They say ignorance is a sin but I must differ and confirm that it is not a sin, it's a proficient method to measure someone's patience.
How you might ask.
Just place a very ignorant person favorably with a loud voice next to an extremely smart individual. Within a few minutes, you'll be able to gauge the patience levels of the intelligent individual.
I must say I have enormous patience with how a few hours have passed with Licht being my company and I still haven't cracked open his head or fed him to the Grand Duchy's well-raised dogs.
"I think you're a very brave person, Kaltes!" Another deafening remark pierced through my ears.
I smiled the most patient smile I owned and looked at Licht who was sitting beside on the couch inside the greenhouse, where we were waiting for our fathers to return.
"I'm thankful that you hold me in such high praise," I said. 'Now shut up.'
I had wished I could say the last out loud as he continued to chatter about useless things.
Well, it was a good thing that he had forgotten last night's 'exciting' events. His hard-headedness seemed handy in trauma management at least.
"But, hey, Katles," Licht said in the calmest voice I had heard come out of him. "Do all Scadrial people think like that about us?"
I looked at his face. He had an uncomfortable smile as if he was making sure I didn't feel like I should lie to just comfort him.
How foolish.
I wasn't planning to lie in the first place.
"It's more or less the same," I said. "You must've noticed it how no one approached you and Duke Einar last night. Father cherishes his bond with Duke Einar and no one dares defy Vespertine, that is why no one was being rude towards you."
"What would have happened if your father didn't favor us?" I could hear the tremble in Licht's voice as he held back tears while asking this question.
'Scadrial would have invaded Einar one-sidedly and your father would've been killed as a slave royalty and you would never have been born.'
But this sounded too cruel to tell a child who was just holding back a flood. And I wasn't particularly interested in comforting him after I made him bawl his eyes out.
"Not much would've changed," I said.
Licht looked at my face with his eyes as open as they possibly could get.
"You said you never lie," Licht said at length when he was done staring at me. "Even your betraying servant believed you so I am taking your word for it."
What a fool.
I lie so often that it has become a second habit to me. You won't even notice when or if I lied to you.
Facts and truth are redundant in high society politics.
Where people see and hear what they want to instead of what it actually is, spurting out the truth is talking to the walls.
"If you are at it, then listen to me once again," I said. "Take knightage instead of academics. I feel you'll be better with swords than books."
Hahaha... Hahahaha
He burst into laughter as he patted violently at my shoulder and then hurriedly apologizing for hurting me.
'Yes, sword is the only path for a muscle head like you.' I affirmed my conviction once again.
"Someone else told me to take the sword too," Licht said at length, now louder than ever. "She…."
"I see you children have started to get along," a husky rough voice echoed through the scarcely occupied greenhouse with its loudness. "I'm impressed I must say. Licht hardly makes friends outside Einar."
I stood on my feet with ease and looked at the owner of the voice.
"I greet Duke Einar," I said bowing.
Ranke followed shortly after him, who was greeted violently by Licht.
"I greet Grand Duke Vespertine!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, making the birds sitting on the glass roof of the greenhouse flee in shock.
Hahahahhahha
Einar burst out laughing.
"I can already see the positive effect of your company young duke!!!" he said, more like yelled.
Licht responded to the compliment with a blush while nagging his father to cut it out.
I looked at Ranke who was looking at me as if it observing me.
Ah, Deiner must have briefed him of last night's occurrences.
"I am well father," I said with a convincing smile. "I'm glad you're back."
Ranke made that expression again. His narcissistic jealousy-induced twisted smile. Whenever I would do something awfully brilliant or mature for my age, he would feel jealous of me.
How vain.
"It's good," he said walking past me and taking the seat as the Einar ones had already made themselves comfortable and seated.
I sat beside Licht as it seemed to have been dedicated as my spot.
Einar seemed to have no idea of last night's happenings. Well, it's better if the 'loudmouth' is informed as late as possible.
"As you know, we stayed away overnight to discuss your and Lady Einar's marriage," Ranke said as soon we were settled as he looked at me.
"I see," I said with the perfect obedient smile.
It mattered little to whether he decided to marry me off with Einar or with a beggar down the street.
All I have interest in at the moment is whether or how the Bookshelf-1 works.
"Well, we decided we should let you children meet first and then decide any further," Einar said somewhat calmly.
Licht lit up after hearing those words. He must really hate the thought of marrying his sister off.
How inconvenient.
"I agree. The lady must be given the choice of choosing her partner," I said with a smile.
Of course, they wouldn't bring the Einar Princess all the way to Scadrial, so that meant I had to go to Einar. I can only imagine how much louder it will be there.
Should I just ask Mother to stop this engagement?
Ah….
She died yesterday.
She can't put a stop to this engagement anymore.
How insufferable.
"That means I must visit the beautiful land of Einar," I said at length. Licht seemed strangely okay with me going to meet his sister.
"I feel like Himmel would like you a lot, young duke," Einar said as a particular phrase in his sentence caught my attention.
Himmel?
As in a name?
AS MOTHER'S NAME?
Ting!
.
.
.
[ANOTHER PSYCHOPATHIC OBSESSION HAS BEEN DETECTED]
[HIMMEL]
[GENERATING SKILL BASED ON OBSESSION]
[SKILL CREATION COMPLETE]
[SKILL: HIMMEL'S GUARDIAN LEVEL-1]
[DESCRIPTION]
[YOU WILL PROTECT 'HIMMEL' IF SHE IS EVER IN DANGER. IF HIMMEL DIES, SO WILL YOU.]
[THIS SKILL IS A PASSIVE SKILL, YOU CANNOT TURN IT OFF.]
What nonsense was this system just spouting?
A guardian? Me? And if she dies, I will too? This had taken a far worse and idiotic turn than I had expected it to be.
My best interest to hell, it just made a skill that would kill me if I didn't do it.
I composed myself as I still had matters I needed to sort at hand.
"Himmel? I believe that it is my mother's name," I asked, as innocently as possible.
"Ah! Forgive me, young duke, I must've forgotten to mention. My daughter's name is the same as the late grand duchess. She is also called Himmel," Einar said as calmly as possible as if he was afraid of something hurting me.
Licht panicked as he looked at his father and then at me.
I stayed silent for a moment. It would appear too odd if I didn't have this much reaction at all.
"I… I see," I said, at length. They all had been well convinced that I was still grieving my mother and that name did hurt me.
"The young lady of Einar must be very pretty if she holds the same name as my mother," I said beckoning Deiner, who was standing at the greenhouse's door, to bring in some tea. "I believe I am very much like my father in how we both will sky-named person."
They were very astonished at my response, but my previous grieving look made it seem as if I was just pretending to be strong. Well, that was the desired outcome I had anticipated so it turned out well.
How exhausting.
Thud!
Licht accidentally hit the edge of the table with his wriggling feet in his excitement. I must say he never fails to show me his 'Einar' side.
But the tremor dropped the water jug that had been sitting on the table towards my clothes.
It is not pleasant to be drowsed in water after having been stabbed in your stomach.
I would've liked to be present there for the 'tea' but my injury didn't permit such luxury. The first thing I do when I get my hands on Schwein might as well be to stab her and then plunge her into the water.
"I'm sorry!!!!" Licht shouted.
"This clumsy brat!!!" his father followed.
I stood up with a decent smile and turned to Ranke.
"I'll take my leave for a while," I said. He looked pleased if anything. "I hope you enjoy yourselves."
I turned around and paced my steps towards the door. Clouds were forming, I could see through the glass roof. Guess the Gods were still mourning Himmel.
It was unpleasant to hear the name Himmel for another person other than my mother.
How inconvenient.
As I walked towards the door, I saw Deiner walking towards the table. His ugly monstrosity of the boots made an equally ugly sound. He had the walk of an old man. Well, he was an old man.
"Do serve my exhausted father well, Deiner," I said as I smiled at him.
He nodded without much remark.
It was one of the good merits Deiner had, he was incredibly perceptive.
I remember the day I turned three when he swore allegiance to me. Well, he was Himmel's servant to begin with. Willingly leaving my maternal side of the family to follow her to the Duchy.
Ranke didn't own Deiner.
I did.
My words were absolute to Deiner.
Deiner walked to the table, placed the cups, and started pouring out the tea. His moments were graceful with decades of experience, positively impressing Licht who shined (?) at the sight.
Deiner handed him a pack of cookies with a kind smile and Ranke was smug at 'his' servant's mastery.
A little bit more and I could enjoy the show before returning. I could see the steam above the hot tea from the cups.
Ranke liked his tea hot. Just a few more moments. Ranke grabbed the cup and lifted it in noble etiquette. He laughed at something Einar had said.
A little bit more.
I felt a sting on my stomach as I looked at my left side. My white shirt had started to soak in the dissolving blood from the damp wound.
How unpleasant.
I could feel the tremors and throbbing from the wound. Just a little time more.
I looked at Ranke who was finally aiming to sip from the cup.
Well, it was pretty much done if he sipped because the poison was effectively placed on Ranke's cup instead of inside the tea. A potent poison that would kill him within minutes.
Though the idea of holding another funeral was quite troublesome, I didn't need Ranke anymore either. If the Bookshelf-1 thing worked it would save Ranke, if it didn't it doesn't matter either way.
I stared intensely at the cup of tea slowly reaching his lips through the air. I believe my face was quite stable as I didn't show it in my reflection in the glass near the door.
He could just sip.
Bammmm!
A brown-white cat jumped on the Grand Duke of Vespertine's face and broke the cup in his hand as it climbed his head, making a mess of his hair and the table and the entire situation.
Ting!
['BOOKSHELF-1 NAMES' HAS BEEN ACTIVATED.]
['RANKE' WAS PROTECTED.]
I could see the blue inscriptions floating in front of me in the air.
Licht could be seen panicking as Deiner helped Ranke pick up the pieces of the shattered cup from his clothes. Einar found it amusing much to Ranke's frustration.
The cat ran right past me out of the open door that I was standing beside, unwilling to move, observing everything.
I was very curious about how the system would protect people. So, it was this, the method that the system used.
'A play of fate.'
The system used little insignificant changes to protect the 'name' in the Bookshelf.
Animals are forbidden in the greenhouse. Yet a cat somehow entered and caused the clamor that I was witnessing right now in front of me.
I brought that cat in. I didn't leave and the door was ajar. I was so focused on Ranke drinking the tea that I didn't even notice I was letting the cat in.
How proficiently scary.
The system was very powerful, I could conclude. It is also reliable as a resource unless it gave me stupid skills like before.
I clutched at my wound as I finally felt the excruciating pain. I hurriedly left to get it treated.
On my way to the physician's chamber, I did one thing that I wanted to do after confirming that Bookshelf-1 worked.
"Add another name to Bookshelf-1," I said. A maid walking past cast a confused look at me. I must be looking as if I'm talking to myself.
Another bullet was added below Ranke's name. It shimmered in the blue light of the inscriptions.
"Himmel," I said.
Ting!
['HIMMEL' HAS BEEN ADDED TO BOOKSHELF-1]
[HIMMEL WILL NOW BE PROTECTED]
I could not see any better solution than this.
'Himmel's Guardian', what an absolutely useless skill.