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

Epilogue

Summer in Alexandria was much, much hotter than Lutz was used to. The season was almost over—according to the calendar, at least—but he’d yet to see even the first signs of autumn. As far as he and the others from Ehrenfest were concerned, the intense heat was here to stay.

It was the last Fireday of summer. The commoners’ coming-of-age ceremonies took place in the temple at the end of each season, and it was finally Lutz’s turn to attend. His boss, Benno, and fiancée, Tuuli, had seen him off in place of his family.

Master Benno told me I could delay my move and come of age in Ehrenfest, but, well...

At the end of spring, when the Gutenbergs were all moving, Benno had pulled Lutz aside and said, “Lady Rozemyne’s shown you some consideration. How would you feel about staying in Ehrenfest to celebrate your coming-of-age with your family? You can join us in Alexandria when you’re done.” Her concern made sense—her family meant so much to her—but Lutz had turned the proposal down in an instant. A new store’s first days in a new duchy were too crucial to miss.

Lutz’s mother had sighed in disappointment when she heard the news. “I’m not worried, since you’re gonna have Tuuli and Gunther with you, but still... I wanted to be there for your wedding.”

“He’s a man now!” his father had declared, clapping his son on the back. “He’s not gonna run from his duties!”

“Gah, this temple’s too big! Couldn’t even see inside with all these people everywhere! Lutz, how was it?!”

No sooner had Lutz come out of the temple than Gunther grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him. An observer might assume he was there to celebrate, but he actually wanted to see Rozemyne, who had overseen the ceremony as the duchy’s High Bishop. Lutz had understood that from the start, of course; he was just as exasperated as the rest of Gunther’s family.

“Come on, Dad!” Tuuli exclaimed. “This is Lutz’s coming-of-age ceremony! At least congratulate him a little!”

“She’s right,” Effa concurred. “Didn’t we promise to celebrate for Deid and Karla? Lutz, congratulations on coming of age.”

Lutz couldn’t help but sigh as Gunther, ever the devoted father, received yet another tongue-lashing. He patted the man on the back and said, “The blessing was just as astounding as all the rumors claimed. I’m not sure how she did it, but blue light spread through the entire temple.”

“She must have wanted to make your ceremony extra special,” Tuuli noted with a giggle. She moved to stand with her fiancé and wrapped her arm around his. “Let’s go home.”

Kamil, dressed in the clothes of a Plantin Company apprentice, stayed on Lutz’s other side. “The temple’s blessings are huge whenever there’s a Gutenberg in attendance,” he stated with a proud grin. “I ran an errand to a smithy the other day, and the people there said Zack’s Starbinding was something else.” He had the same hair color as his ostensibly late elder sister but didn’t much resemble her otherwise. His brown eyes and other features were a lot more reminiscent of Gunther, their father.

As the trio, Effa, and Gunther departed, Mark and Benno followed along behind them. They wouldn’t normally have gone to the trouble of visiting the temple just because one of their employees was coming of age, but Lutz had moved away from home for work, so they were acting as his guardians. They had taken advantage of the occasion and spent the ceremony speaking with all the gathered parents, obtaining information and getting their names out there.

“Well, thanks to Lady Rozemyne fighting back foreign barbarians and constructing her new city with the commoners’ input, we’re gonna have an easier time working here than if we’d gone anywhere else,” Benno said. “Be grateful, Kamil.”

“Right, Master Benno.”

Alexandria’s country gate was shut, and its trade routes with Lanzenave were no more, so even old and established merchants were desperate to get involved with the aub’s new industry. The Gutenbergs had been welcomed into the city with almost no resistance as a result. It had taken the Plantin Company less than a season to secure a crucial role in negotiations with the duchy’s temple and castle; the local merchants were so used to dealing with the previous nobles that they had no idea how to connect with Rozemyne.

Though I’d guess the noble scholars here are just as confused.

Since her move to Alexandria, Rozemyne rarely attended meetings with merchants; an aub couldn’t just travel to the lower city whenever she wanted. Hartmut was always present, though, which had made it exceptionally easy for the Plantin Company to work its magic.

“I get how much she achieved, but is Lady Rozemyne not way too popular with the commoners for someone who just got here?” Kamil asked. “I’ve heard the fishermen are at odds over who gets to send her fish. I don’t remember anything like that happening in Ehrenfest...”

Lutz nodded, thinking back to what he’d seen. The Gutenbergs were accepted everywhere they went partly because the commoners were so grateful to their new archduchess, who was said to have cast some kind of “awesome magic” across the duchy.

“They’re fighting over her at the port?” Tuuli chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve heard at work. People say the archduchess lit up the night sky with a huge magic circle, which then covered the entire duchy with light. The very next morning, the ocean was clear and teeming with fish, the earth had gone from muddy to green, and there were plants growing everywhere. Everyone says to me, ‘You’re her personnel. It’s such a shame you didn’t get to see it.’”

“Yeah... It sounds absurd, no matter how many times we hear about it.”

Everyone laughed, and it wasn’t long before they arrived outside the Plantin and Gilberta Companies. The stores were right next to each other in a part of the city not too far from the temple. It was easy to see how well the new aub treated her personnel, especially when the Gutenbergs’ carpentry and ink workshops and smithy were all situated in the heart of the artisan district.

Some locals claim that nobles came by to make sure the stores and workshops had proper doors and windows.

The locals all thought it was crazy for nobles to go to such trouble, but not Lutz—the nobles he knew went wherever they wanted, even to the orphanage and its workshop. Rozemyne had assigned knights to protect him and the other Gutenbergs on their move, so if she gave the order, there was nothing strange about nobles checking on their future homes.

“Come on up when you’re all changed,” Effa said. “We’re having a celebratory lunch.”

Benno and Mark smiled and nodded. Lutz couldn’t celebrate with his own parents, who had stayed in Ehrenfest, so he planned to eat together with his fiancée’s family and his guardians.

“You can’t wear clothes this fancy for lunch,” Tuuli said, releasing Lutz’s arm and stroking his sleeve. “Imagine what Mrs. Karla would say if you spilled something on them.”

Lutz agreed. His mom had worked especially hard to make and embroider his coming-of-age clothes with Tuuli, saying they were “the last thing I can do for my son!” He didn’t want to risk staining them.

The group split up to prepare for lunch. Benno, Mark, Lutz, and Tuuli went to the second floors of their respective stores, while Gunther, Effa, and Kamil returned home to the Gilberta Company’s third floor. They reconvened at Gunther’s house when everyone was appropriately dressed, enjoyed their celebratory meal, and then shared some relaxing tea while Effa and Tuuli cleared away the dishes.

This should have been Myne’s coming-of-age ceremony too...

Lutz ran a hand through his hair while pondering the day’s events. Rozemyne should have been among the new adults getting blessed, not up on the stage as the High Bishop. She was the same age as Lutz, but because she’d needed to be rebaptized as a noble to become the archduke’s adopted daughter, she was seen as being a year younger than was actually the case. Considering that nobles had their coming-of-age ceremonies at the end of winter, this meant Rozemyne wouldn’t be a proper adult for another year and a half, even though she and Lutz had once been baptized together.

“I guess Tuuli and Lutz’s wedding is the next ceremony Lady Rozemyne’s gonna heap with blessings,” Kamil said. “Should we start preparing for the big day?”

“No way!” Gunther yelped. “I don’t even wanna think about it!”

“C’mon, Dad. Give it up. Tuuli was gonna schedule their marriage for next year, right? But if Lady Rozemyne plans to spread the printing industry all throughout Alexandria, that means Lutz might need to travel around the duchy as he did in Ehrenfest. They should sort out their wedding before then.”

“He’s right,” Benno said. He and Mark were covering their mouths, trying to hide their smiles. “Expanding the printing industry was the very reason we were brought here. Lutz will need to travel all over with the other Gutenbergs, but if you state your plans first, Lady Rozemyne should accommodate them. She did for Zack when he needed it.”

Before anyone could respond, they heard the clack of a door being unlocked and opened. It wasn’t the door to the room they were sitting in, but the noise was loud enough that it couldn’t have come from another building.

Lutz and the others exchanged worried glances.

“That wasn’t the front door, was it?”

“And everyone’s here... right?”

Gunther stood up and quietly approached the door, signaling with his hand for everyone else to get down. Silence fell as tensions rose, making the footsteps of their unknown guests even more obvious. There were two sets—one brisk and cheerful, and the other much heavier, almost like someone was trying to announce their presence.

“The coming-of-age ceremony’s over, so they’re bound to be here...” came a voice. “Try not to stomp so loud, will you? We don’t want them to hear us!”

Lutz swallowed the urge to shout, “You’re the one making all the noise!” He suddenly recognized the voice, but its owner couldn’t possibly have been there. He looked around at the others, wondering whether anyone else had come to the same strange conclusion.

“We weren’t told about this...” Benno muttered, a distant look in his eyes. Mark seemed just as taken aback.

Gunther, Effa, and Tuuli all stared at one another, their mouths slightly agape. They knew exactly who was speaking, but that didn’t make it any more believable. Kamil was the only one without a clue what was going on.

The doorknob turned, and the door burst open.

“I’m home, everyone! It’s me—Myne!”

In the doorway stood a young woman whose beauty must have come from the gods themselves. Her eyes like golden moons were brimming with emotion, and her hair as dark as the night sky bore two ornaments: a floral hairpin from Tuuli and an accessory with sparkling rainbow stones. Nothing could tarnish her appeal... except her completely outrageous behavior. It really was Myne, no matter how one looked at it.

“I would say welcome back, but...” Lutz paused. “Wait! Are you allowed to use that name?! What about the contract magic?!”

Everyone else was too stunned to speak. They opened and closed their mouths, but no words came out.

“Eheheh...” Myne laughed smugly. “That magic contract we signed was only duchy-wide. It doesn’t apply here in Alexandria. And now that I’m the archduchess, I’m obviously not going to remake it.”

“Seriously...?”

Still, no one else spoke.

“You aren’t as surprised as I expected...” Myne said, her head cocked to one side. “I thought I’d get a ‘Whoa!’ or maybe a ‘Who the heck are you?!’”

“We heard you stomping and shouting before you came in.”

“Wait, really?!” Myne looked around, then puffed out her cheeks and spun on her heel to face the doorway. “You ruined the surprise! I told you they were going to hear your stomping!”

“It was your voice that alerted them,” said someone outside the room.

What?!

Lutz couldn’t believe his ears. Gunther, Effa, and Tuuli exchanged yet another look of complete and utter shock.

“Is that Lord Ferdinand?!” Gunther choked. “But... why?!”

Myne beckoned an expressionless Ferdinand to come out from behind the door. She held on to his sleeve and stood close to him, blushing bright red and gazing aimlessly around the room as she tried to find the right words.

“Well, um... The truth is...”

Myne didn’t need to explain it; the sweetness in the air spoke for her. Gunther cradled his head and sighed at the sight of his youngest daughter’s embarrassment, while Effa and Tuuli looked at each other and shrugged, no longer wary about having Ferdinand in their home.

“You chose Ferdinand,” Benno said, speaking in his natural voice instead of the one he used when conversing with nobles. “We already know.”

Kamil was still clueless, wearing an expression that seemed to scream, “What the heck is going on here?!”

“Bwuh?! How do you know that, Benno?!” Myne exclaimed. “We haven’t informed the commoners yet!”

“Tuuli told me; then I told everyone else,” Lutz said.

“THEN HOW DOES TUULI KNOW?!”

Lutz turned to his fiancée, indicating that she should explain. Her shock had already turned into exasperation, and she shook her head with a heavy sigh.

“You told me back when I received the order for Lady Hannelore’s hairpin, remember? You said you had feelings for Lord Ferdinand, that you wouldn’t mind a political marriage with him, and that being like family was the same as being a couple...”

Lutz was shocked and, in truth, somewhat moved. He’d assumed that Myne would only ever have an eye for books.

“No, wait! You’re not playing fair!” Myne cried. “I might have said something along those lines, but you’re forgetting some very important context!”

“It was close enough. And you wouldn’t get hung up on a little inconsistency or two, right?”

“A small change can have a tremendous impact!” Myne protested, looking between Tuuli and Ferdinand while groaning that she hadn’t said anything of the sort.

Ferdinand was still as stone-faced as when he’d arrived, making it tough to pinpoint what he thought about the whole situation. Myne, in contrast, looked entirely like a young lady in love. It was almost comical. Lutz couldn’t believe that she, of all people, was smitten.

Not bad, Ferdinand...

“Hmm? You say it’s all a mistake, but you are marrying him, aren’t you?”

“I mean, yes, but... It hadn’t been decided yet! And again, you totally misunderstood me!”

“Really?” Tuuli asked, unperturbed. “Well, you got engaged in the end, so it’s fine.”

Myne glared at her sister, clutching her bright red cheeks. “N-No, it’s not fine! That makes it sound entirely like I’m in love with him! Why does nobody believe me when I say we’re not like that?!”

Uh... The heck is she even saying?

Myne was clearly in love with Ferdinand. Everyone could see it. Mark and Benno were watching the couple with warm smiles. Tuuli seemed exasperated, but there was a teasing light in her eyes. Effa was covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter, while Gunther was covering both ears and almost weeping as he tried to avoid the truth.

Man, he’s gonna be so annoying later.

Lutz thought back to how Gunther had acted when he and Tuuli got engaged and slumped over, already exhausted. The sisters continued their back-and-forth in the meantime.

“Oh, really? Does that mean you hate Lord Ferdinand?”

“Obviously not.”

“So you love him.”

“W-Well... yes, but not in that sense.”

In what sense, then?

Lutz retorted, but only in his head; he knew that trying to argue with Myne would only lead them around in circles. Tuuli was openly teasing her, in any case, so he decided to leave the sisters to it.

“Fine, fine...” Tuuli muttered. “I get exactly what you mean.”

“You clearly don’t!” Myne snapped with a glare. Lutz could see the tears forming in her golden eyes and thought it might be a good time to stop, but Tuuli pressed the attack.

“Hmm? But I totally do. You don’t hate Ferdinand—you love him so much that you want to marry him.”

“Bwuh?!”

In an instant, Myne went bright red all the way down to her neck. She looked up at Ferdinand, who hadn’t shown even the slightest hint of a reaction, and stammered, “A-Ah... Eep. Th... That’s not wrong... But... No...”

She took a step back, turned around, and attempted to retreat. Her gait was slow and clumsy as she closed in on her target, Kamil, who hadn’t moved an inch from near the door since the two sisters had started their spat. She threw her arms around him and started rubbing her cheek against the top of his head, sobbing all the while.

“Bweeeh... Kamiiil! Tuuli keeps being meeean!”

“Huh? H-Hold on, what?!”

Kamil went as red as Myne, his eyes brimming with tears as he tried to escape her clutches. His panic was only natural; to him, some attractive lady he didn’t know was pressing his face into her chest.

“Wh-What’s going on?! Who are you?! WAAAH! LUTZ! HELP MEEEEEE!”

“Of cooourse you don’t know me—I’m your big sister Myne! Aaah, you’ve grown so big! I’ve wanted to hold you like this for so long. I’m glad to see it still makes you cry!”

You’re... glad...?

Intent on distracting everyone from her embarrassment, Myne kept clinging to her frightened younger brother. Effa and Tuuli watched them with warm smiles.

“Myne, could you let Kamil go now?” Lutz asked. “He’s clearly losing his mind.” It couldn’t have been nice being seized out of nowhere without even a few words of explanation.

“Nuh-uh,” she protested. “This hug was seven years in the making. I’m gonna enjoy it!”

Myne continued rubbing her cheeks against Kamil, who desperately reached out to anyone who might save him. Because his captor was a noble, he hadn’t even tried to shove her away. He was too afraid of the consequences.

“Myne... Kamil still doesn’t know what’s going on,” Lutz said. He gestured to Gunther, who was sobbing over his daughter’s return. “If you want to make up for all the years you’ve lost, there might be a better place to start.”

Myne pursed her lips and released Kamil, though she made it clear that she would come back for him. Then she skipped over to Gunther.

Kamil attempted to neaten his messed-up hair before glaring at Lutz. “Care to tell me what’s going on? How come Master Benno and Mark understand the situation when I’m completely in the dark?”

“There was a magic contract involved,” Lutz began. “Anyone who breached its terms would die, so we all decided it was best not to tell you anything.”

Benno nodded. “Myne became the target of nobles from another duchy. To keep her family from being deemed guilty by association and put to death, she signed a magic contract saying that she would never interact with them as family again and got adopted by the archduke. The contract only worked in Ehrenfest, though, so she’s able to see you as much as she wants. That woman over there is your older sister.”

It was a simple explanation, but Kamil mustn’t have thought so. He yelled, “None of that makes sense!” as tears welled up in his eyes.

“Well, nobody can blame you for being confused,” Benno said. “Myne confuses all of us all the time.”

“Indeed,” Mark added. “Her actions never seem to make sense, whether one sees them in person or merely hears about them through a report.”

Kamil paled. Not even the most reliable people in his store knew what to make of Myne.

“In any case, Kamil, you might want to gather your thoughts; it won’t be long before Myne strikes again. Seven years of pent-up love—practically a lifetime to you—is about to hit you all at once. She just said she’d come back for you, right?”

“A lifetime of love?!” Kamil asked, barely able to contain his nervousness.

Lutz chuckled. For years, Myne had needed to settle for glimpsing her younger brother during temple ceremonies. Now that they had reunited, she wouldn’t hold anything back. Kamil really was at risk.

“Dad, I’m home!” Myne said.

“Welcome back, Myne. It’s been too long. Good... Good job making it here.” Big tears formed in Gunther’s eyes. A long time ago, he’d given up on ever getting to hug his daughter again.

“You can thank Ferdinand. He’s helped me so much over the years. He even made the teleportation circle I used to get here.”

“Right. Is that so...?”

Effa watched the father-daughter reunion, drying her tears on her apron all the while. Then her attention turned elsewhere as if she’d suddenly realized something. Lutz followed her gaze to Ferdinand, who was completely focused on Myne and Gunther. It was hard to tell what the man was thinking at first glance—he was as quiet and as expressionless as always—but the slightest glint in his eye gave him away. This was exactly the outcome he had wanted.

“Myne.”

“Nghhh... Yes, Mom?” Myne asked, sobbing.

Effa was crying too, but she still managed to sound exasperated when she said, “What do you mean, yes? How long are you going to leave your future husband out in the hallway? At least invite him in and introduce him to everyone.”

“Oh, right.”

Myne dashed over to Ferdinand and took him by the arm. He frowned in response.

“No, I do not mind staying here,” he said.

“Nuh-uh.”

Myne... Are you sure Ferdinand wants to be your husband...?

Lutz hadn’t seen Ferdinand enough to really know him, but the man’s permanently knit brow made him seem anything but glad to be there. Was it really wise for Myne to hold on to him? She must have thought so because she brought him into the room without a care in the world.

“This is Ferdinand, my fiancé,” she said, her cheeks still wet with tears. “He’s going to protect me and all of Alexandria, like how Dad promised to keep me safe back in Ehrenfest. We’ve already announced our engagement to noble society, but I wanted to introduce him to all of you.”

“Do not get too emotional...” Ferdinand warned as his bride-to-be started to weep again. He took out a handkerchief, used it to dry her eyes, and then touched a feystone to her forehead.

Lutz had served as Myne’s caretaker however long ago, so he recognized the skill with which Ferdinand tended to her. The former High Priest must have had plenty of experience. Lutz almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

It doesn’t make sense. He’s wearing such a stony expression... yet there’s such a tender air between them.

“I just... never thought we’d all get to be together again...” Myne said. “I really couldn’t be happier.”

“I know, but you must contain yourself. May Heilschmerz’s healing be granted.” Ferdinand put a hand over his fiancée’s puffy eyes, which returned to normal in a flash of green light.

She’s obviously going to cry more, so why not save the blessings until right before she leaves?

Lutz was still mulling over the thought when Tuuli cried, “Ah! Everyone! Let’s hold our own coming-of-age ceremony! One just for Myne! I’ll do her hair, and we can celebrate together! Let me just fetch my things!”

She rushed out of the room, trying to hide her tears.

“Tuuli sure seems motivated,” Gunther said, taking some mugs from a cupboard and shaking them a little. “How about it, Myne? Do you have time?”

“Umm, Ferdinand...?” she pleaded.

He paused in thought. “We must return by sixth bell, but we may remain here until then.” It wasn’t even fifth bell, so they had more time than Lutz had expected.

“Mark, can you fetch some fruit wine and such from our place?” Benno asked, evidently intent on participating. “Let’s break out the special stock we brought from Ehrenfest.”

“At once, Master Benno. Given the occasion, I will also bring the Alexandrian spirits we intended to open tonight. Kamil, would you come with me?”

“Yes, Mr. Mark,” Kamil replied, seizing the first opportunity to escape.

“I’m back!” Tuuli announced. She plopped a box of brushes and such on the table with a dull thump and gestured to a stool. “Take a seat, Myne. I’ll do your hair. Oh, but only the parts that are hanging loose; I can see you’ve got gel around your hair ornaments to keep them in place.”

Myne patted the chair beside her and smiled. “Come sit here, Ferdinand.”

Ferdinand seemed reluctant, but he sat down nonetheless. Effa poured him some tea to tide him over until the alcohol arrived, but Myne swiped the cup from him and took the first sip.

“Myne!” Effa cried, unable to believe her daughter’s rudeness.

Myne wiped the rim of the teacup before setting it back down on the table. “There you go, Ferdinand. You can drink it now.”

“That was not necessary...” Ferdinand replied.

“Really?”

Lutz knew a thing or two about noble customs from Myne’s days as a blue shrine maiden, so he understood that she’d just tested the drink for poison. Seeing her go to such lengths in her own home without the slightest hesitation made Lutz realize just how much she had changed over the years.

“Okay. Go ahead,” Myne said. She turned away from Tuuli and swept back the hair hanging over her shoulders.

Tuuli ran a hand through Myne’s dark-blue tresses. “Wow! Your hair’s so pretty! And it feels amazing to touch!”

“Right, right? You can thank my attendants for all their hard work.”

“You should have said it was because of our rinsham...” Tuuli muttered, her lips pursed.

Myne clapped her hands together. “Oh, right! There’s now a rinsham workshop here in Alexandria, right? How’s the quality compared to the rinsham sold in Ehrenfest? I meant to ask ages ago, but I can’t just waltz into the lower city nowadays.”

Tuuli started doing Myne’s hair while the pair discussed rinsham and the Gilberta Company. Benno slipped into the conversation as well, always eager to talk business.

“We were told to keep advancing the printing industry, right?” he asked. “How’s your plan going so far? How many printing workshops are you gonna make in this one city?”

“I want two outside the orphanage’s workshop, at least for the time being. I assume you’ve heard that I plan to start a school of sorts in the orphanage. It should open sometime after the autumn baptism ceremony and will serve as a primer on the information taught at the Royal Academy.”

Fran and Zahm’s move meant Alexandria’s temple would soon be restructured to match the one in Ehrenfest. Lutz had heard that the classroom would also educate the children of major stores.

“Yes, I plan to send Kamil there,” Benno replied. “Right now, most major stores don’t know how to deal with the new nobles. Interest in your school is pretty low as most merchants worry the kids might slip up and cost them some valuable connections.”

The temple’s classes were cheap to attend, but most merchants had decided the risk was too great. Both the Plantin and Gilberta Companies were getting new leherls from Alexandria, and Lutz suspected that other stores would watch to see what became of them before making moves of their own.

“Aah, this sucks...” Myne groaned. “I wish I could go see the classrooms. Maybe I should take a page from Sylvester’s book and start sneaking around.”

“Don’t even think about it, idiot!” Lutz and Benno barked in unison.

Lutz heaved a deep and somewhat over-the-top sigh. He recalled Aub Ehrenfest sneaking into the lower city’s forest, Justus wanting to join the Rozemyne Workshop, and Hartmut trying to spread tales of his saint’s grandeur to the commoners, then concluded that he’d dealt with more than enough wackos for one lifetime. Learning that Myne hadn’t changed at all just made his head ache.

“Good grief. Truly...?” Ferdinand asked, his brow creased. Lutz was relieved to know Myne had someone in her inner circle to guide her and scold her when she needed it. “Do you not realize that you are, in fact, sneaking out at this very moment?”

“Oh, you’re right. Call me Rozevester.”

She came here in secret...? Huh. Ferdinand must have permitted it.

As the mood started to relax, Lutz realized something—wasn’t it strange that Ferdinand was allowing Myne to sneak out? And now that he thought about it, though he remained stone-faced, the former High Priest hadn’t looked away from her even once since his arrival. He was even watching her get her hair done.

Could this be pretty dangerous?

Unease spread through Lutz’s chest. Myne had received permission to be there, which meant it probably wouldn’t be the last time she abruptly made an appearance. He exchanged a look with Benno, worried about what kind of nightmarish future awaited them.

“I created a huge library here in Alexandria,” Myne said. “Its meager collection is sad to see. I want the Plantin Company to make lots and lots of books. Like, a ton. Do your best to help me, Lutz! Together, we can put a stop to all those empty shelves!”

Benno looked into Myne’s golden eyes and shook his head. “Not happening. Lutz won’t be going anywhere for a year or two, so plan around that. He and Tuuli are getting married soon.”

Lutz and Tuuli had purposefully kept their engagement a secret from Myne, but alas, Benno had revealed the truth without a second thought. Myne stared at Lutz, wide-eyed, and then attempted to whip her head around to see Tuuli.

“Stay still, Myne! I’m trying to do your hair!”

“You and Lutz are engaged now?! How come nobody told me?!”

“We were waiting for the right moment,” Tuuli said, exasperated. “We didn’t want you to overwhelm us with blessings.”

Lutz agreed. For quite a while, they had only been able to speak with Myne during their meetings at the temple. Reporting the news on one of those occasions might have led to her blessing Lutz and Tuuli right in front of all the gathered scholars.

“So it’s true, then?!” Myne exclaimed. “Oh, gosh, what can I do?! I’m so overjoyed for you both! PRAISE BE—!”

“STOP, FOOL!” Ferdinand shouted. “If you unleash the light of a blessing here, then you will never be able to come back!”

“I... I don’t want that! Aah, but I want to bless them!”

“Save it for the day of their wedding. Letizia could do with the demonstration. Since a member of your family is getting married, I will provide a blessing as well.”

According to Ferdinand, Alexandria’s nobles were being taught to pray on a daily basis, meaning Myne’s prayers wouldn’t cause any issues no matter how crazy she went with them. Lutz wanted to sit with his head in his hands; he could already tell that an immense blessing awaited him on his wedding day.

But, uh... if I marry Tuuli, and Ferdinand marries Myne, won’t that make the two of us family? That’s... something.

Lutz had already known that Rozemyne and Ferdinand were getting married, but he hadn’t expected Myne to return. Only then had it occurred to him that he was going to have a full-blooded noble in his family. His brain more or less shut down when he tried to wrap his head around it.

And if Ferdinand treats me as family, then I need to do the same for him. Can I really manage that...?

Mark and Kamil soon returned with alcohol and snacks, while Gunther ran back and forth between his home and the Plantin Company to get the celebration ready. Effa prepared some extra snacks while half watching Tuuli do Myne’s hair.

“Done!” Tuuli announced. “So, what do you think? Not to blow my own trumpet, but I think I did a pretty fine job!”

Lutz had thought the same thing when his fiancée came of age, but girls looked so much more mature when they wore their hair up. Tuuli gave her sister an appraising look, inspecting her from the back and sides, before declaring the hairstyle to be “extremely cute.”

“Ooh, that’s my Myne!” Gunther exclaimed. “My darling daughter! The cutest young lady in the whole wide world! Just look at you! You’re a beauty like your mom! An adult through and through! I’m so, so glad we did this!”

“Daaad!” Myne replied. “Quit exaggerating!”

“Nah, I mean it! I thought the same thing when I first saw your mom with her hair up, but girls turn into beauties in the blink of an eye! You’re a woman now, Myne!”

Myne laughed, slightly embarrassed by all the praise. She turned to Ferdinand and said, “What do you think? Does this hairstyle make me look like an adult?”

“Indeed,” he replied with a nod. “Not bad.”

“Hold it, chump!” Gunther’s eyes flashed with anger as he rested a forearm on the table. “The heck is ‘not bad’ supposed to mean?! My daughter’s the most beautiful girl there is!”

Gunther! Are you insane?!

The blood drained from Lutz’s face. Gunther might have been a loving father, but that was no excuse to insult a noble. Lutz glanced at Ferdinand, whose normally blank expression hadn’t changed at all.

“Gunther. Cool it,” Benno said, rising from his seat.

“Master Benno’s right,” Lutz added, almost leaping to his feet. “You know this is Lord Ferdinand you’re speaking to, right?” Both merchants were ready to pin Myne’s father down if they needed to.

“So what?! He stole my daughter’s heart!” Gunther slammed a fist against the table, his fury on full display. “I don’t care if he’s a commoner, a noble, or even a god—if he can’t treat Myne right, I won’t show him any mercy!”

Lutz gasped as tensions rose. He wasn’t sure how to respond.

“That’s my dad for you!” Myne announced with a chuckle. “This is just like him, isn’t it, Ferdinand?”

“Indeed. You and your father truly are alike.” He reached out and stroked her cheek, then turned to Myne’s parents and spoke their names. His expression was as unchanging as always, so Lutz couldn’t even gauge the tone of the conversation.

Effa seemed unfazed, but Gunther was still ready for a fight. Lutz and Benno remained on edge, prepared to intervene at a moment’s notice.

“You both raised Myne with so much love,” Ferdinand said, “and she has saved me in more ways than I can explain. I was touched to see how much you treasure her, even when status and the terms of a magic contract tore you apart. Myne taught me the meaning of family... but it was you who raised and protected her.”

His quiet voice moved everyone who heard it. He wasn’t just being kind to Myne’s parents—he genuinely admired them.

“I wish to cherish and protect her just as you did,” he continued. “I swore to protect this duchy and her with it, and once again, I will vow to treasure Myne above all else. Thus, I... I would ask you both to acknowledge me as a member of your family.”

Ferdinand didn’t want Myne’s family to become nobles. Instead, he was humbly requesting to join them as they were.

Myne watched her parents closely, her golden eyes brimming with blissful tears as she awaited their response. How could they reject someone who brought their daughter so much joy?

“Lord Ferdinand, I was right to entrust Myne to you all those years ago,” Effa said, smiling as she placed a cup between him and her husband. “Gunther, aren’t you relieved that he’s a good person?”

Gunther merely frowned as he accepted a jug from his wife and started pouring its contents into the cup she had put on the table. The cup was only halfway full when he set the jug down and stared at his youngest daughter’s husband-to-be.

Ferdinand turned to Myne as if asking what he should do, but she merely cocked her head at him. Maybe, as nobles, they weren’t used to pouring their own drinks. Or maybe they didn’t understand why there was only one cup on the table.

“Lord Ferdinand, he wants you to pour the rest,” Lutz explained. “It’s something we commoners do for engagements; I went through the same thing with Tuuli. I don’t know how nobles do things, but if you really want to be a part of our lives, I can teach you our customs.”

“You have my thanks,” Ferdinand said. He took the jug and filled the cup with fruit wine, which would serve as proof of their vow.

Gunther picked up the drink, gulped down half, and then held the rest out to Ferdinand. “Take good care of Myne.”

“I shall. I swear it.”

Ferdinand accepted the cup and downed the last of the fruit wine, establishing his and Myne’s commoner engagement.

Together, everyone celebrated Myne’s coming-of-age and engagement. It couldn’t have been a more enjoyable occasion.

Benno teasingly insisted that Myne and Ferdinand seal their union with a kiss, throwing Myne into a panic.

Mark turned to Ferdinand and said, “I see that Myne was your Goddess of Water.” Ferdinand replied in all seriousness, “Not quite; Myne is every single one of my goddesses,” rendering everyone both confused and speechless.

Myne clung to Kamil again and refused to release him, no matter how much he pleaded.

Ferdinand spoke to Gunther about Myne, while the young lady in question discussed clothes with her mom and sister.

Lutz and Tuuli dug through their memories, recounting Myne’s ancient history and various stories from her past.

Time really did fly when you were having fun. Sixth bell came sooner than anyone expected, meaning it was time for Myne and Ferdinand to leave.

“Come again when you can,” Effa said. “That includes you, Lord Ferdinand.”

“But you’re bringin’ the fruit wine!” Gunther exclaimed, completely soused. He threw an arm over his future son-in-law’s shoulder and gave him an enthusiastic noogie.

“Indeed,” Ferdinand replied, not bothered in the slightest. “I shall bring some of my special reserves.” He seemed as expressionless as ever to Lutz, but Myne assured everyone that he was content and at ease.

“Since you’re keeping these visits a secret even from your retainers, I’ll say this now: wear these the next time you come.” Tuuli produced several outfits appropriate for rich commoners. Myne had worn her most modest clothes for their long-awaited reunion, but they didn’t want to risk drawing attention to her.

“Thanks,” Myne replied. “I’ll work hard so that I can come at least once per season.” Her tresses hung freely again—Tuuli had untied them—which made their impromptu coming-of-age ceremony seem like nothing more than a dream.

“Kamil, be ready to call me ‘Big Sis’ the next time I visit,” Myne continued, her tone a little more wistful. “I’m going to look forward to it.”

The boy in question popped his head out from behind Lutz. He hadn’t stopped running from Myne since their embrace, but not because he hated her—he just had no idea how to respond to a beautiful older woman appearing out of nowhere and doting on him like a compassionate elder sister.

“No way. I’m not a kid...” Kamil protested. “I always call Tuuli by her name, so... Is that okay with you, Myne?”

Myne smiled, evidently on board with the idea. She pressed a hand against the wall, and a door opened that certainly hadn’t been there before. It must have been hidden with magic.

“See you later, Myne.”

“Uh-huh. See you later, everyone!”