Ascendance of a Bookworm

Proofread by Ruriko

“Though increasing the attendants is a better way to ease the burden, they want me to learn what I can"t. … It"s not bad to learn to do the things which I have not mastered yet, but Miss Maine said abruptly that she doesn"t need an attendant who does not work.

“Yes, that"s right. Different from Miss Christine, Miss Maine is a commoner. She is not a n.o.ble. So she does not have enough financial power to afford a team with more than 10 attendants.

All she considers is earning money by themselves in order to buy enough food for children who have not been baptized in the orphanage. I don"t think she has enough money to keep enough attendants as she needs.

“Miss Maine is a blue-robed priestess, right? It"s impossible to …”

“The blue-robed priest in the temple has 5 attendants, right? Miss Christine is special.”

Usually, they have 3~5 attendants. Besides, they will hire cooks and a.s.sistants.

But they cannot be compared with Miss Christine, who had 2 waitresses sent from her home, 6 gray-robed priestesses for arts, 4 gray-robed priests for rough work and routine work, and several others including cooks, a.s.sistants and tutors.

“Rosina, maybe you are unsuited to Miss Maine as an attendant. It"s not good for you to live together while complaining with each other.”

“Do you also advise me to go back to the orphanage?”

“So far, the criteria you have considered are different. I think Miss Maine has one choice only.”

Yes, finally, I feel relieved. Miss Maine also told her to return to the orphanage.

“… Miss Maine asks me to think about it till tomorrow. She told me to make a choice: go back to the orphanage, or accept the environment different from Miss Christine"s.”

“Well. It depends on you, finally.”

Miss Maine agrees to my suggestion and gives Rosina some time for consideration. I have nothing to say since she has compromised so far. All that Rosina has to do is making a choice.

“Wilma … Don"t you think there is anything wrong to ask a priestess do priests" work?”

Seeing that I start painting, Rosina asks me anxiously. She looks bewildered, because even I, who served Miss Christine with her before, do not support her.

“No, I think that"s natural at any house other than Miss Christine"s.”

“… Then it must be my fault.”

Rosina murmurs, complaining. Miss Christine means everything for her. Rosina knew nothing about life of the orphanage when she left. Since she came back, she has been yearning for the lifestyle which she had lived with Miss Christine before. So, it"s hard to deny all that she had been taught.

But since that kind of life has been gone, she has to understand that things taught by Miss Christine can hardly be used at anywhere else.

“Rosina, it"s not your fault. What Miss Christine required is practical only at Miss Christine"s house. On the contrary, what Miss Maine requires is practical only at Miss Maine"s house.

“Practical …?”

“Yes, Rosina. Think about is. If you were taken away by other blue-robed priests as an attendant, maybe you wouldn"t even have a musical instrument. Even flower offering would become your work. Can you express your dissatisfaction?”

It wouldn"t be accepted if a gray-robed priestess argues with excuses like “I won"t go because there is no musical instrument”, or “Flower offering is done by the priestesses who are not well educated”.

“Miss Maine doesn"t forbid music, right? She just says that you cannot spend all day on music. She wants you to work with other attendants. She takes your advice for fear of hurting your fingers and suggests you remember the routine work. You said you would serve Miss Maine with your whole heart. Is it lip service?”

It"s easy to fire an attendant who refuses to follow the master"s advice. But I can feel that Miss Maine has compromised as possible as she can.

“You have made your master give in. If you are still disaffected, it means you can only be Miss Christine"s attendant. So, before you cause too much trouble to others, it will be better for you to go back to the orphanage.”

Rosina weeps in a daze, as if giving up all hope. Her long eyelashes lower slightly.

“… I can"t go back to those years even though I become an attendant of a priestess apprentice.”

“Right, because Miss Christine has been gone. Anybody else cannot become Miss Christine.”

While I have completed painting on several pieces of paper, Rosina is still sitting on my bed, drooping her head and weeping quietly. I leave her alone when she keeps weeping as if she is driving away various kinds of feelings, till her tears dry naturally.

“… Wilma.”

When Rosina raises her head, I can sense the determination from her eyes.

The determination of letting go of the past, to which she has clung so far, and looking firmly ahead makes her so beautiful that I feel regret not to have painting tools at hand.

“I cannot leave music. So I will return to Miss Maine. Besides, I will remember those routine work.”

“If you work hard, you will be accepted by Miss Maine, just like the first time when you were praised at the orphanage… Maybe all that I can do is just listening though, may you be successful.”

A few days later, Miss Maine comes to the orphanage, smiling delightfully. Although Miss Maine is a priestess apprentice, she has a build no stronger than the children who have not received baptism here.

“You gave her advice, right? Rosina works very hard to memorize the calculation, though she is not good at it. Thank you, Wilma.”

Miss Maine smiles ingenuously, with her golden eyes squinting. She looks so cute that I want to lift her with my hands. But she is my master.

Since Miss Maine is a commoner, she is approachable. I don"t mean to say that Miss Maine is not graceful. Comparing with Miss Christine, a trueborn n.o.ble, Miss Maine is not dignified enough.

“The Head Priest asks Miss Maine to take Rosina as attendant, because he wants Miss Maine to acquire artistic cultivation. Since there is no blue-robed priestess in the temple as the role model, the best model is Rosina who followed Miss Christine as a close friend and got educated. As Rosina tries her best to overcome her weakness, I think Miss Maine will work hard to acquire artistic cultivation, right?”

Emm… Miss Maine is at a loss for words, and her embarra.s.sed eyes are wandering. However, intrinsically, people of the top rank should not look bewildered.

“Miss Maine, when the attendants were gathered for the meeting, did Rosina avoid eye contact? Did she sob for lack of company?”

“… Or did she face up, and stick to her own opinion?”

Miss Maine tilts her head to one side, as if wanting to say that she cannot understand. Children"s behavior looks lovely, but a master should not act like this.

“That"s the right way that the n.o.bles deal with a problem. … Rosina came to my room and cried. She had well controlled her feeling till then.”

“… Do I have to behave like Rosina?”

Miss Maine looks up at my face, biting her lip. Her eyes are as resolved as Rosina"s.

“Since even the gray-robed priestesses of the orphanage can learn their mode of behavior, I don"t think it will be a problem for Miss Maine. Please learn the mode of behavior from Rosina.”

“… Alright.”