Royal Academy Without a Backer

“I have returned, Letizia. It appears I have caused you worry.”

“Lady Rozemyne, welcome back!”

The one who appeared from the teleportation circle was Lady Rozemyne, Aub Alexandria. Having gone to the teleportation hall to receive her after being informed, I let out a sigh of relief at seeing her in good health.

“You returned from the world of the gods just last night, did you not? I had thought you would rest a little longer in the duchy.”

Remembering the intensity with which Lord Ferdinand stormed into the Royal Academy right after awakening, upon learning that Lady Rozemyne had not yet returned, the thought inevitably comes to mind: I never imagined Lord Ferdinand would let Lady Rozemyne go so soon.

…And besides, when she was summoned by the Goddess of Time, Dregarnuhr, and went to the world of the gods…

“I cannot help but worry about leaving a first-year like you in Alexandria alone while the situation there has yet to settle. Even so, I have no intention of choosing not to save Ferdinand.”

Declaring that rescuing Lord Ferdinand took priority above all else, Lady Rozemyne left the dormitory. She left behind every possible scenario she could think of, along with methods to handle them and various precautions for me and the others. Even so, her highest priority was Lord Ferdinand. That is why I had thought that if Lord Ferdinand were to object to her returning to the Royal Academy so soon, she would prioritize his wishes and remain at the castle for a while.

…There are also dealings with the nobles of the duchy to consider…

“As for Ferdinand, I have already saved him in various ways in the world of the past, and he has escaped any danger to his life, so he can be set aside for now. The ones I am concerned about at the moment are you, Letizia and Lady Hannelore.”

Is that truly all right? I find myself a little uneasy at how readily Lady Rozemyne is able to draw that line. I glanced toward Lieseleta and Laurenz for guidance, but Lady Rozemyne’s retainers only wore resigned smiles.

…Please don’t let this end with Lord Ferdinand storming into the dormitory again.

“Let us go to the conference room. Please tell me what happened while I was away. The descent of the goddess was exposed to public view in such a manner—those who were left behind must have had a difficult time, did they not?”

Lady Rozemyne and I, along with our respective retainers, headed toward the dormitory’s conference room.

“I did hear an account from Ferdinand and Hartmut at the castle, but there was still too little information about what happened at the Royal Academy… Please tell me what occurred after I went to the world of the gods. Lieseleta, who accompanied me to the gazebo, explained things to the people of Dunkelfelger, did she not?”

“Yes. I explained the situation to Lady Cordula. It seems they had a jureve sent from their duchy from one of Lady Hannelore’s family members.”

Lieseleta had been present at the scene where the Goddess of Time descended, but I had not been able to accompany them. Having received various warnings from Lady Rozemyne, I had been instructed to remain in the dormitory with her other retainers to avoid being caught up in the commotion.

“It was the right decision for me to remain in the dormitory. There were many duchies trying to obtain even the slightest bit of information about Lady Rozemyne, who had vanished along with the goddess.”

At the time, my retinue and I had said we would have liked to see what the goddess’s descent was like, but had we gone along, it would surely have been far more troublesome. Because we did not accompany her, we were able to refuse the questions from nobles of other duchies by saying, “We do not know,” and even turn the tables by asking, “If you saw something, please tell us.”

”…The day after the goddess’s descent, I was summoned by the Zent. I never imagined I would be called by the Zent without even having passed court etiquette, and none of my retainers had any experience being invited to the Royal Palace or a royal villa. I was truly at a loss and had to rely on Lieseleta for help. Having her accompany me to the palace was such a great comfort…”

“Ah, that must have been quite nerve-wracking. But since there was an archduke candidate present, the Zent could hardly summon only the archnobles, so it could not be helped. If you are invited several times, you will grow used to it.”

…Please don’t say that so cheerfully—I have no desire to get used to being summoned by the Zent.

Lady Rozemyne and I are not the same!

“What business did the Zent have?”

“They questioned me about the circumstances surrounding Lady Rozemyne’s actions, and said they wished to contact Lord Ferdinand regarding the duchy that had lost its aub.”

When I answered, Lady Rozemyne said, “I see,” and then turned her gaze to Lieseleta, prompting her for the details.

“Since it could not be concealed, we informed the Zent of what had happened to Lord Ferdinand. At that time, we were told that while it would constitute interference in internal affairs and they could not intervene directly, they would serve as our backing should the need arise.”

At the time, the Zent’s words were truly reassuring. Even if the nobles of the duchy caused an uproar due to the absence of Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand, I believed we would be able to overcome it with the Zent’s backing.

I had been discussing such matters with Lieseleta and the other retainers, but contrary to our expectations, the situation began to take an unexpected turn.

“Those who only half-heard the Zent’s words, or nobles who interpreted them strangely, began to move.”

Laurenz frowned, speaking in a bitter, frustrated tone. As a final-year student at the Royal Academy and an apprentice guard knight serving the aub, he had been left in charge of the dormitory, and he directed sharp anger toward the nobles who disturbed its peace.

“What kind of opinions were being voiced at the Royal Academy?”

“Many believed that the Zent had recognized Lady Letizia as Lady Rozemyne’s proxy. I have also heard that in the castle, some nobles began insisting that this was the opportunity to obtain the foundation.”

Lady Rozemyne nodded at Laurenz’s words. The report from the castle must not have differed very much.

“The letters addressed to me were normally screened in advance by Lady Rozemyne or Lord Ferdinand, were they not? I was very surprised both by the number of letters that began arriving the moment they were gone and by what they contained.”

Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand had occupied the position of guardians, but even so, it was impossible to ask Lady Rozemyne’s retainers to inspect letters addressed to me. Confirming them was the duty of my own retainers, and after examining their contents, we had to decide whether the information should be shared with Lady Rozemyne’s retainers.

…In other words, I had to check the contents of the letters myself.

It was an extremely burdensome task. I had to expose the Old Ahrensbach nobles who were trying to deceive me with half-baked information. If one followed the lines of blood relations, even if somewhat distant, there was a possibility it would lead back to my own retainers. I wanted to avoid any harm coming to those around me, but not knowing how to handle it, I found myself at a complete loss.

“I wrote letters refusing, saying that a first-year like myself could not possibly serve as the aub’s proxy, but they would not accept it.”

How many times had I been struck by a sense of helplessness, lamenting with my retainers, “Why won’t they understand?” Just because Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand were absent did not mean I could take their place. I had no such intention whatsoever. More than anything, I did not wish to see any more Old Ahrensbach nobles being punished.

At the end of spring, it was the noble’s quarter and the harbor that were ravaged by those from Lanzanave. The giebes in the provinces and the nobles likely had little real sense of having been thrown into turmoil by foreigners. What was clear to them was only that the foundation had suddenly been taken and the aub had been replaced. If an underage girl from another duchy could become aub, then it is only natural that they would want to elevate me, who had been an archduke candidate of this duchy.

Moreover, I could understand their argument that a proxy was necessary—if the aub or the fiancé meant to fill that absence were to be frequently taken away to the world of the gods, the duchy would not be able to function. When those two are absent, Alexandria is left without anyone in charge. No policies can move forward, and no one even knows when they will return, or whether the mana sustaining the foundation will last until then. It is only natural that the nobles would be anxious.

However, Lord Ferdinand and Hartmut are not so lenient as to take such feelings of the nobles into consideration. They are the sort who can say with a straight face, that they truly believe that nobles who are of no use to Lady Rozemyne have no place in Alexandria.

…And the way of thinking of my own retainers—who were saved by Lady Rozemyne and made to realize her greatness—leans more toward Hartmut’s as well…

My apprentice attendant Fairseele said, “It would be worse to shelter them poorly in an attempt to avoid harm coming to us retainers,” and wrote down the names of the nobles who had sent troublesome letters, asking Hartmut how to deal with them.

“Troubled by the contents of the letters addressed to Lady Letizia, I informed Lord Hartmut, and received a very concise reply. ‘Hand them over to Geduldh, and while Lady Rozemyne is away, take care not to waste paper,’ he said.”

At Fairseele’s report, Lady Rozemyne gave a wry smile. “That does sound like Hartmut.”

I did not understand the meaning right away, but Fairseele explained it to me. To hand them over to Geduldh meant to throw them into the fireplace. And when combined with the warning about wasting paper, it essentially meant, “Do not reply—just burn them at once.”

And the plant-based paper placed in the dormitory was something Lady Rozemyne had created. From that, I was told it also carried an implicit warning: to be careful not to harm what Lady Rozemyne had made—or Alexandria itself.

“Following Lord Hartmut’s reply, my retainers began to simply check the sender and toss the letters into the fireplace without reading their contents. Once we stopped replying, the nobles must have grown impatient and resorted to forceful measures. On a day when knights who had been persuaded by those troublesome nobles were stationed at the teleportation hall…”

“I have already received reports about that from Hartmut and Strahl. Nobles of the duchy came to the dormitory aiming for you, did they not, Letizia?”

It seemed the knight order was not entirely united either, and nobles insisting they would “rescue me, who was being so strictly monitored that even replying to letters was forbidden,” suddenly forced their way into the dormitory. At the time, I was in my room, so all I knew was that an ordonnanz arrived saying, “We are under attack. Do not come outside,” and that the apprentice guard knights went to stand watch in front of my door.

I simply sat in my chair, my fingers tightly clasped together. I already knew that remaining still and allowing myself to be protected was the way to minimize casualties.

At that time, Roswitha had still been alive until I moved—but because I acted, she was killed. As the memory of Roswitha vividly resurfaced, all I could do in that agonizing stretch of time was pray to the gods that no one would be hurt, so long as I did not move from where I was.

While I was recalling Roswitha, Laurenz’s report continued.

“Only up to three people can move through the teleportation circle at a time. It wasn’t as though a large number of nobles came rushing in all at once. Even so, several nobles forced their way into the Royal Academy, where adult intervention is forbidden, and the dormitory fell into chaos.”

Laurenz, an apprentice guard knight of Lady Rozemyne, raised his voice, shouting, “Protect Lady Letizia and the women! Do not let the intruders reach the third floor!” My guard knights then called for cooperation from the other knight apprentices remaining in the dormitory. Reports came in one after another from the apprentice guard knights present.

“Lady Rozemyne’s and Lady Letizia’s guard knights, along with the knight apprentices in the dormitory, worked together to defend it.”

“Male knights guarded the stairs from the first to the second floor, while the female knights took positions on the stairs from the second to the third floor and in front of Lady Letizia’s room.”

“We knew it would only be a short time until the knight order at the castle noticed the disturbance and arrived at the teleportation hall, so it was not particularly difficult to deal with.”

“We fought to protect Lady Letizia—By doing so, the unity among the knight apprentices in the dormitory grew stronger. For the nobles who forced their way in, it may have been an ironic outcome.”

As Laurenz said this in a half-joking tone at the end of his report, laughter spilled from the apprentice guard knights. It reminded me of how he had lightened the atmosphere in the dormitory even during the attack by the nobles.

“It was thanks to the knight apprentices that things settled down in the dormitory. And I believe it was also significant that Lady Hannelore regained consciousness and informed us of Lady Rozemyne’s situation.”

When I said that, Lady Rozemyne tilted her head. “Lady Hannelore…?”

Had there been no report from the castle about that? Lieseleta answered in my place.

“After Lady Hannelore regained consciousness, we exchanged information. She wished to know how to deal with the power of the goddess…”

“How much of it remained?”

“Compared to your previous condition, Lady Rozemyne, it was at a level where one could say there was no effect at all. I do not know how much time passed between her awakening and the notice reaching Alexandria, but by the time we exchanged information, it was hardly noticeable.”

Thanks to Lieseleta’s gentle, soothing tone, Lady Rozemyne seemed reassured. “That is a relief,” she said, placing a hand over her chest.

“At that point, Lady Hannelore told us that in the world of the past, Lady Rozemyne had already completed one restoration. Isn’t that right, Lieseleta?”

“Yes. When we reported that to the castle, Hartmut and Clarissa told the nobles there… that Lady Rozemyne—who received wisdom from Mestionora, seized the duchy’s foundation in a short time, and rescued Lord Ferdinand—would not possibly fail in restoring history while guided by Dregarnuhr.”

Lieseleta is putting it very mildly, but in reality, Hartmut lamented that “it is deplorable that there are still those who fail to understand Lady Rozemyne’s greatness,” and remarked that “if all the nobles of the duchy are gathered for the winter social season, then that is certainly most convenient.” It seems he then forcefully spread word of Lady Rozemyne’s excellence to every noble. This was written in a letter from the Knight Commander Strahl to his daughter, Fairseele. Since it was not in an official report, I assumed Hartmut and the others wished to keep it from Lady Rozemyne, so I did not mention it aloud.

“With the information from Lady Hannelore confirming that Lady Rozemyne was steadily completing the goddess’s tasks, and with the belief that she would return safely, the dormitory gradually settled down. We later received reports that the castle also calmed to some extent, as the archducal family’s retainers grew more unified.”

At Lieseleta’s report, Lady Rozemyne visibly relaxed her shoulders.

“I am glad that things settled down more quickly than I had expected.”

“I am sorry to trouble you just as you are feeling relieved, Lady Rozemyne, but it is only the dormitory that has settled down. Outside the dormitory… the Royal Academy has not yet calmed.”

The attendant apprentice Gretia slowly shook her head and delivered her report in a quiet, even tone.

“First, with the descent of the Goddess of Time, Dregarnuhr, Lady Hannelore has come to be called the second avatar of a goddess. Rumors began to spread that this was a perfect opportunity to take such an avatar as a bride, and within just a few days, the number of duchies proposing bride-stealing ditter increased all at once.”

At Lady Rozemyne’s widened eyes, Gretia gave a firm nod.

“Apparently, Lord Ortwin of Drewanchel was the first to propose. As Alexandria had no time to deal with such matters within the dormitory, I believe your Ehrenfest based retainers or Lady Charlotte would be more informed.”

Just as Gretia said, I too had been fully occupied with deflecting questions about Alexandria’s situation and Lady Rozemyne, and had no room to concern myself with bride-stealing ditter or the affairs of other duchies.

…After all, Alexandria already has an avatar of a goddess, and there is no archduke candidate who could take Lady Hannelore as a bride…

“I will try confirming with Ehrenfest as well. Even so, we have caused Lady Hannelore a great deal of trouble…”

Lady Rozemyne grew visibly dejected, as though thinking that the Goddess of Time would not have descended upon Lady Hannelore if she herself had not returned to the duchy… I, however, believed that once Lady Rozemyne was absent from the gazebo, the goddess would have descended upon someone and summoned them regardless, but I kept that to myself.

“More importantly, once Lady Rozemyne’s absence became widely known, the methods of information gathering grew quite blatant. Since Lady Letizia had already finished her written courses early on, there were some duchies that extended rather forceful invitations to tea gatherings.”

At the report from Hordalare, my head attendant, Lady Rozemyne’s brows drew together slightly. For a moment, I thought her reaction resembled Lord Ferdinand’s. Perhaps it was just my imagination.

“Which duchies?”

“I have compiled them here.”

“Fufu, what a splendid effort, so considerate of Letizia.”

As Lady Rozemyne accepted the wooden boards from Hordalare, her smile carried a certain pressure. Sensing that it was the smile of someone who considered me among those she must protect, I felt a ticklish warmth in my chest.

“Ah well uh, Lady Rozemyne, in most cases, they would back down when given reasons such as ‘after the lessons are finished’ or ‘once the social season begins’…”

Hoping that nobles from other duchies would not be troubled too much, I spoke up in their defense, and Hordalare nodded.

“Yes. Since Lady Letizia had already completed her written courses, she had fewer classes to attend, and as an archduke candidate, even archnobles from other duchies could not press her too strongly.”

Among the first-year archduke candidates, the only ones ranked above me were Lord Raufereg of Dunkelfelger, Lord Hildebrand of Blumenfeld, and Lady Lindalore of Drewanchel. That worked in my favor.

They did not seem particularly concerned with me. Lord Raufereg had his attention fixed on the bride-stealing ditter, and I did not know how to approach him for gathering information about Alexandria, so at the time we did little more than exchange greetings. Lord Hildebrand, though in the position of a royal betrothed, likewise…

Lady Lindalore, said to be the daughter of a third wife, seemed to have a strained relationship with my full-brother Lancelit, and appeared uncertain about how much distance to keep from me.

“However, while archnoble retainers may accompany us to regular lessons, when it comes to practicing the dedication whirl…”

“Ah, all the archduke candidates from every duchy gather, and no retainers are allowed to attend.”

Lady Rozemyne’s expression grew troubled. During the dedication whirl practice held before Lady Hannelore awoke, I had been surrounded by many archduke candidates and found it extremely difficult to handle. Lady Charlotte of Ehrenfest had spoken to me, but I was unable to escape the archduke candidates connected to her.

…Compared to that, the practice sessions after Lady Hannelore awakened were much more peaceful.

That reminds me—I truly received a great deal of consideration and help from Lady Hannelore. Before Lady Rozemyne meets with those from other duchies, I must report everything about those who assisted me.

“Um, Lady Rozemyne. During the dedication whirl practice, Lady Hannelore helped disperse the archduke candidates from other duchies, and even told Lord Hildebrand to protect me using the authority of his former royal status.”

“We truly cannot thank her enough.”

“And also, Lord Hildebrand has helped me greatly. Not only during the dedication whirl practice, but also when I encountered my elder brother, Lord Lancelit of Drewanchel, in the library and he tried to force a conversation upon me—Lord Hildebrand came to my aid, and even listened to my concerns.”

I hurriedly added that. Our interactions had begun during the dedication dance practice, but Lord Hildebrand had truly been a great help to me as well.

“Letizia, tell me what happened at the library. It was because I asked you to check on the state of the library, wasn’t it?”

“U-um… well, that is…”

…What should I do? I never intended to make Lady Rozemyne feel down.

I became a library committee member at the time of registering for the library. At that time, I had been told that I was not to go to the library until all my lectures were finished.

However, before departing for the world of the gods, Lady Rozemyne had asked me, “It does not have to be often, but please check on the state of the Royal Academy library from time to time.”

“I’m sorry, Letizia. It must be difficult for you to be put on the spot like this, isn’t it? Please, go on.”

“Y-yes. As usual, I greeted Professor Solange, looked around the library, gave a small amount of mana to Schwartz and Weiss, and was about to return to the dormitory. That was when Lord Lanclit arrived.”

Despite the fact that my full-blooded brother was the one inviting me, he demanded to know why I refused the tea party. With Lady Rozemyne, the aub of the newly established Alexandria, having been taken away by the goddess, he pressed me for whether there had been any changes. On top of that, he insisted that while the aub was absent, I should strengthen ties with the duchy’s nobles and cooperate with him as a fellow archduke candidate of Alexandria.

“If it had only been that, I could have refused or deflected him since my retainers were with me, but the moment he asked why my head attendant was no longer Roswitha but Hordalare, my breath caught, and I didn’t know how to answer…”

Even now, just recalling it is enough to overwhelm me. It feels as though tears might spill over, and my breathing grows strained. All I can do is clutch my skirt tightly and endure, trying desperately to keep my emotions from spilling out.

“Letizia, breathe slowly. In… and out…”

Startled, Lady Rozemyne quickly rose from her seat and crouched beside me, gently rubbing my back. After taking several deep breaths, my rising emotions gradually began to settle.

“We never imagined that an archduke candidate from another duchy would ask about Lady Roswitha, so our minds went completely blank as to how we should respond, and we were at a loss over how to handle Lady Letizia when her condition suddenly changed. Then Lord Hildebrand arrived at the library as part of his duties as a library committee member and stepped in to intervene.”

Fairseele explained in my place. The pallor on her face was likely because she had experienced everything regarding Roswitha alongside me.

“What did Lord Hildebrand say?”

“Well… even if he is her full brother, Lord Lancelit is still an archduke candidate from another duchy, and a man. Therefore, Lady Letizia—who has a royal betrothal—cannot possibly accept an invitation from a man.”

It was said that either a tea party with several women should be arranged, or that her fiancé, Lord Hildebrand, should be invited as well, so that it would not become a private meeting between the two of them. Either way, it would not be suitable for a confidential conversation.

“Then, saying that he wished to hear the details and make arrangements in order to cooperate going forward, Lord Hildebrand asked us, and we held a tea gathering between betrothed couples.”

“With the aub absent, maintaining a relationship with Lord Hildebrand is important if we are to use the authority of his former royal status as a shield to protect Lady Letizia.”

Hordalare, explained this to Lady Rozemyne as though offering justification for holding a tea party before the social season had begun.

“Precisely because he is your betrothed, if you can get along, there is nothing better. Did you enjoy the tea party?”

“U-um, well… yes. With Lord Hildebrand, it feels like we somehow understand each other… I can speak with him without feeling too tense.”

When asked like that, it felt rather embarrassing. Still, the reason we were able to relax and speak a little more freely with one another was likely because we both sensed that we had been manipulated by adults, committed wrongdoing, and were living while hiding it.

…That is something I will not tell anyone else.

As Lady Rozemyne listened with a gentle smile, I told her how Blumenfeld had cut off personal interactions with the duchies that had proposed bride-stealing ditter, and how I had been advised to consult Lady Hannelore regarding the matter with Lord Lancelit.

“A few days after consulting Lady Hannelore, Lord Ferdinand awoke and came to the dormitory. In a most alarming manner, he demanded to know whether Lady Rozemyne had returned, and after that, he was in contact with the Zent… for two days in a row.”

“Two days in a row?”

“Yes. Despite it being so sudden, I was surprised that he was able to meet with the Zent on two consecutive days. What exactly did Lord Ferdinand discuss, I wonder? We have not been informed of the details…”

For the most part, it seemed that Lord Ferdinand and his retainers were simply handling what was necessary, and neither I nor Lady Rozemyne’s retainers were asked to relay messages to the Zent or accompany him to the Royal Palace.

”…Various things… It seems we truly caused trouble for a great many people.”

Lady Rozemyne made a bitter expression and lowered her gaze. After letting out a heavy sigh, she lifted her head again, and by then her usual smile had returned.

“Thank you for reporting all of this. And Letizia, you have done very well as an archduke candidate of Alexandria. Your retainers, too, have done an admirable job protecting and supporting you in my and Ferdinand’s absence. I am truly grateful. You may leave things to me from here on.”

Praised by Lady Rozemyne, everyone smiled with clear delight. I was happy as well, and seeing Lady Rozemyne’s dependable smile, I felt as though a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

”…Eh? Returning to the duchy on Earthday and going to the Dunkelfelger’s country gate for a meeting? How did it come to that?”

“Because this time it has been decided that I will help Lady Hannelore, of course!”

It seems that some sort of incident will occur in Dunkelfelger on Earthday.