Prayers to the Goddess of Separation

「Adolphine-sama, this way.」

After concluding the discussion, the royal family exits Ehrenfest’s tea room surrounded by their respective retainers emerging from the waiting room.

「Zent Trauerqual, what will be the punishment from the avatar of the goddess…?」

「We anticipated being executed as sinners, but she instead chose to give Eglantine Grutrissheit, while Sigiswald and I are to become Aubs. It seems we cannot easily escape our positions of responsibility. We will be busy until the Archduke Conference.」

Trauerqual-sama gives a brief explanation to his retainers with a troubled smile. Upon hearing those words, a sense of resentment and anger wells up within me.

……Such irresponsibility, not befitting a Zent…

I can understand the difficulties of governing without Grutrissheit. There was also little he could do regarding the trug, which is unknown in Yurgenschmidt, administered by his own Knight Commander.

However, I cannot say the same for his behavior, showing no intention of taking responsibility as the Zent leading to such unrest. What he said was “I will accept any punishment, even if it means all members of the royal family are held collectively responsible”. What I had hoped he would say was “I will serve the avatar of the goddess and Ferdinand-sama to make up for shortcomings as much as possible.”

……Is he not ashamed of himself for leaving the cleanup to a young woman like Eglantine-sama?

He must have overlooked Sigiswald-sama’s similar displays of arrogance and tyranny for so long because he does not consider escaping responsibility to be shameful. I truly empathize with Ferdinand-sama, who mentioned their striking resemblance.

My trust in Trauerqual-sama significantly diminished after the recent discussion. He attempted to choose the Ivory Tower for me without obtaining my consent. Even if he was to express an opinion on my divorce as Zent, I have no need to sincerely accept his viewpoint. It is sufficient for me to treat him as the Aub of a separate duchy.

……The avatar of the goddess has granted me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Regardless of what the royal family says, I will divorce Sigiswald-sama. Jugereise, Goddess of Separation. Please grant me your blessings and protection.

As I leave the tea room of Ehrenfest, I see the backs of those turning towards the doors leading to the royal palace and villas. I tightly grip the charm inscribed with Jugereise’s mark that I made myself.

「Let’s go.」

After surveying the faces of my retainers, I take a step in the opposite direction of the royal family. At a brisk pace, I head towards Drewanchel’s tea room while holding my Schtappe and lightly tapping the yellow feystone that my attendant handed me, transforming it into a white bird.

「Father, it’s Adolphine. I will be getting a divorce, and thus return to Drewanchel. Please open the door to the tea room.」

I had previously contacted him saying, “There may be significant changes during today’s discussion. Please prepare the broach of authentication and wait in the dormitory.” Because of this, my Ordonnanz flies straight ahead.

「Wait, Adolphine!」

I see Sigiswald-sama noticing my change in direction and start chasing after me, but I have no intention of stopping obediently. I ignore him and continue walking, accelerating my pace.

「The attendants shall inform the tea room of our arrival. Guard knights, block the corridor to buy some time. Just enough until Father arrives is sufficient.」

「At once!」

The retainers I brought with me today are from Drewanchel. They all understand the position I was placed in since the marriage and how unpleasant Sigiswald-sama’s behavior has been.

「Step aside! Aren’t you members of the Central Knights? Are you refusing to obey the orders of me, a member of the royal family?」

「Our only master is Adolphine-sama, who is also a member of the royal family.」

「How dare you block my path. Does Drewanchel want to be accused of rebellion too?」

Sigiswald-sama threatens the guard knights, but the doors to Drewanchel’s tea room open at the same time, and Father emerges. He glances at me, standing in front of the door, and Sigiswald, who is a short distance away in the corridor.

「Adolphine, Prince Sigiswald, what is the meaning of this divorce business?」

「The premise behind our marriage agreement has disappeared. If we continue things as they are, the duchy’s interests will be lost. Father, no, Aub Drewanchel, we need a prompt decision. I have received word that there is no problem from the avatar of the goddess bestowing Grutrissheit to Yurgenschmidt.」

By successfully establishing a connection with Father, a crucial key to my divorce, there is no doubt that I have taken a step closer to completing it. I feel a sudden wave of relief.

「Adolphine, this discussion should be held after things calm down… At the very least, we need to discuss what information can be publicized among the members of the royal family before talking to Drewanchel. Why are you acting so unreasonably?」

Because I expect to either be locked up in the palace like last year’s Archduke Conference until I withdraw my divorce request, or to be pressured by the power of royal authority to “reconsider”, or even be forced to share a bed and render me unable to divorce.

「I already expressed my intentions, and they have not changed. If there is anything to discuss among the royal family, feel free to do so. I am returning to Drewanchel, so please inform me of whatever you decide. I have no intention of returning to the palace, where there may be a certain someone ordering me to enter the bridal bed just to prevent a divorce.」

Father and Sigiswald-sama widen their eyes as if caught off guard by my words. Father’s expression turns stern, showing his displeasure, while Sigiswald-sama briefly puts on a serious face before covering it with a smile to hide his emotions.

「Adolphine. Shouldn’t you be ashamed as a noblewoman to speak about private matters like this in the corridors of the Royal Academy?」

「Oh Sigiswald-sama, is this not when you swear in front of my Father that you will never engage in the despicable behavior I mentioned?」

Compared to the possibility of being sent back to the palace and ordered to share a bed, there is no question that divorcing him right away and cutting ties is the best choice I can make.

「Sigiswald-sama, I believe you said you wished to wait a year before sharing a bed with my daughter? The Archduke Conference is still to come, but did you have some sort of exchange that made her cautious, such as demanding she not divorce? I would like to hear the details.」

Father steps forward before me and confronts Sigiswald-sama, who is still trying to argue with me but refuses to outright deny my suspicions. No doubt he has seen how the interests of the duchy come into play.

「Adolphine, enter the tea room.」

「Aub Drewanchel, Adolphine. I’m deeply sorry, but considering the viewpoint of information leakage, I cannot overlook your return to Drewanchel at this point in time. It’s sudden, but I would like to discuss the contract at the palace.」

The offer for a discussion comes from Trauerqual-sama, as he approaches from behind Sigiswald-sama. If we can quickly reach a formal agreement, that would be the best outcome. Father glances at me before nodding.

「Very well, if my daughter is allowed to be present.」

Father requested this because he and Trauerqual-sama are the ones who signed the marriage contract in the first place. Only those two, along with the Zent, who is in charge of approving contracts between nobles, are sufficient for the contract. It is possible to exclude me and Sigiswald-sama even if we are the parties involved in the marriage. But if that were to happen, there is a high possibility that they will conceal essential information from Father.

「I will allow it.」


The meeting at the palace includes the newly appointed Zent Eglantine-sama, Anastasius-sama, Trauerqual-sama, Ralfrieda-sama, Sigiswald-sama, me, and Father, making a total of seven individuals.

「Aub Drewanchel, how much have you heard from Adolphine?」

「I know very little. Only that I should prepare the broach of authentication to allow entry into Drewanchel dormitory after noon, and that the details cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality of royalty.」

「In that case, swear to remain silent about what we discuss from now until the inauguration ceremony in four days. The same goes for Adolphine. Only after we have exchanged the contract of silence can you be allowed to return to Drewanchel.」

Father was informed about the king of Lanzenave invading Yurgenschmidt and how Trauerqual-sama would take responsibility by stepping down from the position of Zent. As well as how Eglantine-sama will become the new Zent, given Grutrissheit by the avatar of the goddess, Rozemyne-sama.

「That’s why when the premises of her marriage crumbled, Adolphine sought a divorce.」

「Indeed, the conditions may have crumbled, but we have spent nearly a year together, and are blessed by the Supreme Gods. I intend to continue with Adolphine as my wife while we spend our lives together.」

Father looked at me in response to Sigiswald-sama’s words. Before I could reply, Ralfrieda-sama spoke up first.

「Aub Drewanchel, even in a political marriage, a woman wants to support her husband as much as possible. Adolphine-sama must feel the same way, so I think we should respect those feelings, wouldn’t you agree?」

Sigiswald-sama nodded approvingly. I’m sure Ralfrieda-sama personally wants to support her husband despite being in a political marriage.

「Trauerqual-sama must be a wonderful husband considering how three wives support him so devotedly. I also wanted a husband who talks about something other than duty or perseverance. I’m truly envious.」

「With such a dismissive behavior, you’ll never be able to bridge the distance between you and your spouse.」

「Oh my, but isn’t it Sigiswald-sama and the royal family who have been dismissive of me?」

Since the moment it was decided that I would marry either of the two princes, they acted coldly toward me, only trying to attract Eglantine-sama’s attention. I have no memory of being treated like an actual fiance.

Moreover, Narelache-sama became pregnant even though my marriage was decided, and I was informed of it right before the wedding. It is only natural to postpone the marriage for a year in such circumstances, but I was forced to proceed due to them having “insufficient mana”. During the Archduke Conference, I was confined to the palace to hide the fact that we had no actual marital life, prohibiting me from communicating with the outside world. At the end of the Archduke Conference, I was told that Rozemyne-sama would be welcomed as the third wife, then ordered to prepare a palace for her.

Sigiswald-sama may accompany me for official duties, but his private time is all prioritized for Narelache-sama. He has never willingly spent time with me.

And he constantly displays the arrogance befitting a royal without considering the consequences, leaving me to deal with the cleanup and aftermath.

「Eglantine-sama, don’t you think my situation is entirely different from when you married Anastasius-sama?」

I sought the opinion of Eglantine-sama, who was in a similar position as someone marrying into the royal family, then she glanced at Sigiswald-sama and sighed softly.

「…It does seem like a far cry from the life of a happy newlywed.」

「Not only that, but because Trauerqual-sama and Sigiswald-sama rejected Grutrissheit, even the benefits that Drewanchel was supposed to gain after the political upheaval vanished. Yet they expect me to continue this extremely unpleasant marriage without any consideration… Don’t you think it’s too merciless, Father?」

If either Trauerqual-sama or Sigiswald-sama had pledged loyalty and sworn their name to Rozemyne-sama, thus obtaining Grutrissheit, I would not have been able to suggest a divorce. I’m sure I would be exerting all my efforts to make my child the next Zent. Those two created the situation in which my divorce was possible.

「As my daughter said, shouldn’t we first discuss the collapse of the premise of the contract we had agreed upon beforehand, rather than focusing on future matters? I would like the royal family to consider the damages suffered by Drewanchel.」

Father showed displeasure at the words of Ralfrieda-sama and Sigiswald-sama, who were assuming the marriage’s continuation. Trauerqual-sama also seemed to realize that his words and actions, which did not consider damages to Drewanchel, were inappropriate.

「Marrying one of Drewanchel’s daughters to a prince and gaining influence in the next generation was one of the contractual conditions. Aub Drewanchel, you say there is no point in continuing the marital relationship with Sigiswald becoming an Aub instead?」

「Yes. Considering the future of Yurgenschmidt, I would rather deepen our connection with Rozemyne-sama, the avatar of the Goddess. If you wish to continue the marriage, let’s have Ortwin marry Rozemyne-sama as her first spouse. The new Zent Eglantine-sama can have it done by royal decree.」

Everyone present turned pale at Father’s proposal. It was a dangerous proposition made possible because he was unaware of Rozemyne-sama’s anger at being ordered into a marriage by royal decree, and Ferdinand-sama, who had firmly established his position as her fiance.

「…Father, that is by no means possible. Instead of deepening our connection with Rozemyne-sama, Drewanchel might be crushed like Ahrensbach, having its Foundation Magic taken away.」

「Aub Drewanchel, I must apologize. As the one receiving Grutrissheit from her, I cannot issue orders to Rozemyne-sama, the avatar of the Goddess.」

Eglantine-sama also firmly declined. Of course she would. No one wants to make enemies of those two.

「In that case, I would like to have Ortwin marry Eglantine-sama as her second spouse. That way, we can restore the premise of marriage with the royal family.」

「Aub Drewanchel, what are you saying?!」

Anastasius-sama, who abandoned the throne to pursue love and dote on Eglantine-sama, grows agitated, but Father merely glances at him.

「Anastasius-sama, the arrangements for your marriage stated you would relinquish the throne and marry Eglantine-sama as your only wife. There was no promise regarding Eglantine-sama’s second spouse, and isn’t political marriage a standard duty of the royal family? Does the royal family wish to coerce us into political marriages but refuse their own?」

Unlike Anastasius-sama, who was at a loss for words, Eglantine-sama opened her mouth after a moment of thought.

「I do not intend to deny the necessity of political marriage and the establishment of duchy relations that come with it. However, even if we exclude Anastasius-sama’s feelings from the argument, I judge that any current engagement with Drewanchel is a bad move. We can consider a political marriage if necessary, but it will only become a seed of factional strife at this point in time. I cannot see any benefits that outweigh the risks.」

Even if she is granted Grutrissheit, Eglantine-sama is a young woman. Since she has little political experience, the more cunning Aubs will try to exploit any weakness they can find. I also agree that there is a high possibility of conflicts arising in the greater duchies and upper-ranking mid-duchies over the position of third spouse, once it is announced that her second spouse will come from Drewanchel.

「Hmm. I understand your thoughts, Eglantine-sama, but if the royal family refuses the marriage with Drewanchel based on that, we cannot continue the previous agreement. I would like to request appropriate compensation.」

「The premise conditions were lost due to the rejection of the offer made by Rozemyne-sama to Trauerqual-sama and Sigiswald-sama. Please ask the two of them for the basic compensation. Klassenberg and Dunkelfelgar intend to expand their territory, but what compensation does Drewanchel desire?」

Ralfrieda-sama shows a shocked expression at Eglantine-sama’s stance of not intending to provide all the compensation from the Yurgenschmidt budget.

「Eglantine-sama, are you suggesting that we will hold Trauerqual-sama and Sigiswald fully responsible? Are you trying to impose even more blame and suffering on us?」

……Oh my, Ralfrieda-sama, I thought you intended to support your husband and son while sharing in their hardships, unlike me. Was I wrong?

While sneering in my heart and observing the situation, Anastasius-sama stood up before Eglantine-sama could reply.

「Mother, the contracting parties are Father and Aub Drewanchel, and the concerned parties are Brother and Adolphine-sama. Not Eglantine. And if they desire non-territorial compensation in terms of money, mana, or rare materials, we can always discuss it.」

Sigiswald-sama frowned sadly upon seeing Anastasius-sama defend Eglantine-sama. As always, his intention seems to be forcefully pushing through his own opinion with a calm demeanor.

「Anastasius, do you think it’s justified to take compensation from Father and me personally? Wasn’t my marriage a calculated political marriage for the sake of Yurgenschmidt as a whole? I believe that the country should be responsible for compensation, but what do you think?」

「Unlike Eglantine, you rejected the avatar of the goddess’s outstretched hand. I don’t think losing a small portion of your duchy as compensation is a big deal.」

……You couldn’t pledge loyalty to the avatar of the Goddess and refused to swear your name and gain Grutrissheit, yet you complain about losing a tiny bit of land. Such a painful blow.

Anastasius-sama sat back down after dismissing the opinions of his mother and brother. The silence in the room was because they had never seen him strongly express such opinions to them before.

Anastasius-sama was allowed a romantic marriage without conflicting with Sigiswald-sama, always supported his brother, held back his opinions whenever his beloved wife was unrelated, and even took care not to fulfill the requirements of becoming Zent during the shrine visits.

……If only Anastasius-sama had compressed his mana further and prayed more during the shrine visits. He could have obtained Grutrissheit and protected Eglantine-sama from all of this… Yet now his wife carries the lives of the royal family and the future of Yurgenschmidt on her shoulders. I can only imagine his frustration.

However, I felt relieved after realizing that Eglantine-sama had a husband who would do anything to protect her. Her heart would not break even after becoming Zent. From my perspective, Eglantine-sama is the one who saved me from being sent to the Ivory Tower by Trauerqual-sama’s decision, so I want to support her reign as much as possible.

Father, who had quietly observed the exchange between the royal family members, stroked his mustache slightly. It seems he’s reached a conclusion.

「Drewanchel has no issue as long as we gain territory alongside Klassenberg and Dunkelfelgar, and the royal family continues to work with us.」

「Please keep your requests within the scope that can be accommodated by Trauerqual-sama and Sigiswald-sama. I was not involved in the contract, and I have no intention of inheriting the previous interduchy relationships after assuming the role of Zent.」

It may be the Zent’s duty to redraw the duchy boundaries, but anything further is not the responsibility of the new Zent. Since she prioritizes Rozemyne-sama and Dunkelfelger over her own home of Klassenberg, she will certainly not keep the past relationships. All Drewanchel has to do is prove its usefulness to Eglantine-sama in the future.

「Well, let’s decide which lands to relinquish and how to shape each duchy.」

We confirmed the lands to be ruled by Trauerqual-sama and Sigiswald-sama in the future, as well as decided the portion adjacent to Drewanchel to be transferred.

Afterward, Sigiswald-sama and I signed the divorce papers and returned the blessings we received from the Supreme Gods during our marriage. It seems that divorcing will make it difficult for us to receive the protection and blessings of the Supreme Gods in the future, but that was a trivial matter to me. As I gazed at the golden flames burning the documents, a smile naturally appeared on my face.

I express my gratitude to the Goddess of Separation, Jugereise. Please grant your blessings to the royal family members embarking on their respective paths with their new positions.

Being freed from the detestable barriers that had bound me for so long, my heart and body felt much lighter. As the first wife of the future king, I was always pressured to stand taller than Eglantine-sama, who became the second prince’s wife. Now that the pressure is gone, I can finally show my respect to Eglantine-sama, just as I always admired her during our time at the Royal Academy.

「I pledge my loyalty to the Zent.」

I knelt before Eglantine-sama. All my loyalty belongs to the Zent. Not Trauerqual-sama, who stepped down from the position, nor Sigiswald-sama, who is no longer the future Zent.

「…Adolphine-sama, what are your plans after returning to Drewanchel? Won’t it be politically difficult to find a new spouse outside the duchy after marrying into the royal family once?」

「Drewanchel has many archducal family members, and the Sovereignty nobles will be returned to the duchy. Remarriage within the duchy will not be too difficult. Besides, I am scheduled to become a Giebe of the lands I receive as compensation, so please rest assured.」

As I smile, Father looks puzzled as he calls my name. No doubt he wants to say that there are no plans to make me a Giebe.

「Well, the land is the culmination of my patience during marriage and received from my divorce. As long as I don’t generate a loss, I can of course take it as a reward from the duchy, yes? Did you have any other reward befitting my achievements?」

If we hadn’t undergone the divorce, Sigiswald-sama would have leaned heavily on the cooperation of Drewanchel as the Aub of his new duchy. I think it’s only natural to grant such a reward to someone who endured an unpleasant marriage, fulfilled their duties as royalty, and quickly cut their losses at the perfect moment. Seeing my smile, Father seems to have decided that it would be best not to say anything unnecessary in this situation. He reluctantly promises, “I will appoint you as Giebe and give you land, but not all of it.”

「And when I become a Giebe, I would like to turn it into a research city. If Rozemyne-sama completes her library city, our interaction is sure to be something. I am also interested in Ferdinand-sama’s research.」

「Then I will look forward to the city you create, Adolphine-sama.」


After concluding the discussion at the palace, Father and I returned from the tea reception room to the Drewanchel dormitory. For some reason, my younger brother Ortwin was waiting for us there, after apparently teleporting in.

「Oh my, were you looking forward to my return so much that you came all the way here to greet me?」

「I was told my attendants were needed to prepare the guest rooms in the dormitory, so I came to lend them. I wouldn’t be here if they hadn’t told me to wait here for a while.」

Ortwin glanced briefly at Father. It seems he had been waiting on Father’s orders. Father entered the dormitory from the tea room while saying “Let me get the authentication brooch. You’ll need some for your attendants too, right?”

As I saw him off, Ortwin’s head attendant started preparing tea, and my attendant Lisbeth assisted him. I sat down in the seat he recommended and let out a sigh of relief at the familiar taste of the tea. It had truly been a long day, though a great one. I managed to seize victory and change the course of my life.

「You seem quite pleased, Sister. Did you obtain the results you desired?」

Ortwin, holding a teacup, shifted his gaze between my expression and the guard knight behind me. I chuckled softly, finding comfort in his familiar habit of being on guard.

「Yes, Father promised me that I will become a Giebe. Ortwin, you should aim to become the next Aub to make things easier for your older sister. I recommend Hannelore-sama from Dunkelfelger as your marriage partner.」

Due to the difficulty of establishing marriage connections with Rozemyne-sama or Eglantine-sama, the best marriage target is Dunkelfelger, which will be declared top rank in the Archduke Conference.

「It seems Dunkelfelger has a daughter from the second wife who has already completed baptism, but Hannelore-sama would be easier to interact with as she is in the same year as you. She’s also the daughter of the first wife and a friend of Rozemyne-sama. She would be advantageous to you becoming Aub.」

「Please don’t decide my future and marriage partner on your own.」

I stare at my brother as he frowns with displeasure. My eyes narrow slightly at how he didn’t even doubt for a moment that he had other choices and the right to choose them.

「During today’s discussion, Father mentioned the idea of having you married into another family.」

「…Huh? But I haven’t heard any such thing from him…」

Ortwin was astonished. I can relate to his discomfort at having his future decided without his knowledge, as well as his unwillingness to believe it.

「…Since the proposal was rejected by the other party, I doubt you will hear anything from Father.」

「…Sister, are you teasing me?」

Ortwin’s light brown eyes took on a stern gleam. While he seemed capable enough at maintaining his composure to some extent on the outside, it still seemed insufficient to me, after spending a year in the Sovereignty.

「Not teasing, I simply felt uneasy seeing how you completely believed you had the right to choose. It’s an undeniable fact that your marriage was considered. It’s not uncommon to be informed after everything has been decided. Don’t you remember it being the same for me?」

It is not unthinkable for Ortwin to find himself in the same position as me. Eglantine-sama mentioned that there would be no benefit in a marriage with Drewanchel at the current point of time. But if she ever desires a connection with a greater duchy during her rule as Zent, Ortwin would be a strong candidate due to being an unmarried child of the first wife.

「Sister, I…」

「Ortwin, marriage between archduke candidates is something the Aub decides in pursuit of the duchy’s interests. If you want to reflect your own will in the future even a little, show an attitude of proactively negotiating with the Aub by assessing the interests of the duchy as soon as possible.」

With that, I relax my expression and show him the charm of the Goddess of Separation Jugereise on my wrist, smiling faintly.

「You don’t want to end up like me, praying to the goddess right after marriage, do you?」

「Right after marriage…? Well, I’m glad your prayers seem to have answered.」

Despite his seemingly exasperated expression and tone of voice, I could see Ortwin’s hand tightly clenched. It seems my advice had some effect.

……If possible, I hope my brother can carve his own path according to his desires.

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