Even living in the castle, I would only see the Lord's family during dinner unless I was summoned. Breakfast was taken in each room, and the Lord and his wife frequently had banquet lunches, so we never ate together.
That meant this dinner hour was the only time I could actually hold a conversation.
"Father, I will be returning to the
"...You've already taken care of the dining hall matters, haven't you? What's come up?"
"There's a great deal I need to discuss with the craftspeople in order to improve our printing technology. As soon we make progress on a new technique, I'll come report back."
"Hmm, understood."
He was nodding with a solemn expression, but I had no doubt he would come up with some flimsy excuse like an inspection or a casual visit and show up at the Temple partway through.
"Father, if you plan to come for an inspection, please do give advance notice."
"I know."
I swallowed back the retort that he absolutely did not know and finished my meal.
After saying my goodnights, I was supposed to return to my room, but this time I would be heading to the north wing with
"
Wilfried, who had been sulky throughout the entire meal, glared at me with deep green eyes that closely resembled Sylvester's. I had no idea what he meant by cheating, so I tilted my head.
"...Where exactly am I cheating?"
"When I say you're cheating, you're cheating!"
That wasn't an answer at all, and I was completely lost. When I looked up at
"I'm terribly sorry, Brother Wilfried. I will be away for about a month, so please enjoy your time at ease. Good night."
Once we arrived at the north wing, I promptly headed up the stairs. I could hear him throwing a tantrum behind me—"You don't understand at all, do you?!"—but I ignored him. I was busy.
Back in my room, I pulled out some paper and jotted down everything I needed to finish during the month I'd be back at the Temple. Then I made a list of things I would need to bring with me.
"...I want a writing board. It's such a waste to use up paper."
My writing board had been taken back home by my family as part of my belongings.
Even if I had it on hand, I doubted they'd let me use a plain writing board carved from wood, one without any decorative flourishes. As the Lord's adopted daughter, it would have been deemed unsuitable and disposed of. Honestly, it was better that Turi was using it, but I still wanted one of my own.
...It would be annoying since he was busy, but I'd place an order with
With a sigh, my gaze fell upon the cabinet that Richarda had cleared of books. All those books right there, yet I couldn't read them—it was agonizing.
I stared at the cabinet with intense, lingering longing, and Richarda gave a deliberate cough.
"You should retire for the evening now, Lady."
"...Yes."
Fine. I'd get up early tomorrow morning and read then.
The next day, I woke at dawn and immediately went to start reading, only to find the cabinet locked tight. Fuming, I waited for Richarda to arrive, and instead got scolded for not getting enough rest. On top of that, as soon as I finished breakfast, Richarda herded me off to the Temple.
The reason? "When you start reading, you tend to forget your promises, don't you? Lord
...Curse you, Chief Priest!
Pouting with my lips puckered and harboring dark feelings in my heart, I boarded the carriage bound for the Temple.
"Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne."
"I've returned,
I made my way back to the High Priest's chambers with Fran, who had come out to greet me.
"You had said you would be staying at the castle for a while, so I was quite surprised when the Chief Priest told me yesterday at midday that you were coming back."
"Yes, I was surprised too when the Chief Priest told me to return."
The frustration of having been sent away without being allowed to read my books kept building. The books the Chief Priest had stacked up were from the castle's Library, so they were prohibited from being taken outside. I wouldn't be able to read them until I was back in the castle.
"Lady Rozemyne, you seem rather agitated. Has something happened?"
"The Chief Priest confiscated my reading material. He made me come back here when I had to hold back from reading! He must really need those musical compositions and recipes."
I huffed indignantly, and Fran's eyes widened in surprise.
"...Is that so? The Chief Priest told me the Donations had been collected and asked me to contact the
I was just as surprised as Fran. The Donations had indeed been collected, and I had wanted to hand them over to Benno quickly, but I hadn't expected the Chief Priest to arrange everything.
"Once you've changed, shall we head to the Director's office?
"Oh, that sounds wonderful."
When I smiled gently, Fran let out a relieved breath.
After Monica helped me change and Fran confirmed the amount of Donations collected, I moved to the orphanage's Director's office.
It's so much more relaxing in a familiar room, I thought, letting out a light breath as I opened the hidden door.
"Monica, please tidy up in here lightly and bring in some writing supplies."
"As you wish."
Fran looked perfectly calm about it, but the moment he saw the hidden door, his expression stiffened ever so slightly, so I left the cleaning of the secret room to Monica.
"Fran, how are
"Gil is waiting at the Gate to welcome the Gilberta Company. If you'd like to see Wilma, shall I call her?"
"I want to commission Wilma for some illustrations, but it can wait until after I've finished speaking with Lutz and the others."
As Fran reported on what had happened during my absence, Benno and Lutz arrived. They had a mountain of work related to the small Temple, and
"Lutz, come in here. I'll have Gil serve as Attendant and Damuel as escort."
I stepped into the hidden room and the moment I closed the door, I leaped at Lutz. He caught me without so much as a flinch—it had been completely expected, apparently.
"Lutz, Lutz, Lutz! Listen to me, the Chief Priest is being awful!"
"...Hey, I'm really busy right now, you know."
"So am I! I hosted tea parties to collect Donations, kept up a fake smile until I got a fever, then had to scheme for more funding, then got dragged into that retaliation magic training by the Chief Priest, and had to put up with his harassment on top of it all—it's been terrible!"
Lutz's brows drew together tightly, and his expression turned grim.
"The Chief Priest's harassment? What did he do?"
"He stacked up books I'd never read before right in front of me to show them off, then filled my schedule one thing after another, assigned someone to watch me, and wouldn't let me read any of them! Terrible, right?"
"...That's insane. Either he's fearless or he just doesn't care about the consequences..."
Lutz muttered in exasperation, then looked at my face and gave a slight wince. He was the one who had witnessed firsthand how I'd spiraled out of control the last time my books were taken away. After a troubled "Ahhh," he slowly patted my head.
"You've been holding up well. Yeah, good job."
"No, I've actually stopped holding back. I got so frustrated that I decided to make the wax master copy."
"That doesn't connect at all!"
Lutz shouted, but the connection wasn't really the important part. What mattered was making the wax master copy and wiping that smug look off the Chief Priest's face.
"Just trust me and let's make it. Okay?"
I clung to Lutz as I pleaded, and Benno's eyes went wide as he dropped a thunderbolt.
"You idiot! Do you have any idea how busy we are right now?! Are you actually thinking before you speak?!"
"My funding plan requires the wax master copy! Do you have any idea what it takes to scrape money together from the Nobility, Benno?!"
"Graaah!" I shouted back, and Benno's eyes widened in surprise. I didn't miss the moment his momentum faltered, and I pressed on. The anger from having my books confiscated was not going to be shaken by a mere thunderbolt from Benno.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make money. Whether or not the wax master copy exists will change the amount we raise by a ridiculous margin. Either way, I'm borrowing Lutz for a month."
"Hey, don't just decide that on your own!"
I declared this while still clinging to Lutz, and he flicked me sharply on the forehead. I held my forehead and pouted.
"I'm the one who designs the things you build, right? Are you saying that premise can be broken?"
"Well, no, not exactly..."
"I'd like to lend you Lutz, but we're swamped over here too."
Benno scratched his head vigorously and muttered that they didn't have enough money even for gathering the necessary supplies. It seemed the Mine Workshop's surplus funds were no longer sufficient, and he'd been spending time negotiating with the Guild Master about how much each side should bear.
"As for money, don't worry, Benno. I brought Donations, so I'll hand them over later. We've raised enough for the initial costs."
"...What did you say?"
Financial matters were what troubled merchants the most. And right now, the biggest time sink was the cost-sharing negotiations. It made perfect sense for Benno's eyes to light up when that entire problem was solved in one stroke.
"Fine. I'll lend you Lutz. If there's money, it'll be easier to place orders too, and we can buy up all the necessary supplies without trouble. If you need more funding for the next phase, do it right."
Benno's eyes glinted as he looked at Lutz and me. He was giving his go-ahead—permission to proceed. I wouldn't hold back.
"Oh, and this. It's a thank-you gift from Lutz to Rozemyne, for helping us make connections with the higher Nobility. You'll need it, right?"
When Benno jutted his chin forward, Lutz carefully pulled a square, cloth-wrapped object from a bag.
"Please accept this."
Lutz wore a mischievous grin and presented the package with a flourish.
I moved a little away from him, picked up the package held out before me, and tilted my head at the hard square shape. Slowly, I unwrapped the cloth.
"...A writing board!"
It was an exquisite writing board, decorated with fine ornamentation and coated with a varnish-like finish to give it a polished luster—suitable even for Nobility. My eyes lit up as I gazed at the new writing board, and Benno chuckled softly with a shrug.
"Your old writing board is with Turi, so I had this made. I thought you'd need it. The front design is based on the Mine Workshop's crest, the back is based on the Knight's Commander's crest, and here—the Lord's crest is engraved in place of a name."
Benno pointed at the writing board and explained each design element. Lutz pointed to a metal stylus attached to the board.
"I had
"I really wanted a writing board. Thank you, Benno. And Lutz too."
Holding the writing board that fit perfectly in my hand, I let out a happy little laugh. The joy of receiving exactly what you wanted at precisely the right moment naturally softened my face. I was genuinely happy that they had been paying attention to me and thinking about me.
"So, where are the Donations you collected?"
"I left them with Fran, so we'll need to bring them in. Actually, I'd like to add a bit more for Lutz's share, but since I'll be at the Temple for a month, maybe tomorrow would be fine? Hehehe."
With the writing board in hand, my heart felt considerably lighter. I cheerfully left the room and called out to Fran.
"Fran, please bring the Donations to Benno. Benno, I will be reporting to my mothers exactly how these Donations are used, so I need a clear, detailed accounting of every expense."
"Understood."
If there was a detailed report and the donors could see how their money had been spent, it might make it easier to raise the next round of Donations.
"That's everything regarding Benno. I know preparing the small Temple will be demanding, but I'm counting on you. Lutz and Gil, stay behind—I want to ask about the workshop."
"I am honored."
Benno tucked a wallet containing three or more large gold coins into his coat and left, guided by Monica.
I decided to hear about the workshop's current progress at the table.
"Gil, how are things at the workshop? Have they been able to make any thin paper suitable for a wax master copy?"
"The paper from the nyoki-nyok trees can be made quite thin, but regular paper just won't get thin enough. We'll need to find a different wood if we want to manage it."
"...Just as I thought."
Trombe wood could apparently produce fairly thin paper now. However, using it as a master sheet would be prohibitively expensive. It couldn't be used so casually. Among the woods easily harvested in the area, Forin had been the best in both price and yield, but it didn't work for making a wax master copy.
For just the Chief Priest's illustration this one time, I thought we could still turn a profit even if we used Trombe paper as the base. To perfect the wax master copy, we couldn't afford to be stingy with money. I decided to make a test print using Trombe paper for the time being.
"What about the wax coating using the iron that Johann made? Even with different types of wax, it still comes out uneven?"
"It's uneven, and when Johann tried carving into it on the whetstone he made, the wax cracked and it became unusable."
Those cracks were caused by the wax being too thick or too hard. It seemed we really did need to add a pine resin or similar compound to give it flexibility. ...What was the ratio again? I couldn't remember the details.
"Lady Rozemyne, when you used to protect the printing plates for Wilma's illustrations with a wax coating, you said it was fine even if it was bumpy or had the texture of the cloth pressed into it. But for a wax master copy, having the cloth texture imprint would be..."
"Absolutely unacceptable."
In my previous life, I had used cooking sheets, but there was no way to make those here. I couldn't think of any substitute either.
What came to mind was the roller machine that the craftspeople who made the wax master copies used. By rolling the wax between two rollers as they applied it, you could get a perfectly even, thin coat.
"A roller would probably be the best way to make it, but... could Johann build something like that?"
I could explain the basic concept—do this and it produces that—but I couldn't create an accurate design. It was something that would need to be developed through trial and error. I wasn't sure if that kind of experimentation was something Johann, who relied on precise blueprints, could handle.
"Lutz, I want to consult about this, so please have Johann from the forge workshop come by tomorrow as well."
"Understood."
"Also, I want to check exactly how thin a paper they've been able to produce, so I'll be heading to the workshop now."
When I stood up, the two knights rose as well, naturally. However, having them come to the workshop would be genuinely problematic.
"...There are trade secrets involved, so would you two wait here for me?"
"That we cannot do. We cannot leave Lady Rozemyne without even one escort."
At Brigitte's words, I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"Then let's just have Damuel. If it's Damuel, I'm holding leverage over him, so no matter what he sees, he'll keep his mouth shut. Right?"
"...Lady Rozemyne, do you not trust me?"
Brigitte's brows drew together in a stern expression, and her voice was bitter. I closed my eyes lightly.
"I appreciate that Brigitte follows me even to the grimy, stinking lower town, and I think you do excellent work. But that and this are entirely separate matters."
Brigitte tilted her head slightly, as if not quite understanding.
I knew about her feelings for her family, and I wanted to support her. But when you added the profit-and-loss calculations of running a business and the matter of Noble families into the mix, I couldn't just hand over information unconditionally.
"I do trust you, but Brigitte, you are tied to a Noble who owns land. Even if you learned about information that could make money, I can't yet determine whether you'd be able to keep it from your family. Damuel, on the other hand, isn't a landowning Noble, and his family is in the Noble District, which makes it easy to keep him in check if anything were to happen."
"...Understood."
Brigitte accepted this, but at the same time, she looked at me with an expression tinged with fear. Then she cast a faintly sympathetic glance toward Damuel.
"Lady Rozemyne, what is this leverage?"
"That's a secret for now. Hehe."
I took Damuel, who was trembling and quaking, as my escort and headed to the workshop with Lutz and Gil. Just as usual, the grey Priests and children were working on papermaking.
"Save the greetings and get back to work."
I said that, then had Gil bring me a sheet of Trombe paper that had been thinned specifically for the wax master copy, and inspected it. Indeed, Trombe paper was excellent. The quality was entirely different from Forin.
"...The quality is completely different. Oh well. Let's do it."
I said this and turned my gaze toward the Taue seeds still stored in the corner of the workshop. Lutz glanced at Damuel.
"Is this really okay?"
Honestly, it wasn't. The fewer people who knew the secret, the better. But if a guard was going to come along no matter what, Damuel was the least dangerous option by process of elimination, and I judged that to be the lesser evil.
"Damuel, what you're about to see—you must absolutely never speak of it. Not to anyone. Not to Father, not to the Chief Priest, not to my adopted father. Can you promise me that?"
Damuel's gaze wavered, uncertain.
"If you were to slip up and say something, I might accidentally let it slip too. About the important secret I'm being teased and bullied over by my adopted father."
"H-He what? By the Lord himself?"
Damuel, who had been thoroughly harassed by Sylvester during the Dedication Ritual and essentially used as a human sacrifice, now wore a pitiful expression that looked ready to tears.
"You'll keep quiet, won't you? Right, Damuel?"
To create the wax master copy, I couldn't afford to be picky about methods. I pressed my palms together in a silent apology to the threatened Damuel.
Next time: the Chief Priest's illustration.