Published: August 25, 2025
“You’re late, Rosemine!”
When I returned to the dormitory of the noble academy, Wilfried was standing there firmly with his hands on his hips. Seeing him in a similar stance and saying something similar to what Father said when I returned to the castle made me oddly impressed at how much the two resembled each other.
“I’ve just returned, Brother Wilfried… but the schedule for my return was set by Aub Ehrenfest and Lord Ferdinand, so it’s not fair to be scolded by me.”
“But because you weren’t here, it was really tough on us!”
The full-blown social season had started, and the number of tea party invitations had increased to a level incomparable with previous years. For the tea parties hosted by higher-ranking territories, which we simply could not refuse, Wilfried had to attend and give noncommittal answers.
On top of that, gatherings by rank and position also saw more invitations and a lot of questions.
While the increase in tea parties was troublesome, what made things worse was the heightened attention from around us. Probing and sarcastic remarks from territories of similar rank were harsh. The Ehrenfest apprentices, who had not been much in the spotlight before, didn’t know how to handle the situation and were running around in confusion.
Normally, the dormitory supervisor Hilsure, who is supposed to help handle these situations and offer advice, was holed up in his research room and wouldn’t come out. Even sending inquiries to Ehrenfest resulted in lagged responses, so it wasn’t very helpful. They felt isolated and unsupported.
…But that’s not entirely my fault, right? If anything, isn’t it Professor Hilsure’s fault?
“It’s because you engaged in exchanges with Prince Anastasius and Classenburg…”
“I didn’t choose to interact willingly. If you are invited, you have no choice but to go. Brother Wilfried, can you refuse?”
“I can’t, so it’s been a problem!”
Right now, the socializing with higher territories is on hold, pending news of my return.
Wilfried desperately tried to convey how hard things had been, making Richarda smile wryly.
“Master Wilfried, if you want to talk, why don’t you do so in your room rather than standing here? Don’t others also have many things to tell the princess?”
“That’s right! I have many things to tell Lady Rosemine.”
Judith, the only knight apprentice among my entourage who stayed behind at the noble academy, stepped forward with a “welcome back.” She had planned to return to Ehrenfest immediately after lectures to resume her guard duties, but got caught up in academy socializing as my attendant, and was challenged to a Ditter rematch by Dunkelfelger, making her unable to return.
“I did pass properly! But I wasn’t allowed to return to Ehrenfest, so I couldn’t take up protection duty for Lady Rosemine.”
Wilfried, glancing sideways at Judith’s desperate plea that she wasn’t incompetent, shrugged lightly.
“…You say you passed properly, but all the Ehrenfest students have already passed, haven’t they?”
With the surge in inquiries and tea invitations, Ehrenfest, being small in number, had to respond as a whole. This meant everyone had to finish their lectures as soon as possible, and they were pressured to bravely take the exams and complete their courses.
“Come now, save the long story for the multipurpose hall. We must prioritize the princess’s health above all. If she collapses, things will get even worse. I’ll go organize the luggage now.”
Richarda nudged Wilfried and headed to organize the luggage. I followed behind them along with my close aides.
As I absentmindedly watched Richarda climb the stairs, someone descended just as she passed by. It was Justox, his brown eyes lively and wearing an extremely cheerful expression. Traugott, looking exhausted and half-dragged along, accompanied him.
“It’s been a while, Princess Rosemine.”
“I heard Justox did a lot on behalf of the Plantin Trading Company. While I was asleep, he went through a lot of trouble for us. I’m grateful. Please continue to look after things.”