Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.3 - Chapter 8

A Week of Socializing

“You’re late, Rozemyne!” Wilfried declared. He was waiting for me in the dormitory with his head held high, his hands on his hips, and his feet planted firmly on the ground. He looked just as Sylvester had when I had arrived at the castle, and he had said pretty much the same thing too.

Like father, like son.

“I have returned, dear brother. Do recall, though, that it was Aub Ehrenfest and Ferdinand who set the date for my return. Direct your anger at them, not me.”

“But thanks to you, I’ve had to endure some of the worst days of my life!”

It seemed that, once the real socializing had started, Ehrenfest had received incomparably more tea party invitations than during the years prior. Unable to refuse invitations from higher-ranking duchies, Wilfried had been forced to attend and give nothing but empty, formal replies. There were also more invitations from other ranks and professions, all of whom wanted to know more about our duchy.

Having to attend more tea parties than usual was bad enough, but getting more attention meant duchies of similar ranks were even more aggressive and probing. The Ehrenfest students, who had up until this point been largely ignored, had no idea what to do. Hirschur would normally be the one to guide and instruct them as their dormitory supervisor, but it seemed she wasn’t going to leave her research under any circumstances. There was also a considerable time lag between Ehrenfest sending questions and getting answers; Wilfried asked me to understand how he had been completely isolated with enemies on all sides and no assistance.

Look, I know how you feel, but that’s not entirely my fault. If you’re going to be mad at anyone, shouldn’t it be Professor Hirschur, not me?

“It’s because you socialized with Prince Anastasius and the archduke candidate from Klassenberg...”

“I did not socialize with them because I wanted to; they invited me, and I had no choice but to comply. Would you have refused them?”

“I’m struggling precisely because I can’t refuse them!”

Socializing with greater duchies had evidently been put on pause when Wilfried told them the date I was due to return. Rihyarda smiled as she watched him desperately try to convey just how much he had suffered in my absence.

“Wilfried, my boy, if you want to have a conversation like this, how about we find someplace to sit first? You have more to say to milady, don’t you?”

“That’s right!” Judithe interjected, stepping forward. “I also have a lot to speak to Lady Rozemyne about!”

Judithe had been the only one of my apprentice knight retainers to remain in the Royal Academy. She had initially planned to return to Ehrenfest and continue her work as soon as she finished her lessons, but the ditter rematch with Dunkelfelger had delayed this. She had then gotten wrapped up in Royal Academy socializing due to being my retainer, foiling her plan entirely.

“I passed all my classes! They didn’t let me go back to Ehrenfest, though, so I couldn’t guard you! It’s not that I messed up or anything!” Judithe exclaimed, shooting Wilfried a side-look.

He merely shrugged in response. “How could I have let her go back to Ehrenfest?”

It seemed that the sudden increase in tea party invitations and the discussions that came with them had forced all those from Ehrenfest to mobilize, since we lacked the population to handle the situation otherwise. Everyone had needed to finish their classes as fast as they could manage, boldly challenging and passing their exams to get on their feet.

“Now, now,” Rihyarda said. “Save those words for the common room. Given milady’s health, things will only get worse if she collapses. I’ll take her things to her room.” She urged Wilfried forward with a light push on the back before heading for my room.

I watched as Rihyarda climbed the stairs, and it was then that I noticed someone pass her on their way down—someone with lively brown eyes and a truly excited expression. It was Justus. Traugott was there too, looking exhausted as he was practically dragged along behind him.

“It has been too long, Lady Rozemyne.”

“I have heard you served the Plantin Company well, Justus. They survived the two years I was absent in large part because of you, and for that, I thank you. I look forward to your continued service.”

“I am being blessed with unusual experiences thanks to you, milady. I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”

As I was speaking to Justus, Traugott’s eyes wandered as though he was trying to think of what to say. In the end, he settled on looking at the ground. His happy, confident smile was completely gone, replaced with a despondent look. I could only imagine how severely his family had scolded him in Ehrenfest.

I considered whether I should say something to Traugott, but before I even had the chance, Justus gave him a sharp elbow. It was a quick movement, and judging by the grunt that escaped Traugott when it landed, it was intended to hurt.

The polite smile vanished from Justus’s face; instead, he glared at Traugott with an expression so cold that it looked like it belonged to someone else entirely. “Traugott, don’t you have something to say?” he asked. “What’s wrong with you? Speak up.”

Traugott gritted his teeth and slowly knelt before me, all the while cradling his side where he had been elbowed. “My shallow thinking led to me being unthinkably rude. I am truly sorry, Lady Rozemyne. I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

I opened my mouth to forgive him, but Justus narrowed his brown eyes and stopped me. “Traugott deserves no words of compassion, Lady Rozemyne; he has committed sins which must not be forgiven so easily.”

My other retainers all nodded in agreement. I silently thanked Justus for having stopped me before I could reflexively forgive Traugott.

“In any case, milady—Lord Ferdinand told me the other day to start training the scholars, but what exactly does he want me to do?” Justus asked.

“I need to raise individuals who can support the growing printing industry. To that end, I will need people who can interact with commoners and who know how the industry works. Above all, however, they must have a latent talent for scholar work. That is what I wish for you to do.”

The way Traugott followed behind us as we entered the common room made him look like the attendant rather than Justus. He couldn’t even say anything about it, since Justus had been sent by his family to whip him into shape. Maybe he had tried to complain already, only to get beaten down.

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne. We have been eagerly awaiting your return.” The students in the common room greeted me when I arrived, their faces positively lighting up with relief. This year’s socializing must have been just as hard as Wilfried had said.

“And so I have returned, everyone. I hear from Wilfried that things have been difficult in my absence. I would like to know what happened while I was in Ehrenfest,” I said. I then listened to what everyone had to say, regardless of age or faction, much like I did in the temple.

“In truth, we have not yet held any tea parties for archduke candidates from other duchies. There is no helping that, as no other duchy needed any candidates to return home for the Dedication Ritual, but...”

Last year, when there had been no Ehrenfest archduke candidates, the archnoble girls had attended tea parties with other duchies just fine. Now that I was here, however, it was considered an insult for them to send invitations to the archduke candidates of other duchies. This has resulted in us lagging behind when it came to socializing with other archduke candidates.

“I imagine there is a reason for it, but why did you not hold the tea parties yourself, Wilfried?”

“I don’t know much about holding tea parties, since men aren’t normally supposed to hold them. I also had male socializing to handle. My hands were full enough just visiting all the tea parties the higher-ranking duchies were inviting us to.”

For men, socializing involved holding and attending small hunting tournaments or proving one’s strength through noble games such as gewinnen while chatting and sharing information. Tea and sweets were served as well, but unlike at the tea parties for girls, they were far from the main event. Wilfried had been forced to keep up with male socializing while also attending a slew of tea parties filled with girls from higher-ranking duchies.

“I see you all worked very hard in my absence,” I said. “I suppose now it is my turn to begin socializing. What I must do first is... visit the library to supply Schwartz and Weiss with mana.”

Everyone gathered collectively narrowed their eyes. “Wait. Where’s that coming from?” Wilfried asked. “Your priority is your meeting with Prince Anastasius.”

“Klassenberg has asked to be informed of your return as well.”

“The library, when you have all the higher-ranked duchies asking after you?!”

“There is also the ditter rematch that Professor Rauffen requested upon hearing of your return...”

“There is no time; we will want to hold at least one tea party for the archduke candidates of other duchies before the Interduchy Tournament.”

I felt my soul leave my body as everyone listed out all the things I needed to do before I could go to the library. Having to cram so much into the few days that remained before the tournament and the graduation ceremony was completely unreasonable if you asked me. I turned around, hoping to discuss this with Rihyarda, and then I remembered she had gone to put away my luggage. I looked around the common room, but only Justus seemed as though he might have good answers for me.

I’d rather not have to do this, but he was Ferdinand’s retainer... Both Lutz and Benno also gave him high praise. Surely I can trust him to give me advice.

“Justus,” I said. He blinked in surprise from where he stood behind Traugott, having not expected me to single him out; then he walked over and knelt before me.

“Yes, milady?”

“What do I need to do first? If we had Ferdinand here, what approach do you think he would take?”

“Am I permitted to speak freely?”

“We have no dorm supervisor to rely on. You may speak not as Traugott’s attendant, but as Ferdinand’s scholar.”

“Understood. As you wish, milady. Apprentice, give me her schedule.” Justus took the schedule from Hartmut and then lowered his eyes in thought. “What we need to confirm first is how many people can be mobilized in this upcoming socializing season. Have preparations for the Interduchy Tournament been completed?”

I hadn’t been present, so I looked around the room for an answer. Wilfried, his retainers, and Hartmut all furrowed their brows.

“...No. To be honest, we just haven’t had the time or the manpower,” Wilfried said.

“We have made some progress, but preparations are far from complete,” Hartmut added.

Justus counted the remaining days on his fingers and then muttered, “Seems like we’ve got some tight time constraints...” under his breath before turning to all those gathered. “Very well. Everyone but milady and her retainers should now prioritize preparing for the Interduchy Tournament, for the aubs of other duchies are going to be present. Lord Wilfried, lead the preparations with your retainers.”

Justus watched as Wilfried and his retainers nodded in response; then he turned his attention back to me. “Milady, your highest priority is to work through all the backlogged socializing. I would suggest that you first request a meeting with the prince. From there, send ordonnanzes to the greater duchies who attempted to meet with you and announce your return, as well as the fact that Ehrenfest will soon be hosting a tea party. Once the date is established for your meeting with the prince, we can decide on a date for the tea party and send invitations to all other duchies. We can finish the bulk of socializing all at once by having as many duchies as possible participate.”

I could already feel a huge weight lifting from my shoulders. With such a concrete plan, I would be able to secure at least a little time in the library.

“You may go to the library to replenish Schwartz’s and Weiss’s mana when the time is right,” Justus said. “Of course, that is all you will be doing there; you will not have time to read.”

“Ngh...”

“It is possible that greater duchies will summon you even after our upcoming tea party is announced. Furthermore, considering how many we are going to lose to the Interduchy Tournament preparations, Ehrenfest does not have the leeway to allow for so many of your retainers to be stuck with you in the library. Do you understand my position?”

“...Yes,” I conceded. Going to the library meant bringing along several of my retainers, thereby putting them out of commission. I couldn’t just wander around alone.

Wilfried looked at Justus, shocked that he would so casually bar me from the library. He then looked at me, concerned that I might be on the verge of exploding. But of course, even I could show some restraint when we were in such dire straits.

I’ll be fine; there are books here in the dorm that I can read. I’d much rather be holed up in the library, though...

“Justus, what about Dunkelfelger’s request for a rematch?” Wilfried asked.

Justus raised an eyebrow. “That is not even worth thinking about. Naturally, we will refuse. There must be some kind of misunderstanding for Professor Rauffen to be challenging Lady Rozemyne—unlike Lord Ferdinand, she is not an apprentice knight, and as a first-year, she is not meant to participate in games of ditter. Times have changed, and ditter is now a sport for apprentice knights, so we should not have any trouble refusing. Luckily, the Interduchy Tournament is quickly approaching.”

Justus, having attended the Academy at the same time as Rauffen, flatly rejected the idea of a rematch. He was completely right in doing so, but surely refusing a higher-ranking duchy wouldn’t be so easy.

“This is a request from Dunkelfelger, though. How are we to refuse them?” I asked.

“We shall leave that to Professor Hirschur. Not only does it come under her remit, but she also has much experience refusing Rauffen from the days Lord Ferdinand attended the Academy. It will pose no problem for her.”

Oh yeah... Justus was Ferdinand’s attendant.

“But how do we ask Professor Hirschur to do that?” Wilfried asked, clearly concerned. “She won’t leave her lab.”

Justus had an immediate answer. “Professor Hirschur will readily work for us if we use the packages from Lord Ferdinand as bargaining chips. She is quite a valuable asset when used properly—after all, she is talented enough to have joined the Sovereignty.”

Ferdinand had been challenged to ditter games nonstop back in his school days, and since Hirschur had wanted to keep using him as a lab assistant, she had apparently engaged in constant battles with Rauffen where she refused them all. Securing another victory would be easy, it seemed.

“You suddenly seem so reliable, Justus...” I murmured.

“Oh? What did you think of me before?”

I thought you were a weirdo who just went around doing whatever interested you, even to the point of cross-dressing to gather intelligence.

Justus gave a sly grin as though he had read my thoughts. “Gathering intelligence is my job, you know,” he said under his breath.

That was true, but as far as I had seen, it was much more of a hobby to him than anything. To be honest, I couldn’t believe he was actually this competent. Now I knew why Ferdinand treasured him as a retainer despite him being so weird.

“Now then, milady—let us discuss the meeting with the prince and the tea party in another room,” Justus said, prompting Lieseleta to leave the common room to secure a meeting room for us. He then looked over at Wilfried and the others. “Everyone else, split into groups based on profession and then gather around Lord Wilfried’s attendants to discuss the upcoming Interduchy Tournament. We have no time to waste; think and act carefully, such that all your time is used to its fullest.”

With Justus having concluded his speech—and in a very Ferdinand-like manner—everyone began moving around to follow his instructions. To think that having a competent adult who could give clear instructions would be such a boon...

By the time Lieseleta came to get us, the apprentice knights, apprentice scholars, and apprentice attendants had all split into groups to discuss the Interduchy Tournament. They had the energy of a classroom prior to a sports festival or a cultural festival. I slyly watched them as I exited the common room and entered the nearby meeting room that had been prepared for us.

“Inviting all the duchies at once will result in an event of a larger scale than initially planned,” Justus said. “If we do not have Lord Wilfried provide assistance on the day of, I believe you will find things quite difficult, considering that you have spent so little time with the other students.”

“He will surely be willing to help for just one day,” I replied.

Rihyarda entered, having finished preparing my room, and we discussed the proper language to use with royalty. I then sent an ordonnanz to Anastasius, reporting that I had returned and that I wanted to set up a meeting to deliver the hairpin.

As we waited for a response, I informed Hartmut and Philine that Elvira and I would be handling the continued growth of the Ehrenfest printing industry. I also told them that Justus would be training the apprentice scholars.

“As this is a new industry, it is important that the next aub be involved in its machinations,” I explained. “For that reason, Wilfried’s, Charlotte’s, Melchior’s, and my apprentice scholars will all participate, as will scholars sent by giebes who have existing experience working with commoners.”

“Lady Rozemyne, will I really be involved in such an important industry...?” Philine choked out in a fearful voice. As I saw her pale face and wavering light-green eyes, I suddenly recalled something Damuel had said to me—that he had endured much envy over becoming my guard knight and growing his mana so much despite being a mere laynoble. Philine was a laynoble too, so the same terrible thing had to be happening to her as well.

“If you fear the consequences of participating in the printing industry, I can have others fulfill the role,” I said.

“...That won’t be necessary. I have resolved to make books with you, Lady Rozemyne. I will not turn my back on that decision,” Philine replied, her fists clenched with determination. Those very same hands trembled with fear, but her voice was clear and strong. I couldn’t help but smile at her conviction.

“Hartmut, I will do what I can myself, but please keep an eye out to ensure that Philine is not antagonized by the other scholars.”

“As you wish,” Hartmut responded.

I told Hartmut and Philine that they were going to be trained to be key figures in the printing industry and that they would need to learn from Justus during the short period he was here. It was around then that the ordonnanz returned.

“Come tomorrow at fifth bell; I wish to gift the hairpin to Eglantine as soon as possible,” came Anastasius’s voice. The message repeated thrice before the white bird returned to being a yellow feystone. I sent my reply of acknowledgment and then turned to Brunhilde and Lieseleta.

“If my meeting with Prince Anastasius is tomorrow, when can we hold the tea party? We need to write the letters of invitation accordingly, correct?”

“I believe it will be possible in five—no, four days,” Brunhilde said. “Finishing the tea party sooner rather than later would be ideal; our visitors will need to prepare for the Interduchy Tournament just as we do. And, incidentally... we have to prepare for Angelica’s graduation as well, don’t we?” She looked at the girl in question, while Lieseleta gave a firm nod of agreement.

“I brought my costume with me,” Angelica said, her head tilted in vague confusion. “I don’t think there’s anything else I need to do.”

Brunhilde’s eyebrows shot up in anger. “Do you not need to prepare for the stage as much as possible?! You are blessed with such beauty; it would be a waste to not wash your hair with rinsham and adorn you with hairpins to emphasize Ehrenfest trends!”

“Sister, Father and Mother informed me that you have yet to decide on your hairstyle, makeup, and the like. You used guard duty at the temple to escape these discussions, no?”

Lieseleta’s observation made Angelica sadly lower her eyes. Her long eyelashes cast small shadows over her face, making her look like the very picture of a wounded young woman, but in reality, that was the face she pulled whenever she was feeling lazy. I had gotten pretty good at seeing through her deceitful expressions, and of course, Lieseleta was just as good—she made an exasperated face and then gave a knowing smile.

“I will pick a hairstyle that suits you perfectly, Sister, so at least play nice on the day.”

“If you say so, Lieseleta. I’ll play nice,” Angelica said with a truly melancholic nod. She was the spitting image of a sorrowful princess being married off to another country for political reasons, paired with a man she had no feelings for, but it was all just an act. Incidentally, while she was cripplingly lazy when it came to formal affairs, she was a very dedicated guard knight—she would invest a great amount of time strengthening the feystone for her knight armor and embroidering the magic circles on her cape.

“I know that you do not care much for wearing anything that does not increase your fighting potential, Sister, but you must not bring shame to the man who will be escorting you,” Lieseleta continued.

I blinked several times and then looked at Angelica. Lieseleta hadn’t mentioned their “father” or “grandfather” there; she had said “the man.” In other words, Angelica had an actual escort.

“Who is Angelica’s escort?” I asked. “Not family, I presume?”

“What? Lady Rozemyne, do you not know? Sister, have you told no one else...?”

“I have heard nothing.”

Lieseleta looked at me, then at Angelica, and then at everyone else. Upon seeing her sister making a puzzled expression as though this had nothing to do with her, she frowned with deep concern before forcing an unconvincing smile. “If nobody knows, I suppose it can be a fun surprise to look forward to.”

Who’s Angelica’s date...? Now I’m really curious.