Ascendance of a Bookworm

Proofread by Ruriko

After becoming Miss Maine"s attendant, I am busy in the orphanage. So I can only hear some news from children from their talks during dinner time. When Fran and Gil come to clean the orphanage, I know they work for Miss Maine as her attendants. They are well-known so that I have heard their names before and can recognize them. But the name of Delia is new to me.

“Delia was a priestess apprentice of the Temple Chief before. She is an aggressive girl, with red hair.”

When I was returned to the orphanage at 8 years old, I lived in the bas.e.m.e.nt. However, I cannot recall any apprentice with such a striking feature of red hair.

“I have seen lots of apprentices since I was 8-year-old, but I"m not able to remember anyone with red hair.”

“Delia was taken away by the Temple Chief after she was baptized. So she did not live in the first floor of the orphanage, but went to the n.o.ble area. I don"t know her, either. When I asked her, she told me that proudly. She says without shyness that one day she will become a mistress. What if Miss Christine hear this?”

Miss Christine don"t like the gray-robed priestesses who perform flower offering. Because flower offering is a job only done by females who have nothing special. So I don"t want to be taken in by a blue-robed priest.

However, the gray-robed priestesses in the orphanage do not seem to dislike flower offering so much. They say that all they want is a better life to have enough food, no matter what they are asked to do; a mistress or flower offering doesn"t matter. Because their present life is only full of rough work, with little blessing from the G.o.d.

“Delia did not have the gray-robed priestess to take care of her. She was only a child, who should have lived in the bas.e.m.e.nt, but was chosen from the orphanage to live a comfortable life. Don"t you think it unbelievable? Rosina, if it was you that was closed in the bas.e.m.e.nt, what would you think?”

“No, Wilma. It would make me sick.”

Rosina is always the first to escape whenever she is asked to clean the females" dormitory, let alone helping children living in the bas.e.m.e.nt to bathe. She is affected by Miss Christine so deeply, and only wants to see beautiful things.

Occasionally, I cannot stop myself sighing at her difference from Miss Maine, who saw children"s condition and asked Gil to help them as possible as he could.

“Delia has no courtesy, knows nothing about the art, and feels Fespiel noisy. ‘What! What!" she always shouts. Though Delia herself is noisy, Miss Maine just smiles embarra.s.sedly but does not scold her…”

I think Rosina and Delia are the same type. Because both of them prefer to live in the n.o.ble area, rather than do rough work in the temple. However, usually, the job of apprentices" attendants is to do the rough work for their masters. So, differing from Rosina, my impression on Delia is not so bad.

“Besides, Delia speaks ill of me in front of Miss Maine.”

Rosina tells me what Delia complained in the meeting. Most of what she says is repeated again and again. This further makes me sense her restlessness and anger at Delia.

“What do other people say about Delia? Do they say that Delia is right? Is there anyone who says that he or she is on your side?”

“Gil is Delia"s friend. He always complains rudely. He says I don"t work but eat only, and asks me not to play musical instrument at night…”

When I worked for Miss Christine, Rosina often played Fespiel late at night, but n.o.body complained. Delia and Gil are apprentices, so they must sleep as early as the children in the orphanage.

“I think playing instruments at night is noisy for children of that age. If you play the instrument in children"s room of the orphanage, I will feel trouble, too.”

“Wilma?!”

“Though at Miss Christine"s house you don"t have to get up early, it"s different at Miss Maine"s house, right? They have to get up as early as the children in the orphanage do.”

Rosina slightly lowers her eyes. Maybe someone else have said the same words.

“Besides, I only remember Gil is a naughty boy who is always beyond control. But my impression on him changes a lot.”

I can"t recall any gray-robed priest, who does all the rough work for the temple, has ever been put into the introspection room. When people in the orphanage heard that Gil became a priestess"s attendant, they quite doubted about that.

“You will feel more surprised if you see Gil kneels down in front of Miss Maine and is commended by her.”

I have seen the obsessed expression of Gil who hasn"t seen Miss Maine for a long time. I think Gil works hard for Miss Maine and keeps a good relationship with her, because he can often be rewarded with cards or something.

“Has Fran said anything? He used to be the attendant of the Head Priest, and is different from the children. Has he judged the matter fairly?”

As everyone in the orphanage knows, Fran used to be the Head Priest"s attendant, and now helps, instructs and guides the commoner Miss Maine. He is also Miss Maine"s only adult gray-robed priest. Obviously, Miss Maine trusts him and relies on him.

“Fran is a gray-robed priest, but he does not work even if he is directed to do. He does not do the rough work either. And he also gives me orders.”

“… It"s natural that Fran orders you, right?”

“Why?”

Rosina tilts her head to one side with a blank look, as if she really does not know the reason. Now I can understand why Rosina arouses hostility of Miss Maine"s attendants, and why Miss Maine comes to talk with me about this.

“Because Fran is Miss Maine"s first attendant, while Rosina is a new apprentice.”

“But I am a Fespiel teacher…”

“Rosina, Miss Maine is different from Miss Christine. Although you are doing the same thing, I don"t think you have been accepted.”

“… Miss Maine also said so.”

“I can"t become a lady like Miss Christine,” Miss Maine said so to Rosina indeed.

“What else has she told you?”

“Things like, ‘Don"t play a musical instrument late at night, for it causes trouble to everyone. You should stop playing by the time when the seventh bell rings. I know you have to protect your hands for playing musical instruments. If you don"t do the rough work, I hope you can do some routine work".”

“Routine work?”

Rosina nods when I ask her.

“There are not enough attendants at Miss Maine"s house. So Fran is in charge of all the routine work, Gil is in charge of the workshop and the male"s dormitory, and Delia is in charge of all the housework.”

“… It"s not enough indeed.”

They are supposed to be the attendants who take care of Miss Maine"s life. But now Miss Maine becomes the orphanage director, and the workshop head. They have too much work which covers many branches, but people who can help them are too few.

“Wilma is in charge of female"s dormitory and painting, right? I"m ordered to be responsible for music and other work. But I don"t have enough time even on music.”

It"s embarra.s.sing for an attendant who cannot do the attendants" work. Rosina is almost an adult. Miss Maine says that she wants her to do part of Fran"s work. It should be understood that they are short of hands. Besides, different masters require different capacities.

“What is routine work?”

“She asks me to write doc.u.ments, and to balance the books of the house, workshop and orphanage. She wants me to share Fran"s burden.”

“That"s good. Gil and Delia have just become attendants, so reading and writing must be difficult for them. They must think you are almost an adult, and well educated…”

Huh, I sigh.

Rosina will have a chance to learn reading, writing and calculation after she becomes an attendant of Miss Maine. When Rosina served Miss Christine, she practiced calligraphy and wrote poetry, but she had no experience of writing doc.u.ments. Besides, she is so weak in calculation that she almost knows nothing about that. She is really an attendant specializing in art only.

The weakness, which has never been noticed so far, now is showing up.