As I rejoiced, the High Priest narrowed his eyes as if glaring at me. “Myne, this is no time to be rejoicing. The High Bishop will no doubt seek to exploit the baby if he learns of his Devouring. You defy him at every opportunity, whereas the baby has no will of its own. It is clear which of you he will attempt to make his own. If you wish to protect him, keep his secret safe until the very end.”
The High Bishop would want to use Dirk’s mana for his own means, and if the High Bishop demanded custody of Dirk, I had no means of refusing him.
“You would do well to always remember that your position in the temple and your future will be greatly determined by whether or not you can protect that baby.”
“Understood.”
After telling me that Dirk’s mana would be contained for a bit thanks to the mana-measuring tool draining him of mana, the High Priest took the circlet and left. Delia came running up the stairs a second later.
“Sister Myne, what did the High Priest say?! What is Dirk sick with?”
“He’s fine,” I said with a slow shake of my head. “The High Priest said to continue raising him as we have been.”
“I see... That’s such a relief.” Delia’s tense shoulders loosened as she hugged Dirk, rubbing her cheeks against his. The sight was a firm reminder that I couldn’t let any other noble adopt Dirk, nor sign a submission contract with him.
“Sister Myne, I have come for Dirk,” came another voice.
“Thank you, Wilma.”
Fran and Rosina went on break in the afternoon, and since they couldn’t rest easy with Dirk around, we would move him to the orphanage. Delia watched on sorrowfully as Wilma picked Dirk up and left for the orphanage with him.
“You can accompany him to the orphanage if you would like, Delia.”
“But Fran and Rosina are on break, and Gil is at the workshop. Sister Myne, you would have no attendants on hand if I went now.” Delia shot me a sharp look over the very idea.
“I do not mind coming with you.”
“Sister Myne, I think I mentioned that I didn’t want to go to the orphanage,” she responded coldly.
“I suppose you did,” I replied casually while heading to my desk. It wouldn’t be ideal for me to wander around outside my room while both Fran and Rosina were taking a break, so I decided to just focus on making a second black-and-white picture book for Dirk. Unlike Kamil, who had just been born, Dirk was already on the verge of rolling over in bed. He was surely almost old enough to see black-and-white picture books properly.
“Sister Myne, what do you think Dirk is doing right now?”
“Napping, I imagine.”
I drew pictures composed of circles and triangles on white paper using ink. All I had to do next was use the hide glue we had dried over the winter to stick the paper onto boards. I would have Fran prepare the hide glue for me when he woke up. Dad could then open holes in the boards, and after tying them together with thick string the book would be done.
“Sister Myne, do you think Dirk is crying, or maybe feeling lonely?”
“I imagine he isn’t feeling lonely with all of the children around. Though it may be too noisy for him to sleep.”
“But Dirk needs his sleep!”
“Raising your voice at me won’t change anything. I cannot even say for sure whether it is noisy over there,” I replied disinterestedly while writing down a to-do list on my diptych.
First, I needed to buy multiple different kinds of wax from a wax workshop. Stencils used for mimeograph printing were usually made with resin mixed into the wax to help them retain their form, but my plan was to try rolling using only wax this time. If it worked, it worked, but who knew what problems might arise?
“Sister Myne, aren’t you worried about Dirk?”
“Not really, since Wilma is keeping a close eye on him.”
Next, I wanted to talk to someone from an ink workshop about making colored ink. Nothing in the orphanage seemed like it would be a good material for making pigments, so maybe a workshop could help us with that.
“You can’t be sure of that. Geez! Sister Myne, are you even listening to me?” Delia exploded with anger after I kept giving half-hearted replies.
I looked up from my diptych to give her an exaggerated sigh. “If you’re that worried about him, go and check for yourself. Wilma would love to have you there.”
“...I don’t want to go to the orphanage.” Delia bit her lip in frustration. The conflict she was having between wanting to go and not wanting to go was clear on her face.
“Very well. Would you like me to go and check on him, then?”
“N-No fair!” Delia grabbed my sleeve.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I had only said that because I knew it wouldn’t be “ladylike” for me to leave my room without attendants, and she had jumped on the bait like a tiger.
“In that case, Delia, why not come with me?”
Delia’s light-blue eyes wavered and she swung her crimson red hair as she fought an internal battle. When she looked up, she glared at me with watery eyes and bit her lip once more.
“...I won’t go.”
I shrugged and turned back to face my desk, having no reason to argue with her decision. She didn’t say anything after that. All she did was wander around aimlessly. But somehow, I felt that Dirk was so cute that it was only a matter of time before Delia would be running to the orphanage.
The Ink Guild and Succession
“Myne, Master Benno told me to ask when the next day you’re free is,” said Lutz.
It was about ten days after Kamil’s birth that the Gilberta Company called for a meeting with me. I guessed that Benno had found a wax workshop to take me to—or rather, that was the only reason I could think
