Published: August 25, 2025
"Well then, let's hurry and change. Lady Elvira is waiting."
Dressed in many layers to keep warm, I changed into something more suitable for moving around inside the castle. Then, carrying the box with the souvenir for Mother, I headed to the room Ottilier had prepared.
Today, I was going to discuss a book that must not be taken outside with Mother, so Ottilier was the only attendant with me, and Angelica was the sole guard.
Richarda had to stay in the room to help me organize the luggage I brought back from the temple. This was because the high priest ordered me to manage the items entrusted by Hilsure.
"Richarda, this pile is processed, and this one is still pending."
"No problem, Your Highness. The tags make it easy to tell."
Ottilier was close with Mother and apparently a personal friend she often met. When I was to enter the castle, it was Mother who asked Ottilier to serve as my attendant.
"Thank you for waiting."
When I took my seat, Ottilier said, "I have received permission for you to relax with your family, so you need not keep up a formal demeanor."
After sampling the prepared tea and sweets, savoring the tea, we moved on to the main topic. When our eyes met, Mother’s jet-black eyes sparkled with a gentle smile.
"Rosemine, have you read my book?"
"No, not all of it yet. Only one story from the knight's tale. I haven't spent a full day in the castle, and the letter said I must only open it in my room."
I made sure to emphasize that I was keeping my promise. Mother nodded, satisfied.
"As long as you follow what’s written in the letter, that’s fine. It’s a book that must not be taken outside."
"I did glance through the contents. You found a good illustrator, didn’t you? The illustrations were incredible."
...The high priest seemed to be glowing an extra thirty percent in my mind.
I hid my thoughts and said so, and Mother’s face lit up happily.
"Hehe, isn’t that so? I commissioned it myself. After all, love stories suit beautiful illustrations."
Because I had gotten Wilma to draw an illustration of the high priest modeled in the knight's tale, Mother was inspired to create a knight’s tale collection focused on love stories.
"But, since the book Mother made must be hidden from Lord Ferdinand, it can't be widely sold, right? The income would be low. Did Gibe Haldenzel approve it?"
"The books I gave to Rosemine were specially for my friends. I showed them to my brother and had another illustrator do the pictures for the books sold under Haldenzel’s name, so there’s no problem at all."
...So the content was the same, just different illustrations. Maybe the guild was suddenly asked to handle a terribly complicated job?
The first printing was done at Rosemine Workshop for adjusting opinions with Mother. I was told all traces were removed, including any failed copies. Yet, I hadn’t heard they struggled with having two types of illustrations.
"The workshop did not report having two types of illustrations."
"I specifically ordered Plantin Trading Company that this must never leak. I wasn’t sure how well it would be kept, but the Rosemine Workshop folks are excellent."
Mother said she felt relieved knowing the temple’s workshop didn’t report to the high priest and she wasn’t sure how much secrecy would be maintained, but it was good.
"If Lord Ferdinand found out, Haldenzel’s printing business might stall, and then I’d be scolded badly by my brother."
The non-high priest illustration books sold fairly well, and Gibe Haldenzel planned to push printing forward as is.
"I want to write about Lord Ferdinand’s noble academy days next. But even if I change the illustrations, if he reads it, he might notice, so I can’t bring myself to start..."
"He’ll definitely notice. That’s too risky."
The high priest legends from noble academy days have many astonishing episodes, but compiling them into a book would surely get him suspicious.
"There was talk about Lord Ferdinand even in the noble academy. It might come up at tea parties, but some might dislike discussing it. So I gathered information... Would you like to see?"