I was gleefully considering the name of my library city when Adolphine raised a hand. “Now that everyone’s rewards have been decided, I request permission to speak.”
“Granted, of course,” I said.
Adolphine looked at Trauerqual and Sigiswald. “This would ordinarily be kept within the royal family... but it must be said that I married Prince Sigiswald to connect Drewanchel to the next Zent. By losing his claim to the throne, he might have breached our contract.”
“He breached it...?” I asked.
“Indeed. If the prince becomes an aub, neither my duchy nor I will gain anything from our union, thereby violating the contract we made at the time of our engagement. He is not entirely to blame, but a breach is a breach. I wish to borrow Mestionora’s wisdom so that no one is punished by the Goddess of Light.”
I cocked my head at her, unsure what she hoped to gain from this. Ferdinand must have detected my confusion because he gave his temple a few taps and translated.
“So you want a guarantee that Drewanchel will receive the benefits of marrying a Zent even though Prince Sigiswald is becoming an aub.”
“Indeed,” she said with a smile. “Or I would ask Lady Rozemyne to recognize our divorce as the one who performed our Starbinding.” The look in her eyes reminded me of Gundolf when he was advancing his research.
“You may discuss the matter in our absence. Rozemyne is under no obligation to make promises about a contract between your husband and you.”
“I am aware,” Adolphine replied, still smiling. “But her involvement cannot be overlooked. Following the civil war, Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger were given land to reward their involvement. This was not an option for Drewanchel, so we were given a chance to increase our authority by sending archnobles to the Sovereignty.”
Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger had endured many hardships trying to manage territories outside their borders, while Drewanchel had struggled to fill the void made by sending so many archnobles to the Sovereignty.
Adolphine continued, “Redrawing the borders will allow Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger to properly absorb the territories they manage. In turn, the Sovereignty is going to shrink. What will happen to the nobles there when the Sovereign temple moves to the Royal Academy?” Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger were keeping their rewards from the civil war, and she wanted to make sure the same was true for Drewanchel.
Ferdinand drew his eyebrows together in a frown. “We plan to temporarily return all Sovereign nobles not in the royal family’s service to their duchies during the move to the Academy and the assignment of new aubs. Once everything is done, the duchies will send nobles as before, but Lady Eglantine and Prince Anastasius will decide which ones are accepted. From that point on, Sovereign nobles will stay in the dormitories of their respective duchies.”
Adolphine nodded, having anticipated that answer. “I thought the Sovereign nobles would be sent back, considering that the blue priests are due to be returned. I do not disagree with any of these changes—it makes sense for the new Zent to choose which nobles shall work for her, and moving them into their dormitories will reduce the burden on her in many regards—but I cannot ignore their impact on Drewanchel. We will lose not only the benefits promised to us by my contract but also our reward for participating in the civil war. I will need to discuss the matter with the aub.”
“I understand your position well,” I said, unable to hold my tongue. “Lady Eglantine, King Trauerqual, Prince Sigiswald—think carefully about how best to reward Drewanchel.”
“Rozemyne, this is not a matter for you to speak on,” Ferdinand interjected with a hard glare. Because of my goddess-dyed mana, anything I said would be interpreted as a divine order, but I didn’t regret my decision.
“I understand that, but I empathize with Lady Adolphine’s urgency and desperation. Please allow me to provide some insight. Imagine my adoption into the royal family went ahead, but Ehrenfest never received what they were promised in return.”
If the Zent had adopted me only to be demoted to the rank of an aub, and the rewards promised to Ehrenfest had never materialized, I, too, would have been ranting about a breach of contract. It was even worse for Adolphine; not only was her duchy being denied payment, but it would also need to bear a greater burden when assisting with the construction of the new duchies.
Of course, our situations aren’t exactly the same. Divorce has a tremendous impact on a woman’s reputation.
“Lady Adolphine,” I continued. “Your marriage was political, and your concerns are valid, but would rushing into a divorce be wise? Given the impact it might have on your duchy’s plans and your future, I would encourage you to give it more thought.” Drewanchel and the royal family must have both agreed that her engagement was best for the balance of power in Yurgenschmidt; they would need to be consulted before anyone took action.
“Naturally. The final decision would not be made here and now but after a discussion between my parents in Drewanchel and the royal family during the upcoming Archduke Conference. I elected to mention it because my Starbinding was performed using ancient methods. I thought my divorce might need to be done the same way.”
Adolphine’s marriage had survived an entire year—long enough for her and Sigiswald to grow close, I thought—but it seemed she was already set on divorce.
Hmm... I guess this is just how things are in this world.
Did an arranged marriage need to end if the deal it was founded on fell through? The couple had wed over a year ago, so I thought it might be better for them to keep supporting each other. It wasn’t my marriage, though, nor was it my decision to make; Adolphine understood her situation more than I ever would.
“Just a moment,” I said. “I can check.”
I made my Book of Mestionora and searched for any information I could find about divorces. Sigiswald spoke with Adolphine in the background; based on his remarks, he didn’t want them to separate.
“Adolphine, have we not already spent an entire year together?” the first prince asked. “I did not think you were so obsessed with obtaining royal status...” He was trying to chastise her for being so heartless, but she merely blinked in confusion.
“Are you really so taken aback? Our union was political from the outset, arranged with the understanding that I would marry the country’s next Zent. Obtaining royal status was always my focus; we were never even a couple.”
“We gained the blessings of the supreme gods, did we not? And what will your future hold if you divorce me so soon after coming of age? You might not find anyone else and end up stuck in Drewanchel for the rest of your life.”
Adolphine looked sincerely troubled. She made to respond, then paused; though they weren’t on the same page, their marriage and its problems weren’t to be discussed in this public arena. She must have given up on trying to explain her perspective because she merely smiled and said, “Prince Sigiswald, anyone would grasp at Dregarnuhr’s threads if she dangled them so clearly. Not even Liebeskhilfe could resist their allure.” She wouldn’t let this opportunity to divorce him slip through her fingers.
✦ ✦ ✦
