Disclaimer I may have gone of the rails with this comment:

“But when I mentioned that I didn’t want any unnecessary burdens, Lady Hannelore and my retainers all started insisting we get married. They changed their stances in a heartbeat. It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, does it?”

“No, it makes perfect sense, if you ask me. They foresaw the disaster that would come from you having unchecked power and decided you would need someone to control it for you.”

I don’t get why after a conversation about the importance of maintaining transparency to avoid misunderstandings. The first thing Hanelor and Roz’s retainers do is cause more misunderstandings. Wouldn’t it be far more effective to mention security risks upfront?

The only reason I could think of this course of action is Roz has two conflicting directives:

• Obtain a library city, and/or build a library network (which requires Ferdinand in some capacity to sucessfully build)
• Give Ferdinand a choice on his “true love” and avoid forcing a potentially unatural (by Roz’s earth standards) political marage.

As Ferdinand hides is true emotions and makes it imposible for other nobles to asses his fealing most of the time. Haneloor and Roz’s retainers concluded:

• Having some one regulate Roz and keep her safe is highest priority
• Having a poltical marrage with Ferdi is the best way for Roz to cleanly end her marrage with Siggi (the bookless scrub), and avoid adoption into royal family
• A Ferdi political marrage with Roz wouldn’t put Ferdi’s life in danger unlike the Christmass tree and Ferdi doesn’t really have any other Romantic partners in mind currently, and Roz doesn’t have any other romantic interests anyway…