“It would seem there have been misconceptions on many levels,” I said. “Lady Rozemyne, are you not aware of Lord Wilfried’s position or the rumors currently surrounding him?”
“I am, but...” Lady Rozemyne placed a contemplative hand on her cheek. “I was made to change fiancés far sooner than many think—the consequence of an unexpected development—so this is anything but a new situation for him. You know this, do you not? You were there for our celebration in Ehrenfest.”
I thought back to the Ehrenfest nobles speaking merrily about Lady Rozemyne’s engagement into the royal family. Lord Wilfried had seemed strong and unfazed, stating simply that there was no helping a royal decree.
“The royal decree is to blame for this incident, and for the rumors it produced,” Lady Rozemyne said. “I am expected only to treat Lord Wilfried as I always have. Unless he outright asks for my assistance, I do not intend to provide it.”
Was it just my imagination, or was Lady Rozemyne perfectly content with casting Lord Wilfried aside? I had thought her apparent lack of concern came from ignorance of what he was going through, but even now, she exuded none of the worry or passion she had shown when rescuing Lord Ferdinand.
“I shall elaborate, but only to prevent any further misconceptions,” Lady Rozemyne continued. “The current situation is exactly what Lord Wilfried desired, so I doubt he would want my help to begin with.”
“Whatever do you mean?” I asked. The very notion that Lord Wilfried wanted everyone to know of his shame seemed absurd to me. I clenched my fists under the table in fear of what my friend might say next.
“Lord Wilfried never wished to marry me. He opened negotiations with the archduke, asking to be removed from his position as the next aub, long before the royal decree brought our engagement to an end.”
It felt as if someone had struck me on the head. Lord Wilfried wanted to be removed from his position as the next Aub Ehrenfest?
“But... why?” I asked.
“You will need to ask him. It was quite some time ago, and many things have changed, so I know not what he thinks now. Even if I did, as the aub of Alexandria, I would not be in a position to tell you.”
“That much is true...” I said, but it did nothing to quell my curiosity. “This news is such a shock to me. I thought you two were exceptionally close. It was with envy that I gazed upon your hair ornament and its wonderful rainbow feystones.” She had since replaced it with an accessory from Lord Ferdinand, but I could still picture its splendor.
“Um... That, too, was from Ferdinand,” she confessed. “We only said it was from Lord Wilfried to avoid offending Lady Detlinde. Truth be told, Lord Wilfried has never once gifted me anything.”
“Is that... so...?”
Now that she mentioned it, I could not recall having seen Lady Rozemyne wear an engagement feystone from Lord Wilfried. It was not rare for those engaged at a young age to be unable to prepare one right away and to wait until they developed mana-sensing. I had thought the hairpin was a compromise for her to wear in the meantime, but apparently not.
“The engagement was necessary for Lord Wilfried to become the next aub,” Lady Rozemyne said. “It was a political decision made without considering our mana. We never did anything that even resembled courtship.”
I gathered, then, that their mana quantities had not matched. They could remain brother and sister, even if only through adoption, but staying engaged would ultimately have resulted in torment. I could only imagine the vast rift that must have formed between them when they developed mana-sensing.
The more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became with Aub Ehrenfest for enforcing such an engagement in the first place. Lord Wilfried would never have been satisfied, unable to become the archduke without marrying a woman whose mana dwarfed his own, and Lady Rozemyne would have been doomed to a marriage that could never produce children.
“For the duchy’s sake or not, I cannot imagine a crueler pairing...” I muttered.
“At the time, we were both still developing our mana, so it was ideal for unifying the nobles of the duchy. Is that not the purpose of noble engagements?”
“Perhaps, but you are my friends. I suppose it is good to know that you both supported the cancellation of your engagement.”
“I am glad you understand,” Lady Rozemyne said, a relieved smile on her face.
I was glad as well. If not for our conversation, I might have acted on an unfortunate misunderstanding.
“To summarize, I do not think Lord Wilfried is so bothered by the rumors and his current status that you need to worry about him,” my friend assured me. “Let us set him aside and focus on something more enjoyable—especially as these sound-blockers present such an excellent opportunity.”
I agreed and elected to put Lord Wilfried out of my mind. It was not right for a guest to feel the need to comfort her host.
“Speaking of engagements,” Lady Rozemyne continued, her golden eyes gleaming as she leaned toward me, “you recently had your suitors chosen for you, did you not? I know Lords Kenntrips and Rasantark by name, but that is all. What kind of men are they? Lord Rasantark really seems to cherish you. Whom do you fancy most?”
“Whom do I fancy...? Well, it is still too soon to say. Is there a reason for your excitement, Lady Rozemyne?”
“Oh?” She tittered, doubtless amused by my response. “Were you not just as eager to ask me about my fiancés?”
“Although I expect to be asked those same questions during every tea party I attend this year, I did not invite you here so urgently to speak about Kenntrips and Rasantark.”
“Perhaps not, but you would do well to prioritize them over Lord Wilfried. No matter what crisis a man might face, showing concern for anyone but your fiancé will only result in you being scolded. Even though it is none of their business, and you cannot help how you feel about him.”
I was so overcome with embarrassment and shame that I wanted to weep. I had asked to speak with Lady Rozemyne out of concern for how she belittled her former fiancé, only to belittle my current engagement candidates in the process. Still, my mind was elsewhere. I could not stop thinking about what Lord Wilfried must be feeling, why he would give up on being an aub, and how I could be of use to him.
I had no right to be annoyed with Lady Rozemyne.
Despite the growing bitterness in my chest, I continued to smile and speak as though everything were fine. I did my best to smoothly turn the conversation away from my engagement candidates and toward what she was doing while the rest of us were in class, whether she would return home early as she normally did, and other such things about her life at the Royal Academy.
“So, will you still be returning to Alexandria for the Dedication Ritual?” I asked.
“Indeed. It is important for the duchy, and as I am leaving all of the winter socializing to Lord Ferdinand, there are many nobles I will need to meet upon my return.”