Shumil Plushie

My name is Lieseleta. I am a sixth-year student at the Royal Academy and one of Lady Rozemyne’s attendants.

“What do you think, Lady Rozemyne? She ended up quite adorable, in my honest opinion.”

“She’s wonderful, Lieseleta!”

As Lady Rozemyne lay in bed, her eyes fell upon the shumil plushie I had crafted, and a delighted smile graced her face. It was a rare sight, one that brought a smile to my own face in return.

Truly, smiles suit Lady Rozemyne the best.

Lady Rozemyne looked unbelievably adorable, embracing the shumil plushie with navy blue fur and golden eyes. I felt a genuine sense of satisfaction for taking the time to craft it. This particular shumil plushie held a sound-recording magic tool created by Raimund in Professor Hirschur’s laboratory. Although Lady Rozemyne wished for it to resemble a grun, I absolutely insisted on the idea of hearing her voice from a shumil, finding it irresistibly endearing.

Ah, Lady Rozemyne cuddling the plushie is just too adorable. I would love to have her alongside Schwartz and Weiss so I could gaze upon the delightful trio… Oh, but if I remember correctly, Lady Rozemyne mentioned wanting to present this shumil to Lord Ferdinand.

Suppressing a chuckle, I pictured Lord Ferdinand giving a stern look to the blue shumil. However, I maintained a composed demeanor, mindful that I was still on duty.

Lady Rozemyne, still confined to her bed due to an unyielding fever, reached out for the feystone nestled on the shumil’s stomach.

“Ferdinand, are you resting properly? Do be reasonable with your workload.”

“No matter how busy you are, you won’t have the strength to work if you don’t eat. And don’t just rely on potions. You need food as well.”

Lady Rozemyne nodded in satisfaction after confirming that the shumil could play back the recording correctly.

“Ferdinand would just throw this in a box, never to be seen again. Maybe I should gift it to Justus instead so that he can bring it out when necessary.”

While still embracing the shumil, Lady Rozemyne began to seriously contemplate something. Brunhilde, who was by my side, whispered in a hushed tone.

“Say, Lieseleta, do you agree that Lady Rozemyne also needs some warnings of this kind from Lord Ferdinand?”

“Shall I make another one, so that we may request him to record some words of warning?”

Although Lord Ferdinand had already moved to Ahrensbach, he would most likely come to the Royal Academy to escort Lady Detlinde during the Interduchy Tournament and the graduation ceremony. We should seize that opportunity to have him record a few light scoldings for Lady Rozemyne.

At the beginning of the current term at the Royal Academy, just a few words from Lord Ferdinand had the power to entirely uplift Lady Rozemyne’s spirits. Having the opportunity to hear his voice would undoubtedly bring her great comfort.

Lord Ferdinand is probably still the only person around whom Lady Rozemyne can allow herself to be pampered by and feel truly at ease.

I’ve often felt that she should let her fiancé, Lord Wilfried, pamper her. Yet, every time I witnessed Lady Rozemyne retreating to her hidden room to pen letters to Lord Ferdinand whenever something occurred, it seemed that the day for such a change was still very distant.

It appears she’s using the letters as a means to gather her thoughts and express her emotions…

Since Lord Ferdinand’s departure for Ahrensbach, Lady Rozemyne has become more adept at concealing her emotions. However, the frequency of her going into her hidden room has risen. Despite her improved ability to maintain a noble demeanor, her temple upbringing has somewhat skewed her common sense, making it challenging to discern when her perspective on a situation begins to deviate from ours.

She has even picked up my sister’s tactic of sidestepping issues with a smile.

I slouched with a sense of defeat, recalling my mother’s advice: “Children are swift in adopting the worst habits of those they are close to, so be mindful of your words around Lady Rozemyne.”

Forgive me, Mother. I could not prevent Lady Rozemyne from picking up Angelica’s undesirable habits.

“Lady Rozemyne.”

Philine walked into the room, carrying several letters.

“Lady Rozemyne, letters from Ehrenfest and Lady Letizia of Ahrensbach have arrived. It would be best to read them before the Interduchy Tournament.”

Brunhilde and I stepped back, giving Philine room to approach the bed. Wearing a smile, she, as an apprentice scholar, has the duty to check the contents before giving them to her.

“This letter appears to be one of the tasks that Lord Ferdinand set for Lady Letizia.” Philine continued. “This letter seems to be a task for you as well, it says here that you need to send a response that will serve as an example to Lady Letizia, using all the phrasing expected of a noble.”

“Oh no, Philine. I seem to have developed a fever.”

Lady Rozemyne seemed perturbed by this unexpected task from Lord Ferdinand, yet to my eyes, she wore an expression of genuine happiness. Clearly, Lord Ferdinand’s absence from Ehrenfest had left a considerable mark on Lady Rozemyne’s emotional state.

“I will read this first, to finish this task from Ferdinand as soon as possible,” Lady Rozemyne said. “Let’s see here…”

Lady Rozemyne started to read the letter gleefully, but her expression soon became troubled.

“…but what does she mean exactly? Considered alongside this line about Verdrenna’s visit changing the seasons, maybe she means to say that she’s thankful for her new learning environment under Ferdinand. So is she indirectly bragging about how good a teacher she has? But, no… this bit about the winter subordinate gods can also be interpreted as her struggling with the change…”

Rihyarda had been sorting through some clothes, but she left that task to Gretia and approached the bedside upon hearing Lady Rozemyne mutter to herself after finishing Lady Letizia’s letter.

“Milady, let us read it together,” Rihyarda said. “A response founded in misunderstandings would be quite disastrous.”

”…Please and thank you.”

Due to her temple upbringing, Lady Rozemyne has a hard time getting used to the indirect expressions common among the nobility. While she can converse in the refined manner expected of a noble, grasping the subtle intentions of others remains a challenge for her.

Noble euphemisms are intentionally vague so as to allow for a broad range of interpretations, but Lady Rozemyne occasionally chooses the most outrageous meanings among them.

There should not be any issues as long as she reads the letter together with Rihyarda or Muriella. I watched as they began reading the letter at her bedside and turned to look at Brunhilde.

“Brunhilde, I think I will excuse myself now and begin crafting the new shumil.”

“Certainly. Please go ahead.”

I stepped away from Lady Rozemyne and made my way to the clothing room. Once I gathered the sewing supplies, I began selecting the fabric for the new shumil. It was then that I saw Gretia, who had completed organizing the outfits, approaching me with an intrigued expression.

“Lieseleta, working on a new creation once more?”

Back in her Veronica faction days, Gretia endured teasing from male members within the faction. Due to that, Gretia was still hesitant to interact with Matthias and Laurenz, even though they were former members of the same faction and they had also given their names to Lady Rozemyne. As a result, she could usually be found working with one of the female attendants.

Gretia initially lacked confidence in handling nobles from greater duchies. However, shortly before becoming one of Lady Rozemyne’s retainers, Lady Rozemyne quickly established connections with various members of the royal family. While we have aimed to assign Gretia internal tasks, she still needed to acclimate to working with other duchies, despite finding it troublesome. Consequently, she demonstrated more experience in dealing with greater duchies compared to Lady Charlotte’s attendants.

Just the other day, Gretia remarked to me, “First there was the religious ceremony that involved royalty, and then the unorthodox ditter match against Dunkelfelger that could have greatly altered the direction of Lady Rozemyne’s life… compared to those events, I find that interacting normally with greater duchies is far more relaxing.”

I absolutely agree. When it comes to preparing for a tea party, I’m confident I can handle it, be it with greater duchies or even royalty.

I wished for Gretia to grow stronger, so that she may support Lady Rozemyne after my graduation.

“I plan to craft another shumil equipped with a sound-recording magic tool and request Lord Ferdinand to record some scoldings for Lady Rozemyne in it.”

“Scoldings from Lord Ferdinand? Whatever for?”

Gretia seemed taken aback. Having joined Lady Rozemyne’s service only this year at the Royal Academy, she was unaware of the relationship between Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand.

“Lord Ferdinand was the sole individual with whom Lady Rozemyne could let her guard down, treating him like family. Just the sound of his voice had the power to bring her comfort.”

”…She was that close to Lord Ferdinand?”

I shared the details of Lady Rozemyne’s bond with Lord Ferdinand with Gretia as I browsed through the fabric options. Ideally, I’d love to find a high-quality fabric in a light blue shade reminiscent of Lord Ferdinand, but if we do not have any on hand, I would need to consider dyeing it.

Once dyed, this white fabric might be the most suitable option.

Lady Rozemyne’s slow growth over the winter prompted us to stock the clothing room with an abundance of fabric to allow for simple alterations to her outfits. Recently, I even added some lace to the hem of Lady Rozemyne’s skirt to create the illusion of extra length.

“Lady Rozemyne was baptized as the child of Lord Karstedt and Lady Elvira, but Lady Elvira is not her true mother. Cornelius mentioned that they lived together as siblings for only a single season before her baptism.”

“They do not share the same mother? But they are on such good terms with each other…”

Lady Rozemyne and Gretia both acquired siblings through their baptisms. But apparently, Gretia had been tormented terribly by her own brother. She was astonished to hear that it was possible to be on good terms with one’s siblings after being baptized, despite not sharing the same mother.

“Gretia, you have only witnessed Lady Rozemyne and Cornelius interact within the Royal Academy’s dormitory, haven’t you? While they occasionally converse as siblings there, they usually dedicate themselves to their roles as master and guard knight and maintain a respectable distance from each other.”

I grabbed the white fabric and assessed its size to ensure it was sufficient for crafting a new shumil.

“Lady Rozemyne and Lady Elvira are certainly on good terms, but in my opinion, they behave more like a subordinate learning social skills and noble behavior from one’s superior, or perhaps like a student and teacher. It is clear to see that Lady Rozemyne takes great care to be on her best behavior around Lady Elvira. It is entirely different from the relationship between Lady Charlotte and Lady Florencia.”

Lady Rozemyne is also on good terms with her adoptive parents, the archducal couple. However, maybe because she is not their real daughter, it seems to me that she always keeps a certain level of formality with them. She may find it awkward to behave in a spoiled manner with the archducal couple in front of their real children.

“Lady Rozemyne is meticulous about upholding her facade, not just in public but even within the confines of her own room. The only instances where her demeanor undergoes a sudden shift are during her visits to the temple, and even then, it was only noticeable in the presence of Lord Ferdinand, her longtime guardian.”

”…I realize now that Lady Rozemyne must have been deeply affected by Lord Ferdinand’s departure for Ahrensbach. This is the first time that I have heard any of this.”

Lacking knowledge about our affairs, Gretia assumed Lord Ferdinand’s upcoming marriage into the greater duchy of Ahrensbach was a joyful event, thinking Lady Rozemyne felt similarly pleased with that outcome.

“Lady Rozemyne has taken on so many responsibilities at the Royal Academy this year that it seems she’s avoiding relaxation. Though it may appear she is having fun, her reading time now serves as an escape from the harsh reality she faces, a departure from the carefree enjoyment it used to be.”

Lady Rozemyne’s current behavior is akin to my sister Angelica, who used to load her schedule with extra training in the days leading up to her written exams. Angelica sought refuge from the mental strain by immersing herself in activities she loved, yet her guilty expression betrayed the awareness of her responsibilities.

”…What harsh reality is Lady Rozemyne trying to escape from, I wonder?”

“Even I cannot say for certain, but Lady Rozemyne’s emotional state became more fragile after Lord Ferdinand departed for Ahrensbach. She seems to prioritize him over her own family, and it’s evident that he holds a more significant place in her heart than her fiancé, Lord Wilfried. We can only hope that Lord Wilfried’s place in her heart will gradually take precedence…”

I had hoped that Lady Rozemyne and Lord Wilfried would find a way to meet each other halfway for the sake of their engagement. However, at the moment, they seem to be heading in opposite directions with little time for one another.

“There was also that declaration from the royal family.”

”…Indeed.”

We had not yet informed Lady Rozemyne, as she would no doubt attempt to leave her bed and gather more information without giving her fever time to recede, but we had received word from Lord Wilfried that the royal family had had some harsh words for us.

“Since Lady Rozemyne is crucial for the development of Ehrenfest, we must do all we can to ensure she is shielded.”

Throughout this year at the Royal Academy, Lady Rozemyne hadn’t experienced any collapses at tea parties, nor had she needed to cancel attendance due to sudden illness. She gained recognition for suggesting a Dedication Ritual at a tea party and playing a role as a mediator between royalty and the lesser and middle duchies. Gretia appeared uneasy at my remarks, lowering her gaze slightly.

“However, she has garnered the resentment of duchies whose students couldn’t enter Schutzaria’s shield. Some individuals might intentionally cause trouble, trying to distance Lady Rozemyne from our duchy due to their grudge against Ehrenfest. Both Lady Rozemyne and Lord Wilfried must be more vigilant than ever.”

◆

“Lieseleta, Lady Rozemyne is calling for you.”

Upon being summoned by Brunhilde, I returned to Lady Rozemyne’s side, only for her to request that I make another shumil plushie. It seems she intends to gift it to Lady Letizia.

“According to this letter, Lady Letizia is struggling to endure the intensity of Ferdinand’s training. We need to give her a few words to stop him.”

Lady Rozemyne’s expression brightened as she pondered the words that could be recorded using a sound-recording magic tool. Hearing her say things like, “Do not be too harsh when speaking,” “I would like some praise when I do well.” and “I hope you will praise me for working hard today,” I inexplicably felt a twinge of pain in my heart.

Perhaps it is not Lady Letizia who needs to hear those words, but Lady Rozemyne herself?

I refrained from voicing that thought, assured Lady Rozemyne that I would craft a shumil plushie for Lady Letizia, and got her approval to head back to the clothing room.

“Lady Rozemyne, may I join Lieseleta in crafting the plushie? If you intend to gift it to Lord Ferdinand during the Interduchy Tournament or the graduation ceremony, time is of the essence.”

“Give it your best effort, Muriella!”

Muriella, who was skilled with her hands, obtained Lady Rozemyne’s permission and joined me in the clothing room.

Perhaps I should use the white fabric I saw earlier to craft a shumil for Lady Letizia.

As I inspected the fabric, which was already trimmed to the right dimensions, Muriella approached me with a delighted expression, clutching her sewing tools.

“What’s on your mind, Muriella?”

“Don’t you think Lady Rozemyne is grappling with the desire to be the sole recipient of Lord Ferdinand’s attention? Surely it’s love. Such a beautiful yet fleeting emotion.”

“Lady Rozemyne and Lord Ferdinand don’t harbor such feelings for one another.”

Muriella responded while threading her needle, saying that even if they lacked romantic feelings, she was still free to dream.

I refrained from voicing my observation that they resembled more of an owner and their cherished pet. It would have been impolite to speak in such a manner about my lady. Yet, there were moments when I observed Lord Ferdinand and Lady Rozemyne, and the image of an owner attentively caring for a delicate yet unpredictable pet—a pet earnestly striving for approval but inadvertently causing disturbances and earning scoldings, crossed my mind.

There have been times when even I have had to resist the urge to fawn over Lady Rozemyne.

“By the way, Lieseleta, who will be escorting you during your graduation ceremony?”

Muriella, with a penchant for romantic tales, leaned in with eager eyes. It dawned on me that I had shared this news with others like Leonore and Philine, but those who joined Lady Rozemyne’s service this year at the Royal Academy were still unaware.

“You received requests from several knights to embroider their capes, correct? Weren’t some of them from other duchies as well?”

It’s true that I gained more attention from other duchies after Lady Rozemyne’s Dedication Ritual. However, as Lady Rozemyne’s attendant, I had no plans to marry into another duchy or choose a husband who might leak information to other duchies. My goal is to support Ehrenfest’s archducal family alongside my husband, following in my parents’ footsteps.

“My parents have already chosen my future partner. Have you met Lord Thorsten, one of Lord Wilfried’s scholars? He’s an archnoble with mana levels closer to a mednoble, and we’ve already completed the color-mixing ceremony.”

“Wait, really?!”

“There were no problems to speak of, so talks are proceeding amongst our parents. I believe that with Lord Thorsten as my partner, we can share information to help improve the relationship between Lord Wilfried and Lady Rozemyne.”

Lord Thorsten has a composed and collected demeanor. Since he has already come of age, we had only attended the Royal Academy together while I was still in my lower grades. Given that the plans for my older sister’s marriage are now in shambles, my parents are keen on staying in control of my marriage, especially as I am the designated successor to our house. They expressed immense satisfaction with the match, asserting that I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.

“Do you not have more exciting stories to share? Did you hear Bluanfah the Goddess Of Sprouts’ whispers, perhaps, when you met with Lord Thorsten again after so many years…?”

Muriella expressed her interest in love stories where the lovers defy their parents’ wishes and get married.

Muriella, having lost her parents in the purge and needing to give her name to survive, faces little chance of marriage. The plan was for her to give her name to Lady Elvira, potentially enabling her to marry with Lady Elvira’s support. However, as a relative of criminals, she will never fully escape that stigma. Perhaps her deep devotion to love stories stemmed from a sense of resignation about her own marital prospects.

”…It’s entirely reasonable for love to unfold in a more gradual manner. Having served Lady Rozemyne for three years, I’ve experienced my fair share of the tumultuous and unpredictable events often depicted in stories.”

During my first year of serving Lady Rozemyne, she fainted unexpectedly in the presence of Prince Anastasius, leaving me in a state of panic. During my second year, she collapsed at the library tea party in front of Prince Hildebrand, despite the fact that she was the host, so we were left scrambling to pick up the pieces. Now, in my third year, we found ourselves conducting a Dedication Ritual attended by the Zent himself, fortunately managing to carry it out smoothly.

“That’s quite a bit of excitement for a mednoble to go through in one lifetime, wouldn’t you say?”

Muriella suddenly raised her head as if she was startled and looked about in a troubled manner.

”…Both you and Leonore won’t be here next year, right?”

“Even after you give your name to Lady Elvira, you will still remain one of Lady Rozemyne’s retainers while you attend the Royal Academy. Now that Lord Ferdinand is no longer providing her guidance, she has started to expand her influence in all sorts of new directions. I will no longer be here after I have graduated, so please deal with any trouble that arises.”

Muriella froze in shock, horror etched across her face as she stared at my grin.