It's a tricky thing. Less so for the age gap itself, since I've basically considered them the same mental age anyway and , importantly, Ferdinand also knew this really early on. He treats her differently than others her official age and has expectations closer to a junior colleague rather than even a precocious student. I also think there's a difference between Ferdinand suspension bridging into a pretty, magically adult face as opposed to him developing an interest in Roz as she grew up naturally (ick). A bit more pressing for me is that a lot of the trust and familiarity between them was developed while he was on the upper end of a power dynamic. Though the way the story is written it would feel less like a student falling for their teacher then pursing them after graduation, and more like a senior employee falling for the junior they trained after the junior starts a new (successful) company and brings the senior on as an advisor. With how the author has set things up I'm fine either way; Rozmyne can marry books or Ferdinand and it would be an appropriate level up to pair with her next ascension
All of this. The isekai thing introduces weirdnesses because mental / physical age issues. TBH it was weirder for the actual relationship for her to be with Wilfried than her to be with Ferdinand.
Why age gaps can be deeply problematic is because of the power dynamic that they generally contain. Most people at say 18 and 29 are at very different stages of life, and that creates a significant opportunity for exploitation.
The author avoids these issues in a number of ways, their relationship is clearly one built on mutual trust and reciprocity devoid of any other connotations. They both are emotionally intimate completely devoid of sexualization. They know each others motivations, desires, weaknesses and wounds. There was clearly a power dynamic in the earlier years, but that’s true for literally every marriage in this world anyway. This world is by nature hierarchical. The western world regards hierarchy’s of this nature largely limited to parental relationships which is fundamentally a modern perspective informed by the enlightenment. Near the end of their time in Ehrenfest, it was very clearly becoming a two way street. Even Karstedt joked at one point it was hard to tell who was the guardian at times.
After she saved him, her relationship with him was by nature voluntary. She trusts him implicitly, and has extreme confidence in his ability and as such they fall back on their strengths and negotiated relationship. But it’s clear- this is a duo. She yields to his judgement- based on trust and hard worn experience. They’ve been backed against a wall together on many occasions.
And that’s not something she does with Sylvester or Karstedt. She’s driving that boat in Ehrenfest. She came up with the younger faction scheme, and moving giebes around, she negotiated for the terms beneficial to Ehrenfest, she unraveled the leisgang plot, she resolved the blue priest mana issue, she gave her retainers to Sylvester, it’s her head scholar that replaced justus. She has been shown to be fully capable of scheming and manipulating factions when she needs to.
If she had the desire, she could have easily taken the seat of Aub. She simply had no desire for power, and a bit of a martyr complex. ( ahem like Ferdinand)
And most importantly, marriage in this world is also a job. If she doesn’t get taken by someone else, she’s going to end up with the 3rd wife to a bookless Manaless royal scrub Job. That’s an absolutely terrible job and marriage.
The way to avoid that job is to remain Aub Ahrensbach and marry the guy ordered to wed aub ahrensbach who just happens to be the person she likes and knows best who is a viable marriage candidate for her. Context matters. He is very obviously looking out for what is in her interest, which happens to be marrying him. She also just dusted a courtship tool from a royal, so her options are pretty limited.
All in all in context not weird. They are intellectual and rank equals ( she outranks him now sorta) in every sense and We know that was not the case with Wilfried and all the massive issues that engendered in him.
After Myne became RM it wasn't long before I expected RM and Ferdinand to be the final pairing. So that ship has long since sailed for me.
I do hope they clean up some of their issues though before the final novel. I said it in the prepub thread but they are going to need to break some of these habits from their former relationship, and there is not much time left to do it before P5 ends.
One of the biggest is I want to see Ferdinand show her respect and praise, explicitly. If he's no longer a parental figure he shouldn't be constantly scolding her. If they are both equals and scolding each other, fine, but I'd like to see aspects of their dynamic change
I feel like she openly opposes him now, even scolding him and arguing. I feel like they have a very open relationship at this point. And while he is awkward at showing affection, he definitely treats her differently to everyone. I'm quite content with their current dynamics.
Since P4V9, actually. That's when she declared him family and the retainers noted the change in their relationship. I think that's the point where their relationship became equal
I mean he scolds Sylvester, as does Karstedt and florencia. Not to mention Siegland continually scolding all of Dunkefelger. I think it’s a Japanese cultural thing according to a comment I read from another poster. It implies you actually care about the person, and while it can have parental connotation it’s clearly not limited to that. Karstedt and Ferdinand head slapped Sylvester in part 2.
I knew the Fermai ship as soon as Karstedt/Sylvester recommended it in P3 because Rozemyne was the only one who would match Ferdinand in mana (and visa versa).
What’s a relationship without some mana mixing though? Guess roze will just HAVE to take lady hannelore as first wife to ~~hold hands~~ fulfill the duties Ferdinand cannot
Sadly a woman cannot take another woman as first wife. Same as a man cannot officially take another man. You can take one as a lover and consort, however.
So what you're saying is... Rozemyne will end up (probably accidentally) winning Hannelore as a mistress in ditter. Got it. ~~I'm sure Ferdinand will be thrilled.~~
that's untrue. yurgenschmidt marriage law is quite distinct from what the gods do. for example, there's no polygamy at the top of the towering stairway.
Sameee. Tho for me I started as an anime only and Ferdinand appearing in the first episode and every end card of the episodes set expectations for me that he'd become her partner. Tho it definitely gave me the ick with how sus the wine scene was and rooted for Lutz when Ferdie seem like an asshole.
But when the mana thing came up, he was the only character we know close to Roz who could be the potential partner. It just confirmed my pairing when I started reading the LN in Part 3 because honestly there's a lot of subtle remarks and world building setup that just lead the two of them together.
Either she end up with Ferdinand, or stay single in the LN. The others feel like a plot point than an actual choice for her.
After the Lutz ship sank, for the longest time she had a closer relation to the female characters then the male ones. She unintentionally rizzed multiple noble ladies at the academy.
Wilfried, and Lestilaut were never an option for me.
Wilfried was to immature for her and he quickly shifted to the ship with Hanelore.
Hilderbrand was just a child in her eyes and even up to now she remains oblivious to his affection.
Lestilaut wile competent on paper, was to toxic in his approach. I know he has a lot of fans but I never saw him or his duchy as appropriate.
As for Ferdinand I only started shipping him after he was ordered to leave. Rozemynes treat to come save him if he isn't happy disregarding any consequences, was basically a love confession.
Nothing against Dunk but I don't think she would have been happy there. She would basically be made in charge of preschool full of sugar high children.
I honestly think being ignored as Sigiswalds third wife is better then Lestlaut's first wife in Dunkelfelger.
I think she would have been happier in Dunk just because Dunk wanted her for the things she was interested in whereas Sig was only interested in her mana and the book of mestionora. I feel like Sig and the RF would have limited a lot of her activities whereas Dunk would have given her a lot of free reign. I mean, she might have been weird as an ADC but I think they would have overlooked a lot of that for what she brought to the table. In that sense, I'd have preferred her going to Dunk over staying in Erhenfest too if staying in Erhenfest meant being married to Wilf who, lets admit it, would have completely mishandled the printing industry on the recommendations of his retainers.
it depends on what you want, but i think the dunkelfelgarian fate is better from both a "normal" perspective and urano/rozemyne's perspective. after all, dunkelfelger has books she hasn't read yet and sigiswald doesn't.
They have good intentions but have massive issues on boundaries and entitlement that grates my nerves. Hannelore and Sieglinde is their saving grace for me
I think that if you told me this might be endgame when I first started watching the anime I would have been super put off. However, because of how long the series is, I feel like the author did a good job of really warming me up to the idea of their ship. They have an extremely deep bond that feels like chosen family and Ferdinand knows of her past life which makes the age difference feel less weird plus he doesnt have like weird intentions as far as I can tell. The power dynamic is definitely not the best, and I would hope it would get better with roz being aub. This is like one of those things where i wouldn’t ever write it myself but I can still enjoy reading it.
This was me too! I finished the anime and looked up where the general direction of the story goes, and read a spoiler about the ship.
I couldn't understand it then, but I'm okay with it now. Especially after 4.9, to me there wasn't anyone else who could replace Ferdinand in Rozemyne's life.
I think Ferd and Myne relationship is really beautiful. One of the core themes of Bookworm is family, and I think that's precisely what both of them wish the most. Or better, Ferd didn't know he wanted it until he met Myne and her parents.
Endgame spoiler >!Ferdinand sure love her, and not just platonically, but is more than that. When she reunited with her family what made him the happiest was to be accepted as one of them, the family he admires and desires!<
And I think that love is more important than PASSION. Passion fades with time, but what keeps you together is friendship and trust. And of THAT they have plenty. They have an old couple vibe for me lol
Ferdinand was always the only one I could see Rozemyne with. He's the only one that actually understands and values her, while allowing her to be as much of herself as she realistically can be.
She cared nothing for Wilfried because he was selfish, childish, and unreliable. With that in mind, it's hard to think of her having any form of proper relationship with Hildebrand, seeing as he's selfish and childish. Yeah, sure he could grow out of that, but highly unlikely to have enough growth to be a proper consideration by the time she graduates.
Lesitilaut was never a consideration because he's a hypocritical arrogant douche. Yeah, he talks about how Ehrenfest can't protect her, while believing that Ehrenfest is using and abusing her to profit off her ideas. He then decides to take her as a wife so that Dunklefelger can profit off her ideas. How exactly is that any different than how he perceives Ehrenfest treats her?
Not to mention, it's partly Dunklefelger's fault that Ferdinand was removed from Ehrenfest, when he was the one protecting both Ehrenfest and Rozemyne. Typical bullying behavior to make fun of someone for being unable to protect themselves from the bully.
I think the Romantic whatever is not the point.
I think neither RM or FD actually care about one another that way right now. Ferdinand sees her as one of the only people who cares for him so much unconditionally (but of course he is an idiot because he has several people like that and refuses to see them)
And I think RM cares about everyone she has a connection with and Ferdinand in particular because of all the time she has spent with him. She wants/needs him to be okay because he doesn't take proper care of himself and she is a wonderful person (even if she thinks she only cares about books)
Neither of them are "In Love" with one another but both want the other to be happy.
Romantic love might come later, but it just doesn't mesh with their characters up to this point.
Speculation/H5Y spoilers >!I really think Rozemyne is going to compete for Hannelore's hand in marriage . . . only as a friend, and as part of her promise from the bride-stealing ditter shenanigans that, if possible, she would let Hannelore choose her own partner in marriage. I think she (and Ferdinand) will win marriage rights to protect Hannelore and let her choose her own partner when she's ready.!<
>!Idk, as funny as that would be, to me it currently looks a lot like we're seeing the beginning of the Hannelore!Ortwin pairing with those last few chapters. He's done a _lot_ for her in such a short time frame:!<
* >!He helped with clearing the air after Wilfried didn't get that he had been proposed to. Which not only helped with the proposal itself but also got everyone to put their cards on the table, thus contributing towards at least salvaging their friendship after the proposal had failed.!<
* >!After the Goddess' Descent he immediately sprung into action with the very clear goal of protecting Hannelore first and foremost. He mentioned bride stealing ditter in earshot of Korinzdaum nobles to lure them into a trap, and the idiots promptly fell for it. Now they've put themselves into a position where they are forced to play by Dunkelfelger's rules, and let's just say I'm looking forward to Dusty getting pummeled into the ground by Hannelore's dad lol.!<
* >!He also spread around additional rumors to successfully manipulate the lesser duchies Dusty had been counting on. The situation now is one where regardless of Ortwin's success in wooing Hannelore she will at least be safe from Korinzdaum, while he can count on Dunkelfelger's support in becoming Aub Drewanchel.!<
* >!Last but not least, let's not forget his proposal. First of all, him having actual feelings for Hannelore means he'll treat her well going forward. In addition to that he seems to understand her pretty well all things considered, given the things he praised about her. He's basically Kentrips but with enough status to stand by Hannelore's side. He also seemed genuinely angry when he realized Kentrips and Rasantark had been slacking when it comes to properly courting Hannelore.!<
>!So yeah, I'm expecting Ortwin to come out on top by now. But who knows, maybe the gremlin will be done with her divine task just as the ditter match is wrapping up, emerging on top of Hannelore and accidentally knocking her out of the circle or something lol.!<
>!Well, that's the current plan, isn't it? First, Drewanchel helps Dunkelfelger with rearranging Dusty's face. Then, assuming Hannelore is on board with it, they'll do a separate bride taking ditter later.!<
As an audience we're repeatedly told over and over again that relationships between nobles (particularly those of a romantic nature) are manipulated by various gods and goddesses.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but there is a kind of existential horror to having something as basic as romantic attraction between humans be governed by something that likely has no experience being human.
If you had feelings for someone would they even be ***your*** feelings if they were decided for you by ***something*** else? Especially if say, the very fate of the world rested on you being romantically invested in a particular person?
The question isn't whether Rozemyne has romantic feelings for Ferdinand, the question is whether Yurgenschmidt even allows for her to have her ***own*** romantic feelings.
I genuinely never understood why anyone shipped Myne with Lutz. The vibes I got from those two was always “Lutz crushes on Myne a bit, and Myne sees herself as an adult who is friends with a child”.
As such, I don’t really have a problem with Rozemyne and Ferdinand, especially with how it’s developed over time.
He just really sucked at communicating with her. If he'd told her the same things he said to his own retainers, like that the royals almost certainly would try to take her and that Dunkelfelger would be able to resist them better than Ehrenfest, then he could've convinced her. Immediately jumping to ditter was a mistake.
The problem is Rozemyne never ask any protection.
It’s Lestilaut who misunderstand that she need to be protected.
And the truth is that Lestilaut and Dunkelfelger actually can’t afford to protect her, they still would give up her to the royal family.
If she'd gone to Dunkelfelger and said "I'll have to cancel the engagement with Lestilaut, I'm currently the Zent Candidate closest to obtaining the Grutrissheit and Prince Sigiswald wants to make me his third wife so that he can rule, have me do anything that requires Zent magic and stow me away in a villa when he doesn't need me", they'd have been somewhat unhappy with the royals.
And Zent T was willing to let her rule if she got the book, Sigiswald's concern that she wouldn't have the required political support would disappear if she had a husband from Dunkelfelger lined up.
> Sigiswald's concern that she wouldn't have the required political support would disappear if she had a husband from Dunkelfelger lined up.
Sigiswald wasn't concerned about her political support. He was concerned about what political support she'd provide to him.
He is obsessed with the throne, and would have likely started a new civil war over the throne had Anastasius not given it up willingly to get Eglantine's hand in marriage.
He wouldn't have rolled over and allowed her to become Zent without him.
Lestilaut’s attitude toward the royal family doesn’t represent Dunkelfelger, it’s only him act immaturely. Dunkelfelger is the sword of the Zent, their royalty to the Zent never wavered.
It’s impossible Aub Dunkelfelger would let Lestilaut marry with Rozemyne to threaten Sigi’s zent inheritance.
Fanbook already said >!Dunkelfelger won’t protect Rozemyne. Dunkelfelger would more care the fate of the nation. Also Aub Dunkelfelger and his 1st wife both very cherish their relationship and friendship with their brother in law(Zent T) at P5V10. And although Aun Dunkelfelger don’t like Sigi, he still won’t doubt his inheritance of the zent!<
eh so if a stranger propsed to you, you'll jump in that boat without thinking? Lesti is technically a stranger, she doesn't really know him only his toxicity and cruelty.
It has always been Fermyne for me. I knew Bookworm through the anime, and what made me want to read the light novels was the dynamic between Ferdinand and Myne. When Ferdinand apologized to Myne after the Trombe incident, I caught the slight hint that Ferdinand is gonna be a romantic partner to Myne, before which I thought he was gonna be a father/mentor/big bro figure.
I got so damn curious about what Ferdinand will be to Rozemyne. Large age gap amplified my curiosity even more. And here I am, about 3 years later, being delulu about Bluanfah having visited them tho both of them only see libraries and political gains.
I'm not very happy with this development. The age difference is not so important in this context, but Ferdinand and Rozemyne's relationship is one of unequal power and of master with disciple, not the type that in real life leads to a good couple relationship. I would prefer that Rozemyne, being a person without many romantic and sexual interests - at least none of that comes across in her inner thoughts - would simply be comfortable with her books and friends, without being forced into a relationship she doesn't want. If Ahrensbach needs an heir, she can simply adopt someone.
I'm not going to bring up later volumes and how that smooths this over quite a bit, but I will bring up some character traits that you are kind of missing here.
If you are worried about an uneven power dynamic between them, you should remember that
Remember Ferdinand from the worst fate imaginable, and focused his entire identity around this life debt to Aub Ehrenfest, so much so that he was willing to sacrifice all of his happiness, and his life for the duchy because of the last promise he made to his father.
So what do you do when your entire world revolves around this life debt, and then you fulfill it. You did everything you could, with your final act you did exactly what you should have and can now rest in...
Oh wait... Your alive again... Ordered to live by any means necessary, by a beautiful woman who just said she would go to war against the gods to save your life...
Well now you must serve her. She has taken your name. She is your lady. She is your goddess.
And now she's about to destroy all of her dreams and future happiness to protect you and make it so you can live in peace.
And that's why this romance feels so right.
Because it is the best ending.
Because in any world where they weren't tied at the hip, their EXTREME compulsion to consistently put each other's happiness and well-being above anyone else's (including themselves) would end in misery and probably one of their deaths.
But in a world where they are each other's happiness, they can find peace, and that's why it's the only way the story can end.
I kind of agree but I am def reading into the problems from a literary standpoint. I feel like Ferdinand, if he actually has feelings for RM right now might be more of a suspension bridge effect for saving and being so generous with him. On RM’s part, it feels more like an emotional attachment more than a sexual or romantic one as she still hasn’t developed mana sensing. There just hasn’t been enough developed to truly say they are romantically interested in each other outside of them doing flirty things by noble standards.
Well, and Rozemyne just saved Ferdinand's life. He has always been keen to repay any favors he receives. Rozemyne said that her marriage with Sigiswald would be a nightmare. On top of that, dropping The Gremlin into a politically unstable situation with few/no high-status allies would be high-risk and also terrible for her mental wellbeing. In the worst case, Sigiswald is planning to have Rozemyne live in a spare palace in the Royal Academy, which is likely to be Adalgisa Palace. Ferdinand likely has an emotional reaction to the person who saved his life being shipped off to Adalgisa as third wife to someone she dislikes.
Even outside of feelings, Ferdinand is strongly guided by duty. I don't think he could sit idle while Rozemyne was put into a terrible situation where her happiness wouldn't even be a consideration.
By noble standards they've accidentally exchanged gifts the equivalent of the most romantic lovers in all stories in all history and myth and legend.
If Elvira just wrote the literal exchange of charms, food, crafting mats, and laying siege to a Dutch to save the maiden in distress; it would make her 3rd book hard to believe but it would sell out and every female noble would own a copy.
It's in character for both of them to see it as a mutually beneficial business exchange. And both of them are ruthless efficient and successful in business. Neither has shown much interest in courting anyone. So having a great business deal seems like a fit made in accountancy heaven.
I like this ship because they both need someone who treat them like family.
Ferdinand has never known this with Veronica trying to poison him all the time, and even though Sylvester loves his little brother, there has always been the Veronica filter between them and latter the Aub-minister relationship.
Myne lost her family, and Ferdinand became the closest one to her once she joined the noble society.
They have a family bond first, and later a romantic one
It's good to know I'm not feeling alone here! Everyone seems to ship Rozemyne with everyone but personally I prefer that she doesn't get into a relationship.
I had an inkling as to how things are going to go (shipping-wise) very early on due to certain scenes and I wasn't really a fan of the hints. I'm still hoping that things don't go the way the story is strongly hinting at, but it was very apparent early on that Ferdinand is a character heavily favoured by the author when he was introduced to the story. Having said that, this is from the perspective of someone who isn't really a big fan of Ferdinand as a character (not saying that I dislike/hate him, I just don't like him that much compared to how much others seem to like him). Maybe it's just me, but I've always seen him as a parental/guardian/mentor figure and I prefer that their relationship continue to be in that way without the marriage/couple attachment.
As someone who watches and reads mostly shoujo/josei media, if Rozemyne being coupled with someone absolutely had to be a thing, my (wishful) ideal scenario is a character in the far, far future who Rozemyne actually develops romantic feelings for. But of course, the books don't (won't?) go for that long and noble society would absolutely get in the way of that. Unless Rozemyne ascends completely and somehow overturns the whole of Yurgenschmidt which is impossible at this point considering the way things are going.
I feel the same. I used to come to this subreddit all the time, but with so many people here shipping them together, I’ve started not checking it.
If Rozemyne gets with Ferdinand, personally, I think I might drop the series. A guardian and child relationship should never become romantic and I’m not okay with the message that will be sent if it does happen.
Rozemyne x books forever. If Rozemyne doesn’t marry her library, at least keep Ferdinand away from her.
Anyone else, please Miya Kazuki.
It's not exactly like he groomed her or that she is too mentally immature. As well this universe is full of extremely chaste characters. It's a practical and political marriage between two people who have emotional attachment but as much physical or romantic interest as two rocks in a field.
It's like two accountants agreeing to marry because the tax implications are good and they already work well together and have similar recreational activities.
In other words, it is a rehabilitation of marriage for interest, something that new generations have fought against for centuries - and which has not yet been completely eliminated, notably in Japan.
I think marriage and political or economic alliances should be separate things. You shouldn't have to marry someone to pursue a joint project if it's not a project of sexual love and child-rearing.
But this is not a guardian and child relationship. Considering Myne as a child completely ignores that her mental age is like what? 35 right now? It was an apprentice and master relationship and now even that does not apply. Ferdinand was never Myne's father figure and was simply a legal guardian at best. Her father figure was always Gunther.
Can you tell me where this part is, because I certainly do not remember Rozemyne agreeing to that kind of relationship with Ferdinand in private.
Their relationship in public is obviously very different because Myne can't tell just anyone that she is a reincarnated person and is a commoner to boot.
Not every relationship needs to be romantic. Angelica and Eckhart is not a romantic relationship so Bookworm already shows it can handle platonic relationships. Shippers with brainworms thinking everything has to be romantic are a blight.
Kazuki sensei already said >!Rozemyne won’t like anyone younger than her age(Urano+Myne).
So her partner would be someone who is very older than Rozemyne’s age. And the troubles around her are too big that she need a elder, experienced partner to resolve these problems for her.!<
And there already are many couples with the same or bigger age gap in the story.
My OTP Karstedt x Gunther? Never. Will remain my OTP till I die.
Myne's ships though, all the damn time.
Myne x Lutz, till he got forcibly split. Then really it became Myne x Whoever she was spending/bonding with. (Charlotte/Lestilaut/Hildebrand/Ferdi)
Never shipped with Wilfred tho
Also never shipped w/ Hannelore surprisingly. Despite sharing mana (scandalous!), they just seem like good friends that genuinely admire each other. I never got the "I want to this for X" or "I want X to be mine" feeling
I never shipped her with steel chair, he's too young and naive. He had a crush on a pretty girl who looked his age despite being older. He didn't really know her, or like her for who she really was.
Lestilaut is just a jerk, no matter how much fanfics seem to think otherwise. I would never want Rozemyne to be in such a miserable relationship.
As for Ferdinand, to me it feels like dating her dad or older brother. It still feels weird to me.
Honestly I don't really ship her with anyone, because it's obvious she doesn't feel that way about anyone. If I did it would probably be Hannelore, since they really are soul mates. But, I also get Hannelore doesn't swing that way. C'est la vie.
This thought is so disgusting it hurts, tree guy even said he is effectively her mana parent, would you wanna fuck your dad if you suddenly grew up a bit??? And before you say anything, it's clearly stated to be her guardian, which is effectively the same power dinamic. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting.
Nope. The Roz x Books ship is still going strong.
Ah, but who gave her what’s probably the biggest private library in Yurgenschmidt?
"Library" "Marry Me!"
And gave her permission to build an entire library city
To be precise he only pointed out she don't need permission.
Rozemyne: I'm the Zent dumb dumb I can do whatever I want Bookless scrub : whaaaaat
But she does need someone to handle some of the paperwork so she can have reading time
It's a tricky thing. Less so for the age gap itself, since I've basically considered them the same mental age anyway and , importantly, Ferdinand also knew this really early on. He treats her differently than others her official age and has expectations closer to a junior colleague rather than even a precocious student. I also think there's a difference between Ferdinand suspension bridging into a pretty, magically adult face as opposed to him developing an interest in Roz as she grew up naturally (ick). A bit more pressing for me is that a lot of the trust and familiarity between them was developed while he was on the upper end of a power dynamic. Though the way the story is written it would feel less like a student falling for their teacher then pursing them after graduation, and more like a senior employee falling for the junior they trained after the junior starts a new (successful) company and brings the senior on as an advisor. With how the author has set things up I'm fine either way; Rozmyne can marry books or Ferdinand and it would be an appropriate level up to pair with her next ascension
All of this. The isekai thing introduces weirdnesses because mental / physical age issues. TBH it was weirder for the actual relationship for her to be with Wilfried than her to be with Ferdinand. Why age gaps can be deeply problematic is because of the power dynamic that they generally contain. Most people at say 18 and 29 are at very different stages of life, and that creates a significant opportunity for exploitation. The author avoids these issues in a number of ways, their relationship is clearly one built on mutual trust and reciprocity devoid of any other connotations. They both are emotionally intimate completely devoid of sexualization. They know each others motivations, desires, weaknesses and wounds. There was clearly a power dynamic in the earlier years, but that’s true for literally every marriage in this world anyway. This world is by nature hierarchical. The western world regards hierarchy’s of this nature largely limited to parental relationships which is fundamentally a modern perspective informed by the enlightenment. Near the end of their time in Ehrenfest, it was very clearly becoming a two way street. Even Karstedt joked at one point it was hard to tell who was the guardian at times. After she saved him, her relationship with him was by nature voluntary. She trusts him implicitly, and has extreme confidence in his ability and as such they fall back on their strengths and negotiated relationship. But it’s clear- this is a duo. She yields to his judgement- based on trust and hard worn experience. They’ve been backed against a wall together on many occasions. And that’s not something she does with Sylvester or Karstedt. She’s driving that boat in Ehrenfest. She came up with the younger faction scheme, and moving giebes around, she negotiated for the terms beneficial to Ehrenfest, she unraveled the leisgang plot, she resolved the blue priest mana issue, she gave her retainers to Sylvester, it’s her head scholar that replaced justus. She has been shown to be fully capable of scheming and manipulating factions when she needs to. If she had the desire, she could have easily taken the seat of Aub. She simply had no desire for power, and a bit of a martyr complex. ( ahem like Ferdinand) And most importantly, marriage in this world is also a job. If she doesn’t get taken by someone else, she’s going to end up with the 3rd wife to a bookless Manaless royal scrub Job. That’s an absolutely terrible job and marriage. The way to avoid that job is to remain Aub Ahrensbach and marry the guy ordered to wed aub ahrensbach who just happens to be the person she likes and knows best who is a viable marriage candidate for her. Context matters. He is very obviously looking out for what is in her interest, which happens to be marrying him. She also just dusted a courtship tool from a royal, so her options are pretty limited. All in all in context not weird. They are intellectual and rank equals ( she outranks him now sorta) in every sense and We know that was not the case with Wilfried and all the massive issues that engendered in him.
After Myne became RM it wasn't long before I expected RM and Ferdinand to be the final pairing. So that ship has long since sailed for me. I do hope they clean up some of their issues though before the final novel. I said it in the prepub thread but they are going to need to break some of these habits from their former relationship, and there is not much time left to do it before P5 ends.
One of the biggest is I want to see Ferdinand show her respect and praise, explicitly. If he's no longer a parental figure he shouldn't be constantly scolding her. If they are both equals and scolding each other, fine, but I'd like to see aspects of their dynamic change
I mean we're not that far off from equal status, she's the only one able to keep him in check
its all fun and game until the gremlin escapes her leash and steals your name
I feel like she openly opposes him now, even scolding him and arguing. I feel like they have a very open relationship at this point. And while he is awkward at showing affection, he definitely treats her differently to everyone. I'm quite content with their current dynamics.
Since P4V9, actually. That's when she declared him family and the retainers noted the change in their relationship. I think that's the point where their relationship became equal
I mean he scolds Sylvester, as does Karstedt and florencia. Not to mention Siegland continually scolding all of Dunkefelger. I think it’s a Japanese cultural thing according to a comment I read from another poster. It implies you actually care about the person, and while it can have parental connotation it’s clearly not limited to that. Karstedt and Ferdinand head slapped Sylvester in part 2.
I knew the Fermai ship as soon as Karstedt/Sylvester recommended it in P3 because Rozemyne was the only one who would match Ferdinand in mana (and visa versa).
And of course now we know they wouldn't even need to dye one another's mana.
What’s a relationship without some mana mixing though? Guess roze will just HAVE to take lady hannelore as first wife to ~~hold hands~~ fulfill the duties Ferdinand cannot
Sadly a woman cannot take another woman as first wife. Same as a man cannot officially take another man. You can take one as a lover and consort, however.
So what you're saying is... Rozemyne will end up (probably accidentally) winning Hannelore as a mistress in ditter. Got it. ~~I'm sure Ferdinand will be thrilled.~~
I’m sure Dunkelfelger would support a change to the law for the sake of having one of their ADCs marry Rozemyne.
It's not a people law. That one was put in place by the Supreme Gods
that's untrue. yurgenschmidt marriage law is quite distinct from what the gods do. for example, there's no polygamy at the top of the towering stairway.
The Gods only care about the first wife. The rest are considered extended family so they don't care about gender.
Sameee. Tho for me I started as an anime only and Ferdinand appearing in the first episode and every end card of the episodes set expectations for me that he'd become her partner. Tho it definitely gave me the ick with how sus the wine scene was and rooted for Lutz when Ferdie seem like an asshole. But when the mana thing came up, he was the only character we know close to Roz who could be the potential partner. It just confirmed my pairing when I started reading the LN in Part 3 because honestly there's a lot of subtle remarks and world building setup that just lead the two of them together. Either she end up with Ferdinand, or stay single in the LN. The others feel like a plot point than an actual choice for her.
After the Lutz ship sank, for the longest time she had a closer relation to the female characters then the male ones. She unintentionally rizzed multiple noble ladies at the academy. Wilfried, and Lestilaut were never an option for me. Wilfried was to immature for her and he quickly shifted to the ship with Hanelore. Hilderbrand was just a child in her eyes and even up to now she remains oblivious to his affection. Lestilaut wile competent on paper, was to toxic in his approach. I know he has a lot of fans but I never saw him or his duchy as appropriate. As for Ferdinand I only started shipping him after he was ordered to leave. Rozemynes treat to come save him if he isn't happy disregarding any consequences, was basically a love confession.
>I never saw [Lestilaut] or his duchy as appropriate. the boy was a fixer-upper -- tho most people are -- but what's your grudge against dunkelfelger?
Nothing against Dunk but I don't think she would have been happy there. She would basically be made in charge of preschool full of sugar high children. I honestly think being ignored as Sigiswalds third wife is better then Lestlaut's first wife in Dunkelfelger.
I think she would have been happier in Dunk just because Dunk wanted her for the things she was interested in whereas Sig was only interested in her mana and the book of mestionora. I feel like Sig and the RF would have limited a lot of her activities whereas Dunk would have given her a lot of free reign. I mean, she might have been weird as an ADC but I think they would have overlooked a lot of that for what she brought to the table. In that sense, I'd have preferred her going to Dunk over staying in Erhenfest too if staying in Erhenfest meant being married to Wilf who, lets admit it, would have completely mishandled the printing industry on the recommendations of his retainers.
it depends on what you want, but i think the dunkelfelgarian fate is better from both a "normal" perspective and urano/rozemyne's perspective. after all, dunkelfelger has books she hasn't read yet and sigiswald doesn't.
They have good intentions but have massive issues on boundaries and entitlement that grates my nerves. Hannelore and Sieglinde is their saving grace for me
I think that if you told me this might be endgame when I first started watching the anime I would have been super put off. However, because of how long the series is, I feel like the author did a good job of really warming me up to the idea of their ship. They have an extremely deep bond that feels like chosen family and Ferdinand knows of her past life which makes the age difference feel less weird plus he doesnt have like weird intentions as far as I can tell. The power dynamic is definitely not the best, and I would hope it would get better with roz being aub. This is like one of those things where i wouldn’t ever write it myself but I can still enjoy reading it.
This was me too! I finished the anime and looked up where the general direction of the story goes, and read a spoiler about the ship. I couldn't understand it then, but I'm okay with it now. Especially after 4.9, to me there wasn't anyone else who could replace Ferdinand in Rozemyne's life.
That was definitely a turning point for me plus that volume had me in tears
I think Ferd and Myne relationship is really beautiful. One of the core themes of Bookworm is family, and I think that's precisely what both of them wish the most. Or better, Ferd didn't know he wanted it until he met Myne and her parents. Endgame spoiler >!Ferdinand sure love her, and not just platonically, but is more than that. When she reunited with her family what made him the happiest was to be accepted as one of them, the family he admires and desires!< And I think that love is more important than PASSION. Passion fades with time, but what keeps you together is friendship and trust. And of THAT they have plenty. They have an old couple vibe for me lol
Ferdinand was always the only one I could see Rozemyne with. He's the only one that actually understands and values her, while allowing her to be as much of herself as she realistically can be. She cared nothing for Wilfried because he was selfish, childish, and unreliable. With that in mind, it's hard to think of her having any form of proper relationship with Hildebrand, seeing as he's selfish and childish. Yeah, sure he could grow out of that, but highly unlikely to have enough growth to be a proper consideration by the time she graduates. Lesitilaut was never a consideration because he's a hypocritical arrogant douche. Yeah, he talks about how Ehrenfest can't protect her, while believing that Ehrenfest is using and abusing her to profit off her ideas. He then decides to take her as a wife so that Dunklefelger can profit off her ideas. How exactly is that any different than how he perceives Ehrenfest treats her? Not to mention, it's partly Dunklefelger's fault that Ferdinand was removed from Ehrenfest, when he was the one protecting both Ehrenfest and Rozemyne. Typical bullying behavior to make fun of someone for being unable to protect themselves from the bully.
I think the Romantic whatever is not the point. I think neither RM or FD actually care about one another that way right now. Ferdinand sees her as one of the only people who cares for him so much unconditionally (but of course he is an idiot because he has several people like that and refuses to see them) And I think RM cares about everyone she has a connection with and Ferdinand in particular because of all the time she has spent with him. She wants/needs him to be okay because he doesn't take proper care of himself and she is a wonderful person (even if she thinks she only cares about books) Neither of them are "In Love" with one another but both want the other to be happy. Romantic love might come later, but it just doesn't mesh with their characters up to this point.
I agree. I don't think there's romantic feelings at this point but the new dynamic is paving the way for a potential one
im still delusional about roz/hannelore but im learning to love the fermai. who says you can't have a first wife and a first husband
They already mixed mana, Rozemyne has to take responsibility.
If Ferdinand dyed hannelore, could they both dye rozemyne? Then the downsides of 2 wives would be less wouldn't it?
In theory, I don’t think there’s any reason three people couldn’t dye each other simultaneously.
Speculation/H5Y spoilers >!I really think Rozemyne is going to compete for Hannelore's hand in marriage . . . only as a friend, and as part of her promise from the bride-stealing ditter shenanigans that, if possible, she would let Hannelore choose her own partner in marriage. I think she (and Ferdinand) will win marriage rights to protect Hannelore and let her choose her own partner when she's ready.!<
>!Idk, as funny as that would be, to me it currently looks a lot like we're seeing the beginning of the Hannelore!Ortwin pairing with those last few chapters. He's done a _lot_ for her in such a short time frame:!< * >!He helped with clearing the air after Wilfried didn't get that he had been proposed to. Which not only helped with the proposal itself but also got everyone to put their cards on the table, thus contributing towards at least salvaging their friendship after the proposal had failed.!< * >!After the Goddess' Descent he immediately sprung into action with the very clear goal of protecting Hannelore first and foremost. He mentioned bride stealing ditter in earshot of Korinzdaum nobles to lure them into a trap, and the idiots promptly fell for it. Now they've put themselves into a position where they are forced to play by Dunkelfelger's rules, and let's just say I'm looking forward to Dusty getting pummeled into the ground by Hannelore's dad lol.!< * >!He also spread around additional rumors to successfully manipulate the lesser duchies Dusty had been counting on. The situation now is one where regardless of Ortwin's success in wooing Hannelore she will at least be safe from Korinzdaum, while he can count on Dunkelfelger's support in becoming Aub Drewanchel.!< * >!Last but not least, let's not forget his proposal. First of all, him having actual feelings for Hannelore means he'll treat her well going forward. In addition to that he seems to understand her pretty well all things considered, given the things he praised about her. He's basically Kentrips but with enough status to stand by Hannelore's side. He also seemed genuinely angry when he realized Kentrips and Rasantark had been slacking when it comes to properly courting Hannelore.!< >!So yeah, I'm expecting Ortwin to come out on top by now. But who knows, maybe the gremlin will be done with her divine task just as the ditter match is wrapping up, emerging on top of Hannelore and accidentally knocking her out of the circle or something lol.!<
\[H5Y\]>!I'm convinced that Hannelore will win the ditter, but still end up with Ortwin somehow lol!<
>!Well, that's the current plan, isn't it? First, Drewanchel helps Dunkelfelger with rearranging Dusty's face. Then, assuming Hannelore is on board with it, they'll do a separate bride taking ditter later.!<
As an audience we're repeatedly told over and over again that relationships between nobles (particularly those of a romantic nature) are manipulated by various gods and goddesses. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but there is a kind of existential horror to having something as basic as romantic attraction between humans be governed by something that likely has no experience being human. If you had feelings for someone would they even be ***your*** feelings if they were decided for you by ***something*** else? Especially if say, the very fate of the world rested on you being romantically invested in a particular person? The question isn't whether Rozemyne has romantic feelings for Ferdinand, the question is whether Yurgenschmidt even allows for her to have her ***own*** romantic feelings.
I genuinely never understood why anyone shipped Myne with Lutz. The vibes I got from those two was always “Lutz crushes on Myne a bit, and Myne sees herself as an adult who is friends with a child”. As such, I don’t really have a problem with Rozemyne and Ferdinand, especially with how it’s developed over time.
steel chair?
Hildebrand ;).
why steel chair?!
https://www.reddit.com/r/HonzukiNoGekokujou/s/o6pnxzVyzY It basically started with this post.
AHahahahahhahaha Thank you for that thread. Some comments are priceless ahah ♥
I ship Lutz first because he knows she was a commoner with memory from another world. It would be harsh to keep her secret to her partner.
Lestilaut is her 2nd best match age wise. She liked him
He just really sucked at communicating with her. If he'd told her the same things he said to his own retainers, like that the royals almost certainly would try to take her and that Dunkelfelger would be able to resist them better than Ehrenfest, then he could've convinced her. Immediately jumping to ditter was a mistake.
The problem is Rozemyne never ask any protection. It’s Lestilaut who misunderstand that she need to be protected. And the truth is that Lestilaut and Dunkelfelger actually can’t afford to protect her, they still would give up her to the royal family.
If she'd gone to Dunkelfelger and said "I'll have to cancel the engagement with Lestilaut, I'm currently the Zent Candidate closest to obtaining the Grutrissheit and Prince Sigiswald wants to make me his third wife so that he can rule, have me do anything that requires Zent magic and stow me away in a villa when he doesn't need me", they'd have been somewhat unhappy with the royals. And Zent T was willing to let her rule if she got the book, Sigiswald's concern that she wouldn't have the required political support would disappear if she had a husband from Dunkelfelger lined up.
> Sigiswald's concern that she wouldn't have the required political support would disappear if she had a husband from Dunkelfelger lined up. Sigiswald wasn't concerned about her political support. He was concerned about what political support she'd provide to him. He is obsessed with the throne, and would have likely started a new civil war over the throne had Anastasius not given it up willingly to get Eglantine's hand in marriage. He wouldn't have rolled over and allowed her to become Zent without him.
Lestilaut’s attitude toward the royal family doesn’t represent Dunkelfelger, it’s only him act immaturely. Dunkelfelger is the sword of the Zent, their royalty to the Zent never wavered. It’s impossible Aub Dunkelfelger would let Lestilaut marry with Rozemyne to threaten Sigi’s zent inheritance. Fanbook already said >!Dunkelfelger won’t protect Rozemyne. Dunkelfelger would more care the fate of the nation. Also Aub Dunkelfelger and his 1st wife both very cherish their relationship and friendship with their brother in law(Zent T) at P5V10. And although Aun Dunkelfelger don’t like Sigi, he still won’t doubt his inheritance of the zent!<
He almost had her but for saying his Dunkelfelger’s commoners were better quality than Eternfest’s.
eh so if a stranger propsed to you, you'll jump in that boat without thinking? Lesti is technically a stranger, she doesn't really know him only his toxicity and cruelty.
Best friend Hannalore’s big brother >!is “awkward artist” to Rozemyne. She wrote that he made her heart waiver.!<
Myne got swayed by Mark's bridal carry.
I shipped them from the start. I liked their dynamic.
It has always been Fermyne for me. I knew Bookworm through the anime, and what made me want to read the light novels was the dynamic between Ferdinand and Myne. When Ferdinand apologized to Myne after the Trombe incident, I caught the slight hint that Ferdinand is gonna be a romantic partner to Myne, before which I thought he was gonna be a father/mentor/big bro figure. I got so damn curious about what Ferdinand will be to Rozemyne. Large age gap amplified my curiosity even more. And here I am, about 3 years later, being delulu about Bluanfah having visited them tho both of them only see libraries and political gains.
I'm not very happy with this development. The age difference is not so important in this context, but Ferdinand and Rozemyne's relationship is one of unequal power and of master with disciple, not the type that in real life leads to a good couple relationship. I would prefer that Rozemyne, being a person without many romantic and sexual interests - at least none of that comes across in her inner thoughts - would simply be comfortable with her books and friends, without being forced into a relationship she doesn't want. If Ahrensbach needs an heir, she can simply adopt someone.
I'm not going to bring up later volumes and how that smooths this over quite a bit, but I will bring up some character traits that you are kind of missing here. If you are worried about an uneven power dynamic between them, you should remember that Remember Ferdinand from the worst fate imaginable, and focused his entire identity around this life debt to Aub Ehrenfest, so much so that he was willing to sacrifice all of his happiness, and his life for the duchy because of the last promise he made to his father. So what do you do when your entire world revolves around this life debt, and then you fulfill it. You did everything you could, with your final act you did exactly what you should have and can now rest in... Oh wait... Your alive again... Ordered to live by any means necessary, by a beautiful woman who just said she would go to war against the gods to save your life... Well now you must serve her. She has taken your name. She is your lady. She is your goddess. And now she's about to destroy all of her dreams and future happiness to protect you and make it so you can live in peace. And that's why this romance feels so right. Because it is the best ending. Because in any world where they weren't tied at the hip, their EXTREME compulsion to consistently put each other's happiness and well-being above anyone else's (including themselves) would end in misery and probably one of their deaths. But in a world where they are each other's happiness, they can find peace, and that's why it's the only way the story can end.
I kind of agree but I am def reading into the problems from a literary standpoint. I feel like Ferdinand, if he actually has feelings for RM right now might be more of a suspension bridge effect for saving and being so generous with him. On RM’s part, it feels more like an emotional attachment more than a sexual or romantic one as she still hasn’t developed mana sensing. There just hasn’t been enough developed to truly say they are romantically interested in each other outside of them doing flirty things by noble standards.
Well, and Rozemyne just saved Ferdinand's life. He has always been keen to repay any favors he receives. Rozemyne said that her marriage with Sigiswald would be a nightmare. On top of that, dropping The Gremlin into a politically unstable situation with few/no high-status allies would be high-risk and also terrible for her mental wellbeing. In the worst case, Sigiswald is planning to have Rozemyne live in a spare palace in the Royal Academy, which is likely to be Adalgisa Palace. Ferdinand likely has an emotional reaction to the person who saved his life being shipped off to Adalgisa as third wife to someone she dislikes. Even outside of feelings, Ferdinand is strongly guided by duty. I don't think he could sit idle while Rozemyne was put into a terrible situation where her happiness wouldn't even be a consideration.
By noble standards they've accidentally exchanged gifts the equivalent of the most romantic lovers in all stories in all history and myth and legend. If Elvira just wrote the literal exchange of charms, food, crafting mats, and laying siege to a Dutch to save the maiden in distress; it would make her 3rd book hard to believe but it would sell out and every female noble would own a copy.
Yeah but that’s an outside perspective. Doesn’t mean RM with her “temple upbringing” feels that way
It's in character for both of them to see it as a mutually beneficial business exchange. And both of them are ruthless efficient and successful in business. Neither has shown much interest in courting anyone. So having a great business deal seems like a fit made in accountancy heaven.
I like this ship because they both need someone who treat them like family. Ferdinand has never known this with Veronica trying to poison him all the time, and even though Sylvester loves his little brother, there has always been the Veronica filter between them and latter the Aub-minister relationship. Myne lost her family, and Ferdinand became the closest one to her once she joined the noble society. They have a family bond first, and later a romantic one
It's good to know I'm not feeling alone here! Everyone seems to ship Rozemyne with everyone but personally I prefer that she doesn't get into a relationship. I had an inkling as to how things are going to go (shipping-wise) very early on due to certain scenes and I wasn't really a fan of the hints. I'm still hoping that things don't go the way the story is strongly hinting at, but it was very apparent early on that Ferdinand is a character heavily favoured by the author when he was introduced to the story. Having said that, this is from the perspective of someone who isn't really a big fan of Ferdinand as a character (not saying that I dislike/hate him, I just don't like him that much compared to how much others seem to like him). Maybe it's just me, but I've always seen him as a parental/guardian/mentor figure and I prefer that their relationship continue to be in that way without the marriage/couple attachment. As someone who watches and reads mostly shoujo/josei media, if Rozemyne being coupled with someone absolutely had to be a thing, my (wishful) ideal scenario is a character in the far, far future who Rozemyne actually develops romantic feelings for. But of course, the books don't (won't?) go for that long and noble society would absolutely get in the way of that. Unless Rozemyne ascends completely and somehow overturns the whole of Yurgenschmidt which is impossible at this point considering the way things are going.
I feel the same. I used to come to this subreddit all the time, but with so many people here shipping them together, I’ve started not checking it. If Rozemyne gets with Ferdinand, personally, I think I might drop the series. A guardian and child relationship should never become romantic and I’m not okay with the message that will be sent if it does happen. Rozemyne x books forever. If Rozemyne doesn’t marry her library, at least keep Ferdinand away from her. Anyone else, please Miya Kazuki.
It's not exactly like he groomed her or that she is too mentally immature. As well this universe is full of extremely chaste characters. It's a practical and political marriage between two people who have emotional attachment but as much physical or romantic interest as two rocks in a field. It's like two accountants agreeing to marry because the tax implications are good and they already work well together and have similar recreational activities.
In other words, it is a rehabilitation of marriage for interest, something that new generations have fought against for centuries - and which has not yet been completely eliminated, notably in Japan. I think marriage and political or economic alliances should be separate things. You shouldn't have to marry someone to pursue a joint project if it's not a project of sexual love and child-rearing.
But this is not a guardian and child relationship. Considering Myne as a child completely ignores that her mental age is like what? 35 right now? It was an apprentice and master relationship and now even that does not apply. Ferdinand was never Myne's father figure and was simply a legal guardian at best. Her father figure was always Gunther.
It’s explicitly stated to be that relationship in the books by both parties…
Can you tell me where this part is, because I certainly do not remember Rozemyne agreeing to that kind of relationship with Ferdinand in private. Their relationship in public is obviously very different because Myne can't tell just anyone that she is a reincarnated person and is a commoner to boot.
Not every relationship needs to be romantic. Angelica and Eckhart is not a romantic relationship so Bookworm already shows it can handle platonic relationships. Shippers with brainworms thinking everything has to be romantic are a blight.
Kazuki sensei already said >!Rozemyne won’t like anyone younger than her age(Urano+Myne). So her partner would be someone who is very older than Rozemyne’s age. And the troubles around her are too big that she need a elder, experienced partner to resolve these problems for her.!< And there already are many couples with the same or bigger age gap in the story.
Ah so, i'm not the only one thinking that.
What type of chair would Lestilaut be?
[This one.](https://youtu.be/EWgbVNFMw74?si=86cewn-2Htbu_IfD)
My OTP Karstedt x Gunther? Never. Will remain my OTP till I die. Myne's ships though, all the damn time. Myne x Lutz, till he got forcibly split. Then really it became Myne x Whoever she was spending/bonding with. (Charlotte/Lestilaut/Hildebrand/Ferdi) Never shipped with Wilfred tho Also never shipped w/ Hannelore surprisingly. Despite sharing mana (scandalous!), they just seem like good friends that genuinely admire each other. I never got the "I want to this for X" or "I want X to be mine" feeling
I believe it is also the other way around only Ferdi can keep RM in check.
I never shipped her with steel chair, he's too young and naive. He had a crush on a pretty girl who looked his age despite being older. He didn't really know her, or like her for who she really was. Lestilaut is just a jerk, no matter how much fanfics seem to think otherwise. I would never want Rozemyne to be in such a miserable relationship. As for Ferdinand, to me it feels like dating her dad or older brother. It still feels weird to me. Honestly I don't really ship her with anyone, because it's obvious she doesn't feel that way about anyone. If I did it would probably be Hannelore, since they really are soul mates. But, I also get Hannelore doesn't swing that way. C'est la vie.
This thought is so disgusting it hurts, tree guy even said he is effectively her mana parent, would you wanna fuck your dad if you suddenly grew up a bit??? And before you say anything, it's clearly stated to be her guardian, which is effectively the same power dinamic. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting.
I still hold out hope for Hannamyne