Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.3 - Chapter SS3

Color-Mixing and Engagement Ceremonies

Midway through autumn, while Lady Rozemyne was traveling around the duchy for the Harvest Festival, an ordonnanz shot into the retainer room. It flew over our heads in a great circle before perching on my arm.

“A message for you, Lieseleta? How rare.”

Most ordonnanzes that came here were meant for either Rihyarda or Ottilie, so even I could only stare at the bird on my arm in surprise. I tapped it with my schtappe, which prompted it to speak in my father’s voice. Its message was simple:

“Take some time off work.”

“He must have chosen a partner for me...” I muttered.

As the head of our household, it was my father’s duty to find me a husband. Some people my age tried to start their own relationships at the Royal Academy, but such unions rarely lasted; one or both parties’ parents usually shot them down. I was a successor to my household, so I could only marry someone who would properly assimilate with my family. It was all very complicated, which was why I’d entrusted my engagement to my father from the beginning.

Of course, I wasn’t completely out of the loop when it came to my future husband. I wanted to follow in my father’s and mother’s footsteps and support the next archducal couple by serving in the castle as an attendant. To that end, I’d made it clear that I strove to marry someone serving Lord Wilfried or a member of their family—or an attendant serving the castle, at least. My father would do his best to accommodate my wishes.

“You are about to enter your last year at the Academy...” Rihyarda noted. “If your engagement has been set in stone, then there is much you will need to do, from ordering clothes to preparing for the ceremony. Take this opportunity to rest; Lady Rozemyne will not return to the castle before the Harvest Festival concludes.”

With that, Rihyarda and Ottilie sent me on my way. They had granted me leave before I could even ask for it.

I wonder whom my father has chosen for me... Lady Rozemyne’s retainers will consist primarily of Leisegangs, so I sincerely hope it’s someone who can help me form a bridge with the former Veronica faction.

My heart raced with concern and anticipation as I made my way home. Father had said he would try to grant my wishes, but there was no guarantee that he would actually succeed.

“Lieseleta, I’ve found you a marriage candidate.”

“Only a candidate?” I asked, tilting my head. Father was the head of our household; what must have happened for him not to have made a decision?

“Your mana capacity has grown through Lady Rozemyne’s compression method, no? I can no longer tell who will match you, which means you will need to meet with him first.”

Under normal circumstances, unwed children had roughly the same mana quantity and elements as their parents, which was why their heads of houses could choose their partners for them. This became a lot more complicated when a person’s mana had grown and changed to an uncertain degree; a single wrong move could impact all future branches of their family tree.

As wondrous as Lady Rozemyne’s mana compression method might be, the sudden changes it brought about in me do have their problems.

I could hardly even sense my father’s mana anymore; it was but a faint, faded presence, and one that would surely vanish entirely if I stuck with compressing for another year or two. Though I supposed my mana could technically stop growing before then.

“I tried to find you an attendant, but none matched your mana, age, and status,” Father explained. “We don’t want a repeat of that earlier incident, do we?”

My house was known for producing attendants, so my father had attempted to secure me someone from the same profession. Neither he nor Mother had managed to find any suitable candidates among those they knew well. In truth, Father had set me up with a prospective husband once before, only for the engagement to fall through; my partner’s and my mana had barely matched at the end of winter, and only a short while later, we had stopped being able to sense each other entirely.

“I apologize for the trouble my compression has caused you,” I said. “However, as I am serving Lady Rozemyne, I wish to increase my capacity as much as I can.”

My father was in quite an unusual predicament—my mana was great enough now that only archnobles would suit me, but few were enthralled with the idea of being reduced to the rank of a mednoble.

Though I regret being such a burden to him and Mother, one can never have enough mana when serving Lady Rozemyne.

Indeed, it was unavoidable when serving a lady as exceptional as mine. I refused to slow the growth of my mana for the sake of marriage, especially when I was more concerned with my work than taking a husband.

“A friend of mine introduced me to a scholar whom he said might suit you,” Father explained. “Do you know Lord Thorsten of Lord Wilfried’s retinue?”

“Yes, of course. He wore his chestnut hair long during his days at the Academy. We’ve rarely spoken, but he seems like quite the scholar.” Perhaps because he was an archnoble who served the archducal family, he felt reasonably similar to Hartmut in how he wore a bright smile while mercilessly entrapping those against him. “Does he have some grave circumstances? I, um... doubt most archnobles would want to give up their status.”

“Lord Thorsten may be an archscholar, but as a third son, he has no inheritance to speak of. He hasn’t accumulated enough wealth to form his own house, so he’s been looking for a family to marry into.”

Setting up a new house was a tremendous investment; in general, only successors inherited their family’s feystones and magic tools, so anyone attempting to forge their own path had to purchase their own furniture and tools in accordance with their status. Without his family’s support, it would take Lord Thorsten a long time to form a new house through marriage.

“Would it not be easier for him to stay single and focus on his work as an archducal retainer?” I asked. “Giving up status to marry me is sure to inconvenience him.”

“Lord Thorsten’s family have their reasons for supporting the engagement. They wish to be connected to Lady Rozemyne, but the Leisegangs are so hard to approach that they settled on our house instead. Is that an issue?”

Noble weddings were often the product of two parties seeking to gain something. If the head of one’s house arranged a marriage to keep their house alive, then refusing was inexcusable outside of the most dire circumstances. Not to mention, I understood just how arduous it must have been for Father to arrange an engagement with an archnoble whose mana matched my own; turning it down now was out of the question.

“Not at all,” I replied. “This arrangement sounds respectable enough and mutually beneficial for both our houses. Lord Thorsten is on board despite having to give up some of his status, correct? Then I can hardly complain. I was prepared to marry someone younger than me to match their mana.”

“I see.” Father’s shoulders relaxed as his tension drained. “My only concern is your color-mixing—the results weren’t ideal the last time we tried it. Did you get some time off work? In two days’ time, you can attempt to mix colors with Lord Thorsten. If all goes well, we can move on to the next step.”

“Understood. I thank you for your exceptionally hard work in this matter.”

“Hah! Compared to all the trouble with Angelica, this is nothing.”

At the end of spring, Lord Ferdinand had received a royal decree ordering his move to Ahrensbach. Lord Eckhart, his guard knight and my sister’s husband-to-be, had decided to go with him. My father and mother had both assumed that Angelica would follow him as his fiancée, but when they attempted to consult with her...

“I already said no.”

Angelica had taken action without even speaking with our parents, inadvertently disrespecting them both. It had made them want to put their heads in their hands.

“If nothing else, we have less reason to worry about Angelica causing trouble among the archnobles,” Father said. “I wanted to pair her with someone more reasonable this time, but...”

Lord Bonifatius and Lady Elvira had said they would make up for the trouble by finding Angelica another partner within their house. My sister had declared that she would only marry someone whose strength surpassed her own, leaving Lord Bonifatius as the one potential candidate to become her husband.

It surprised Lady Rozemyne, as it would anyone. Her retainer, a mednoble, had thus asked to wed into a branch of the archducal family.

My sister genuinely admired strength—I understood that much—but any regular noble would consider her an upstart attempting to worm her way into a prestigious branch family. Mother had shrieked, “Spare me your nonsense! Anything but the third wife of an archducal family member!” while Father barked, “Think of the age gap! Think of your status! You can’t claim to want ‘the strongest partner’ without consulting us first!”

“Good grief...” Father sighed at the memory. “I don’t know how it happened, but Angelica’s future is entirely out of our hands. She might as well already be married into Lord Bonifatius’s family.”

Father had elected not to dwell on the matter any longer, and who could blame him? Lord Bonifatius and Lady Elvira were too invested in the matter for our mednoble family to speak out against them.

“Um, in any case...” Father said. “Your mana capacity is already hard enough to plan around, but I would still appreciate you not marrying a member of the archducal family.”

“Worry not—I shan’t cause you the same troubles as my sister. It is my every intention to carry out my duty as your successor.”

That said, I suspect Lord Bonifatius will choose a more suitable partner than Father could ever have hoped to.

Father had done his best to find Angelica a husband, but she, too, had more mana than most other mednobles. He and my mother were also mostly connected to other attendant houses, so I doubted they would come across anyone strong enough to satisfy my sister’s demand. Lord Bonifatius, meanwhile, was known to dote on her. He would respect her request to continue serving as a knight and do everything in his power to secure her a partner as strong as she desired.

I strove to perform my duties as my house’s successor for both my sister’s happiness and my father’s peace of mind.

“This is Lieseleta,” I said, contacting both Rihyarda and Brunhilde by ordonnanz as soon as I returned to my room. “Two days from now, I will be meeting with Lord Thorsten. Please tell me what you know about him and his extended family.”

“This is Rihyarda,” came my first response. “Goodness, what an excellent choice for supporting the next archducal couple. That man has been with Wilfried since the boy’s baptism; I imagine he is beaten only by Oswald in length of service. He endured many hardships due to his engagement being canceled and his lord’s unstable position, but even then, his loyalty has never once wavered.”

Rihyarda went on to detail Lord Thorsten’s grades at the Royal Academy, the circumstances behind his serving Lord Wilfried, and the current quality of his work. Her information network really was unbeatable; she had served as an attendant longer than anyone else and seemed to know more or less everything. The only downside was that she always spoke from the perspective of whether something was good for the aub and the duchy at large. Perhaps because she had spent so long serving the archducal family as a branch member, she seldom considered the preservation of noble houses.

“This is Brunhilde,” said the next ordonnanz that arrived. “Lord Thorsten is an archnoble of the former Veronica faction. He joined Lord Wilfried’s service at Lady Veronica’s request, and his engagement was canceled when she was detained. I cannot speak for him personally, but I doubt his family holds Lady Rozemyne in high regard. You will need to take great care to avoid your house’s faction and rules being swayed against the patriarch’s will.”

Brunhilde was being educated to serve as a future giebe, so she knew exactly what to be wary of when it came to taking a husband into one’s household. My only qualm was that she spoke as a Leisegang, which made her especially cautious about Lord Thorsten.

Taking both responses into account, I started rehearsing the color-mixing and engagement ceremony. Both would need to be done in accordance with archnoble customs.

Color-mixing was performed with a magic tool and allowed two people to check the balance of their mana, the ease with which it dyed, and the compatibility of their elements. The process often took place three times before an engagement was formally decided: first between parents to see whether the engagement was feasible, then between the prospective couple as they met for potentially the first time, and then once more when announcing the engagement to their extended family.

In two days, I would perform the second of the three color-mixings. This was normally done for safety’s sake and usually served as more of a social event than anything else, as it took place only after the parents had confirmed the harmony of their children’s mana, but mine would prove far more important. Lord Thorsten and I didn’t have the same mana as our parents, so we didn’t yet know whether we were a good match. If our color-mixing went well, we would demonstrate as much to our parents, receive their blessings, and exchange engagement feystones. Only then would our engagement be publicly acknowledged.

Few mednoble houses had the funds to host multiple large events, especially when their extended family comprised several generations. To remedy the issue, many had taken to grouping their engagement ceremonies. Branch houses could save money by sharing venues with the main house, so they frequently questioned Father about when Angelica’s and my ceremonies were scheduled to take place. Of course, we were both due to marry archnobles, so allowing them to tack on to ours was out of the question. Father had apparently been busy turning them down with profuse apologies.

It is tremendously useful that I can use Angelica’s color-mixing and engagement ceremony with Lord Eckhart as a reference.

Angelica was due to become Lord Eckhart’s second wife—a decision that Lord Bonifatius had fiercely supported—so Lady Elvira was doing everything in her power to minimize the burden on our house. Because she had graciously taught my sister and me the archnobles’ way of performing the relevant ceremonies, we wouldn’t embarrass ourselves and invite scorn during my color-mixing with Lord Thorsten.

“Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time has woven the threads of our fates together on this day. May we be blessed by Liebeskhilfe the Goddess of Binding.”

Lord Thorsten attended the color-mixing with his parents and their successor, his elder brother, who had arrived with his wife. His other brother was absent, as he lived with his own wife in Reunwalt. As for my house, only my father and mother had elected to join me. The heads of our houses greeted one another, and the standard introductions were exchanged.

For some time, Lord Thorsten’s family watched us quite curiously. It felt like we’d made a mistake of some kind. Father politely asked if something was amiss, which prompted my potential groom’s mother to place a hand on her cheek.

“Where might your other daughter be?” she asked.

“Angelica is attending Lady Rozemyne as she participates in the Harvest Festival.”

“Lady Rozemyne must have other guard knights,” she said, her tone considerate. “Your daughter’s absence during such an important event gives the impression that she does not support this engagement.”

“She does support it,” I said with a smile, trying to ease her concerns. “Had she been present, she would only have sat and watched with a bright look on her face. It is how she avoids matters she does not wish to deal with.”

“I see... I suppose there is no problem if her absence is not an act of defiance.”

“Indeed. Now, let the color-mixing begin,” Lord Thorsten’s father interjected. “If our children’s mana does not match, then we have no reason to take this further.”

He moved to the table where the magic tool was already set up. Under normal circumstances, my father would have taken the lead, but archnobles were so used to giving orders that he didn’t consider it worthwhile to argue.

“Thorsten, here. You, there.”

Lord Thorsten and I moved to opposite ends of the magic tool and touched our rings against its round feystones. As they drained our mana, the rectangular feystone sitting between them started to fill. The yellowish-green mana was mine, while the bluish-purple mana belonged to Lord Thorsten. His occupied more space within the feystone than mine, but we matched well within the acceptable range, and our contrasting mana slowly bled together.

“Oh...? She truly does have more mana than her parents.”

As our fathers peered down at the magic tool, a gentle burst of mana rebounded in my finger—a sign that my role in the color-mixing was complete. Lord Thorsten and I retracted our hands.

“Hmm... Their colors are mixing well enough,” Lord Thorsten’s father remarked. “The rest is up to them.” He gave his son a firm pat on the back before gesturing to a nearby table. “Remember, son—going through with this will cost you your status.”

Lord Thorsten’s attendant prepared some tea and then presented me with a sound-blocker.

“In case we end up discussing those we serve,” Lord Thorsten explained.

I nodded and accepted the yellow feystone. If we were to be engaged, then we would need to speak about his lord and my lady.

“I am told you seek to marry one of Lord Wilfried’s retainers so that you can serve the next archducal couple,” Lord Thorsten began.

“That is correct,” I replied. “Our engagement would grant me exactly what I desire. Do you have any wishes of your own? Um... As your father said, marrying me will require you to lower your status.”

Lord Thorsten’s eyes wandered the room. “You would suit my needs perfectly. I... do not know how much you have learned about me, but I was thrown around quite violently by the changes in Ehrenfest and with my lord. I was in my fifth year at the Academy when Lady Veronica instructed me to serve Lord Wilfried, who was, at the time, soon to be baptized. My family all threw up their hands in celebration.”

Unfortunately for Lord Thorsten, Lady Veronica had been detained not even a season after Lord Wilfried was baptized, and his engagement had subsequently fallen through. His situation had only worsened when his charge’s poor education came to light, culminating in the Ivory Tower incident that had almost resulted in the boy being disinherited. Lord Thorsten really had been through a lot.

“How does your family feel about Lady Rozemyne?” I asked. “As I understand it, she attracted the ire of many nobles for her role in Lady Veronica’s detainment.”

“We are grateful to her. By saving my lord, she saved me as well. My family would surely have been brought down with him.”

In other words, we would probably work well together. That was promising. Knowing that my aspirations were still within reach brought me great joy.

“Ah, and though I am grateful to Lady Rozemyne, it was your reputation that convinced me to go through with this. A friend of mine was quite envious to learn we were going to be seeing each other.”

Lord Thorsten was an archnoble; what about me would make one of his friends envious? I couldn’t quite understand it, especially when I remembered just how many others had said they would welcome me as a bride but simply weren’t willing to surrender their status.

“I do not have any other concerns,” I said. “The final decision is up to you. May the Goddess of Binding tie our threads to the God of Stars.”

“I, too, pray that the Goddess of Binding’s threads reach the God of Stars.”

We expressed that we were both interested in each other, and our engagement ceremony was scheduled for the end of winter.

“Ideally, I would want us to swap engagement feystones at the start of winter, but that would not give you enough time to prepare,” Lord Thorsten mused aloud. “Still, may we trade stones before our engagement ceremony?”

“You seem to be in quite a rush,” I said. “Is there a reason for your urgency?”

Lord Thorsten’s lips curved into a slight smile. “I wish to ensure you have an engagement feystone before your graduation ceremony. Women without them receive much attention from the students of other duchies, do they not? I feel compelled to act quickly, especially knowing that my own graduation is behind me.”

Indeed, those who entered their final year at the Royal Academy without an engagement feystone were bound to receive more romantic propositions from the opposite sex. I wished to prioritize my work as Lady Rozemyne’s attendant, so I generally refused any such invitations, but having an engagement feystone would stop them from coming in the first place. Lord Thorsten’s consideration warmed my heart.

“Father, may I receive my engagement feystone early?” I asked. It would prove crucial when Lord Thorsten came to the Royal Academy to escort me and greet Lady Rozemyne. A verbal agreement wouldn’t mean too much, but having an engagement feystone would enable me to formally introduce him as my fiancé.

“That is up to you and Lord Thorsten,” my father replied. “I agree that it would be best for him to escort you, but the two of you will need to prepare the stones yourselves.”

By the end of winter, a lot had changed in Ehrenfest—Lord Ferdinand moved earlier than expected, a crucial report from Matthias led to the acceleration of a duchy-wide purge, and the former Veronica faction collapsed.

Still, my engagement to Lord Thorsten proceeded as planned.

First, we mixed our colors again, this time in front of our relatives. Father held the tool up high, showing everyone that our mana was compatible, and they raised their lit schtappes in a blessing. We then exchanged engagement feystones. Mine was engraved with the words “Let us serve the next generation together,” while his said, “To my Darkness-dispersing Goddess of Light.”

And with that, we’re formally engaged.

We went around the room to greet our extended families, whereupon we were showered with praise.

“Oh my, Lieseleta. What a wonderful engagement you have secured. As your relative, I am delighted to see you with an archnoble.”

“Thorsten, to think you would secure us a connection to the archducal family now, when getting through to the Leisegangs is harder than ever... You have my gratitude.”

“Lady Rozemyne protects even her laynoble retainers; she will surely devote her attention to whatever Lady Angelica desires. Our family is saved.”

My family rejoiced at my fiancé being an archnoble, while Lord Thorsten’s family rejoiced over his newly made connection to Lady Rozemyne and Lord Bonifatius, members of the archducal family. My heart grew heavier as we continued our round.

It may be natural for each house to have its own reasons for seeking engagements, but even so...

Lord Thorsten’s family members were fine with him giving up his status because Lord Bonifatius favored my sister, and they saw me as a convenient means of getting close to Lady Rozemyne. I was gravely saddened to learn that they saw no value in the rest of our house; they were far more interested in greeting Angelica than they were in speaking with my father or me.

In the future, Lord Thorsten and I will need to manage our families ourselves. 

I let out a small sigh, at which point I saw my elder sister beckoning to me. She had been surrounded by Lord Thorsten’s family for some time now but must have managed to break free from them.

“My apologies, Lord Thorsten,” I said. “I need a moment with my sister.”

“Go ahead. We have finished the initial round of greetings, so take all the time you need.”

I thanked him for his generosity and then went over to Angelica. She led me somewhere private so we wouldn’t be interrupted.

“You must be so tired,” I said. “My apologies. I never knew how deeply Lord Thorsten’s family valued your connection to Lord Bonifatius.”

“It’s fine,” Angelica replied with a smile. “I wasn’t listening to a word they said.”

My sister’s assertion that she couldn’t even remember the archnobles’ names or faces was entirely in character for her. She was a radiant star guiding me through the darkness. As those thoughts ran through my mind, she watched me carefully and then frowned.

“Lieseleta... If anything dangerous happens, tell me. I’m not good at much, but I can at least cut people down.”

“Goodness, Sister... Where did that come from?” It was a strangely violent declaration for what was meant to be a celebration.

Angelica paused, actually thinking before she spoke for once. “Well... it’s because I’m such a failure that you took over as our house’s successor. It must be a heavy burden to bear.”

“Sister... You aren’t a failure.”

She couldn’t become the attendant our house needed as its successor, and she wasn’t the best when it came to written lessons, but she had chosen the path best suited to her skills and earned Lord Bonifatius’s favor in the process. She served Lady Rozemyne with complete dedication.

“If you were, would most of today’s guests have flocked to you?” I asked. “It is thanks to you that this engagement even—”

“I don’t care about politics; I just know there’s something strange in the air. I’ll protect you just as much as I protect Lady Rozemyne.” Angelica placed one hand on her hip and the other on her chest, which she puffed out bravely. “After all, I’m your big sister.”

I stared at my sister for a moment, trying to figure out whom she reminded me of. “Are you mimicking Lady Rozemyne?”

“She said that big sisters have a duty to do their best for their little sisters.”

Angelica must have felt something when she saw her lady work so hard to impress Lady Charlotte. Still, it was shocking to hear her say that she would cut people down for my sake.

If she’s mimicking Lady Rozemyne, how did she end up sounding so violent...?

Her intensity aside, I could tell from her serious expression that she was worried about me. The melancholy weighing heavily on my chest was blown away in an instant, and I started giggling.

“With such a capable guard knight protecting me, I truly have nothing to fear.”

Angelica returned a bright smile.

Winter concluded, and my engagement with Lord Thorsten was set in stone. None of us expected the situation to change yet again at the end of spring.