Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.12 - Chapter 15

Inauguration Attire and Closing the Library

“Milady? Milady!”

I was so deeply immersed in my textbook that I nearly leapt out of my skin when Rihyarda snatched it away from me. She must have been calling my name for a while because she shook her head and sighed.

“It is almost time to depart for the main building—Lady Florencia’s and Lady Charlotte’s seamstresses are due to arrive soon. You will need to pick the clothes and ornaments you wish to wear for your inauguration ceremony.”

“Can I not just reuse what I wore for my engagement ceremony?” I asked. “It is the color of the season, and since it was made for my adoption by the king, it must be appropriate for an inauguration ceremony.” I was also emotionally attached to the outfit, which included cloth dyed by Mom, cloth given to me by Ferdinand, and a hairpin made by Tuuli.

Rihyarda and Ottilie both frowned.

“You have worn it twice in public already—during lunch with the royal family and your engagement ceremony—and Aub Ehrenfest would surely feel slighted if you turned away the seamstresses Lady Florencia and Lady Charlotte were nice enough to summon for you,” Rihyarda explained. “The Archduke Conference spans several days; there will be plenty more chances for you to wear your favorite outfits.”

I needed to wear clothes from Ehrenfest; otherwise, the nobles of Old Ahrensbach would mock Sylvester for not looking out for his daughter about to become an aub. Many of them already opposed the thought of me taking over, so the last thing we wanted to do was create a weakness for them to exploit.

“Very well. Let us depart.”

“We received quite the selection, Sister. Mother is trying hers on as we speak.”

Charlotte was awaiting us in a room full of clothes. Florencia’s and her outfits had already been brought in, and we drank tea while they were laid out for us. Florencia was behind a screen.

“Charlotte,” I said, “Judithe told me you arranged for her and Damuel to escort the Gutenbergs on their move. I thank you ever so much. Because of you, I was able to entrust them with the task without anyone complaining about knights guarding commoners.”

Judithe had spoken with her father and, as expected, failed to secure his approval to leave the duchy. She was upset about going only as far as the border gate, but Ehrenfest’s consideration meant I could send my knights from Alexandria as well. Matthias and Laurenz would meet them at the gate.

“I am glad to have been of use to you, Sister. Not to bluntly request something in return, but might I ask you to instruct Judithe and Damuel to check the south of the duchy when they arrive at the border gate?”

“Check it for what, exactly?” I doubted Charlotte had anything dubious in mind, but as I was leaving Ehrenfest, I didn’t want to approve anything that might put them at risk.

“Any lingering damage from the battle in Gerlach. I insisted on going during Spring Prayer, but not even returning the stolen mana fully restored the land to normal.”

Simply using the chalice expended mana, so a decent chunk of the stolen mana had unfortunately been lost. Greenery had returned to the province, restoring it from a barren wasteland incapable of supporting crops, but they still couldn’t predict how its harvest would go.

She continued, “I wish to know whether the Spring Prayer I performed was enough to heal the land, whether it needs more mana, or whether we should devote ourselves to preparing more food for winter. Giebe Gerlach’s estate was attacked directly, so our communication with the province is less than ideal.”

A new giebe would normally be assigned after the Archduke Conference, but all the deaths in Gerlach might have complicated the handover. If the province needed assistance, then it was crucial that we find out sooner rather than later.

Is it just me, or is my little sister way too amazing? She didn’t even witness the battle, yet she’s thinking about the aftermath and supporting those who need it.

I was moved to know she was being so considerate of her people and protecting the Gutenbergs while Ehrenfest’s adults were focused on the Archduke Conference.

“Judithe—you heard all of that, I presume. Check on Illgner and Gerlach at the end of your trip.”

She agreed to my request, a slight smile on her face.

“You are next, Rozemyne,” Florencia said as she came out from behind the screen. “Your everyday clothes can come later; first, consider what you will wear for the Archduke Conference.”

Right on cue, the seamstresses brought my clothes into the room. There were so many outfits, some brand-new and others simply altered. Each garment was dyed and embroidered in the style of its respective workshop, meaning I could mostly tell which ones had come from Florencia’s seamstresses and which ones had come from Charlotte’s.

“Let us start with this outfit,” one of the seamstresses said. “We might need to make a few more adjustments.”

I went behind the screen and started putting my arms through the sleeves. A proper fitting hadn’t been an option for me, so I’d asked the seamstresses to base my new garments on already fitted clothes from the Gilberta Company. It must have been quite an ordeal for them.

“How very impressive,” I said. “It barely needs any alterations at all.”

The seamstresses broke into smiles and got to work, noting that the last changes were the most important. I was bound to have a lot of eyes on me during the Archduke Conference, so every last detail needed to be perfect.

Several outfits later, I elected to take a break. Charlotte went behind the screen in my stead. Rihyarda poured me some tea, which I drank while looking over the finished clothing.

“Would it not be strange for me to wear blue during a conference held at the end of spring?” I asked Florencia.

“Not at all, for it is the divine color of your birth season. Did any of the outfits take your fancy?”

I gestured to one her seamstresses had prepared—a mix of aqua and navy blue. “May I wear this for the inauguration ceremony? It might bear too close a resemblance to your outfit, but...”

Florencia’s clothes for the ceremony were a calm green. Their design wasn’t identical to that of the clothes I’d chosen, but the two outfits still closely resembled each other, no doubt because they had come from the same seamstresses.

“True, both use cloth dyed by a Renaissance, and their pattern is the same, but the colors are enough to distinguish them. That contest was not only for selecting our personal dyers but also for making patterns unique to an individual.”

Trends among noblewomen had changed quite a bit in my absence.

“Since you went to all this trouble, I think we should wear matching clothes for my inauguration,” I said. “How does that sound to you? It should emphasize that I am on good terms with Ehrenfest.”

Florencia gave me a bright, warm smile. “Yours are predominantly aqua, so they should pair nicely with your Alexandrian cape. Let us take this opportunity to match sashes as well. Maxine, do you recall those differently colored sashes I asked for? Bring them to me, if you would.”

Florencia then told another of her retainers to inform Sylvester’s attendants of our plan.

“You’re telling Sylvester?” I asked.

“Indeed. We will attend together, so some sense of unity is preferable. You would do well to inform Lord Ferdinand, seeing as your capes will not match.”

Eglantine would grant me the cape of my new duchy during the inauguration, but Ferdinand would continue to wear his Ehrenfest cape. In that regard, we were bound to be a little mismatched. I elected to write him a letter describing my clothes so he could wear something to go with them.

“Rozemyne, how would you feel about Brunhilde’s outfit matching ours?” Florencia asked. It wouldn’t match perfectly because there wasn’t enough time to make one from scratch, but a similar design and variant sash would at least give the impression from a distance. “I will respect your opinion, but I think we should give her a visible connection to you so that other nobles know of your bond.”

“I welcome the idea, of course.”

Florencia informed me that she and Brunhilde had worn similar but differently colored hairpins during the Royal Academy’s graduation ceremony. Perhaps because I wasn’t from this world, I still didn’t really understand the concept of second or third wives. It was more common for first and second wives to oppose each other than be friends—hence concerns that Brunhilde, a Leisegang noble, would cause discord within the archducal family—but I was glad to see Florencia buck the trend.

“As this might be our very last chance...” Florencia held out a sound-blocker. “Would you allow me a moment of your time?”

I glimpsed the small object in her hand and immediately began to shiver. My heart pounded in my chest, and a cold sweat ran down my back.

“Is something the matter?” Florencia asked, tilting her head at me. Ferdinand and my retainers must have hidden the truth so well that not even she knew about my feystone phobia.

“Oh, no,” I replied, accepting the sound-blocker with a forced smile. Having to feel it in my hand made me tremble even more, but I couldn’t let my fear show; I would need to hold any number of magic tools and feystones during the Archduke Conference.

“Even as your departure for another duchy draws near, you agree to wear matching clothes and respect Charlotte’s every wish. I always thought it, but I am more certain now than ever—you truly are a saint.”

I was so taken aback that my mouth hung open and I forgot all about the feystone. For her to have said something so kind when I’d caused Ehrenfest nothing but trouble...

“Our relationship has been... not strained, but not at all what one would expect of a mother and daughter,” Florencia said with a sad smile. “You have always been closer to your true mother, Elvira. And with Lord Ferdinand in charge of your education, I never knew whether it was acceptable to reach out to you.”

My upbringing meant I’d needed to study twice as hard to get accustomed to the ways of noble society. My meetings with other nobles had been heavily restricted, and I’d spent more time in the temple than in the castle. I’d also disregarded noble scholars and prioritized the commoners developing the printing industry. Florencia had tried to properly educate me as a first wife when I was engaged to Wilfried, but I’d always refused on the grounds that I was much too busy. She hadn’t known what to do with me as I’d charged ahead down my own path.

“I admit,” she said, “your reluctance to stay in the castle and tendency to avoid my education made me wonder if you hated me.”

“That was never my intention...” I still considered the restrictions of noble society unpleasant, and tea parties were always a bother, but I’d never hated or even disliked Florencia.

“I realize now that we did not have the same future in mind—that was all there was to it,” Florencia continued, her expression betraying her melancholy. “It is unfortunate that our time together in Ehrenfest’s archducal family must end, but I am more grateful to you than I can ever put into words. You protected my children and devoted so much to the development of our duchy.”

“I am grateful to you as well, for you let me do as I pleased when others would not.”

Sylvester wasn’t the only one with exceptional patience—Florencia had striven to grant my wishes and clean up my messes no matter how many times I put her through the wringer. She had warned me about socializing and my education and taken me aside to give me advice, but at no point had she ever forced me into something I didn’t want to do.

“I presume you will continue to live as you see fit,” Florencia said. “Even so, I must remind you of your sickly constitution and the importance of looking after your health.”

I couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Rozemyne?”

“I was just thinking how wonderful it is that mothers always give their daughters the same advice... We might be taking separate roads, but you are and will always be dear to me. Do take care as well... Mother.”

Charlotte returned just as things were getting emotional. Florencia and I put our sound-blockers down on the table.

“Having a secret conversation, were you?” Charlotte asked, raising an eyebrow at us.

“I simply asked Rozemyne to continue being close with you even once she becomes an aub.”

“You are my darling little sister, Charlotte—that will not change no matter where I go.”

I exchanged a quick look and a smile with Florencia. It was only brief, but I was glad to have spoken privately with her.

“Milady, your schedule for today includes closing the library,” Rihyarda said once I’d eaten breakfast. “Carriages and servants have already been prepared. Shall we contact Alexandria?”

Lasfam had sent word that he’d completed the tasks given to him, so Rihyarda had made the necessary arrangements for the rest of my estate-turned-library to be cleared out. Some of the luggage belonged to Ferdinand, so his retainers on Alexandria’s side would need to be ready to receive it.

“Damuel, how were things over there?” I asked.

“I met with Lord Justus yesterday. Lord Sergius will meet us in the Alexandria Dormitory this afternoon.”

Damuel and Philine were going to Alexandria daily to help find more evidence of corrupt nobles’ embezzlement and other such crimes. In the process, they were also serving as a valuable line of communication. It was through them that we’d come to learn Roderick was already living in the new duchy—he had rushed through an exceptionally busy move at Hartmut’s, uh... prompting.

“Lady Rozemyne, will you require my assistance today?” Philine asked.

“No, I would rather you stay with Damuel and continue helping Ferdinand. Almost everything is packed, and my attendants can make sure the luggage is taken care of.”

“Yes, my lady. We shall depart, then.”

The pair turned to leave, but Ottilie stopped them. “My apologies, Damuel, Philine, but could you deliver a message to Hartmut for me? Let him know that unless he returns soon, we will not be able to proceed with his move.”

Clarissa could do most of the packing, but Hartmut needed to be present to clear out his hidden room and such. Ottilie usually left him to his own devices, so she really must have been at the end of her rope.

“Angelica, how fares Lieseleta?” I asked. “Have you made much progress with packing?” Gretia had only needed to focus on her own move, meaning she had already returned to work, but Lieseleta was stuck doing two people’s preparations.

Angelica thought for a moment, then gazed at me quizzically. “I think she said she would finish before the Archduke Conference.”

“I already knew that much.”

Damuel and Philine returned to Alexandria, while I went to my library with my attendants and guard knights.

“Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne.”

“Lasfam, I am glad to hear you have completed your duties,” I said, remembering everything he had needed to do. I thought Ferdinand was cruel to make him memorize so many documents before he could move, but Lasfam had accomplished it without issue.

“It has been quite a while since I was last pushed to my limits,” he replied. “I grew so complacent while away from my lord that it was nice to warm up my mind a little before the move.”

He sounds a little too used to being worked to the bone... but what else can you expect from one of Ferdinand’s retainers?

The very thought of that thick stack of documents being a mere warm-up made my heart ache. As one might expect, you really had to be on top of your game to survive serving Ferdinand.

“Is the luggage ready to be taken outside?” I asked.

“Yes. Only the library and your chambers remain to be cleared out. You will not be taking the furniture that was here when you received the estate, so there was not much to pack overall.”

Aside from my chambers, I’d only really used the library, brewing room, and parlor since accepting this estate. I’d yet to even enter most other rooms—and now I wouldn’t need to, as Lasfam had cleared them out for me.

“In that case, should my attendants start packing up the library?” I asked. “I will clear out my hidden room in the meantime. Angelica, fetch me a box, if you will.”

I got straight to work, storing letters from Ferdinand, the sound-recording magic tool, and several other things in the box Angelica gave me. My hidden room was relatively empty in the first place, so the process didn’t take me long. I returned to the others when I was done, set down my things, and then led some of my helpers into the hidden room to carry out the chair and such. It was clear in no time.

“Oh, Lady Rozemyne,” Lasfam said. “Have you finished already?”

“I did not have much to pack,” I replied, then noticed the boxes of books being carried to the entrance hall. “It saddens me to see the library so empty. Only a little, though, for its former contents are being moved to my new duchy.”

He nodded and gestured me to a seat. “Please wait here until the luggage has been moved.”

“I have a sentimental attachment to this place—it was my very first library—but the circumstances under which I received it bring me great sorrow,” I mused aloud, taking in these surroundings for the last time. “I always knew I could never truly be happy here.”

Lasfam looked around as well, wearing a morose smile. “This was not a place of pleasant memories for Lord Ferdinand—or for me, for that matter. Though I managed this estate as his retainer, he seldom ever came here.”

Archduke candidates tended to leave the northern building after coming of age. Those who were engaged stayed there until they were married, and those who intended to remain in their duchy were given an estate in the Noble’s Quarter. It took roughly two years to move in to the northern building, and the same was true of moving out.

“It was the beginning of summer when my lord received this estate from the previous archduke,” Lasfam explained. “He had just finished his fourth year at the Academy—though in those days, he stayed there year-round.”

The estate had already been furnished, and Ferdinand had said there was nothing for him to prepare, so he had stayed at the Royal Academy to focus on his research.

“Later, when the previous archduke fell sick, Lord Ferdinand was ordered to spend more time with the Knight’s Order. Only then did he frequent this estate, for he was safer here than in the northern building.”

Eckhart and Justus had also spent more time here, determined to stick by their lord. Karstedt and Sylvester had visited on a regular basis.

“More time with the Knight’s Order?” I repeated. “I remember hearing that he used to be the knight commander.”

“You knew? That was after his proposed marriage into Dunkelfelger was dropped in favor of Lady Magdalena’s engagement with Lord Trauerqual. The previous archduke had wished for Lord Ferdinand to live similarly to Lord Bonifatius, hoping Lady Veronica would permit my lord to stay in Ehrenfest and support Sylvester. Lord Karstedt agreed and started treating Lord Ferdinand as the knight commander.”

Sylvester had also agreed, so Karstedt, who had already been the knight commander by that point, had started doing what he could to prop up Ferdinand.

“Looking back on it all, the previous archduke likely strove to create a place for Lord Ferdinand that would remain even after his own demise. My lord was displeased with having to spend so much time in the Knight’s Order, for it meant he had less to devote to his research.”

As the late archduke’s health deteriorated, Veronica’s attacks became more severe. Ferdinand hadn’t been able to spend as much time in the Royal Academy due to being treated as a knight commander rather than an archduke candidate, so he had started to feel more and more trapped.

“At last, when the previous archduke passed on, Lady Veronica ceased disguising her murderous intent,” Lasfam explained. “My lord entered the temple at Lord Sylvester’s advice, costing him his place in noble society.”

“Sylvester was only trying to protect him, and—”

“I was told the same—that he simply wished to keep my lord safe from Lady Veronica. But if that were true, would it not have made more sense to send the crazed widow rendered insane by the death of her husband to the temple?”

I get how you feel, but that’s so harsh! No wonder you’re on good terms with Eckhart.

“For a while, Lord Ferdinand commuted to the temple from this estate, but he spent more and more time there as the days went on. Eventually, he came here only when he had business in the castle or Noble’s Quarter. I actually came to envy his temple attendants; I was unable to serve my lord no matter how passionately I wished to.”

I noticed a slight smile on Lasfam’s face as he continued, “Eckhart, Justus, and I had a celebratory drink when Lady Veronica was detained. Most others were busy in the aftermath, but our wrath for the woman was so profound that the knight commander ordered us to stay far away from her. It was a shame, really. Had she been detained somewhere other than the Ivory Tower, I could have enacted revenge on her in all manner of creative fashions.”

His last remark was so shocking that I could only stare at him in response. Despite his peaceful smile, Lasfam was no less devoted than Ferdinand’s other name-sworn.

Father, you were wise to keep him away from Veronica. He’s out for revenge and violent as heck!

“We had relatively little to do, but Lord Ferdinand was always between the temple, the castle, and Lord Karstedt’s estate,” Lasfam noted, shooting me a knowing look. That must have been when I was studying like crazy to prepare for my baptism ceremony. “As a result of your adoption by the archduke, my lord sent Eckhart and Justus to the estate on a more regular basis. He, too, spent time here upon his return to noble society. I was overjoyed to be of use to him.”

But then Ferdinand was sent to Ahrensbach, where he was poisoned and almost died. Lasfam had spent the entire time stuck in Ehrenfest.

Listening to Lasfam made it clear how much he, Eckhart, and Justus loathed Detlinde and the Lanzenavians for endangering their lord. I was terribly worried about what revenge plots they might try to execute in the shadows of Alexandria.

Praise be to Mestionora for banning the taking of any more lives!

Her order would prevent the absolute worst from happening.

“I was ordered to serve you, Lady Rozemyne—at least on a temporary basis. But you, like my lord, were barely ever here. You spent your winters at the Royal Academy and the rest of your time moving between the castle and temple.”

In truth, I would rather have stayed in my library, but the situation hadn’t allowed me to. It was tragic how little time I’d actually spent here.

“Still, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to watch you and your retainers,” Lasfam said. “Your reports kept me well-informed about Lord Ferdinand, and it was precisely because of this estate that he was saved.”

Indeed, before rescuing Ferdinand, we had used the estate to brew the tools and rejuvenation potions we needed. Eckhart and Justus had rested in the meantime. Had we attempted the same thing in the castle, nobles would surely have interrupted us and complained about the operation.

“Lady Rozemyne, you have saved my lord in more ways than I can count. I am glad he is engaged to you and that his future is in Alexandria, not Ahrensbach; it means my waiting here the past year and a half was worth it. I put him in your care.”

A smile creased Lasfam’s green eyes. I was touched to know that he trusted me, but I also felt a sudden wave of pressure. As much as I wanted to give Ferdinand a joyous life, I felt that I was rarely successful.

“It is my every intention to treat Ferdinand well,” I said. “However... you might have been in this estate too long to know, but I cause him trouble more often than not. I always have. Please do not be mad when you see how we interact in Alexandria and the burdens he must endure because of me.”

Lasfam attempted not to chuckle, but it was no use. “I can make no promises, but... Ahahaha!” He burst into laughter for reasons I couldn’t understand.

As I retraced our conversation thus far, a single thought came to mind: if ever I angered Lasfam or one of Ferdinand’s other retainers, I would immediately hole up in the Ivory Tower. It was the only way to escape their revenge.

“Is that everything?” asked one of the servants. They must have finished moving the luggage. “If so, we shall depart.”

Lasfam looked around and nodded. “Take the luggage in the front carriages to the castle’s teleportation circle and the red paper in the back carriage to the northern building. Now then, everyone—please step outside. It is time to seal the estate.”

The servants took their leave first, with Ottilie’s group right behind them.

I paused in the entrance hall. It didn’t feel empty with all the furniture still there, but the absence of everything that mattered to us made me feel as though I’d wandered into someone else’s estate. This was no longer my home—it would remain unused until it received its next master.

“Could you lock the door?” Lasfam asked me.

I took out the key I always kept with me and did as he’d requested. It wasn’t remotely nice having to seal the first library I’d ever obtained. I stood in place and stared at the door, overcome with longing and regret, but Lasfam just seemed glad to be free of this place.

“This key is for attendants,” he said, not seeming the least bit emotional as he gave me his key to the estate that had served as his home all these years. “Please return it to Aub Ehrenfest alongside your own.”

Lasfam was more sprightly than ever now that he was going back to serving Ferdinand. I even noticed a spring in his step as he marched on ahead and called, “Lady Rozemyne, I wish to travel to Alexandria ahead of schedule and place these books in the library there.”

“Don’t even think about it!” I exclaimed, whipping around and jumping into the carriage after him. “That joy is mine to have!”