Wilfried/Story

Wilfried is first introduced at Rozemyne's baptism ceremony. He takes Rozemyne from the celebration to play, dragging her away very quickly. Rozemyne tells him to slow down, but Wilfried just tells her she need to become faster to escape the adults and keeps dragging her along. Unfortunately for him, he does not know how fragile she is, and she faints on him. Before he fully realizes what happened, the boy ends up dragging her a short distance, scraping her face against the floor and causing the unconscious girl to bleed quite severely until Ferdinand shows up and heals her wounds. This leaves Wilfried, as well as his guard knight Lamprecht traumatized and very effectively ensures they treat Rozemyne with the utmost care for the foreseeable future.

After Rozemyne moves into the castle, Wilfried gets jealous of Rozemyne, being allowed to enter Sylvester's office, talking (reporting) to Sylvester at the dinner table and her being able to leave the castle, already having been "given" a highbeast and even being allowed to use it in the castle. He goes to complain about how unfair it is that she get's everything whenever he sees her, until she can't bear his petty whining anymore and suggests they switch places for one day.

The adults are very reluctant at first, knowing full well that there's no way Wilfried could ever do what Rozemyne does as he is at the moment, but Rozemyne manages to convince them to go along with this as a learning experience for him. And thus Wilfried becomes the High Bishop for one day, while Rozemyne goes on to live one day after Wilfried's daily schedule. While at the temple Wilfried is surprised by how much she does and knows and how little free time she actually has.

At the temple Wilfried shows a blatant disregard for anything an archduke candidate should be and tries to use his position to get out of any consequences for his misbehavior. This leads Ferdinand to fly to the castle and furiously demand that Wilfried be disinherited, believing the boy is beyond saving, shocking his parents who hadn't been aware of the problems until now. Rozemyne suspects that the fault lies not with Wilfried alone, but mainly with those around him, so she proposes he be tested. If he manages to fulfill two of his tasks during his remaining time in the temple it will show he has the motivation and ability to succeed in emergency measures to whip him into shape before the winter debut. Ferdinand is convinced that Wilfried will not pass this test, but agrees anyway.

When Wilfried spends his time with Ferdinand as part of Rozemyne's usual duties, he's reprimanded by him for his attitude towards working and studying. He is also surprised that the unbaptised children are able to read and do math better than him. Much to Wilfrieds surprise and dismay for the first time in his life he is unable to invoke his position to get out of his duties, at one point even being literally tied to a chair by Ferdinand. Even Rozemyne's attendants - mere commoners - refuse to give in to his antics and even withhold his supper until he finishes his assigned tasks.

Despite not knowing how much is on the line for him, he still manages to memorize one prayer and a simple tonal progression on the harspiel, thus just barely passing the test and thus avoids being disinherited and being sent to the temple as a blue priest.

While Wilfried is at the temple Rozemyne advices Wilfried's main tutor Moritz on teaching methods, provides him with teaching materials in the form of karuta, playing cards and a children's bible she all developed and together they write up a curriculum that will teach the boy the bare minimum of writing, math and harspiel necessary to not embarrass himself and the archdukal family at the winter debut and in the winter playroom.

Following his day at the temple Florencia takes charge of her son's upbringing and Rihyarda is assigned to oversee Wilfried's attendants. Under her and Rozemyne's supervision anyone who lacks either the competence or the will to properly raise the boy is ruthlessly removed in the end resulting in about half of Wilfried's former retainers being dismissed.

Now that he is finally achieving real progress his parents praise him for his accomplished tasks, bringing Wilfried much joy.

In the short time left before the winter debut, Rozemyne regularly taunts Wilfried whenever it seems that his motivation is flagging and eventually he manages to succeed in finishing his goals. While he doesn't manage to play his song at the winter debut free of errors, his performance is at least on part with the other archnobles, only overshadowed by Rozemyne himself. Instead of being frustrated about Rozemyne outshining him like some of his remaining retainers expected, Wilfried expressed pride in his adopted sister for her performance.

In the following Spring Wilfried and Rozemyne are tasked to charge Ehrenfest's foundation while their parents are away for the Archduke's Conference. Wilfried is given a feystone to use it to charge the foundation and collapses under the strain. To his amazement Rozemyne doesn't even seem tired, even though she used her own mana rather than that from a feystone. Wilfried remarks that she's strong in the weirdest of ways, collapsing from a single snowball or walking too much, but handling such a massive transfer of mana with ease.

When Georgine learns of Bezewanst's death, she comes to visit her old home under the pretext of visiting his grave. Not being familiar with many of the complicated euphemisms used in noble society and not realizing how strained the relationship between his aunt and his parents is, Wilfried happily tells her that he would have liked to talk more with her upon her departure, which Georgine uses to extract a promise for being invited again next year from Florencia, who can not refuse due to Ahrensbach being of a higher rank than Ehrenfest. This leads Rozemyne to hit Wilfried on the head with a paper fan - with Ferdinand's express permission and encouragement, before she launches into a lecture on Wilfried's naivité and inability to read the room.

At the next Harvest Festival nobles of the former Veronica faction guide Wilfried to the tower in which his grandmother is imprisoned and trick him into going inside to talk to her. Up to this point Wilfried didn't know that Veronica had been imprisoned, much less the kind of crimes she committed and thus he believes everything that she tells him.

When Rozemyne returns to the castle and has her first tea party with her new younger sister Charlotte, Wilfried furiously storms into the room without permission trying to get Charlotte away from Rozemyne telling his youngest sister not be fooled by her. When Rozemyne demands an explanation the angry boy tries to lunge at her instead, but is intercepted and pinned to the floor by Angelica. He tries to intimidate her with his position, but she refuses to let him go and Damuel quickly backs her up. Not even Wilfried's own guard knights are willing to come to his aid, due to his actions. While pinned he starts to scream about Rozemyne being the bad one and that his grandmother told him all about her and Ferdinand's evil plots. To his surprise this does not lead his guard knights to intervene on his behalf but instead causes Lamprecht and a fellow retainer to shout at him, asking insistently when and where he met Veronica. At this Rozemyne sends Rihyarda to get Aub Ehrenfest as quickly as possible.

Rihyarda soon arrives with Sylvester, Karstedt, Ferdinand and Eckhart. While Eckhart is sent off to gather Wilfried's attendants, Florencia arrives and Rihyarda prepares the room for the meeting. Only when everyone has come to Rozemyne's rooms does Sylvester ask Rozemyne to command Angelica to release Wilfriedm, beginning the interrogation. Sylvester, supported by Ferdinand starts by questioning Wilfried's retainers when they lost sight of him, before moving on to interrogate his son.

They learn that during the hunting festival the retainer in charge of watching over Wilfried suffered a seeming accident. While his wound was being healed, Wilfried played hide-and-seek with other noble children who unknown to him led him among a group of adult nobles who discussed among each other his grandmother Veronica and his great uncle Bezewanst were arrested because of Rozemyne and Ferdinand. Infuriated by these accusations Wilfried jumped up and defended Rozemyne, but started to doubt himself due to so many adults all agreeing that what they had said was true. They then led Wilfried toward an ivory tower and made a show of trying to open the door without success, goading Wilfried to open it. Once the door was open, the nobles claimed they would not be able to enter so Wilfried moved in alone and found his imprisoned grandmother, who told him her paranoid ravings.

To Wilfried's utter shock he learned that the person who uncovered Veronica's crimes and imprisoned her was neither Rozemyne nor Ferdinand, but Sylvester himself. He also hears for the first time how Veronica practically stole him away from his mother right after birth, not even permitting her to touch or hug him and that from her perspective Rozemyne was the victim in everything that had occured in the past and that even now Veronica had led Wilfried into committing a serious crime.

Only now did he learn that anyone could pass through the door once a member of the archducal family had opened it. The reason why the other nobles stayed out was because they were aware that entering the tower without permission was treason. He also learned that everything that led him to his grandmother, starting from the "accident" his retainer suffered was a carefully constructed, large-scale ruse to manipulate him into getting into contact with Veronica, while still retaining plausible deniability of everyone involved, so they couldn't be persecuted even if caught. Breaking out in tears his mother tells him that if found guilty, Wilfried would once again be separated from her.

To bring him around and teach him to listen to all involved parties before making a judgment, Ferdinand tells Rozemyne to give her perspective of the past events. She tells Wilfried everything that happened only deviating from the truth when the cover-story Sylvester made up to hide her commoner routes comes into play and how because of Bezewanst and Veronica she had lost her freedom.

Faced with multiple people so close to him who's stories match, with only the one his grandmother told deviating, Wilfried realizes that it must be Veronica who's in the wrong and that the nobles leading him to the tower tricked him, how the rule to not talk without nobles, as well as all the other rules he never before thought about were there for good reasons and that it was important to first hear the versions of everyone involved before jumping to conclusions, no matter how much you trust the initial source of the information.

While Wilfried can only watch and listen in fear, the adults and Rozemyne discuss who could have done this and why. They come to the conclusion that most likely someone was just metaphorically stirring the hornets nest to see how Sylvester would deal with the situation and potentially uncover weaknesses to exploit later. But even this knowledge and knowing that Wilfried was deliberately tricked into it still doesn't change that he committed a serious crime, serious enough that even execution was a possible outcome. If Sylvester lets such a big injustice go unpunsihed it would greatly undermine his position and potentially destabilize the entire duchy.

It is once again Rozemyne who comes to her brother's rescue by coming up with a solution, just like she did when his lacking education was exposed. Wilfried is to have his memories searched with a magic tool. Since this magic tool is usually reserved for only the most severe criminal acts, this would create the illusion that Wilfried is severely punished, even if they were to take no further steps. Though with how highly most nobles value their privacy, having one's memories exposed to others can already be considered a punishment in and off itself. This action would also allow them to learn the identities of the nobles involved, since Wilfried didn't know any of them and thus couldn't name them. As a bonus if it was Sylvester who used the tool on his son, he would also learn of other potential problems holding his son back. In addition Wilfried's guarantee to become the next archduke is also revoked, though he is not disinherited and thus can still become the successor if he proves himself more worthy than his siblings.

Having provided them with a solution that would prevent her son from being taken from her Florencia thanks Rozemyne from the bottom of her heart and also leads to Charlotte being amazed by her wonderful new sister. Wilfried deeply apologizes for doubting Rozemyne, receiving encouragements from her in turn.

From this day on Wilfried starts to call Ferdinand uncle.

At the social mingling after Charlotte's baptism the three children of the archducal couple move together and greet the adult nobles as a group to show that Wilfried's punishment had not driven a wedge between them. Rozemyne even goes so far as to interpose herself between her siblings and those nobles that appear as if they are about to taunt or mock Wilfried for his misstep, or those they know to have been involved in the incident.

Some of those nobles ask whether Lord Wilfried has any intentions of joining the former Veronica faction, but Rozemyne rebuffs their advances, stating that he would never betray his parents. This all happens in particularly circuitous euphemisms that leave Charlotte and Wilfried unable to follow the conversation and they have to ask what is even talked about between greeting different adults. When Wilfried wonders how Rozemyne could understand all those complicated phrases, she tells him that Ferdinand beat them into her specifically for today, leading Wilfried to once again apologize for his past mistake.

When it is getting late enough for the children to retire they and their guard knights move back toward the northern building. In the corridor connecting the main castle and the children's outbuilding the group is ambushed by a group of attackers who manage to split the children and knights into two groups. While the majority of knights keeps the mysterious assailants busy, Charlotte and Rozemyne who are closer to the northern building move toward it to enter it's protective barrier, while Wilfried is picked up by Oswald and rushed back to the main building to get help.

At the grand hall Oswald lost no time in informing the Commander of the Knight's Order Karstedt of the situation, leading to Bonifatius and Ferdinand immediately rushing to aid the beleaguered girls, while the rest of the knights locked down the hall. Wilfried too stays in the grand hall to keep him safe and thus only learned of the events later from others.

To his shock he learns that Rozemyne has been poisoned and while Ferdinand managed to just barely save her life, she has to be put into a Jureve to heal, which is going to put her to sleep for a long time. Ferdinand initially estimates that she will be in this healing coma for at least a full year.

During Rozemyne's coma Wilfried and Charlotte try to pick up the slack and stand in for her, among other things taking charge of the winter playroom and holding the Spring Prayer in the towns of Ehrenfest's central district, though like with the charging of the foundation, they are given feystones to do so, instead of having to donate their own mana. These feystones contained Rozemyne's excess mana, which is regularly drained by Ferdinand.

Wilfried already being used to Rozemyne's amazing feats doesn't appear to have any problems with this, though his little sister becomes more and more depressed from feelings of inadequacy when confronted with all the things that Rozemyne did on a daily basis that seem impossible for her.

Unfortunately Ferdinand was considerably off in his initial estimation and Rozemyne spends two full years in the jureve. When they finally get a chance to meet again Wilfried and Charlotte are overjoyed, with Wilfried proudly boasting that he almost caught up to her, which Ferdinand immediately puts into question. Following the dinner the three reunited siblings study and practice dedication whirl together.

On the way to the great hall for this year's baptisms and winter debuts Wilfried and Charlotte are surprised to see Rozemyne drive in Lessy, her highbeast. Due to how well she did during their whirl practice, her siblings assumed that she had fully recovered and were shocked when she told them that her muscles had atrophied during her sleep and that she was only able to move at all thanks to magic tools provided by Ferdinand. Past the point where she isn't allowed to use her highbeast anymore she tells her siblings to move ahead, but they insist on sticking together and match her slow walking pace.

Once at the hall Wilfried and Charlotte take turns in greeting the nobles that approach them and gentle guide those away that are expected to upset their freshly recovered sister in a reversal of how she protected them two years ago. At the gifting ceremony Wilfried and Rozemyne are presented with the brooch and cape of Ehrenfest academy students.

Since the youngest students traditionally leave last, the three have some time to spend together in the winter playroom. Rozemyne planned to once again run it on her own, but Wilfried and Charlotte insist on sharing the work, especially with Rozemyne's weakened state. On the first day Wilfried gets a bit too caught up in the competition for the sweets that Rozemyne's chefs provided, but a single comment from Charlotte is enough to get him back to work, reshuffling the teams to match children of roughly equal skills.

Due to the way they tricked him back in autumn two years ago, Wilfried has and still is shunning the children of the Veronica faction. Rozemyne however argues for leaving faction politics behind while at the academy and work together for the good of Ehrenfest. Thanks to her all students regardless of which faction their parents belong to work together to cram for their exams. She calls those efforts the "Better Grade Committee".

When all the archduke candidate students meet at the beginning of the year, Rozemyne's exceptionally young appearance draws a lot of attention and some students even make rude comments. Since they are all of higher ranking duchies than Ehrenfest, Wilfried is unable to refute them and quitely grinds his teeth in frustration. When some of the students snicker about Rozemyne being unable to rise from the tall chairs on her own, Wilfried almost loses his composure to a point where this frustration becomes visible, but Rozemyne manages to calm him down enough so he does not show his feelings.

Upon learning that she is barred from going to the Royal Academy Library until she finished all her written classes Rozemyne is determined to finish them all on the first day. Wilfried is worried that once she does, she will abandon the Better Grades Committee and stay in the library all day, so he urges her to not abandon the other students. This somewhat backfires and much to Wilfried's astonishment and alarm causes Rozemyne to put all the first years through a gruelling studying schedule to beat all the necessary knowledge they need to also pass all the exams on the first day into their heads. Thanks to children's bibles and karuta having been used in the winter playroom for two years now the children are generally confident in regards to their math and theology exams, but have to work hard to prepare for geography and history.

While for Rozemyne it meant securing extra time in the library, it would greatly aid the duchy as well to achieve this incredible task, so nobody stops Rozemyne, but seeing the students struggle keeping up the brutal studying she puts them through still causes him to apologize to them for arguably being the cause of their torment.

Thanks to their prior training, all of Ehrenfest's first years manage to pass their math exams easily on the first year. Later they manage the same feat for theology. While it isn't unusual for archduke candidates and archnobles to pass exams on first try, it is uncommon for mednobles and especially laynobles who have far less access to high quality learning material and highly skilled tutors to do the same. For all students of a duchy, including the laynobles, to ace not just one, but two subjects on the first attempt is rather unusual and thus raises quite a few eyebrows.

In their practical lessons for controlling mana the students feystone are set the task to fill a feystone with mana and then empty it out. Due to his experience in charging Ehrenfest's foundation and transferring Rozemyne's mana from a feystone to the chalice during the Dedication Ritual when Rozemyne was in the coma, he easily brushes through this lesson and is happy and proud to finally finish something faster than Rozemyne. Meanwhile his adopted sister greatly struggled and was the last of any of the students to finish this lesson.

When Wilfried later what took her so long Rozemyne explains that it was due to interference from the magic tools she wears. The two siblings continue to tutor the other students for the upcoming history and geography exams when a message from Professor Solange arrives, telling them about the details of registering for the library and the fees involved. When she learns how much it costs Philine - laynoble student who became close to Rozemyne in the winter playroom - comments that she couldn't afford this, so Rozemyne decides to lend any of her fellow students who was in the same situation the money for the registration and that they could repay her or work the debt off by transcribing any books that aren't already present in Ehrenfest Castle's book room later. Much to Wilfried's surprise Rozemyne made a full catalogue of all the books there and jokingly asks her if she was really in a coma the whole time and didn't secretly sneak to the bookroom during the two years.

Just like math and theology, all the first-years of Ehrenfest manage to pass their history, geography and magecraft exams on the first try, but unlike the former two, not all Ehrenfest students manage to ace them. Philine and Roderick just barely managed to pass history and geography respectively. The two were given the opportunity to retake the exams at a later day after attending the courses, but they both refuse since that would mean not being able to accompany Rozemyne to the library registration three days later. Unlike math and theology which regularly see only a few of the poorer nobles fail, in geography and history it is rare for any med- and laynobles to pass on the first attempt. Where the previous two exams merely raised some eyebrows, Ehrenfest's success on the latter two causes a stir among the other duchies. Seeing all the first years accomplishing this amazing feat also motivates the older students to put more efforts into their studies.

Wilfried's grades at the academy are average for an archduke candidate, though considering how much he was lagging behind even the poorest laynoble at the age of seven, that in itself is quite the accomplishment.

Later in the day comes the first practical lesson in music, where Rozemyne plays one of the songs she composed. When the music professor asks her about the song, Rozemyne tries to downplay it, but Wilfried proudly announces that is was a song she composed herself and that he too can play several of the other songs she composed.

Wilfried was able to pass his first court etiquette lesson on the first try, though that was in no small part thanks to Rozemyne's support.

Right before the history exam of the second term Wilfried is clearly stressed and asks Rozemyne not to talk to him, or all the names of previous kings might spill out of his head. Despite his nervousness however he manages to pass with good marks on the first attempt, just like all other Ehrenfest second years. They even manage to be the first to turn in all their tests, leading to some friendly banter between him and Ortwin, which the Drewanchel noble has to cut short due to a tight schedule.

Wilfried is very proud that the trend he started among the male students of his age group to add a duchy crest to the base-shape of the schtappe has taken root and is still going strong. While some nobles boys only add a flat crest that looks almost like a sticker, Wilfried and some others went all the way to make their crest like an engraving.

When Rozemyne inquires why this trend only seems to have set in among the boys, he tells her that the previous year Lady Hannelore had advised the girls against adding the symbol of their duchy to their schtappe and presumes she did this due to how most female archduke candidates are fated to marry and move to their future husbands duchy.

For his theology exam in addition to his obligatory birth deity Flutrane, he intends to choose Leidenschaft so he can pray for more growth in the future.

< Wilfried