Dad carried me all the way back to the temple and to our surprise, Fran was waiting for us at the gate.

  Why is Fran here? We didn’t tell him we were coming back.

  “Fran? Why are you here? Did something happen?”


  “I saw the beacon for the Knight’s Order in the sky and I had a feeling you would be returning to the temple. Never would I have imagined it would happen though…” Fran said as he looked behind us. He probably knew that the situation was bad since Lutz and Tuuli weren’t with us and Dad had brought me back to the temple instead of Damuel.

  “Fran, we need to see the High Priest.”


  “He isn’t in the temple.”


  “What…?”


  “Let us return to your chambers first. Gil, sorry to trouble you but please stand by here for Damuel’s return. Please tell him to head to Sister Myne’s chambers instead of the High Priest’s.”


  When we got back to my chambers, Fran got Dad a cup of water to refresh himself after all that running with me in his arms. After that we moved back to the hall to continue our conversation with Fran being the first to speak in a grim voice.

  “Everything happened after you left the temple, Sister Myne.”


  It was after I left the temple to return home did Dad arrive at my chambers. He came to the temple to instruct Fran to pass the message to the High Priest that the suspicious noble had entered the city, after that he ran back to the city to find me.

  “I wasted no time approaching the High Priest about this but to my dismay, Arno said that he was absent. With that I returned to your chambers but that was when I ran into Delia.”


  “Delia? Did she say something?”


  “She said that Dirk now had an adoptive father who was looking for you to ask about his health since you acted as his guardian, but I told her you were absent. Thank goodness you had left the temple since the High Priest isn’t around, it’s just that…”


  Fran creased his eyebrows to show his concern now that I was back, but I had my own reasons too.

  “I wasn’t any better off outside.”


  I recounted everything that unfolded when I was on the way home. Fran cross his arm in silence for a moment before responding.

  “With what happened here and outside, it is very likely that the High Priest left because of the Knights’ Order. He and Damuel might return together. The archduke is always escorted by the knights whenever he leaves the duchy, so the Knights’ Order might be low on manpower now,” Fran analysed.

  “Sister Myne, please wear your blue robes before Sir Damuel returns.”


  I was assisted back into my robes with Rosina’s help. Rosina had a very concerned look. Just after that did Gil return with Damuel. Apparently Damuel was ordered to continue guarding me now that the incident in the lower city had been resolved. Fran served them a glass of water and told them everything that happened.

  “…That’s odd,” Damuel responded, looking perplexed.

  “I did not see Lord Ferdinant present with the other knights. In fact, I was instructed to report to him here. Are you positive that he is not here?”


  What Damuel said threw us into deeper confusion, we decided to confirm this by visiting the High Priest’s chambers again. We could try pushing Arno a bit more on his whereabouts. Damuel had reassured us that it would be acceptable to do so video the severity of this situation.

  “Apprentice, please take this.”


  Damuel seemed to have recalled doing this as he took out and gave me a ring from the bag tied around his hip. The ring was a small one and had a dull gem on top of it.

  I”I retrieved this from the man that attacked you. Do you see the crest on top of it?”


  “I can’t take something this important!”


  “This is nothing much and it’s not that expensive, it only has a feystone in it. Take it with you just as an extra precaution. Unfortunately, I am unable to give you any great feystones like Lord Ferdinand.”


  Damuel was a lesser noble, so he did not have enough money and resources to give feystones to someone else. Nevertheless, I still kept the ring that came from a bad guy, afterall it was better off than having nothing. Unlike the ring the High Priest gave me, this particular ring didn’t change in size when I put it on so it was not a magic tool.

  “…It seems to be broken. Well, we can still keep it for evidence, you don’t need to wear it since it doesn’t work. Could you try channeling your mana to it?” Samuel asked.

  I did as he asked. “Well, it does work a little.”


  Again, as expected, the ring was completely different from the one the High Priest lent me, in the sense that it could barely absorb any of my mana.

  “This is a low-quality feystone. Be careful not to put too much in it or it might break.”


  I tightened my fist so that I wouldn’t drop the faulty ring and followed Fran who lead us to the High Priest’s chambers. I would walk right behind him while Dad and Damuel guarded my sides.

  “Gil, I entrust my chambers to you.”


  Gil was just a child who couldn’t fight, so it was best for him to stay behind. Throughout his entire life, he had been taught that violence was bad so witnessing someone get killed just now had taken a toll on him. His face was pale, it was clear that his mental state was fragile now. I wanted to stay behind to comfort him, but the present situation would not allow it. We left the room, leaving behind the disturbed Gil.

  “Please stay safe, Sister Myne. I will pray for your safety.”


  We walked into the noble section of the temple. It was in the hallway did we see the High Bishop and his entourage. There was a toad-looking and plump man next to the large bodied High Bishop. He wasn’t wearing the temple robes, but he resembled a typical corrupt and evil politician or a government official of sorts. Behind them were a few gray shrine maidens and some attendants dressed in plain clothes, the entire group summed up to ten.

  Fran swiftly turned at the next corner so we could avoid the High Bishop, and we continued walking through the hallway till we reached the gate to the Noble’s Quarter. This was a longer route to the High Priest’s chambers, but it was necessary to avoid the High Bishop. Dad carried me up while Damuel watched our surroundings, Fran took the lead and we walked as quickly as possible to the High Priest’s chambers.

  “Sir Damuel, do you know who was that man with the High Bishop?”


  “That is Count Bindewald. He is a noble that came from the neighbouring duchy. He was the one who used a forged pass to enter the city. He might be after you,” Damuel whispered with a serious tone which made Dad squeeze me in his arms.

  “If the Knights’ Order or Lord Ferdinand were here, we could apprehend him, I lack strength to take him down myself. He is a noble of a higher status and has much more mana than mine. He likely lacks the skills to fight us knights, but he is very much powerful enough to take me down with just his mana.”


  We were about to reach the Noble’s Gate and made a turn to the High Priest’s chambers, but were stopped by the High Bishop’s entourage standing in the middle of the hallway. We had gone out of the way to avoid them, but apparently they had seen us and taken another route to intercept us.

  “Count Bindewald, meet Myne, she is the blue apprentice shrine maiden I mentioned about,” the High Bishop said with a nasty grin and pointed at me. Bindewald twisted his lips up into a horrible toad-looking grin and examined me up and down.

  “Ah, so she is the one…”


  That nasty look of his made me shiver all over and I was so scared that I tightened my grip onto Dad. I should get an award for resisting my urge to yell back “Take your filthy eyes off me!”


  “What a surprise. We were told she had left but she is back here now. Those imbeciles must have failed to get her. Useless idiots,” Bindewald grumbled to himself, after which he stretched out his hand towards me.

  “Myne, rejoice, I am here to offer you a contract.”


  “…I have to respectfully turn it down. I will be signing a contract with someone else.”


  “Ha. Someone else might have promised to take you in but the contract has not been signed. I can just force you to sign on with your blood.”


  The ugly toad burst into a horrible laughter and I watched his belly flop up and down.

  “Will you be adopting Sister Myne too, Count Bindewald?”


  Apparently, Delia had been standing carrying Dirk behind the High Bishop the entire time. She spoke in a delighted tone, which was a huge dichotomy from the current situation.

  “That’s great, now she and Dirk can be a family together. They will both be grateful to be taken in by nobility.”


  The toad just laughed cynically at Delia and replied, “Me? A noble adopting these disgusting commoners? That will never happen.”


  “But my lord, you have already adopted Dirk.”


  “There was no adoption, that baby has signed a slave contract.” The count snickered and pulled out a parchment sheet. At a quick glance, it seemed like a normal adoption contact, but if you looked closer you could see that there was another contract hidden underneath it. He broke out into a large grin and peeled off the top later and underneath it was another contract titled ‘Slave Contract for Children with Devouring.”


  “What? That will mean… Dirk is…”


  “He is now Bindewald’s slave and will be used to charge his magic tools for the rest of his life,” I responded.

  Volume 2, Side Story Collection: Hannelore’s grief

  I’m Hannelore, an archduke candidate from Dunkelferger and freshman student at the Royal Academy.

  …Everything went wrong because of me.

  If we only look at mana capacity alone, then I have a befitting amount for an archduke candidate of Dunkelferger. But my timing is always terrible for everything and my family always scolds my actions and patterns of thought as being unbefitting of an archduke candidate. Since I’m always being scolded, I have no confidence in myself and I don’t think I can be like my brother.

  … I’m always trying to avoid inconveniencing others as little as possible, so I have no idea how things turned out like this.

  There were rumours flowing in the Royal Academy about large shumil-shaped magic tools helping Professor Solange in the library as well as rumours about the master of those magic tools being an archduke candidate from Ehrenfest. According to our dormitory supervisor Professor Rauffen, shumil-shaped magic tools belonged to the royal family but lost their previous master to the recent political purge and became inactive.

  I like shumils, so after hearing the rumours I decided to go pay them a visit. I was a little relieved to see I wasn’t alone and there were many like-minded female students who also came to visit the large shumil-shaped magic tools.

  Upon watching the very cute figures of the large black and white schumils helping out Professor Solange, I was extremely satisfied as I returned to the dorms.

  Along the way, I turned to my attendant Cordura and muttered “So cute. I’d love to also be the master of shumils like these.” I really only intended it as a light topic of conversation. Usually, there would be no problem at all and Cordura would simply follow up my words with a “That sounds lovely, milady”.

  But this time, my timing was bad since one of my brother’s retainers happened to overhear my words. Apparently that retainer then reported to my brother “Lady Hannelore wishes to become the master of the shumils”.

  “In order to let milady become the master of the large shumils, Lord Lestilaut will raise an objection towards Ehrenfest. Apparently the idea is to improve milady Hannelore’s status by letting you become the master of the royal family’s magic tools.”


  One day, as I was returning from the lecture halls, Cordura came to me with a troubled expression and told me about my brother’s mischief. Hearing her report, my eyes opened wide in surprise.

  During the court etiquette lecture, I was told that I lacked confidence and composed myself with a gait unbefitting of the dignity expected from an archduke candidate of a great duchy. It’s impossible for someone like me to even think about taking away the title of master of the shumils from Ehrenfest. On the contrary, that kind of behaviour is more likely to result in people thinking that I’m disqualified as an archduke candidate for Dunkelferger.

  …Brother, why are you trying to pick a fight with Ehrenfest!

  “I have to stop Lestilaut right away!”


  “…Just now, Professor Rauffen received an ordonnanz from Prince Anastasius summoning him to the scene. The situation is already out of the scope that milady can do anything about.”


  Having been stopped by Cordura, I held my head in my hands. Lestilaut had already lead Dunkelferger’s apprentice knights out of the dorms. If I passed my lecture the first time around instead of today, I’m sure I would have been able to talk him down and stop him.

  “Milady Hannelore, as always it seems your timing was off again.”


  “Cordura, that doesn’t comfort me at all.”


  As I was wondering about what to do, Prince Anastasius had already summoned the dorm supervisor. Even if I showed up now, I wouldn’t be able to change anything.

  As a result, I nervously waited for everyone to return. When they finally returned, it was already almost dinnertime. Being told that the specific details will be relayed over dinner, I ended up anxiously waiting before heading off to dinner with my heart in my mouth.

  Ehrenfest rejected Dunkelferger’s demands to hand over the position of master of the magic tools and just when it was about to become a brawl, Prince Anastasius arrived and intervened. The dorm supervisor was called over and in accordance to Professor Rauffen’s proposal, a ditter competition was held to determine who would be the master of the shumils. It seems like there are times when Professor Rauffen’s love for ditters could occasionally prove useful.

  Afterwards, Ehrenfest defeated the perennial ditter powerhouse Dunkelferger, and the position of master of the shumils remained unchanged. I was truly relieved that we did not end up stealing away Ehrenfest’s rights.

  “It’s infuriating that such a cowardly person would dare call herself a saint.”


  Due to being defeated by Lady Rozemyne’s strategy, Lestilaut was enraged, but Professor Rauffen and the apprentice knights were excitedly talking about the match.

  “If I may speak Lord Lestilaut, Lady Rozemyne is not a coward. Treasure-stealing ditter is all about using all means available to attain victory. The trick used this time was plenty exploitable and adorable in comparison to Lord Ferdinand’s schemes in the past.”


  Rauffen spoke happily about the ditter match and started recounting tales of a great tactician named Ferdinand who had defeated Dunkelferger numerous times in the past. He then started making plans for a revised training schedule for the apprentice knights.

  The apprentice knights started recounting tales that they heard from their own upperclassmen or older relatives about Lord Ferdinand’s numerous schemes and started to exchange information with one another. With greater zeal than usual, they pledged to win next time regardless of what tactic or scheme was thrown at them.

  “We’ll maintain this attitude in training and apply for a rematch with Ehrenfest.”


  “…Umm, Professor Rauffen? Please refrain from taking actions that will cause Ehrenfest any further trouble.”


  “Lady Hannelore, this isn’t trouble. It’s a ditter match.”


  Ditter matches might be Professor Rauffen’s favourite hobby but I don’t think there are very many female archduke candidates who would be happy to receive ditter rematch applications.

  …That said, unlike me, Lady Rozemyne really is such a model archduke candidate.

  She passed all her courses on the very first day, won a ditter match against Dunkelferger and was acknowledged by the prince as the master of the royal family’s magic tools. This year, she’s without a doubt the most attention-grabbing archduke candidate.

  I heard rumours about her being poisoned and sleeping in jureve for about two years. Due to insufficient growth, there was even talk about her potentially being unable to attend the Royal Academy. But right now, there was no sign of anything like that ever having happened. In fact, she stood out even more since she looked like she had only just finished her baptism ceremony.

  Despite looking young, Lady Rozemyne had a very beautiful tidy appearance with moon-like golden eyes and shockingly glossy indigo blue hair that was the colour of the evening sky and was always adorned with hair ornaments which no one had ever seen before.

  Dunkelferger also had many female students who desperately wanted information and I was currently being put under a lot of pressure to finish my lectures and start socialising with other duchies.

  …I need to meet Lady Rozemyne and invite her to a tea party but before that I need to first apologise for my brother’s rude behaviour. The incident this time must surely have given her a bad impression of us, so I need to think of a way to invite her with the utmost consideration.

  It’s considered unsightly to repeatedly bring up things from the past but my careless actions ended up causing Ehrenfest a great amount of trouble. I won’t be able to get these feelings off my chest unless I apologise at least once.

  …But how should I go about greeting Lady Rozemyne?

  Since we’re both freshmen, normally we’d be able to meet during lecture hours. But Lady Rozemyne quickly finished all her lectures so I don’t have any opportunities to meet her there.

  …Lord Wilfried also only shows up in the practical lessons for Schtappe usage. Even though they’re ranked 13th, Ehrenfest’s archduke candidates are truly exemplary.

  Luckily, tomorrow we also have a lecture on Schtappe usage so I should be able to meet Lord Wilfried. I would like to ask him whether he can create an opportunity for me to meet Lady Rozemyne.

  In the lecture on Schtappe usage, the current popular trend is to emblazon a coat of arms onto the Schtappe. It was something which Lord Wilfried started and everyone else had begun to copy him.

  If you inscribe a coat of arms onto your Schtappe, it will be different to everyone else’s and since it’s your own family’s coat of arms, it makes it easy to identify. Many students who wanted a unique Schtappe had started to follow this trend.

  “Wouldn’t Lady Hannelore’s coat of arms be an eagle since you’re from Dunkelferger? Are you not going to inscribe a coat of arms?”


  “The coat of arms style Schtappe that Lord Wilfried thought up is wonderful, however, since I’m eventually going to marry into another duchy, I have no intention of inscribing a coat of arms onto my Schtappe.”


  That was just a façade. I’m not used to controlling the flow of mana so I’m having difficulty even forming a simple Schtappe shape, let alone one with an intricate design. It’s impossible for me to inscribe something like a coat of arms.

  “I see. That kind of problem also exists. Even if it’s just the coat of arms, I want to make my Schtappe unique so I’m going to spend a bit more time tinkering with the design.”


  Wilfried brought out his Schtappe and began squinting at it with his dark green eyes. I only want to hurry up and finish my lectures as soon as possible and yet Wilfried is unsatisfied with the design of his Schtappe. I think his ambitious attitude is truly wonderful.

  “Umm, Lord Wilfried. How is Lady Rozemyne feeling? Will she consider it a bother if I invite her for a tea party? My brother was terribly rude to her the other day so I wish to invite her to a tea party and formally express my apologies.”


  Lord Wilfried thought for a little while before answering my question.

  “Ever since finishing her courses, Rozemyne has been spending every day in the library. During this time she has also been having tea parties with Klassenberg and various teachers, so it shouldn’t be a bother for her. She will be honoured to receive an invitation to a tea party hosted by Dunkelferger.”


  But just as I let out a sigh of relief, Lord Wilfried’s expression hardened slightly.

  “However, Rozemyne is scheduled to return to Ehrenfest in time for the Dedication Ritual so you probably don’t have a lot of time.”


  With the intention of socialising with Lady Rozemyne before she returns for the Dedication Ritual, I headed to the library when I finally had some free time. The reason why it took several days since hearing Lord Wilfried’s explanation was because unlike Lady Rozemyne, I was still not finished with my lectures and didn’t have a lot of free time.

  I walked around the library in circles and sighed. In the end, I was unable to find Lady Rozemyne.

  “It seems that today she’s having a tea party with Klassenberg’s Lady Eglantine. I remember receiving a report like that from an apprentice scholar.”


  “I see. I wonder when’s the next time I’ll be able to come to the library?”


  “That will be in 3 days’ time. Lady Hannelore, you’ll have more free time if you finish your courses with haste.”


  Unlike theory lectures, I’m not very good at practical lessons. I’m still struggling to properly form the shape of a shumil for my highbeast.

  Three days later, I finally had some free time and headed for the library again. However, on the way there, I encountered Lady Rozemyne following behind Prince Anastasius who was bringing her away. I once again slumped my shoulders in disappointment.

  …Ah, I failed to apologise again. Goddess of time, Dregarnuhr, please grant me your blessings.

  Seeing the pale expression on Lady Rozemyne’s face while she was being dragged away by Prince Anastasius made me realise it was an involuntary summons. I started to feel sick just by imagining myself being in her position of receiving summons from royalty.

  The next day, I once again headed for the library but I couldn’t spot Lady Rozemyne. After asking my apprentice scholars to gather information, apparently Lady Rozemyne was bedridden due to illness.

  “Lady Hannelore, how about we give up on meeting her directly and instead send an invitation to a tea party? The two of you are too incompatible in terms of timing.”


  Even though I’ve attended the same lectures before, unlike other archduke candidates who I gradually got closer to through conversation, I’ve never even spoken to Lady Rozemyne a single time. On top of that, I even caused her a significant amount of trouble so I haven’t had any opportunities to casually talk to her.

  At the very least, I would have liked to formally greet her before inviting her to a tea party but it seems like things won’t go according to my wishes. At this rate, Lady Rozemyne will return to Ehrenfest before I even find the opportunity to apologise to her.

  “Cordura, please send a tea party invitation to Ehrenfest. I don’t have any personal relationship with Lady Rozemyne so please set the invitee as Ehrenfest’s archduke candidate.”


  “As you wish.”


  I entrusted the tea party preparations to Cordura and studied while praying for Lady Rozemyne’s quick recovery. After all, I wanted to increase my free time as much as possible.

  “Lady Hannelore, I received a report stating that Lady Rozemyne went to the library.”


  “Let’s quickly make our way there as well.”


  I put away my textbooks and hastily made my way towards the library. Since archduke candidates need to be accompanied by attendants, apprentice scholars and apprentice knights, they usually don’t go to the library themselves.

  …I wonder why Lady Rozemyne reads books in the library.

  If an archduke candidate goes to a library, laynobles using the desks and accompanying retainers will all be troubled. Retainers also have their own lectures to attend so I think it’s difficult for them to accompany Lady Rozemyne on her daily trips to the library.

  Could it be possible that all of Lady Rozemyne’s retainers have finished their courses just like she has? Otherwise, there’s also the possibility that to qualify as the master of the large shumils one would need to spend a lot of time in the library.

  Now that I think about it, up until now, the master of the shumils had always been archnoble librarians from the Sovereignty so it might have been necessary to spend a lot of time in the library.

  …That means it would have been impossible for me to become their master.

  While thinking about such trivial things, I finally arrived at the library but couldn’t find Lady Rozemyne’s presence anywhere. Professor Solange approached me when she saw me wandering around aimlessly.

  “Dunkelferger’s Lady Hannelore, is there something you are looking for?”


  “I heard that Ehrenfest’s Lady Rozemyne had come here.”


  “If you’re searching for Lady Rozemyne, she has already returned to Ehrenfest. Due to her health suddenly deteriorating, she returned earlier than scheduled.”


  “…I see… Thank you ever so much for letting me know.”


  …Why did this have to happen now!? I can’t believe Lady Rozemyne is going to return before I even have an opportunity to apologise to her. I might actually be cursed by Dregarnuhr.

  I returned to the dorms like that while suppressing my feelings of melancholy.

  Upon returning to my room, I gloomily curled up into a ball, prompting Cordura to comfort me by saying “It’s not your fault, milady” while shaking her head.

  “Milady, there was nothing you could do. The timing was just unfortunate.”


  “Cordura, that doesn’t comfort me at all.”


  …Honestly, is there really nothing I can do about my bad timing?

  After that, there were numerous events which made me even more depressed.

  Firstly, the tea party invitation I had intended for Lady Rozemyne ended up being received by Lord Wilfried. It was impossible for Ehrenfest to reject an invitation from Dunkelferger.

  It would have been great if I could cancel the tea party from my end, but I was burdened with expectations from female students who were interested in Ehrenfest’s fashion trends and I was unable to betray those expectations.

  …Lord Wilfried, I’m really sorry!

  Afterwards, when I learnt that Lord Wilfried also had an obligation to attend other people’s tea parties because of the precedent I set, I felt even more depressed.

  Despite feeling uncomfortable as the only man in a tea party full of women, Lord Wilfried continued to smile and give replies which were devoid of substance. Seeing him like that, I once again wanted to apologise to him from the bottom of my heart.

  …I never thought things would end up like this, Lord Wilfried!

  When I heard that Professor Rauffen had applied for a ditter rematch with Ehrenfest without knowing about Lady Rozemyne’s absence, I could almost feel my soul leaving my body.

  …Once again, I’m truly sorry for everything, Lord Wilfried!

  Even just a little bit is fine.

  All I want is a little bit, so Goddess of time, Dregarnuhr, please grant me your blessings.

  Volume 4, Side Story Charlotte POV - Taking a new step

  Everything went according to plan. A huge fuss was raised when my brother and sister’s engagement was announced at the Spring Feast. Things only got worse when it was announced that my sister was heading to the temple despite being the root source of all the commotion. My brother had a hard time dealing with all the nobles who wanted to greet him, but on the contrary, there weren’t really any people who wanted to greet me since I was no longer a candidate to become the next archduke.

  Amidst all the chaos, I was invited to a tea party by my mother. Mother’s room in the main building was close to the children’s room where I had spent my childhood until my baptismal ceremony. Hence, I experienced a lot of nostalgic feelings as I walked down the hallway to my mother’s room. According to rumours I heard from my attendants, Melchior had become even more of a spoiled child in my absence after my baptismal ceremony. I wonder how he’s doing. During the winter, I was busy leading the winter playroom and hence did not have many opportunities to head to the main building. I’m sure he’s probably feeling lonely.

  “Vanessa, do I have time to meet Melchior after my mother’s tea party?”


  “This request is too sudden so it will be impossible to arrange for it today. I’ll make an appointment for your visit on a later date when your schedule is free.”


  I was admonished by my head attendant Vanessa. There are a lot of hassles that come with being a member of the archduchal family. I have to receive permission just to enter a children’s room that I used to live in. My thoughts always drift in that direction when I hear the tales of my retainers’ childhoods. I nostalgically gazed at the door to the children’s room as I passed by before entering my mother’s room.

  “Charlotte, welcome to my room. It’s been a while since the last time we had a one-to-one talk with one another… Let’s talk in the hidden room today.”


  The topic my mother wished to discuss with me today was probably going to be one that would stir my emotions. I tensed up and thanked my mother for her invitation before following her into the hidden room. I wonder when was the last time I entered my mother’s hidden room? As I sat down, the attendants made preparations for the tea party. Are the chefs trying their hand at making new sweets in preparation for the Archduke’s Conference? All sorts of sweets that I had never eaten before were lined up in front of me.

  “Lord Sylvester purchased some new recipes from Rozemyne in preparation for the Archduke’s Conference.”


  “…It never fails to amaze me how she’s able to think of all these things, one after another.”


  Usually, a noble’s personal chef would think up a new recipe and then their master or mistress would proliferate it under their name. However, I heard that my sister personally teaches her chefs the recipes that she wants them to make.

  “Mother, how has Melchior been holding up these days? I felt nostalgic when I passed by his room earlier so I was thinking of paying him a visit soon.”


  “I’m sure Melchior would be overjoyed if you or Wilfried showed up to visit him. Recently, his baptism ceremony has been the only thing on his mind. He’s been thinking with his attendants about what kind of furniture he’d like to set up in his room.

  “Oh my. But Melchior’s baptism ceremony will be next year. There’s no need for him to be in such a rush.”


  I thought back to my experience of my own baptism ceremony. Even if he was trying to hurry, they would have only just started choosing the craftsmen to make his furniture.

  “During Winter, you were busy with the Winter playroom and didn’t have time to visit him in the main building, right? He’s been feeling lonely ever since you left for the northern complex.”


  “I also want Melchior to come to the northern building as soon as possible.”


  After settling in with talk about Melchior’s recent activities, the preparations for tea were finished and mother asked all the attendants to leave the room. Only the two of us were left inside the hidden room. My mother smiled warmly at me before speaking.

  “Did you hear from Wilfried and Rozemyne about their activities at the Royal Academy?”


  “Yes. Rozemyne was gushing about the library and it was the only thing she talked about. Isn’t there a magic tool that looks like a giant schumil? They were discussing their plans to make clothes for it. My retainers were also keen to help out too.”


  My sister kept talking about things such as the number of books in the royal academy’s library, her profound respect for the librarian Ms Solange and just how useful Schwartz and Weiss were.

  …Even though her attendants kept trying to change the topic, it always ended up being redirected back towards the library. Eventually, her attendants also gave up and just let her talk as she pleased. Her golden eyes sparkled as she talked enthusiastically, making her look much more adorable than usual with a personality that befit her young appearance.

  “Did Wilfried say anything?”


  “He complained about the various troubles he faced from being dragged around by Rozemyne’s whims and boasted about being chosen as an honours student. Oh, add in the talk about Gewinnen and that just about sums it up… He seemed to be overjoyed about winning once in Gewinnen against Drewanchel’s Ortwin and kept telling that story over and over again.”


  “…Did your retainers who attended the Royal Academy with them have anything to say about that?”


  Mother looked at me with a piercing gaze as if she wanted to learn the truth. She probably wanted to find out the circumstances behind the reports that she received about their daily lives in the Royal Academy. If their attendants lied for their master’s sake, the parents would have a hard time learning the truth.

  “Wilfried’s words seemed to be a little bit exaggerated, but it looks like it was true that he was struggling to keep up with the various situations that he got caught up in. Just to name a few, there’s placating Rozemyne who wanted to force all the first graders to pass their courses on the very first day and being forced to accept countless invitations to tea parties which were full of women as well as receiving invitations to a treasure-stealing ditter rematch. He had his own fair share of troubles.”


  “I see.”


  Mother let out a deep sigh to show her relief. I guess that means there weren’t many disparities with the reports that she received. It seems like she was quite worried about Wilfried’s daily life at the Royal Academy.

  “But the one thing to note is that it seems Rozemyne’s influence has been felt far and wide across the entire Royal Academy. From winning a ditter competition against Dunkelferger to being the source of all sorts of new trends in the Royal Academy and surprising everyone from other duchies with the speed and excellence with which she completed her tasks at the academy to even building personal connections to royalty and archduke candidates from greater duchies. While she was absent from the academy, all sorts of rumours involving her were spread around and her name and presence could be felt everywhere.”


  “From the information told to me by Lord Sylvester, I could only see the reports of Wilfried being dragged around by Rozemyne’s whims so I didn’t really understand what Wilfried himself was doing.”


  As mother said those words, she picked up her cup and drank some tea before facing towards me again. Noticing her blue eyes fixed on me as if to examine my inner feelings, I realised that she was finally going to touch down on the main topic that she invited me here for. I straightened my posture a little before putting down my cup and looking straight back into her eyes.

  “Today I invited you here to apologise to you for the matter of Wilfried and Rozemyne’s engagement.”


  “Mother…”


  “Until now you’ve always been swayed by our whims and used for our own convenience whenever it benefitted Ehrenfest. And yet, we’ve closed off the path for you to become the next archduke. I’m really sorry.”


  In order to oppose Wilfried who was raised by our grandmother, I was given an education befitting that of an heir to inherit the position of archduke. There were numerous incidents such as my grandmother’s downfall, the White Tower incident and Rozemyne’s two-year coma which caused my education to stop and restart many times. But with this engagement announcement, I was forcefully removed as a candidate from the competition to inherit the position of archduke and all my efforts were rendered meaningless.

  Hearing my mother’s apology caused all the unpleasant feelings I had suppressed within the depths of my heart to rise back up to the surface.

  “Charlotte.”


  Mother came over to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. As soon as I felt that gentle warmth, drops of liquid fell down onto the back off my hand. My hands were quivering as I tightly gripped them into fists.

  “…Even though everyone said he was going to stand out at the Winter socialising event, he managed to be educated just in time. Even though there was the White Tower incident which dragged him down from the position of heir, he was once again reinstated with the announcement of this engagement. No matter what happened, Wilfried’s always managed to find a way to save himself. He really is loved by the gods.”


  I’ve been working hard my entire life. From the times when my brother was playing around and being spoiled by grandmother to the time when grandmother’s downfall happened to the time of the White Tower incident when Wilfried’s reputation was wounded to the two years when Rozemyne fell into a coma… But my efforts always went unrewarded.

  “It’s too unfair…”


  It’s considered inelegant and unsightly for a lady to pour out her emotions into words like this. However, mother didn’t scold me and simply continuously apologised to me while gently patting my head and stroking my back.

  I wiped away my tears and fixed my disorderly breathing. I held my mother’s hand which was patting my head and smiled at her while saying “I’m alright now”.

  “I still feel some frustration remaining in my chest but without an opportunity like this, I wouldn’t even have been able to voice those feelings aloud.”


  “Yes, that’s true. Your retainers were very worried because you weren’t saying anything. They urged me to have a heart-to-heart chat with you.”


  Right now, the nobles were making a huge fuss about the engagement announcement and on top of that, everyone was busy getting ready for the Archduke Conference. It seems like my retainers had worked hard to get my mother to specially make time to invite me to a private tea party.

  …Even though my mother and retainers are all having a hard time…


  Even though I’m no longer a candidate to become the archduke, my retainers were unwaveringly continuing to look out for me and serving me to the best of their abilities. I must also act as a suitable mistress to repay their loyalty.

  “I understand that this engagement is the best thing that could happen for Ehrenfest’s future. If Rozemyne was the one to become the heir, I would have considered myself utterly defeated and would have had no regrets. But…”


  Rozemyne became my sister at her baptism ceremony, but she has the achievements and mana capacity that make her worthy of the position. Nowadays, nobody would complain about father’s decision to adopt her. I can’t imagine myself competing against her. Rozemyne is my saviour and someone whom I greatly respect.

  “Of course, if you take into consideration her gender, health and blood lineage, it’s difficult for her to become the next archduke. I understand father’s perspective of wanting to protect your reputation as the first wife and I know that there’s no better combination.”


  Melchior is too young to marry my sister and I’m the same sex as her.

  “Since the person herself seems to be satisfied with the engagement, I won’t voice any complaints. Although I am a bit dissatisfied about Wilfried becoming the heir simply due to this engagement.”


  “Charlotte…”


  “And it’s even more unfair to Melchior since his path to becoming the heir was cut off before he even had his baptism ceremony.”


  With Wilfried and Rozemyne’s engagement, Melchior and I no longer had any pathways to become the next archduke. I was really frustrated that all my efforts boiled down to nothing thanks to the schemes and customs of nobility.

  “If someone never had the option of inheriting the position, they wouldn’t care about it as much. That’s why, instead of Melchior who hasn’t been raised to be the heir, I’m more worried for your sake.”


  From the moment she became conscious of her surroundings as a child, the heir to the duchy of Frenbeltag had already been decided so my mother was raised without having ever competed for the position.

  “I guess all is well if Melchior doesn’t feel frustrated by this situation. Even though I went on a bit of a rant earlier, I agree that this was the right decision.”


  I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. I felt much better now after having my mother spoil me as I put all my pent-up feelings into words. I felt relieved to learn that Melchior wouldn’t experience the same feelings of frustration stemming from indignance and powerlessness that I did.

  “…What you said earlier was completely on the mark. Now that Rozemyne is developing new industries and creating new trends, the only one out of my children who can marry her is Wilfried. Please do your best to support Wilfried as his sister who shares the same blood as him.”


  …Sibling the shares the same blood? It’s true that Wilfried is also my mother’s child but…


  For the first time, I realised that my feelings about Wilfried differed from the familial bonds that my mother shared with him. The only sibling who I considered a ‘real’ sibling was Melchior but it seems like our mother valued all three of us equally as her children.

  …Wilfried was raised since birth by our grandmother. Does mother really consider Wilfried her own child even though she didn’t help raise him at all?

  All of it felt terribly strange to me. I never lived together with Wilfried until my baptism ceremony. To me, he was a close relative just like my adopted sister Rozemyne, but it never felt like he was my true family.

  Besides, I’m not sure whether it’s due to my dislike for our grandmother or due to my upbringing where I was repeatedly told to win against Wilfried and overthrow him to become the heir, but even now, Wilfried felt like an opponent I must win against rather than a blood-related sibling who I should cooperate with.

  …But if I voiced those thoughts out loud, I might end up hurting my mother’s feelings since she considered all three of us her own children.

  With the grandmother who discriminated between her own grandchildren out of the picture and the new entry of an adopted sister, Wilfried and I now had an amicable relationship as siblings. There was no need for me to go out of my way to mention that there was a barrier between us that made it difficult to think of him as my real sibling.

  “Leave it to me. After all, there are times when my brother can be a little bit reckless…”


  It seems mother understood that I had calmed down. She returned to her seat and brewed some tea with the utensils left behind by her attendants. I drank a sip of it. What a nostalgic flavour… This is my mother’s favourite tea and I grew up drinking this all the time.

  …It’s nostalgic but nowadays my preferences are a little different.

  I’m not sure if it’s because I started choosing tea flavours that went well with the sweets that my sister invented or if my tastebuds naturally changed as I grew up. Slowly but surely, my preferences in tea were diverging from my mother’s tastes.

  “I was educated with the idea that the most competent child should be the one who becomes archduke. That’s why, even now, I still think Rozemyne is the one most suitable for inheriting the position of archduke.”


  Rozemyne could already clearly envision the future she wanted for Ehrenfest. Unlike someone such as I who could only give a plain boring answer like “I want to continue to develop Ehrenfest”, my sister had revolutionary changes in mind that she wanted to implement in the duchy.

  “If Rozemyne develops new industries and Wilfried supports her with his power as archduke, I’m sure Ehrenfest will be developed into a much more prosperous duchy.”


  Upon hearing my words, my mother blinked her blue eyes in surprise.

  “…Charlotte, you said the exact same thing as Lord Ferdinand.”


  “My uncle said the same thing?”


  “Yes. He said that Rozemyne wouldn’t be the one supporting Wilfried, but instead, Wilfried would be the one steering Rozemyne and holding on to her reins.”


  Apparently, Rozemyne then indignantly retorted “Am I a rampaging horse!?”. Hearing my mother’s story, I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

  “Did Rozemyne really say something like that to uncle?”


  “It’s true. That child doesn’t know the meaning of fear. Even though it always sounds like they’re arguing, apparently that’s just how interactions between the two of them usually go. Even just as a spectator watching from the side, I was afraid of what was going to happen to her.”


  It seems like my mother was troubled as to whether she should intervene and mediate between the two of them.

  “Charlotte.”


  As my mother stopped laughing and returned to a serious expression, I also fixed my posture and sat up straight.

  “From now on, Rozemyne’s creations will be spreading throughout Yurgenschmidt. I’m not just talking about the sweets and cuisine she developed, but also her new industries such as paper-making and printing. Ehrenfest is going to have much more influence than before and many more duchies will seek a connection to Ehrenfest.”


  I gulped and nodded. I heard that my sister had received many marriage proposals. With her engagement, she was now definitely going to be staying in Ehrenfest. In which case, I’ll be the next one they’ll turn to. If they seek a connection to Ehrenfest, they’ll want me as a first wife who can attend Archduke Conferences.

  “Start thinking about which duchy you want to marry into and try strengthening your bonds with Wilfried and Rozemyne as much as possible. A strong relationship with Ehrenfest will serve to protect you as your shield in the future.”


  “May I enquire as to why?”


  I understood that in my mother’s mind, she had already changed my education plan from that of an heir to the position of archduke into that of a daughter marrying into another duchy as the first wife.

  “The way you get treated after marrying into another duchy will greatly depend on the benefits and cooperation you are able to bring to your new duchy from your homeland. Just being loved by your husband isn’t enough. The most important aspect for a woman marrying into another duchy is to have a good relationship with the heir to their original duchy.”


  …Does mother seriously think that even after father loved her so much that he never even married a second wife?

  Since my mother’s homeland Frenbeltag was caught up in the political purge, it was a realistic possibility that people’s attitude towards her could have also changed in various ways. I could feel the weight behind her words. Having also remembered my grandmother’s cold treatment and her frigid gaze, I let out a sigh of resignation.

  “In that case, I’ll try to deepen my bonds with Rozemyne as much as possible.”


  “Oh my, you’re choosing Rozemyne instead of Wilfried?”


  Mother opened her eyes wide in astonishment. Usually nobles would treasure the bonds they share with their blood-related siblings over anything else. I’m sure mother and father wouldn’t understand my decision, especially considering their own bonds that they forged with their blood-related siblings in Frenbeltag.

  “My sister is more reliable than my brother. After all, even though we had only barely met each other a few times, Rozemyne flew off into the night sky in order to save me.”


  Even though nobles often scorn her for her upbringing in the temple, I really adore my sister’s decisiveness during emergencies and her pure love and affection which would be unthinkable for a normal noble. I have faith that if I were to ever be in danger again, my sister would once again do everything in her power to save me.

  “I want to do everything I can to help Rozemyne so I can repay her for saving my life. If I were born as a man, I’m sure I would’ve fought my brother with all my power for the right to marry her. If she needed someone to support her, I’m sure I could do a much better job than my brother ever could.”


  “Oh my… If brothers were to fight each other over Rozemyne, I’m sure Elvira would have used it as inspiration for her books.”


  My mother giggled softly whilst looking like she was enjoying herself. I would be troubled if I were to become one of the characters in Elvira’s books, but everything I said was true.

  “I really want to start giving back to Rozemyne as soon as possible. That’s why I’ve been trying to cover for her weaknesses and the things that she doesn’t like doing.”


  “In that case, make sure you study hard. I’m sure you already know that the nobles have been opposed to your involvement in the printing industry before you enrol at the Royal Academy. But did you know that Rozemyne was the one who pushed for permission to allow you to get involved?”


  Apparently, the nobles in our duchy were afraid of there being a leakage of industry secrets if I were to marry into another duchy and hence, they tried to prevent me from getting involved in the printing industry. At the time, I was extremely frustrated but it seems like I had once again been helped by my sister.

  “…I didn’t know that.”


  “I only heard about it just the other day from Lord Sylvester. I was lamenting over how unfair it was that you didn’t receive any love from the gods but it seems like you’ve received plenty of love from Rozemyne.”


  In that moment, my mother’s words felt very reassuring. As I looked back up at her and replied “Yes” with a nod of my head, my mother laughed and stood up before opening the door of the hidden room. I could see the worried expressions on the faces of all my retainers who were gathered around the door. I’m sure I’ve worried them to no end in the past few days. I have taken a new step forward to become the first wife of another duchy instead of Ehrenfest’s next archduke.