Published: August 25, 2025
When I went inside, everyone followed closely behind. I sat down on the chair Gil had pulled out for me, and after Fran carefully closed the door, I slowly looked around at everyone.
Darmel, my Guard Knight, stood in his usual spot behind me. Fran took her place in front of the door, and Gil sat to my right, his usual attendant position. But the three from the Plantin Trading Company seemed unsure where to stand, glancing between Justox and me.
“Lutz, Benno, Mark, and Justox are here. Please sit where you usually do. Justox knows the full situation, so don’t worry about him,” I said.
“Eh?”
Lutz looked surprised and glanced up at Justox. Justox shrugged lightly and looked down at him.
“By Lord Ferdinand’s orders, I was the one who investigated Myne from downtown. That’s why I was entrusted with the Plantin Trading Company and the workshop for two years. Being here today is also by Lord Ferdinand’s command.”
Lutz’s face twisted with displeasure at Justox’s words as he took his seat, then turned to me with a worried expression.
“Lady Rosemine, did the high priest say something to you?”
“Lutz, please. Speak normally.”
“Normally…?”
Looking around, Lutz let out a slow breath, closed his eyes tightly as if troubled, then looked straight at me with his green eyes.
“Alright. What happened?”
Hearing his familiar voice and tone, I felt a mix of relief and an overwhelming loneliness I couldn’t stop.
Tears welled up deep inside my eyes. In my blurred vision, I saw Lutz and Benno reaching out towards me.
I clenched the hands resting on my lap tightly.
“They said today is the last day we can use this secret room. So, I was told to say a proper farewell…”
The tears that trembled on the edge of spilling fell drop by drop with a deep sigh I couldn’t place as anyone’s. As I watched the tears run down my fist, Benno groaned lowly.
“As expected. Regardless of your appearance or awareness, to others you’re already ten years old. It’s predictable that a noble’s daughter can no longer use the secret room once she turns ten.”
Benno’s bitter words made Lutz’s eyes widen in surprise. He was the only one who hadn’t expected goodbye – Benno and Mark seemed to have known this would happen.
“It’s not just because of your age. Lady Rosemine has very few merchants she personally favors and associates with.”
Mark said gently, giving a troubled smile.
“There’s already talk among merchants that Lady Rosemine favors the Plantin and Gilberta Trading Companies too much. If rumors spread about you bringing a commoner into the temple’s secret room, it would damage not only Lady Rosemine’s reputation but also hurt us here.”
If people thought the Plantin Trading Company’s success was all because of my favoritism, it would affect the future. Especially, it would greatly influence the employees’ motivation, Benno said. I didn’t want the Plantin Trading Company to get a bad reputation because of me.
“Ah, yeah, a saint having such a bad reputation would be troublesome, huh?”
“It’s more than that. The engagement announcement is coming soon.”
Lutz blinked several times in a daze. His eyebrows twisted in confusion.
“…Whose?”
“Mine. The engagement announcement between me and Brother Wilfried, the lord’s son.”
That surprised even Benno and Mark, who rounded their eyes. Lutz tilted his head like he couldn’t connect the idea of engagement with me at all.
“…Huh? Uh, engagement? Isn’t that too soon?”
“Yeah. There have been various issues at the noble academy. To avoid trouble, it ended up like this.”
“You cause problems wherever you go,” Lutz said with an exasperated face. Then, looking very troubled, he sighed, “Well, this isn’t something I can help with anymore,” and gave a sad smile. That complicated smile tightened my chest.
As usual, I wanted to hug Lutz tightly, but I couldn’t bring myself to reach out. I kept opening and closing my fists on my lap, watching the wrinkles form on my skirt.