Switching Places

Switching Places

Switching Places

“Welcome home, Lady Rozemyne,” Norbert said.

I had returned to the castle with Ferdinand, having been summoned by Sylvester to report on Hasse and the Harvest Festival. My plan was to read in my room until it was time for the meeting, while Ferdinand had some work he needed to take care of in his office here.

...He has work wherever he goes. Ferdinand sure loves work, huh?

“Brigitte, Damuel—please use this time to rest. You will need to accompany me back to the temple shortly, but I hope you enjoy the break nonetheless.”

“We thank you.”

When it came time for my meeting with Sylvester, Rihyarda took my book away. I exited the room with Cornelius and Angelica serving as my guards, and just as I started climbing down the stairs, Wilfried came into view.

Oh, it’s Wilfried... I hope he doesn’t bother me with any more dumb complaints.

Wilfried was probably under the impression that, as Sylvester’s adopted daughter, I was invading his territory. We were siblings in name only, and, for all intents and purposes, we were still pretty much strangers. To him, it looked like I was receiving preferential treatment despite being adopted, so it was no surprise he would be frustrated. But still.

Trying to pretend that I hadn’t seen him, my eyes moved on their own to get him out of view, but that didn’t stop me from hearing his bitter voice. “Going to Father’s room again...? No fair.”

He was grimacing, but I was the one who wanted to complain about this happening again . Holding back the urge to just completely ignore him and walk right by, I mulled things over. I think the best thing to do here is make him understand that I’m not getting better treatment at all.

“If you absolutely insist that this isn’t fair, Wilfried, then why don’t we try switching places for a day?” I asked, elegantly tilting my head and plastering on a smile to hide my frustration.

Wilfried likewise cocked his head. “Er... What do you mean?”

“I am on my way to report what I have been doing to Sylvester, after which the plan is for me to eat lunch and return to the temple. But I suggest you go to the temple in my place and spend a day as the High Bishop,” I explained. This was an idea I had thought up on the spot, but it was actually a pretty good one in my opinion; he would understand the position he was in much better after experiencing my life in the temple.

Go forth, Wilfried. Go forth and have your heart frozen by Ferdinand.

“We can have the swap last from lunchtime today until lunchtime tomorrow, planning the day ahead during the first lunch and then discussing it together during the second. I will study in your place, Wilfried, and all you have to do is be the best High Bishop you can.”

“Ooh, Rozemyne! That’s a great idea!”

“Lord Wilfried! Lady Rozemyne!” Lamprecht shouted, wearing a serious expression as he interrupted our agreement. His charge, Wilfried, was excited to be leaving the castle, but as his guard and my older brother, Lamprecht was none too pleased. It was his job to stop us from doing exactly this kind of thing, which was respectable, but I wasn’t about to let him get in my way; I was one hundred percent done listening to Wilfried whine about things being unfair each and every time he saw me.

“Lamprecht, people who do not learn lessons from being told must learn from experience instead. Furthermore, Wilfried wants this himself.” ...Plus you’re the one who wanted to show him what a big gap there is between us, dear brother, I added indirectly through a bright smile. If he wanted to stop this, he would have to stop Wilfried.

“I shall discuss this matter with Sylvester. If you go and get changed first, you should arrive after the boring part of the meeting is over,” I said, before bringing out my highbeast to get a move on.

“What the heck is that?!”

“My highbeast. Sylvester permitted me to ride him inside the main building since I would collapse from ill health otherwise.”

“I don’t even have a highbeast yet! It’s always you, Rozemyne! No fair!”

There he goes again... I held back my sigh and just started driving. “You would do well to get dressed soon; Sylvester is already waiting in his office.”

When I eventually arrived, it was already past time for the meeting to begin. Sylvester, Ferdinand, and Karstedt were already there, having cleared the room of their retainers—that is, their knights and attendants. I dismissed mine as well.

“You are late, Rozemyne.” Ferdinand chastised me the second I closed the door, so I explained the conversation I had just had with Wilfried, as well as my brilliant idea.

“At the very least, I would like Wilfried to understand how much of a slacker he is being, and how ridiculous it is for him to complain to me, of all people. There wouldn’t be an issue if he stopped going out of his way to complain to me; I would be more than happy to just avoid him entirely. But he just won’t let up, and I can’t promise to maintain my patience forever. I nearly Crushed him the other day.”

“It is quite dangerous for someone defenseless to be hit by your unconstrained Crushing,” Ferdinand observed, having once experienced it himself.

Sylvester’s eyes widened. “But what’s all this about sending him to the temple? You want him to spend a whole day with Ferdinand? That’s way too cruel.”

“Sylvester, what does that say about you making me spend every day with Ferdinand?” If anything’s not fair, it’s that. Does he not feel bad for me being thrust into my own valley of despair, with Ferdinand piling load after load of unreasonable tasks on me?

“You’re the weirdo who actually managed to get close with Ferdinand,” Sylvester fired back.

“...Wait just a second. You , the biggest weirdo I know, are treating me like a weirdo?!”

“What?! Are you calling me a weirdo?!”

Sylvester and I glared each other down, our intense staring contest only being broken when Karstedt interjected. “Now, now. Settle down. You’re both weirdos.” That seemed a bit excessive, but in any case, he then stroked his chin and gave me his support. “I understand your point, Rozemyne. Lamprecht has often mentioned that Lord Wilfried refuses to listen to anyone, so perhaps sending him to the temple will be good for him. Lamprecht has also gone to the temple on multiple occasions and is familiar with your attendants, so he will be more than capable of guarding Lord Wilfried throughout this.”

Having secured Karstedt as my ally, I turned to look at Ferdinand. At this rate, all I needed was his support to win this battle. But when I looked up at him with hopeful eyes, he returned a cold gaze. “I do not care in the least about Wilfried. Hurry up and finish your report.”

“...Fiiine.”

As I was giving my report on Hasse, Wilfried finally arrived. The way he looked around the room curiously showed that this was his first time coming here.

“Wilfried, do you seriously intend to switch places with Rozemyne? Let me give you some fatherly advice: give it up.”

Having been rejected by Sylvester the moment he entered the room, Wilfried pouted and frowned. I took a step forward and backed him up.

“Sylvester, this is what Wilfried truly wants. Please grant his wish.”

“...Rozemyne.” Wilfried looked my way with heartfelt gratitude, completely oblivious to the fact that I was actually plotting his downfall. I honestly felt a little bad about tricking him so thoroughly, but I needed to develop a heart of stone to earn back my peace.

I looked up at Ferdinand. “You promised to cheer me up, Ferdinand. And it was Sylvester who ordered you to do that, was it not?”

Sylvester immediately grimaced, and upon seeing that, Ferdinand curved his lips into a grin. I could guess that he had realized he could use this situation to get revenge on Sylvester for the unreasonable task he had given him.

“If I can complete Sylvester’s impossible task by looking after Wilfried in the temple for a day, I will gladly oblige,” Ferdinand said, watching on with great satisfaction as Sylvester grimaced even harder. Ferdinand was the biggest key player in getting Wilfried into the temple for a day, and with him on my side, I could guarantee that Wilfried would have a very fulfilling day.

I gave a bright smile. “Now that Ferdinand has given his permission, I ask that you give yours as well, Sylvester. It is about time that Wilfried sees the orphanage, understands his position, and becomes aware of what he must do. Unless his education is corrected soon, he will forever be beyond redemption.”

“...Ferdinand, did you teach her to do this? She’s spitting poison with a smile on her face,” Sylvester said with an exhausted expression, comparing us both.

Ferdinand and I exchanged eye contact. ...I mean, do you even have to ask? The answer should be obvious.

“She has always been like this.”

“His education made me like this.”

But for some reason, Ferdinand and I gave different answers. Strange , I thought, just as an exasperated Sylvester waved his hand to drive us out the room.

“Enough already. I get it. If this is what you want, Wilfried, then you can change places with Rozemyne for a day. Just remember that I tried to stop you. The end.”

“Wilfried, I suggest we discuss matters over lunch. I will need to give instructions to my temple attendants, and you will need clothes to wear at the temple,” I explained, climbing upstairs in my single-person Pandabus. The two of us were returning to the northern building after being shooed out of Sylvester’s office.

It was only once I had entered my room and gotten rid of my highbeast that I felt the strength leave my body.

“Are you alright, Lady Rozemyne?” Cornelius asked, peering at me with worry. He had been strangely overprotective ever since Wilfried caused me to faceplant back at my baptism ceremony.

“I’m just a little tired. I’ll be fine.”

Wilfried demanded to ride Lessy in my place, then complained to me when the Pandabus didn’t move. That was hardly my fault, though—we just had different mana. Dealing with him was especially tiring since there weren’t any poorly behaved kids like him in the temple, but I couldn’t let myself be exhausted. I still needed to give Fran instructions on what to do once he took Wilfried in.

“Rihyarda, I would like to write a letter. Please prepare a pen and paper.”

“Milady, what in the world makes you think that sending Wilfried to the temple is a good idea?” Rihyarda asked worriedly as she fetched a pen and paper.

“I confess to not putting much thought into the matter. At the end of the day, I spend most of my time in the temple, so I would like to know how a normal child of the archduke lives.”

At that, I started to think of what I needed to get Wilfried to understand over lunch. First was that he was going to the temple to work as the High Bishop, not play. Second was that he wasn’t allowed to complain about how my attendants treated him.

“Wilfried, while you are in the temple you will not be the archduke’s son, but the High Bishop. Please do your job properly. Furthermore, I will instruct my attendants to treat you as the High Bishop, so please do not expect them to be soft on you.”

“You’re the last person I want to hear that from. Unlike you, I’m not being spoiled,” Wilfried said with a sincere pout. He seemed genuinely unaware that he was being spoiled.

“Then you will have no problem with my attendants treating you like normal.”

“Of course.” Wilfried agreed with his chest puffed out proudly, and it seemed like he actually meant it. Lamprecht, on the other hand, noticed the subtext behind what I was saying and gave me a worried look, but I ignored him with a smile.

“There are rooms for guards in the temple, but not for noble attendants. For that reason you will be taken care of exclusively by my attendants in the temple, and as there are both men and women there, you will not lack for anything. I will ask Lamprecht to accompany you as a guard; as my brother, he is used to visiting the temple. Damuel and Brigitte will also be there.”

Wilfried’s other retainers all made expressions of obvious relief at not having to go to the temple. Only Lamprecht still looked nervous. He had no doubt noticed long ago that I wasn’t doing all this out of the kindness of my heart; he had a bad feeling about the whole situation, and good on him for being so sharp.

“Since we are switching places, I shall be using your chambers. All of your attendants seem to be men, so I ask that you permit Rihyarda to accompany me inside.”

“Yeah, sure,” Wilfried said with an excited smile.

A short while later, we had finished lunch. Rihyarda sent an ordonnanz to Damuel and Brigitte at my request, telling them when Wilfried would arrive. They were able to finish preparations in no time, so all I needed to do now was see them off to the temple.

“Ferdinand, please take care to inform Fran that he should treat Wilfried exactly as he would treat me. Here is a schedule for him. Lamprecht will be there to assist with your math, so I do not believe this will cause any interference with your work,” I said, handing Ferdinand a letter and suggesting that he use Lamprecht in my place.

Ferdinand glanced their way, then gave a poisonous smile. “Very well. Now then, Wilfried—it is time for your day as High Bishop to begin.”

I had no idea what was going on in Ferdinand’s head, but that smile was as terrifying as ever. I took a smooth step backward.

“I intended to travel exclusively by highbeast today, so we do not have a carriage prepared,” Ferdinand continued. “Wilfried, ride with Lamprecht. And now, we go!”

From there, Ferdinand drew forth his white lion, jumped on, then soared up into the sky. Lamprecht followed suit and summoned his own highbeast—a wolf with large wings. He hefted Wilfried up onto it, then spread its wings far apart before flying up into the sky.

“I must say, I’m not sure how I feel about you spending a night in a boy’s room...” Rihyarda muttered once they were gone.

“I would like to know all that I can about Wilfried’s daily life,” I replied, before following her to his room. She made sure it was in order, then called Wilfried’s head attendant to prepare the table for studying before the tutor was due to arrive.

“Oswald, you must get things ready sooner than this. Will Professor Moritz not be arriving soon?”

“Lord Wilfried always runs away, so it’s actually quite rare for his table to be prepared at all. I’m just glad that I get to do some attendant work for once.”

“What in the world are you saying? When he runs away, you must catch him and bring him back. Do not let his guards slack on their work,” Rihyarda chided with her eyebrows raised, having likely been taught something similar when raising Sylvester.

Oswald blandly shrugged his shoulders in response and got back to work preparing the table.

It wasn’t long before the tutor arrived. “May I pray for a blessing in appreciation of this serendipitous meeting, ordained by the fruitful days of Schutzaria the Goddess of Wind?” he asked.

“You may.”

“O Schutzaria, may my new student be blessed. It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. I am Professor Moritz, assigned to be your tutor. May your education proceed swiftly.”

I looked up at him, eager to begin learning. “What have you been teaching my dear brother Wilfried, might I ask?”

“He is currently practicing his letters.”

“My my! Are you saying he cannot even write the alphabet yet?! Should I take that to mean he is merely a math prodigy, with all his talent resting in numbers?” Rihyarda exclaimed. I had already known that Wilfried didn’t know how to write his letters yet, but it seemed Rihyarda was unaware of just how tragically uneducated he was. She strode right up to Moritz, getting directly in his face.

“...Er, no. He is still, uh... inexperienced, and...” Moritz’s voice grew weaker and weaker until he eventually trailed off completely.

Rihyarda’s eyes shot open, and she unleashed her own tremendous thunder on him. “Oswald! Professor Moritz! What in the world are you two doing?! Do you have any intention of raising Wilfried at all?! Everyone line up, right now!”

From that point on, nobody could stop Rihyarda; she gathered Wilfried’s attendants and his remaining guards, then started lecturing them all. The sheer extent of her anger told me that this lack of education bordered on abandonment, and could not possibly be worse. And while she shot down all of the excuses that the attendants and guards tried to make, there was still one clear, unifying cause for Wilfried’s current position. In summary: it was basically all Sylvester’s fault.

Sylvester had apparently obtained the position of archduke after battling with his older sister for it. But he hated the system that forced siblings to fight, and so he decreed that Wilfried would be his successor no matter what. Sylvester was no doubt trying to be kind and spare his son from what he hated so much himself, but that ended up being a big mistake.

Under normal circumstances, all children born to the archduke’s proper wives were equal in the line of succession, and the future archduke was selected based on who had the most mana and was most suited to the position. To that end, the attendants and teachers assigned to an archduke’s child would completely dedicate themselves to raising their charge. That only made sense given that serving the one who became the archduke would change their futures dramatically, bringing more honor to their family and all that. That was why Karstedt had put so much effort into catching the young Sylvester whenever he ran away, and why Rihyarda had scolded him so severely. It was obvious that Sylvester would be forced to do what was necessary for his growth, no matter how little he appreciated it.

But Sylvester had already willed for Wilfried to be his successor. Who, then, would dedicate themselves to raising him? Scolding a child would obviously earn their ire, so it was much easier and safer to let him do as he wished and earn his favor. For this reason, nobody bothered to admonish him; all they did was shrug and smile away his bad behavior.

“Oswald, surely you know why one with archduke blood and archnoble status such as yourself was assigned to be Lord Wilfried’s head attendant?! It was so you could oppose his selfish behavior without being silenced by his status! And we went as far as to assign Lamprecht to guard him, too! What have you even been doing?!”

In his youth, Sylvester had been caught and forced to study whenever he ran away, while Wilfried was allowed to do whatever he wished. They may have been similar in nature, but their upbringings and the knowledge they received from them couldn’t have been more different. They were shining examples that nurture mattered just as much as nature, if not more.

Not to mention that, according to what Rihyarda was ranting about now, Sylvester had changed a lot once Ferdinand entered the castle. He had been the youngest child in his family, and the appearance of a younger brother made him want to show off as hard as he could. Ferdinand was talented to be sure, but the age gap gave Sylvester an advantage, and the key to his growth was him striving to stay ahead for as long as he could.

But Wilfried had younger siblings close to his age already, and the same motivation wouldn’t apply to him. In fact, he had been lazing about for so long that his little brother and sister would surpass him in the blink of an eye. At this rate, it was inevitable that he would fail and develop an inferiority complex.

“Rihyarda, there is no point in scolding his retainers any further when the problem itself remains. I believe our only option is to discuss his education and training with Sylvester and Florencia, no?” I asked, just as Wilfried’s attendants and guards were starting to look dead inside from all the lecturing. It was clear that anything Rihyarda said from this point onward wouldn’t stick with them, meaning it was just a waste of time that would be better spent taking swifter and more effective action. Assuming the situation was as bad as it seemed, we needed to act as soon as possible.

“Indeed, milady. I’d say that Lord Sylvester doesn’t think Lord Wilfried running from his studies is a big deal because he did the same thing when he himself was younger,” Rihyarda said. “Surely he thinks that no child in the world wants to study, and is averting his gaze from the awful reality that Lord Wilfried cannot even read and write yet. I will arrange a meeting at once.” At that, she exited the room, her nostrils flaring in anger.

The pale-looking attendants and guards saw her off in a daze. They had gotten so used to spoiling Wilfried that they probably never expected to be scolded so hard, but, well... they had still catastrophically failed at doing their jobs properly.

“Now then, Professor Moritz—I suggest we use this time to write up an education plan for Wilfried.”

“But what about your studies, milady?”

“I was looking forward to seeing just how a child of the archduke is educated, but all you have brought me today is a chart of the alphabet and tables covering basic addition. These are all materials that even the children in my orphanage have mastered; I have nothing to learn from them. It seems that the orphans who work after their baptism ceremony have busier lives than the son of the archduke.” And next time, bring at least a single book I haven’t read before, I added internally. That was what I had actually been looking for, but now wasn’t the time to say it. “Wilfried will need to know his letters and numbers before winter as well, yes? I believe there is still time if we rush things starting now.”

“Lady Rozemyne, if I may... I find it hard to believe that Lord Wilfried will be able to master material that he has failed to learn over several years in such a short time span,” Moritz said, indirectly assuring me that he wasn’t a bad teacher and that Wilfried was entirely responsible for his own failures. But if you asked me, anyone who failed to teach a kid to read after several years of trying was probably just doing it wrong. Why hadn’t Moritz tried changing his approach to try and catch Wilfried’s interest?

“The orphans in my orphanage all learned the letters of the alphabet and how to do basic math over the span of a single winter. What matters is being interested and having someone to compete with.”

Assuming that things were advancing according to the schedule I had given to Ferdinand, Wilfried would be playing karuta with the orphans right about now and experiencing a humiliating defeat. My plan had been to bring in picture books, karuta, and playing cards all at once during winter to shock the noble children, but I didn’t see an issue with letting Wilfried play a little early. Assuming he really did share Sylvester’s nature, he would desperately start studying as quickly as he could to win.

“I will have Rihyarda send an ordonnanz to Ferdinand so that he may bring me study materials. I shall teach you how to use them during class tomorrow morning, Professor Moritz.”

Children tend to have very short attention spans, but having various study materials would mean that whenever Wilfried got bored of one, we could just move on to another. Each day he would learn bit by bit. I discussed with Moritz the principle of setting a bunch of small objectives for Wilfried to complete, and how each accomplishment would give him something to brag to his parents about at the dinner table. This would serve as a solid basis for the entire study plan.

At first, Moritz just blinked in surprise, but his eyes grew increasingly fearful as I continued. “Lady Rozemyne, I find it... ahem ... somewhat hard to believe that you only just finished your baptism.”

“This is surely the result of Ferdinand’s teachings. And while there may be more to it than that, the scriptures say that those who try to learn a woman’s secrets rarely meet a pleasant end,” I said, punctuating my warning with a dark laugh.

This time, Moritz looked at me with genuine terror.

I did that to warn him not to dig any deeper, not to scare him... but I guess I went too far? Whoops.

So many people had treated me like an adult as of late that I’d forgotten how abnormal I really was. A normal kid wouldn’t instruct their tutor on how to teach, and they certainly wouldn’t write up study plans for an older brother who was just about their age.

“Ferdinand has said that I am not quite the average child. But Wilfried is, so please take care not to audibly compare him to me—it will only weaken his motivation,” I said.

Moritz bobbed his head in a fearful nod, looking at me like I was a freak.

Fifth bell rang and there was still no sign of Rihyarda. It was either taking her longer than expected to arrange a meeting, or she was already giving Sylvester a pretty heated lecture.

Once Moritz had left with a study plan going all the way to winter, I turned to Oswald. He was trembling in fear at the thought of Rihyarda getting him fired. “Oswald, what comes next on Wilfried’s schedule?”

“Free time, milady. Wilfried uses this time to practice his swordplay, and goes to meet his younger siblings in the main building if permitted. How shall you spend it, Lady Rozemyne?”

There was only one way I ever wanted to spend my free time. I clapped my hands together and grinned. “This castle has a book room, yes? Please take me there.”

At that, I got into my highbeast and had Oswald guide me to the book room. Wilfried’s attendants and guards were required to follow me as they normally would their charge, and I ignored how they curiously looked at and peered into Lessy as we went. They would get used to him just like the scholars in the halls who would double- and triple-take at him.

“What a large book room this is!” I exclaimed once we had arrived. It was much bigger than the temple’s, and had more inside as well. Large books lined shelves that were bursting with documents. At a glance, I could see dozens that were too large for me to carry, and hundreds that I could carry. It was much more of a book room than the one in the temple, which was more of a document storage room than anything else. This was the closest thing to a library I had seen yet. The smell of old paper and ink was so pleasant that just being here filled me with energy.

Mmm... It smells so good!

My intention had been to accelerate the whole saint plan so that I could monopolize the temple’s book room, but on second thought, it would be much better to just work in the castle’s book room as a librarian of sorts. I would have to consider marrying Wilfried so that I could get full control over this place.

“Aaah, this is bliss... To think I would stumble upon such a massive treasure trove of books. Oswald, could you hand me the leftmost book on that shelf? You may then go and do whatever other work needs to be done.”

“...To what work do you refer?” Oswald asked, looking curious but maintaining his polite tone.

“You must be busy as a head attendant, no? You may leave the bare minimum number of retainers here and return to Wilfried’s chambers,” I said.

Oswald blinked in surprise as he fetched me the book, but I really didn’t know why he was so confused. My attendants in the temple had loads of work beyond taking care of me, and Rihyarda was always busily moving around my chambers while I was reading. Surely he had a lot to do as well.

“If anyone would like to stay and read with me, they may take priority in staying behind,” I continued. “I believe it is a virtue to share this bliss with others. Furthermore, unless the matter is extremely urgent, do not speak to me before dinnertime.”

And with that said, I opened my book. A smile formed on my face as I peered at the opening page. It was a collection of short stories on chivalry collected from the songs that minstrels would sing about knights. Suffice to say, it would be a very good reference for when I started making my own original books.

Sigh... Wilfried has it so good. I wish I had free time every day.

I had been so busy lately that I hadn’t had an opportunity to read aside from the brief reprieves that Fran sometimes offered me. From the bottom of my heart, I was glad to have switched places with Wilfried.

I immersed myself in the world of stories, tracing my fingers along the paper and swaying in enticed satisfaction at the smell of the ink. My vision was filled with nothing but letters, and I blocked out all unnecessary sounds. I was so absorbed in my blissful time reading books that I didn’t even notice Wilfried’s attendants and guards watching me with confused looks on their faces.

“Milady, it’s dinner time!” Rihyarda declared, snatching the book away and bringing me back to reality. The timing was unfortunate—the princess’s knight had just started on a quest to slay a feybeast that had cursed the princess when she leapt to protect her father, the king.

“Rihyarda, may I borrow this book and bring it to my chambers?”

“Yes, of course. I shall make the necessary arrangements. And by that I mean: Oswald, take care of this. I will be taking milady to the dining hall once she’s done changing,” Rihyarda said, entrusting the book to Oswald and walking away. She had scheduled a meeting with Sylvester over dinner and was eager to really give him a piece of her mind. As expected, she had ranted quite a bit when arranging it as well.

“Rihyarda, I would like you to send an ordonnanz to Ferdinand as well.”

“Oh? And what business do you have with Ferdinand?”

“I would like him to bring study materials for Wilfried. He normally returns to his own chambers for dinner, so once sixth bell rings, we can send him a message without needing to worry about Wilfried asking what was said.”

Rihyarda shook her head and gave me an exasperated look. “Sixth bell rang a long time ago, milady.” I had apparently been so absorbed in my book that I hadn’t even noticed. Whoops.

As soon as we got back to my chambers, Rihyarda prepared the ordonnanz. The feystone grew with mana and changed into the shape of a bird, which I then spoke to.

“Ferdinand, it’s Rozemyne. I will be discussing Wilfried’s future study plan with Sylvester over dinner, so I would very much appreciate it if you could bring my karuta, picture books, and playing cards at a later time. It can even wait until Wilfried is asleep.”

“Be a dear and wait until tomorrow, my boy,” Rihyarda added, before swinging her schtappe and sending off the ordonnanz. Given that she had put her foot down, it was safe to assume Ferdinand would deliver them tomorrow.

The ordonnanz returned while I was in the middle of changing. “I will have Fran prepare what you need, but do not begin the discussion until I am there. I have already eaten and do not need food,” it said three times in Ferdinand’s cold, angry voice before returning to its feystone form. I didn’t know what Wilfried had done in the temple, but it seemed like it would be wise to ask.

Once I had finished changing, I headed to the dining hall with Rihyarda, whose brow was still knitted in anger; Oswald, who was clutching his stomach out of stress; and Wilfried’s guards, who were cautiously watching Rihyarda from afar. When we arrived, I was met with a bitterly frowning Sylvester, Karstedt grimacing like he had a headache, and Florencia wearing a peaceful smile. They were all already seated.

“My apologies for being late,” I said as I took my seat. “Thank you all for waiting.”

“Rihyarda burst into my office earlier yelling her head off. Are you behind this?” Sylvester asked me with a glare.

“...I hardly think it’s fair to blame Rihyarda for being so angry,” I responded. “Are you not aware of what an awful state Wilfried is in?”

Both Sylvester and Karstedt looked at me with confusion. It was clear from their expressions that they were completely unaware, but I decided it would be better to let Ferdinand’s sharp tongue sort them out than to try and say anything myself.

“Ferdinand will be here soon, so I suggest we leave this discussion until after we’ve finished eating,” I suggested, and Sylvester gave an enormous grimace upon hearing that Ferdinand would be coming too.

Once the food was brought in, we ate in silence for a bit until Sylvester eventually broke the ice. “I’ll hear how Wilfried is from Ferdinand soon enough, but how have you been finding the switch?” he asked.

Karstedt glanced my way, clearly interested. Oswald, on the other hand, slumped his shoulders and looked at the ground, agonized by memories of Rihyarda’s fury.

“I spent half of my study time listening to Rihyarda rage about Wilfried’s ignorance, and the other half forming a study plan for him with Moritz. There was absolutely nothing for me to learn from Wilfried’s lessons. Were you not perturbed by the reports you were given about him?” I asked.

Wilfried’s tutor and attendants had apparently avoided telling the truth, but that wasn’t the only issue—given Sylvester’s own experiences in the past, whenever he was told that Wilfried had run away and been caught, he just assumed that he had been forced to study afterward. Karstedt was also used to Sylvester running away all the time, so whenever Lamprecht mentioned that Wilfried had escaped again, he just laughed it off as a path that he himself had walked long ago.

“After fifth bell, I was given a rare block of free time, which I spent enjoying a book in the castle book room. This book room is much larger than the one in the temple, and I lack the words to describe the joy I felt... In any case, it was a blissful experience. I would like to continue switching places with Wilfried so that I may lock myself in the book room and read everything in there,” I said, conveying just how much I enjoyed my time there.

But Sylvester just shook his head in disbelief. “I don’t get you at all, but still—can’t you just read in your own spare time?”

“...Do you think I am given any free time? Once breakfast is done, I practice the harspiel until third bell, then help Ferdinand in his office until lunch. After lunch, I have meetings with business partners, potentially visit Hasse’s orphanage if not our own, study various rituals, and then practice using mana.”

“Uh...”

“Wilfried has oh-so-much free time during the day, on top of the time he spends running away from his studies, and today he was made to work all day just like I do as the High Bishop. I can only imagine what a struggle it has been for him,” I said with a smile.

Sylvester’s eyes widened. “That is far too much work for a child.”

“You are the one who put me in this situation. If not for your orders to prepare the Italian restaurant and spread printing so soon, I would be having a much easier time, so I would not like to hear the man responsible for my workload complain that I am working too much,” I said with a sigh.

“...Are you not leaving most of that to Ferdinand?” Sylvester asked, peering at me with surprise. “I sent that work your way expecting Ferdinand to do it.”

“Oh? Well, that’s not happening. Ferdinand is already busy with his duties as the High Priest, as well as the High Bishop work that I’m incapable of doing yet. Not to mention that he needs to assist you when he comes to the castle, and at times visits the Knight’s Order. How is he supposed to have the spare time to be involved with a new business when he’s already handling my full education? You expect too much from Ferdinand. He is a man of many talents, but he does not have infinite time. If you work him too hard, he will just die,” I concluded, going a bit further than I intended to.

Sylvester looked like he’d been caught completely off guard. “Wha... Work in the temple’s that hard?” he muttered.

...Um, what? Little late to be noticing that, isn’t it?

“Consider that Ferdinand is single-handedly running an organization of over one hundred people. How could that not be difficult? He has nobody he can safely delegate work to.”

“But all he ever did was ask me to send books over, since he was so bored and had nothing else to do. Not to mention all the stuff to make magic tools. Is he not glad to finally have something to keep him busy?” Sylvester asked. He was probably thinking of a time when the temple had a lot more blue priests, back before Ferdinand was burdened with an overwhelming mountain of work. But Sylvester always wanted to push things to their limits, and Ferdinand never wanted to admit there was something he couldn’t do, so it seemed the change in circumstances had never been clearly conveyed between them. Every time I gave a report to Sylvester, he had just assumed I was speaking for Ferdinand and listing the things he had done.

“Sylvester, the printing industry is progressing with me at its epicenter. I am so busy that I have no time to read books, and I would be ever so grateful if you could slow down how fast you wish for the printing industry to expand.”

“...Alright. Move things along at your own pace,” Sylvester said, letting out a sigh and waving his hand dismissively. Then, in a quiet voice, he added, “Sorry for not noticing sooner.”

Benno! Mark! Lutz! I slowed the schedule down a little! Hooray!

Just as I made a victory pose on the inside, the door to the dining hall opened and Ferdinand walked in wearing an exceptionally displeased expression. His brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed. The atmosphere in the dining hall immediately froze over, and everyone instinctively straightened their backs.

Ferdinand walked up to Sylvester, looked over everyone who was present, then spoke. “Sylvester, your son is a disaster. Remove Wilfried from the line of succession,” he said in a quiet, angry voice. A few gasps could be heard from around the room, and Oswald, as Wilfried’s head attendant, looked as though he had died where he stood.

“Sylvester, I consider you to be a fine archduke. There are times when you avoid doing paperwork, but you always accomplish your most important duties, and courageously bear the responsibility of leadership. That is why I believed you when you said that you and Wilfried were kindred spirits, both fleeing from your teachers but ultimately doing what was expected of you,” Ferdinand said dryly.

His quiet tone was always the scariest since it emphasized his anger. I had no idea what Wilfried had done in the temple to anger him so much, and while he wasn’t mad at me, I felt my stomach constrict and the strong urge to apologize. Maybe it was because I was so used to being the one causing his anger.

“I thought that Wilfried would be a fine archduke so long as he had a skilled right-hand man to support him, but Wilfried is not you. And Lamprecht is not Karstedt. They may resemble you two in speech and manners, but you are not the same.”

“Is that not obvious...? Children are always different from their parents,” Karstedt said, stroking his chin and giving Ferdinand a confused look.

“Indeed, they are always different. But until Rozemyne pointed it out, I had assumed that your similarities would mean that your children would grow in the same way. I was wrong. Sylvester, you bear the responsibilities of archduke. Wilfried, on the other hand, uses his status as the archduke’s son to avoid any tasks or responsibilities he can. He will never grow up to be like you.”

“Wait! Ferdinand, I have a question!” I declared, shooting up a hand as he thoroughly rejected Wilfried. It was like I’d cut through the tension in the air, and everyone took a deep breath. Ferdinand looked at me as well and jutted his chin, gesturing for me to continue. “Ferdinand, what did Wilfried do to make you draw that conclusion? I think that removing him from the line of succession would have an enormous impact on noble politics, so I would like to know what gives you the confidence to suggest it.”

Sylvester gave a big nod in agreement and leaned forward, waiting to hear the answer.

Ferdinand crossed his arms and looked across the dining hall before beginning to speak. “Rozemyne is the child I know best, and so I assumed that Wilfried only seemed incompetent because I was subconsciously comparing him with Rozemyne. But that was not the case. Wilfried proved to be vastly inferior to Rozemyne’s apprentice attendants, the apprentice merchant working in the workshop, and even the temple’s orphans,” Ferdinand said, offering a scathing critique that made both Sylvester and Florencia widen their eyes in shock. What they had heard from Wilfried’s tutor and attendants differed so much from this appraisal that it was hard to believe.

“That’s going too far,” Sylvester muttered.

I couldn’t help but frown. Ferdinand wasn’t going too far; it was the truth. “Of course he’s worse than them,” I interjected.

Sylvester, Florencia, and Wilfried’s retainers all looked at me like I was crazy. Their eyes made it clear that they couldn’t believe I was comparing the archduke’s son to orphans, but I wasn’t about to back down; unless they properly understood what was going on, they wouldn’t be able to help Wilfried grow.

“The children in my orphanage are strictly trained to be capable of serving blue priests when necessary. Lutz and Gil spend each day working hard toward a clear goal, whereas Wilfried puts no effort into his studies and uses his status to avoid responsibility. They can hardly be compared. In fact, it would be rude to compare them, since Wilfried is so beneath them. But still, that alone wouldn’t be enough to get you this mad, Ferdinand. What did Wilfried do, exactly?”

Oswald hung his head in defeat. Having two people say that Wilfried was worse than the orphans made it clear that we weren’t just insulting him or being rude.

“Wilfried refused to sit and listen to anything I said. When given work to do, he made no attempt to even begin. That alone I could tolerate due to his resemblance to Sylvester, but he tried to use his status as the archduke’s son to escape. A fool who uses his status to escape responsibility has no hope of ever becoming the archduke. Remove him from the line of succession,” Ferdinand repeated coldly. He spoke from the heart, and his attitude made it clear that his position was unshakable.

The look on Sylvester’s face changed when he realized that Ferdinand had no intention of changing his mind. “Hold on, Ferdinand. We can still fix this. I ran away too when I was a kid, so—”

“Lord Sylvester! I have said many times that you and Lord Wilfried are completely different. Have you not been listening to me?!” Rihyarda exclaimed, once again unleashing her thunder and silencing Sylvester’s attempt to defend his son.

Ferdinand narrowed his eyes even more. His gaze grew distant, like he was looking at someone behind Sylvester, and his lips curved into a cold grin. “It is only natural that the child of an archduke would need to work hard to survive. A useless fool who produces no results is no child of an archduke; the time and effort spent on them would be wasted. Those who are useless have no reason to live. A failure such as Wilfried has no place in the castle, and if you do not wish to abandon him, he will need to start producing results.”

He had worded it a bit more kindly when giving me tasks to fulfill as the archduke’s adopted daughter, but the core idea was the same. I had assumed he was just being harsh on me as an outsider, but it seemed that Ferdinand had equally high expectations for all children of the archduke. That, at least, was fair and easy to understand.

But while I gave a comprehending nod, Sylvester put his hands against his temples and shook his head. “Ferdinand, that’s just too harsh for a seven-year-old child,” he said.

This only widened Ferdinand’s smile—a smile overflowing with mockery and disdain. “What are you saying, Sylvester? I am only repeating what your mother said to me day in and day out when I was brought to the castle following my baptism. Too harsh? What a laughable idea.”

My heart ached as I realized why Ferdinand was so harsh and results-driven, both toward himself and others. He had been forced into a corner from a young age, with harsh lectures and steep expectations allowing him no relief. Ferdinand lived through a childhood where he couldn’t show even a trace of weakness and needed to use potions to force his body to stay healthy. From his perspective, Wilfried was probably so spoiled that he wanted to throw up in disgust.

“Wilfried is your child and was raised by her as well, so he should know this more than well enough by now. And yet, he still acts the way he does. There is nothing that can be done but removing him from your family and expelling him from the castle. The temple will be glad to take him; at least then his mana will have some use,” Ferdinand spat dryly, the intensity of his spite and anger making all those around him gulp.

I had been somewhat aware of Bezewanst and Veronica disliking Ferdinand, but he had been close enough to Sylvester that I assumed things hadn’t been so bad. Never would I have guessed that he had been taken from his parents right after his baptism, bombarded with cruel words every day, and put through so much duress that he spent his childhood struggling to survive.

Ferdinand was so clearly right here that Sylvester could do nothing but grit his teeth, unable to argue. And that was when Florencia placed a hand on Sylvester’s shoulder. He looked up, hoping to have finally found an ally, but froze upon seeing her face.

“Sylvester, what was it that you said to me? ‘Don’t worry, I’ll entrust everything to Mother, and we can be sure he’ll at least grow up like I did.’ I believe that was the line you used to take Wilfried’s education out of my hands and give it to Veronica.”

It seemed that there had been an intense conflict between Florencia and Veronica as in-laws—namely over Florencia being denied control over Wilfried’s upbringing due to Veronica being unwilling to trust him to someone who had just married into the family. She had doted on him as her first grandson and someone who so closely resembled Sylvester, but given the present circumstances, trusting her with him instead had been a clear mistake.

She protected Bezewanst until the very end, so... I guess she’s good-hearted when it comes to blood relatives, but she spoils them so much that the bad eggs have no opportunity to grow. And she’s exceptionally cruel to outsiders in the family like Ferdinand and Florencia. Just thinking about how she probably raised Wilfried makes my head hurt.

Florencia’s child had been forcibly taken from her, and raised to become someone so incompetent that he wasn’t even fit to be a member of the archduke’s family.

“This is the result of entrusting things to Veronica. Were Wilfried to become the archduke as he is now, who do you expect to support him?” Florencia asked, the fury clear on her face as she looked at Sylvester.

“Er, well...”

“I do not care for your excuses, Sylvester. You have done something to Wilfried that can never be undone.” Despite her calm smile, it seemed as if angry fires were raging in her light-blue eyes. She looked around the room, then her intense gaze rested on Oswald. “I was wrong to have ever trusted you, Oswald.”