Published: August 10, 2026
Razapham returned by carriage and told us to go back to the castle for lunch. Of course, Liselotte had already been informed through an Ordnance, so Tulli, corinna, and the others from Gilberta Trading Company had already finished their fitting and gone home. Our departure preparations were also complete.
Hannelore and I boarded the carriage, each accompanied by our respective Guard Knights.
"How should I persuade Lord Ferdinand to agree to a political marriage? The Ferdinand I know is mostly the person I heard about from Heisshitze and the others, so I can't think of any brilliant idea. Wouldn't it be best if Lady Rosemine obtained an assignment from Lord Ferdinand here?"
Hannelore looked thoughtful and serious, but I had absolutely no intention of doing a Dunkelfelger-style marriage proposal like Clarissa. Ferdinand would definitely hate marrying me, and I didn't think I could just be mocked and handed an assignment. Besides, I thought it would be better to build a research institute for Ferdinand in Ehrenfest, where he was Gedrurihi, rather than force him into a political marriage he didn't want.
...I have to talk to Lord Ferdinand before they close off some strange back route!
If Hannelore was going to act, it had to be during this lunch, where Lord and Lady Aub were present. Before that happened, I had to talk to Ferdinand, pass along information so he could resist a political marriage, and work out some countermeasures.
At this rate, Ferdinand might be dragged into another unwanted political marriage by Dunkelfelger's momentum. I had already warned them to stop their runaway behavior, but Hannelore had already forgotten.
...I'll be on Lord Ferdinand's side at least!
"Leonore, please contact Lord Ferdinand for me. Tell him I'd like to speak with him before lunch."
I asked Leonore, who was riding with me as a Guard Knight, for help. This was really the sort of matter I should have asked an attendant about, but since Liselotte wasn't riding with us for rank reasons, there was no helping it.
"I can send an Ordnance, but that's far too sudden. He'll probably think so too."
"If I tell him something terrible has happened, I'm sure he'll make time for me."
"Lord Ferdinand!"
Near the dining hall where lunch would be held, a room had been prepared for Ferdinand to talk in. It seemed that not only Ferdinand and his close aides were there, but my male attendants as well. Clarissa, who had been mobilized to offer opinions on how to entertain Hannelore and the other Dunkelfelger guests, was there too.
"What terrible thing, Rosemine? What on earth have you done?"
"I didn't do anything in particular, but something terrible happened, and Lord Ferdinand is going to be forced into a political marriage..."
"Calm down. You're too excited. Your complexion—"
As Ferdinand extended his right hand as if to check my temperature, I grabbed it tightly.
"At this rate, I might be made to marry you. Lord Ferdinand, please run away right now!"
"...I truly have no idea what you're talking about. Use an eavesdropping prevention magic tool and explain the sequence of events clearly. This is clearly not something to be shouted about in public."
Ferdinand frowned and gave a small wave of his left hand. Immediately, Hartmut used a wide-area eavesdropping prevention magic tool, creating a space where we could talk. Justox, having finished preparing tea, instructed the attendants to move outside the range of the magic tool. We were still surrounded by the attendants, but in an instant, a space was made where only the two of us could speak.
While keeping the attendants in the corner of my vision as they talked among themselves, I explained the story from the fitting session to Ferdinand. Everything, from the part where they mistakenly thought I was in love with Ferdinand and started cheering me on, to the point where political marriage came up.
"So, after Hannelore-sama asked me to speak my true wish, and I did—stripping away all the complicated obligations, social niceties, and everything else—she and the others suddenly started saying I should enter into a political marriage with Lord Ferdinand. They flipped over so fast. It makes no sense. Don't you think so?"