Chapter 5
The three of them slowly walked into the Grand Temple.
Everywhere she looked, Trisha saw towering marble statues of gods.
She turned her gaze away, feeling oddly indifferent. Before she knew it, they had arrived in front of a large prayer hall.
“This is where you will receive your new name, my lady.”
“Ah… yes.”
The priest’s voice was solemn and grand, but Trisha felt nothing in particular.
He had expected her to be overwhelmed, maybe even elated—but her calm composure threw him off.
The priest had seen many children before: commoners adopted into noble families, all trembling with joy at the prospect of a new life.
But this one… this girl was different.
“Ahem… W-well then, let us proceed.”
Looking awkward, the priest opened the heavy doors, and the three entered quietly.
“Everything has been prepared in advance.”
He wasn’t lying. A high-ranking priest stood by the altar, waiting for them.
As soon as they took their places, another priest appeared from the corner, carrying a wide white bowl filled to the brim with clear water.
“Please drop a single drop of your blood into the holy water. The new name granted by the gods will rise to the surface.”
All of that is holy water?
Trisha blinked.
That much of the precious substance—what a waste. And the bowl itself looked like an expensive porcelain piece.
“Please use this.”
The priest stepped closer, holding out a silver tray with a dagger upon it.
Its white hilt was decorated with gold filigree—it looked more like a work of art than a weapon.
They’ll probably charge the family for this later.
Trisha glanced at her parents.
Can they really afford all this?
The Binz family was an old and respected line, but they had never been particularly rich—preferring dignity over wealth.
“What’s wrong, dear? Oh—are you afraid of cutting yourself? Shall I help you?”
“No, it’s all right.”
Count Rato asked gently, worried the child might be scared, but Trisha politely refused.
The Count and Countess watched anxiously as she took the dagger. They feared she might hurt herself.
But Trisha, holding the ornate dagger in her right hand, sliced the tip of her left finger without hesitation.
A few drops of blood fell—plop, plop—into the holy water.
For a brief moment, the clear surface turned murky, then the red droplets gathered together, forming ancient letters that shimmered faintly above the water.
The symbols were written in Old Divine Script—unreadable to anyone outside the clergy.
Trisha, however, who had secretly studied the language in the Mage Tower, could understand it perfectly.
The priest transcribed the floating words into Imperial language on parchment and handed it to them.
“This is the name the gods have bestowed upon the young lady.”
All three looked down at the parchment at once.
Ishas.
It meant “dawn.”
“Ishas, then.”
Rens smiled and patted Trisha’s head, while Rato, standing beside them, quietly handed her his handkerchief.
Ishas… Ishas Binz.
It felt strange.
It was just a name—yet it made everything real.
She would now be recorded not as Trisha Binz, but as someone else entirely.
A daughter, yet also an adopted child.
What an irony.
Afterward, everything went smoothly.
She signed the adoption oath on the spot, and from that moment on, Trisha truly became Ishas Binz, adopted daughter of House Binz.
“You’ve done well, Ishas.”
“Oh, it was nothing.”
The name Ishas still felt foreign on her tongue.
As she awkwardly touched the back of her neck, a voice called out.
“Count! Madam!”
Someone was hurrying down the hall toward them.
“Sir Sturba?”
“Ah, good day.”
It was Lanife Sturba—one of Trisha’s former comrades.
So she’s safe. I figured the others must be, too, after hearing Asha was alive.
Lanife bowed politely, her neatly tied hair swaying.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, indeed. But what brings you here?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to deliver something. When I heard you were visiting the temple, I thought I’d greet you as well.”
“How thoughtful of you.”
Lanife smiled faintly and turned her gaze to Trisha.
“And this child is…?”
“This is Ishas Binz—our second daughter now.”
“I’ve heard much about her. She truly resembles her.”
Lanife’s eyes lingered on Trisha for a moment too long.
What’s with that look?
She had never felt uncomfortable under Lanife’s gaze before, but now it unsettled her.
Maybe it was because their positions had changed.
Trisha quietly stepped behind her parents.
Several days passed since the naming ceremony.
Trisha remained confined to her room.
The excuse was fatigue from adjusting to her new life—but in truth, she spent all her waking hours in the library, reading every book she could find on reincarnation and magic.
Still, curiosity about the newly adopted daughter of House Binz spread rapidly among the nobles.
They whispered about her—
A girl who took the place of a dead hero.
Had she seduced the Binz family somehow?
Was she a schemer—or merely a pitiful child of fate?
“My lady, an invitation has arrived.”
“An invitation?”
Of course it had. Her reclusion couldn’t last forever.
Trisha wasn’t surprised when her maid, Nise, entered the library holding an envelope.
Nise had served her since childhood and was her personal maid even now—quick-witted, reliable, and loyal.
Normally she’d leave it on my desk and mention it when I came back…
For Nise to bring it personally meant something important.
Trisha’s eyes went to the letter in her maid’s hands.
Golden stationery.
As expected—it was from the royal palace.
So much for staying hidden until the Mage Tower replies.
Ever since her adoption, she had been sending letters to the Mage Tower, requesting an audience—but every single one had gone unanswered.
Now that the palace had summoned her, she couldn’t refuse.
You don’t turn down an invitation from royalty without a very good reason.
Ugh, great.
Trisha ruffled her hair irritably and opened the envelope.
Inside was the predictable message—an invitation to the annual Summer Ball.
“Oh my!”
Nise gasped beside her, covering her mouth.
“A summer ball…”
Trisha had rarely attended such events, even as her old self.
The Crown Prince had always made sure she was spared those tedious gatherings.
Ah.
Right. That was when she was Trisha.
But now she was Ishas.
Realizing that, she gave a bitter smile.
Each small reminder like this pricked painfully at her heart.
“Your invitation, please.”
Trisha handed her invitation to the guard at the ballroom entrance.
He unfolded it, and upon reading the name written there, narrowed his eyes.
“Ishas Binz…”
He murmured the name before returning the invitation.
She had grown used to that reaction over the past few weeks—
the slight pause, the look that said, So you’re that shameless girl.
And I’ve barely been out of the house!
Even guests visiting for business at the Binz estate had looked at her like that.
The nobles at a royal ball would surely be far worse.
Just imagining all those stares exhausted her already.
I can’t believe I have to walk in there alone.
Count Rato and Rens had been supposed to accompany her, but right before departure, the butler had come running with urgent news.
“We’re terribly sorry, Ishas. Go ahead first—we’ll follow soon!”
She had wanted to wait, but Rens’s firm expression left her no choice.
So she rode to the palace alone—and now stood before the ballroom doors.
I’ll just stay in a corner and avoid attention.
Resolving to remain invisible, Trisha handed her invitation to a servant and stepped toward the entrance.
“Presenting Lady Ishas Binz of House Binz!”
At that announcement, a hush fell over the ballroom—
as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over the crowd.
