Published: August 25, 2025
The starbinding ceremony in the Noble District concluded without any notable incidents.
If anything, the only points worth mentioning were that Eckhardt Brother now had a fiancée named Angelica, so he no longer needed to attend gatherings where unmarried men and women met; that he and Angelica happily fulfilled their guard duties together; and that once again, Darmel hadn’t found a cute lover this year. That was about it.
The day after the starbinding ceremony, a request for a meeting arrived from Lamprecht Brother. It was to discuss the bride. Richarda, who brought me the letter, let out a light sigh.
“The princess is busy, but if there’s an opportunity to talk, it’s best to have the conversation. Right now, you’re just the Lady of Arensbach, and everyone around you is on edge. We hope you won’t repeat Lady Gabriele’s mistakes.”
Apparently, there had been a princess who married long ago and caused quite a stir in Ehrenfest—her name was Gabriele.
Richarda, who had been an attendant apprentice to a senior relative noble and received her guidance, was once asked by the lady of the lord to become an attendant for Gabriele.
“Lady Gabriele was a pitiable person. Though she was respected as the principal wife, her husband loved the second wife more, so their relationship was very much one of duty.”
She had persuaded her father that, since her fiancé was a lord candidate from a great territory, she would be cherished, and forcibly married into Ehrenfest. However, her husband did not welcome her.
Gabriele brought new trends that Ehrenfest had never seen, attracting attention. She also tried to build her own faction by marrying her attendants from Arensbach to Ehrenfest nobles.
But finding suitable marriage partners was not easy. The senior nobles of Ehrenfest were all connected by blood in some way—in other words, everyone was related to the Reizegang family. Richarda was no exception.
Gabriele actively absorbed middle-ranking nobles with high mana who harbored resentment toward Reizegang, building her faction. Because she inherited her mother’s faction and became the lord’s wife, the Veronica faction had many middle nobles.
“At one point, they boasted power enough to suppress senior nobles like Reizegang. The old Veronica faction will likely approach Lady Lamprecht’s bride to regain their influence. If the bride discovers that the faction surrounding her has Arensbach blood, she might feel affinity.”
“It’s inevitable to feel nostalgic for a faraway homeland.”
Even within Ehrenfest, different regions have their own characteristics and climates. When marrying in from other territories, one would feel differences in customs and cuisine, stirring homesickness.
“So please discuss thoroughly with Lamprecht Brother and your family. Whether you can skillfully incorporate the Florentia faction is crucial for Ehrenfest.”
Since my fiancé is Wilfried and Lamprecht Brother, his attendant, is my brother, the bride’s movements significantly involve me.
“For now, I’ll ask Lamprecht Brother what kind of person the bride is. Mother probably has her own thoughts as well.”
After replying to Lamprecht Brother that I wanted to know Mother’s opinion too, a family meeting was arranged to discuss the bride. We were told to gather at Father’s house—it would be my first homecoming since becoming an adopted daughter.
This trip was solely for the family meeting, so no attendants or civil official apprentices accompanied me. Eckhardt Brother and Lamprecht Brother returned home together, so I thought only Cornelius Brother was needed as a guard knight—but Angelica was preparing to come along.
“...Oh? Will Angelica accompany us too?”
“Yes. Since she is Eckhardt-sama’s fiancée, it was deemed acceptable for her to attend the family meeting, and she was ordered to guard Lady Rosemine.”
“Angelica is my fiancée, so she counts as family. It’s better to have a female knight accompany Rosemine. Angelica should be suitable, right?”