Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The day of my father’s arrival from the Archduke Conference had finally arrived, and I felt my hands tremble as I waited in the teleportation hall with my half-siblings. The air felt thick with anticipation and the only sounds that could be heard around the room were those of subdued breathing and one’s own heartbeats. Finally, after what felt like an entire bell, Aub Immerdink and Lady Edmunda appeared in the teleportation circle along with their retainers.

“Aub Immerdink, we are glad to see you back” we chanted in unison, still kneeling on the ground.

“Thank you, I am relieved to be back.” He stated as he made his way to leave the teleportation chamber. Before reaching the door, however, I felt his presence stop in front of me. Immediately I broke out into a cold sweat, me heart pounding violently against my ears.

“Octavius, I will send for you after the meeting” he declared simply, his voice sounding more exhausted than usual. I did not have the courage to turn my head to look at him, so instead I opted to keep my head down as I gave him a meek “Yes, father” in response.

As the Archducal Couple left the room the tension drained from my shoulders and I made my way to rise to my feet again. My retainers and I quickly moved to the sidelines to allow my half-siblings to vacate the room until it was finally just the three of us.

“Gelhardt, what would you make of my Father’s tone of voice?” I asked, slightly hesitant. Gelhardt shot his eyes up in thought and after a moment he spoke again “It was rather difficult to make out by just the sound but if I had to choose, I would say…exhausted might best describe it.”

I sighed. So it hadn’t been just me who’d noticed father’s unmistakable fatigue seeping through his voice. We took our leave from the teleportation hall last and decided that it would be best to await father’s summons in my chambers. Father had arrived at a little past third bell , so we  concluded that we would be waiting until at least after fourth bell and lunchtime till we were required again. In the end, however, we ended up needing to wait until fifth bell and a half to be called back.

We travelled the halls in the castle until we finally arrived at the meeting hall where we were summoned to by Aub Immerdink. I felt trepidation slowly seep into my heart as Baldemyr held the door open for me and I took my first step into the room. My eyes widened a bit as I took in the sight of a familiar-looking, purple haired girl. I tried to wipe the surprise off my face and donned a polite smile as I greeted her.

“Lady Murrenreue, it seems that Dregarnuhr has answered my prayers and woven our threads together once more.”

“So she has” she responded disinterestedly. Gelhardt stepped in front of me to the place marked as my own and pulled the chair out for me “This way, milord” he signaled. I smiled at him then at Lady Murrenreue again and went to take my seat.

I stole an occasional glance at the spot where Lady Murrenreue was leisurely chatting with her attendants, remembering when the last time I’d seen her had been. I knew that I had at least seen her right after my baptism ceremony, but she had been absent from the castle shortly after.

Lady Murrenreue, unlike Lord Faustus, Lord Lambert and Lady Innocencia, was not Father’s child by blood. She had been adopted briefly before her tenth birthday with the intention of marrying her either to Lord Faustus or Lord Lambert as a political connection to her home duchy, Gilessenmeyer.

 Although my nervousness had momentarily been quelled by the surprise of seeing her again, my breathing nearly stopped as I heard the door open with a click. Shortly after, my father, mother and their whole entourage came filing into the room in a neat line. I immediately started to rise from my seat just to have my father wave me down again, his tired eyes carefully scanning the room.

“Everyone may keep but one attendant and one guard knight of their choice. Everyone else, clear the room” he ordered, his voice reflecting every bit of the fatigue that was evident in his face.

Since I only had Gelhardt and Baldemyr with me at the time, I needed to do little else but wait in my seat for further instructions. Lady Murrenreue, however, looked nervously between her attendants and guard knights for a moment, then after a pause, kept an older woman as a retainer and a dashing young man as her guard knight.

“All who remain that are not of the archducal family, heed this warning; Everything that is discussed here today is, under no circumstance, to be divulged elsewhere.”

As if the tension had not been heavy enough to begin with, the room fell into an uncanny silence as we let the weight of the words spoken by the Aub sink in. All the retainers nodded in unison at once, and with that, father beckoned us closer as he activated the in-area sound blocking tool. A blue dome-like transparent wall surrounded us in an instant and father heaved a deep sigh. Mother by his side had a peaceful smile, but I could still see the faintest traces of worry deep in her indigo eyes.

“I have summoned you both here today for the purpose of discussing each of your futures and roles in the Archducal family of Immerdink,” my father started, his deep voice resonating through all of us at the table. His eyes flitted between Lady Murrenreue and me, until they eventually settled on her.

“Murrenreue, I do recall stating that as an Archduke Candidate at the Royal Academy, the task of keeping our duchy’s students on a tight rein and building positive relationships between Immerdink and other duchies befell you,” Father’s voice held no evident anger or antagonism in it, as was to be expected of an Archduke. His eyes, however, had a subdued fire within them as they held Lady Murrenreue’s gaze. I felt a chill travel down my spine and was suddenly struck with a fervent relief that I was not at the receiving end of such a glare. My eyes momentarily flitted towards her seat and I was able to catch a glimpse of her blanched, terrified face.

“Not only did you blatantly neglect your duties as Archduke Candidate, but you were unable to prevent such a shameful of an act as was the attack of one of our own students on another duchy’s Archduke Candidate. And on the Saint of Ehrenfest, no less!”

Lady Murrenreue made a motion to open her quivering lips to speak but was quickly silenced by a look from father once more.

“We cautioned you time and time again that your antagonism for Lady Rozemyne was not only unfruitful, but quite frankly foolish, and that it would not be tolerated any longer,” father’s wrath seemed to be radiating off of him in waves now, as even the retainers who were not privy to the conversation had turned a sickly shade of pale.

Father kept his gaze firmly on the girl as he continued with his speech “Despite my orders, you have chosen to defy me time and time again and thus have brought Caocipher down upon our duchy. We are now known as the only duchy - besides the treacherous Ahrensbach- that has openly opposed the incarnated goddess. Are you aware of just how much your thoughtless actions have affected us?”

For a brief period, I felt my stomach lurch as I processed what my father had just spoken. Just how big of an idiot did you have to be to antagonize someone as important as Lady Rozemyne of Ehrenfest? I glanced at mother briefly to see her eyes cast to the ground, her eyebrows tightly knit on her forehead. My eyes then traveled to the person in question, Lady Murrenreue, her face twisted in an indescribable grimace.

“I implore your forgiveness Aub Immerdink!” she exclaimed, dropping to her knees on the spot “It was never my intention to go against your wishes!”

Even from my seat, it was easy to tell that she was in deep distress as her whole body was overtaken by tremors. Mother, in stark contrast to father, gazed at her with the kindness and compassion that only a loving mother could muster in this type of situation.

Lady Murrenreue’s retainers gawked at the sight of her on the floor with open disbelief, the attendant even letting out a small gasp of terror at the sudden turn of events. At last, father heaved a deep sigh again and spoke once more.

“Then just why have you done something as foolish as publicly mocking the Ehrenfest Archduke Candidate? Did she do something that caused you to take offense?”

Lady Murrenreue, who remained on the floor, looked pitifully up at father, her eyes scanning the room around her as if silently pleading for someone to come to her aid. After a few moments, however, she realized that her wishes would go unfulfilled. She chewed anxiously on her lip before letting her shoulders fall in defeat.

“I was merely following orders…” she whispered, bowing her head even further down.

Father sighed heavily again- a sound that was becoming oh too frequent as of late- and rubbed his temples “And just whose orders do you deem to take precedence before those of your Aub’s”

Lady Murrenreue bit down on her lip again, this time looking like she might actually draw blood from it, and downcast her eyes. Father waited in silence for a moment but after a while it became clear to everyone that Duldsetzen had left him long ago. His rage finally peaked as he brought his fist down upon the table, his composed aura now nowhere to be found.

“Answer, Murrenreue!” he shouted, his voice reverberating between those of us who were able to hear it.

“Eep!” lady Murrenreue let out a pathetic squeal as her shaking intensified, her clenched fists holding on to nothing but the skirt of her dress. I couldn’t blame her though, as this was the first time I’d ever seen father so angry before. His usually kind and calm demeanor was now replaced by a side of him that I had never had the displeasure of knowing.

It was mother’s soft and tame voice that finally broke the standstill that had been created between father and Murrenreue “Dearest, shouting at this point is unlikely to bring us anywhere,” she sighed, bringing her hand to her cheek and gracing us with a calm smile.

Before my eyes I was able to see the very image of Ewigeliebe’s ice being swiftly melted by Geduldh’s warmth as my father set his eyes upon my mother. She put her hand softly on my father’s back and started to rub, then turned her eyes onto Murrenreue.

“Lady Murrenreue, I understand that you are now probably in a very difficult position. However, I think it would benefit us all greatly if you would disclose your motives now so that you are not seen as a possible traitor to our duchy,”

Lady Murrenreue’s eyes widened as she turned her head towards my mother at this remark “It has never been my intention to-“ she started to say, but was quickly cut off by my mother.

“Your intention in the grand scheme of things is null” she said, her firm yet kind smile never leaving her face “The fact remains that your actions have thus far proven detrimental to the duchy you have sworn to protect. If there are any external motivations for your previous misdeeds, I would advise you to first and foremost consider the position you are in before you accept or refuse to provide us with information.”

Murrenreue cast her eyes down again, now deep in thought. I could see sweat beads forming on her brow and, after a while of fidgeting, her head finally rose and she nodded.

“Please understand that what I am about to say is very difficult, as it involves not only Immerdink, but also my home duchy, Gilessenmeyer.”

Father’s eyes wavered for the first time since he had started his rampage on Lady Murrenreue, but he gestured for her to continue nonetheless.

“I was only told the absolute necessary so as not to jeopardize any of the finer machinations of whatever the end goal was,” she took a deep breath and then, as if steeling her resolve, began to speak again “Many of us Archduke Candidates were tasked with building relationships with greater duchies and gathering information from lesser ones, that much is true. When Lady Rozemyne started her first year at the Royal Academy there were already various rumors circulating about her. I had caught wind of a few that seemed so outlandish it was laughable, but for some reason, the rumors of her temple upbringing were the ones that took much more strength,”

I listened intently, trying to piece together as much information as I could. Lady Rozemyne would regrettably be gone once I enrolled in the academy, so any information I could scrape together about her was absolutely invaluable.

Murrenreue continued, hunching over herself more and more as if hoping that this would somehow make her disappear altogether. “However, by the end of the year we quickly realized that she was a force to be reckoned with, temple upbringing or not. She was not only a brilliant student, but an excellent musician and composer. And to top it all off, it looked like she was thoroughly even in terms of mana even with the Archduke candidates of greater duchies,”

I widened my eyes a little, taking in everything that had just been said. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, but it seemed that Lady Rozemyne was astounding even before becoming the incarnation of a goddess.

“When I relayed all this information back, everyone thought it to be an exaggeration…” she pressed on, tears now threatening at the corners of her eyes “Everyone but Lady Edmunda dismissed me as having failed to gather proper information.”

Father closed his eyes tightly and pressed his fingers against his temples. By the looks of it, he was remembering an instance where even he had passed her comments off as ridiculous.

“All the middle and lesser duchies swiftly realized that Ahrensbach, for whatever reason, seemed to openly oppose Lady Rozemyne as even their dorm advisor and their Archduke Candidate, Lady Detlinde, were hostile with her at every chance they got. When I informed Lady Edmunda of all this, she advised that this was an excellent opportunity to get in good graces with a greater duchy while also unifying middle and lesser duchies in one common objective. Since outshining Lady Rozemyne ourselves in any manner was nigh impossible, we would instead do everything in our power to drag her down.”

There was an eerie silence as she finished speaking, her words still hanging heavily over our heads.  The fact that Lady Murrenreue had gone against the Aub’s whishes was bad enough to warrant a severe punishment. However, it was Lady Edmunda’s plotting and possible league with the now condemned Ahrensbach that truly spelled a recipe for disaster.

If I was able to understand our situation so quickly then surely mother and father had already reached the same conclusion long before me. I glanced back at them nervously, trying to get a feel of just how grave the situation was. Father’s eyes were tightly shut while mother’s smile seemed to be twitching slightly at the corners.

Finally, after a long pause, father opened his eyes once more and sighed as he began to speak “It seems you were not the only one to blame. My inability to see things that have been laid out before me has also blindsided me to a truth that I did not want to deal with,”

Mother looked at father with sympathy in her eyes, but she never once made an attempt to correct his words, instead keeping a soothing hand on his shoulder at all times. Just as Lady Murrenreue’s eyes started to fill with expectation at the Aub’s words, he swiftly continued in his statement, subsequently smothering the embers of hope that had begun to ignite.

“The fact remains that you have incurred in a grave transgression for which you must be punished accordingly. Normally your sentence would be set in stone, but seeing as I was partly to blame for having neglected to take part in your education, I lay three different options before you.”

Lady Murrenreue’s eyes wavered with uncertainty, but she nodded her head nonetheless, knowing that she was getting far more consideration than she would ever get at any other duchy.

“First, you may be disowned by the Archducal Family of Immerdink and be returned to your home duchy to face the consequences of your actions. Your disownment would of course include the degradation of your status from Archduke Candidate to Archnoble.”

Her face blanched once again, making me worried that she would actually pass out right then and there. She probably had to common sense to know that if she returned to her duchy disowned and an Archnoble, her stay there would be anything but pleasant. Being adopted into another duchy’s archducal family as an Archnoble and then seeing yourself disowned was about the most shameful thing that could happen to someone. If they showed her kindness, they would just turn her into a servant and leave it at that. If they really wanted to make her miserable, though, they would let her live as a noble with that permanent stain on her reputation for the rest of her life.

“Second,” he declared again, as he brought up a second finger “You may remain an archducal family member, but you will be detained in a separate wing next to the castle. You will no longer be allowed to socialize within Immerdink, and upon coming of age, you shall be married to Aub Lindenthal’s brother, Lord Arnulf, as a third wife,”

On a surface level, it would seem like this offer was quite generous on father’s part, as she would not have to disgrace herself by being disowned and she would get to keep her pride to an extent by marrying into the Archducal family of another duchy. The truth was, however, that this proposal would be hard to stomach for any woman, let alone a young lady the age of Murrenreue. I saw my mother gently bring a hand to her mouth, in what I assumed was an attempt to cover up a grimace of disgust. I had coincidentally heard mother speak to her retainers every now and then with hushed, secretive voices, about Lord Arnulf of Lindenthal.

The man had an infamous reputation for only marrying young, beautiful girls and then discarding them when they reached a certain age or when their beauty had waned throughout the years. This, coupled with the fact that he was neither young nor good-looking, made for a combination that struck dread in the hearts of maidens all over Yurgenschmidt at the mere thought of having to be in proximity with such a man.

Murrenreue must have obviously heard the rumors herself as she started to manically shake her head from side to side.

“N-no! Please do not bestow that curse upon me Aub Immerdink! Even the Ivory Tower would sound like a paradise of the gods compared to a life with Lord Arnulf!”

Father raised his eyebrow a bit at this sudden burst of emotion but waved her down nonetheless “Do calm down, Murrenreue, you still have one option to consider.”

She rose her tear-streaked face to look at father again and shivered in anticipation of what her last lifeline had in store for her.

“Your third and last option” father said, pausing a moment as if thinking it over first. He gave mother a look, almost looking for her approval. She gave him a small, almost unnoticeable nod and he sighed and continued onward as if looking resigned “Your third option, is to have your adoption and connection to Lady Edmunda dissolved and be adopted by myself and my second wife, Lady Ingeborg.”

I felt my jaw slack wide as I stared in what I could imagine was a very rude manner at my father and mother. My eyes met my mother’s for a second, silently requesting my silence as she smiled softly at me. I turned my eyes to Murrenreue instead, her eyes wide as saucers as if she was very cautiously allowing hope back into her heart.

“You…you would grant me such an opportunity?” she breathed, gazing at the Aub and then at my mother at his side. My father shook his head again, however, ending her hopes once more and began to speak “I do not do this with your wellbeing in mind. It is true that you deserve punishment for your actions but I think that disowning an archducal family member with an abundance of mana is far too wasteful. Instead, I would much rather have you dedicate your mana to the duchy by means of the temple and religious ceremonies. “

All at once Lady Murrenreue’s body recoiled violently upon hearing the temple being mentioned, her face morphing into a grimace of disgust “T-the temple?” she asked, her voice shaking as if she wanted to cry again.

Father nodded, studied her momentarily, and then turned his eyes to me. It was the first time during the meeting that our eyes had met, but I felt myself straighten up immediately at his sight.

“I will not go into further detail with you until your previous adoption has been dissolved and your new adoption has taken place. Also, as you must know, I cannot have my dear wife or children taking even the smallest risk with having someone wholly untrustworthy so near them. Therefore, I must ask you to either sign a binding contract or to give up your name. If you were to choose this option you will only be obliged to serve in the temple from now until up to two years after becoming of age. Once that happens, I shall look for an appropriate marriage candidate for you, and you may continue your life as if nothing had occurred.”

Lady Murrenreue looked absolutely mortified as she bit down on her lip so hard, she looked just about ready to pierce right through it. After a pause that seemed to dread on for an eternity she finally let her shoulders fall “I shall take the third choice…” She whispered quietly, her voice coming out with a quake.

Father’s eyes hardened for a moment, but nodded. Mother, however, reached her hands out and took Lady Murrenreue’s into hers.

“Let us work our very hardest for the sake of the duchy” she said, giving her a look of warmth. Murrenreue on the other hand looked completely taken aback by this gesture, as she stared blankly back at Mother and nodded.

“You may take your leave now. And do remember to keep this under the strictest of silences, lest you ruin your sole chance of redemption.” My father cautioned as the girl in question bowed her head meekly and rose, immediately donning a noble smile on her face; her sickly pale skin color the only reminiscence of the turbulent discussion that had just now taken place. She turned to her worried attendant behind her and gestured to her “Ramona” as they made to exit the room.

The hall stayed in silence for sometime until my father exhaled and visible deflated in his chair, my mother gently rubbing his back. He took a moment to compose his self again and then rose his head, his eyes now boring into me. I stiffened on instinct at his glare but kept it, nonetheless, as I had been taught.

“Now, let us discuss your situation Octavius,” he said, his voice still filled with authority but not nearly as harsh as it had been previously.

“Yes father,” I answered, giving him a small nod.

“Tell me, what did you think about our previous exchange?” he asked, his eyes looking at me as if he was thoroughly studying me.

“Um…I think you were very merciful with Lady Murrenreue. She would surely not receive this kindness elsewhere.” I responded after careful consideration.

Father sighed and said “Merciful, huh?” under his breath. Then he turned to look at me again, his gaze firm.

“You must learn to look beyond what you want to see, Octavius. If I were truly trying to be merciful, I would have had her wed into a middle or lower ranking duchy to a normal archnoble, if only to be rid of her meddling. Tell me, why do you think she had such a hard time pondering between the other two nightmarish scenarios I’d laid out for her and the last lifeline thrown her way?”

I felt realization starting to dawn on me like a bucket of cold water, as I started to comprehend what my father was trying to demonstrate.

“The temple is not looked upon kindly by nobles in the slightest.” My mother’s kind word picked up where my father’s have trailed off “As your parents, we would like to protect you from any and all malicious intent heading your way. However, if you have set your heart on serving at the temple of your own volition then know that it will be at the behest of other nobles looking down upon you.” I turned to look at my mother; her eyes were filled with love as usual, but her face had traces of anguish scattered upon it.

“Octavius,” father called, my body quickly reacting as I turned to face him again “This will, by no means, be an easy road for you…do you still wish to tread forward? Is this truly what you desire?”

My father’s eyes and words were so intense I felt myself staggering back. I had never blatantly encounter disdain or any other form of rejection from any nobles aside form father’s first wife and her children. One could even say that my life had been fairly protected up until that point, all thanks to my parents’ relentless efforts.

I understood that this was a last resort on their part to try and get me to come to my senses and protect me from a path that would most likely bring me grief. This, however, did nothing to deter the resolve I felt burning within me since that fateful day.

I took a moment to answer, though my mind was already more than made up.

“Father, I wish to be blessed and loved by the gods as Lady Rozemyne is. We pray to them every day and they answer our pleas ever so graciously…I refuse to believe that a place made for their adoration is to be looked down upon. In any case, it is us, that have made it out to be like this.”

Father looked surprised while mother only looked at me with pride and affection. Finally, I saw the smallest hint of a smile on father’s face as he nodded.

“I think this can only be said by those who witnessed Lady Rozemyne’s whirl, but it is quite clear to me now that the god’s will answer our call so long as we invoke them with sincerity.” He paused briefly, gazing fondly at me and then continued “Very well, if this is what you truly desire, I will not stand in your way son.”

Happiness exploded in my heart, filling it to the brim and spreading a warmth over my chest. Before I could express my gratitude, however, my father spoke again, barely cutting me off.

“You will have to explain to your preselected retainers your situation, nonetheless, to see if they are still willing to serve you in spite of your new position. I am only allowing your pursuit of such a strange desire because I too believe that rituals will take great importance in the years to come, but your retainers can still refuse you if they discover that your new path does not align with their own, even if it is just until you come of age.”

I froze, completely aware now, that I had taken for granted even my most trusted retainers, Gelhardt and Baldemyr. I would still be introduced to my apprentice retainers, but right now I had just been made to make due with the castle’s attendants as my adult retainers were still being trained.

“Yes Father.” I said, nodding meekly. He nodded back at me and made a waving motion with his hand “Be sure to summon your attendants posthaste, you are excused.”

I rose from my chair and swiftly made to leave the room, a strange feeling of euphoria and dread warring inside me. On one hand I had been permitted by my father, the highest authority in Immerdink, to pursue my ambitions of entering the temple to learn more about the gods. On the other hand, I was at risk of being rejected by most if not all of my retainers.

“Gelhardt, if you could please summon my retainers in training and my apprentice retainers to the tea party room. I have urgent matters that must be discussed. Also… you and Baldemyr must listen to what I have to say as well, as it involves both of your futures.”

Gelhardt and Baldemyr exchanged dubious, worried looks, but nodded nevertheless. “As you will, milord.” He answered simply as they both escorted me back to my chambers.

Gelhardt began to work on my request immediately, and although it was a little late, had managed to successfully summon all of my retainers in training in the nearest available room at right before sixth bell rang. By the time sixth bell made its way around I was nothing but a trembling mess, but I did my best to appear confident and regal as their lord.

As we walked into the room, I saw that Gelhardt had indeed managed to gather every last one of my retainers, a very impressive feat considering how busy an average usually was and how late in the day they had all been requested.

They all knelt before me in three rows separating them by role; four knights, three attendants and four scholars. “Good day everyone, you may rise. I do apologize for summoning you all here so very suddenly. I understand it was very rude on my part, but the matter in question that I am about to discuss with you requires my immediate attention.”

They all rose to their feet, a smile in each of their faces, though I could also see hints of doubt and worry. Gelhardt led me to a seat before I continued speaking, and when I was all settled in, I continued with my discourse.

“Gelhardt, please activate the on-area sound blocking tool” I instructed. Gelhardt swiftly did as he was told with only a brief “At once,” as a response.

“Lord Octavius, we are ever so pleased to have been called upon to meet you today…but we cannot help the feelings of uncertainty bubbling in our chest after such an abrupt summons.”

It was Cassian, an archnoble adult attendant in training, who spoke first, breaking the stalemate tension that had built between my retainers and I.

“I understand your reason for concern…and I cannot say it is unfounded. First, let me start by telling you that I intend to join the temple once Aub Immerdink gives me his instruction.”

I heard a few shocked gasps go around the room and I saw a few of my female scholar retainers bring their hands delicately to their mouths. The room fell silent for a moment and I tried to take in the reactions on everyone’s faces. All of their expressions ranged from shock, to concern to uncertainty; everyone except for two.

“I understand that serving someone who has willingly entered the temple might not align with some of your beliefs, but if that is the case, I ask that you be honest with me and let me know. I assure you that your decision will not be weaponized against you in the future.”

I saw a few of my retainers exchange uncertain glances with one another, then finally, one of them spoke up; a fourth-year apprentice archknight with deep brown curls and light violet eyes.

“Milord, forgive the rudeness of what I am about to ask, but I believe it is imperative for us to be able to make an unbiased decision…Was this choice of your own will?”

The other retainers looked at me with expectant eyes, waiting with bated breath to hear my answer.

“Do not apologize, Llewellyn, I understand your concerns,” I paused a moment to gather my thoughts and continued “I know this might seem highly suspicious due to the suddenness of it all. I myself did not expect to have such a goal in mind until just very recently. But to answer your question, yes, this is entirely my own selfish ambition. Of course, I would not spend all of my time in the temple as I cannot take the liberty of relegating my duties in the castle on to someone else. I do expect, however, that the temple will take up a considerable amount of my time; that is why I ask that you consider this carefully before making your decision.”

I tried to answer as honestly as possible even though everything was still very much up in the air. I hoped that this would give my retainers a sense of security that their lord would not hold this against them even if they did decide to exit my service. Llewellyn looked contemplative for a while, his eyes firmly glued to the floor, then turned his gaze towards me once again, a sincere smile plastered on his face.

“My family accompanied Lady Ingeborg from Drewanchel to Immerdink, always keeping loyalty to her and her children as our highest priority. It would sully our good name as former nobles of a greater duchy to abandon our lords and ladies in their time of need. I shall stay in your service, my lord.”

I felt my eyes widen as I took in his words. It was entirely true that Llewellyn’s family had followed my mother here from Drewanchel, but I’d had no idea how entirely loyal and dedicated they were to her until now. Shortly after his bold declaration however, it became clear that this mindset was not only true for Llewellyn’s family, but for all of the families that had left Drewanchel to accompany my mother. My other three archknights: Zachary, Thaddeus and Santiago all declared their loyalty towards me and their continued service as well, stating that no self-respecting knight would ever abandon their charge even in the face of the harshest adversity.

“I appreciate your loyalty to me and my mother but… shouldn’t this be something to discuss with your parents? I shudder the thought of you committing yourself to something your parents do not approve of.” 

They all gave me fearless, invincible smiles, declaring that while they would inform their parents, they were sure that not a single one would protest. It was when I noticed Baldemyr quietly nodding along to their words that I suddenly remembered that he was Thaddeus’ older brother.

“Baldemyr, do you also plan to stain in my service?” I asked, still a little fearful of his rejection. My worries were for naught, however, as he gave a kind smile and knelt before me.

“Lord Octavi

us, you are my one and only lord. I would follow you into any battle”

“As would I,” stated Gelhardt taking a knee beside my guard knight “Er…Though I cannot say I would be of any use in a battle field.” He concluded shortly after, earning a small chuckle from Baldemyr and the other knights. I looked upon them fondly, a pleasant warmth filling my chest. I had been so worried that they would not continue in my service after I told them I was joining the temple that I had been forced to start thinking about how I would be replacing my whole retinue.

“I thank for your loyalty” I declared simply as I gestured them to stand. Gelhardt shook his head softly, still smiling kindly “Loyalty is not something that is owed to someone, milord, it is something that is earned.”

Before I could ask him what he had meant by that, a voice broke through the silence, confirming what Gelhardt had just said “Indeed, you have been nothing but an ideal archduke candidate, lord Octavius. I would likewise be happy to accompany you anywhere, even the temple.” I turned to look at the source of the voice and found none other than Cassian looking at me warmly from where he stood. “Cassian?” I breathed, a little surprised that he had decided to remain in my service so quickly. He had just recently completed his training under Gelhardt and was now due to be my other adult attendant so his declaration made me quite relieved, but he was still yet to formally enter my service, so his willingness to stay by my side came as a pleasant surprise, to say the least.

He chuckled a bit, noticing my surprise “I have trained under Gelhardt for a year before you left your mother’s protection in the side building, and have unmistakably seen just how proud he and Baldemyr are to be in your service. The hard work you put into your duties, even if you are not slated to become the next archduke, speaks volumes on just how much you care for our duchy. I cannot think of a more honorable lord to serve.” He concluded with a smile. I was a little surprised that he saw me in such a light, but it had possibly been Gelhardt’s praise of me winning him over more than anything else. One of the apprentice attendants by his side whom I recognized as Vincent, a high-ranking mednoble, was nodding along to what Cassian had just declared, stating that while he would also discuss the matter with his parents, he did not think they would take issue with his serving me. While I was glad that Vincent had also decided to remain with me, it was the other boy’s reaction that elicited the most wonder from me. His face told of careful consideration and deep distress as he kept his eyes cast to the floor.

“Ulbert, is there something on your mind?” I asked, unable to hide the worry in my voice. This was never intended to be an ultimatum to my retainers, and the fact that some may have taken it that way, worried me profoundly. His head snapped up at the sound of my voice, and for the swiftest of moments, I could see uneasiness cloud his green eyes.

“I…I apologize milord. This is especially hard for me to say after witnessing such unwavering displays of loyalty but… I must confess that my resolve is not ironclad.” He admitted, letting his shoulders fall at his sides as he hung his head in what I presumed was shame.

I shook my head immediately as I gave him the kindest smile I could muster, a part of me a bit relieved that he’d had the courage to declare that he was not sure about staying with even in spite of all the pressure he must have felt. The very last thing I wanted was for someone to remain by my side out of fear or obligation.

“Please, do not apologize. I stated from the beginning that this would most certainly not be used against you. I understand the incomprehensible position my selfishness has put you in.”

His eyes went wide as he started to wave his hands frantically in front of him “No, please milord, you should not concern yourself with our thoughts. You are already giving us far more say in this than we deserve.”

I lingered on his words and knew that he was entirely correct. Normally, once a retainer had already been set to serve someone of the archducal family, the only way to leave their service gracefully was if their lord or lady was sent off to another duchy and the retainer did not wish to accompany them.

“The truth is,” he continued, drawing my mind back to the matter at hand, “That if this were solely up to me, I would not hesitate in joining you. However…I doubt my parents will overlook the stigma that comes with being associated to the temple.”

“Indeed,” I answered calmly “That is precisely why I would like to join.” My statement begot a few raised eyebrows from my retainers all around, as they were no doubt struggling to understand what I meant.

I took a moment to decide how best to put my thoughts into words before elaborating, and then continued, “I shall not go into details about how I came to the conclusion that I came to, but it is now clear to me that the reputation that precedes the temple is completely unwarranted. My wish is to be able to prove that a place that houses the gods we worship is not something to be looked down upon.” A few of my retainers looked impressed, others looked surprised and other just plain skeptical. I chuckled lightly at their wide array of emotions before composing myself and carrying on.

“I understand that this will not be easy or will it be quick, nonetheless. That is why I have no intention of dragging any of you into this against your will. If there are any more of you here that harbor even the smallest trace of doubt within your hearts, please do not be afraid to speak up.”

There was a moment of silence amongst my retainers, then suddenly two mednoble scholars stepped forward as well, apparently emboldened by my transparency and Ulbert’s declaration.

“We would also be delighted to continue in your service milord…”

“But as mere mednobles, we must first and foremost take our parents and our houses into consideration.” They said, hanging their heads in shame.

“Anthony, Suphya, please do not look so down. I am glad you have taken into consideration your positions and how it may impact your life. Rest assured that your decision on the matter will not see you affected in the least.” They gave me weak half smiles as the patted their chest, but I could also see that they were beginning to grow uncomfortable under the looks of my other retainers, a sign for me to begin wrapping up the meeting.

“Theodosia, Quentin” I called to the remaining two archscholars at their sides. They quickly turned their heads to look at me, a quiet anticipation in their eyes “I take your silence to mean that you will also consider remaining by my side?” They both smiled at me and nodded, not a hint of doubt in their eyes.

“We would be ever so delighted to be of use to you now and in the future as well.” Theodosia voiced, her sunset-colored locks bouncing around her face.

“Let us work hard, for the sake of our duchy.” continued Quentin, his brown eyes alight. I nodded to both of them in recognition of their loyalty and turned to address my retainers as a whole.

“I thank all those who have decided to remain with me,” I gestured to the side where the retainers that would be staying had gathered at. “And to those of you who have decided to part ways, please know that I hold no ill will to you or your houses, much less take this as a personal offense. I pray that even if Dregarnuhr decides to intertwine our threads no longer, you live peacefully and happily for the rest of your days.”

With that, I dismissed my retainers until only Gelhardt and Baldemyr were with me once again.