Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.12 - Chapter 16

Farewell, Ehrenfest

No sooner had my retainers moved to Alexandria than Ehrenfest nobles started going in and out of the dormitory to prepare for the Archduke Conference. To minimize the problems this would cause, Sylvester had instructed me that morning to stay in the dormitory instead of the castle until my inauguration.

“Are you ready to depart, milady?” Rihyarda asked. “The dormitory should contain everything you need to live there.”

“I am, but this feels so sudden... Though I understand it will only be for two days, I apologize for burdening everyone with this change of schedule.”

As it stood, my active retinue comprised only Judithe and Angelica as my knights and Rihyarda, Bertilde, and Ottilie as my attendants. Lieseleta and Gretia had gone to the Ehrenfest Dormitory ahead of us to clean my chambers and move in some of my belongings, while Leonore was guarding them. Everyone else was in Alexandria preparing for the Archduke Conference. I’d sent word to them that our plans had abruptly changed; I wondered whether my correspondence had reached them by now.

“You need not apologize,” Ottilie said. “As Lord Sylvester and Lady Charlotte informed you, there are many among the nobles presently at the dormitory who are unaware of your circumstances. Interduchy disputes might arise if you do not keep an eye on their movements.”

My attendants from Old Ahrensbach were exchanging intelligence and paperwork with my other retainers; there were more administrative documents from Alexandria that needed my approval. They were only using Ehrenfest’s tea party room, but the frequency of their visits risked displeasing Ehrenfest’s nobles, and even a small clash could spiral into a larger conflict. I was being told to remain vigilant so that my retainers wouldn’t become the source of trouble between our duchies.

Charlotte went out of her way to teach me a lot, so...

She had told me how Ehrenfest viewed Old Ahrensbach’s nobles and what I, the shining star of the Leisegangs, needed to do in becoming the aub of another duchy. Moreover, she pointed out that Leisegang had provided important food support during and ever since the Defense of Ehrenfest.

As the old proverb goes, it’s an ill bird that fouls its own nest.

I sent a letter to Alexandria describing the current situation and subsequently forbidding my violet-caped retainers from entering Ehrenfest’s tea party room. We urgently needed to explain our circumstances to the Ehrenfest nobles.

“Bertilde, is there anything we need for the inauguration ceremony that we do not have?” Rihyarda asked.

“I double-checked, and there is nothing we are missing.”

“Ottilie, take these to the dormitory as well, if you would. We shall return them here when we are done with them.”

“Understood.”

My room in the castle was fully cleared out under Rihyarda’s supervision. Now we just needed to ask the servants to move my belongings. Anything I might need in advance of the Archduke Conference would be taken to my room in the Ehrenfest Dormitory, where Gretia and Lieseleta were awaiting us, while everything else would go to either Alexandria’s dormitory or its castle.

“All that remains is to seal your hidden room, milady. Are you certain there is nothing left inside?”

I performed one last check. As expected, no furniture or anything else remained. I pressed a hand against the door and channeled my mana into it, blasting the room out of existence.

“How shall we proceed, milady? Lord Wilfried’s retainers have asked to know when you are departing, but should we inform Lord Bonifatius as well? Considering the fuss he kicked up at your engagement ceremony, Lord Sylvester said to prioritize your wishes.”

I thought back to Bonifatius stomping his feet in anger as Ferdinand wiped the tears from my eyes, and my lips curled into a smile. “My engagement was set in stone by a royal decree—it cannot be overturned no matter how strongly Grandfather feels about it.”

“I would understand the bride’s father being upset, but for Lord Bonifatius, not Lord Karstedt, to be the source of your troubles... Good grief. He really must show some decency, no matter how strong his love for you might be.”

Rihyarda’s comments were merciless, maybe because she had so much history with Bonifatius. I listened to her complaints with a smile, then said that we should give him the time of my departure.

“He might be a little much, but I do not particularly mind it,” I said. “I wish to at least give him a proper farewell. I owe him for looking after Damuel, and we will not have anywhere near as many chances to meet when I am Aub Alexandria.”

“Understood. I shall ask him to meet us in the teleportation hall.”

Rihyarda sent ordonnanzes to Wilfried and Bonifatius, then gave me a solemn look. “Now then, milady... my duty ends here. Lieseleta and Gretia have finished moving, and you can count on Bertilde and Ottilie to attend you at the Academy. Even in my absence, you should reach your inauguration without issue.”

It was easy to forget, but Rihyarda was Sylvester’s attendant, not mine; she had only served me since my return to Ehrenfest because my retainers were absent or busy with their moves. During the Archduke Conference, she would need to focus on her own work here in the castle, so she couldn’t accompany me to the Academy.

“It might only have been to fill a gap in my retinue, but I truly am glad we had this time together,” I said. “You even accepted my selfish request and called me ‘milady’ till the very end. Despite my overwhelming ignorance, you have taught me how to be a noble ever since my arrival at this castle.”

Rihyarda had guided me when my upbringing made me unused to noble customs, scolded Ferdinand when he was too harsh in educating me, allowed me to leave the castle when I missed the temple, and even followed me to the Royal Academy. She had played a crucial role in keeping me afloat as an Ehrenfest noble.

“If not for your loving lectures, I would never have reached the standards expected of a noble,” I said. “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.”

“Oh, no, the gratitude is mine. If not for you, the tangled thread of fate would never have come undone.” A chain of misery had started with Gabriele, ensnaring Veronica, Georgine, Sylvester, and even Detlinde. Rihyarda had watched it grow and snarl for most of her life.

“To say I undid those knots is far too generous. I gracelessly sliced through them.”

“And the frayed ends are clear to see. That does not change your saving Lord Ferdinand, Justus, and so many others. Ehrenfest might never have survived without your intervention, but now we can find prosperity with our new neighbor.”

I exchanged a smile with Rihyarda, nodded, and said, “I will do my best. I do hope you will come to visit me in Alexandria when our situation improves.” If our duchies worked together and strove for mutual progress, interduchy travel would soon become simple.

“But of course. Please grant me the opportunity while I am still alive.”

Rihyarda spoke so casually, but her words reminded me just how hard it was going to be for us to meet again. Tears started to flow down my cheeks.

“You mustn’t cry, milady. Becoming an aub means being treated as an adult. Showing emotion or weakness will negatively impact your entire duchy. You must get a grip.”

I cried even harder. I wanted to keep relying on her, but this was the last lecture she would ever give me. Once I was an aub, no one would scold me like she did.

“Though I worry about you leaving the nest at such a young age,” Rihyarda continued, “you have Lord Ferdinand, Justus, and many others in Alexandria to support you. Not to mention, I much prefer this to the old plan to send you to the Sovereignty.”

I could see the cracks in Rihyarda’s smile. She took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears in her eyes from breaking free, then crossed her arms over her chest and knelt before me.

“Lady Rozemyne, the time has come for you to tread a new path. May I pray for Jugereise the Goddess of Separation to bless your road ahead and the start of your journey?”

“You may.”

“O Jugereise the Goddess of Separation... please protect my lady on her departure.”

I recognized the prayer as a farewell spoken by retainers when their lord or lady departed the castle. Not even sparing a moment to wipe my eyes, I watched intently as a red light floated up from Rihyarda’s ring.

By the time she stood again, her smile was gone. In its place was a much sterner expression—a silent declaration that I should dry my tears, quash my weakness, and march ahead without so much as turning back. I nodded and wiped my eyes, then took a deep breath and straightened my back.

Rihyarda led me to the door, which Judithe and Angelica had opened wide for me. She stopped when she reached it and moved aside, allowing me to pass straight through without even slowing down.

“Let us go,” I said.

Together with Ottilie, Bertilde, Judithe, and Angelica, I took my leave. I proceeded down the hallway without looking back, listening to the low creak as Rihyarda closed the door behind us.

We headed downstairs, where Wilfried, Charlotte, and Melchior were awaiting us with their retainers. I would see the archducal couple in the dormitory before my inauguration, and the Archduke Conference would give me plenty of chances to speak with them, but everyone here was too young to participate. I was glad to see my siblings one more time as we made our way to the teleportation hall.

“I never thought you would need to leave for the dormitory early...” Melchior said. He had taken my hand and very cutely insisted on escorting me. “Everyone in the temple will miss you, Sister. Can’t you stay in Ehrenfest a little while longer?”

I smiled and shook my head. “This is urgent business that cannot be postponed.”

“But I am nowhere near good enough as the High Bishop. I cannot match your greatness, Sister.”

“You are working so very hard, Melchior; you need not push yourself any further. I ask only that you cooperate with Philine, Dirk, and Konrad to protect the workshop and orphanage.”

“Sheesh, Rozemyne... You’re always so easy on him and Charlotte,” Wilfried said. He looked none too pleased about my age bias, but I considered it only natural to worry about Melchior, who must have been going above and beyond to make amends for his mistake during the Defense of Ehrenfest.

“Melchior, it is one thing to take inspiration from Rozemyne, but have I not told you to give up on doing things exactly as she did them?” Charlotte asked. “I do not want you to work so hard that you collapse.” She gave him a few reassuring pats on the back, then turned to me and said, “To put him more at ease, I was hoping the four of us could come together for a tea party when you finished your preparations. How unfortunate that we never had the chance.”

“Indeed,” I replied. “I regret that I did not get to spend more time with all of you.”

“Are you serious?” Wilfried asked, squinting at us both. “Even if you’d stayed, Rozemyne, I doubt your schedules would ever have aligned—you rarely spend time in the castle, and Charlotte’s so busy that she can’t even make time to have a tea party with me. Besides, it’s not like we won’t see you at the Royal Academy.”

True enough...

I was hard at work memorizing everything there was to know about Alexandria, and Charlotte was keeping an eye on Ehrenfest while the adults focused on the Archduke Conference. We could maybe find time to exchange intelligence, but scheduling a tea party simply to chat was out of the question.

Still, I didn’t see why he’d felt the need to bring that up and ruin the mood. We were only expressing our regret at being separated.

“Wilfried,” I said, exchanging a look with Charlotte, “once I move, things will never be the same as they once were. We will not even be able to contact each other by ordonnanz; how can I not be sad to say goodbye?”

“And even if we do reunite at the Royal Academy, we will not be able to speak leisurely in the dining hall or common room,” Charlotte added. “I will miss her, and the thought of her leaving makes me uneasy.”

“I wanted Rozemyne to stay in Ehrenfest until she came of age,” Melchior lamented. “Didn’t you, Brother?”

Wilfried faltered under the pressure of our glares and pursed his lips. “Sure, but this was decided over a year ago, and socializing with her in a neighboring duchy is going to be much easier than if she’d moved to the Sovereignty. Not to mention, the new arrangement means Uncle has taken her reins. I’m more relieved than sad; this outcome is bound to make speaking with her easier and more peaceful than any other.”

Again, kind of rude, but he isn’t wrong at all.

We would be closer than if the king had adopted me. I also wouldn’t need to worry about Ferdinand being in another duchy.

“And above all else,” Wilfried continued, “Rozemyne said our bond would stay strong even if she moved away. That wasn’t a lie, was it?”

“No, not at all,” I replied. “I was so reluctant to cut my ties to Ehrenfest that I even asked to keep Sylvester as my adoptive father.”

Sylvester had told me I could cancel the adoption. My Old Ahrensbach retainers had supported the idea, asserting that it would make Alexandria less likely to be treated as a vassal state of Ehrenfest, but I’d promptly refused.

“Wilfried, Charlotte, Melchior,” I said, “even in Alexandria, I will remain your dear sister. Our relationship will not change. Not by my hand.”

“See?” Wilfried crowed, puffing out his chest. “She said it herself—her going to another duchy won’t change anything. And we have our symbols of siblinghood, don’t we? How’s that for a pick-me-up?”

Charlotte and Melchior did seem much happier than before. I could tell they were both pressing their hands against the metal charms marked with the Rozemyne Workshop’s crest that we’d fashioned into bracelets and necklaces.

“Sister, let us have many tea parties together when we return to the Royal Academy. Lady Letizia will be old enough to attend, will she not? Please introduce us to her.”

“Of course, Charlotte,” I replied with a nod. I wanted Letizia involved in the positive relations between our two duchies.

“Sister,” Melchior said, “will you tell me all about the gods when I start attending the Academy?”

“That’s still some time away, but yes. I look forward to it.”

As we laughed together, I suddenly heard a low rumbling noise. Bonifatius roared, “ROZEMYYYNE!” as he charged straight toward us.

“He was told to wait at the teleportation hall,” Angelica said, immediately stepping forward with Stenluke at the ready. “His impatience must have taken over.”

“Perhaps a bright, low-lethality flash will return him to his senses!” Judithe cried. “Lady Rozemyne, get behind the others!”

Charlotte pulled me behind her guard knights just as Judithe threw a flash grenade. Angelica lowered her stance like a runner on the starting block, then shot forward while the others raised their shields in front of us.

“Use your shield, Angelica! Not your sword!” Lamprecht cried, running alongside her. “Attacking a member of the archducal family with a manablade will get you in serious trouble!”

Despite being Wilfried’s guard knight, he was charging ahead with a shield.

“Grandfather, stop this madness!” Lamprecht shouted. “Do you intend to crush Rozemyne?!”

“What madness?! And no, of course I don’t! Hmph!”

Bonifatius slowed his charge but still slipped past Lamprecht and Angelica with ease. He then shoved the two knights making up the next line of defense—both Melchior’s retainers—against the wall, fanning the flames of worry that he really was going to crush me.

“Do not let Master near Lady Rozemyne!” Angelica called. “He is still in a dangerous state!” Her concern told me that I really was at risk, but I couldn’t suppress a smile.

“Grandfather, I thank you ever so much for coming to see me off,” I said.

“I came as soon as I received Rihyarda’s ordonnanz that you were leaving.”

Bonifatius had a tendency to go on somewhat violent rampages, but there was no mistaking how much he doted on me as his one and only granddaughter. He stood up straight and put a hand on his hip, seemingly intent on escorting me. I thought it was heartwarming, but Melchior furrowed his brow.

“Lord Bonifatius, I am escorting my sister to the teleportation hall,” he said, holding up my hand to prove his point.

Bonifatius sharply cocked an eyebrow in response.

“How about I give my free hand to Grandfather?” I asked, hoping to avoid a fight between the former knight commander and a literal child. I placed my left hand on Bonifatius’s arm and continued to hold Melchior’s hand with my right as we continued toward our destination.

“Do you really need to leave...?” Bonifatius asked.

“Oh my. Would you abandon a duchy whose foundation you stole?”

“I’m not that irresponsible,” he grunted, his face twisted in a grimace. Though he was a loose cannon in so many regards, he was strict about our duties as archducal family members. If I turned around and said that I didn’t want Ahrensbach’s foundation now that Ferdinand was safe, then he would surely be furious and declare that I shouldn’t have launched a rescue operation in the first place.

“I am so grateful to you, Grandfather. You not only trained my guard knights but also warned me about tarnishing the sanctity of name-swearing. Even now, I think about all the fun times we had together during those Archduke Conferences.” I recounted him praising me when I’d worked with him and our wacky antics while gathering in the noble forest.

“You know, Rozemyne, there was no need for you to shoulder this burden... It isn’t easy for a woman to be an aub. Not at all. And you’re underage.”

“I recognize the challenge to come, but I will not face it alone; I have Ferdinand and my wonderful retainers to support me.” The former had promised to protect the duchy and me with it, while the latter had given me their names and vowed to follow me to the very end.

Despite my best attempts to reassure him, Bonifatius grimaced again. “That boy infuriates me.”

“Do you really distrust Ferdinand that much?” I asked, meeting his unnecessarily extreme reaction with a reproachful glare.

Bonifatius balled his hands into fists. “It’s not about trust. I’m the one who rescued you from Grausam when he poisoned and kidnapped you. Ferdinand swooped in and stole you from me, then blocked me from seeing you for two whole years; why does he get to be the victor?”

Hmm? That’s not how I remember it. As I recall, Grandfather was about to swing me into a tree when Ferdinand saved me, fed me an antidote, then kept any nobles from approaching the temple while I recovered.

“Not to mention,” Bonifatius continued, “Ferdinand made a great enough blunder to get poisoned and almost die. He needed you to go rescue him, but now he’s cocky enough to treat my adorable granddaughter like his wife and tie her to a tough life as an aub? Tell me what you see in him. In my eyes, he’s rotten to the core!”

He sounded exactly like an overprotective father, which was strange because Karstedt had welcomed my engagement with open arms.

“Ferdinand has helped me for as long as I have known him,” I said. “I can only hope you will one day come to acknowledge him.”

Bonifatius frowned and said nothing in response—which was better than him saying anything negative, I thought. I didn’t expect him to acknowledge Ferdinand so easily and could only giggle at his obstinacy.

“I shall return to Ehrenfest to fetch Damuel and Philine when Philine comes of age,” I said. “Until then, I must ask you to take care of my retainers being left behind.”

“That much I can do. Damuel will remain here with me until you’re ready for him.”

Once they confirmed that Bonifatius was calm and I was safe, Bertilde and Judithe went ahead of us to inspect the teleportation room. They would teleport last.

“If you will excuse us, Lady Rozemyne.”

We had reached the end of the road. I turned my attention to the gathered members of Ehrenfest’s archducal family.

“I was adopted into Ehrenfest’s archducal family immediately after my baptism. Malicious rumors spread through other duchies that I was treated worse than my siblings, but that could not have been further from the truth; my adoptive parents let me do as I wished, my siblings cherished me as their sister, and my grandfather doted on me as his granddaughter. I am truly blessed to have spent time with you all.”

Sylvester knew about my background as a commoner, and my relationship with Florencia was as good as could be—especially compared to what Ferdinand had been through with Veronica. I was also fortunate to get along so well with my brothers and sister; Detlinde, Letizia, and my retainers’ families had taught me that it was rare for siblings who didn’t share the same mother to be on good terms.

“That is why I hope to preserve our relationships even after I leave Ehrenfest. I might be Aub Alexandria the next time we meet, but I pray that we can remain as close as ever.”

As everyone nodded, a knight inside the teleportation hall called out that the circle was ready.

“Let us go, Lady Rozemyne.”

I entered the hall with Ottilie and Angelica, each step heavier than the last. This was the last time I would ever be in this castle as an Ehrenfest noble; any future visits I made would be as the aub of another duchy. I would not even use this teleporter again.

Swallowing my apprehension, I moved onto the circle and then smiled at everyone who had come to watch me go. “I await the day that Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time weaves our threads together again. I pray that you live well with the divine protection of the gods until then.”

The feystone within my brooch shone as the magic circle erupted in black and golden light. I watched the world around me distort until the faces of my loved ones faded away completely.