Rozemyne's Perspective

The dormitories of the Royal Academy, which were built by the Archdukes of old generations, the magic of creation, are said to be similar in style to the respective castles in every territory. Alexandria was no exception, and the atmosphere of the dormitories, like the castle, was reminiscent of the medieval Gothic style seen in photo albums during Urano era.

The interior, which was decorated according to my father's instructions, has a taste that makes it picturesque wherever it is cut. The tea ceremony room, which is the room for welcoming guests, is especially more grand.

At first glance, the room appears simple, as there are not many furnishings, but closer inspection reveals that it is beautiful, with exquisite carving here and there on the pillars and chairs, while the table in the center, which has a strong presence, is a delight to the eye, with its rectangular top made of marquetry that is truly magnificent.

Today there was seating for three at that table. The book lover's tea party is about to begin.

"Is everyone ready?"

"Yes, Lady Rozemyne. We're ready to welcome the guests."

The attendant apprentices smiled and answered. The faces of the retainers who worked so hard to make my first tea party at the Royal Academy a success are full of tension and anticipation ahead of the big day.

Brünhilde, with Ottilie as her adviser, took the lead in the preparations so that I, who is not very good at socializing, could go into the day with as much ease as possible. It is very reassuring that Ottilie, who has seen a lot of my social exercises at the castle, knows more about my problems than I do.

In sharing matters to be aware of and events that could be expected, it was not possible, though, for the participants to talk about their mistakes during practice.

The education plan designed by my mother, who has the full authority over my education, with the aim of making me competent enough as the next Archduchess to make no complaints to anyone, was quite demanding. I can say with certainty that without the reward of a book I would have fallen behind early.

Reading, writing and arithmetic, territorial and national history, geography, magic, harspiel, dedication dance, socializing…... For various reasons, I was appointed as high bishop at the tender age of seven, and with the added study required for temple work, it was difficult at one point to find time to read.

Nevertheless, I was happy to see the number of books I could read increase every time I completed a task, so I gave my all to every study. All for the sake of reading a book. I am a centenarian when I am rewarded with books. However, only socializing, did not improve as much as expected.

The nobles' chatter are too difficult to understand, with frequent references to the gods' names and far-fetched expressions. Many times tea parties were held at the castle for practice, but sometimes I didn't understand what was being asked correctly and gave an incoherent response, or the topic changed rapidly while I was thinking about what it meant, and as far as I was concerned I ended up not being able to participate in the conversation.

I have managed to grow to the point where I can finally perform safely, but I am still far from the level where I can get my mother's approval. The reward book is still being kept and I've been told to always accompany Ottilie to tea parties as a follow-up person in case of emergencies.

"The most dangerous situation is when the topic is related to books. Lady Rozemyne, you have to spend your days in the Royal Academy trying to keep a level head at all times. And for your physical condition, too."

Just before I left for the Royal Academy, my mother said this and showed just a little bit of anxiety in her eyes, but in the end she smiled and hugged me and said, "Have fun" before sending me off. She's a spartan when it comes to education, but I also love my kind and affectionate mother.

It was only after some time of getting used to life at the castle that I learnt that parents and children of noble families do not usually have this kind of skinship. When I had just become a Rozemyne and didn't yet know such aristocratic common sense, I had my first squeak when I woke up in the middle of the night with a fever and nightmares and my mother came to check on me and begged her to give me a hug.

Since then, hugging has taken root in our house. When I have it done when I'm feeling discouraged, anxious or emotionally messed up, it makes my heart flutter and calms me down.

Even when Letizia came to our home as an adopted child, I and mother treat her well. I'm a bit sad that she won't let me do it much these days because she's shy. Letizia is two years younger than me and will join the Royal Academy the year after next.

As I aim to be a wonderful sister who is respected by her younger sister, I hope to establish my position in the Royal Academy this year and next, and to be introduced to my sister Letizia's friends as 'my proud sister'.

...To do that, I'll have to perfect my social skills at the Royal Academy tea party and get my mother's approval.

This tea party is a memorable first step in this process. I definitely want to end it up with success.

The three bells rang at the same time as I clenched my fists to get into the swing of things.

"Lady Rozemyne, thank you very much for inviting me here today."

Ferdinand arrived with his retainers, which as usual was too small. According to additional information from Hartmut, Ferdinand is being viciously harassed by the archduke's first lady to the extent that he feels he is being marginalized and in fear for his life. Perhaps that is why the retainers is extremely small.

Ferdinand himself has no mother, his two half-sisters have already married into other territories, and the only sibling now in the castle is his half-brother which is the next Archduke. Incidentally, one of his half-sisters is the first lady of Ahrensbach, and her daughter Detlinde is a second year student at the Royal Academy.

We have met each other once at tge fellowship gathering.

After exchanging greetings and recommending a seat, Ferdinand looked round the room and exclaimed in admiration.

"The Alexandria tea room is a refined and beautiful place. The workmanship here is also truly magnificent."

"Thank you so much. This table was made exclusively by an archduke several generations ago. The castle still has some furniture from that period, but it is all very nice. I would also like to incorporate this when I build my library"

"Library….. Are you going to build it? Apart from the castle library?"

Ferdinand raises his eyebrows slightly and looks surprised. It was exactly the same reaction I had when I first talked to my father about wanting a library near the General Research Institute.

"Yes, I do. Did you know that Alexandria is a research city?"

"Yes. In addition to the general research institute, there are also laboratories for feytrees, feybeasts and feyfish?"

I nodded back.

"Various studies are carried out day and night in these four research centres, but so far the compiled research results are only stored in the respective research centres. Therefore, you have to visit the respective institute each time you want to view it. Don't you think it is inconvenient?"

"……Will you collect all research findings in one place? It is certainly more convenient and efficient. "

"More people will gain a lot of knowledge if they can easily browse through it. It can also provide inspiration for new ideas and research. I believe it will lead to the further development of Alexandria."

….. In fact, it is my ambition to add to the collection not only the results of my research, but also the books I have printed so far and the stories from other territories that I am collecting at the Royal Academy, to establish a book delivery system and eventually to collect books from all over Yurgenschmidt!

As I was smiling and laughing, blurting out my true feelings, which I could never divulge here, only in my heart, the door opened. It appears Professor Solange has arrived.

"Professor Solange, welcome."

That's all the members of the Tea Party. After exchanging greetings and taking their seats, the tea ceremony finally begins.

The pastry this time is the cuttlecurls, which I started to popularise in Alexandria last year. Two types of tea, one with fragrant and sweet tea leaves and one plain, were prepared to cater for Ferdinand, who does not have a sweet tooth, and Solange, who was not sure of her tastes but would be used to eating the central, very sweet sweets, respectively.

I decided after consulting with Brünnhilde and her team that they would surely find at least one of their favourite flavour combinations, as there are a number of garnishes.

As expected, Ferdinand preferred tea with tea leaves, while Solange preferred plain with honey and jam. It is a relief to know that cuttlecurls are a snack that works well in other territories and in the centre.

The conversation went on, with Solange and Ferdinand also snacking on sweets they had brought with them, and the conversation moved on to the harspiel played by Rosina.

"Lady Rozemyne's personal musician is a master at her craft….. Um, maybe it's just my imagination, but it seems like there are a number of songs that I've just heard for the first time. Is this another song that is popular in Alexandria, like cuttlecurls?"

"No, Professor Solange. This is not a popular song in Alexandria. If it doesn't sound familiar, that's because I wrote the song."

"... Well, so many of them?"

When I responded, both Solange and Ferdinand had their eyes wide-opened.

"The song was written precisely by me and Rosina. Rosina is amazing, you know. When I sing a song I have in mind, she writes down the notes, puts them in score and even arranges them for me."

When I said this with my chest out, they shook their heads together for some reason.

"The great one is Lady Rozemyne. I've heard about you from the music teachers, but you really have great talent. "

"Professor Solange is right. Usually it takes a lot of effort to write one song. The fifth-year music class is required to perform a piece of music they have written themselves, and my retainers had a lot of trouble getting their heads around it. So Lady Rozemyne is blessed by the Goddess of Arts."

The retainers who are present nodded at their words are in agreement. I only sing songs that I have heard in Urano days, so I feel more guilty than happy when I get that much praise, which makes me uncomfortable.

When I was wondering how to respond, Ferdinand continued with a few words that reminded me of a concern I had pushed into oblivion.

"The music teachers' tea party became even more enjoyable. You will also be performing, won't you, Lady Rozemyne?"

……. Noooooo! I'd forgotten all about it in all the preparations for the Book Lover's Tea Party! I mean, I wish I could have just forgotten about it all together.!!

Gretia, who had received the invitation to the tea party from the music teachers, with the aristocratic phrase meaning that I should bring my harspiel on the day of the event.

I was nervous just to be invited to a tea party by teachers, but when I realized that the performance was inevitable I wanted to cry. If I tell you that besides me, the other invited guests are the non-standard Ferdinand and Princess AnnaMaria, a fourth grade student with a profound knowledge of music, you will understand this feeling a little better.

The expected hurdles are daunting.

"Yes... apparently so. I cannot afford to look forward to the thought of having to perform in front of Princess AnnaMaria and Lord Ferdinand."

In the first place, I do not have any particular attachment to harspiel. I was only forced to practice because it was a compulsory subject in the Royal Academy, and Rosina was only composing a song from a melody I casually hummed to her.

If I could, I'd give up practising harspiel and do some reading.

"Is not Lord Ferdinand more favoured by the Goddess Kunstzeal than myself? The music teachers were very complimentary of Lord Ferdinand's harspiel skills."

"Lord Ferdinand's skill with the harspiel is well known. The archnobles and archduke candidates of the same year with whom you'll be lecturing seem to be very envious of you."

…..I see. People who don't lecture together don't get a chance to hear about it. There are no music recitals at the Royal Academy.

If there are so many people who want to hear it, why not hold a concert? If you charge an admission fee, it's a much quicker way to make money than selling magic tool in the interduchy tournament, killing two birds with one stone.

"It is an honour to receive such recognition. It's a great way to get more practice in."

"Lord Fe…."

"Yes, Princess. Tea exchange, is that right?"

When I tried to mention the concert as it came to mind, I was immediately stopped by Ottilie. When I turn around, she is looking at me with a smile, but with a tremendous intensity that makes me say whether or not I am smiling.

"Yes, please, Ottilie."

…..That was dangerous… I almost accidentally spoke without thinking it thorough.

I take a small deep breath while the tea is being replaced, in a cold sweat, thinking I might be scolded later. I don't think Ottilie even knew what I was going to say, but I think she sensed it was a bad idea by the atmosphere.

I have to be careful, because if I, as a higher archduchess candidate, say something careless, Ferdinand, a lower archduke candidate, will inevitably get involved. It is dangerous to speak off the top of my head.

After taking a sip of tea to compose myself, I decided to broach one of the several topics I had prepared for Ferdinand in advance.

"By the way, what kind of research are you doing these days, Lord Ferdinand?"

"What we're making now is a magic tool that will project the material at hand onto the wall in a large format."

"Although it sounds convenient. What will it be used for?"

Solange asks with a curious look on her face.

"It is Professor Hirschur who will use it. She always say that it's a pain to write down the steps of the formulation for every lecture. "

"Well, for Professor Hirschur? Lord Ferdinand is very kind to his master."

Ferdinand frowned in disgust at Solange's words.

"... I'm just tired of hearing people complaining. And with the way things are going, she may soon throw the whole thing to the students. It's probably not a good idea."

….Ah, I can see that. Professor Hirschur has that sort of thing.

"Professor Hirschur has a rationalist, or rather, a people-oriented approach. I was also made to act as an assistant in lectures."

Solange chuckled as she said this, recalling how she was made to demonstrate the blending in front of everyone during practical training.

"Professor Hirschur is very good at finding and nurturing talented students. Do you study under Professor Hirschur, like Lord Ferdinand, too, Lady Rozemyne?"

"I would like to get advice on the Schwartz and Weiss case, but I haven't thought beyond whether or not to become an apprentice."

"Certainly, if you are looking for advice, Professor Hirschur, who specialises in the study of magical tools, would be the right person for the job."

Solange, who knows what happened, nodded back, but Ferdinand, who knows nothing about it, tilted his head slightly.

"...What is wrong with Schwartz and Weiss?"

"In fact, I asked the librarians to allow me to do research on two of them."

Ferdinand's eyes widened in surprise. I learned when I started going to the library that the library of the Royal Academyhas many useful magical tools to aid library work, including Schwartz and Weiss, magical tools to prevent books from being damaged by sunlight, and magical tools that indicate the time and glow.

I wanted to incorporate them into the library I was going to build in Alexandria, so I approached the librarians for advice. I was told that some of the magic tools are in the closed stacks and I will be able to see them next time, but as for Schwartz and Weiss, there are no manufacturing methods left and I was told that I would need royal permission to research them.

Two of them are royal relics as the one who created them was a princess in the past.

Ferdinand also seemed to know about this.

'Did you get a royal warrant?' He asks in a voice tinged with suspicion.

"Prince Ludwig gave me permission."

Of the two royals enrolled at the House of Lords, I did not know Princess AnnaMaria, a fourth grade student, very well, but Prince Ludwig, a fellow student, spoke to me every time I saw him at lectures, so it was relatively easy to ask him for a favour. After being given permission, I was almost invited to the pavilion, although I was troubled by the fact that I was almost invited to the pavilion.

When Ferdinand heard the Prince's name, he immediately looked convinced.

"Oh, I see….. I am also interested in Schwartz and Weiss's research. I look forward to seeing what results you can expect."

Despite the word 'fun', Ferdinand said he was a bit disappointed. It's the same blank expression as usual, but is it my imagination that 'I envy you' seems to be written on his face? I open my mouth, hoping I'm not imagining things.

"If you're so interested, why don't you join us, Lord Ferdinand?"

"Eh?"

"It is to be a collaboration between Alexandria and Ehrenfest. I heard that the Schwartz and Weiss production methods could not be worked out even by the central scholars, so I was a little concerned that Alexandria alone might not have enough manpower to do it.I have been thinking since the Prince gave me permission that it would be very encouraging if Lord Ferdinand would cooperate with me. How about it …? Of course, if you don't feel like it, I won't force you to do it. I don't like to use the power of being a large territory to impose my recklessness on others."

Incidentally, permission to make it a joint study has already been obtained from the Prince. Ferdinand looked difficult, tapped his temples with his fingers and thought about something, but eventually looked straight at us and said, 'I have one question'.

"Why are you inviting Ehrenfest to join? I think there are a number of large territories that have more human resources."

"Of course it is because I need you, Lord Ferdinand, and not the abundance of men from the great lands."

"…..Huh?"

Ferdinand flutters his eyes as if he doesn't understand what is being said, but I tell him with a big smile on my face.

"Since you will be researching the library magic tools , it is preferable if you frequent the library and like books. And yet the only person who is interested in the study of magic tools and has the ability, talent and experience to do so is Lord Ferdinand.It does not matter what the order of the territory is. It has to be Lord Ferdinand. Would you like to help me?"

When I finished the litany of pick-up lines, Ferdinand somehow froze and fell silent, as if he were in a bind.

….Huh? Why? Did I say something funny?

I look around in a panic and see my entourage, including Ottilie, smiling bitterly, Solange smiling as she says 'oh well', and his entourage, standing diagonally behind Hartmut and Ferdinand, grinning. The responses are so scattered that I have no idea what's going on.

Having given up trying to judge the reactions of those around me, I fearfully call out to Ferdinand, who remains frozen.

"Um, Lord Ferdinand?"

When I called out to him, Ferdinand looked away and let out a deep sigh. Have I offended him? I thought I was being careful, but I did it before I knew any better.

……My first tea party at the Royal academy, could it have been a disaster?

It is hard to imagine anyone more suitable as a collaborator than Ferdinand, who has attended the library, has been the best two years in a row and has been an apprentice to Hirschur since his first year. Hartmut told me that it would be better to decide which territory to approach next for collaboration in case of refusal, but I couldn't bring myself to think about it.

I really want Ferdinand. But if he doesn't want to, I don't want to force him to do it. I waited pathetically for Ferdinand's response.

"...Understood. Let's cooperate."

"...Heh?"

Just when I thought it was over, the unexpected words came, and I couldn't help but sound a little bareheaded.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I would cooperate. It's not every day I get the chance to study royal artifacts."

I don't know why Ferdinand looks a bit tired, but she has received an approval anyway.

….. Yay! You've got a fellow library committee!

I felt a blistering heat rising from deep inside me with joy. The little bit of calm I have left is screaming at the corner of my head, "Calm down!" but it's too late.

"Thank you! Let's work hard together as a library committee!"

"Committee….?"

"Students who assist in the library. It's a bit different from the original job description, but I've heard that researching the library's magical tools benefits the library, so I think it's good that I'm a member of the library committee in the sense of being useful. "

The results of research are usually kept secret, so it is not unusual for magical tools to decay without repair after their creator has died. The librarians were keen to study Schwartz and Weiss because if they knew the formulation, they would be able to deal with any problems that might arise with the two animals.

"I see what you mean…..All right, can you please take your hands off me for a moment?"

"Hands?"

I was surprised when I looked down at my hand. I was so delighted that I had unconsciously taken Ferdinand's hand, which had been placed on the table.

"Whoa! I beg your pardon!"

I felt my head shake dizzily as I tried to release his hands, which were clasped tightly in my hands.

"…..ah."

By the time I thought it was bad, it was too late. Ferdinand's impatient face comes into view just before I lose consciousness. It was the first time I had seen him with a completely unadorned expression on his face, and I was a little moved, despite the fact that I was on the verge of fainting.

……I wonder if he will show more expressions when we got to know each other?

I was trying to imagine Ferdinand laughing with his stomach in his hands, when my consciousness completely darkened.