Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.5 - Chapter 12

Conditions for Being Adopted

“Do you even need to ask?” I said. “All we have done so far is agree upon a way to buy ourselves more time. There is still no reason for Ehrenfest to agree to the adoption.”

“How is the extra year not already beneficial enough?” Sigiswald asked, caution arising in his eyes. “You were the one to suggest it, and why would you ask us to do something that you would not profit from?”

More than that, I wanted to know why he had thought that a year to prepare would count as a perk of my adoption.

I sighed. “If some urgent circumstance required you to leave for another duchy and stay there, would you be able to move right away? You would need time to make arrangements and pass your mantle, among other things. And, in this scenario, if you were given but a year to prepare, would you consider it a gracious gift that benefited you and the Sovereignty?”

“I am an adult, whereas you are still underage. No matter how much you might be doing in Ehrenfest, I shoulder so much more.”

Only then did it occur to me that his understanding of my duties differed greatly from my own. The royal family seemed to think that I did no more than any other child of an aub.

Aah. So that’s why they thought I would come as soon as they were ready for me.

“Prince Sigiswald, I do not think you understand—when it comes to the printing industry and the temple, I am not merely assisting Aub Ehrenfest or preparing for the future. I am the one in charge. That is why my handover would take me so long.”

“But you are underage,” the prince remarked with a stiff smile. “You must have adult guardians who oversee your work.”

“How bold of you to say that,” I replied, fixing him with the coldest look I could manage while still seeming courteous. “I used to have a guardian, but he was sent to Ahrensbach by royal decree. Now, there is nobody to oversee me in the temple. I am the High Bishop and orphanage director, while the High Priest is one of my retainers. Of course, he would accompany me to the Sovereignty alongside my other retainers, meaning we would need to train a new High Bishop, orphanage director, and High Priest in just one year.”

We already had adults in those positions, but they would presumably leave with me, which would cause a lot of problems for Ehrenfest. There was zero chance that Hartmut would stay behind—he would ensure he was coming to the Sovereignty no matter how much it inconvenienced the rest of us.

I don’t want to sound too confident, but Clarissa would absolutely come along too!

“In a single year,” I said, “my replacements would need to memorize each ceremony’s prayers and procedures, as well as the arrangements necessary to perform them. The burden is certainly a heavy one; religious ceremonies have a direct and sizable impact on the duchy’s harvest, and one cannot read the High Bishop’s bible without an understanding of ancient language. Do you realize now that the handover will not be simple?”

I couldn’t help but grin; those of the royal family still weren’t able to read the old writings, so there was nothing they could say in protest.

Sigiswald gave me a scrutinizing look, searching for the true meaning behind my words, before eventually conceding. “What is Aub Ehrenfest thinking?” he muttered. “Making such a young child the highest authority in so many fields is far from normal.”

“Hartmut, the man whom Ferdinand trained to replace him as High Priest, is both my retainer and an adult. We thought he was perfect for the role, as did Aub Ehrenfest, and we expected to have until my coming of age to train his successor. I would rather you not assume that Ehrenfest can simply take skilled workers from other duchies as the Sovereignty does. I did say that we were suffering from a lack of manpower, no?”

Sigiswald cast his eyes down a little. Only now, after all this time, was he realizing that a simple statement could give way to all sorts of drastically different interpretations.

“Even those who simply marry into another duchy require a year or two to settle their affairs, secure what they will require for their new life, and say their farewells, do they not?” I asked. “How, then, can the single year that Ehrenfest has been given—no, that it has needed to bargain for—be considered generous by any means?”

As I subtly bad-mouthed the royal family for not having allowed us more time to begin with, I thought about my future plans. Considering the state of the printing industry and the fact that the Gutenbergs wouldn’t be back from Kirnberger until autumn, I really would have preferred two or three years, if possible.

I continued, “A single year will not even come close to compensating for the devastating losses that Ehrenfest will suffer in my absence. As for me, I will need to give up my reading time so that I can devote myself to training a replacement High Bishop, orphanage director, and overseer of the printing industry. It is a given that the royal family will need to make up for what our duchy is going to lose, but what is being offered on top of that? I cannot agree to a deal that does not benefit Ehrenfest overall.”

The prince had just seen my determination to squeeze as much value from the other duchies as possible, and now he was quaking in fear over how thoroughly I would wring out the royal family.

“I can understand the High Bishop and orphanage director parts,” he said, “but the printing industry? Are you in charge of that as well?”

“Most of my immediate control over Ehrenfest’s printing industry has already been passed on, so I do not expect that part of the handover process to be much of an issue. There are still many questions to be answered, though: Shall we bring the industry to the Sovereignty? How many of my personnel will accompany me? Will they be allowed to open stores there? Will they be able to build workshops? Oh, and then we must decide how many craftspeople I will bring with me, how many I will need to hire anew, how long they should train for, how they will do business with Sovereign merchants and stores... As you can see, there are plenty of details that need to be ironed out. The workload is so daunting that one would seldom even want to think about it, as I am sure you would agree.”

Sigiswald stared at the table for a few seconds, stone-faced, then smiled. “That is the work of scholars and attendants, not archduke candidates.”

“Of course, I will entrust as much to them as I am able, but I will still need to do the final checks myself, as I am sure you can imagine. Documents do not always reflect the full truth, scholars are not always entirely honest in their reports, and the methods employed in Ehrenfest differ from those of the Sovereignty.”

I recalled times when scholars had given inaccurate reports about problematic situations in an attempt to avoid seeming incompetent. On many occasions, one had to check the front lines in person to confirm what was actually happening.

“That is remarkable insight, Rozemyne. I see that you truly are in charge of such things.”

“Indeed. All the more reason for you to trust me when I say that a single year is not nearly enough time,” I said, forcefully repeating my wish.

Sigiswald shook his head, maintaining his polite expression. “Though I understand your circumstances, and the amount of mana obtained during the Dedication Ritual may change things somewhat, there is only so long we can wait. Do your best to finish everything within the next year. Now, I wish to ask what Ehrenfest would propose as compensation for its losses. It may be best if we allow Lady Magdalena to join us.” His green eyes were visibly tense, no doubt because of the upcoming negotiations.

“Um, Prince Sigiswald... I will discuss Ehrenfest’s conditions with you, but you must know that I will state my own opinions purely so that misunderstandings and unnoticed discrepancies can be corrected. In the end, Aub Ehrenfest and the Zent must make the final decisions. I do not see the need to summon Lady Magdalena to a conversation such as this.”

No matter what I said, I did not have the authority to decide on matters of such great importance to the duchy. Sylvester would decide on Ehrenfest’s behalf during a meeting with the Zent and everyone else.

“As we have now come to an understanding on common-sense subjects and the nature of value,” I said, “you need only convey my requests to the Zent. After all, it does not fall to us to decide what terms are presented and agreed upon in the end.”

I was stressing that this wasn’t going to be a decisive conversation so that I wouldn’t be scolded for going over the aub’s head or saying things that I shouldn’t have. Plus, it was the perfect escape route for me if the royal family targeted one weakness or another of mine; I could just say that the final decision rested with Aub Ehrenfest.

On that note, I could use similar logic for our discussion about the Dedication Ritual. Though it was my suggestion, Sigiswald had ultimately decided to go through with it, meaning I hadn’t acted on my own.

I just made a few suggestions and taunted him a little. The royal family will need to take care of and pay for things, so... we’re good.

Above all else, it had only been last year when the royal family elected to move Ferdinand to Ahrensbach by royal decree, which an archduke could do nothing to oppose. I could still remember how much that had pained Sylvester, and I wasn’t going to have him be powerless again.

“Ah yes. This is not something for us to decide between ourselves,” Sigiswald said with a chuckle; learning that I didn’t have a final say in the matter had come as a tremendous relief to him. “Pray tell, what are your conditions for the adoption?”

Have I made him dislike me, I wonder? Well, whatever.

“Aub Ehrenfest will want to make his own requests, I imagine, but I will tell you mine. If these conditions are accepted alongside a year or more of preparation time, I will accept the adoption without any fuss. Of course, if they are refused, I will not resort to treason or anything of the sort. I do not intend to cause any undue trouble, I can assure you.”

“I see,” Sigiswald replied. Sylvester had only recently refused the royal family’s previous suggestions, so my little preface must have come as welcome news.

“However,” I continued, taking this opportunity to drive a point home, “I would seriously rethink my relationship with the rest of the royal family. I cannot get along with those who would prioritize themselves and the country while showing such blatant disregard for my duchy. Ehrenfest is my Geduldh, and I was raised in the temple—please remember this if you intend to have me adopted.”

It was no doubt considered normal for someone being adopted or married into another duchy to prioritize their new home first and foremost, but it wasn’t as if Sylvester canceling my current adoption would make me forget my connection to Ehrenfest. This definitely wasn’t something to brag about, but I was still attached to Ferdinand and the lower city despite them both having been taken away from me. I valued them dearly and would doubtless fly into a violent rage if they were put in danger.

“I understand that it is best not to expect common sense to apply to you. So, what payment do you seek for Ehrenfest?” Sigiswald asked, urging me on with a calm countenance.

“I said the same to Prince Anastasius, but I want Ferdinand to be freed from his engagement and returned to Ehrenfest. His return would solve most of our problems.”

It would only take a year for Ferdinand to resolve our mana shortage, contain the Leisegangs, and train our successors—plus, I would no longer need to worry about his health. During my two-year slumber in the jureve, Justus had taken over communications with the lower-city merchants.

“I am sure that Anastasius has already told you this, but we cannot simply return Ferdinand to Ehrenfest; doing so would mean bringing Ahrensbach to ruin,” Sigiswald said, rejecting the best option for Ehrenfest before even running it by the Zent. “It might be possible if you were to send another unmarried, unengaged member of an archducal family to govern Ahrensbach in his stead, but we cannot think of any suitable candidates. If you know of any from Ehrenfest, convince them to accept and introduce them to us within the next year.”

Indeed, that was basically what Anastasius had said. It seemed that not a single person in the royal family was willing to let Ferdinand out of Ahrensbach. That peeved me, but it was well within my expectations; as much as I didn’t want to accept it, Ferdinand was now so deeply rooted in Ahrensbach’s power structure that he couldn’t easily be removed.

In which case, I just need to secure his safety and improve his living conditions.

Sylvester had told me that Ferdinand was gone and that we could no longer consider him part of our duchy. Thus, as Aub Ehrenfest, he wasn’t going to bargain for him during these negotiations. I would need to take matters into my own hands.

Prince Anastasius said that I should, after all.

I tightened my expression, then smiled. The first prince’s smile wavered, but only for a moment.

“I understand that canceling Ferdinand’s engagement would not be feasible right now,” I said. “I also understand that obtaining the Grutrissheit would potentially change that.” My intention was to see whether Anastasius’s opinion was shared by others in the royal family.

Sigiswald nodded slowly. “Yes, obtaining the Grutrissheit would make canceling the engagement possible.”

“Then I would ask that you delay the wedding until either I obtain the Grutrissheit or we confirm that I will never be able to. He can avoid punishment by association as long as he is not married to Lady Detlinde, correct?”

It’s simple: if canceling the engagement requires me to get the Grutrissheit, then we can just stall it until that happens.

Sigiswald crossed his arms and fell into thought. “We cannot delay their Starbinding any longer than we have already. Considering the potential impact on Letizia’s status at the Royal Academy, they will need to be married in the event that Detlinde becomes aub.”

As soon as Detlinde dyed Ahrensbach’s foundation and was recognized as the duchy’s aub during the following Archduke Conference, Ahrensbach law would demand that Letizia be reduced to the status of an archnoble. To prevent that, they would need to ensure that Letizia was adopted between the Starbind Ceremony held on the first day of the conference and the aub confirmations at the end. Her status at the Royal Academy would change drastically depending on whether she entered as an archduke candidate or an archnoble.

“In that case, could the royal family not simply nullify that bizarre law which has seen so many archduke candidates fall in status?”

“Only aubs may nullify duchy laws. We made the same suggestion as you, but the late Aub Ahrensbach did not act on our advice, so there is nothing more we can do.”

As long as a duchy’s practices didn’t contradict The Book of Laws, the royal family wouldn’t have the power to change them. Duchy laws usually arose from unique historical problems and incidents, so while they sometimes appeared to be bizarre or pointless from an outside perspective, they were often crucial to the smooth operation of the duchy that followed them.

Speaking of which, I guess Dunkelfelger has a bunch of strange laws too, owing to its long history.

“If your objective is to prevent Ferdinand from being deemed guilty by association, then should we not hasten your adoption into the royal family?” Sigiswald asked.

The Starbind Ceremony was held on the first day of the Archduke Conference, so the idea was for me to be adopted a short while before the conference and then return to the archive. Obtaining the Grutrissheit then and there would mean I could save Ferdinand from having to marry Detlinde, whereas failing to obtain it would simply result in their marriage proceeding normally. No matter what happened, Letizia would not be disadvantaged.

“Of course, this will give you slightly less than the year you have requested,” the prince explained. “Is that acceptable?”

My eyes wandered a bit. Ferdinand had instructed me to delay things for at least a year, but would a little bit less than that be okay? I would need to ask.

“I cannot give you an answer right now,” I said. “I must consider how much time we will need to safely release Ferdinand from his engagement. In the meantime, until the day he is either freed or married, he is going to be trapped in Ahrensbach as a mere guest. I would ask that the Zent order that he be given a hidden room, at the very least.”

Sigiswald went from being relaxed that I was no longer pushing the issue to being completely stone-faced. Then, predictably enough, he smiled. “It is customary for those marrying into another duchy to live as guests and not have their own hidden rooms until they are wed. I do not think we would be able to force such a demand on Ahrensbach.”

I could guess from his polite tone that he thought my temple upbringing had once again made me ignorant about noble culture, but he was sorely mistaken; Florencia and Bonifatius had educated me already. In any case, if Sigiswald wanted to appeal to tradition, so be it. I would simply fight fire with fire.

“I am aware of that custom,” I replied, “which is why I did not make my request sooner. But do you know what else is customary? Engagements being canceled as a result of persistent delays. Given the complications he has faced thus far, Ferdinand would normally have reason enough to return to Ehrenfest and ask for things with Lady Detlinde to be broken off. The royal decree is forcing him to stay engaged to her, but the least you can do is allow him to return to Ehrenfest while he waits. As long as the engagement is not canceled, it will not breach the royal decree whatsoever.”

One could not force a bride or groom to stay in another duchy if, after they arrived, their wedding was suddenly delayed. Such a critical error smacked of negligence on the receiving duchy’s part, and it was a serious enough problem that the bride or groom would be entirely within their rights to cancel the engagement entirely.

Sigiswald shook his head. “Not only was Ferdinand paired with Detlinde by a royal decree, but he is also now responsible for a lot of very important administrative work in Ahrensbach; he cannot return to Ehrenfest for fear that he might leak sensitive information. You can understand that as an archduke candidate, can you not?”

“I understand that Ferdinand carrying out such crucial duties in the first place despite being only a guest proves the unmistakable selfishness of Ahrensbach and the royal family. Based on tradition, he has every right to return home.”

To be clear, Ferdinand had accepted the royal decree and cut ties with Ehrenfest to avoid troubling us. It was unlikely that he would even want to return, but that had nothing to do with this negotiation. My focus right now was securing him a hidden room.

“If you and the rest of the royal family really do value tradition, then allow Ferdinand to return to Ehrenfest until Ahrensbach’s foundation has been dyed and the wedding can finally take place. If you do not, you must demand that he be given a hidden room. Then, during the late Aub Ahrensbach’s funeral in the summer, the royal family should confirm that Ahrensbach has actually done as instructed. You refuse to cancel the engagement, which leaves me no choice but to ensure that Ferdinand at least has better living conditions.”

Faced with a choice between one compromise or another, Sigiswald gave a broad smile and then let out a quiet sigh. “In any case, this is not a decision I can make myself. I will leave the final verdict to Father. Is that acceptable?”

Although the happiest outcome was for Ferdinand to return home, I understood that not even tradition would allow for that when he was currently shouldering Ahrensbach’s government and teaching Letizia. That was exactly why I needed to ensure he got a hidden room.

I nodded, figuring that it was fine to leave the decision to the Zent.

Sigiswald eyed me carefully, his expression unchanged. “You certainly are invested in Ferdinand, Rozemyne.”

“Of course. Back when I was in the temple, I was more sickly than you could even imagine. His hard work and supply of potions saved my life. Then, he diligently trained me to ensure that I would survive in noble society. It is because of his teachings that I am able to come first-in-class each year at the Royal Academy. I owe so much to him, yet not even a fraction of my debt has been repaid. He is my mentor and, in my eyes, family.”

At the very least, I wanted to leave this room with the prince’s guarantee that Ferdinand would not be deemed guilty by association.

I continued, “I want the royal family to imagine the worry that his current situation brings me, and the fury that I feel toward those who forced it upon him in the first place. Ferdinand, who is so precious to me, was moved to a duchy on poor terms with Ehrenfest, forced into an engagement, and thrust into a predicament that requires him to be as dependent on potions as King Trauerqual. He is forbidden from returning home even now that his wedding has been postponed, and despite his love of spending time in his workshop, immersed in research, he has not even been given a hidden room. I assure you, what you imagine will not be pleasant.”

Sigiswald was frozen in place. Though the corners of his mouth were still drawn upward, the blood was draining from his face.

I placed a hand on my cheek and sighed. “Worst of all, on top of everything that Ferdinand is having to endure, he is going to be punished for Lady Detlinde’s crimes. I must admit, no matter how often I am told to view him as a stranger now that he lives in Ahrensbach, I find myself unable to stay calm. I have never been good at containing my emotions, and my mana is infamous for rampaging out of control. I wonder what would happen if such a rampage were to occur now?”

Seriously, what would happen? I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of an impact that might have.

I had a lot more mana now, I was better at controlling it, and my schtappe had evolved. But what if my emotions got the better of me? As I was pondering this, Sigiswald appeared to be contemplating something as well. After a long silence, he looked me in the eye and smiled.

“To put your fears to rest, Rozemyne, I will speak with my father about how we can help Ferdinand. I will devote my all to ensuring that he is not unjustly sentenced.”

“My... how delightful. I shall put my trust in you, Prince Sigiswald.”

Yesss! Now I shouldn’t need to worry about any of that “punishment by association” business. I did it, Ferdinand! This is bound to earn me a “very good” or two, right?

I victoriously clenched my fist. Meeting the bare minimum of my requirements had put me in such a good mood that I wanted to hum, but our discussion was far from over. I tightened my expression, adjusted my posture, then swiftly moved on to the next of my conditions.

“To compensate for the fact that Ehrenfest has lost Ferdinand and will eventually lose me, the duchy will need new sources of mana. In that regard, I would advise the Zent to enforce a five-year rule: brides and grooms will only be allowed to marry into Ehrenfest. We will not lose even one more person to another duchy.”

Florencia had suggested that condition. Because of our rising rank and abundance of new trends, there were plenty of duchies that wanted to connect with us, and they were courting more and more of our students. We had ten Starbindings a year on average, and about half of those were with other duchies; we were bound to acquire a steady flow of new adults if we made marrying into Ehrenfest mandatory. Then, those married couples would presumably have children, making this a highly effective method for increasing the duchy’s population.

Marriages not involving the archducal family only required the permission of the relevant aubs, so Sigiswald gave me a brisk nod. “That suggestion will most likely be approved.”

“I would also like thirty to forty of the magic tools given to newborns. We have a glut of children who cannot become nobles for lack of one, and I would like to use this opportunity to raise them properly.”

“Thirty to forty?” Sigiswald repeated. “Is that not an unusually large number to ask for?” His smile deepened, perhaps to indicate that my request would prove both troublesome and expensive.

“Oh? Considering that this is a condition for the marriage, I think we were generous with our calculations. Ferdinand and I have such a wealth of mana that a mere thirty to forty mednobles will not even come close to compensating for our loss. Please stop to consider just how much harm the royal family is inflicting upon Ehrenfest.”

If we were given the magic tools I was requesting as well as a year to prepare, then Ehrenfest would presumably have enough mana even after my move to the Sovereignty.

“Furthermore,” I said, “could you perhaps instruct the Sovereign nobles from Ehrenfest to temporarily return home?”

That one was a request from Sylvester. As it stood, we weren’t receiving any intelligence from the Sovereignty and other duchies. Justus had, uh... somehow managed to supply us in the past, but now that he was gone, we were running blind. We were having to rely on Clarissa for intelligence—which showed just how dire the situation was.

This should also be a good opportunity for me to meet the Sovereign nobles from Ehrenfest before I go to the Sovereignty myself.

Sylvester had refused, but the royal family had urged him to send more Ehrenfest nobles to the Sovereignty to strengthen my power base there. It was probably normal to pick retainers from among the Sovereignty’s nobility to begin establishing a faction—and, with that thought, a wave of realization suddenly hit me. Would I even be able to see eye to eye with the Sovereign nobles? They had moved away during the height of Veronica’s reign, whereas I had only ever known an Ehrenfest without her. I could already foresee us struggling to communicate. If we didn’t meet and break the ice in advance of my adoption, then I would surely struggle to decide which of them I wanted in my retinue.

“That is precisely what we were hoping for as well,” Sigiswald said joyously, immediately accepting another of my conditions. The royal family had apparently been troubled that so few of our Sovereign nobles wanted to return home. They would use our request as an excuse to send them back in the winter.

“Last of all, there are some personal conditions unrelated to Ehrenfest that I desire. Due to various circumstances, I have underage retainers who are name-sworn to me. I would ask for permission to bring them all with me, regardless of their age or status.”

“Can you not wait until they come of age?” the prince asked, confused. “If your retainers are underage, then you will require permission from their parents. Plus, considering matters in the Royal Academy, it would be best for them to stay in Ehrenfest.”

“Some of them no longer have parents,” I replied, then explained what I wanted to be communicated to the Zent. “As their names and their lives are in my hands, I have more authority over them than their parents would. Anything they do requires my permission, and there is a reason why they cannot be left in Ehrenfest without me. You may ask Aub Ehrenfest for the details.”

I decided to leave it at that, then took a deep breath; this next condition was one that I absolutely could not afford to lose. I sat up straight, which made Sigiswald do the same. He was still wearing a smile, but I could see that he was tensing up slightly.

I gave the prince the most intense look I could manage. “This is my most significant condition, and one that I absolutely cannot budge on. If you wish to marry me, Prince Sigiswald, then there is something that you must pay very close attention to.”

“And what might that be?”

In my most forceful voice, I said, “I desire the freedom to enter any library or book room within the Sovereignty, and permission to read all of the documents within them, in part to obtain information not available in the underground archive. I also want a book room in my villa.”

Sigiswald was silent for a few seconds; then he put on a rigid smile. “A book room in your villa, you say...? One separate from the royal library?”

“In truth, I agreed to marry Wilfried and become Ehrenfest’s first wife in return for complete control over the duchy’s book rooms. Anyone I marry must give me a library. If you are to be my husband, Prince Sigiswald, then you must put a book room in the villa I am given. My dream proposal involves my husband-to-be showing me a library he built just for me, and the countless books he collected to fill it.” I smiled. “You do wish to marry me, do you not?”

He nodded. “I am glad that you are being so open-minded about our union.”

Buddy... I can see you twitching.

“Incidentally...” Sigiswald continued, “this book room you desire—how large do you expect it to be?”

“Larger than the one in Ehrenfest’s castle, but... I would not mind it being larger than the one Ferdinand owned.”

“Ferdinand...?”

“Indeed,” I replied with a firm nod. “He entrusted to me his estate and a vast collection of books before leaving for Ahrensbach. Now, here I am marrying a prince; would it be wrong to expect a greater gift than the one given to me by my guardian? It must be simple enough for the royal family to create a book room larger than one that belonged to a member of the Ehrenfest archducal family. Eheheh...”

I started going into detail about Ferdinand’s book room, describing its dimensions and the number of books inside... and the smile slowly vanished from Sigiswald’s face.

Hm? Wait... is this a lot to ask of a prince?

“U-Um... if you think that my request for a book room in my villa is too unreasonable, then you could give me the royal library instead. Living in a library has always been a dream of mine. I look forward to seeing what you, as my future husband, will gift me.”

I gave the prince my sweetest smile yet, trying to indicate that this was his chance to butter me up... but he merely stared at me in a daze and muttered, “Am I truly going to marry this girl...?”

Hm? You were the one who brought it up, were you not? Hmm? Am I mistaken or something?

I cocked my head at him and decided to ask for confirmation. It would be hugely embarrassing if I was operating under a misconception of some kind.

“You did say that you wished to marry me for the benefit of the royal family... right?” I asked. “Did I mishear you or something?”

“No, not at all. I am simply, um... How shall I put this? Surprised...? For the benefit of the royal family... Yes, that is true. But are you truly satisfied with the idea?”

At last, something had compelled him to ask me how I felt about all this. This was my only opportunity to be honest, so I decided to speak the truth.

“I am not at all interested in becoming the wife of a man whose second marriage I blessed as High Bishop... but if this is my duty as the king’s adopted daughter, then I will accept my fate. That is why I am requesting at least a library—to help protect my sanity.”

My engagement to Wilfried was the same. There was nothing I could do but accept my guardians’ will; it wasn’t an environment in which I could simply do as I pleased.

“At least a library...” Prince Sigiswald repeated, a distant look in his eye. He certainly didn’t seem like someone who had gotten his wish after speaking about it so passionately. But why? I didn’t understand.

Well, putting that aside...

“That concludes my honest thoughts and conditions,” I said. “I will leave the actual decision-making to Aub Ehrenfest and the Zent. Please be careful when discussing these matters with the royal family—once I am adopted, my hope is that we can all stay on good terms for years to come.”