Prologue

Prologue

Prologue

The blizzards stopped after the Lord of Winter was slain, allowing the sun to finally show itself and brighten the hallways. Just seeing all the light streaming in brightened Lamprecht’s mood as he hurried to the knight commander’s office.

Hopefully this is about giving me time off.

Having to manage the purge on top of the Lord of Winter hunt had made the start of the season busier than ever. Knights of the Order had needed to be involved in both, so most of them had barely even had a chance to visit home. Lamprecht in particular was being worked to the bone by his father, since he was a guard for the archducal family and apparently had “plenty of time” on his hands while his lord was at the Royal Academy.

The only knights who weren’t working to such a ruthless schedule were those serving Rozemyne. They were still being allowed time off, meaning there were days when Lamprecht didn’t even see them.

Meanwhile, I was only allowed to go home when my wife was giving birth.

Because his lord was away at the Royal Academy, it should have been easier for Lamprecht to secure days off... but that hadn’t been the case at all this year. The purge had been carried out at the start of winter rather than the end, and the Lord of Winter hunt had needed to be done by a much smaller force than usual. It had been a cruel season as a result.

Now that the hunt was over, the knights were gradually being allocated time away from work—but, as this was happening in order of status, starting with the laynobles, Lamprecht still wasn’t able to return home.

“Excuse me,” Lamprecht said as he entered the office. Karstedt was waiting inside and holding a board, which he waved at his son with a look of exhaustion.

“Lamprecht, take this to the northern building. I am giving you two days off starting tomorrow. It isn’t much, but spend it with your family.”

“Yes, sir!”

The board was an official directive from the Knight’s Order, instructing Lamprecht to take some downtime. He accepted it, then looked at Karstedt with somewhat resentful eyes and said, “Why did you give Rozemyne’s guard knights so much more time off than the rest of us? I wanted breaks too.”

“Idiot. Cornelius and the others were only exempt from training because they had to stay in the temple. They were responding to a call for aid from Aub Ehrenfest and Hartmut, the High Priest. It wasn’t time off.”

Rozemyne was staying at the Royal Academy this term, so Lamprecht had assumed that her knights wouldn’t need to go to the temple. In truth, however, her retainers were having to fill the gap left by her absence.

“Can’t really announce that archducal retainers are doing the work of blue priests, can we?” Karstedt said. “That’s why I said they were exempt from training—but that’s had its own problems. If people think I’m showing favoritism toward Rozemyne’s guard knights or giving them more time off than anyone else, it’ll undermine my authority going forward.” He started massaging his brow. “What a headache... Though maybe it won’t be so bad now that the Zent recognized the utility of rituals.”

Lamprecht remembered the attendants’ complaining when they were asked to prepare ceremonial robes for Lord Wilfried. Reports from the Royal Academy had said that Rozemyne’s rampage was especially bad this year.

So... Father’s trying to manage her craziness as well as the Knight’s Order. That must be rough.

For the first time, Lamprecht took a closer look at his father’s face. It was weary from fatigue. His decision to start with the laynobles when allocating leave meant he had probably taken less time off than anyone. He had probably found at least some time to rest in the knight dorms, but he certainly hadn’t been able to go home.

“I hope you get some time off soon, Commander,” Lamprecht said.

“Mm. Would be nice to get a break before the Interduchy Tournament... I’m looking forward to going home.” It seemed that he was particularly eager to meet his first grandchild.

Smiling at that last remark, Lamprecht left the commander’s office with the board in hand and went straight to the northern building.

“Got some time off at last, Lamprecht? That’s great.”

“Make sure you rest up.”

After arriving at the retainers’ room, Lamprecht had shown the board to the others in Wilfried’s service—and they had all congratulated him without missing a beat. The attendants and scholars had found it much easier to secure time away from work.

Lamprecht completed the necessary arrangements, then gave the other retainers a satisfied grin. From there, he sent ordonnanzes to his mother, Elvira, and wife, Aurelia, to inform them of the good news. They replied immediately.

“This is Elvira. Aurelia is currently in my care. Return to the main building today—though only after you have thoroughly cleansed yourself and changed your clothes. I do not want the stench of blood and battle sullying my estate.”

“This is Aurelia. I await your return.”

The other retainers let out whistles and exchanged intimidated glances; they had been listening to the ordonnanzes as well. “Lady Elvira sure is scary...” one said. “She took her son’s wife from Ahrensbach into her care...?”

“She doesn’t like the smell of blood, huh?” added another. “Even though she’s the first wife of the knight commander?”

Lamprecht sighed. “It may seem as if she’s trying to get more power over Aurelia, but she’s actually working to ease everyone’s suspicions about her being from Ahrensbach.”

Bettina had married into Ehrenfest at the same time as Aurelia and was espoused to the son of Giebe Wiltord—but when it was revealed that her in-laws had given their names to Georgine and that Bettina herself was communicating with Georgine through her home family in Ahrensbach, she was captured and executed.

Aurelia had been under Elvira’s care ever since marrying into Ehrenfest. She trusted Elvira to pick whom she interacted with, so she had never ended up socializing with Ahrensbach or nobles of the former Veronica faction. As a result, during the purge, she hadn’t even been taken away for questioning.

Incidentally, Mother’s request not to bring the stench of blood into the house must be because of the baby.

Thanks to Lamprecht, Elvira was now a grandmother. It was clear that she was fighting hard to protect Aurelia and the newborn.

“That seems pretty overcautious,” one of the retainers said. “Nobody’s going to imprison your wife, Lamprecht. You’re a guard knight serving Lord Wilfried, the next archduke. We could have been arrested for what we did for Lady Veronica, but you can see for yourself that none of us were.”

Several of the archducal couple’s retainers had already been relieved of duty or imprisoned and punished, whereas Wilfried’s retainers were completely undisturbed. Either out of optimism or a deliberate attempt to avoid reality, they were all trusting their lord to keep their families safe.

But retainers can’t be relieved of duty until their lord or lady returns. If there are any criminals among us, they won’t be punished before Lord Wilfried comes back.

Lamprecht couldn’t bring himself to be anywhere near as hopeful, though he kept that fact to himself. He didn’t want to inspire chaos or cause anyone to run away.

Following his mother’s instructions, Lamprecht cleansed himself and changed clothes in the dormitory before flying off on his highbeast. The cold winter air pricked his skin like tiny daggers, but the sunlight was warm. He felt good for the first time in a while.

“Welcome home,” Aurelia said upon his return. Elvira was with her.

“It’s good to be back...” Lamprecht replied. “Oh? You aren’t wearing your veil.”

“I was told in no uncertain terms that our child must be able to see his mother’s face...”

“I see. And where is our little boy?” Lamprecht hadn’t been home since attending the birth. He was looking forward to seeing his baby’s face, so not spotting him here made him anxious.

“I understand how you feel, but wait until after we’ve had dinner,” Elvira said chidingly. “A lot of arrangements were made so that you could eat with Aurelia. Do not let her nurses’ efforts or her own go to waste.”

Because a baby’s mana was so dependent on its mother, it was her duty to feed it—Lamprecht understood that much. But he hadn’t understood how much work was necessary for something as simple as him sharing a meal with his wife.

“You may rest easy,” Elvira continued. “Our house’s successor is growing steadily. Now, to the dining hall. We must hurry and eat.”

Eckhart’s move to Ahrensbach had required him to choose either Lamprecht or Cornelius to take over in his stead and temporarily manage his things. The two brothers had thus needed to discuss which one of them would leave the house.

Cornelius’s marriage to Leonore would be exceptionally beneficial to the Leisegangs, so the family wanted them as the house’s successors. Many also rejected the idea of a first wife from Ahrensbach becoming the future head of the estate. Lamprecht had no real interest in taking over—he knew that Aurelia would struggle when socializing with the less accepting members of their family—so he had suggested that they both leave and that Cornelius and Leonore move into a side building.

However, Elvira had refused the idea outright. “After the purge, how the public sees Aurelia will change immensely depending on if she resides in the estate of the knight commander,” she had said. “It makes no difference to our house whether you or Cornelius become its successor, so prioritize your pregnant wife from another duchy and secure a safe place for her to live.”

It would have been easy for Elvira to send Lamprecht and Aurelia out of the estate, and it would have satisfied their extended family. Despite that, she had chosen to put the safety of Aurelia and the baby above all else. It had warmed Lamprecht’s heart, and the knowledge that his mother was looking after his wife had put him at ease even when he was unable to return home because of the purge and the Lord of Winter hunt.

“I did not think she would be staying in one of the main building’s guest rooms...” Lamprecht said.

“Putting her in a side building would have been too dangerous,” Elvira replied simply.

Because she was from Ahrensbach, Aurelia often received meeting requests from punished members of the former Veronica faction and those with close ties to Georgine. The smallest spark of controversy had the potential to make her a suspect, which was why Elvira had moved her to the main building and rejected all of the letters under her own name.

“Have you felt safe here, Aurelia?” Lamprecht asked.

“Indeed. Our son and I have been at peace, and there has been nary a moment of unease. Under normal circumstances, I would have been questioned by the Knight’s Order immediately after giving birth, but Lady Elvira stopped even that for my sake. Please be sure to show her your gratitude.”

Aurelia had managed to avoid a summons from the Knight’s Order by putting her social life—and everything else, for that matter—entirely in Elvira’s hands. Karstedt knew about Aurelia’s circumstances as well and had broken his back trying to assist her, even going as far as to very slightly abuse his authority.

Lamprecht sighed in relief and thanked Elvira, well aware of the situation.

“There’s no need for that,” Elvira replied. “You are aware that the purge has turned the public against the former Veronica faction and those from Ahrensbach, correct?”

“Correct. I heard that even some of the archducal couple’s retainers were imprisoned.”

“Indeed. Such is the fate of criminals, though their loved ones and close friends are going to struggle as well. In truth, Trudeliede was also detained; she took great pride in her time as Lady Veronica’s attendant and did a little too much work for her in the shadows.”

Trudeliede was Karstedt’s second wife, whom he had married at Veronica’s orders. Elvira, his first wife, had disapproved of the way she acted, so she had taken advantage of the purge to give the Knight’s Order evidence of the crimes Trudeliede had committed for Veronica.

“Her son, Nikolaus, is staying at the castle for now,” Elvira continued. “Keep a close eye on him so that he does not approach Rozemyne as her paternal half-brother. Cornelius tells me she has a soft spot for those younger than her; I do not want her asking us to save Trudeliede or reduce her punishment for her son’s sake, nor do I want her asking for him to be moved to the main building.”

Rozemyne had a tendency to rush to the aid of anyone in trouble—and, if a noble of the former Veronica faction exploited that, the end result would never be good. That said, guiding Rozemyne was supposed to be the duty of her retainers; Lamprecht rarely interacted with her.

“I was Lady Detlinde’s guard knight before my marriage,” Aurelia said. “Back then, when I was in peak form, a child yet to join the Royal Academy wouldn’t have been a threat. But right now... Well...”

“You don’t need to force yourself,” Lamprecht replied. “I’ll warn Rozemyne. I don’t want Nikolaus in the main building either.”

Nikolaus had started training as an apprentice knight and was taller and stronger than most others his age. Lamprecht didn’t want him near Aurelia, who hadn’t yet recovered from giving birth, or their newborn baby.

“Further,” Elvira said, “we have closed down the building where Trudeliede was living. All those who served there have now been dispersed, and not a single one of them is allowed into the main building.”

“Has that abrupt dismissal not put them in a very troublesome position?” Lamprecht asked. The commoner servants who had planned to spend the entire winter with Trudeliede had surely not made any winter preparations of their own. Lamprecht felt bad that they had all been forced out into the cold, but Elvira just sighed.

“What else could be done? I suggested that they seek work with the Knight’s Order, which was hiring servants to look after the detained nobles, and that is the most I will do for them. My duty is to protect this estate, my son’s wife, and my new grandson. Thus, I cannot let those who served Trudeliede into the main building.”

Elvira had made her priorities clear, and she would eliminate anyone who posed even the slightest threat to them. It seemed a little harsh, but as the knight commander’s first wife, she had a sharp nose for danger.

She continued, “Because of these circumstances, I am keeping the baby’s existence hidden from even our family. I realize this is unfortunate—both for you and Aurelia and for the newborn—but any celebrations will need to wait until your son’s baptism.”

After a baby’s mana was checked, it was customary to inform one’s closest family and celebrate the birth, but none of that was going to happen this time. Lamprecht thought that Elvira was being excessively cautious, but her vigilance was also the reason he had been so comfortable leaving his wife in her care.

“Lord Lamprecht, might I ask you to at least inform Lady Rozemyne?” Aurelia asked in a quiet voice. “She has treated me well and was very much looking forward to the birth of our child. Do tell her personally.”

Lamprecht already knew the reason for his wife’s request: Rozemyne had done so much to make Aurelia feel comfortable in her new home. She had spoken to her when she first married into Ehrenfest, stayed with her when making a new cloth trend, and prepared an Ahrensbach dish for her when she was pregnant.

“I could secretly inform Rozemyne at the castle,” Lamprecht said, his gaze wandering to Elvira, “but would it not be better for Mother to summon her here? I doubt anyone will suspect we’ve had a baby from that alone.”

“No,” Elvira replied simply and with a smile. “We must keep her away from here for the time being—so that nobles of the former Veronica faction do not realize she is close to Aurelia and so that the Leisegangs trying to make her into the next aub do not become unnecessarily hopeful.”

The first reason was fair enough, but the second made Lamprecht’s eyes widen in shock. “How are the Leisegangs still a concern?” he asked. “Hasn’t the engagement made it clear that Lord Wilfried is going to be the next aub and Rozemyne his first wife?”