A Long-Awaited Reunion

I had just received the key from the High Priest and was about to rush into the Library when Fran stopped me.

"My lady Rozemyne, you have been away for quite some time, and there are many reports to file and matters to discuss that have piled up. Moreover, while it was only brief, you have just received a form of intimidation from the new High Priest. The Library will not be ransacked, and it will not run away. Please settle the urgent matters first, and then enjoy your reading at your leisure."

I looked back and forth between the door and Fran, then scanned the room for anyone who might be on my side. Monica, standing behind Fran, was polishing a feystone with an air of utter disinterest. Rosina was gazing elsewhere, clearly determined not to get dragged into this. Damuel was watching the situation unfold with a slight furrow of his brow and a complicated expression. Brigitte looked on with a similarly troubled frown. None of them seemed like they would help.

"But Lutz and the others are coming tomorrow, so I wanted to read at least a little today…"

If the members of the Gilberta Company were as busy as the High Priest seemed to sympathize with, then I would inevitably be just as busy. Today was likely the only chance I would get to relax.

When I pleaded my case about running out of time, Fran smiled at me with an expression that was eerily similar to the High Priest's.

"Rest assured, my lady Rozemyne. Even without going to the Library, there is plenty for you to read."

"Huh?"

"Please look at this before any book in the Library."

With a dramatic thud, a stack of wooden tablets was set before me. Apparently, these were the ceremony procedures and liturgical prayers that Fran and Monica had compiled.

"Please have these memorized before the Starbinding Ceremony."

It was not my cheeks that went slack at the sheer number of stacked wooden tablets—it was Brigitte's.

"Wait a moment. All of these? That's far too much. For young Lady Rozemyne…"

Brigitte stepped in to defend me, arguing that this was not a reasonable amount to assign to a child who had just completed her Baptism Ceremony.

Fran, pressed by a noble's objection, winced in visible discomfort. Yet he held Brigitte's gaze steadily and spoke in a calm voice.

"My lady Rozemyne must attend the Starbinding Ceremony in her capacity as High Priest. As her first ceremony in that role, any failure will remain a mark on her reputation for a long time to come. As a member of the nobility, Lady Brigitte, I trust you understand what it means to carry such a reputation in noble society."

As the High Priest's Attendant, Fran had learned the ways of noble society at close quarters. He knew what the High Priest paid attention to and how he judged others.

"I see. I understand. It seems I spoke out of turn."

Brigitte withdrew without further argument. Fran visibly relaxed, then held the wooden tablets out to me.

"Here you are, my lady Rozemyne."

"I wrote these. I worked really hard for your sake, my lady."

Monica gazed down at me with sparkling eyes. I simply could not win against Fran's devotion to his master and Monica's guileless smile.

"…I'll memorize them. I'll do my best—both to honor your efforts and to reward the hard work you two put in."

"I'm so glad the materials we compiled for you weren't for nothing, aren't I, Fran?"

"Monica's efforts could never go to waste where my lady Rozemyne is concerned. Now then, please begin with these procedures."

I couldn't escape from Fran, who was beaming with satisfaction behind Monica. As expected of an Attendant trained by the High Priest. The influence was far too strong.

I gave up on the Library and reluctantly picked up the wooden tablets. Hmph—they were tears of joy, obviously. I was just happy to have such devoted Attendants. Ah, the Library…

And so, as we discussed the flow of the Starbinding Ceremony and the duties of the High Priest, the day came to a close.

Today, the High Priest was also going to meet with the members of the Gilberta Company to check on the progress of the printing business. He apparently wanted to see the reports before the civil officials could tamper with them.

The Gilberta Company members would arrive in time for the third bell and were expected to eat lunch together. To that end, Ella and Nicola had finished preparing breakfast and then moved to the Director's kitchen to start on lunch preparations, while Fran handed over my care and guidance to Monica and headed to the Director's room to prepare tea. Noble meals always came with music, so Rosina, feystone in hand, also made her way to the Director's room after breakfast.

After finishing his meal, Gil said, "I'll let you know when the High Priest arrives," and darted out of the room. Being accompanied by civil officials on inspections had apparently been quite grueling, which had fostered a strong sense of camaraderie with Benno and Lutz.

During his time away, Gil's handwriting had improved considerably, and he had learned how to present reports properly. Thrown among merchants and civil officials, he had worked desperately hard, and it showed.

I patted Gil on the head and praised him, only to be reprimanded by Brigitte, who looked extremely uncomfortable as she said, "That kind of behavior toward an Attendant is…" So it really wasn't okay for a high-ranking noble girl to ruffle an Attendant's hair.

"Rozemyne, it's time to go."

The High Priest arrived at the room—not with Arno, but with an Attendant named Zahm. Since I was already prepared to leave, I exited with Monica.

"Rozemyne, you may be excited about seeing old friends again, but you will remain quiet until I have finished my business. …In exchange, once you enter that room, I will turn a blind eye. You may find whatever peace of mind you need in there."

The High Priest murmured this as we made our way to the Director's room. He was probably planning to sacrifice Lutz as a human shield to escape my squeeze—but that was exactly what I wanted.

"Understood!"

We passed through the corridor and arrived at the orphanage Director's room, where Monica opened the door for me. Setting foot in my old room after so long filled me with a deep sense of nostalgia and calm.

"It hasn't changed at all. That's reassuring."

I let out a relieved breath at the sight of the familiar furniture still in place, and until the appointed time, I sat at the second-floor table and discussed the Starbinding Ceremony with the High Priest. The ceremony apparently involved a wedding in the Lower Town in the morning and another in the Noble District in the afternoon, so it was going to be busy.

We also discussed what to do about this year's orphans. After various negotiations, Lutz had said that if he had the capacity and Vilma could be left in charge as the person responsible, then a level of playtime similar to last year's would be fine.

When the third bell rang, Gil, who had been waiting at the gate leading to the Lower Town, arrived with the members of the Gilberta Company. Benno, Mark, and Lutz had come along.

Lutz seemed to have grown a bit taller in the time I hadn't seen him. His features had matured too, perhaps. I had been surprised by Gil's growth, but Lutz had grown considerably as well.

I restrained myself from lunging at Lutz, whom I hadn't seen in so long, and instead raised my hand to give him a small wave. The moment my hand twitched, I heard the High Priest call my name in a low voice—"Rozemyne"—and felt his glare. Sorry. I'll behave.

"Now then, Benno. I would like you to speak frankly about what you observed and what you thought during the inspection. I want a report from outside the civil officials."

"Understood."

It was from Benno's account that I first learned that a Temple existed only in the city of Ehrenfest. "There is no way there are blue priests running about everywhere," the High Priest had declared. After all, I had assumed Temples were found in every town, just like churches in the time of Motosu Haruno.

It turned out that there was one large Temple per territory, not per town. Anything beyond that involved people building their own shrines and altars to venerate whichever gods they personally believed in.

In the city, shops enshrined the God of Commerce or the Water Goddess, and smithies housed the Fire God or the Smithing God. Gates were said to enshrine the guardian deity of travelers and the Wind Goddess.

In rural areas, the winter estate had a small prayer room of sorts where all the gods were venerated like in a Temple, but there were no small shrines to speak of.

As for how the orphanages operated within this system, they were run by the town mayor and other prominent figures of the city. By order of a Lord from many generations ago, orphanages were established in annexes of the mayor's mansion to maintain public order, and orphans were to be taken in the moment they were discovered.

In exchange for providing meals to the orphans, the town mayor gained the right to work them like slaves. Blue priests had merely replaced the town mayor and the city's prominent figures, but the gray priests and Shrine Maidens were treated the same way regardless.

"The orphanages are in terrible condition."

After Benno's words, Gil stood up and began his report, comparing the state of those orphanages to our own before the workshop was established.

The orphanages in other towns were not attached to Temples. Without the blessings of the gods, and with nobleless mayors struggling under tight budgets, everyone was living in filthy, unsanitary conditions. However, it didn't seem that any of them had completely abandoned their children the way the ones in the Lower City had.

"The children aren't locked inside the orphanage—they forage in the forest to scrape by. So I think things will improve somewhat if we can get the workshop up and running between summer and autumn."

With that, Gil concluded his report.

That cheeky, sharp-tongued Gil had become so impressive… Watching him gave me the same emotion a parent feels when moved to tears at a school observation day. I smiled and gave him a single nod. Gil returned it with a beaming grin of deep satisfaction. He-heh.

Once Gil sat down, Lutz stood to begin his report.

"Unlike the Temple's orphanage, there are no blessings from the gods, so the amount of money needed to improve living conditions is significantly higher. Moreover, the biggest challenge is that they don't hold to the idea of equality for all. I don't believe their living conditions will improve as peacefully as they have here."

Having grown up in a world where the law of the jungle was the norm even within his own family, Lutz found the thorough equality of this Temple's orphanage to be utterly baffling. Thanks to that equality, everything had improved peacefully, but he didn't think it would apply to other orphanages.

"Besides, the person running that orphanage seemed just like the blue priest here. Even if the orphans generate profits, I think he'll skim more and more off the top."

"…In that case, perhaps it would be better to establish the orphanage under my name before building the workshop, and instill our rules from the very start."

Those who had survived in a world of law and the jungle knew how to follow the strong. It might be easier to use authority to lay the initial groundwork.

For me, the city's prominent figures butting in from the sidelines were nothing but obstacles to the printing business—in other words, enemies of book-making. I had no qualms about using authority to eliminate them.

"If it's going to be the Rozemyne Workshop, I'm willing to cover a portion of the initial investment costs myself. However, if it's being carried out as a territory-wide venture, then the funds should also come from the territory's budget, correct?"

"Naturally."

While the High Priest said this, Benno, in contrast, was frowning and shaking his head.

"…That may be difficult."

"Why?"

"Because it's possible that the civil officials want to crush this printing business."

Benno's eyes took on a sharp, steely light. Beside him, Mark nodded quietly as well.

"I couldn't detect the slightest bit of motivation from the civil officials. I don't know how the instructions were passed down or what exactly they were told to do, but it truly looked as though they had been forced to take on a job they despised."

Lutz and Gil were nodding vigorously. It seemed the accompanying civil officials had made their experience quite unpleasant.

"I was told you wanted candid opinions, so I'll speak plainly, but I couldn't help wondering whether those people are truly the ones tasked with this new venture led by the Lord. Whether it's simply a matter of the individuals' own lack of awareness, whether the Lord's intentions haven't been properly communicated, or whether they're deliberately trying to sabotage the venture—I cannot say, as I am merely a merchant. However, with those individuals in charge, the plan is certain to stall."

Even when setting up the Mine Workshop orphanage branch, Benno had been told "this is going to be a hassle" and given warnings about groundwork and methodology, but he hadn't been told it was impossible. For Benno, a merchant sensitive to the scent of profit and keenly attuned to gain and loss, to now say the venture would stall—things must have been truly dire.

Unlike me, who gasped at the high likelihood of the printing business collapsing, the High Priest wore a smirk at the corners of his mouth.

…Ah, that wicked, dark smile. I could practically feel him devising some scheme inside his head. The civil officials who had gone on the inspection were surely going to become his prey. Since the printing business stalling would be a problem, I simply watched and silently cheered the High Priest on in my heart.

"Hmm. I'll take your opinions under consideration. It seems the trip was well worth it. Now then—the Starbinding Ceremony is fast approaching, but what's the status of the dining hall?"

It was going to be a dining event attended by an impressive lineup: the Lord, his half-brother, his adopted daughter, and the Knight Commander. Given Lord Sylvester's expectations, it gave me a headache.

But Benno wore a relaxed, confident smile.

"Everything is proceeding smoothly. The dining hall itself is complete, the chefs have improved their skills, and the number of trained servers has increased. With someone well-versed in noble affairs at the helm, I believe the banquet can be held without significant problems."

"I see. Any other issues?"

"…That concludes my report to the High Priest. There are a few matters I'd like to ask Lady Rozemyne about in regards to the Italian Restaurant."

Benno's gaze flicked toward me, sharp as a blade. Why did he have to look so intimidating? It wasn't my fault I couldn't be reached!

"In that then, Rozemyne should assist with compiling the reports and calculating initial costs. Understanding the difficulty of launching a business is a necessary experience for the Lord's adopted daughter."

So the message was: understand the hardship of those given tasks, and don't make unreasonable demands like Sylvester. Got it. I understood, but when it came to obtaining books, I wouldn't show an ounce of restraint.

"Rozemyne, you may use that room afterward. Your guard will be Damuel. Brigitte, you will wait here and eat your lunch first."

"Yes, sir!"

At the High Priest's instructions, Monica began preparing Brigitte's lunch, and Fran went to see off the High Priest and Zahm as they took their leave.

After watching the High Priest descend to the first floor, I placed my hand on the hidden door and let a trickle of magic flow through.

Magic Power streamed from my ring, and once the authentication was complete, the hidden room opened. Unlike the workshop in the High Priest's room, this one was designed so that even those without magic could enter—anyone I granted permission to could come in.

"Gilberta Company members, please come inside. As the High Priest said, your guard will be Damuel, and your Attendant will be Gil. Monica, please serve Brigitte's lunch. If anything comes up, press the magic stone on the door."

"Yes."

Having instructed Monica, I watched everyone file inside and then slowly closed the door.

The hidden room was not particularly spacious—about the size of an eight-mat room, like a reception parlor with a table and chairs. The size could apparently be adjusted based on one's magic capacity, but since this was a room for conversations you didn't even want your Attendants to overhear, I didn't think that much space was necessary.

I shut the hidden room door with a soft click and let out a long breath. The wait was over.

I spun around, dashed forward, and threw myself at Lutz.

"Uwaaah, Lutz, I missed you so much!"

"Wha—!?"

I pressed my head against him, rubbing and rubbing, and hugged him tight with all the pent-up frustration I had been holding in.

"I hate being a noble! It's nothing but etiquette practice and studying all day long—it's been so depressing. I'm truly exhausted. If I collapsed, they'd force me back to health with medicine, and then my head would be spinning later. The people around me are mostly scheming and manipulative. There's nothing soothing. Lutz isn't here. Father and Mother don't give me hugs like this… And, and…"

As I clung to Lutz and poured out my complaints about life in the Noble District, Lutz wore a bewildered expression, his brow furrowed as if he had no idea what to do.

"…Uh… Mine?"

"Lutz, you can't make that mistake. You have to call me Rozemyne properly."

Hearing the name "Mine" for the first time in so long sent a heat rushing to the back of my eyes, but I slowly shook my head.

"Hey, Lutz. Give me a proper squeeze. It's not nearly enough."

At my request, Lutz gave me a hug with the practiced ease of long familiarity. I wore a satisfied smile, but everyone around us had extremely sour expressions on their faces. I didn't care. I wasn't satisfied yet.

While Lutz held me tight, I looked up at Benno.

"Benno, Benno, I have a favor to ask."

"…What is it?"

Benno, who had been staring blankly, shifted to a slightly guarded expression as he looked down at me.

"Just for a moment—please scold me."

"Wha—!?"

Benno's voice cracked, and the composed expression he wore around nobles completely vanished. The fact that I could tell the difference made me inexplicably happy.

"When I went to the noble mansion, no one would scold me because of the difference in status. No matter what I did, they praised me, and it was nauseating. It's not like I was doing anything praiseworthy!"

My etiquette tutor and my academic teacher both showered me with unsettling praise. On top of that, Father and Mother basically never scolded me. When I made mistakes, they smiled and brushed it off, which was honestly terrifying.

As I poured out my plea, Benno, who had been looking down and trembling with suppressed fury, snapped his head up and dropped the most thunderous blow of all.

"You've gotten far too careless, you fool! You were already absentminded and scatterbrained as it was, and now you're going to get your feet swept out from under you!"

"Yes! That! That's exactly what I wanted! Ah, that's so soothing~"

To think I could find even Benno's thunderous scolding nostalgic and comforting—it really showed how much I had been holding in.

I let out a satisfied sigh, but Lutz, conversely, released a weary breath and slumped his shoulders, then leaned a fair amount of his weight against me.

"Hey, you know… your insides haven't changed at all…"

"How could a person's insides change that easily? Lutz, what are you talking about?"

If I had changed that easily, I'd be alarmed. In this short time, I had gotten better at wearing a mask and my manners had become more refined, I thought, but there was no real difference underneath.

At my words, Benno shrugged.

"See? That's what I told you, wasn't it? Even if a Commoner becomes the daughter of a high-ranking noble, the essence of who they are doesn't change so easily."

Lutz gritted his teeth in frustration and glared at Benno and me.

"Damn it… Give me back my tears! I thought I'd never get to see Mine again!"

"Fine. I'll give you double in hugs."

I had thought of something wonderful, but Lutz just let out a heavy sigh instead. How strange.

Regardless, I had gotten my Lutz-replenishment, and I was satisfied. Completely satisfied.

"If you're satisfied, can we move on to business? About the fluffy bread we're going to sell at the Italian Restaurant…"

Benno's face shifted into his merchant mode, his eyes glinting with a sharp gleam.

In the hidden room, I held nothing back. …Well, if you asked whether I usually held back, the answer was not really.

Damuel, who knew the state of things during winter, would be the guard entering the hidden room.

Next time: the story of our natural yeast girl.