The school subject explained the history of our Althemer Empire in a little more detail than what my father did in his free time. Prior to the decisive victory 200 years ago, Althemer was a vassal of the Theocracy of Mana in the southeast. The king at that time was a mage, and his retinues were also mages. Instead of being merely called King David, they were referred to as King David, the child of mana, signifying our status as vassals to the Theocracy of mana in the east.
War became inevitable to the north and west. The Theocracy and other eastern kingdoms planned to sacrifice Althemer to buy some time. King David chose to stand with his kingdom and face death. However, his loyal retainers, Duke Bron and Slane, refused to surrender. Alongside their retinue, they innovated by creating cannons and flamethrowers. After toiling day and night, filling feystones and crafting tools, they marched into war.
Unlike their master, King David and his retinue used ordinary commoners for war. He gave them weapons. And thus, with the help of feystones, the minuscule army of a hundred mages could expand into a hundred mages plus two thousand commoners with magic weapons. Since many casualties were commoners, it didn't hurt them much, and thus, he managed to hold his capital. After he won a defensive war, he launched a counterattack and pushed them back. His victory changed the tide of the war. The losing and defensive side were now an attacker and the winning one. All thanks to the cooperation of both mages and commoners.
King David's merits were recognized, and he became famous. However, no good deeds go unpunished. He earned much ire from his peers for providing weapons to commoners. Despite the pressure from other kings, he didn't abandon his commoner knights who had died for him and elevated them to the ranks of nobility.
The ranks of nobility followed a bloodline and not mages with mana, as taught in the teachings of mana previously adopted in Eastern countries. However, mages were still considered nobility, so David's son, despite not being a mage, had to marry a count's daughter who was a mage. This trend continued until the fifth generation seventy years ago. The breaking point was when the king had to marry a knight's daughter. This hurt the nobles' feelings, and prejudice against mages and nobles intensified until the current king's grandfather decided not to take a mage bride.
King David's son and grandson then won many other wars. The method of utilizing commoners with mages backing them soon became their primary strategy until the opponent caught up with the technology a hundred years ago, and the war turned into a stalemate on the current Western front. By the way, my grandfather and great-grandfather won wars on cleaning up the northern area and were thus promoted to our current count status.
The eastern alliance with the Theocracy was about to declare war on us, but it was stopped by the Theocracy. They knew they couldn't win against us in direct confrontation, even if they had a casualty ratio of 10 to 1 in their favor. They used pure mages in their military, after all. During combat, even mages proficient with blades could only handle three to five knights with magical weapons. Mages comprised only 5% of the population. They knew they would lose. So, the Theocracy allowed our independence and hoped for an everlasting friendship, at least on the surface.
Thus, the history lessons. My teachers also promoted loyalty to the empire and spoke ill of the other kingdoms. As mages, they would love to go to the eastern country. But rank four magic was discriminated against there, just like barons. Moreover, the work was tough. You had to work from dawn until night. They used rank four instead of talent level four in the southern and eastern countries.
When a student asked about the western nation, other students and teachers laughed at him. It was a common conception that western nations were barbarians who held mages as prisoners and sucked their mana day and night. However, I knew it wasn't exactly right. The webnovels started there, after all. While some western countries did precisely just that, Claire's small country was not one of them. It was like ours in government. But her people were naturally less racist towards mages. The novel mentions a revolution and coexistence between mages and commoners. Claire and the prince wanted to do that in this kingdom, too, which brought a boatload of problems with our alliance in the south and east, and the second prince and most of his supporters didn't like it.
Such was the history of our nation. This history didn't matter much to me. It already happened a long time ago, after all.
"Lady Eli, could I talk to you for a minute?" a female student walked up to me the day after that lunch. Who was she? Wait, I think I saw her during Brother Zach's wedding ceremony. However, she never introduced herself. Where was Alicia during this important time? The socialite Alicia must have known her.
"Hmm? I am afraid my reputation precedes me. I thought I saw you at my brother's wedding. However, I believe I missed the chance to be introduced to you?"
"Ah. Yes. You are right. We are in different classes, after all. I studied in general education. My name is Ronya. I am Duke Bron's first granddaughter." She then gave a curtsy. I believe she had been following me since the fiasco at the cafeteria. The cafeteria was the only place we could bump into each other if we were in different classes. The fact she studied in general education meant she was neither a knight nor a mage.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"Greetings, Lady Ronya." I also gave a curtsy.
"Lady Eli, I was curious about your relationship with Alicia. It seems like she wanted to steal a march on Prince Ludwin from you. He has been talking to her quite a lot, even at the previous tea party, and even now, when you are away. Look! The prince is talking to her there in the cafeteria." Ronya pointed toward the chef, and true to her words, the prince was greeting her. He probably asked about my schedule with Alicia. To be honest, I didn't care in the least. But, was that how people perceived us?
"I didn't like the way the prince approached Alicia. The law about nobles marrying mages was supposed to be abolished fifty years ago." she started to berate Alicia.
"Ah! Are you aiming for Prince Ludwin, too?" I started to connect the dots. But my answer was so far off the mark that it left me confused about her intention.
"Uhm… well, I am not a mage, so I could not compete with Margareth or you. But I could not accept it if Alicia, the commoner, had a chance." she gritted her teeth. She then gossiped again, "The way the prince talked to her so casually irked me that I even lost sleep! Aren't you agitated, too?"
I am an otherworlder. That noble stuff is of no concern to me, but let's just nod to ease her worries. She seemed like a good kid, after all, I thought while looking at her. She had long, straight hair with a slender figure. She was even taller than Alicia, even though we were the same age. She looked more like she was in grades above us. She lost utterly in the breast department, though.
I felt disgusted with myself for feeling glad at her flaw. I then smiled more. "I never thought non-mages or manaless like that. I am the only mage in my family, after all. I am happy with how they treated me. So, please, don't bow your head to me. You are higher-ranked in nobility."
"I see. Thank you, Lady Eli. I see that your intimidating eye betrayed your inner self. You are a very good person," she smiled back. "Good to see mages were loyal to our noble system."
"Lady Eli! I have been looking for you. Here is your lunch!" Alicia hugged me from behind as she put my lunch on the table.
"You are a maid, right? Why are you so clingy to Lady Elidranthia?" Ronya's face turned sour.
"Ah, my apologies, Lady Ronya." Alicia quickly bowed and took a distance from me. Alicia knew the proper etiquette. She just didn't follow it when she was with me. She gets clingy sometimes, possibly because she had no more family by her side.
"Ah, you are invited to Prince Ludwin's tea party, right? I also wish to come, but I wasn't invited…" she said forlornly.
"Hm… maybe you can come with me, then? I will ask Prince Ludwin to allow you to come."
"Really? Thank you!!" Ronya said.
"Alicia, let's go meet Prince Ludwin."
"As you wish, Lady Eli."
Unlike Margareth, Prince Ludwin easily allowed Ronya to attend the tea party as my guest. However, he noted that Ronya was in a bad relationship with her second brother, who is a mage level 4, and the household also doted on him. Unlike her other siblings, Ronya was suspected to have deep jealousy with her brother.
"Why does she have deep jealousy, though? She is female, right? Females can't continue the house unless they take in a bride from other noble houses…" I muttered a while later after my meeting with Prince Ludwin.
---------------
I hugged my pillow in excitement. Lady Elidranthia was kind to me even when she was a mage, unlike my brother who kept bullying me as trash or unsoldierlike. My first brother was blessed with a skill, my second brother was a mage, and my youngest sister was also blessed with a skill. Only I, Ronya Bron, was a useless granddaughter of a duke.
Whether in appearance or skill, I didn't have much. My grades were average, I am tall, so boys avoided me, and my breasts were small, too. I am unattractive, unlike that wretched commoner Alicia. Even my arrogant second brother was aiming for her.
The day of the tea party arrived. Lady Eli was picking me up. Even though I am a duke's daughter, Prince Ludwin only accepted me as Lady Eli's guest. However, since nobody supported me, I finally understood that they were correct. Eli was a mage. I was a duke's granddaughter in name only. My future was a simple military accountant, something that even a baron could do. I even got a stink eye for that position.
"Greetings, Lady Elidranthia, Alicia, and Lady Ronya. Welcome to our tea party. Charlotte and I have been waiting for you. Today, not only do we have cakes, but we will also have ice cream prepared by Lady Safira!" Prince Ludwin said gleefully as he entered the tea party venue. It was the first time I have been to a royal tea party. It reminded me of my birthday before my magical exam ceremony.
"Oh, and I also prepared some beef! If sweets are not to your liking, you can always have a more fulfilling meal." Prince Ludwin smiled.
"Yay!" Lady Eli raised her hands like a little kid. Alicia quickly went to the barbecue and cooked some for Lady Eli and herself. She then went to the playing zone for boys, playing some darts or throwing rings. I didn't follow her and opted to sit down with the rest of the girls. This is how girls should be, talking about clothes and flowers. All of my siblings always talked about swords.
"Greetings, sorry to impose on you. But, may I know your name?"
"I am Ronya, the first granddaughter of Duke Bron."
"Ah! Duke Bron! How's the preparation on the new northern front? Did you come here to make relations with Lady Eli? I see you guys came here together. Preparing for such a sudden war must be exhausting. Even the royal guards were mobilized, you know. That hasn't happened since seventy years ago!" someone asked me with excitement.
I froze. I didn't know anything about the military. It was never my intention to work with those sweaty men. I was promised a job as a clerk, but it was not enough to answer her questions.
"Ah, the preparations are going well. Lady Eli said so. It was a sudden attack, so my grandfather was not amused. He often had fights with my father and uncles." I fabricated a harmless story.
The tea party went stiff afterward. Knowing they couldn't get any information from me, they left me alone, and I went home with Lady Elidranthia, who was cheerful to the very end.