How it pains me to be so alone. And with nobody to speak with, how am I to gather information? I can already see my brother laughing at me!
Kenntrips and Rasantark might have been my engagement candidates, but they were my brother’s retainers first and foremost. They would report each day’s events to him, so my current situation was unfortunate indeed.
“I shall use a rejuvenation potion,” someone behind me declared. One by one, the archduke candidates of lesser duchies were stepping back to rest. I could not turn around to look at them, as I needed to focus on my own garden, but I could hear them chatter as they enjoyed their break.
O Dregarnuhr the Goddess of Time, hear my prayer! Please give me a chance to participate!
Alas, I did not yet need to rest. I kept channeling mana into my box as Lord Wilfried and Lord Ortwin stepped aside as well. It took a short while longer, but I eventually used up enough mana to do the same.
“I, too, shall use a rejuvenation potion,” I told Professor Anastasius, then went to the seats at the side of the room with my small vial in hand. “Lord Wilfried, Lord Ortwin, allow me to join you.”
“Certainly.” Lord Ortwin stood up at once and escorted me the short distance to a seat. Practicals were performed while standing, so I welcomed the opportunity to rest my legs.
As I downed the last of my rejuvenation potion, I noticed that Lord Ortwin was eyeing me. “Is something the matter?” I asked him.
“I have heard rumors that, following the change of curriculum, duchies such as Lehmbruck and Ehrenfest will choose their next aubs from those who have acquired these new, more powerful schtappes.”
Instinctively, I turned to Lord Wilfried. He shot Lord Ortwin a glare and smacked him on the arm.
“Come on, Ortwin,” he said. “You were just saying there were loud voices in Drewanchel pushing for the same thing. In the future, those of us who obtained our schtappes in our first year will have the weakest schtappes in the country.” He looked at me. “How are things in Dunkelfelger?”
I could only blink in response. Never had I expected the change in curriculum to have such a profound impact. Thoughts ran through my mind of the other duchies that had considered changing their aubs.
“My elder brother is still slated to become our next archduke,” I said. “Nothing has changed there.”
Lord Ortwin’s light-brown eyes widened in moderate surprise. “Is that so? I thought Lord Raufereg from the fellowship gathering would be considered to replace him. It is rumored that he has taken a shine to you, and I assumed your duchy would be just as eager as Drewanchel to take advantage of the new generation of aubs.”
“Raufereg will never be the next aub, and I will never marry him,” I said, rejecting the idea with a shake of my head. “The age gap is much too great.” He also had a temperament far better suited for a knight than an archduke candidate. There was no place in the realm of diplomacy for someone who thought only of ditter.
Most of all, Father entrusted my brother with the foundation during our game of true ditter.
I was unsure of what the process had involved, but Lestilaut had stayed in the foundation’s hall while Father fought in the Sovereignty. It went without saying that he would become the next aub.
“He might be younger than you, but he seemed the logical choice,” Lord Ortwin said, utterly confused. “Your marriage would keep you in Dunkelfelger, preserving its connection to the divine avatar, while simultaneously securing it an aub with a new schtappe.”
A small wave of annoyance washed over me. I would never have expected someone to seriously entertain the idea of me marrying a boy four years my junior.
“Much is changing about the Royal Academy’s curriculum, no?” I responded. “Father believes that those raised in a decade or so, in an era of peace when the curriculum has stabilized, will be the most ideal candidates to become aub. My brother has come of age and been Starbound, so his children should enter the Academy during that period.”
“I see,” Lord Ortwin said. “That is one way of thinking about it.”
I nodded. There was appeal in having an aub with a more powerful schtappe, but when it came to ruling a duchy, it seemed wiser to focus on temperament and administrative capacity. As far as I was concerned, there was zero chance of Raufereg being raised into a suitable archduke.
“My father will remain in power for some time, and it is not as if my brother lacks the necessary talents to rule,” I said.
Lord Ortwin lowered his eyes in thought and muttered, “Perhaps I could convince them with that same rhetoric...” Maybe he strove to become his own duchy’s next aub.
Although he did not seem too invested in the position last year...
I tilted my head, thinking back to Lord Ortwin’s past actions. I was still deep in contemplation when he suddenly stood, straightened his back, and called my name.
“Yes?” I replied.
“If you have no intention of marrying Lord Raufereg, and Lord Lestilaut is still expected to become the next aub... might you come to Drewanchel?”
I stared at him, struck speechless. He had spoken so casually that, for a moment, his intention had completely escaped my notice. The top of his reddish-purple head sank beneath my line of sight, and two light-brown eyes gazed up at me. It took me even longer to realize he was kneeling.
“By your grace, Lady Hannelore, may I strive to become your God of Darkness?”