237 - Recollection Festival at the Royal Castle
I wondered if the Recollection Festival in the capital would be the same as in the city of Grenore. When I asked out of mild curiosity, I got different answers from the maids (nobles) and the maids (commoners). For the commoners living in the inner city, it was not much different from the city of Grenore. During the day there was a play in the square hosted by the Menhishumi Church, and at night the commander of the Silver-White Knights presided over a ritual. Listening to the explanation, it really was the same content as the Recollection Festival held in the city of Grenore.
When it came to the maids' version, it changed a little. In the noble district, no ritual was held. Instead, they gathered at the Itsurateru Church built within the royal castle to offer their reformation and repentance. It felt a bit surprising that the nobles' festival had less of a festive mood. It seemed there were regions where fasting for several days was customary, and nobles who sincerely offered their prayers apparently fasted even when staying in the capital.
...I wondered if I had no work this year, you know.
In the city of Grenore, I had the job of observing the Recollection Festival as the Spirit's Favored Child, but now I was in the capital. So I thought I would have no role this year, but whether in Grenore or the capital, the Spirit's Favored Child was still the Spirit's Favored Child. Participation in the Recollection Festival had somehow been woven into my schedule, and an elaborately prepared costume had been readied, so intricate I wanted to ask when they ever had time to prepare it.
After a light breakfast, I was guided to the bath this morning. After having scented oil carefully worked into my hair, my hair was intricately braided into an old-fashioned style to match the old-fashioned costume. I did not know who had prepared the costume, but I supposed the preparation period for the costume would naturally be longer in the second year as the Spirit's Favored Child. Last year, I had merely had flowers tucked into my intricately braided hair, but this year's hair ornament was truly luxurious, adorned with gems and delicate silver chains. There were three large artificial flowers attached, but when I looked in the mirror, all I could see of them was a side view, which was a little disappointing. I thought I would ask to see them properly once the hair ornament was removed after today ended.
...Last year it was dragonfly wings, but this year, was it the flower goddess Menhiriya?
The costume was the same as last year in the sense that it was a simple design without sleeves, but this year, thin fabric in slightly brighter hues was layered in multiple folds, like flower petals. Even a small step let air in from the hem, making the skirt part softly billow.
Wanting to show Leonardo the cute way the maids had decorated me and have him praise me, I headed to the living room. Waiting for me when I returned to the living room was Leonardo, dressed in a white formal uniform different from his usual attire. I had almost only ever seen him in black clothes, so it felt fresh.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, so cool!"
"Tina is cute too. Are you Menhiriya's daughter this year?"
Leonardo reached out to pat my head, but today my large hair ornament made it hard to stroke my hair. I sensed his arm hesitate for a moment, but perhaps he gave up on patting my head. Instead, he stroked my forehead.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, you are wearing white today. I did not know you owned a white formal uniform."
If I had known Leonardo owned a white formal uniform, I would have had my summer formal wear made in white too, I pouted slightly, making a sulky face. When it came to summer formal wear, white would surely be cooler than black, which absorbed light no matter how you thought about it. Why did you not tell me? I put my hands on my hips and made an angry face, and Leonardo looked a little troubled as he pointed at the buttons on his uniform.
"...Huh? Silver buttons?"
A white uniform with silver buttons was the hallmark of the Silver-White Knights. I turned around to check and saw Aaron's white uniform immediately come into view.
"Well, if I wanted to accompany Tina inside the royal castle, the Silver-White Knight uniform was more convenient than the Black Knight uniform."
Leonardo said that today they were going somewhere a little special within the royal castle, so formal wear was required. Leonardo was accompanying me as a guest, so he wore formal wear, while Aaron was assigned as a guard knight, so he wore his uniform. Since she was accompanying as a guard, Giselle was also wearing her White Knight uniform.
While I was enthusiastically praising Leonardo's unusual attire in wonder, Rebecca came to call us, saying Alfred had come to pick us up. Hurrying since we could not keep the prince (Alfred) waiting, today Alfred was also dressed in a white formal uniform.
...If he kept his mouth shut, he really was a prince on a white horse!
At the appearance of the beautiful young man in his splendid formal wear, I forgot it was Alfred and found myself captivated. As a private individual, Alfred was a bit tiring to deal with, but really, his face was exactly the same as Alf's and was gorgeous. He was a prince who was truly a delight for the eyes.
"I heard the ritual was to be held in a somewhat special place. Where are we going?"
As usual, I was escorted by Alfred into the carriage and carried along without knowing our destination. Leonardo accompanied us in the carriage as a guard, while Aaron and the others rode alongside on horseback. It seemed I was the only one who did not know where we were going. The two outside drove their horses without any hesitation.
"We are heading to a place beneath the king's residence castle, the 'Spirit's Seat.'"
"The Spirit's Seat?"
I wondered what that could be, and I tried to recall the history and religion lessons I had learned at the Menhishumi Church, but I did not recall ever hearing the term 'Spirit's Seat.' Nothing came to mind.
"It is the name of a temple built in an underground cavern. There is a legend that an ancient king encountered the spirits there."
With that added explanation, I could roughly guess what kind of place it was. Since today was the Recollection Festival and it was a place where spirits had been encountered, it was likely a place like the Itsurateru Church where repentance and reformation were offered. And since it was beneath the king's residence castle, it was probably for royalty or something similar.
"At that temple, am I simply to watch over the ritual?"
"Ah, that is fine. It is a ritual performed by Father, after all."
He added that since the king himself performed the ritual, anything other than watching was probably forbidden. Indeed, whether it was a ritual with important meaning or merely a formalized ceremony, since it bothered the king himself, even the Spirit's Favored Child should not meddle. More than likely, I would only get in the way.
"...About how long does the ritual take?"
"Around until midnight, perhaps?"
"That is long."
"Father performs that long ceremony alone every year."
He sternly warned me not to cause any disturbance, so I straightened my back. Even if it was the father of the overly familiar prince Alfred, the other party was still the king. It was only natural that I should not interfere with his work.
"...Huh? Does that mean the king and I will be alone together during the ritual?"
"That would be the case."
I tilted my head without voicing my concern about whether that was all right. I had no such intentions, so I did not think I would harm the king, but the fact that the king was alone meant he was not even bringing guards. The king shutting himself underground without guards to conduct a ritual seemed like an open invitation for assassination or murder.
"If I were an assassin or a bad person, the king would be in danger."
"Father apparently strode across battlefields alongside the famous Bertrand in his youth. Even if there were an assassin who was a child like you, it would pose no problem for Father."
"...That is true, I suppose."
I had meant to point out a security concern, but if he was comparable to Bertrand, then it was probably fine. If anything, I felt like I might be the one in danger.
Multiple Silver-White Knights were stationed along the stairs leading to the temple. Most of the knights seemed to recognize Leonardo's face, so we proceeded onward without being stopped. This should have been the first time they saw my face, but perhaps because I was escorted by Alfred, they did not even challenge me.
"...Leonyaldo Big Brother?"
I sensed Leonardo stopping behind me and halted my steps as well. When I turned around, Leonardo had stopped right in front of a door.
"This is as far as I can go with you. I will be waiting here until your work is done, so go fulfill your duties with peace of mind."
At Leonardo's urging to go ahead without concern, I looked at Aaron and Giselle. They too had stopped in front of the door, unable to enter beyond the same place as Leonardo.
"Alfred-sama?"
"Beyond here is a sanctuary. Normally, no one other than royalty is permitted to enter."
He continued with "especially those bearing swords," and I guessed there was also a security purpose for the king conducting the ritual alone. If armed individuals were stopped here, it was indeed somewhat safer.
...Well, if someone were a bad person trying to commit assassination or something, they could probably hide any number of weapons and bring them in anyway.
I was a little nervous, but since they said they would be waiting, I proceeded onward with Alfred's escort. The atmosphere around us changed at the door where Leonardo and the others had stopped. Until then, finished walls had continued, but beyond the door was a cave like a bare limestone cavern. Even though it was summer, it was a little chilly.
It seemed that normally no one other than royalty could enter, but today was truly special. Perhaps for the ritual preparations, in the hall at the back of the cave, several men I could tell were priests of the Itsurateru Church were arranging the altar and the flowers decorating it.
"Prince Alfred, is the young lady with you the Spirit's Favored Child from Grenore?"
"Yes. This girl is..."
One of the priests turned around, and the atmosphere somehow became one of introduction, so I reflexively hid behind Alfred. I knew they were not going to eat me, but I simply could not handle meeting people for the first time. Especially now, with Leonardo not by my side. It would be unreasonable to expect me not to be on guard when surrounded by strangers in an unfamiliar place.
"Christina, these are priests of the Itsurateru Church. There is no need to hide."
...I know that too, you know.
He told me to come out, not to hide behind his back. Even so, my body would not obey. Even I thought that hiding behind someone else's back at the age of eleven was embarrassing.
"It is quite all right, Prince Alfred. I hear the Spirit's Favored Children are often sensitive children. She must have been startled by being spoken to by an unfamiliar old man."
...Ah, he seemed like a somewhat nice person.
The priest did not seem particularly put off by my inexcusably rude behavior. On the contrary, he stepped back to keep his distance, as if to be considerate of me.
"...It is a pleasure to meet you, Priest-sama. Just like in the city of Grenore, am I simply to watch over the ritual?"
Since I had formed a somewhat favorable impression, I gathered a little courage. Slowly emerging from behind Alfred, I greeted him and confirmed what I needed to do.
"That is correct. Watching over the ritual as the eyes and ears of the spirits is your important duty."
He guided me to a spot with a good view of the altar, saying that a chair and table had been prepared for the Spirit's Favored Child this year for the duration of the ritual. Beside the table was a small cart with what seemed to be a day's worth of water.
"...I heard the ritual in the capital continued until around midnight."
"That is correct."
...Which meant that once the ritual started, I would be alone with the king, whom I had never met, until midnight.
I was a little scared thinking about what would happen if he spoke to me. After all, the other party was the current king, whom I had heard was an even greater storm than Alfred based on his reputation. I had no confidence I could get through it without exhaustion.
...Would I end up getting another fever from mental exhaustion tomorrow?
As the time for the ritual to begin approached, one by one, the priests who had been arranging the altar left the 'Spirit's Seat.' When I heard the sound of a bell from deeper within, all the priests had left the 'Spirit's Seat.' The bell rang at regular intervals, gradually drawing closer. I tilted my head wondering what the sound was, when a single priest appeared within the range of the torchlight.
...Ah, I see. He was checking if anyone was hiding deeper in.
Since this was originally a ritual conducted by the king alone, apart from me being here as an exception, he was checking to make sure no one else was lurking, and ringing the bell at each spot he confirmed. In the space beyond the bell, as far as the priest had checked, there was no one.
Watching the inspection for a while, the priest eventually passed by my side. The bell I had heard from ahead was now coming from behind me. Taking a tediously long time, the bell sound faded into the distance. When I thought the bell had fallen silent, I suddenly grew anxious at being left alone in the dim world.
...What a pretty sound.
The anxiety lasted only a brief moment. The slow sound of footsteps and the rustle of clothing. Then, perhaps someone was carrying a ringed staff, a clear metallic clinking sound began to echo around me.
...Was that person His Majesty, King Christoph?
Turning my gaze toward the footsteps, a middle-aged man was walking straight down the corridor. He wore an old-fashioned sleeveless robe, but he carried an air of authority. His facial features resembled Alfred's. But his hair seemed different in texture. Christoph's hair was long and gently wavy.
...He looked more like the king I had imagined than the king I had imagined.
Since I had not heard very good things about him, I was surprised that a seemingly decent man had appeared. Since he was Alfred's father, I thought he might immediately relax his expression and show a playful side, but Christoph walked straight into the 'Spirit's Seat' and, as if completely oblivious to my existence, began the ritual, ignoring me.
...He seemed like the type of royalty who could separate public and private. Was this the public side?
I quietly listened to Christoph's voice as he chanted the ritual prayer, occasionally ringing his staff. Since Christoph was seriously conducting the ritual, I should also seriously fulfill my role as the Spirit's Favored Child.
...Was this the content of the play?
When I consciously listened to the ritual prayer, I realized it was recounting the incident that was the origin of the Recollection Festival. However, the content left a slightly different impression from the play performed in the square. The play aimed to convey to future generations what had happened in this world in the past, but this ritual prayer was different. This prayer was closer to a call directed at the Divine King.
Come back. Show yourself. Do not abandon humanity.
That was the plea.
...Somehow... my image of the Divine King was changing quite a bit...
In the myths, I had thought the Divine King was more of a victim, but from this ritual prayer, I could tell that the Divine King was feared more than the goddess Itsurateru who punished humanity. Even though the Divine King was scarier than the goddess, the prayer still begged for his return.
...Huh? Was it over?
The sudden halt of the ritual prayer pulled my awareness back. I wanted to work out the inconsistencies in the mythology, but right now I was at the ritual site as the Spirit's Favored Child. I could not slack off on my work.
...Ah, the king was looking this way.
Christoph, who had been earnestly chanting the ritual prayer just moments ago, had now turned toward me. Not only that, but he was also extending a hand toward me.
...Was that okay?
I had heard this was a ritual conducted by the king alone, but was it all right to interrupt? I wondered, but even if Christoph looked like a normal king at first glance, he was Alfred's father. Perhaps expecting him to conduct the ritual seriously until the end was misguided.
"Come here. Let us have a private chat."
Those were his first words to me. When I did not approach despite sensing the meaning of his outstretched hand, Christoph called out to me in a gentle voice.
"There are no noisy guards or maids here. Even if your language gets a little rough, no one will get angry."
Since there were no eyes on us, there was no need to worry about etiquette either. Instead, he wanted me to tell him my true feelings, Christoph invited me.
Time is up.
Typos and omissions again another day. Fixed any typos and omissions I found.