Published: August 3, 2025
The knights were busy arresting the head priest and his attendants, dragging them away, causing quite a commotion. Looking around to see if there was anything I could do, my eyes fell on Dirk, who was still slumped and exhausted.
“Um, I’m worried about Dirk too, so I’ll take Delia to the orphanage and explain the situation to Wilma,” I said.
“That’s not important right now. Leave that to others.”
Sylvester crossed his arms and stood firmly, looking down at me as he immediately rejected the idea.
“We haven’t even finished discussing the most important matter—your situation. Ferdinand, prepare a room.”
“As you command. I will make preparations, so please wait here.”
The high priest swiftly turned on his heel and went back to his private room to prepare for receiving Lord Sylvester.
Delia, holding Dirk, murmured softly, “Thank you, Myne-sama. I’m fine on my own. I’m going to the orphanage,” and headed there.
As I watched Delia’s small back disappear, I heard Sylvester’s voice behind me.
“Are you Myne’s father?”
“Yes, I am Gunter.”
When I turned around suddenly, Sylvester looked down at my kneeling father with an unreadable expression, showing no emotion.
“Go fetch the family. If it’s just to prepare the adoption documents, you can handle that alone, but at least let them say their goodbyes.”
“…Thank you,” my father said, clenching his fists tightly as he slowly stood. Like me, he seemed to be suppressing the swirling emotions inside him, unable to express anything about the current status quo and the social gap.
“Please wait. Fran will guide you to the gate.”
Fran looked up, stood alongside my father, and after wincing from the pain, called for a gray priest to escort him. She also arranged for someone to be on standby at the gate since the family would return later.
“Ah, looks like the preparations are done. Let’s go, Myne.”
“Yes.”
Seeing the high priest’s attendant come out to guide them, Sylvester strode ahead briskly, followed closely by Karlstedt after finishing instructions to the knights order.
When I moved to follow Karlstedt, Fran stumbled slightly but stepped forward, trying to take a step ahead of me.
“Fran, if you’re in pain, you don’t have to push yourself. You can return to the room…”
“No, I am Myne-sama’s chief attendant. I can’t let my mistress face such an important meeting alone.”
I couldn’t say more against the strong resolve in Fran’s eyes and reluctantly allowed her to accompany me. Bitterness showed on her face as she endured the pain and walked beside me.
Upon arriving at the high priest’s room, preparations for welcoming the guest were made, and I was guided to a chair at the table. I took my seat while Sylvester and Karlstedt headed toward the high priest’s office desk, beginning their discussion.
“That was quite the ordeal, Myne-sama.”
Arnaud pushed a tea cart over. Fran reached out as usual to help but immediately groaned in pain.
“Fran, shouldn’t you return to your room? You look like you’re suffering, and there are other attendants, right?”
I heard Arnaud quietly admonish Fran. I wasn’t supposed to intrude on attendants’ conversations, but I worried about Fran’s injury and fully agreed with Arnaud’s suggestion.
“No, I won’t. I was asked by Myne-sama to accompany her.”
“…Fran really is inflexible.”
Good for you, Arnaud. I encouraged him silently, hoping he’d say more. Fran was too serious, stubborn, and dedicated to duty; I allowed her to come but wished she would rest in the room.
“I don’t want to hear that from Arnaud. He could have told me the high priest wasn’t absent but just holed up in his room. Arnaud is the inflexible one.”
Fran grumbled her dissatisfaction toward Arnaud with a sulky tone. As she said, Arnaud was also rather inflexible. Maybe it was because the high priest himself was inflexible. I chuckled quietly while listening to their hushed exchange.
“Tea is ready. That will do. You may leave.”