While the main chapel in the main building was said to be very large, the chapel in the residence was small.

“We need to hold morning and evening prayers here from now on.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

During our stay at the temple, we had to follow Grandma’s schedule, which was quite tight.

“While living here, you must never miss the morning and evening prayers. And after the morning prayer, there’s group exercise, which I hope you won’t miss.”
Sicar, who had been listening calmly, frowned at the mention of group exercises.

“Group exercises? Grandma? That’s not exercise; it’s gymnastics.”

“It’s different from the exercises you’ve done so far, but it might be fun once you try.”

Sicar reluctantly nodded.

“Okay, Grandma.”

“I didn’t mention it in the letter, but I’m doing volunteer work here with the apprentice priests. These days, the young ladies in this village are making clothes.”

“Clothes?”

“The apprentice priests here are making clothes for the young men in the village for their coming-of-age ceremony, which is like a debutante ball for the commoners. So, you apprentices have the opportunity to help make the clothes they will wear for the ceremony.”

“This room used to be shared with others, but they cleared out when you guys arrived.”

Sicar, who absentmindedly nodded, suddenly looked startled and asked cautiously.

“Grandma, do you mean…”

“What you’re thinking is correct, Sicar. While you’re here, I hope you’ll also experience volunteer work.”

“Grandma, I’ve never tried sewing before…”

“People learn new things with age whenever they encounter something they don’t know. It’s not something to be proud of if you don’t know how to sew. Take this opportunity to learn.”

“But, Grandma. I don’t see a need for me to learn to sew…”

“You can use it for volunteer work just like now.”

Sicar only sighed deeply without further reply.

Sicar sewing, it sounded amusing just thinking about it. Given his size, seeing him holding a needle in his hand would probably be amusing.

“Since you’ll be leaving before the village holds the coming-of-age ceremony, take a look before you go.”

Although I had heard of the coming-of-age day even in my modern life, I never received anything on that day.

I was curious because I had only heard about the coming-of-age ceremony but hadn’t experienced it. However, crowded places always felt burdensome.

But, I couldn’t easily refuse Grandma’s well-intentioned words for us.

“A coming-of-age ceremony. It sounds like a lot of fun, Grandma.”

Grandma unexpectedly looked at me with a face of disbelief.

“Yura, didn’t you have a coming-of-age ceremony where you lived before?”

“Huh? Uh, well…”

I glanced at Sicar, as if asking for help, but he just smiled at me as if finding it amusing. Let’s see how he excuses himself.

An annoying person. Did he try to join in the fun and end up making a verbal mistake?

While my head was throbbing, trying to figure out what to say in response, Sicar chuckled and said to Grandma.

“Yura couldn’t attend the coming-of-age ceremony because she was unwell at that time. Grandma.”
“Oh, I see. If that’s the case, make sure to attend and enjoy the festival this time. I won’t be able to go, but you can go and have a good time. Just be cautious not to cause any trouble if we, the nobles, attend the commoners’ festival. We plan to return with Grandma.”

“At the commoners’ festival, our presence might cause inconvenience. We’ll stay with Grandma.”

“At least during that time, you can hide your status and enjoy it. That wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

Sicar, who had been silently listening, blushed as if to say, ‘Is that even reasonable?’

“I don’t particularly want to attend such a festival, so it’s okay, Grandma.”

Sicar was also perceptive. It seemed like he was making this statement out of consideration for me. While I was curious about the coming-of-age ceremony, I didn’t have the confidence to attend.

“Yura couldn’t attend the coming-of-age ceremony due to illness, so take this opportunity to go and see.”

“Grandma, I know your intentions are good, but Yura has agoraphobia.”

“Agoraphobia?”

“It’s a psychological condition where a person fears crowded or unfamiliar places. It could lead to sudden breathlessness or fainting.”

“Oh, I see. There are many difficult conditions in the world.”

“Grandma, it’s not an illness; it’s a disability. It’s something like anxiety disorder.”

Grandma held my hand, patting the back of it gently, seeming to understand my discomfort.

“I see. It must have been quite uncomfortable all this time.”

Grandma’s hand holding mine was warm. Even though she simply held my hand once, it felt like Grandma’s caring heart touched me deeply.

“Oh, no, Grandma.”

“I wondered why we had such a simple wedding ceremony. Now I understand.”

That’s true. Sicar seemed to be considerate, especially in situations like this.

“But, Yura, don’t worry. This village is small, so there won’t be many people.”

“Really?”

“Well, even if we estimate, it wouldn’t be more than a few dozen people. Would that still be too difficult?”

“That should be okay, but… meeting unfamiliar people… it might be challenging. Still, if it’s okay, I can sit quietly in a corner and watch. Grandma, as long as I don’t attract attention.”

“That alone will create significant memories.”

Kian, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, looked determined and said to me.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll protect you.”

“Huh…?”

In the moment when I was about to send a grateful look to Kian, who was speaking with determination and clenched fists, Sicar, with a snicker, interrupted.

“My wife, I’ll protect her.”

“It’s settled, Your Grace. She’s my mother, so I’ll protect her.”

“Before that, she’s my wife.”

“Before that, she’s my mother.”

Because of Sicar, it seemed like I wouldn’t be able to face Grandma.

However, thankfully, Grandma held my hand, looking at me with an unexpectedly pleased expression, and smiled broadly.

“Our Yura is so fortunate. She has many men to protect her.”

“Oh, no, Grandma.”