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

Epilogue

Several joined carriages drove away from Ehrenfest’s lower city and along a road through trees and fields, heading toward Ahrensbach in the south. Magic tools were being used to reduce the shaking, but there was no stopping it once they had moved beyond the smooth stone paving of the city.

The carriages were adorned with Ahrensbach’s crest; they belonged to Georgine, Detlinde, and their group, who were returning home after receiving urgent news of the archduke’s collapse.

After confirming that the scenery was bland and repetitive, Detlinde returned her attention to the inside of her carriage. Sitting alongside her were Martina, her apprentice attendant; Georgine, her mother; and Seltier, her mother’s attendant.

“How unfortunate,” Detlinde said. “To think we have to return so soon...”

Upon her return to Ahrensbach, Detlinde would need to endure having lots of work forced on her and countless retainers who were irritatingly insistent on her studying. She was under watch at all times, meaning she couldn’t relax. Only when she was at the Royal Academy did things go her way, since there was nobody above her there.

“Is that not a very cold remark, milady?” Seltier asked. “Aub Ahrensbach—your own father—has collapsed with illness.”

Detlinde fell silent at this criticism; the news had certainly come as a surprise to her, but she barely had any memories of seeing her father, let alone being doted on by him. On the few occasions they had met, he had done nothing but chastise her with a look of resentment before ordering her to leave. If she was being cold, then it clearly ran in the family.

I was having ever so much fun in Ehrenfest. Could he not have collapsed at some other time? Detlinde groused. Everyone in Ehrenfest did as she said, and it felt good to command so much respect. Mother was enjoying herself as well; perhaps she feels the same as I do.

Georgine was staring out the window, making no attempt to stop Seltier’s lecture.

“Father collapsed due to the Sovereign Knight’s Order, no?” Detlinde asked. “They have been coming nonstop since spring. I would rather they put an end to antagonizing Ahrensbach with false charges.” Knights from the Sovereignty had appeared again and again to investigate Ahrensbach’s potential involvement in the ternisbefallen terrorist attack, since Ahrensbach managed old Werkestock.

“You mustn’t say such things, Lady Detlinde. The Sovereign Knight’s Order is simply doing its job.”

“My, oh, my. But was dealing with them not exceptionally inconvenient while the ships from Lanzenave were here for summer trade? Mother and Father were so busy that I was sent to deal with the knights despite being underage.”

Detlinde made it clear that she believed the Sovereign Knight’s Order were to blame for her father’s sudden collapse. He had supported the king during the civil war and continued to serve faithfully even after losing his second wife and successors, yet he was now being accused of aiding a rebel attack. His pride as an archduke had consequently been wounded, which must have placed a heavy burden on his heart.

“How dare the king doubt Ahrensbach,” Detlinde continued. “It’s so irritating that I find myself disgusted. Don’t you agree, Mother?”

Georgine slightly narrowed her dark-green eyes in response, her crimson lips painting an arch. “Given that feybeasts from old Werkestock were involved in the attack, the king has no choice but to investigate us. It certainly has put a strain on us, but now we are closer with the Sovereignty, and the knight commander has said that their suspicions were cleared, no? It was well worth providing our assistance. Personally, I consider all this to signify the filling of Forsente’s basket.”

To Georgine, their incident with the Sovereign Knight’s Order was beneficial enough to be considered a blessing from the Goddess of Harvest. Detlinde vehemently disagreed; she had only suffered from it.

After all, I’m going to be the next Aub Ahrensbach.

Ahrensbach had two archduke candidates, Detlinde and Letizia, but the latter was so young that she hadn’t even entered the Royal Academy. One had to be of age to become an aub, so the current archduke’s illness would most likely result in Detlinde taking the archducal seat.

And under my circumstances, an archknight from the Sovereignty certainly wouldn’t make a suitable partner for me.

Archduchesses absolutely needed to marry someone who had graduated from the Royal Academy as an archduke candidate, as such men were expected to take on the duties of an aub while the archduchess was pregnant. In other words, no matter how wonderful the men who fell for her were, she could not respond to their feelings. She recalled the young Sovereign knight who had so passionately approached her, and sighed.

It had been springtime, after the Royal Academy term had come to an end, but before the Archduke Conference. Ahrensbach had received a visit from the Sovereign Knight’s Order, whereupon Detlinde had formed a romantic relationship with one of the knights. They had met practically every day, and she had enjoyed the feeling as they slowly grew closer and closer. But that love had met its end in the blink of an eye. Detlinde’s engagement had abruptly been decided during the Archduke Conference, meaning she had needed to break up with the knight.

And then there’s the person they engaged me to.

The man selected to be Detlinde’s partner was much older than she and from a duchy ranked below Ahrensbach. He also continued to visit the temple despite having returned to noble society, and although he was a member of the Ehrenfest archducal family, he had no mother.

His lineage and circumstances are rife with problems, but... oh well.

He was rather attractive, his smile was as kind as his demeanor was soft, and everyone described him as being exceedingly competent. Such an intelligent man surely understood the situation he was in. He would no doubt admire Detlinde for saving him from the temple, offer her his heartfelt affection, and strive to support her as she rose to become the next archduchess. After her experiences with her father, who had always barked orders with the sourest expression, Detlinde was glad to have a man who would act according to her will.

Not to mention, the Ehrenfest nobles had said that Ferdinand was pulling Rozemyne’s strings from the shadows and using her to spread various trends—trends that would rightly belong to Ahrensbach once he married into the duchy. Detlinde felt a very satisfied smile creep onto her lips as she thought about all the praise Ehrenfest was receiving at the Royal Academy being redirected to her.

Plus, I shall soon have a hairpin of my very own.

This made her even more pleased—the Ehrenfest hairpin she had wanted would soon be hers. She wished to stand in front of Adolphine, who had shamed her in the Royal Academy last year, and show her the ultimate hairpin she had designed herself. It was a shame that the young woman had since graduated.

Still, perhaps she will do as Lady Eglantine did and come to the Interduchy Tournament as Prince Sigiswald’s betrothed.

That possibility was displeasing in its own way, though. Adolphine was engaged to the first prince, while Detlinde was engaged to an archducal family member from Ehrenfest, neither a greater duchy nor a top-ranking one. She felt as though she had somehow lost as a woman.

“Putting all that aside, what manner of hairpin has been ordered?” Georgine asked, looking not at Detlinde but at her apprentice Martina. “We were operating separately that day.”

“Right,” Martina said, eyeing her lady carefully. “Lord Ferdinand’s estate is close to the castle, and only the minimum number of attendants are kept there. It was bare of decoration, and it seems that he does not have any regular female visitors, if any at all. It felt as though Lady Rozemyne and the others had received invitations only to host Lady Detlinde.”

She went on to describe how Ferdinand had joined them for tea only briefly, electing to bring Raimund, Rozemyne, and the scholars to the book room when the hairpin craftspeople arrived.

“Now, now, Martina. Did Mother not ask specifically about my hairpin?” Detlinde said, pointing out that her apprentice’s answer hadn’t at all matched the question. She then spoke at length about the hairpin she had ordered, explaining that she had deliberately ensured it would be much fancier and more beautiful than the one Adolphine had worn.

Georgine paused for a moment, then said, “You ordered it according to your own specifications, Detlinde?”

“Indeed, I did. I know far more about what suits me than Lord Ferdinand does,” Detlinde replied, puffing out her chest. In her eyes, it was only natural that she couldn’t trust her fiancé’s tastes and sensibilities so soon after their engagement.

“Lady Detlinde did order it according to her own specifications,” Martina added, her focus devoted entirely to Georgine, “but as Lady Rozemyne’s retainers and Lady Charlotte were there to give advice, there is nothing to worry about.”

“Pray tell, what reason might she have to worry in the first place?” Detlinde asked.

Georgine merely waved a hand in response, seeming to have lost all interest in the matter. “That is enough,” she said, returning her attention to the bland scenery outside the window.

The carriage rumbled along until it arrived outside an inn located in the plaza of a nearby city, where Georgine and Detlinde intended to stay the night. Half a day had passed since their hurried departure from Ehrenfest.

Detlinde was aware that the inn they were patronizing accommodated nobles as well as regular citizens, but the food served there was nothing like the fashionable meals they usually ate at the castle. It was a disappointing truth, and one that brought with it a stark realization—no matter how much Ehrenfest dressed itself up at the Royal Academy, it was still a backwater duchy through and through. She couldn’t help but give a derisive sniff.

“Given the urgency of the situation, we will travel by highbeast from tomorrow onward,” Georgine said. “The carriages with our belongings may travel more leisurely, and we shall teleport the belongings we will need on the road.”

“That sounds reasonable enough,” Seltier replied. “I expect there to be word from the border gate if something happens.”

They hadn’t mounted their highbeasts from the very beginning of their return journey because of the barrier that surrounded cities with an archduke’s castle; traveling by carriage was the only option for nobles from a foreign duchy such as Detlinde and the others. Furthermore, as they had worn formal clothing when saying their farewells, departing by highbeast would have required them to change into riding attire.

“Do we not have too few guard knights for that?”

“It would greatly inconvenience the giebe we are staying with if we bring too many guests to his mansion. This is all very sudden, you know.”

Georgine and the others were discussing their plans for tomorrow, but Detlinde ignored them, focusing instead on her cup of tea. She knew that her mother would make all the decisions and that there was no point in attempting to contribute; not once had anything Detlinde suggested ever been respected or attempted. It seemed foolish to pay any mind to the conversation when she knew that her input would immediately be disregarded.

“Lady Detlinde, if you would...”

Seltier refreshed Detlinde’s tea. This normally would have been a task for Martina, but she was busy preparing bathwater; their being on a trip meant they had fewer attendants than usual.

Can’t they stop talking already?

Detlinde was exhausted from the incessant rattling of the carriage. She wanted nothing more than to retire to her room and rest.

The next morning, Detlinde awoke feeling no less weary than before she had gone to sleep. This didn’t surprise her; as an archducal family member raised in a regal environment, it was only natural that she wouldn’t take well to the hard beds of this backwater duchy’s inns.

After breakfast, Detlinde recalled their plans for the day while sipping the tea Seltier had prepared for her. She lamented that they could have reached the border gate within the day if they had only taken their highbeasts, which would have allowed them to stay at a noble mansion in Ahrensbach. Still, she decided that her complaints could wait until after Ehrenfest was behind them, and it was with this mindset that she put on her riding clothes and prepared to leave without so much as a single negative word to her attendant.

The two parties departed from the inn separately, flying their highbeasts for about a bell before stopping to rest. They were traveling much faster than usual, so everyone but the knights already well accustomed to highbeast travel were made to drink rejuvenation potions often.

Detlinde appreciated the brief respite; she had thought that she could endure until they reached the border gate, but she was feeling sicker by the moment. Her breathing was quite labored, perhaps due to their hastened travel, and it felt as hot as the height of summer.

“Lady Detlinde, you seem quite poorly, I must say!” Martina exclaimed, having come to see why Detlinde wasn’t drinking her rejuvenation potions. “Perhaps we should rest.”

All eyes immediately fell on Detlinde, but she couldn’t accede to the idea; her suffering would only be prolonged if she spent another night in a cheap, backwater inn.

“I am rather delicate, so I imagine the hard beds of the country inn did me no good,” she said, fixing Martina with a glare. “A noble estate is just what I need, so let us cross the border gate as soon as we can.”

“How can you make such a suggestion when you look so sickly?!” Seltier cried, stopping Detlinde in her tracks. “You wish for noble accommodations, do you? The mansion of a giebe from my family is nearby. Let us go there.”

As it turned out, Seltier was from Ehrenfest. She had served Georgine before the latter was married into Ahrensbach, which was probably why Georgine valued her so much. It was with those thoughts in mind that Detlinde agreed to visit the noble mansion.

“That is, if you are fine with this, Mother.”

“My, my. Is there a reason I would not be? Your health is far more important than any schedule. Seltier, send an ordonnanz to Grausam at once.”

“As you wish, Lady Georgine.”

Detlinde was moved; Georgine never usually showed any concern for her health, and it was unprecedented for her to change her plans so suddenly. Detlinde could count on one hand the number of times Georgine had shown any consideration for her well-being and not forced her to continue working through illness. As she considered whether it was in her best interests to fall sick more often from now on, a reply arrived.

“This is Grausam,” came an apologetic male voice from the ivory bird. “As much as I desire to accommodate any wish you may have, Lady Georgine, I happen to have visitors today. I can prepare rooms for you and Lady Detlinde, but not all of your entourage. My sincerest apologies, but could you limit your retainers to one attendant and one guard knight each? I will prepare any other staff you might need for the duration of your stay and recommend an inn for the others in your party.”

Georgine agreed to this proposal without so much as batting an eye. “I suppose we both have our own circumstances,” she said. “Detlinde and I shall oblige you, but I suggest that we send the others to rest in Ahrensbach, as planned. We could not demand so much from a giebe of another duchy. It would also be rude to the giebe in Ahrensbach who is so graciously planning to house us tonight.”

“But only one attendant and one guard knight is much too dangerous,” came protests from those gathered. It was unthinkable for members of an archducal family to surrender so much protection in another duchy, but Georgine fixed all those who spoke up with a firm glare.

“We are staying with Seltier’s family, with whom I am already acquainted. We can trust their attendants and guard knights, and I will not hear anything to the contrary. Detlinde’s health comes first.”

After looking over the group, Georgine ordered everyone to move at once. Detlinde’s body was starting to feel exceedingly heavy, to the point that she struggled to even move her highbeast. Georgine instructed her to ride with a female guard knight, and off they went.

“Welcome, Lady Georgine. We have long awaited your visit. I shall take you to your rooms at once. Yours is this way. Everyone is ready.”

Oh...?

Detlinde looked at Grausam. Despite the fuzziness that was beginning to blanket her mind and cloud her thoughts, she realized that she had seen this man quite recently—he had been among those who had stuck closely to Georgine in Ehrenfest. Why was he here when he had just been in the Noble’s Quarter? Something about the whole situation felt strangely artificial... but perhaps her uneasiness was simply due to her poor health. She struggled to say for sure, disoriented as she was.

“We shall stay until Detlinde has recovered,” Georgine said. “I am glad to have this opportunity to strengthen old bonds with you all.”

“The other side worked unexpectedly hard at the Noble’s Quarter. It is a pleasant surprise that we may meet like this without any interference, Lady Georgine,” Grausam replied, welcoming her politely. Detlinde couldn’t help but think that he was looking at Georgine as one might look at one’s master.