Letizia's Consultation

It seemed that Lady Letizia was in quite a hurry, as she chose the very next available time among the proposed options—during a free period the following day. Something serious must have happened.

“Although time was short, did you manage to gather any information about Lady Letizia or Alexandria?”

After dinner, I questioned my retainers about the information they had collected. I had to be informed beforehand if I was to offer a proper consultation at the tea party.

“It appears she had a tea party with Lord Hildebrand today. The details are unclear, but perhaps something occurred during that meeting? Madierisa, how has she been during first-year lectures?”

I nodded at the information from Andrea, my apprentice attendant, and then Madierisa, a first-year apprentice archattendant, who reported on classroom behavior.

“Thanks in part to Lady Rozemyne’s guidance, Lady Letizia finishes her classes very quickly. Ever since Lady Rozemyne became absent, she has been spending more time with the other Alexandria students. Lately, she’s often seen conversing with Lord Hildebrand.”

Hearing Hildebrand’s name made me furrow my brow slightly.

”…Could it be because I asked Hildebrand to protect Lady Letizia as his fiancé during the dedication whirl class?”

It had been something I said, hoping that the engaged pair might grow closer… but now I wondered if Hildebrand’s actions had somehow caused trouble for Lady Letizia, and she wanted to speak with me as the one who had brought them together.

“Hmm, I’m not sure,” Madierisa replied. “I believe it’s more due to Lord Raufereg being summoned back to the duchy and becoming absent. Ever since he applied for the bride-stealing ditter, Lord Hildebrand began distancing himself and seemed to shift his attention to Lady Letizia as a conversation partner simply to pass the time during lessons.”

“Does that mean there was no real interaction between Hildebrand and Lady Letizia before that?” I asked.

“I believe they only exchanged greetings before and after lectures,” Madierisa replied. “Since I was instructed to keep an eye on Lord Raufereg’s movements, I didn’t pay much attention to Lady Letizia or Lord Hildebrand. I apologize.”

I gave a small nod at her apology. “Because of the bride-stealing ditter, you must pay close attention to the actions of other duchies from now on.” With that reminder, I turned my gaze to the other retainers.

“Is there anything else?”

“There are reports that Drewanchel has been attempting to approach Lady Letizia,” said Idonalitte. “Have you heard anything from Lord Ortwin, Lady Hannelore?”

Shaking my head, I answered, “No, nothing at all. Since Alexandria isn’t participating in the bride-stealing ditter, Lord Ortwin wouldn’t consult me unless it was something related to that. If Drewanchel is reaching out to Lady Letizia, perhaps it’s in order to gather information about Lady Rozemyne?”

The most common reason members of the opposite sex approached someone was to seek a potential fiancé, but Lady Letizia was already engaged to Hildebrand by royal decree. It was unlikely that Drewanchel’s approach had anything to do with marriage.

“Now that Lady Rozemyne is absent, it’s only natural that those who desire information would try to approach Lady Letizia… but that’s a heavy burden for a first-year student with little experience in socializing.”

I couldn’t help but feel sympathy. Lady Letizia no longer had Lady Rozemyne to protect her. Of course, she was likely accompanied by upperclassmen among the upper nobility, but due to the difference in their statuses, it would be difficult for them to refuse invitations or deflect probing questions from other duchies’ archduke candidates.

If they managed to make some kind of agreement with Lady Letizia now, it would be much easier to form a connection with Lady Rozemyne once she returned. Depending on the content of that agreement, it might even be possible to hold them accountable.

…Though I had told no one, Lord Ferdinand was no longer in Alexandria either.

I had heard that, strictly speaking, he wasn’t merely unconscious—his very existence had become semi-transparent. Whatever the exact state, the situation remained unchanged for Lady Letizia: she had no member of the archducal family she could consult with, not even in her own duchy.

Moreover, while we were still in the lesson period, she could use her studies as a reason to decline tea parties. But once the socializing period began, a new duchy without an Aub present wouldn’t be able to refuse invitations from higher-ranking duchies entirely.

“Lady Letizia is someone you’ve said you would protect, and I believe many issues can be easily resolved if first-ranked Dunkelfelger lends its support. However, please be mindful not to cross into domestic interference, or others will start to speak ill of you.”

”…To act without drawing criticism from those around me, is it?”

Unlike me—who furrowed my brows at Cordula’s warning and the vagueness of what “not drawing criticism” truly entailed—the apprentice scholars all nodded with understanding, letting out a collective “Ahh…” as if it made perfect sense.

“The students from Korinthsdaum, who received instructions straight from Lord Sigiswald, have been moving about in various ways. They’re likely to meddle in interduchy relations.”

“If we consider the possibility of being criticized over trivial matters, it’s clear we’ll need to act with extreme caution.”

After receiving ample warnings from my retainers, I finally headed into my tea meeting with Lady Letizia.

“Lady Hannelore, I thank you so very much for making time for me on such short notice.”

When I arrived at Alexandria’s tea room, Lady Letizia softened her emerald eyes and clearly looked relieved to see me. Once I was shown to my seat, I noticed that an anti-eavesdropping magic tool had already been prepared. I picked it up. After the tea and sweets had been tested for poison, we quickly moved on to the main topic.

“It seemed to be an urgent matter. Has something happened in Alexandria?”

“No, the duchy is managing somehow, thanks to Lady Rozemyne’s and Lord Ferdinand’s retainers. But it appears your help allowed the Old Ahrensbach nobles to settle down a little, and everyone is truly grateful.”

“I… helped? I don’t recall doing anything.”

When I tilted my head in confusion, Lady Letizia smiled and said, “It was thanks to the information you shared, Lady Hannelore.”

“During the time when students gather at the Royal Academy, it’s right in the middle of winter’s social season, isn’t it? That’s when the nobles mostly gather together in the castle,” Letizia explained. “So when Lord Ferdinand suddenly became translucent and Lady Rozemyne was called away by a goddess, there was no way to keep it hidden from the nobles of Alexandria.”

Just as I had expected, the moment Lord Ferdinand collapsed and Lady Rozemyne vanished, certain nobles began to act out. Apparently, some of those who had held power during the Ahrensbach era and harbored dissatisfaction toward the new regime saw this as a perfect opportunity to rally around Letizia and attempt to restore Ahrensbach.

“Not only did they express their discontent, but I heard some even plotted to obstruct the retainers left behind by Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand—or tried to sneak into the living quarters of the archducal family.”

However, no matter how much they tried to rally behind Letizia, she rejected them. Instead, she chose to rely on the Zent as her backing and remained in the duchy, continuing to act alongside Lady Rozemyne’s retainers.

“Amid all of that,” Letizia said, “you were the one who told me that Lady Rozemyne, under the goddess’s command, is currently reconnecting the threads that were severed from Lord Ferdinand, weren’t you, Lady Hannelore? And not just that—you gave me that information alongside proof that someone in Dunkelfelger had regained their lost memories…”

I recalled the information exchange I had conducted with Lady Letizia and Lieseleta. If Raufereg hadn’t hoarded the reports, I might have been able to inform them much earlier. As I remembered the frantic effort I had to put into processing everything because of that, I grew a little irritated—and so, in my imagination, I subjected him to a very thorough round of special instruction.

“If the information brought by you, Lady Hannelore, had been without any basis or proof, the nobles might not have been stopped from acting rashly,” Letizia said. “After that, we also received word that people in Klassenburg and Ehrenfest had recovered memories of Lady Rozemyne.”

That must have been what Lady Gentiane had mentioned during our dedication whirl practice in regards to Klassenburg. But it wasn’t just there—someone in Ehrenfest also seemed to have regained their memories.

…Well, since Lady Rozemyne traveled into the past to reconnect Lord Ferdinand’s thread, it was only natural she would go to Ehrenfest.

“And on top of that, Lady Hannelore, you supported me as my backing, didn’t you? That made an enormous difference as well,” Letizia said.

She explained that once it became clear Lady Rozemyne would eventually return, Lord Ferdinand would recover, and that any unrest in the meantime would draw intervention from Dunkelfelger or even the Zent, the nobles began to settle down.

“It seems the nobles were also quite effectively intimidated by Lady Rozemyne’s retainers, who went around warning them that if they caused trouble, they would face punishment once Lord Ferdinand and Lady Rozemyne returned,” Letizia added.

…It was clear that the fear of Lord Ferdinand’s retribution was probably the most effective deterrent, but it seemed even the actions of Dunkelfelger’s knights had been useful.

“I’m glad to hear I was able to help, but if there are no problems in your duchy, then what is this consultation about? Could it be that my suggestion during the dedication whirl practice—that Lord Hildebrand should remain by your side—has caused some kind of inconvenience?”

I voiced the concern that had been weighing on me the most, only for Lady Letizia to immediately shake her head and say, “No, not at all.” The swift denial brought me relief, and I let out a small sigh of relief.

“Thanks to you introducing us, Prince Hildebrand and I have slowly begun to connect as fiancés. In fact, yesterday was our first tea party together. He said it would be easier to wield the influence of a former royal if we showed signs of a closer relationship…”

There was no trace of distance or discomfort on Lady Letizia’s face as she spoke with a soft smile. Some had said it was only because Raufereg was absent… but if she and Hildebrand were truly growing closer as fiancés, then that was certainly a good thing.

“Well… it came up during the tea party, but Lord Hildebrand seemed unsure about how he should interact with Lord Raufereg.”

“Lord Hildebrand?” I tilted my head slightly in surprise, prompting Lady Letizia to nod once and explain further.

“Lord Raufereg proposed to you and is participating in the bride-stealing ditter, is he not? But he’s still a Dunkelfelger archduke candidate, correct?”

A suitor who applied for the bride-stealing ditter was, by definition, one who had defied Aub Dunkelfelger—a man guilty of great disrespect. And yet, Raufereg, despite being such a suitor, continued attending classes even after Zent’s proclamation, openly speaking of his proposal. From the outside, it appeared as though his duchy had taken no disciplinary action at all.

“Because Blumenfeld receives support from Dunkelfelger through Lady Magdalena, they’ve been avoiding personal relations with any duchy that applied for the bride-stealing ditter, in accordance with the Aub’s stance,” Lady Letizia explained. “So, Lord Hildebrand isn’t sure whether to treat Lord Raufereg as a fellow archduke candidate of Dunkelfelger or as your suitor…”

“I see. That would certainly trouble Lord Hildebrand.”

Raufereg had apparently been left unchecked to expose nobles who supported him and observe the movements of the other fiancé candidates—but in doing so, he had ended up troubling those around him.

”…And so, Lord Hildebrand is assuming that Lord Raufereg has been sent back to his territory, since he’s been absent recently,” Letizia added.

It was likely her way of asking whether it was acceptable to cease associating with Raufereg going forward. I took a moment to think. Considering the movements of other territories, I did not want his status or treatment to be changed just yet.

“Raufereg is expected to return at the start of the week. He was only sent back due to illness. Though he is my half-brother, we have not interacted much, so I do not know many details…”

I trailed off there and offered a small, pleasant smile.

“Yes… although Raufereg will no longer be participating in the bride-stealing ditter, please tell Lord Hildebrand that Dunkelfelger still hopes to remain on friendly terms with him,” I said.

Anyone familiar with Dunkelfelger’s customs would understand from this that Raufereg had been eliminated from contention, but that the Aub did not intend to completely cast him aside. Even if Prince Hildebrand did not understand, he could simply ask Lady Magdalena for clarification.

“I understand. I’ll inform Lord Hildebrand during tomorrow’s lesson. And, um… Lady Hannelore, the matter I truly wished to consult you about concerns my brother,” Letizia said, lowering her brows in slight distress.

“Your brother? By that, you mean the former archduke candidate of Old Ahrensbach, correct? Has your disinherited half-brother, who was punished, begun to take action again?”

“N-no, that’s not it. The one I’m referring to is Lord Lansrit of Drewanchel, an archduke candidate and my biological brother…”

“Drewanchel…? Ah, yes, you’re an adopted daughter, aren’t you?”

…Lansrit was a fourth-year student, which meant he was a half-brother to Lord Ortwin. Now that I thought of it, wasn’t he made an archduke candidate through adoption?

As I searched my memory for details about the adoptions of Letizia and Lansrit, Letizia kindly began to explain.

“My father is part of Drewanchel’s archducal family—by birth, I’m from there. Before my baptism, I was adopted into the family of my maternal grandfather, the former Aub Ahrensbach, and his first wife, my grandmother,” Letizia explained.

If I recalled correctly, that adoption happened because the archducal family of Ahrensbach had been severely reduced. The second wife died during the political purge, her two sons—once considered heirs—had been demoted to archnobles, and the third wife’s son had died in an accident. In that unstable situation, the former Aub, fearing for the future of the duchy, petitioned the Zent to adopt his granddaughter as a political measure.

“At that time, my brother had already been set to be adopted by the Aub of Drewanchel and his second wife. So my parents were very reluctant to part with me as well.”

At the time Yurgenschmidt had lost its Grutrissheit, the survival of the greater duchy of Ahrensbach was deemed essential to Yurgenschmidt as a whole. Letizia’s adoption was said to have been nearly a royal decree. In exchange, to ensure she would be the definite next Aub, it was promised that Detlinde would serve as an interim Aub, and that the Third Prince would be her future spouse.

“My brother and I have quite an age gap, and since I was adopted when I was very young, we barely interacted. Until the former Aub ascended to the distant heights, my parents occasionally visited Ahrensbach’s castle to check on me. But for my brother, I suppose his bond with his adoptive mother, the second wife, was more important. After my royal engagement was announced, he began sending me polite, textbook examples of seasonal greetings—but only that.”

It seemed that Letizia had only seen Lord Lansrit again for the first time in years during this year’s Royal Academy. She smiled wistfully, saying she wouldn’t have recognized him by face alone if he hadn’t introduced himself.

“Since the royal engagement was announced, you say? You were already designated as the next Aub of Ahrensbach when the adoption happened. More frequent visits to deepen your relationship would have been beneficial for the future. I imagine even his adoptive mother, the second wife, would have then relied on Lord Lansrit ”

“My late head attendant Roswitha felt the same as you, Lady Hannelore. She was furious that, though there was no celebration for my baptism, once I was confirmed as the next Aub, he suddenly wanted to reconnect…”

Letizia narrowed her eyes with a nostalgic look, but also as if she was trying to hold back tears. Perhaps the loss of her head attendant was still recent. I avoided touching on the topic of her attendant and instead shifted the conversation to Lord Lansrit.

“And what has Lord Lansrit done?”

“He had been trying to approach me for some time, seeking information about Alexandria and a connection to Lady Rozemyne. But recently, he suddenly began using Lord Trauerqual’s royal decree as a justification, claiming he would make me the Aub of Alexandria…”

“That is quite the shock.”

Letizia and I exchanged glances and sighed in unison. We took a slow sip of tea, trying to gather our thoughts.

“Most likely, he wishes to gain influence over Alexandria during Lady Rozemyne’s absence. Or perhaps he’s attempting to diminish her power… But it’s strange that this all began so suddenly. Specifically, when did it start?”

When I asked, Letizia paused for a moment in thought.

“It was after Zent’s announcement regarding the bride-stealing ditter. Also, ever since the dedication whirl practice, he began asking me to act as an intermediary between you and him… or to attend tea parties together with my fiancé, Lord Hildebrand. He says that since we are siblings, I should cooperate.”

Letizia looked troubled, worried that refusing might sour relations with Drewanchel and, in turn, cause trouble for Lady Rozemyne.

“I would love to consult my parents in Drewanchel, but I don’t know who might read my letters…”

“While you may be siblings by blood, Lord Lansrit is an archduke candidate of Drewanchel, and you are already an archduke candidate of Alexandria. You must refuse him clearly.”

Letizia’s eyes widened in surprise at my firm words.

“Is it really alright for me to refuse him?”

“Being siblings doesn’t mean you’re obliged to cooperate on everything. You are separated by duchy, and it is only natural for you to prioritize the affairs of Alexandria. And furthermore, you should stop calling him ‘brother.’ Treat him as someone from another duchy.”

I first learned this from Lungtase: when someone calls you “elder brother” or “elder sister,” it makes you naturally want to treat them as a younger sibling. If you feel affection, that’s one thing—but if you want to maintain distance, it’s better to start by changing how you address them.

“I feel relieved to hear you say that, Lady Hannelore. I will firmly refuse Lord Lansrit,” Letizia said, her expression visibly lighter. It was clear how much the pressure from her estranged brother’s demands had weighed on her.

“And also,” she continued, “although Lord Lansrit hasn’t said it outright… It seems he was told by Lord Sigiswald something along the lines of: if Ortwin is removed, then Lansrit or the second wife’s son could become the next aub. And that Drewanchel should cooperate with Korinthsdaum in the bride-stealing ditter.”

I hadn’t expected Lord Sigiswald’s name to come up here, and I couldn’t help but frown.

“Strictly speaking, it’s probably Korinthsdaum’s students making moves, but… it seems certain that Aub Korinthsdaum is scheming behind the scenes,” I said.

“Yes. Even Lord Hildebrand was approached by Korinthsdaum and Lord Lansrit to cooperate, but he refused,” Letizia replied.

Prince Hildebrand was Lord Sigiswald’s half-brother. From Korinthsdaum’s perspective, bringing Blumenfeld into their sphere of influence would be advantageous. It seemed Lord Trauerqual had clearly rejected that direction as the duchy’s policy.

“Lord Hildebrand told me that, due to the duchies’ stance, he would not personally associate with Drewanchel or Korinthsdaum, even if I, his fiancée, wished for it. He also advised me not to take Lord Lansrit’s words at face value, and to consult Lady Hannelore as soon as possible.”

That must have been why Lady Letizia had come to me so urgently. Hildebrand had said that while interaction with Lord Ortwin, her suitor, was forbidden due to Dunkelfelger’s policies, contact with her biological brother might still be permitted.

…But Dunkelfelger’s chosen ally this time was Lord Ortwin. There was no way contact with Lord Lansrit could be allowed.

I could only think that in my heart, since I couldn’t reveal our collaboration.

“Is that all regarding Lord Lansrit?” I asked.

“Now that you mention it, I also heard that Lord Sigiswald intends to marry you, Lady Hannelore, as the second Avatar of the Goddess, obtain the Grutrissheit, and become the next king. Supposedly, that’s why Drewanchel’s next Aub is being encouraged to support him.”

”…This is the first I’ve heard of it,” I replied.

I had considered the possibility that, due to the goddess’s descent, I might be expected to fulfill a role similar to Lady Rozemyne’s as a second avatar of the goddess. However, I had never heard any rumors quite so specific as that.

“With the bride-stealing ditter still to be held, it seemed strange to hear that Lord Sigiswald’s bride had already been decided… So, Lady Hannelore, is there any truth to this?” Lady Letizia asked.

“There are no such plans,” I replied calmly, “and besides, I hold no such power as to bestow a Grutrissheit. The goddess who descended upon me was not the Goddess of Wisdom, but the Goddess of Time.”

Though I was aware that what Lady Eglantine had received was a magic tool Grutrissheit—meaning she was not truly a Zent in the traditional sense—I smiled as I stated my answer with confidence.

“Lady Letizia, I must apologize,” I said with a gentle yet firm tone. “But I cannot befriend those who associate closely with Lord Sigiswald. More than that, to believe that someone upon whom the Goddess of Time descended could grant a Grutrissheit… That sort of nonsense only shows a lack of theological education. Anyone who can be swayed by such falsehoods seems far too unstable to be considered for the position of an Aub.”

Even as I politely declined any interaction with Lord Lansrit—regardless of any mediation from Lady Letizia—I found myself reflecting on what might be happening behind the scenes. A worrying thought surfaced.

…Could it be that Lord Sigiswald is attempting to divide the forces of Drewanchel in the same way he did with Dunkelfelger, using similar tactics to sow discord and weaken unity?

The moment the bride-stealing ditter was restricted to archducal family members and their guard knights, it became clear: if you could divide an archducal house, you could significantly weaken its fighting power. And now that Dunkelfelger was officially allied with Lord Ortwin, any such scheme could no longer be overlooked.

…We’ll need to share this information with him as soon as possible.