Published: August 25, 2025
As my consciousness sank deeply, I faintly heard a voice calling me. I didn’t want to wake up yet. I wanted to continue sinking in the sea of sleep.
Even if I thought that, the voice calling me didn’t stop.
“Rosemine, wake up.”
“Ugh…”
My body was shaken gently, and reluctantly, I slowly opened my eyes. My eyelids felt swollen and heavy. Maybe because I cried too much, my temples throbbed painfully, still feeling warm.
“High Priest, Justox, and Brother Eckhardt…?”
I couldn’t understand why the people I saw were so close to me, so I looked around and remembered I was in the secret room.
Apparently, I had fallen asleep while crying after reading a letter. I looked at the High Priest and the two standing behind him while slowly lifting my body that had been resting on the desk. Maybe I had slept in a strange position, because various parts of my body ached as if stiff.
“Ouch…”
“Good grief, what a terrible face you have.”
As I sat up, the High Priest frowned and said that. He added, “You look pitiful,” delivering a further blow, and I pouted in annoyance.
“That’s a harsh thing to say to a girl.”
“Isn’t it the truth?”
…Even worse.
“You’re swollen from crying and you probably fell asleep with your face on the letter. There’s ink smeared all over your cheek. Your face is in such a bad state that the letters on it can be read.”
Touching my cheek gently on the High Priest’s indication, I looked at the desk where I’d dozed off, and gasped.
“Nooo! The letter’s letters have smudged!”
“More than that letter you’ve finished reading, you need to do something about that miserable face.”
“The letter is more important than my face!”
Holding the letter, which had ink blurred by tears and once dried, had become stiff and crumpled, I buried my head in my hands.
“High Priest, is there no wonderful magic to restore this letter to its original state!?”
“I know a magic tool that can cleanly remove ink.”
“That would erase it completely!”
The High Priest nodded expressionlessly. “Exactly,” he said, and Justox covered his mouth to stifle a laugh. The High Priest sighed wearily as he looked down at me.
“…You look more energetic than I thought.”
Even when Fran lit up the communication magic tool, telling me it was time to prepare to go to the castle, I apparently didn’t notice at all, still fast asleep. Fran must have worried I had collapsed in the secret room and contacted the High Priest, who could enter the secret room, so he came to check on me.
“When I entered the secret room, I was surprised to find the princess unconscious, resting head down on the desk. I was relieved when I realized she was just sleeping.”
After a pause, Justox added, “Lord Ferdinand was—” but the High Priest shot him a sharp glare. “Don’t say unnecessary things,” he said, then looked at me.
“I was just reminded of the incident in the reflection chamber. It has no particular meaning.”
“Lord Ferdinand, what was the incident in the reflection chamber? What happened?”
Justox’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, but the High Priest raised his hand lightly to stop him, then touched my forehead and the back of my neck.
“No fever. Pulse is normal. Mana seems stable.”
“Health aside, you really don’t look energetic. You seem so down and limp. But your goal is clear, so you’ll be fine. You can work hard towards it.”
When I declared I would do my best to establish a library and enrich its collection, the High Priest made a very displeased face.
“You don’t look like you lack energy, but well, fine. First, let’s fix that intolerable face of yours.”
“Please fix your harsh words instead, High Priest. You have too many insults.”
As I protested and turned back toward the High Priest, he suddenly took out a stave and told me to hold my breath.
Confused, I tilted my head and said, “Huh?” At the same moment, a drop of water came flying from somewhere and hit my face.
“Gah!?”
When I realized it was the cleansing magic used to wash Father’s cloak at the small temple of Hasse, I almost drowned in the water drop. Then, it disappeared.