Adoption

Watching the agitated guests from the stage, I mentally cursed at my three guardians. "Instead of keeping just the three of you in the loop, how about letting me in on things too!"

I knew I was often left out of the loop when something came up, but when I was standing on a stage like this, the center of everyone's attention, I really wished they'd have informed me.

"Those of you present can see for yourselves that Rozemyne possesses an extraordinary amount of Magic Power."

Without asking for silence or drawing anyone's attention, Sylvester simply began to speak. As a Lord, he was clearly accustomed to addressing crowds like this, his resounding voice filling the vast hall.

That alone was enough to bring everything to a pin drop.

Whether it was an unspoken rule of class society or simply Sylvester's charisma, I couldn't tell, but everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Sylvester on the stage.

"To protect our newborn daughter from the petty squabbles that would inevitably arise, Karstedt concealed her existence and raised her in secret. He even attempted to hide her from the Temple, which led the former High Priest to misidentify her as a blue shrine maiden apprentice from among the Commoners who was disrupting Temple discipline. You should all remember that quite clearly."

And there it was—the blame-shifting to the High Priest. His signature "It's all their fault" move.

I had gathered from conversations with my father and brother that the Chief Priest had compiled an extensive list of the High Priest's misdeeds, enough to make one's head spin. The amount of embezzlement alone was staggering, so one more accusation piled on top probably wouldn't make much difference.

Still, I had to admire how Sylvester could stand up here before this huge crowd and lie through his teeth with such poise.

"Rozemyne was raised in secret, never told what position her parents held. Yet she never forgot to show compassion to those living in circumstances harsher than her own. Moved by the plight of the children at the orphanage, she—still a small child herself—provided them with work and meals."

The way he recounted Rozemyne's background in that clear, commanding voice was all well and good, but honestly, I was left tilting my head in bewilderment. Whose story was this? I had been shocked by the state of the orphanage and built the workshop because I wanted to improve things, so the broad strokes weren't wrong. But I just couldn't see myself in this tale.

"I heard from the Chief Priest, Ferdinand, about Rozemyne's devotion, and like all of you, I found the story hard to believe. No child could possibly be like that, I thought—so I went to the orphanage myself to see. There I found Rozemyne, revered and adored by the orphans like a living saint. The sight of her purity moved me deeply."

Way over the top. A saint?! Our saint is Wilma!

In stark contrast to the retorts exploding inside my head, the fact that the Lord himself had doubted the Chief Priest's story and gone to verify it in person seemed to lend it a strange new credibility.

The guests, who until moments ago had been wearing expressions of "What nonsense" and "That can't possibly be true," had shifted to looks of "Is it really?" and "I don't believe it, but if he actually saw it…"

I could barely stand being on this stage any longer. I wanted to shout "It's a misunderstanding! I'm not that great!" and run away.

"The work that Rozemyne created for the orphans was something entirely new, and I saw the potential for it to become a new enterprise for this territory. I had been planning to expand it throughout the territory over the course of about twenty years, when Rozemyne was targeted by nobles from another territory."

A murmur rippled through the hall.

"You should all have received the report. A malicious crime occurred in which forged entry permits were used to target her during my absence. The former High Priest had already leaked word of Rozemyne's abundant Magic Power and her role in saving the orphanage. To solidify Rozemyne's position and protect the child of Ehrenfest who possesses such great Magic Power, I shall take Rozemyne as my adopted daughter."

Another wave of murmurs rose, but this time they carried a tone of understanding. Perhaps the nobles providing Magic Power to the territory were the ones who felt the shortage most keenly.

"Due to the punishment of the former High Priest, there is now a shortage of Priests capable of performing prayers and blessings. Rozemyne herself has also expressed her wish to continue saving orphans. Therefore, after becoming my adopted daughter, she shall serve as High Priest until she comes of age. As a first step, she will establish workshops in orphanages in neighboring towns and begin the work of saving children, just as she has requested."

For my part, I had no desire whatsoever to marry, so I would have been perfectly content to spend my life expanding the printing industry as High Priest and enriching the Temple Library. But apparently, that was not to be allowed.

If the adoption was meant to prevent nobles from other territories from snatching me away, then perhaps I was being considered as a match for Wilfried. He was a mini-Sylvester, and the thought was depressing.

"Ferdinand, amend this."

Sylvester drew a sheet of Parchment from inside his robe and presented it to the Chief Priest. The paper already had writing on it, and the Chief Priest scanned it quickly before nodding once.

It was the formal adoption document. Sylvester then produced a magnificent pen shaped like an ornate fountain pen from within his robe and smoothly handed it to my father.

Father signed without dipping the pen in ink, then offered it to me. I had assumed it was something like a ballpoint pen that didn't need an inkwell, but the moment I gripped it, I gasped softly as I felt my Magic Power being drawn out in a steady, gentle flow.

It turned out to be a Magical Tool that used Magic Power as ink. I signed with the pen as well, and only a tiny amount of Magic Power was siphoned away—it was a pen that let you write normally without any ink.

Wow, I want one of these—I stared at the pen, entranced, when someone cleared their throat with a pointed "ahem."

The Chief Priest's glare shifted slowly from me to Sylvester. Following his gaze, I saw Sylvester with his palms spread wide, his mouth silently mouthing "Hurry up and give it back."

Suppressing my inner panic, I returned the pen with a strained smile, attempting to look as elegant as possible. Sylvester then signed the documents with a smooth flourish.

Just like Contract Magic, the paper was enveloped in golden light, then burned away to nothing.

The contract was now sealed.

Amid the rising murmur and cheers, I was lifted into my father's arms.

"Smile and wave."

His voice came low, barely audible over the cheering, and I hastily put on my royal smile and waved to the crowd. As I waved in every direction, I quietly asked my father a question.

"Um, Father. Doesn't Contract Magic only work within this city?"

"What you know is probably the merchant version of Contract Magic, the one adapted for Commoners to use as well. Don't confuse the two."

The answer came not from my father but from the Chief Priest. It seemed there were quite a few different varieties of Contract Magic.

After the Baptism Ceremony and adoption contract were concluded, a lively banquet began, featuring the proud creations of the head cook and Ella as everyone ate and chatted together.

Unfortunately, I was stuck on the stage, receiving greetings from the nobility. People kept approaching one after another, and since I couldn't afford to have my mouth stuffed with food, I couldn't eat a thing until there was a break in the line of well-wishers.

…Aah, it all looks so delicious. I want to eat too. Must be nice, Brother Cornelius.

Nearby, Brother Cornelius was eating gleefully. A little further off, I could see Wilfried trying to grab some food and Lamprecht holding him back. The Lord's wife had chased after Wilfried as he made a dash for the food, caught him, and given Lamprecht some instruction before making her way over to me.

The people I had to greet first—or rather, the people I had to greet myself—were Sylvester's family. Until the formal greeting with the Lord was complete, no other nobles could come forward.

Wilfried, having been dragged back to the food, wore a blank expression but radiated an unmistakable sulky aura. His parents pointedly chose to ignore it.

My father introduced the three of them.

"Lord Sylvester and his wife, Florencia. And their eldest son, Wilfried."

Florencia had silvery-gold hair and blue eyes, and at first glance she appeared to be a gentle beauty. But the way she handled Wilfried's reins gave off the aura of a no-nonsense mother. If Wilfried really was a mini-Sylvester, then having two of that type in the house must be exhausting.

"Florencia is two years older than Sylvester and possesses the remarkable ability to keep him in line."

"Karstedt."

Sylvester made a displeased face at this introduction, but Florencia simply giggled and let it slide. I noticed the Chief Priest nodding in agreement.

If she was the type of older-wife who could keep Sylvester in check, I absolutely wanted to get on her good side.

"My name is Rozemyne. It is a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to our future together."

"I've heard about you from Elvira as well. Becoming Lord Sylvester's adopted daughter will certainly come with its share of difficulties, but let's get along, shall we?"

Wilfried had pale gold hair inherited from his mother and deep green eyes much like Sylvester's. Honestly speaking, aside from the hair color, there was nothing resembling his mother. His features were pure mini-Sylvester.

"Wilfried has just completed his Baptism Ceremony this spring, so he is the same age as Rozemyne, but he is technically your elder brother."

In truth, I was the older one, but having been held back seven years, I was apparently the younger sister for all public purposes.

"You may call me Brother. Charlotte calls me that too."

Since children who had not yet undergone their Baptism Ceremony could not be brought to official functions despite being the Lord's children, Wilfried was the only one present today. However, I heard there was also a younger sister and brother back at the castle.

The interior-grade-schooler Sylvester, lo and behold, had three children. That was the biggest surprise of the day. I shouldn't be the one to say it, but we really need to work on developing that inner maturity.

"Then, with your permission, I shall call you Brother Wilfried."

"Hmph."

He seemed satisfied at having secured the upper position in the sibling hierarchy. He grinned and told me he'd "look after me." I could see a future of being dragged around and my consciousness slowly fading.

Once the Lord's family had finished their introductions, before any other nobles could approach, my father raised his hand. Two figures moved toward us—as if that signal had been prearranged.

"Rozemyne will not move to the castle until after the High Priest's inauguration, but since she is now officially the Lord's adopted daughter, she requires a guard knight. Allow me to introduce the knights who will be accompanying her from tomorrow."

One of the two weaving through the crowd was a familiar face, but the other was a woman wearing a dress with a long trailing hem.

"Rozemyne will be visiting the Temple as well as the lower town for workshop-related matters, so it has been difficult to find a suitable female knight."

What they needed was a female knight who could accompany and guard her everywhere, but the basic range of activity for female knights was limited to the areas where noble women moved, so they apparently weren't keen on leaving the Noble District.

"Today I'm introducing the knights who will accompany you at the Temple. One of them you should know well."

The two who arrived before me knelt with a swift motion.

"I'm glad to see you doing well, Damuel. I look forward to working with you again."

"It has been too long, Lady Rozemyne. I wish to serve you with everything I have."

It was said to be an incredible stroke of fortune for a lower-ranking noble like Damuel to become a guard knight for the Lord's family. He had gone from being the unlucky man punished in the fallout of someone else's scandal to the lucky man who picked up magic stones from a dung heap.

"Brigitte, a female knight. She is Damuel's colleague from the same year. Though a woman, her skills are proven, and as a middle-ranking noble, she possesses more Magic Power than Damuel. She should prove reliable. She will mainly serve as your guard when traveling to the Temple. When you are at the Lord's castle, a different guard will be assigned."

Dark red hair framed amethyst-like eyes as she looked up at me. Brigitte was larger and more toned than the average noble woman, and looking at her, I could see why she was called a knight. She had the demeanor of a strong older sister figure and radiated dependability.

"Brigitte, I imagine it will be quite a journey coming all the way to the Temple, but I look forward to working with you."

"The pleasure is mine, Lady Rozemyne."

Once the knight introductions were complete, the nobles began approaching one after another to offer their greetings and congratulations.

After receiving greetings from several nobles, Wilfried appeared—perhaps having finally filled his stomach and run out of things to do.

"Rozemyne."

When the Lord's son arrived, the rules of noble society dictated that you yielded the floor regardless of who you were speaking with. The nobles dispersed in a flurry.

"There's nothing to do here. Let's go play. Come on."

With that, he grabbed my arm and pulled. I was, in fact, the guest of honor today, and the meet-and-greet with the nobility was supposed to be an important part of my duties. The names and titles I had desperately memorized, the promise I had made to the Chief Priest to make the Baptism Ceremony a success—everything was swirling in my head.

"Um, I still haven't greeted everyone—"

"Just come on!"

I turned around seeking help, only to see the Chief Priest let out a resigned sigh.

"Shouldn't children play with other children? Rozemyne would be better off with kids than with adults, wouldn't you agree?"

What? No, I'd rather be with adults, thank you very much. More importantly, is it really okay for me to skip out on the Baptism Ceremony?

I could hardly believe the Chief Priest had given his permission, and while I stood there sputtering, Wilfried yanked me along. To keep from falling, I had to move my feet, and the speed only increased.

Pulled from the stage, I was dragged through the crowd of elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies, stumbling along behind him.

"Brother Wilfried, please slow down a little…"

"You're too slow, Rozemyne. If you're that slow, they'll catch up to us."

When I protested, he scolded me, saying I was useless. The implication was that he was accustomed to running from pursuers on a regular basis. I could picture it perfectly.

"To shake off Lamprecht—who's annoyingly thorough—and hide well enough to escape, daily training is essential. If you're as sluggish as you are, they'll catch up to you in no time."

"I have no intention of running or hiding from guards, so please let go—"

"No! If they catch us, we'll be scolded horribly!"

I wanted to point out that it was precisely because he kept trying to shake off his guard knights that they chased him and he got in trouble, but I was already out of breath and couldn't form words.

This was bad. My consciousness was fading.

"Please stop. I need to… breathe…"

"Huh?! Rozemyne?!"

There was a thud as my body was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground. Beyond the impact of being dragged and the pain, Wilfried's shock-filled scream was the last thing I registered before my consciousness went dark.

For the second time, the Baptism Ceremony ended in my withdrawal.

I really don't need a third.

When I came to, I was in my room. As I slowly sat up, I could see my father and the Chief Priest playing reversi.

"Are you awake?"

"…My mouth tastes awful."

They had apparently made me drink that medicine again. The bitterness lingering in my mouth was extraordinary.

"Wilfried is remarkably like Sylvester in his younger days and refuses to listen to anyone. So this was meant to be the quickest way to drive home your frailty, but…"

"He dragged me out and then I collapsed suddenly. Won't that leave him with emotional scars?"

Even Mark and Benno, who had witnessed me suddenly collapse on the street before, had told me it made their hearts clench with fear. After that, they had both become extremely overprotective. Brother Cornelius was the same.

For a child, witnessing that would surely be a fairly deep trauma.

"Mm. He hasn't yet learned to control his strength, but Wilfried is kind at heart, so it will probably wound him. That is precisely why, going forward, he should become more considerate of Rozemyne's health."

It seemed the Chief Priest was willing to plant trauma in a child's heart if it produced fast, reliable results. I had always assumed his approach to me was so severe because he knew my true inner self, but to think he would show no mercy even to his genuine nephew—the Chief Priest was cruel.

"You may look displeased, but the result would have been the same sooner or later. Wilfried had no intention of listening, and you couldn't keep up with his pace anyway. If the same thing had happened at the castle, your guard knights would have been punished for failing to protect you. It would have been best for those around you and for yourself to understand your own frailty and position ahead of time."

That was true. I was entering the castle as the Lord's adopted daughter. If anything happened to me, my guard knights would face punishment. Today I had been Father's daughter, at the Baptism Ceremony, without guards, and it had only been Wilfried's recklessness involved. But going forward, other people would be caught up in it as well.

"Lamprecht was in a panic too. Wilfried and Rozemyne are the same age, and as the Lord's children who have completed their Baptism Ceremony, they will have more opportunities to be together. It is essential that both sets of guard knights recognize the current situation equally."

It seemed that by collapsing, I had also planted trauma in Brother Lamprecht, who had been secretly trailing behind as Wilfried's guard knight. I was sorry about that, Brother.

"By the time we rushed over on the report of a noble who happened to be present, you were in a terrible state. The force of being dragged had left you with extensive scrapes running from your temple to your cheek, and blood was slowly spreading across the white stone pavement. Your elbows and knees were scraped raw, and your Baptism Ceremony outfit—white as its base—was stained red. And you lay there motionless, not responding at all, like you were dead."

"Nooo! I don't want to hear it! It hurts, it hurts!"

I pressed my hands over my ears and shook my head. The Chief Priest shrugged with a look of exasperation, while Father covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Don't worry, Rozemyne. Ferdinand healed your wounds and gave you medicine as well. I also gave Wilfried and Lamprecht a thorough scolding. It's all over now."

"…There aren't any scars left, are there?"

If it had been my old face from the Ahrensbach era, one thing, but a scar on the face of a cute little girl would be terrible. As I frantically patted my own face to check, the Chief Priest made an annoyed face. "Are you doubting my abilities?"

Not at all—I knew full well how skilled the Chief Priest was. Doubt was the furthest thing from my mind.

"In any case, the Baptism Ceremony and the adoption formalities have been completed without incident. Rest for the day tomorrow. If there are no abnormalities in your condition, return to the Temple. We will hold the High Priest's inauguration."

"Understood."

With that, the Chief Priest left, having laid out my schedule going forward. I thought that concluded everything, but then I noticed my father staring at me intently, looking as though he had something to say.

"Father, is something wrong?"

"…Rozemyne, did you do something to Damuel?"

"Do something? What do you mean? Like bribe him with sweets?"

Had the Paru cake I occasionally made at the orphanage been discovered? Or perhaps… As I was thinking this, Father pressed his fingers to his brow and shook his head.

"Not that. It's about Damuel's Magic Power. It's been growing—slowly but steadily—and the more he trains, the more it increases. That kind of growth is virtually unheard of in someone like Damuel, who is nearly finished with his growth period. You haven't been giving him special blessings or anything like that, have you?"

I hadn't given Damuel any special blessing. If anything, I had shared the blessing with his family on one occasion.

"If there was a blessing at all, it might have been when I shared it with Damuel's family? I had hoped everyone who was injured would be healed, so the light reached Fran and Dirk too. It wouldn't be strange if some of it also reached Damuel."

"So that was it…"

Father murmured that, then held his head in his hands for a while. Had I done something wrong?

"Rozemyne, keep silent about this. Don't tell Sylvester, and don't tell Ferdinand either."

"Huh?"

"I can only imagine Sylvester pestering you endlessly about it."

The blessing I had given my family had been extraordinary, and the Chief Priest—who had received it—was apparently being needled and teased relentlessly by Sylvester.

"Ferdinand has the poise to brush it off, given his rank and his long history with Sylvester, but Damuel wouldn't be able to handle that."

On that point, I need only recall how he had behaved during the prayer dedication ceremony. The way he had been teased and bullied was enough to upset his stomach.

"I understand Sylvester, but what do you mean by not telling Ferdinand?"

"That pragmatist of his. He'd have no qualms about offering Damuel up as a sacrifice just to escape Sylvester's pestering."

"I understand. I won't say a word."

I knew all too well how ruthless the Chief Priest's pragmatism could be. I would keep Damuel's blessing a secret.

The guard knight introductions were done. The adoption was done. The trauma had been planted as well.

The fact that Damuel had received a blessing remained a secret shared only between Father and Rozemyne.

Next time: the High Priest's inauguration.