Blessing of the Cradlelake

The Diamond Palace had been awake since before the first bell rang at dawn.

A whirlwind of activity swept through the corridors. Attendants set up the banquet hall. Knights took positions along the castle walls. Inside Aya's chambers, Romina and several other maids worked on some final fitting adjustments.

“Are you alright, Your Highness? Your face looks a bit red.”

“I am fine, Lady- Ah, M-Miss Romina.”

The new head maid smiled and nodded. “Well done remembering. As a princess, you are not to address your aides with honorifics.”

‘Lady Maruscha never corrected me, so… Maybe that's part of the reason why I still can't believe all this.’

Aya checked the mirror, hardly recognizing the reflection staring back.

Her hair had been styled into cascading curls with tiny diamonds woven between the strands. Her gown was layers of pastel colors that made her seem dreamlike in the morning light. Instead of heavy jewels or ornate embroidery, like those on her dresses in the past, it came with an abundance of frills and ribbons.

“I knew this design suited the princess best!”

“It matches her age, and she appears comfortable in it.”

“Unlike what that Lady Sorovia keeps making her wear…”

“It always felt like she was forcing her to walk in shoes not her size.”

“Ladies.” Romina silenced the other maids with a look. “I understand your grievances, but do be discreet on the matter.”

“Yes, Head Maid.”

The women with them were the few who're on the former assistant head maid's side. Even before she came to the palace, they resented Maruscha for ostracizing them because of their history with House Gayatri. They belonged to families that had received help from them in one form or another. Despite its patriarch’s retirement from court, their loyalty remained.

Aya had never met them until yesterday. They worked in the farthest wing in the castle, rarely passing by the main building. When she learned that, she felt relieved. The servants around her had always ignored her, so she thought they used to do that, too.

“Meow~”

Looking down, Aya petted the cat on her lap. Her familiar had emerged from seclusion for the first time in a while. Shade often avoided people, but today, he would be coming with them to the Royal Palace. She was glad to have a companion she could confide in if it became overwhelming.

Beside Shade was a stack of letters from one recipient. “Are you done reading?”

“There's so many. I never imagined Lord Lorenz was writing to me this whole time.”

“You should have told me. I would have handled that human who hid them from you.”

“Please don’t. It's been taken care of, and I didn't know at first. I thought for sure nobody cared enough to write to me.”

Her familiar's ears drooped. “Aya…”

“B-But I was wrong! A lot of people tried sending me messages. If there's one good thing that came out of this, though…”

“What is it?"

“It's that I didn't have to deal with those annoying adoption offers from nobles who seemed to think they're taking in a pet.”

“...Yes, that is good.”

Someone knocked on the door, making everyone turn. One of the maids opened it. A knight entered and bowed.

“Your Highness, Rah Aerowenlore has arrived.”

Aya beamed. ‘Lord Lorenz is here!’

“He requests a moment of your company before leaving for the Royal Palace, and he asks that you meet him outside. I shall lead you there.”

Along with Romina, her head maid, and Cassian, her knight guard, Aya trod the path to the lake edging the forest behind the palace.

The air smelled of pine and damp earth. Tree branches swayed beneath the morning sky. The lake stretched around like a sheet of molten crystal. Not a ripple disturbed its calm surface.

“It is good to see you again, Princess,” Lorenz greeted with a smile lit by the warm, mellow glow of the lake.

Aya grinned, feeling an urge to leap out of sheer joy from this reunion. “I am happy to see you, too, Lord Lorenz!”

“How have you been?”

They exchanged pleasantries while Romina and Cassian watched from a distance, and finally, she asked what she longed to know for a long time, “Um… How is Dad?”

“I am afraid he remains unconscious, but his condition is improving steadily.”

“R-Really?” Aya teared up. “I… I read your letters. Thank you for nursing him back to health.”

“And thank you for trusting me. You have been working hard all this time for his sake, haven't you?”

She could cry right now, but the maids had just finished her makeup, and she could not ruin their efforts. “Yes… To see him again someday…”

“I am certain that day will come. For now, let us face ahead and do what we can. I wish this does not have to happen now, without him still here, but…”

She blinked. “What is this?”

“We will do a special ritual that will play an important role later in your crowning ceremony.”

Lorenz beckoned Aya towards the shore.

She looked down at her ceremonial gown with concern. But then, she found neither mud nor stones along the bank. The shore was unnaturally clean.

He began to chant. Suddenly, the still surface trembled. A magic circle appeared in front of them, water slowly rotating around it before parting.

Glowing green liquid rose from the opened path in the shallows of the lake.

He stepped onto it. The magical water moved gently, yet somehow remained perfectly contained. It looked hydrous. It flowed. It reflected the trees and the sky.

However, it did not get him wet.

“This is Cradlelake, and we are to hold your Aqueous Bestowal once more.”

The Aqueous Bestowal was one of the formal rites of passage in the Theovaleo Kingdom, along with the Primer Beacon. It’s when newborns were given names. Held on the first morning of every season, it was a solemn ceremony that summoned Cradlelake, an ancient water entity, through a ritual performed by the temple and the royal house.

Just as Sageflame served as a direct connection to the God of Fire, Rhomignische, Cradlelake acted the same to the God of Water, Irsedaquor.

“My name…will change?”

Seeing Aya’s distraught expression, Lorenz assured, “Not necessarily. You merely need a new name, for you are now royalty. It signifies new life, leaving behind your past as a commoner. As for me, I was once called Ren.”

Her brows arched in surprise. “Ren…? Does that mean you used to be a commoner, too?!”

“Have I never told you?”

“N-No! So, then… I-Is that why you didn't mind how rude the kids in town were to you?!”

He chuckled, “Perhaps.”

Now, it made sense. Aya thought Lorenz was too considerate for a noble. It's because he understood how it felt. There wasn't an instance when he was imperious. While he’s intimidating sometimes, he’s kind in nature.

“I had my name when I was five, though.”

Her eyes widened for a second before lowering. “Oh… So, then your parents…”

“I never met them. I was an orphan.”

During the Aqueous Bestowal, part of the newborn's body would be submerged in Cradlelake, and at least one of the biological parents had to maintain skin-to-skin contact in order for them to hear the name that the gods had bestowed upon the child.

Aya remembered Roniel saying that her mother, who was carrying her at the time, only heard some unintelligible noise rather than an actual word. Using that sound, the parents were free to name their child. In her case, it had been something like “awa” or “aha.” If there was no biological parent present, the ceremony could only be taken when the child was old enough to comprehend the sound.

Until then, they would live with a temporary name or without a name at all.

She felt like crying once again. “T-That’s just so…”

“Do not make such a sad face.” Lorenz let out a small laugh. “Having been named by the gods is a blessing enough. Now, then, shall we get your new one?”

“Will it only be us?” She glanced around as she stepped closer.

“Supposedly, it’s a royal gathering. The king and your predecessor must bear witness to it. However, we’re under a time constraint. You need a new name for your crowning ceremony.”

‘They’re really rushing me, huh? I wonder why. Can it be that…the king secretly dislikes me?! We haven’t talked once, but he’s already done all these things. It’s almost as if he’s doing everything he can to avoid meeting me.’

His opinion of her didn’t matter, though. He’d never asked for her side of the story, after all. Be it after she passed the sacred trial or when she fled the palace, he didn’t show interest in meeting her, but she understood if he was just too busy.

In her mind, Gallahan was like the old, grumpy neighbor at home who'd only come out of his house to feed the cats before shutting himself back inside for the rest of the day.

“Come. Let us begin.” Lorenz reached out his hand, and Aya placed hers on it. 

“Ah, but my gown…”

“It will be alright. Trust me.”

As they went deeper into the lake, she expected the cold sensation of water. Yet, as she looked down, she found herself still dry. She was wonderstruck. Her shoes passed through the surface, but when she lifted one foot, not a single drop of water clung to it.

“Wow, wow, wow! It’s magic!”