Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 3.1 - Chapter 10

Starbind Ceremony in the Noble’s Quarter 

“Ottilie, undo her sash for me.” 

There was another attendant standing in wait with Rihyarda—a woman who looked about the same age as Elvira, and seemed to be called “Ottilie.” They both worked together to take off my dress, and all I could do was stand there and let them do their job. My shoes were changed, and my ceremonial High Bishop robes were put on me. They both worked super, super fast, no doubt being very used to changing the clothes of children. 

Nicola and Monika had struggled to get me into my ceremonial clothing that morning, but Rihyarda and Ottilie had dressed me in no time at all. I watched in the mirror as the smaller sash was tied around the beautifully pleated robes, and the larger one was placed diagonally across my chest alongside a ton of other decorative ornaments. 

When the box of ornaments was empty, Rihyarda took a step back and looked over me before giving a firm, satisfied nod. As I looked in the mirror, I noticed that there was only one part of me that remained unchanged. I reached up a slow hand to touch my hair stick. I wanted to switch it out for the one that my family had made me. 

“Rihyarda, may I ask you to swap this hairpin for... that one over there, with the summer colors?” No sooner had I asked than Rihyarda switched them, thus completing my outfit. 

“And off we go.” Rihyarda guided me to the big assembly hall, Cornelius and Angelica naturally following as my guards. 

“Eeek?!” 

“Careful now!” 

On my way down the stairs, I stepped on my dress and would have fallen had Cornelius not instantly reached out and caught me. 

“I thank you ever so much. My normal robes only reach down to my knees, and I still haven’t gotten used to walking in these longer ones...” 

“You need to hitch it up a little as you walk, milady.” Rihyarda hitched up her own skirt a bit and then took a few steps to demonstrate. 

I had assumed that it was forbidden as I hadn’t seen anybody else doing it, but apparently it was fine to raise the hem a little. But just as I thought that this would make things a lot easier for me, Rihyarda launched out another warning. 

“Be careful not to hitch it up too much. You don’t want your legs showing.” 

I didn’t care about people seeing my ankles since my normal robes only went down to my knees anyway, but I kept my protests to myself. Rihyarda stood on top of even Ferdinand; I had absolutely no chance of winning against her. 

I hitched up my skirt a little as I walked, taking great care not to step on the hem, only to have Rihyarda step in front of me, wearing a frown. “Excuse me, milady,” she said, before bending down and picking me up. I blinked in surprise as she walked off at a speed much faster than I would have ever expected from an old granny. “If we keep going at your pace, seventh bell will ring before we reach the hall.” 

Seventh bell was apparently when the Starbind Ceremony started, and Rihyarda had determined that we’d be late if she let me keep walking. But honestly, it wasn’t really my fault; the castle was just so ridiculously big. The distance between the northern building—that is, the living quarters—and the public assembly hall was way too far for a child to walk. And then there was the fact that we had to take a bunch of turns instead of going directly toward the hall, which made the journey even longer than it needed to be. I had half a mind to demand that carriages be allowed in the halls. 

Rihyarda carried me almost the entire way to the assembly hall, setting me down a short distance from the hallway leading inside. She looked me all over to make sure my clothes hadn’t been creased or anything. 

“This is as far as I can take you, milady. Walk straight down the carpet and up the altar at the end. Lord Sylvester will be there.” 

“Okay.” 

I turned the corner to see a big hall, illuminated by shining things that looked like lamps. Candles were used as sparingly as possible in the lower city to save on wax, so it was standard for everything to go pitch-black once the sun had set, but here in the Noble’s Quarter, these tools that worked like lamps were used plentifully. Though they weren’t as bright as, say, the ones powered by electricity on Earth, the pure-white walls made everything feel much, much brighter. 

“...It certainly is bright in here.” 

“You don’t have these in the temple? They’re magic tools that amplify the small light from candles,” Cornelius explained as we walked. I nodded. The doors leading to the assembly hall were wide open, and I could already see a ton of people gathered inside. 

“The High Bishop has arrived,” announced a voice. 

The assembly hall had a massive ceiling like a gymnasium, and was divided into two by a black carpet with gold edges. Newlyweds and adult unwedded nobles were waiting on either side, talking among themselves. 

I faced forward and walked down the carpet as quickly as I could, feeling a whole room of curious eyes watching me. But despite my best efforts, I was still walking far slower than most people would appreciate—something that was made especially clear when I heard Cornelius whisper a supportive “You can do it.” 

I began to climb up the altar when I reached the end, and, thanks to being able to hitch up my skirt, managed it without stumbling. That alone made me feel as though I had completed a huge, arduous task. 

“Over here, Rozemyne,” Sylvester said. He was calmly sitting in a chair atop the altar as Rihyarda had said he would be. 

Karstedt was standing behind him, and motioned with his eyes for me to take the seat beside the archduke that had been prepared for me. I did just that. 

“Rozemyne, where is your bible? How are you going to perform the ceremony without it?” Sylvester asked, his tone incredibly worried. Ferdinand hadn’t written the bible on the list of things that I had to bring to the Noble’s Quarter, so I hadn’t even considered it as something I would need. 

“I know the words to the prayer, and Ferdinand will be reciting the tales from the bible himself. There won’t be any problems at all,” I explained, and Sylvester appeared to visibly relax. 

“As long as you can give the blessing. Oh, by the way—I’m gonna be the one reciting the tales.” 

“I see.” 

Now that I was atop the altar, I was free to gaze around the assembly hall like a teacher looking over their class from the podium. Oh, there’s Ferdinand. 

“I see there aren’t any women around Ferdinand. Why is that?” 

I could see women watching him from a distance and squealing in excitement, but none were actually trying to approach him. Maybe everyone had found out what a nasty personality he had. At this rate, it seemed unlikely that he would ever escape from Rihyarda calling him a boy. 

“Only a fool would take this opportunity to find a romantic partner and waste it talking to a celibate priest,” Sylvester said. Honestly, it made perfect sense. The only question I had was why in the world Ferdinand had bothered to join the crowd at all. “Rozemyne, do you want Ferdinand to get married soon? I’d bet he’s working you to the bone in the temple and piling tons of work on you. Must be rough.” 

“Actually, it’s quite the opposite—I would be in more trouble than anyone if Ferdinand quit being the High Priest. I know that this would be very unfair on him, but I would like him to remain single until I come of age, at the very least.” 

I scanned the crowd looking for any other familiar faces and noticed Brigitte standing alone by a wall. She seemed uninterested in joining the crowd, but I didn’t know whether that was a good thing for her. 

“What happens if you don’t find a marriage partner here?” 

“Depends on your family and why you couldn’t find a partner. You’re talking about your knight, huh? Finding a partner’s gonna be real tough for her,” Sylvester said with a frown as he looked over at Brigitte as well. 

“Why is that?” 

“Family stuff.” 

According to Sylvester, Brigitte’s father had died three years ago, at which point her older brother—who had only just come of age—inherited the position of Giebe Illgner. Brigitte was engaged at the time, but the man she was due to marry and his family saw weakness in her older brother’s young age, and planned to take control of the entire Illgner house. 

Finding that despicable, Brigitte expressed her displeasure and put an end to the engagement. While their families were of about the same status, the man’s family had more experience in a variety of fields, and there were more than a few cunning schemers among them. To this day, they were giving Brigitte’s inexperienced older brother as much trouble as they could. Although she had saved her family from being taken over by canceling the marriage, her choice had also ended up putting her brother through enormous hardships, which made her incredibly depressed. 

Brigitte had requested to be my guard knight before anyone else, wanting to gather as much influence as she could to help her older brother, even if she had to go to the temple and the lower city in the process. Her unyielding determination gave her the strength to go somewhere that all nobles hated, all to protect her family and the lives of her province’s citizens. 

Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to the story, which caused Sylvester to look at me with shock. “Why’re you crying?! What about that was worth crying over?! This kinda thing happens on a daily basis, doesn’t it?!” 

“I-I mean...” I’m just weak to stories about strong family bonds. Especially right now... 

The father was also recognized as the central pillar of the family in the lower city, so most fell upon hard times when he died—especially when his successor hadn’t been fully raised yet. Benno had only just come of age when his father died and had mentioned that not only had most of his employees quit, but he had been regularly tormented by the guildmaster. If a commoner merchant had that hard of a time, then I could only imagine what a giebe who had to lead an entire province would go through. 

“I had no idea that Brigitte was in such a bad situation... Father, Sylvester—what can I do to help her?” I asked Karstedt and Sylvester, respectively. 

“Her situation might improve a little if you can introduce her to some good houses, but given her personality, that’s not gonna be easy,” Sylvester said. “She’s pretty self-conscious about how people see her, but at the same time, she doesn’t really fit in with everyone else. Just look at what she’s wearing. That should tell you everything you need to know.” 

I took a closer look at Brigitte. It was pretty easy to guess that she was wearing something trendy as her clothes looked similar to what tons of other women were wearing, but the style didn’t suit her very much at all. 

“It seems like she’s chasing after trends to avoid looking out of place,” I observed, “but the clothes don’t look good on her, so she ends up looking half as pretty as a result.” In all honesty, Brigitte looked way cooler and more attractive in her usual knight gear. 

“Yeah. She’s tall and muscular, so girly outfits don’t compliment her at all.” 

“Now, that’s not true. Plenty of girly outfits would look just fine on Brigitte, assuming they were the right style and color. Though everything that comes to mind would go against current trends...” 

“Alright. In that case, how about you make the trends? Women don’t have long to get married; it’s said that a girl who’s still single when she’s twenty will be single for the rest of her life.” 

...Um, that’s asking a bit much. I can’t just up and make trends in a snap. 

I puffed out my cheeks in a pout and tried to think of more clothes that would look good on Brigitte, all the while continuing to scan the crowd. I had a feeling that Damuel would be having just as hard of a time as she was. 

Lamprecht wasn’t too hard to spot, considering that he was tall enough that his head poked above the crowd of women surrounding him. It seemed he was so popular that he would have his pick out of just about anyone he wanted. There was no need for me to worry about him. 

“I see that my dear brother Lamprecht is surrounded by women. Do you think he’ll be married by next year?” 

“I imagine he’ll be single for a while longer yet,” Karstedt explained while staying on guard. “He fell in love with a girl from another duchy back in the Royal Academy, and she’s not of age yet. There’s a chance that her family won’t actually let her marry him when she does come of age, so it might not happen at all.” 

...Wait, is this a long-distance relationship? And what was that about an opposed family? Is this Romeo and Juliet? I needed more details; there was no romance in my own life, so I lived vicariously through the love lives of others. 

“Is it just me, or is Eckhart not here?” I asked. 

“I’ve been wanting him to move on and look for a new wife, but it seems like it’s going to take him more time to heal,” Karstedt replied. 

“Um, what?! Nobody told me about this.” 

Eckhart had apparently married once before, but his wife had passed away. I was getting a little concerned about how little I actually knew about my new family. 

“It’s still a sensitive issue for him, so it doesn’t come up much. Rozemyne, please take care not to talk about Eckhart’s marriage or his late wife.” 

“Of course.” 

I continued looking for Damuel as I mulled over all of the shocking revelations that were being dropped, but the crowd was so thick that I couldn’t see him. I had no idea where he could be. But just as I got increasingly serious in my search, seventh bell rang out. 

Sylvester smoothly stood up and took a step forward, flourishing his cape behind him. “Now begins the Starbind Ceremony. All newlyweds, step forward!” 

Eight couples entered the assembly hall. Their outfits had much fancier designs and used more gorgeous cloth than the outfits I had seen in the lower city this morning, but their colors still matched the season the wearer was born in. The couples started to walk forward, keeping a set amount of space between each pair. Cheers, claps, and pleasant words of celebration filled the room, contributing to the joyous atmosphere. 

Once the couples were lined up in front of the altar, Sylvester began to recite a biblical tale in a resounding voice. It was fairly abridged compared to what was written in the bible, but he definitely had it memorized. The old High Bishop really had been a complete and utter failure. 

Once he was done retelling the story of the God of Darkness and the Goddess of Light, Sylvester began calling out the names of those getting married. 

“Bernadet, son of Baron Glaz, step forward with Lagrete, daughter of Baron Blon.” 

The named couple climbed the steps of the altar. Sylvester confirmed that they wished to get married, then handed them the pen-like magic tool that he had used when signing my adoption papers. Once they had both signed the contract spread in front of them, it disappeared in a small burst of golden flame. Once all eight contracts had vanished, loud cheers echoed through the hall. 

“The High Bishop shall now bless the newly joined couples.” 

It was finally time for me to do my job. I stood up and walked forward to stand beside Sylvester. 

“Go a little nuts,” he whispered, though I could hardly hear him since he was so much taller than me. It seemed that he also intended to push the legend of Rozemyne the Saint. 

I poured a bit more mana into my ring than I had back in the temple and took a deep breath, before raising my hands and beginning to pray. 

“O mighty King and Queen of the endless skies, O God of Darkness and Goddess of Light, hear my prayers. May you grant your blessings to the birth of new unions. May they who offer their prayers and gratitude to thee be blessed with thy divine protection.” 

Black and gold light swirled in my ring before shooting up to the ceiling, just as it had in the temple. The two beams of light twisted around each other before eventually bursting into tiny specks of light, which scattered and rained down onto the newlyweds. 

“Oooh...” 

Awed voices filled the assembly hall, followed by a brief moment of silence before the hall erupted in cheers once more. Judging by the mix of surprise and joy on the newlyweds’ faces, it was safe to say that my prayer had been a success. 

“The High Bishop shall now depart. May she be blessed for granting such a large blessing despite her youth!” Sylvester declared. All those present took out their shining wands and held them up, making them shine even brighter with mana. They looked exactly like concert glow sticks, and while it was a pretty sight, I felt deathly embarrassed knowing that they were all for me. Walking calmly in the midst of all that was too great of a task for me; I sped across the carpet as quickly as I could manage, wanting to flee from the source of my shame as soon as possible. 

The large doors to the assembly hall closed once I had passed through them—what followed would be a feast that only adults were allowed to attend. The knowledge that my job was now done coupled with the fact that I would normally be asleep by now made my body feel suddenly heavy out of nowhere. 

“Are you alright, Rozemyne?” 

“Cornelius, I think I have reached my limit.” 

Cornelius hurriedly picked me up, knowing full well that I could pass out at any moment. But despite being a lot bigger than me, he still didn’t have the arm strength to carry me very far. “Sorry, Angelica, but could you hurry and call Rihyarda for me?” 

Angelica gave a firm nod, and was gone in the blink of an eye. A second later, she came running back. “Rihyarda will be here at once.” 

“Thanks. I owe you one, Angelica.” 

“My my my!” Rihyarda exclaimed as she rushed over a brief moment later. She hefted me up and began carrying me back to my room. “Now, if you aren’t just the easiest person to carry. Light and docile. How about that!” 

Rihyarda was apparently more than a little strong thanks to always having to catch Sylvester and lug him back to his teachers when he was a kid, or drag him out of bed and into his office whenever he tried to avoid work. She told me various stories as we made our way back, then set me down when we eventually reached my room. I could feel myself teetering the moment my feet touched the ground. 

“Milady, you have to bathe before bed.” 

I just wanted to jump into bed and go to sleep, but Rihyarda refused to let me sleep while the gel was still in my hair. She and Ottilie stripped off my clothes before putting me in the bath, and I rested my head against the tub as they washed my hair with rinsham. The hot water was making me more and more sleepy. 

“Careful now, milady.” 

“Mm...” 

By the time I was out of the water and having some kind of scented oil put on me, I was already falling asleep. 

“Wake up, milady. You have to wake up, Lady Rozemyne.” 

“Okaaay...” 

I continued to sway sleepily as they washed away the scented oil, rubbed me dry, dressed me in my sleeping clothes, and then supported me from either side as they guided me into bed. The next morning, I ended up bedridden with a fever. 

“Ngggh... Ferdinand... My head hurts...” 

“Bedridden as expected, I see.” 

Ferdinand had come to see me right after breakfast. Although the plan had been for us to return to the temple that morning, he had predicted that the tight schedule would be enough to make me collapse. He was completely right. 

“Why are you so calm about this, Ferdinand?!” Rihyarda demanded. She only had experience raising abnormally healthy kids like Karstedt and Sylvester, so seeing me collapse with a fever out of nowhere and for no real reason was throwing her off big time. Her voice had come out sharp as a result, whether she intended it to or not. 

Completely ignoring Rihyarda’s scalding remarks, Ferdinand held out one of the potions that had been hanging from his waist. “She performed two religious rituals, each of which required a significant amount of mana, on top of spending an entire day moving around. It was more than obvious that she would end up bedridden. She needs only to drink this and get some rest.” 

“What do you mean she only needs to get some rest?! If you knew that she was going to get sick, why didn’t you stop it from happening?! This is the kind of situation where you should be putting that big brain of yours to use!” Rihyarda barked quite unreasonably. Maybe being raised by her was the reason why Sylvester had such unreasonable expectations of other people. 

“Rihyarda, it is an unfortunate fact that Rozemyne’s poor health cannot be planned around. It is inevitable that she will fall ill, no matter what you do. If there was something that could be done about it, then I would have done it already.” He was wearing a troubled expression and had his hand placed on his forehead, but Ferdinand gave an explanation to Rihyarda rather than simply silencing her like he would anyone else. He really couldn’t win against her. 

I reached out from my bed and gently tugged on Rihyarda’s skirt. “Rihyarda, please don’t get mad at Ferdinand. He made sure to brew a potion that would help get me better. He is a bit of a meanie, though, and refuses to improve the nasty flavor...” 

“My my my... In that case, drink up and get some rest, milady.” 

With a small grin, Rihyarda took the potion from Ferdinand. The green liquid inside swished about as she handed it over to me, and the condensed smell of a potion pierced my nose the moment I opened the small bottle. The bitter taste that I had been forced to consume so many times before immediately arose in my mind like some kind of nightmarish phantom. It terrified me, but I steeled my resolve and gulped the potion down in one go. The quicker the pain was over, the better. 

“...Wha? It... doesn’t taste that bad.” It was bitter, to be sure, but not so much that I wanted to roll around on my bed, flailing my limbs in misery as I had before. 

Hearing my whisper, Ferdinand shot me a glance. “I improved the recipe, though it seems that was out of character for a meanie such as myself.” 

“U-Um... G-Gosh, Ferdinand, how do you do it? Intelligent and kind. My goodness... What a shining example of a good person. Ohoho...” 

Ngh... That glare stings... I hurriedly dived under my covers to avoid Ferdinand’s sharp, piercing glare.