Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.8 - Chapter 13

A More Private Meeting (Second Year)

“I’m clearing the room,” Sylvester said. “Out.” He waved everyone away, then plopped down into his seat. I could tell from his posture and the sharp glint in his dark-green eyes that he was in an incredibly bad mood. “Hurry up,” he growled as the retainers shuffled out.

“I can talk with Ferdinand later; don’t let me interrupt you,” I said, attempting to escape this terrifying atmosphere... but Ferdinand grabbed me by the shoulder and secured me in place. He leaned in close, still wearing that false smile that made my skin crawl.

“Stay here,” he said. “I expect that both you and Sylvester will ask the same questions anyway, so it will save me time to have you both in one place.”

Nooo! My escape plan, torn to shreds!

Soon enough, my retainers were gone as well, leaving me at Ferdinand’s mercy. I could only watch as the door shut behind them.

“Now, speak,” Sylvester said. “What were you told when the king summoned you? Why was the marriage decided without my consultation?!”

“What?! Our aub was absent?!” I shouted. Archducal permission was always necessary when deciding on marriages between duchies, and with Ferdinand being a member of the Ehrenfest archducal family, it was absolutely unthinkable that Sylvester hadn’t been there.

“If you hadn’t been so stupid and consented while being questioned, I could have turned them down a thousand ways,” Sylvester said. “But because you did, the matter was settled before I was even told about it.”

To my disbelief, Ferdinand had been summoned under the pretense of discussing the severe casualties that had resulted from the ternisbefallen attack, and it was during this meeting that the king had broached the topic of marriage.

“It’s normal for people to be questioned separately during inquiries,” Sylvester said. “That’s the only reason I sent you off without a second thought. Had I known that Ahrensbach intended to discuss marriage, I never would have let you go. I don’t want you to suffer any more than you already have, Ferdinand!”

Sylvester’s worried cries made my chest pang with emotion, but Ferdinand seemed to be unmoved. He crossed his arms, looking down at the aub with cold eyes. “I moved things along before you could get involved precisely because I knew you would protest as you are now, even when given a direct order by the king. You should know how foolish it is to defy him—or, what, did you intend to put our entire duchy at risk for my sake? Good grief... You are as soft on your family as always. Did you learn nothing from the incident that ultimately forced you to convict your own mother?” He paused for a moment with his eyes closed and then muttered, “There is no choice but to obey a king’s order. You understand that, Sylvester, do you not?”

“If you hadn’t accepted on your own, we could have put forward so many reasons to refuse,” Sylvester said. He then started to list all of the excuses he had first used to reject the request from Ahrensbach.

Ferdinand crossed his arms and scoffed. “Saying that we are neutral may be pleasing to the ear, but consider this—Ehrenfest has shot up through the ranks while making no effort to assist the king. Meanwhile, Ahrensbach is being ravaged by a mana shortage, having even been forced to demote two of its archduke candidates to archnobles. One can deduce without a moment of thought which duchy the king would prioritize.”

It was generally said throughout Yurgenschmidt that Ehrenfest’s rise through the ranks was due to the duchy having escaped punishment through its neutrality and thus having the leeway to grow. We were resented by many duchies that had lost in the civil war and were suffering for it, as well as many duchies that had won but were still struggling with mana shortages due to the purge and having to offer up their nobles to the Sovereignty. At the same time, we were seen as being dangerous, for our influence was rising despite our loyalty to the Sovereignty and the king remaining so uncertain.

“It is important that we demonstrate our willingness to listen to the king—that we have no intention of opposing him,” Ferdinand concluded.

“That’s not a good enough reason for you to accept a proposal from... from Ahrensbach, of all places!” Sylvester protested. “There are plenty of duchies above Ehrenfest in the rankings that could have provided a fine husband for Detlinde. They must have men closer to her age and without a reputation for being in the temple.”

Another duchy certainly would have been able to provide a better husband. Ehrenfest had only recently started to climb the ranks, and many loud voices still claimed that our success was temporary. Many would surely view a greater duchy accepting a spouse from Ehrenfest as very unreliable in the long term.

“My involvement with the temple was a problem as well, you know. The king seems to have heard rumors from various sources that I am being mistreated here,” Ferdinand said. Despite coming first-in-class every single year at the Royal Academy, he had ended up in the temple almost immediately after his graduation and the death of the former aub. And then there was me; I was serving as the High Bishop despite similarly coming first-in-class and being adopted by the archduke.

“The king heard many pleas,” Ferdinand continued. “‘Ehrenfest never sends children of the first wife to the temple, but all others are abused.’ ‘It is unthinkable that they would crush such young talent.’ ‘Please, save them from Ehrenfest.’ It would seem they were quite convincing.”

Wilfried and Charlotte were helping with Spring Prayer and the Harvest Festival, but this information wasn’t widely known. Not to mention, Ferdinand and I would return to the temple whenever we had the opportunity. I enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere there a lot more than the tension of the castle, and Ferdinand similarly got enough leeway there to enjoy his hobby of researching.

“I suppose that other duchies wouldn’t know we’ve been turning down requests to spend more time in the castle so that we can stay in the temple,” I said. “Still, who were making those pleas anyway?”

“I am told they came from many in Dunkelfelger and Drewanchel,” Ferdinand replied. “The king is surrounded by powerful people, many of whom were telling him to rescue me from the temple and marry me to a greater duchy so that I might stand upon the stage once again.”

Okay, I guess they were acting with good intentions... but wow, that certainly backfired.

I was well aware that my opinion of the temple was far from the norm, but I still wished that everyone else had just minded their own business. I also felt that Ehrenfest’s information management skills were severely lacking in areas, since we hadn’t managed to guide these other duchies in a way that would benefit us.

“If you were to ignore the will of the greater duchies and oppose a marriage ordered by the king, your reputation as Aub Ehrenfest would plummet,” Ferdinand noted. “You understand the consequences of that, surely.”

Sylvester’s eyes shot open. “Do you seriously care more about my reputation than the marriage you’ll be spending the rest of your life in?! To begin with, I find it hard to believe you’d let rumors like that impact anything. You would have knocked them down on the spot. You’re hiding something. Something happened after the first time you refused the marriage that forced your hand, didn’t it? Spit it out. You’ve got a bad habit of trying to shoulder everything yourself.”

Ferdinand let out a single sigh, then looked away. “I would rather not discuss it, as its veracity is uncertain.”

“Quit stalling. Tell me.”

“My information here comes from Justus, who compiled the vaguest rumors from unknown sources, so I cannot speak to their accuracy...” Ferdinand said, speaking in far more words than were necessary. He then looked around slowly and continued in a low voice. “Aub Ahrensbach... is not long for this world. If what Justus has told me is true, he will most likely ascend the towering stairway to the distant heights while Detlinde and I are still engaged.”

“Excuse me?”

Ferdinand and Detlinde were only due to be engaged for a year before their marriage. In other words, Aub Ahrensbach didn’t have much time left at all.

“Again, at the current moment, I have no means by which to confirm this rumor. If we assume it is true, however, then I can understand why Aub Ahrensbach feels the need to brute-force the issue and use the king to achieve his goals. It explains his obstinate pushing for me to marry into his duchy.”

Indeed, if Aub Ahrensbach were to die before Detlinde got married, Ahrensbach’s archducal family would consist only of an underage girl just about to graduate, an archduke candidate too young to even go to the Academy, and a widowed first wife. It would prove immensely difficult to support a greater duchy under these circumstances.

“Ahrensbach must be in desperate need of an unmarried, adult archduke candidate with the mana and bureaucratic experience necessary to serve as the representative aub of a greater duchy,” Ferdinand said. Of course, he was the only person in Yurgenschmidt who fit this description. Most nobles married within years of coming of age, and there understandably weren’t any unmarried archduke candidates with years of ministerial experience under their belts. The entire country had a shortage of nobles, to the point that archduke candidates and archnobles were being told to get married and start having children especially early.

“For him to have decided to petition the king himself, Aub Ahrensbach truly must be backed into a corner,” Ferdinand continued. “I assume the duchy’s land is not meeting the bare minimum of mana requirements. You saw the border during Lamprecht’s Starbinding, no? It is very likely that all of Ahrensbach is just as bad.”

I recalled the distinct border between Ehrenfest and Ahrensbach. The difference in greenery had actually been surprising.

“Ahrensbach is in a terrible state,” Ferdinand said. “The aub doubtless has old Werkestock at the very bottom of his priorities—assuming he has not abandoned it entirely.” Given how Werkestock was being seen as a hotbed of terrorism after the recent attack, I could understand why the king would want to resolve things as soon as possible.

“Can the Sovereignty not take control of old Werkestock?” I asked.

“They would if they could,” Sylvester replied. “The royals and Sovereign nobles must not have the necessary manpower. We barely have a fraction of the royals we had before the civil war, and even if they want to fix things, they don’t have the tools they’d need at their disposal.”

It seemed that the mana shortage plaguing Yurgenschmidt was even worse than I thought.

“The problem is universal, but truth be told, I care not for the mana circumstances of the Sovereignty or Ahrensbach,” Ferdinand said, then sighed. “The problem is what comes next. Who in Ahrensbach will hold the most power once Aub Ahrensbach climbs the towering stairway, leaving behind two underage archduke candidates? I believe you know the answer.”

Sylvester fell silent and glared at Ferdinand. Power would obviously end up in the hands of Aub Ahrensbach’s first wife, Georgine.

“Can you predict what she will do when Aub Ahrensbach is in the distant heights and Ahrensbach is ravaged by an even greater mana shortage?” Ferdinand asked, speaking in a flat voice as though the matter was of no interest to him. “Do you think she will show Ehrenfest any consideration, even with a husband from another duchy supporting them? It is in our best interests to have someone there who can gather intelligence, however minor, and work to constrain her.”

“That’s why you’re going?” Sylvester sputtered. “To Ahrensbach, the very name of which makes you grimace? To marry a girl who resembles Mother so much that you said just looking at her pains you?”

“Yes. Given that I must prepare successors here while grasping Ahrensbach’s current state of affairs, we have little time. And most of all, I have determined that I am the best person for this job.”

“If you aren’t being forced into this, and you made the decision because you think it’s for the best... then I won’t say anything more. Though I’m not happy that you’re still trying to keep everything secret and do these things on your own, as usual.”

“I am glad you understand,” Ferdinand said. It seemed that he intended to leave things at that, but while Sylvester may have been in agreement, I certainly wasn’t. It was beneficial for Ehrenfest, maybe, but what about for Ferdinand himself? That was what mattered most.

“I understand that you are best suited to this job, Ferdinand, but is it what you want?” I asked.

“We will display our loyalty to the king, earn favor with both Ahrensbach and the Sovereignty, and gain means to better contain Georgine. Furthermore, my position as the husband of Ahrensbach’s next archduchess will most likely spur the former Veronica faction to approach me and reveal their hand. Make no mistake—I have no intention of leaving Ehrenfest in a state of uncertainty with lingering threats. I shall obtain the proof we need and eliminate them all. This will be for the good of our duchy.”

I could feel the anger bubbling up inside of me as Ferdinand mentioned one advantage after another, maintaining his fake grin all the while. Once again, he was seeking ways to benefit the duchy and those around him while completely ignoring his own needs.

“Ferdinand, I did not ask whether this is best for Ehrenfest.”

“What?” Ferdinand replied, blinking as if to say that he didn’t understand what I meant.

“I want to know whether you want this marriage.”

“I...” His fake smile deepened as he caught my gaze. That jerk. He was planning to trick me to get out of answering honestly.

“If you are going to say that you truly wish for this marriage, then at least drop that fake smile of yours first,” I said, mimicking Rihyarda and pointing a sharp finger at him. “You are very mistaken if you think you can trick me in that state.”

Ferdinand furrowed his brow, allowing the smile to vanish from his face, and glared at me with clear dissatisfaction in his light-golden eyes. “Is this not what you wished for too?”

“What do you mean...?”

“You said that you want Ahrensbach, no? I shall take it, just as you asked,” Ferdinand said, now putting on a smile fit for the Lord of Evil.

“I was talking about fish, not... Oh, and their books, but... Wait, you know that’s not what I meant! And my wants don’t matter here! Your true feelings take priority!”

Ferdinand let out a chuckle, then sighed. “I do wish to be positioned in Ahrensbach to better grasp their situation and inform Ehrenfest, but I do not wish for the marriage itself. It is, however, essential to my goals. I will go because I must. I would like for you to understand this.”

That was almost the full truth, and Ferdinand rarely ever voiced his true thoughts, so I was somewhat satisfied with his response—but only somewhat. His fake smile returned after our brief exchange, which made me feel that he was still trying to hide something.

“Sylvester, I have much to do regarding my successors, so Rozemyne and I will reside at the temple for some time,” he said. “Send an ordonnanz if you need anything.”

“Alright,” Sylvester replied.

It seemed that our conversation had reached its natural conclusion, but Ferdinand was still wearing traces of a false smile. I gave him a fixed stare, at which point he arched an eyebrow as if recalling something. He looked at Sylvester and said, “The time has come for Ehrenfest to forge relationships with any and all top-ranking duchies through marriages, while carefully considering the influence they will have with us. You need a second or third wife, even if you do not wish for one. Consider this matter carefully.”

“Yeah. I will. Now get out already,” Sylvester said, impatiently waving Ferdinand out of the room.

Damuel and Angelica were waiting outside as my guard knights, and no sooner had I exited than the latter went to summon the rest of my retainers. I stayed with Damuel as they gathered, while Ferdinand attempted to beat a hasty retreat with Eckhart and Justus. I grabbed him by the sleeve before he could escape.

“Rozemyne, this is inelegant behavior.”

“So, Ferdinand... I think a private discussion is in order once we return to the temple,” I said.

His expression hardened a bit, making him appear even more on guard. “It is poor form for two people engaged to others to talk alone. Give it up.” But no matter what he said, I had no intention of relenting.

“Sylvester seems to be satisfied with your reasoning, but I am not. There are so many doubts and suspicions in my heart, and if we do not address them, I might feel compelled to start questioning certain other people. About, oh, you know... the seed of Adal-something. Are you certain there is no way for us to talk?”

It was a deliberate attempt at blackmail on my part, delivered with the most knowing smile. It was just a gut feeling, but it seemed to me that the “seed of Adalgisa” stuff that Raublut the Sovereign knight commander had mentioned was related to why the king had ended up giving this order.

Ferdinand glared at me, looking exceptionally displeased. As expected, more had gone on in that meeting room than he had reported to Sylvester. “Only once we return to the temple,” he said. “Ask nothing of anyone before then.”

“Of course.”

He gave me a doubting look, and it was then that I noticed that the fake smile had vanished from his face. In truth, it came as quite a relief.