I spent every day until the Starbinding Ceremony without leaving the
Today, Benno and Lutz had come from the
"Since we'll be going to the Noble District for the Starbinding Ceremony, I'll ask my adoptive father about the date and time when I see him."
"Ah, please do."
With the dinner party approaching, we had more or less finished everything we needed to do. Benno's eyes looked a bit lifeless, but he should be able to rest at a leisurely pace until the party. "That should do it. Somehow we made it happen," Benno sighed deeply, rubbing his fingers between his brows.
"…Hey, Lutz, what are you doing for the Star Festival?"
"Planning to do the same as last year. …As long as someone can prepare lunch for me at the orphanage."
Preparing Lutz's lunch and having him eat together in the orphanage dining hall was something even I could arrange. But with Benno being busy to the point of looking like he might work himself to death, could I really ask him to look after the orphanage on top of everything?
"Aren't you too busy? Are you sure it's okay?"
"I've finished everything that absolutely had to be done now, and it's not like I can just sit around at home on a festival day anyway. The orphanage is more relaxing… The food's good too…"
The Star Festival was an event that united the entire town. Everyone except the bride and groom and their families would go to pick up Tau fruits as soon as the Gates opened, and after hurling them to their hearts' content, they'd be busy preparing food for the square and getting ready for the nighttime festivities. Just because you weren't getting married yourself didn't mean you could sit around at home acting like it had nothing to do with you. You'd get chased out and drafted to help.
"Make sure you save a few Tau fruits instead of throwing them all."
"I know."
Lutz grinned just like always, unchanged from before—yet the family I wanted to see wouldn't show their faces at all.
I had wanted to see them under the pretext of asking Lutz to look after the orphanage's children, but I was turned down because he had plans on the Star Festival day. Turi had said she'd come visit the orphanage, but she still hadn't come even once.
"…Turi isn't coming, huh?"
When I muttered this, Benno snorted. "Of course she's not."
"Turi's busy right now. She's working at the workshop she made a Contract with Dalua for, and on her days off, she's learning sewing under the pretense of helping at Corina's workshop."
"Huh?"
"According to Corina, she's absorbing techniques at an incredible pace, like a sponge. …Becoming a world-class tailor was the last promise, wasn't it?"
Hearing about Turi's hard work from Benno's own words—something I couldn't pick up from her letters—made the backs of my eyes heat up. It seemed Turi was working desperately hard to keep her promise to me.
"Uncle
"Really?"
"Because a foreign noble was admitted, the knights launched an investigation, and it turned out that important information hadn't been relayed properly, so the East Gate's Knight Commander was punished."
Father had informed the Knight Commanders at each Gate that "the Lord is absent, so no more permits will be issued," and testimonies had been obtained from the Knight Commanders at each Gate confirming this. At the Gates other than the East Gate, the information had been properly passed down to the Gate guards.
The East Gate saw the most foot traffic and required the most vigilance, and yet despite being the first to receive the information, the Knight Commander had failed to relay it. This was judged to be a major dereliction of duty.
Then, taking into consideration that he had lost a daughter and had fought bravely to capture a noble who had entered the town, Father was promoted to fill the Knight Commander's vacancy. He had apparently become the East Gate's Knight Commander.
"His working hours have increased, he's so busy he can barely eat a proper meal with the family… He was complaining to me about it the other day."
"…I can just imagine."
Everyone was too busy to come. If it was work, there was nothing to be done about it—I sighed to myself, and Lutz lightly tapped me on the head.
"Don't look so down. Turi's plans for the Star Festival day are all about you."
"Huh?"
My eyes went wide at Lutz's unexpected words, and he shrugged lightly.
"She said they're going to join the bride and groom's families and wait in the Temple's front garden for the doors to open. When the bride and groom exit, you'll be at the altar, right?"
Apparently, Turi had told Lutz, "If you're running around with the orphanage children, you won't get to see her in her High Priest outfit for the first time, will you?" He said they'd all be waiting together in front of the doors, all for just a brief glimpse.
"Since they're making the effort, show them the best you've got."
"…Ugh, I'm going to have to re-memorize the prayer words one more time before the real thing."
I was going to need a bit more resolve. It was kind of like the nervousness you'd feel before your first class observation. They were coming to watch, so I wanted to show them the best of me. But what if I failed?
Saying goodbye to Benno and Lutz, whose exhausted faces wore the satisfaction of having pushed through, I left the hidden room and returned to the High Priest's quarters.
Since Lutz had said he'd be with me, I also needed to discuss with
"I'm heading to the orphanage now. I'll need an escort."
"Please let me accompany you, Lady
Monica came running over with a radiant smile, looking absolutely thrilled at the chance to see Wilma.
"You can keep working,
I looked up at Fran. He was talking with Zaim, who had been dispatched from the Chief Priest, and gave a slight nod.
"If you'll excuse me then. Monica, please take care of Lady Rozemyne. Have a safe trip."
"Have a safe trip, Lady Rozemyne."
Fran and Zaim both crossed their arms and knelt to see me off as Monica and I left the room. My twoGuardian Knights, of course, came along.
Recently, the Chief Priest had sent an attendant named Zaim, and the High Priest's duties were being handled by the two of them—Fran and Zaim.
Zaim had apparently been the attendant primarily responsible for dealing with the previous High Priest among the Chief Priest's attendants. He always had
I felt like Arno had also been by the Chief Priest's side when the previous High Priest was involved, but I didn't know the specifics of how the Chief Priest's attendants had divided up their work.
Still, Fran, who always had a somewhat formal atmosphere when talking with Arno—as if speaking to a superior—seemed to interact with Zaim with the ease of a colleague, so perhaps this was better for Fran.
"Wilma, Lady Rozemyne has arrived."
Monica opened the orphanage door and called out to Wilma, who was waiting.
"Thank you for taking the trouble to come all this way. Did the Chief Priest have anything to say about the High Priest personally coming here?"
Wilma asked me with a worried look. Unlike when she had been the orphanage director, it apparently wasn't considered acceptable for the High Priest to come and go from the orphanage.
"I am the High Priest, so I do as I please. So long as my safety is assured and I don't do anything terribly improper for a lady, the Chief Priest won't forbid it."
When I had tried to involve the Chief Priest in the plan to build an orphanage-cum-workshop in another town, he had told me to "build up achievements befitting a saint," so he had no grounds to complain about me going to the orphanage.
"Now then, about the day of the Starbinding Ceremony…"
Originally, all Blue Priests were supposed to take their attendants to the Noble District. This was because, having no one to look after them even if they went to their family homes, they had to bring their attendants back with them themselves.
The Chief Priest had his own mansion in the Noble District where his attendants also resided, so he didn't need to bring them back, but since everyone else did, he said he brought them along anyway.
"However, since I am the Lord's adopted daughter, I apparently cannot bring anyone into the castle who doesn't have prior permission, so all my attendants will have to remain at the Temple. Only
A personal musician was absolutely essential for banquets. Rosina alone would head to the castle with me.
After hearing her own wishes as well, I decided to hold off on having her accompany me this time and instead bring her when I moved into the Lord's castle at a later date.
"Therefore, I've instructed Ella and Nicola to prepare the orphanage meals. I've also issued a notice to the other Blue Priests to have them handle the meal preparations."
Since the Blue Priests would all be away, the orphanage traditionally had no dinner on the Starbinding Ceremony day. But the Blue Priests didn't take their cooks with them. Noble households had their own cooks, so unlike attendants, cooks weren't needed.
This year, under High Priest orders, I made the Blue Priests—who had been complaining that there was no need to prepare meals when they wouldn't even be at the Temple—handle the meal preparations.
In exchange, I changed the distribution of the offerings brought by the marrying couples and their families at the Starbinding Ceremony from last year's arrangement. The previous High Priest had apparently been quite miserly, taking half for himself alone, with an allocation system that heavily favored his personal cronies.
I thought a simple split would be fine, but considering appearances and posterity, it couldn't be an even split among everyone. Instead, I decided that the High Priest and Chief Priest would each receive a quarter, and the remaining half would be divided equally among the Blue Priests.
Everyone other than the previous High Priest's cronies supported this unanimously, and even the cronies only made displeased faces without openly voicing any complaints.
"So this year, there's no need to worry about meals. Thank you so very much, Lady Rozemyne."
"Also, on the day itself, Lutz will be taking everyone to the forest just like last year. Please make sure his lunch can be eaten here in the dining hall. The schedule should be about the same as last year, so there shouldn't be much confusion. Please keep a close eye to make sure the orphanage folk don't cause any trouble in the lower town."
"Understood."
I smiled warmly at Wilma as she nodded with a grin, then cast my gaze around the dining hall.
"…As for Deria, she'd be napping together with
"How are the two of them getting along?"
I had received reports from Monica and Nicola—who had been gathered to serve as attendants—that a light of blessing had also flown to Dirk. I was relieved to hear that he seemed to be recovering, but Wilma had also reported that Deria was having difficulty fitting in with those around her and was struggling.
"They're both doing well. Deria has learned not to hog Dirk's care all by herself to the point of collapsing, and she's started asking others for help too. Dirk's routine has become the same as ours, so she has more breathing room. Recently, Dirk has started crawling, so she's been getting exhausted from cleaning up and chasing after him, going 'Come on!' while running around after him."
"Oh, good. That's a relief."
I let out a sigh of relief as my worries melted away, and I noticed Wilma gazing at me with a saintly smile.
"Lady Rozemyne, I truly feel honored to be in your service."
"Wilma, what's this about? All of a sudden…"
"At your age, taking on the duties of the High Priest must be terribly difficult, but I believe—I truly believe that you will see it through."
Wilma narrowed her eyes and looked at me gently, and it seemed as though a halo of light was shining behind her. Well, here it might not be a halo but a genuine light of blessing. Even without any Magic Power, I felt as though I had been blessed.
Wilma was genuinely a saint. Too divine for her own good.
And then, on the morning of the Starbinding Ceremony itself, I was woken early by Monica and ate a simple meal.
"Lady Rozemyne, I'm heading to the orphanage now."
"
Shortly after Gil left, the second bell rang.
I let my thoughts drift to Lutz and Gil, who should be making their way to the forest about now, while being made to take a bath. Normally, purification would involve a water ritual, but if I were to take an actual water bath, I'd immediately develop a fever and be in no condition for the ceremony.
After cleansing my body, it was time for dressing.
"That won't do. You'll get wrinkles there if you do that."
Rosina, our musician, was not supposed to encroach on the duties of an attendant, but the two new attendants still found it quite difficult to properly dress in the ceremonial garments even with some practice.
"Do it like this here… Is that right?"
"Yes, it looks beautiful."
Rosina was teaching them beautiful dressing techniques while helping with the outfit, so it took time. This was my first public appearance as High Priest, and I couldn't just go out there in a sloppy outfit.
…Partly because she had been the High Priest's personal attendant, but Deria had actually been surprisingly impressive in that she could dress in ceremonial clothing from the very start.
Under Rosina's guidance, Monica and Nicola together managed to get me into the High Priest's garments. A sash woven in black and gold was draped diagonally from my right shoulder and fastened with a brooch. The belt's ornamentation was also black and gold, making it immediately obvious at a glance that the Starbinding Ceremony was a rite to receive the blessing of the highest god's divine married pair.
My mother had also given me a pomade-like hair product so that my hair could be properly arranged by my attendants. Daughters of high-ranking nobles were apparently not supposed to style their own hair.
After applying the product to make my hair easier to manage, Rosina taught the two a complex arrangement and braided it with cords woven in gold and black. Then, checking the angle from which it looked most beautiful time and again, the hairpin was inserted. Today's hairpin was the same one from the
It was finished just before the third bell rang.
"High Priest, please move to the prayer hall and await your turn."
"Lady Rozemyne, let us go."
Even when the Grey Priests called me "High Priest," it still hadn't quite sunk in, and I was a bit slow to react—but Fran was always the one who covered for me.
Guided by Fran, I walked carefully to avoid stepping on the hem of my garments. Normally, the belt would be used to adjust the length to knee-height like a kind of tuck, but today it was full-length, just like an adult woman's, completely covering my feet.
Following behind me was Monica, cradling the enormous Holy Book for the High Priest in her arms. Nicola had gone to help Ella with lunch preparations.
"High Priest, enter."
At the Chief Priest's voice, the Grey Priests opened the doors. The Blue Priests lined up before the altar raised the rods in their hands, and the sound of countless bells chiming echoed through the prayer hall.
I received the large, heavy Holy Book from Monica and slowly walked forward.
To my right were the Blue Priests, and to my left, dozens upon dozens of bride-and-groom pairs stood in neat rows.
The brides and grooms were each dressed in the noble-hued Festive Clothing of the season in which they had been born. Those leaning close together affectionately were mostly childhood friends from neighboring families who had known each other since they were young and were marrying for love, while those standing with blank expressions were those who had been matched through family connections. There might even be some couples who were meeting face to face for the first time.
But right now, everyone was staring at me and changing their expressions—mouthing words at each other, exchanging glances, whispering to other couples.
If I hadn't been using a Magical Tool that kept my voice from carrying, just as I had during the Baptism Ceremony when I was still Mine, there would have been an uproar.
When I reached the altar, I handed the Holy Book to the Chief Priest, who then placed it on the altar.
Lightened of the burden on my arms, I let out a sigh of relief and raised my foot to ascend the steps. On the very first step, I stepped on my garment. The fabric was pulled taut, and I immediately realized I'd stepped on it. If I continued upward, I would undoubtedly trip.
Going back would be awkward, and charging forward knowing I'd trip would be foolish. As I stood there frozen, unsure what to do, the Chief Priest swept me up and set me down on the dais. His cold smile said, "You fool." Yes, I'm sorry.
"The newly appointed High Priest is Lady Rozemyne, daughter of the Lord."
At the Chief Priest's introduction, the faces of the brides and grooms went stiff. Anyone would be surprised to learn that the person they'd been whispering about was the Lord's daughter.
Amid that, the Chief Priest began to deliver his blessings in a resonant voice and started recounting a myth—the tale of the highest god, the Darkness God, and the
Incidentally, unlike the previous High Priest, the Chief Priest was reciting from memory rather than reading from the Holy Book.
Telling the myth was originally the High Priest's job, but because my voice was small and childlike and I would run out of breath reading for that long, the Chief Priest had taken over the duty as proxy.
What I was to do was offer prayers and thanks to the gods and, in turn, bestow the gods' blessings upon the couple.
"Now, let us offer our prayers to the gods! Pray to the gods!"
The Blue Priests and then the brides and grooms offered their prayers in succession. As I watched, I absentmindedly flipped through the pages of the Holy Book.
…Wait! The prayer words were written right there! I had memorized them so desperately!
I found, scattered throughout the Holy Book, handwriting that wasn't the Chief Priest's, nor Fran's, nor my own, and I felt my cheek twitch.
Staring at the wooden plaques that Fran and Monica had written was all I could manage, and I'd had no spare energy to reread the Holy Book in my room—but apparently, I hadn't needed to memorize it at all.
I fumed quietly, and beside me, the Chief Priest told the brides and grooms to kneel on the spot, saying, "Now, I shall bestow upon you the blessing of the gods."
This was my moment. I had gone to all the trouble of memorizing it. I didn't need a cheat sheet.
I closed the Holy Book, drew in a deep breath, and began channeling Magic Power into my ring.
"O highest god, divine married pair who rule the vast exalted heavens, Darkness and Light—hear my prayer. For the birth of a new union, grant your blessing. I offer unto you their hearts—prayers and gratitude—and pray for your sacred protection."
As I invoked the blessing of the highest god's divine married pair, golden light and black light swirled from my ring and flew toward the ceiling of the prayer hall, where they burst apart. Black and gold scattered and rained down upon the brides and grooms.
As if witnessing something unbelievable, everyone stood with mouths agape, looking up. Not just the brides and grooms—even the Blue Priests wore the same expression, gazing upward.
The only one who remained composed was the Chief Priest.
"Without even a divine tool… a real blessing?"
At the murmur from a nearby Blue Priest, I looked down at the ring on my hand.
Come to think of it, Blue Priests were generally those with low Magic Power—nobles, or nobles too poor to afford Magical Tools.
Naturally, they wouldn't have Magical Tools fitted with magic stones. For Blue Priests who could only channel Magic Power through divine tools, receiving a blessing without one was apparently considered impossible.
…Had I done something I shouldn't have?
When I tentatively glanced at the Chief Priest, he lifted the corner of his lips with a look that said everything had gone according to plan. …Oh, it's that saint project of his again.
"As you who have received the highest god's blessing set forth, may your path be bright."
At the Chief Priest's words, the Temple doors were creaked open by the Grey Priests. Brilliant summer sunlight flooded in all at once, reflecting off the white walls and instantly brightening the prayer hall.
At the same time, the silencing Magical Tool lost its effect, and excited voices rose from the brides and grooms.
"I've never seen that before! It's a blessing!"
"They said it's the highest god's blessing. The new High Priest—even though she's tiny, she's amazing!"
"Didn't they say she's the Lord's daughter?"
"This blessing thing—it's new starting this year, right? My brother didn't have anything like this when he went."
Buzzing with excitement over what was clearly different from the Starbinding Ceremonies they had heard about, the brides and grooms filed out through the widely opened doors.
"Now then, the High Priest should also exit."
"No. I will see everyone off until the very end."
Even when urged by the Chief Priest, I remained on the altar, staring intently through the doors.
On the other side, I wasn't trying to call out blessings to the departing brides and grooms or looking for a particular pair—I could see the faces of my family, peering eagerly into the prayer hall. They clearly stuck out among the crowd celebrating the marriages and looked quite suspicious.
A small laugh welled up inside me. I bit back the urge to call out to them and lightly tapped my left chest twice with my right fist.
On the other side, they seemed to notice—they returned the same gesture.
"…I see."
The Chief Priest let out a light sigh, then began issuing cleanup instructions and directions for what came next to the surrounding Blue and Grey Priests. It looked like he intended to let me do things my way.
When I touched my hairpin and made the flower tremble, Turi jumped up with joy. Mother showed me
I did not move from the altar until all the brides and grooms had exited and the doors had closed.
By the time the doors shut, the Grey Priests were already cleaning the prayer hall, and not a single Blue Priest remained.
I felt as though I were waking from a blissful dream when the Chief Priest, brow furrowed, approached me. He lifted me off the dais, strode out, and handed me to Fran, who had been waiting just outside the prayer hall.
"Hurry and finish lunch. There's no time."
"Yes."
Having been able to touch—even if just for a moment—with my family, I nodded deeply, feeling my heart filled with warmth.
It was only a small part of the ceremony, but it was my first day working as the High Priest.
I got to connect with my family a little, and I'm satisfied.
Next time: Starbinding Ceremony — Noble District Edition.