Chapter Text
It was another boring day in the nobles quarter; Irmhilde resided in a mansion she requested near the castle. She was expected to move into the castle upon her starbind as she was now engaged to her half brother and current Aub, Adelbert.
Though I am doubtful that Veronica will allow this union to come to fruition. She thought.
It was no secret among the Leisgangs that Veronica and her faction would not share power in the duchy; they were currently the main political power and any second wife that Adelbert took would cause them to lose some of the power they currently monopolized. This was why it was general consensus that whoever was daring enough to try to become the second wife would sentence themselves to death, as Veronica and her faction would never allow such a woman to make it to their starknot. This was the predicament that Irmhilde found herself in. Her two older brothers had suggested that she take the role of second wife without completely understanding the greater implications that such a role would have on her.
Her now fiance Adelbert was a weak but kind man who valued peace and family above all else, however he was rather naive and he was unable to believe Irmhilde whenever she would discuss the ruthlessness of his wife Veronica. He assumed that she exaggerated her claims as she and Veronica never got along seeing that they were both heads of their respective factions. It did not help that he was surrounded by those in Veronica’s faction, so word of her misdeeds never reached him. Her other brother Bonifatius was able to believe her, but he still only believed a fraction of her claims; he mainly relied on his instinct and he had no aptitude for scheming or politics. Without the women’s perspective of politics, they missed the true extent of Veronica’s malice and lust for power. It was because of these circumstances that Irmhilde came to the realization that her brothers were hopelessly foolish and naive.
“You would choose for me to die?” She had told her brother the day he brought up the proposal.
“No need to be so dramatic. I know you are displeased having to settle for a man you so willingly call foolish but there is no other woman better suited for the role. This move is to appease the Leisegangs, you are their current figurehead, you should know that this political marriage is necessary for peace within the duchy. I would be more than willing to take another woman if you are able to find one, however, I have asked many within the faction and none were willing to offer up their daughters.” he said.
How foolish, to offer up their daughters is to willingly choose for them to die needlessly. I have told this to you before Adelbert but you refuse to listen. Alas, Irmhilde had long given up on convincing her brother of his wife’s misdeeds. After he had sent Georgine off to Ahrensbach, he had learned of Veronica’s namesworn and aptitude for poison; yet he still struggled to believe the claims. It could be safely said that her charms had thoroughly convinced him that she was a victim in the grand scheme of things. Irmhilde would not be surprised if he had even convinced himself that Georgine was grateful for losing her seat as aub and being sent to Ahrensbach.
“You have no other suitors, Irmhilde, I understand that Veronica is known to hurl insults to those she dislikes, but such petty harassment is no excuse for running from your duties. You will have to bear with it for the good of the duchy.” Bonifatius added.
Irmhilde was seething with anger, it took all of her might not to grind her teeth and to hold her tongue. That was the last thing she wished to hear from Bonifatius, of all people, who had given the seat of Aub to Adelbert due to finding the position “troublesome”. Both did not know of the trouble Veronica had caused the women of her faction, her harassment extended to those in the academy and such harassment had chased away any suitors that Irmhilde had. The rumors that Veronica had spread were so damaging that most men would not approach her and the ones which did were those of the Veronica faction, sent to court her in order to destabilize the Leisegangs. Her brothers had always assumed that, due to her cold and strong personality, no man wished to court her, especially since she had no patience when it came to foolishness. However this was a front to chase away pests that Veronica had sent her way.
Due to her family’s treatment by the Leisegangs in her youth, Veronica only desired revenge and sought to torment those at the helm of the faction, therefore, Irmhilde felt the brunt of Veronica’s machinations. Her brothers knew nothing of her torment, she had taken it without complaint as she saw it to be her duty to protect those within her faction, such a duty entrusted to her by her predecessors upon their untimely deaths, at the hands of those serving under Gabrielle.
She needed to make sure her brothers understood the dire state of the duchy, they had been turning away from the truth for far too long. Adelbert had been completely fooled by Veronica acting the pitiful victim, while Bonifatius did not involve himself in anything outside the Knights Order, he was even unable to see the trails his own son was put through. It was at that realization that Irmhilde was resolved to take this duty. “I understand brother” she said with a chilly smile, “I shall accept my duty, however, once I am to climb the towering staircase, it is my hope that Ordoschnelli may grace you and your Dregarnuhr may continue to weave once again”. Both of her brothers opened their eyes wide in confusion, as if her statement had been unwarranted but she had no time for their foolishness, she would have to pass her duties to another so she quickly left the meeting room after her engagement was decided.
A few days later, she had resolved to discuss such matters at the scheduled tea party for her faction. It was there that she informed her friend, Elvira, of her engagement, to which a palpable dread filled the room immediately. Only trusted women of the Leisegang faction were present at this tea party; some went visibly pale, some even openly quivered in fear.
“I see”, Elvira had said, her eyes had become noticeably blank along with the pallor of her face becoming pronounced. She drew her tea cup to her lips but she did not take a sip, merely holding it in place, with the ripples of the drink being the only indicator of her inner turmoil. Irmhilde would have usually scolded her for so openly showing her emotions, but she could not bring herself to, she knew of her fate and so did all of those present.
It had been no secret that Adelbert was hoping to appease the Leisegangs through marriage, but no one was willing to bear that burden, as it would be certain death; the fact that Irmhilde had chosen to bear this burden was tantamount to suicide. Everyone understood that she had done so to protect those in her faction from receiving this fate. Many looked at her with pity and sadness in their eyes.
“I will soon begin to prepare to move into the castle, so it is my hope that in the coming seasons I may act as your Erwachlehren when it comes to matters of the faction. I am aware that this is rather sudden and unreasonable as you currently assume the role of Wiegemilch, however this trial thrust upon me by Glucklitat came rather sudden and I can trust no other. I suspect that once my starknot approaches, I will be unable to participate in these matters freely. However, you may refuse if your current duties would hinder such things.” Irmhilde implored with a blank smile, a smile which showed that she had accepted her fate. Elvira was younger and her children not even baptized yet, however she was the only one with enough skill and influence to replace her.
Elvira drew in a sharp breath, and trembled visibly. She had witnessed first hand the burden Irmhilde shouldered as the head of the faction, it was not a job desired by anyone without a strong will and mind as they would no doubt crumble under the constant harassment. To be the head of the Leisegangs was to have your current plights ignored by the current aub and to be on the receiving end of Veronica’s ire. Irmhilde would understand if Elvira refused, she expected this from someone so young, however after a moment she steeled herself and agreed to her friend’s selfish request. “Understood, I will shoulder this burden with you. I only hope to ease some of your worries before….” she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence before discreetly covering her mouth and lowering her gaze. Irmhilde gave a melancholy smile and responded “I thank you ever so much, my dear friend.”
The rest of the tea party continued with a somber atmosphere, with many offering hesitant congratulations for her engagement. She had hinted that she was in need of new staff and many began to offer up some of their older relatives and personnel, with the understanding that they would likely not be returning.
“It is my hope that with this engagement that Ordoschnelli may finally carry word of the plight of the Leisegangs to the current Aub” one woman remarked.
“May Anhaltung reveal those shrouded by Verbergen,” another added.
No one spoke of what would happen after the starknot for they dare not foolishly dwell in Schlaftraum’s realm.
It was with these preparations complete that Irmhilde now waited for the Veronica faction to move; it was all she could do at the moment and the passing days became tense as she waited for an inevitable confrontation. She had been willingly confining herself to her mansion out of self preservation, as she could not risk socializing at this moment of time. Luckily she had a sizable collection of books to keep her entertained, but they were just momentary distractions to ease the stress which had been building from her impending doom. It was during one of these tense days that she received a summons from her brother, the Aub.
“There is a task that I can only entrust to you, please come to the meeting room at third bell”, the ordonnanz repeated. She agreed to the meeting, however she could not shake the feeling of dread. What could be so pressing a matter that she would have to visit so suddenly?
When it was time for the meeting, she was taken to the meeting room where only Bonifatius and Adelbert remained. Her retainers were dismissed and sound blocking tools were distributed.
“Irmhilde, I have an unreasonable task to give you but there is no room for negotiation. This task was given to me by a messenger of the Goddess of Time.” Adelbert began.
Irmhilde, having a very rare moment of losing her composure, stared at her brother with wide eyes. Have my ears deceived me? She thought, but her brother stared at her with eyes more serious than she had ever witnessed before. She recomposed herself and urged him to continue. “Within the next three days, I will request to collect my son from the Palace of Adalgisa; from then, you will adopt him once we are starbound.” He concluded.
A wave of shock hit her once more. She had known that her brother had been called to the Palace of Adalgisa after a princess had selected him years ago, it was a fact that he hid from Veronica due to shame, however he had confided this to Irmhilde and Bonifatius. Such a summons could not be refused and he had shared his displeasure during that time with them both. It was extremely rare for those who sired children with those princesses to ever return for them so she could not see the benefit in this task.
No doubt Bonifatius would disagree with this decision. She looked to see Bonifatius with a grim expression; he likely had disagreed but that look said that he could not argue with Aub's decision. She swallowed and managed to press the meeting forward.“What led you to this decision?” she eventually asked.
Adelbert began to explain: whilst he was in mana replenishment hall by himself, a beam of light filled the room, with the silhouette of a girl on the cusp of autumn appearing from a collection of golden thread. Once she fully emerged, he could fully see her appearance to which he could only describe as other worldly; golden eyes which resembled the moon, dark blue hair which glimmered as brightly as the night sky, and riding clothes equipped with many tools, as if she was prepared for battle. She met his startled eyes with a stern glare, then she began to make demands: “I come as a messenger of the Goddess of Time”, she had said with a bell-like voice, “You are to go to the sovereignty and retrieve your son from the Palace of Adalgisa.” Adelbert had begun to protest, saying that it would likely not be allowed and such moves would threaten the rule of his son once he became Aub, but she silenced him.
“This child would be vital to the stability of Yurgenschmidt as determined by the Gods. Fear not, he will not pursue the seat of Aub, in fact, he will serve as a vital pillar of support for Sylvester in the near future. “ She stated.
The fact that she already knew Sylvester’s name gave credit to her claims. This eased some of his reservations but when he began to mutter about convincing Veronica to adopt such a child, she began to crush him. “Veronica will be an obstacle in this endeavor, she must not be trusted with this child as she would no doubt attempt to take his life, you must find another to bear this responsibility. “ She declared, only ceasing to crush him when he nodded in understanding.
“So that is why you have called upon me, I gather. “ Irmhilde stated after a moment of silence. She could understand why the messenger had not trusted Veronica, but this request would put her in quite the predicament; she had been evading Veronica’s attempts to have her disposed of but with a child under her care, she was unsure if she would be able to evade her faction’s attempts on her life. This move would likely hasten their attempts as having a son under her with the backing of the Leisegangs would be seen as directly opposing her. However, she knew even if she brought up this fact, this would not likely dissuade her brother. She had a feeling that nothing could at this moment.
“Brother I do not think this is a wise decision”, Bonifatius interjected, “Such a burden surely is too great for Ehrenfest to bear, and to ask Irmhilde to adopt a son would likely rally the Leisegangs into causing more trouble than they already do. Surely that would put Sylvester in more danger and threaten the stability of Ehrenfest.” But to this Adelbert merely shook his head. He had brought this point up to the messenger to which she revealed that without the support of this child, Sylvester would be unable to stabilize Ehrenfest. He shared no other details but he wore a grim expression, which Irmhilde could sense, hid darker implications.
“When should we expect this to occur?” Irmhilde asked, changing back to the more pressing subject. She had already accepted that she had no say in preventing this from happening, so her only option was to cope with repercussions. “I assume such requests of the Sovereignty would take about a month considering Ehrenfest's current ranking.” Ehrenfest was a bottom ranking duchy, so the Sovereignty would not move to ordain such a request in a timely manner.
Adelbert looked at her hesitantly. “I had told the messenger a similar time frame, however she revealed that she would request the king himself to see it out much sooner. I sent in my request earlier today and I have already received a reply which stated to come three days from now, at third bell.” he stated.
So soon! Only an upper rank duchy would be seen so soon, to think that the messenger had really appeared. Irmhilde had half begun to think her brother had been poisoned or gone senile, with talks of some strange woman appearing from thin air, but to see such a response from the Sovereignty themselves almost cemented his claims.
“You two will accompany me to the Sovereignty, however only Irmhilde will be allowed in the meeting room with me, Bonifatius you will serve as my guard to escort us there.” Adelbert stated. This was understandable, as Bonifatius could not be trusted with such talks. “Talk of this to no one”. He then turned to Bonifatius and dismissed him, merely stating that there were things that he needed to discuss about the meeting with only Irmhilde. Begrudgingly, Bonifatus left.
“There is one more thing of great importance that I could not mention in front of Bonifatius.” He said, for a moment resolving himself then continuing, “The messenger will ensure the child is educated to an acceptable level worthy of an archduke candidate, so she states that she will accompany the child to Ehrenfest, disguised as an attendant. I must entrust you with her care as you are the most capable person for the job.”
Irmhilde was taken aback; she was not sure how to be accommodating for a messenger of the Gods, such a thing was rather hard to imagine, however the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize: Surely taking care of the messenger of the Goddess of time along with the child important to the future of Yurgenschmidt will ensure my safety during this dire time? She steadied herself; the thought that she may survive a little longer reinvigorated her drive somewhat and made the unreasonable demands of her brother seem worthwhile.
“I understand, however I will likely need some additional funding if I am to meet the standards required to house one favored by the Gods” she stated plainly. Veronica had taken the funding needed for her move to the castle so this was a way to redeem some of this back; since Adelbert wanted to keep this secret, he would need to handle such funding himself. This would prevent those scholars within Veronica’s faction from further siphoning her funding. “Additionally, I would ask that you closely monitor Veronica during this time as to make sure she does not find out about this child prior to his baptism.”
“Of course, I will personally ensure that this is done so as to not earn the ire of the Gods.” He stated. “However, even though this messenger is to be the attendant and personal mentor to this child, I ask that you treat her as a guest and accommodate her however she desires.”
Irmhilde scoffed, “I would not be so foolish as to mistreat someone sent from the Gods” I am not Veronica, she almost muttered but such childish remarks and rebukes were beneath her so she abstained. She was tempted to request more personnel, however, knowing Adelbert, he would send those within Veronica’s faction foolishly and wash away all her effort in carefully selecting those she trusted in her mansion. Her current entourage was full of older family members who understood her predicament and were willing to risk their lives during her time of need. They provided Irmhilde with much comfort as she trusted them with her life. She would need to plan this out with Elvira, however, such meetings would be nearly impossible without raising suspicion. She put this to rest for now as this would take more consideration.
As she began to make calculations of the things that needed to be done, her thoughts were interrupted, “You look more lively than I imagined you would be..” Adelbert remarked, staring at her with confusion. She blinked at him then came to the realization: she had only been spending the past few weeks waiting for her end. She had accepted it without much fuss, with her only solace that those she left behind would benefit from her end as her brothers would finally take her warnings about Veronica seriously; She was the head of the Leisegang faction and they always assumed her words were biased but such could not be further from the truth. Now that she had a chance of causing Veronica headache with a child guaranteed to play an important role in history, her mind could not stop racing. Adelbert on the other hand looked worn down.
Irmhilde gave a sardonic smile, “I am pleased that you now understand what it is like to have unreasonable demands hoisted onto you without regard to your personal standing or feelings, brother. Oh, how I have longed to see you grow.”
He frowned, and heaved a deep sigh, “There you go again treating me like a child. Do you truly hate your older brother? Do you enjoy seeing me tormented? Well, as long as you no longer speak of meeting your end so freely, I was truly beginning to worry once you shut yourself off from the world in your mansion but seeing you lively now has eased some of that worry. Veronica told me that you likely wished to run away and that she wouldn’t be surprised if you up and disappeared one day, since you blatantly disapproved of the engagement.” He said, breezing through the veiled implications of Veronica’s statement as if it meant nothing.
Irmhilde immediately adopted a stern look, which caused Adelbert to jump somewhat in surprise. “Brother, you know me to never run from my duties. If I am to disappear one day without a word, assume I have climbed the towering staircase at the hands of one of my enemies.” He blinked at the sudden turn in conversation, but Irmhilde did not falter as she continued “I have reason to suspect that I will not make it to our planned starknot. It would be a great benefit to the Leisegangs if I am to become the second wife of the archduke, so there would be absolutely no reason for me to disappear, that I can assure you. Promise me that if I am to disappear, you will handle the investigation yourself along with Bonifatius.” Her words left no room for argument, it was with her serious demeanor that Adelbert straightened up and gave a reluctant nod.
“Good. I will ensure that my household is prepared under the shroud of Verbergen. May we meet again at the agreed meeting time” And with that, Irmhilde left the meeting room before Adelbert had time to protest her words.
I suppose if I am to become a mother I am to possibly think of a name for the child. She mused.
Irmhilde had long given up on the possibility of becoming a mother due to the turmoil within the duchy and her prospects of marriage being nonexistent until recently, but she would be lying if the idea had never appealed to her. When she was younger she was rather sickly, so much so that many were unsure that she would bear children in the future. She had not been told for certain that this would be the case, but those in the Veronica faction preached this as fact, making her prospects for a marriage that was not white almost none. She had seen the love Elvira had in her eyes when she spoke of her children and even a woman as cruel as Veronica was able to appear caring when she took care of her son. She did not expect to take too quickly to the idea but perhaps one day she may have the same look in her eyes when talking about her son.