Published: August 15, 2025
I was utterly exhausted. The reason was that I had been diligently studying day and night to fulfill the requests of my new younger sister, Charlotte. It was the baptism ceremony for nobles—the baptism ceremony held during the Winter Social Season when all nobles gather. There were far more things to do than in the downtown baptism ceremony, and the tension of not being allowed to fail seemed to accumulate every day.
Besides that, there were many other tasks: preparing the orphanage and my own room for winter, arranging winter handicrafts and printing, learning noble etiquette for the Winter Social Season directly from the high priest, and attending mana compression lectures. My head was spinning wildly.
Since they were worried about entrusting me with the baptism ceremony, the management of the medals used to register mana and the part of reciting myth—which requires a voice that carries—were left to the high priest. But I had mostly memorized what I had to do. I worked incredibly hard.
Still, I had no intention of showing this effort to Charlotte.
…Because I wanted to make it look effortless and hear her say, "Big sister, you’re amazing!"
Half-dead and barely holding on, I welcomed the end of autumn and the arrival of winter. The baptism ceremony in downtown took place amidst fluttering snow.
At that ceremony, I seriously thought that there might really be gods in this world. The gods rewarded me for my tremendous effort. Astonishingly, my family came all the way to the door.
As my family peered in with worried faces, Kamil, bundled up thickly, was running. He was toddling along unsteadily and cutely.
…Hey, everyone, look! My little brother is seriously adorable. So adorable that I’m genuinely worried about him being kidnapped. I want to snatch him away myself. Just look at that butt! Thank the gods!
My fatigue vanished at a glance. Moreover, Kamil waved his hand at me. It was because Tulli told him to do so, but that didn’t matter. He waved “bye-bye” at me.
…Ah, what do I do!? I’m so excited I might not make it back to my room from the chapel on my own!
While I was trembling with excitement and emotion on the podium, the gray priests mercilessly closed the doors. But when I closed my eyes, Kamil’s adorable figure was imprinted in my mind.
“Rosemine, don’t daze off; go back to your room.”
“…Ah, high priest. I’m a bit too excited and dizzy, so please let me rest.”
Leaning against the altar used to place the Sacred Scripture, the white stone altar was cool and pleasant to the touch. Cooling my head on the chilly altar, I closed my eyes and relived the sight of Kamil’s cuteness.
“Too excited to move? Are you really an idiot?”
The high priest, with a face like he had a hangover from overcompressing mana, said this to me. I pouted but couldn’t move.
“Rosemine, if you’re going to rest, do it in your room after taking medicine. You won’t recover in time for Charlotte’s baptism ceremony.”
“That would be a problem.”
When I opened my eyes sharply, there was the stern-looking high priest. As I tried to recoil in surprise, he silently lifted me up, descended the podium, and handed me over to Fran, who was waiting anxiously below.
“Fran, make sure she recovers before we head to the castle.”
“Understood.”
Fran started walking with me in her arms. As soon as we arrived at my room, I was forced to take medicine and was tossed onto the bed alongside a wooden tag listing the precautions for the baptism ceremony.
“Lady Rosemine, there are also reading materials. Please take your time on the bed until we depart for the castle.”
“…Yes.”
Except for practicing the baptism ceremony and giving instructions for winter, I was not allowed to do anything else. The day to move to the castle finally arrived. This year, the baptism ceremony would be held the day after we arrived. According to Fran, it was the high priest’s consideration that it would be more restful to stay at the temple than at the castle. Thanks to that, I felt I could face Charlotte’s baptism ceremony in perfect condition.