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Chapter 8
Only after seeing that expression did Vianna finally run outside as if fleeing, leaving Prim lying on the floor behind her.
Prim remained frozen for a moment. Then she sighed and used the strength in her arms to barely pull herself back onto the chair. The empty candy box was lying on the floor, but she had no strength left to pick it up. Her arms trembled from the effort.
The children came back with armfuls of wild raspberries. Those who ate the still-unripe, sour ones scrunched up their faces in disgust and waved their arms about, while those who found the sweet ones beamed happily.
“Prim? Did you drop this?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I dropped it by accident.”
Rozien had brought the raspberries in a wooden bowl. He picked up the violet candy box from the floor and then looked around.
“What happened to your hand?”
The place where Prim had been pricked by the splinter had turned red.
“Oh, I’m not sure. I guess I scratched it somehow.”
Rozien’s expression briefly went blank before returning to normal. He smiled brightly.
“Here are the raspberries. We picked a whole bunch, so we’ll be able to eat them until tomorrow.”
The freshly picked raspberries sparkled translucently, each little berry looking like a cluster of red rubies.
Prim thought, It would be nice if we could make jam and preserve them.
But sugar was a precious commodity in such a poor place, so they probably did not have enough to make something like jam right now.
They sat side by side on the edge of the bed, popping sweet-and-sour raspberries into their mouths. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, Rozien said,
“Vianna was the only one who didn’t come pick raspberries.”
“……Oh, really?”
“Where did Vianna go?”
Feeling strangely embarrassed, Prim stuffed another raspberry into her mouth and mumbled something like, “I don’t know.”
Rozien swung his legs back and forth as he simply enjoyed the raspberries with Prim. He did not press her any further.
“It’s always so terribly remote whenever I come here. Priestess, if you don’t have the ability to manage it, wouldn’t it be better not to run an orphanage? I’m only saying this for your sake. The children suffer, you suffer too. Goodness.”
After greeting the orphans, they returned to the office. The moment the door closed, the Baroness spoke in a pitying tone.
“I intend to do my very best with what little strength I have.”
“And I only found out that my Varin’s temple was still here after coming all the way to this place. I was practically saying, ‘Who was Varin again~?’”
The Baroness covered her mouth with her fan and made an expression overflowing with sympathy.
Priestess Marceria could only force a smile.
If not for the money she earned by selling recommendations for the perfumer qualification examination, along with the donations the Baron and Baroness had willingly given, it would have been difficult to survive the winter.
Varin, please forgive me for remaining silent…….
As Priestess Marceria silently recited the words in her heart, the Baron, who had been quietly watching the children gathered outside the window, finally spoke.
“So, there’s something I wanted to discuss. We would like to adopt a child now, Priestess.”
Priestess Marceria’s face brightened.
It had already been several years since they first began visiting.
“Oh, Varin! Is that really true? Even Varin will praise your mercy. Then, Viann—”
The Baron interrupted her with a sly smile.
“We would like Prim.”
“What?”
Priestess Marceria asked in confusion.
The Baron tilted his head as though he found the priestess’s surprise even more puzzling.
“Why are you so surprised, Priestess?”
“No, it’s just…… I was wondering what would happen to Vianna. I thought the two of you were especially fond of her.”
Priestess Marceria knew very well how much Vianna had looked forward to the Baron and Baroness’s visits.
Hadn’t the two of them even subtly hinted that they wanted to make Vianna their daughter?
Of course, ever since Prim had come to the orphanage, the couple had focused their attention solely on Prim, but still……
“That child isn’t bad either. But how should I put it? She’s far too calculating. Goodness, every time I see her, it’s so obvious that she’s trying to make herself look good. It gives me the creeps.”
For a moment, Priestess Marceria’s heart was deeply wounded.
Why do you think she tried so hard to make herself look good? It’s because……
“Priestess, just because we go around doing good deeds doesn’t mean we’re fools. We can see right through what these children are trying to do.”
The Baron spoke as though teaching her something.
The Baroness raised one eyebrow and asked in a somewhat incredulous tone,
“Surely, Priestess, you don’t only care about Vianna and think, ‘Prim just got here, so whatever. She can be adopted later,’ do you?”
“What? Oh, no, no! Of course not. What are you talking about?”
“Are you getting angry with us?”
“That’s not what I meant……”
Priestess Marceria swallowed nervously and hurriedly continued explaining.
“Of course I care about that child too. And I’m very…… very happy that such a wonderful opportunity has come to Prim. But Prim and Rozien are practically like brother and sister……”
“My goodness, Priestess! Don’t even say something so outrageous. I only tolerate that unpleasant redhead because I respect you. Isn’t he a half-breed of a magical beast? No matter how neat and handsome he looks, it only makes him more unsettling. Isn’t that appearance meant to lure humans in?”
“That is a misunderstanding held by the public. Having red hair has absolutely nothing to do with magical beasts……”
“Enough. All we want is Prim.”
Watching the couple speak as though they were asking her to hand over a child, Priestess Marceria struggled to keep her smile in place.
Even after the Baron and Baroness left, the orphanage remained somewhat unsettled until the following day.
Priestess Marceria spent the entire next day pacing back and forth. Only after the sun had begun to set did she finally sit Prim down and bring up the subject.
“The two of them…… said that they would like to adopt you.”
Prim remembered the Baron and Baroness watching only her until the very end before leaving.
She also remembered Vianna secretly watching them and finally bursting into tears.
So it has come.
“Priestess.”
“Yes, Prim. Tell me what you think.”
If Prim said she did not want to go, Marceria would not send her away.
She would even refuse the sponsorship money offered by people who adopted orphans.
Just as she had done in her previous life.
“I actually have a dream now.”
“A dream? What kind of dream?”
It was an odd thing to bring up while they were discussing adoption, but Priestess Marceria listened attentively.
Prim spoke carefully, one word at a time.
“I want to become a perfumer. I want to become a perfumer and offer fragrances to Varin.”
“My goodness! Varin would be so happy too! That’s right, Prim. You have talent. You’ve always been able to identify every fragrance, haven’t you?”
“That’s why, Priestess, I want to take the upcoming perfumer qualification examination.”
Marceria had been excited about the future aspirations of the orphan she was raising. But after hearing Prim’s plan, which she calmly laid out, the priestess became embarrassed. She slowly lowered her arms and covered her cheek.
“Ah, that perfumer examination…….”
There was no age restriction, but wasn’t Prim far too young to take such an examination?
Even if she took the examination next year, Prim would only be eleven years old.
But before that concern could fully take shape, Prim spoke first.
“I heard that Baron Corvas has an incredible perfumery at his villa. They said they would let me use it whenever I wanted. So, how about I practice there and then take the perfumer examination next year?”
Even as she spoke, Prim felt a little nervous.
She knew herself that what she was saying was somewhat absurd.
The only thing resembling talent Prim had shown while living here was her ability to pick out spoiled ingredients.
Other than her current enthusiasm, she had not proven anything.
But Priestess Marceria simply smiled.
“Yes, that should work! Then I’ll come and take you when it’s time for the examination.”
The perfumer qualification examination was administered by Luminoxia Isla, and applicants had to bring a recommendation letter from their respective parish along with a recommending priest.
Even a poor and insignificant parish had the authority to issue a recommendation letter because it was still a place where a temple of a god existed.
That was why Marceria had secretly sold those recommendation letters until now.
Once a year, after selling a recommendation letter, she did not have to worry about putting bread into the orphans’ mouths for quite some time.
Even though her expected source of income was suddenly going to disappear, Priestess Marceria was still smiling.
“I’m very happy to think that such a wonderful perfumer will come from our parish.”
Prim gave a faint smile.
Prim had brought up her dream of becoming a perfumer for more than simply the sake of honestly telling Priestess Marceria what she wanted.
Now, Marceria would tell the Corvas couple.
She would tell them that Prim was planning to take the perfumer examination and that she would soon be coming to take Prim away so she could prepare for it.
If that happened, then at least until the perfumer examination, Baron and Baroness Corvas would not do anything foolish.
