Published: August 3, 2025
The day after, and the day after that, Darmel did not come.
Being forbidden from even going out to the well square was unbearably boring, so I stayed cooped up at home, making rattles for Kamil with Tulli and thinking up ideas for the third picture book. The rattle Tulli made was apparently a gift for Corinna’s daughter, Renate.
“We’ll bring it when we go to see Corinna’s baby. We’re going soon, right?”
“Since the Gilberta Trading Company has helped us so much, it wouldn’t be right to go empty-handed.”
Once the uneasy atmosphere settled down, I planned to go visit. Tulli was eager to come along. Baby girls are cute, after all. I was even looking forward to seeing Otto’s dotingly overprotective behavior a little.
“...But this one you made is cuter, Myne.”
Looking down at the finished rattle in my hands, Tulli sighed softly.
The one Tulli made looked like a white bear, while mine resembled a rabbit. Inside the white fabric was stuffed rag cloth, so unlike cotton filling, it was a bit uneven.
“The stitching is a total win for Tulli, though.”
As Tulli said, the seams on my rattle were a bit clumsy, but I thought it turned out pretty cute. Feeling satisfied with my work, I glanced sideways to see Tulli shrug lightly.
“Myne, you need a bit more practice if you want to become a bride, you know?”
“I’m fine! I’m ready to dedicate my life to books.”
Around here, the desired qualities for a bride were health, attentiveness, and skill at sewing. I fit none of those, so getting married was impossible no matter how you looked at it. I’d given up. Like in my Reno days, I would be satisfied living with books as my lover. Honestly, I’d rather make and read books than be someone’s wife.
If only I had a jingle bell, the rattle would be complete. Just then, on the evening of the third day, Lutz brought the bells that had arrived at the shop.
“Johan delivered these. What do you do with them?”
Lutz rolled several bells in his palm, tilting his head in curiosity. The bells jingled charmingly. As expected of Johan, they were well made.
“You put the bell inside like this and sew it up. When you shake it, it makes a sound, see?”
To prevent small children from swallowing them, the bells had to be inside. The eyes and mouth were only sewn with thread. Since only the opening for inserting the bell was left open, I finished the rattle right in front of Lutz.
When I shook it, a lovely jingle came through the fabric. A complete success.
“Kamil, it’s done. Can you hear the bell?”
Shaking the rabbit near Kamil’s ear, I made the rattle sound. Kamil blinked several times. His neck wasn’t stable yet, so he couldn’t turn around, but his eyes shifted slightly, searching for the source of the sound.
“Cute! So cute, Kamil.”
My smile cracked wide when he reacted to what I made—but then he cried.
Five days after I began staying cooped up at home, Fran and Darmel came to pick me up in the morning.
“Good morning, Myne-sama.”
“Good morning, Darmel-sama, Fran.”
“Good morning, shrine maiden apprentice.”
When I greeted them, Darmel nodded lightly. Then he spoke to my father, who was still home for his daytime duty.
“Well then, we will take charge of the shrine maiden apprentice.”
“Thank you very much.”
My father responded with a soldier’s salute, striking his chest twice, and Darmel returned the salute.
“Günther, there’s a message from Lord Ferdinand. The lord is currently in the capital, so no new permissions will be granted for a while. Be careful of fake permits possibly circulating. That’s the message.”
“Yes, sir!”
My father’s face, serious as he guarded the gate, looked really cool.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Take care.”
We met up with Lutz at the well square and headed toward the temple. As we drew closer, I noticed Fran’s expression growing darker.
“Fran, is something wrong? You’re frowning...”
“I will explain later.”
Fran fell silent, biting her lip, clearly not something to be spoken in public.