Ascendance of a Bookworm

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.