me to the library when necessary, on top of serving as a tutor for Angelica and the other apprentice knights in the common room after breakfast and dinner.
“Cornelius, I imagine it must be rough teaching Angelica. How are you faring?”
“It would be easier if not for your trips to the library. Could you by chance go there only once every two days?” he asked with a smile.
I shook my head, also wearing a smile. “There are but three weeks before I must return to Ehrenfest, so there is no time to waste. Besides, I am certain you will manage, Cornelius. You have my faith.”
“I suppose I knew you wouldn’t be able to show such restraint...” Cornelius replied with a hopeless shrug. His expression made it clear that he was well aware nothing he could say would possibly sway me.
“Restraint, hm...?” The word gave me pause, and I put a contemplative hand against my cheek. “I recall a distant memory in which I abandoned all restraint.”
“Don’t abandon restraint!” Cornelius cried at once. “Learn to show more, if anything!” His sudden outburst reminded me of my days with Benno, which made me feel a little nostalgic.
Oh, right. I need to contact Benno to inform him we’re going to need a lot more rinsham and plant paper soon. We’ll also need to discuss potentially selling the production methods for these products.
As I made the decision to tell him once I was back in Ehrenfest for the Dedication Ritual, Cornelius suddenly pressed his hands against my cheeks and squished my face together. “Don’t space out in the middle of a conversation like that. Listen to people when they speak.”
“Pweashe wet gow!”
I grabbed his wrists in an attempt to loosen his grip, but the strength of a knight was simply too much for me to overcome. He was going to crush my face at this rate, which was a real shame, since I was blessed with such a delightfully cute one in this world. As I continued trying to escape him, the frustration in Cornelius’s eyes slowly turned into amusement.
“You two certainly are close siblings,” Leonore suddenly interjected with a giggle.
Cornelius gasped, moving his hands away at once. His eyes then awkwardly flitted between the two of us.
“Lady Rozemyne and I only began interacting like this since she came to the Royal Academy. Before then, we only lived together for the brief period of education before her baptism,” he explained.
“I enjoy it here at the Royal Academy, specifically because it allows for such behavior,” I added. The adults would have scolded us if we had done something like this back in the castle; there, we had needed to maintain the proper distance between the daughter of an archduke and her guard knights. It was only here at the Academy that we had gotten closer, though we still weren’t entirely like proper siblings.
Leonore was peering our way with interest, so I decided to shift the topic to something a bit more romantic.
“Speaking of which, sixth-years need an escort for their graduation ceremony, correct? I’ve heard that girls have a family member escort them if they have no romantic partner, but what about men? Would you escort Mother, Cornelius?”
I glanced over at Angelica, since it was rumored she was going to be marrying one of my brothers. Meanwhile, Leonore’s blue eyes sparkled with eager excitement.
Cornelius blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic but gave an answer nonetheless. “Yes, I suppose so. It would either be Mother or one of our aunts, so that anyone watching would immediately know we were not romantically involved. Siblings of a similar age might seem like romantic partners to those uninvolved, which can impact marriage discussions.”
“I see. Both boys and girls rely on their family when they have no escort. Who do you plan to escort, Cornelius?” I asked.
“Huh?! What’re you saying?!” Cornelius floundered, shooting looks all around with clear panic on his face.
“Do you not yet have one, perhaps? Will one more year be enough time for you to find someone? I am told you are quite popular with the girls, so if necessary, I can ask one of them for you.”
“It is nothing for you to worry about, Lady Rozemyne! I will ask her myself,” he stressed, revealing that he had someone in mind.
I nodded, interested, and that was when I saw Leonore lower her eyes with worry beside me.
Days passed with Cornelius following me to the library despite being so busy, and eventually, the date for my tea party with Eglantine was decided.
“The afternoon three days from now, hm? Very well,” I said.
My retainers swiftly began making the necessary preparations, all wearing proud smiles at the fact I had received an invitation from none other than the greater duchy Klassenberg. Brunhilde and Lieseleta immediately checked to make sure they didn’t have any classes in the afternoon three days from now.
It was a tea party just for girls, so Leonore and Judithe were going to be serving as my guards. Angelica was too busy focusing on her studies, and watching her remain utterly focused now that she had made her choice was genuinely inspiring. Philine’s light-green eyes sparkled with excitement, and she rushed out of the dorm saying she was going to gather information about Klassenberg.
Out of all my excited retainers, Brunhilde was the most excited of all, since this was an opportunity to put her weight behind spreading trends. “Lady Rozemyne, perhaps we should bring a small jar of rinsham to give her?” she suggested. “I believe you promised to do so during the tea party with the music professors.”
“True. I believe a jar with enough for a single use should do. Could you pour one for me?”
“As you wish.”
Brunhilde first selected which jar to use; she then laboriously debated which of the three kinds of rinsham we had would mix the best with Eglantine’s usual scent, and then delicately filled the jar. I could remember that Eglantine had smelled nice, but I had exactly zero memory of the actual aroma.
“Should the pound cake we bring be honey-flavored again?” Lieseleta asked. Her question gave me pause. If Anastasius had already called her over to share the pound cake, which was likely, then she had probably eaten honey-flavored pound cake twice by now.
“Surely she would find us lacking in taste if we brought the same gift every time, no? Or would it be more effective for starting a trend if we held it up as our prized sweet and brought it every time? How do these things work in the Sovereignty?” I asked in return.
Brunhilde joined me in thought, and then she snapped her fingers in realization. “Why not bring two pound cakes, one flavored with honey and one with apfelsige? By contrasting the one she already knows with one of a slightly different taste, it will not seem as though we are simply bringing the same thing over and over again,” she said.
Bringing a flavor other than the plain cake we had shared with Solange or the rumtopf we had brought to Anastasius would convey just how many varieties of pound cake there really were. Brunhilde had suggested the apfelsige pound cake for this occasion because it would go well with Eglantine’s preferred teas and aromas. I could only raise my hands in defeat and nod to each suggestion Brunhilde made, since I knew nothing of what such preferences might signify. Her competence and skills continued to surprise me.
“It shall be done then,” Lieseleta said with a smile upon seeing my nodding. She went into the kitchen, at which point Brunhilde looked over at Rosina, who was going to be attending the tea party as my personal musician and had thus been present for the entire discussion so far.
“Rosina, have you completed the song dedicated to the Goddess of Light yet?”
“I believe it will take a little while longer, my lady; the song needs to be refined as much as is feasibly possible. If you would be so gracious as to allow me to make a suggestion, I believe it may be wise to consult Prince Anastasius once more before presenting the song to Lady Eglantine.”
Anastasius’s demand for us to give Eglantine the song had come in the heat of the moment, but he was still the one who had instructed us to compose it; consulting him again certainly did seem like a wise thing to do. The only problem was that we needed to decide whether to ask him to compose his own lyrics. His outpour of raw emotion could possibly have some rather embarrassing results, so there was a chance we could wish we had just written them ourselves.
On the day of the tea party, I headed to Klassenberg’s assigned tea party room. Each tea party room had several tables and chairs, but since only one table was being used today, the majority were stored away at the back of the room. Large screens covered with artistic illustrations closed off a little box of space for us.
Ehrenfest buildings often used tapestries to decorate the walls but kept a lot of the ivory exposed, and the furniture was mostly made of wood. Klassenberg buildings, in contrast, had intricately embroidered cloth entirely covering the walls à la wallpaper, on top of which hung lines of paintings that seemed to serve as a symbol of wealth. Most of the furniture appeared to be made out of a marble-like stone, which made it really apparent how different the culture of each duchy was.
“I am glad you came, Lady Rozemyne,” Eglantine said, her bright orange eyes softening into a smile as she welcomed me. Her wavy golden hair was done half-up, just as before, and adorned with elaborate lace decorations that were currently in style and made as part of one’s bridal duties. It seemed this trend had all started when a girl made lace decorations to attract the boy she liked, and when their romance bore fruit, lace instantly became popular all throughout the Royal Academy.
Lady Eglantine is on a whole nother level from me... She makes lace as well as Tuuli does, and Tuuli is a pro.
Incidentally, I was leaving the creation of all my hair ornaments and such to Tuuli. I had made them myself at the start, but she was so overwhelmingly better than me by this point that I didn’t dare put on one of my own.
“I thank you ever so much for inviting me, Lady Eglantine.”
“I would have liked to invite some of my friends and introduce you to them, but I hope to use today to engage in more thorough conversation with you,” she said. “Please allow me to introduce you to them at another time.”
“Your words honor me,” I replied. Despite tea parties in the Royal Academy being an important vehicle for spreading trends, I was honestly more than fine with there being fewer people here. It was more relaxing that way.
Eglantine’s attendant accepted the gifts from Brunhilde and placed the two kinds of pound cake on the table. Eglantine and I drank the tea poured for us by our attendants and recommended sweets to one another.
“Lady Rozemyne, just how many flavors of pound cake are there? These have a unique taste compared to the cake Prince Anastasius treated me to the other day,” Eglantine said. It seemed the prince had dutifully shared his pound cake with her. Hopefully that had earned him some points.
“That was pound cake with rumtopf, while this is pound cake with apfelsige. Does honey pound cake remain your favorite, Lady Eglantine?”
“I’m quite fond of the honey pound cake, but this apfelsige one is lovely as well. It has a refreshing flavor that is quite pleasing to the palate.”
She liked the apfelsige pound cake after all. A discreet smile played on Brunhilde’s lips, since she had chosen that flavor herself.
“I have also brought with me the rinsham, which adds gloss to one’s hair. My retainer Lieseleta can give instructions on how to use it,” I noted, prompting Lieseleta to hold out the jar.
Eglantine opened the jar before leisurely smelling its contents. “The aroma is lovely,” she said with a satisfied smile. She then passed the rinsham to one of her attendants, who went off with Lieseleta to learn how to use it.
Eglantine watched the two leave with a gentle expression before turning to me. “Lady Rozemyne, I heard that you played a game of ditter against Dunkelfelger over the library’s magic tools. Prince Anastasius told me the details,” she said. “It seems you won quite soundly. I am quite surprised.”
Anastasius was apparently using me as a regular topic in his conversations with Eglantine. Her information network truly was intimidating—she already knew everything there was to know about Schwartz and Weiss.
“My involvement with the magic tools can only be described as the product of a bizarre accident, and I won the game of ditter only through the use of surprising tactics, rather than the strength and skill of my knights. Under normal circumstances, Dunkelfelger would have claimed victory. Their apprentice knights were truly something to behold.”
“Oh my, but Professor Rauffen was positively gushing with praise for your fighting style. He is quite excited for the rematch.”
Okaaay... Note to self: avoid Professor Rauffen at all costs.
Eglantine smiled as she deftly changed the topic of conversation. “Your dedication whirling is quite beautiful, Lady Rozemyne.”
“I am sure it only seems so due to my abnormally small size. If my whirling is truly special in any way, it is only because I have seen you practice up close, Lady Eglantine. I always whirl while wishing that I might capture even a fraction of your skill and grace.”
“...I truly am glad you are not a man, Lady Rozemyne. If you were to bestow upon me such praise so passionately and with heated eyes after watching me practice, my heart would surely have fallen for you,” Eglantine said shyly. It seemed that people often praised her whirling as skillful, but none before me had ever said they considered her a source of inspiration.
Hm... Should I pass this tidbit on to Prince Anastasius? Or would he just get mad at me out of jealousy again?
“I am also told you have already finished all of your classes,” Eglantine continued. “I was truly surprised when my retainers consulted me about your future plans.”
“My guardians have told me that first- and second-year classes are often finished early,” I replied, though I doubted Ferdinand had expected me to finish them all in the first two weeks for the sake of accessing the library.
That thought reminded me that the Dedication Ritual was coming up soon. I was about to be ripped away from the absolute perfection that was spending each and every day holed up in the library. I couldn’t think of anything more heart-wrenching.
“...Not to mention, I needed to finish my classes swiftly as I will need to return to Ehrenfest on business before the end of the term,” I added.
“Because you are Ehrenfest’s High Bishop, I presume?”
“Precisely. The Dedication Ritual is being held soon.”
While most nobles would grimace at the mere thought of visiting the temple, Eglantine’s orange eyes showed no such disgust. In fact, she seemed interested—more than interested, if the serious look on her face was anything to go by.
“What manner of ceremony is the Dedication Ritual? Is it similar to dedication whirling?”
“There is no relation to whirling as far as I know. It is a ritual wherein small chalices are filled with mana, such that the duchy’s land may be enriched in the spring. The size of each year’s harvest greatly depends on the amount of mana provided, so the Dedication Ritual is a very important ceremony,” I explained.
“I see that Ehrenfest is preserving old traditions, having the child of the archduke serve as the High Bishop and fill the land with mana. I am moved.”
I blinked in surprise, having expected Eglantine to say something about Ehrenfest having so little mana that we had to resort to using one of the archduke’s children for religious ceremonies, but it was quite the opposite. She lowered her eyes for a moment before she continued.
“There is something I wish to discuss with you, Lady Rozemyne, but could we first use these? It is a quite personal topic, and I would rather our retainers not hear.”
“Of course,” I replied.
Eglantine had pulled out sound-blocking magic tools, so I smoothly placed my hand on the one set in front of me. She was wearing a small smile, but I could tell at once that it was dripping with worry. Given how she had jumped on the topic of the temple, I could safely conclude she had invited me to this tea party with the intention to talk about temple business.
“What manner of work do you perform at the temple, Lady Rozemyne?”
“I was instructed by Aub Ehrenfest to help alleviate the mana shortage, and so my most important job is providing significant quantities of mana for rituals. To be honest, I am leaving the rest of my work to others at the moment,” I explained. I saw no reason to be stupidly honest and reveal that I was serving as the orphanage director and a forewoman on top of that.
Eglantine’s eyes sparkled. “To alleviate the mana shortage, you say? Does that mean I will also be able to enter the temple?”
“You plan to enter the temple, Lady Eglantine?!” I exclaimed.
Nobles scorned the temple for a reason: it had become a place to abandon children who didn’t have enough mana to be useful to their house, who needed to be isolated from noble society, and whose parents couldn’t afford to raise them. It was maybe somewhat strange for me to say this considering that I was the High Bishop, but Eglantine was downright abnormal for wanting to join.
“Why do you want to enter the temple? You must know what kind of place it is.”
“Of course. I know how nobles treat the temple,” Eglantine replied, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. “You know my history, do you not, Lady Rozemyne...?”
“The music professors gave me a brief overview, but nothing more.”
“I lost my entire family in a war for political power. Prince Sigiswald has asked for my hand in marriage, since he knows wedding me will get him closer to the throne, which has forced Prince Anastasius to likewise ask for my hand to forestall him. I wish to see no more battles for power and authority, yet my decision here may create another tragedy like the one that took my family. I do not want to plant the seeds of war.”
I was already aware that Eglantine had been the third prince’s daughter at the time of the civil war. According to the history lesson Ferdinand had given me, the third prince had defeated the first prince, only to then be killed by an assassin the first prince had sent out before his death. As the home of the third prince’s wife, Klassenberg had furiously put its support behind the fifth prince, and when those who supported the first prince then moved to support the fourth, the civil war had dramatically intensified.
“I understand well that you would wish to avoid wars of succession after surviving in the midst of the civil war, but does Aub Klassenberg know of your plans to enter the temple?”
“He does, though he said it was unthinkable for a noble to enter the temple and refused my suggestion entirely.” That was why she wanted to talk to me about my role as the High Bishop, it seemed—she wanted something to convince him with.
Unfortunately, I was not the answer she was looking for. My presence in the temple was solely to alleviate a crippling mana shortage, meaning the circumstances were completely unlike those in a greater duchy that had outright won the civil war. Not to mention, the plan was for me to leave once I came of age so that I could get married, which ran in completely the opposite direction to Eglantine wanting to join the temple to avoid marriage. With how few nobles there now were, Eglantine would never be allowed to join the temple when she could be producing children with huge mana capacities.
“I believe it is only natural that Aub Klassenberg would refuse; I am more than familiar with how much scorn the temple receives from nobles,” I said. “Furthermore, you wish to join the temple to avoid marriage, correct? I am sorry to say that the powers that be plan for me to resign from my position as High Bishop to get married when I come of age. You will find nothing useful from me.”
“I see... Here I was thinking it an excellent idea that would allow me to contribute mana to the duchy while also avoiding another war for power...” Eglantine lowered her eyes again before letting out a sigh. “Is there any other position that would allow me to avoid marriage, such that I do not have to wed royalty?”
It wasn’t that she wanted to join the temple in particular; she just didn’t want to be the center of yet another war. In which case, she was better off trying to find a solution that didn’t involve the temple.
“Becoming the next Aub Klassenberg would allow me to avoid all this trouble, but my cousin—or rather, my nephew—is already in place to take that position,” Eglantine noted. She had considered marrying into another duchy, but refusing a marriage proposal from royalty for such a reason would infuriate said royalty and place a massive burden on Aub Klassenberg.
“My grandfather—no, my adoptive father—regrets adopting me, even though it was for my protection,” she continued. “He says that he stole away my proper position as royalty, and so he hopes for me to wed a prince and regain my original status. If only he understood that I wish for peace much more than status...”
“Perhaps you could ask one of your family members to escort you at your graduation,” I suggested. “It seems you can hardly choose one of the princes as you are now.”
“Indeed,” Eglantine said with a sad smile. “That is my intention, assuming I do not receive a direct order from the king or Aub Klassenberg.”
Ouch. Looks like you’ve struck out, Prince Anastasius.
“Lady Rozemyne, please do keep it a secret that I am planning to join the temple,” Eglantine said.
“Nobody would even believe me,” I replied. Even I was struggling to comprehend that one of the Klassenberg archduke candidates wanted to join the temple. Trying to explain this to Anastasius would no doubt result in him getting mad at me for insulting her honor.
With the serious portion of our discussion over, we moved on to talking about trends from Ehrenfest. Eglantine was quite curious about rinsham and my hairpins on top of music, and she seemed interested in importing them to Klassenberg.
“I will report this to Aub Ehrenfest upon my return for the Dedication Ritual. Would you like me to stealthily bring back some rinsham for you? Though it would be a product with a cost.”
“Oh my. Were Prince Anastasius to hear that, he would get jealous again,” Eglantine said with an amused smile. She then placed a finger over her lips. “Please do. One discreet jar, as a secret between us. May our friendship be long and prosperous, Lady Rozemyne.”
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