Justus's Perspective


I climbed the stairs to the second floor of the Ehrenfest dormitory, taking the utmost care not to let the other students see my expression. No matter how much it is better than a castle, milord is always surrounded by enemies. I can't let my mind wander.

Milord Ferdinand, has been marginalized for his excellence and has been harassed by his Father's Archduke first wife, Veronica, since he was a child. Although Lord Ferdinand himself does not have the slightest intention of becoming an archduke, it seems that the more talented Lord Ferdinand is, the more it seems to be trying to steal the next archduke from her own son, and her harassment is becoming more and more severe every year.

"Lord Ferdinand only wants to be praised by the Archduke, but she is a stupid woman who can only see things with her evil mind."

Eckhart, who had previously twisted the arm of someone who had tried to poison Lord Ferdinand's tea at Veronica's behest to the point of rendering it useless for a while, spat this out in the room where only our close associates were present. He talks out of both sides of his mouth, but what he is saying is most definitely true.

The night before last, on the night of the territorial competition, Lord Ferdinand looked confused but happy when he was invited to the Archduke's room to spend time like a father and son after a long time. Lord Ferdinand will do everything in his power to earn his Father's praise this year again.

…..I would never say it was appropriate for his age, but I had never seen him with such a cheerful expression on his face before.

Lord Ferdinand always has a blank expression on his face to avoid having his emotions read and even the slightest weakness seized upon. I hear that this has been the case since childhood, but even a blank expression does not mean that he did not feel anything, and if he has a safe place to go, he can lose that expression.

I thought again that night that I wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that the Lord had as much time as possible to spend in peace and comfort.……If only we could escape from the hands of Veronica.

The only two ways to achieve this, for now, is to eliminate Veronica, the source of the problem, or to be groomed for another territory. The bloodthirsty Eckhart would fly to exhaust Veronica right now if only the Lord gave him permission.

It's unlikely that such a permit would ever be granted, though.

The latter is more realistic, but it is a matter of luck. We, the retainers of the dedication group, have been gathering information while we are in the House of Lords, and are looking for opportunities to make connections, but since Ehrenfest is a lower level territory, the possibilities for marriages, or even becoming son-in-law, are very limited.

It is frustrating to be prevented from going somewhere that has nothing to do with one's own abilities, but that is what aristocratic society is all about.

That is why we must make the most of the few opportunities we have obtained. I glance down at my hands. This is a tiny little glimmer of hope.

"Now, what would Lord Ferdinand say?"


"Is Lord Ferdinand in the hidden room?"

The master was not in the room, but Eckhart was standing in front of the door to the hidden room, so I assumed that he was there. Eckhardt nods in reply.

"Yeah, it looks like his doing formulation."

"Since when?"

"I don't think he'll be out for a while since he just entered….You in a hurry?"

"No, I won't be able to give you an answer until tomorrow anyway, so dinner would be fine."

I was hoping to see a reaction soon, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait for a little while. Once Lord Ferdinand enters the hidden room, he doesn't come out in a moment. It is always a challenge for me because he says he doesn't even want to eat when he starts to get absorbed in his research, but today, if I tell him about the situation, he will come out with a stern look.

"Your voice is cheerful. What's the good news?"

When Lasfam asked me that, I smiled and showed them what I had in my hand.

"I received an invitation to a tea party for Lord Ferdinand."

"Tea party? It's still early in the social season. Where in the world did that come from?"

They looked at the invitations and simultaneously gasped.

"Isn't that Alexandria!"

"At last our luck has come around! Heidemarie will be so pleased!"

Their reaction, as expected, naturally brings a smile to my face.

"They say it's a tea party for book lovers. I hear Professor Solange, the librarian, will be there too."

The organizers, Alexandria's archduchess candidate Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand, have been meeting frequently in the library since that outrageous blessing.

At first they only exchanged greetings, but then she asked, "Do you like books, Lord Ferdinand?", "What kind of books do you have at Ehrenfest?", "Are you gathering materials for Professor Hirschur today as well?", and Lady Rozemyne would call out to him, Lord Ferdinand, who tends to keep others at a distance, was not to be ignored.

Lady Rozemyne is a bit of an odd princess. She is so bookish that she finishes her lectures as fast as possible just to read a book in the library, she unknowingly gives enough blessings to fill a reading room, and treats the subordinate territories as equals without disrespecting them.

I have heard that she is considered a saint in Alexandria territory.

Reminiscent of Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom. With lustrous hair the color of the night, favored by the Dark God. Golden eyes, blessed by the Goddess of Light. The face is as good as Ferdinand's, and the eyes are as beautiful as his.

It is understandable that it is rumored that way.

Lord Ferdinand's caution also seems to have been faded slightly from the beginning.

If they can continue to deepen their friendship, Lady Rozemyne will eventually become irreplaceable to Lord Ferdinand.

For some reason I had this hunch, although I had no basis for it.

"If it's a tea party for book lovers, why not bring a book to lend to Lady Rozemyne?"

"That's a good idea Lasfam. I'll suggest it to Lord Ferdinand later."

"I'll have to prepare some snacks to bring along. What is better...Lasfam, if you have any contact with the attendant apprentice in Alexandria, ask them about what Lady Rozemyne likes."

"I understand."

…..I'm sure they already know what Lord Ferdinand likes.

I know that one of Alexandria's archnoble's scholar apprentice was asking around about Lord Ferdinand last year. I was only alerted at first because I could not read his intentions at all, but in the end I did not have any contact with him until after the House of Lords.

I was suspicious as to what on earth it was all about, but it would make sense if he had checked his personality in advance in anticipation of the Lord's interest.

……I think his name was Hartmut?...Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to talk to him slowly once. Somehow I could smell the same kind of smell and couldn't help smiling.