Ascendance of a Bookworm

After Gibe Haldenzel, various people came one after another to greet me.

“Lady Rosemine.”

“Oh, Gibe Ilkner. How have you been since then? I wished to visit Ilkner during the Harvest Festival if possible…”

I wanted to go to Ilkner during the Harvest Festival to see how the papermaking industry was developing and to meet Volk’s child, but the high priest scolded me, saying, “Haldenzel, Ilkner, Greschel — how much are you trying to take on by yourself?”

The prayer ceremony involves distributing mana and Lesser Holy Grails, so no one complains about how much I handle. But the Harvest Festival significantly affects our shares, so apparently, the azure priests object. This year, going to Greschel, where Gutenberg is, was the highest priority, so I gave up on visiting Ilkner.

“Lady Rosemine, I know you are always busy. You’ve started to expand the printing business. You must be much busier than when I served you.”

“Then, Brigitte, could you tell me about Ilkner’s situation?”

“Of course.”

Brigitte and the couples Gibe Ilkner and Viktua talked about their efforts in making new paper and how craftsmen had been dispatched from Ilkner to nearby Gibe’s place, teaching papermaking in the workshop. Ilkner’s surroundings are rich with mountains and forests and have clean water, so unlike Greschel, there are no issues, and they were able to teach papermaking.

“Lady Rosemine, please allow me to greet you.”

As the conversation with Gibe Ilkner and the others settled, I heard my mother’s voice and turned around. There stood my mother and Aurelia, veiled, coming to greet me.

“Aurelia, you have a new veil.”

“Yes. As Lady Rosemine suggested, wearing similarly dyed veils has softened the gaze of those around me.”

I heard Aurelia quietly muttering how happy she was to be able to use such a lovely fabric she hadn’t worn much before.

“If Aurelia is a little more comfortable, then my suggestion was worth it... However, I was denied permission, so fish dishes have become distant. I promised, yet…”

…You must be missing the taste of home, right? You want to eat it soon, don’t you? I’m sorry.

My family in downtown didn’t care for river fish because removing the muddy smell was troublesome, so fish never appeared on the table; it was mostly meat. Since I ate the muddy-tasting river fish Lutz caught in the forest, salted and grilled, I haven't eaten fish since. The fish we caught then dried out too much to be used as broth and was rejected. Since then, I’ve had a constant craving for delicious fish.

Surely, Aurelia must be longing for the taste of her homeland as well.

…Because I miss fish dishes! I understand Aurelia’s feelings well!

“Once I return from the noble academy, I will start cooking fish as soon as possible, so please wait until then.”

“I am truly grateful for your concern, Lady Rosemine. I am enjoying Ehrenfest cuisine now, so please don’t worry.”

…Huh?

I had planned to use Aurelia’s homesickness to persuade the high priest and Foster Father to teach cooking methods quickly. But unlike my eagerness to eat fish soon, Aurelia isn’t in a hurry and is fine with taking it slow.

…That’s strange. My fish plan has slipped away.

As I puzzled over this, Wilfried tugged my arm gently and stepped forward.

“Rosemine, that’s enough talking with Aurelia. The gaze from over there is painful.”

Wilfried’s finger pointed slightly, and I saw a group from the old Veronica faction. They seemed to be trying to contact Aurelia but might find it difficult since my mother was with her.

“Aurelia, I’ve heard about your situation from Lamprecht. Given the times, you may feel restricted, but I will also try to make you as comfortable as possible.”

“I am honored, Lord Wilfried... but I do not feel particularly restricted in Ehrenfest now. I live much more freely than when I was in Arensbach.”

I thought it impossible that she would not feel constrained living under her mother-in-law’s restrictions in her husband’s family residence, but Aurelia genuinely sounded free.