I'd ordered the tools for making wax paper from
And before those tools were ready,
"Hey,
The manuscript boards Wilma had prepared were made before the colored inks were finished, so they'd been created with the same cut-paper approach as before, keeping black and white in mind. Because of that, I wanted to print this one in black and white.
If I was using the manuscript boards for a black-and-white print, I didn't need to wait for the tools — I could print right away. We'd only started making paper once spring arrived, so the supply was limited, but I could buy some from the Plant Paper workshop
"Since we've gone to all this trouble, I'd really like to use the printing press, though…"
"But the Chief Priest told you not to, right? Give it up and cut the manuscript boards with a cutter."
Lutz rejected the idea immediately, so I resigned myself to cutting out the thick paper by hand. It was a shame, especially now that we had the metal type and a simple printing press ready to go.
"Before you sneak around using a press you've been told not to use, there's something more important to do, isn't there? You should let Wilma know as early as possible that the colored inks are finished, and ask her to start thinking about illustrations that take advantage of them for the next picture book. You also need to think about the printing method and figure out what kind of illustrations you want."
"Right. Wilma's been taking care of
Lutz and I chatted as we walked along at a leisurely pace. On the street, I caught sight of a mother carrying a baby on her back, and it sparked an idea.
"Oh, Lutz. Here — could you put the pebbles in like this, close the lid, and then seal it shut with glue?"
"…Sure, but what is it?"
Lutz tilted his head at the wooden piece I handed him. Father had carved, sanded, and shaped two hollowed-out wooden cups. There was also a bag of small pebbles that had been washed clean. Fill them with pebbles and seal them with glue, and you'd have a simple rattle — and I had two of them.
"It's a baby toy. One for
"Oh, they're a different shape, but something similar exists."
"I'd really like to paint them in bright colors, but when it's something a baby puts in its mouth, using ink is a bit… you know…"
Since babies at this age couldn't see anything that wasn't vividly colored, I wanted to paint the rattles red. But painting ink on something a newborn would put in their mouth felt questionable.
If the ink was made from food-safe ingredients, it probably wouldn't be a problem even if ingested. But then I worried that the ink would become a breeding ground for bacteria.
"It's not like they'll use it forever, right? Just use ink made from materials safe enough to put in the mouth. Those colored inks we experimented with at the ink workshop the other day don't have any other use anyway."
"Then, Lutz, could I ask you to do it?"
"Sure. I'll have it delivered by this afternoon."
I handed over the materials I'd brought with me, and Lutz and I parted ways in front of the workshop. Then I headed to my room.
"Good morning, Lady Mine."
"Delia, I'd like to change, if that's alright?"
"Mm-hm."
Reluctantly tearing herself away from Dirk, Delia hurriedly helped me change into my clothes. She quickly dressed me in the blue Shrine Maiden outfit, cinched the obi in place, and immediately rushed back to Dirk's side.
"Dirk, sorry to keep you waiting."
Delia spoke to Dirk with a radiant smile I'd never seen on her face before. She was completely smitten with Dirk.
…What was that adorable smile? I've never seen that before.
Her features had always been beautiful, but Delia's smile now made me catch my breath. It was soft, brimming with affection — the kind of smile that made even me feel a twinge of jealousy toward Dirk.
"Lady Mine, Dirk looks like he's almost ready to roll over. He really is my little brother — so talented."
Delia sat down beside Dirk with a soft laugh, stroking his head as he strained to twist his body. She was completely focused on nothing but Dirk. It hadn't even been ten days since Dirk came to the orphanage, and she already doted on him so much.
"Lady Mine, leave Dirk to Delia and let's start practicing the feorschpiel."
At Rosina's prompting, I picked up the smaller feorschpiel and began to practice. After playing through the assigned piece a few times, the door opened. Wilma had finished the orphanage's breakfast and cleanup, sent the children off to the workshop, and come to collect Dirk.
"Good morning, Lady Mine. I've come to take Dirk."
"Morning, Wilma. I'll be relying on you again today. I have things to discuss about the picture book, so I'll be coming to the orphanage this afternoon."
Once I relayed today's schedule, Wilma nodded with a "Very well." Afterward, we went through the handover regarding Dirk — how he'd been during the night, how much goat's milk he'd had and at what times, so we could predict when he'd need to be fed next.
"I'll miss Dirk when he's gone."
Delia said this as she reluctantly stroked Dirk over and over before handing him to Wilma.
Once Dirk was taken to the orphanage, Delia deflated with disappointment, but Rosina looked somewhat relieved. Quite the contrasting reactions.
I practiced the feorschpiel until the third bell, then helped the Chief Priest alongside
Since the afternoon rest periods had been introduced, Rosina and Fran seemed to have recovered somewhat. Still, fatigue was visible on their faces.
"There isn't a Gray Priestess with parenting experience available. If we don't figure out how to handle being entrusted with infants, we won't be able to keep running the orphanage going forward."
The Gray Priestess who had helped look after the children while raising her own was no longer here. And given how those children had come into being, it was probably better not to have any more.
I'd need to discuss this with the Chief Priest and come up with a plan for when we were entrusted with infants. I couldn't keep burdening just my own Attendants forever.
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
"Do rest well, both of you."
Once Fran and Rosina left for their afternoon breaks, Delia was the only Attendant left in the room. She'd finished cleaning and was now practicing her calculations.
I sat at my work desk, cutting manuscript boards while waiting for Lutz to arrive. He didn't take long — he showed up shortly after finishing lunch at the
"Here, Mine. It's done."
"Wow, thanks!"
Lutz shook the completed rattle in his hand, showing it off to me. It was painted in a deep red — I wondered if the two of them would be pleased with it. Kamil was still too young to show much reaction, so I wanted to test it on Dirk first.
"I also ordered paper from the boss, so if you want to print, you can do it anytime."
"Lutz, you work fast."
"Me? I'm still nowhere near good enough.
It seemed Mark's training was paying steady dividends. Lutz himself said he couldn't beat Mark, Benno, or
"Mine, don't forget to get the manuscript boards from Wilma. I'll start prepping the workshop so we can print."
"Got it, leave it to me."
After seeing Lutz off, I tucked one of the rattles into my tote bag. Holding the other one in my hand, I called out to
"Lord Damuel, I'm heading to the orphanage now…"
"Ah, understood."
I hurried over to Damuel, who was waiting by the door. He looked me up and down and furrowed his brow.
"Hey there, Shrine Maiden Apprentice. Where are your Attendants? Going outside without a single escort — what's the meaning of this?"
"…Huh?"
I'd assumed there was no problem since Damuel was here, but apparently a guard and an Attendant served different purposes and couldn't be counted as the same thing. A proper lady was not to leave her room without her Attendant.
With no other choice, I called out to Delia.
"Delia, I'll be going to the orphanage to speak with Wilma. Would you accompany me?"
"Lady Mine, I…"
Delia turned around with a stiff expression, swallowed whatever she wanted to say, and bit her lip in frustration. She wanted to refuse, but her position made that impossible. Ordinarily, I would have respected Delia's wishes, but with a knight like Damuel waiting, that wasn't an option.
"Delia, up to the front of the orphanage will be fine. Could you bear it that far? I'll ask Wilma to accompany me back."
"…Very well."
Delia walked ahead with a gloomy expression, moving along the corridor. Even from behind, I could see how stiff her shoulders were and how heavy her steps felt. I couldn't see her face, but she was probably wearing a look of desperate resolve.
We arrived in front of the orphanage. Delia came to a dead stop.
"Well then, I'll be heading back now."
"Hey, Attendant. Open the door before you go. You don't seriously expect your master, the Shrine Maiden Apprentice, to open it herself, do you?"
Damuel's sharp voice stopped Delia as she was about to turn on her heel. We couldn't have a knight like Damuel open the orphanage door, but I couldn't open it myself either. An Attendant existed to spare their master from such tasks.
Delia's face went deathly pale, but when she saw that Damuel's stern expression hadn't softened, she walked toward the door with a look of resignation. She squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her teeth, and with trembling hands pushed the orphanage door open.
The door groaned open with a heavy creak. Before us lay the orphanage's dining hall, with large tables lined up in rows. At the far end were large cushions, and seated around them were the Gray Priestesses.
Hearing the door open, they all turned to look in our direction. Upon noticing my visit, the Gray Priestesses rose from behind Dirk on the cushions and knelt down.
"Lady Mine, I'll be heading back now."
Delia kept her head lowered, refusing to take in the sight of the orphanage, and murmured her words.
"Yes, I'm sorry for making you go through this. Thank you, Delia."
"Not at all."
Delia glanced once toward where Dirk was lying, then turned to leave. In the next instant, her eyes flew wide open, and she spun back around and broke into a sprint toward the cushions at the far end of the dining hall.
"Dirk!"
I could see that Dirk's body was more than halfway off the cushion, on the verge of rolling over. If he succeeded in turning over with that momentum, he'd tumble right off the cushion onto the floor.
As Dirk grunted and strained to twist his body, Delia slid in and thrust out her arms at almost the exact same moment he finally succeeded in rolling over for the first time.
"Really! What if Dirk had rolled off the cushion and gotten hurt!? Please keep a proper eye on him!"
Delia placed Dirk back in the center of the cushion and glared with her eyebrows raised. But even if they received that scolding, the Gray Priestesses couldn't very well stay kneeling when a blue Shrine Maiden had arrived. Delia was so consumed by her love for Dirk that she'd lost all awareness of her surroundings. I just gave a small shrug.
"…Since we're already inside the orphanage, would it be alright if Delia stayed and looked after him?"
"Oh!?"
Delia looked down at where she was standing and her eyes went wide. As she scrambled to her feet, I handed her the rattle with a soft thump.
"It's a toy that makes a sound when you shake it. I wanted to give it to Dirk. Could you give it to him from you? I think Dirk would be happier receiving it from you playing with him than from me directly."
Delia hesitated, staring at the red rattle in her hand.
"By now, he should be able to follow red with his eyes. …Would you prefer I give it to him myself?"
I said something about how I'd thought a first toy should come from an older sister, and when I reached for the rattle in Delia's hand, she quickly gripped it and raised it high above her head. Held that high, I couldn't reach it.
"Then please give it to Dirk from you. Wilma, I have something to discuss — do you have a moment? And the rest of you, please return to looking after Dirk."
I moved to a table where I could see Dirk's cushion and began talking with Wilma. The Gray Priestesses who had been kneeling started moving again.
"Dirk, this is a toy from Lady Mine. Can you see it?"
Delia spoke gently, shaking the rattle before Dirk's eyes, making it produce a sound as she moved it. Dirk stared with wide-open eyes, tracking its every movement.
I'd given the toy to Dirk to test his reaction so I could decide whether to make one for Kamil, but he seemed quite captivated by it. I could tell Dirk was following the sound and color with his eyes. If it worked this well, Kamil would surely enjoy it too.
"Oh my, it seems he can see it."
"I wonder if he's reacting to the sound?"
The Gray Priestesses, having no experience with infants, watched Dirk and Delia with great curiosity.
Seeming to become aware of their gazes, Delia flushed red, glared at me, and stood up.
"Lady Mine, I'm returning to my room! Everyone, I'll leave Dirk in your care!"
Delia pressed the rattle into one of the Gray Priestesses and dashed out of the orphanage. Since she'd made it inside once, perhaps if she gradually got used to it the way Wilma had, she'd eventually be able to come and go freely.
Wilma watched Delia's retreating back with a slight frown, looking concerned.
"Lady Mine, will Delia be alright? I heard she has difficulty with the orphanage."
"…Well, I'm hoping that her love for Dirk will help her gradually adjust. Delia feels uncomfortable with the orphanage because of her past memories, but the basement floor where she used to live no longer exists."
Since Delia had spent all her time on the basement floor and only moved to the High Priest's room on the day of her
If she couldn't manage that within a year, Delia wouldn't be able to see Dirk anymore. Once Dirk could sleep through most of the night, he'd be moved to the room with the other pre-Baptism children at the orphanage.
"I just hope it doesn't come to her being separated from her adorable little brother."
"Every day when she comes to pick up Dirk, Delia is so reluctant to let go, and she looks so terribly disappointed. It almost makes me feel like I'm the one doing something wrong by taking him. They'll eventually be separated even though she adores him so much, which is heartbreaking for both of them, so I do hope Delia gets accustomed to the orphanage as soon as possible."
The smile that softened Wilma's face showed none of the fatigue I saw in Rosina or Fran.
"Is it because there are enough hands to help here? You don't look as worn out as the others, Wilma."
"I only look after Dirk during the day, and I'm never doing it alone. Rosina and Fran each handle the night shifts on their own, don't they? That must be terribly exhausting."
Even though Wilma only looked after Dirk during the day, some of the younger children seemed to have regressed — apparently, a few of them wouldn't let go of her when she tried to put them to sleep, clinging to her tightly.
"Wilma is like the orphanage's mother. With so many high-maintenance children, it must be tough."
"Before my Baptism Ceremony, I spent time in the basement where I was loved by my mother. That's precisely why I want to pour my affection into these children who have lost their mothers. It would make me happy if they all thought of me that way."
Wilma smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling. Seeing how her expression was filled with an irrepressible fondness for the children, I felt truly grateful from the bottom of my heart that Wilma had become the orphanage's caretaker.
After that, I talked with Wilma about the picture book. I told her I'd be starting to print new picture books, so I needed the manuscript boards. The colored inks were complete, and I wanted her to start thinking about illustrations that used them. However, since the printing method was the same stencil process as before, separate manuscript boards would be needed for each color. I also mentioned that I planned to make wax paper, which would eventually allow for more delicate illustrations.
"You truly do love books, Lady Mine. The way you keep coming up with new methods one after another is remarkable… I'll pour my best effort into the illustrations as well."
"Thank you, Wilma."
By the time I'd finished going through everything and received the manuscript boards from Wilma, it was nearly time for Dirk to get hungry. He'd started fussing, so I hurried to prepare to return to my room. My presence would only delay Dirk's feeding.
"I know it's a lot for everyone, but please look after Dirk. Wilma, I'm sorry, but could you walk me back to my room?"
"Very well, Lady Mine."
The Gray Priestesses seemed to be getting used to caring for Dirk, and even without Wilma, they were already efficiently fetching goat's milk from the basement and beginning preparations.
"…What was that voice?"
"It sounds like Delia's voice."
As I made my way back to my room, I could hear Delia shouting, "Really!" It was that shrill, hysterical voice of hers that I'd barely heard since Dirk's arrival — because she'd been in such a good mood. Wilma and I exchanged a worried look.
I made it back to the room as quickly as I could, only to find Fran and Delia in the middle of a heated argument.
"I don't trust the Chief Priest!"
"He is entirely trustworthy."
The two were at each other's throats — or rather, Delia was attacking while Fran tried to defend. It was such an unusual pairing that I blinked in surprise.
"Fran, Delia, what's going on?"
It was clear they hadn't noticed me until I spoke. Fran spun around, immediately bowed, and came to greet me.
"Welcome home, Lady Mine. I apologize for this unseemly scene."
"Lady Mine, just what do you think you're doing!?"
Unlike Fran, Delia rushed straight toward me, grabbed my shoulder hard, and glared at me fiercely.
"I want to know what you mean by giving Dirk up for adoption!"
"As I've told you many times, that arrangement fell through —
…Um, could someone, explain, please?
Delia made it inside the orphanage. A round of applause for her big-sister determination. Clap, clap, clap.
When I got back to my room, an incomprehensible argument had erupted.
Next time: What Each of Them Has to Say.