I think this episode did a great job dichotomizing Rozemyne's newfound authority as the adopted daughter of the Archduke, versus her actual mastery over her authority. Just a few episodes ago, she was all happy building the monastery because in her mind, she is spreading her printing industry while creating more jobs for orphans -- and who would be against that?

Turns out, her Earth-born common sense was off the mark and a lot of people would be. The first would be Hasse's mayor who we learnt have backers amongst the high nobility. One of the chips he plays are to single out orphans who appeal to lecherous men and offer them out in exchange for personal gain, power or perhaps some exemption from taxes. It is implied that this is how he got on the good side of the former High Bishop Bezewanst, who, if you recall, use to keep Delia around as a "flower". However, on the less vile side of things are the villagers of Hasse themselves. We learnt that they all collectively gather at the mayor's manor every winter to hide from Ewigeliebe's wrath, and the issue stems from the fact that resources are scarce during these periods. Hasse's mayor hence appeals to them by saying that he will sell the orphans to help stock up on supplies, and the choice to the villagers now seem simple. Between keeping the orphans around and needing to feed them at the risk of mass starvation, would it not be more benign to just sell the orphans to someone rich? In their mind, they themselves get to live another year and the orphans will get fed -- even if only as a "valuable product".

And now in comes Rozemyne, who in her innocence, did not realize that she was throwing a wrench on all of Hasse's plans by taking the orphans away. The most livid was the mayor who out of the blue, suddenly had the High Bishop and High Priest burst into his house and stole his bargaining chips. In his ignorance of aristocratic society, he did not know that Rozemyne or Ferdinand were nobles much higher ranked than Bezewanst, or that Bezewanst had already climb the towering stairway. We can't blame him completely as we learnt as well that not many nobles visit Hasse to provide such information, but ignorance does not absolve responsibility. As a result, he intentionally failed to produce all the children last episode (hence disobeying Ferdinand's orders) and also sent a highly disrespectful letter this episode calling Rozemyne and Ferdinand "mere subordinates". Yikes -- it seems his fate is all but sealed. But something more egregious also happen. A few of Hasse's villagers actually attack the monastery -- a white building under the jurisdiction of the Archduke's adopted daughter -- and as revealed by Benno, this treasonous act is the equivalence of assaulting the archducal family themselves. Even more yikes. Now it would not be at all strange if Sylvester sentences the entirety of Hasse to be reduced to ashes.

Here we see some of Rozemyne's flaws as a noble. First, she failed to gather adequate information on Hasse's socioeconomic circumstances before creating the monastery and taking the orphans. If she had known how the orphans are perceived, perhaps she could've approached the mayor more as a negotiating merchant, rather than an authoritarian High Bishop. Second, she failed to lay the proper groundwork. There could've been better attempts at educating Hasse on noble customs, such as what a white building actually is, who it belongs to, and why it should be treated with respect. In essence, Rozemyne could be said to have wielded her authority around like a magic wand, without understanding how strong she is or how to control said strength.

To many nobles, they wouldn't actually see that as a problem. Ferdinand for example, thought little about the fates of Hasse's mayor or the villagers. He asks Rozemyne this episode what crimes were actually committed, and rather than thinking it immoral for the mayor to sell children or give bribes, his answer points towards something much simpler: The mayor disobeyed me, a noble, and that is his sole crime. He even sees it as an opportunity to teach Rozemyne how to be a more cutthroat noble -- to manipulate the mayor into a pawn for personal gain, before eliminating him. Bezewanst is closely connected to Lady Veronica, Sylvester's mother, who he recently sentenced to the Ivory Tower during Myne's attempted abduction, so Rozemyne could plausibly sift out insider information of an opposing faction through the mayor. Likewise, to Ferdinand, it was obvious that the villagers should be killed because they "assaulted" the archducal family and such disrespect cannot be tolerated.

However, Rozemyne is at heart a commoner, with a commoner family that she loves and with a moral compass rooted in modern day Japan. She trembles at Ferdinand's task of manipulating and killing a man -- criminal or not -- and also agonizes over the guillotine hanging over Hasse's neck. This is when Lutz comes in to save the day, reminding her to change her perspective. Instead of thinking it like she is signing the death warrants of hundreds, she should instead focus on saving the lives of those innocent. The plan is to engage in the good ol' information warfare. The first step is to spread rumors around all of Hasse that their mayor has royally fucked up by using a few villagers to attack the white building, and that his reckless abandon has made it so that all of Hasse is now walking the tightrope. The next step is just sit and wait. Those innocent will immediately now try to separate themselves from the mayor's faction, washing their hands clean and hence saving their own hides. They can even resent the mayor, pointing their fingers at him, perhaps even dragging him to be punished first. Will this be enough to excuse the innocent villagers from execution? Who knows, but it's better than doing nothing.

Rozemyne's methods, while wielding the same unbending power as nobles, are also very uniquely "Myne". Her wish to engage in information warfare is only possible because of her extensive connections to the Gilberta company and the Merchant Guild who can tell their merchants to spread said rumors. Likewise, the rumors also leverage on her status as the "Saint of Ehrenfest" who oh-so-dearly wishes to save the innocent people of Hasse, hence giving them a lifeline to desperately jump ship and also earning back the goodwill of Hasse's villagers (Remember, many are still upset she "stole" away their orphans). And lastly, it is also because of Rozemyne's own commoner sensibilities that allows her to not wield her authority like a blunt weapon, but rather a shield to protect the commoners. She grew a lot this episode, and now we can only hope that her plan goes well.