# 9
Despite their divorce, it was customary for the father to attend the baby girl's baptism.
Hélène felt sorry to hear Cheveline's nightly whispers that she missed her father, and to see her strangely lacking in self-confidence.
Most importantly, she did not want to inculcate the idea that the divorce was because of the child. So she intentionally invited Revan.
It was worrying to hear that he didn't show up.
Although they were complete strangers now.
“No, the baptism will take place as planned. There will be no problems due to the father not being present.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Helen pretended to be indifferent, but she couldn't help but feel a slight trembling in her fingers, which she hid behind her back.
As the door opened and closed, the priest left, and a priest entered as if waiting.
"What is this?"
Duke Belzeit was unable to attend due to circumstances, so he sent a gift instead.
The priest handed her a blue velvet box.
As soon as she opened it a little, she saw a precious stone with patterns that resembled sunlight filtering through the sea.
Duke Belzeit's gift was a bracelet made of larimar stone.
Larimar. A gemstone with healing properties, symbolizing peace and love. It was an extremely rare gemstone, difficult to find even once in a lifetime.
“What's on this guy's mind?”
The more he avoided her, the more curious she became.
Even though he declined the invitation on the day of the occasion, he sent such a precious gift.
The fragrant scent she had noticed earlier remained lingering in her nose, suggesting that he had selected and encapsulated it himself.
‘He is truly a mysterious person. But how did he know my childhood name before that?'
“Your Highness, the guests you invited will arrive.”
Helen, who had been staring intently at the bracelet, suddenly closed the velvet box when she heard the priest cough.
“Make sure you check the invitations carefully and direct them here.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It's finally time for Shevelin's baptism to begin.
“Is it true that she divorced Marquis Rata because of a dispute between them?”
“No matter what, how could he not attend the princess’s christening? She is his only daughter.”
The gathered crowd buzzed with conversation. Helen was afraid that Cheveline would hear them.
“Please have a seat, everyone.”
Fortunately, the high priest silenced the crowd by making the sign of the cross.
“The life that is born under the blessing of Freya grows and receives baptism.”
“…”
“May Freya’s grace bless all your paths.”
While the high priest said the prayer, Shivalin knelt with her hands clasped.
Her hair, half up and decorated with flowers, was so beautiful.
She looked like a fairy out of a fairytale dipped in cherry blossom water.
Her custom-made white gown with ruffles was also charming.
The high priest made the sign of the cross and dropped the prepared Shivalin's blood into the holy water.
The holy water mixed with Shivalin's blood splashed out with golden light.
“As Freya’s first servant, I confirm that you are indeed of the noble Betstein lineage.”
Golden eyes were the preserve of the royal family, making it a mere formality, but this official recognition made people look at Schiefelin differently.
The High Priest illuminated Shivalin's palm with divine power.
“…”
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Freya to respond and give her a baptismal name.
He responded to Freya and gave her a baptismal name. With a shimmering light, the name of the baptism appeared on Shevelin's palm.
The High Priest, overcome with emotion, announced: “…Freya has given us the name Saint Esther.”
Calm returned to the peaceful atmosphere, and conversations filled the place again.
“Esther?”
Helen was surprised by the unexpected name, and took a deep breath.
The name of baptism meant imitating the works of that saint.
Esther is the name of the empire's foundation.
The thought of the increasing visits of nobles to Largon Palace filled her heart.
“Thus, the baptism ceremony concludes. May Freya’s blessing be with Esther’s life.”
"My mom!"
As the ceremony ended, Shivalin ran to Helen.
As she held Shivalin's hand and headed back to the waiting room, several nobles had already approached to offer congratulations, as expected.
“Your Highness! Congratulations.”
“My son burst into tears as soon as he received the divine power, but the princess is different, as expected of the royal family.”
“Princess, can you introduce me to Esther’s first name?”
Count Seran, bending his knees slightly, spoke to Chevelline, who hid behind Hélène's leg.
“The princess seems very shy.”
Count Seran scratched his reddened neck in embarrassment.
“Count Seiran, Viscount Rio. Thank you for attending the princess’s baptism.”
Helen smiled and shook hands with them.
“It's the princess's baptism, of course we should attend. Thank you for inviting us, Your Highness.”
“Your words are reassuring. The princess looks tired, so I will excuse myself first.”
“Yes, Your Highness. The princess must be exhausted from the baptism ceremony.”
“Thank you for understanding. Baby, let’s go.”
Hélène excused herself from the nobles, and escorted Sheveline to the waiting room.
She sat Shivalin on one of the sofas and looked directly at her.
“Shivlin.”
"Yes."
“Baby, you did well today. I'm proud of you.”
“...Did I do well?”
Helen quickly kissed Shivalin's forehead.
“Mom, Dad won't come, right?”
“…”
“Then I want to leave. There are a lot of people here, and it scares me.”
Shivalin clung to Helen's dress and insisted on something unusual.
“Scary? Shivalin, how did you manage to act earlier?”
“My mother was watching me.”
“…”
Helen was touched by Sheveline's reaction, so she hugged her little girl tightly.
Since the day of Shevelin's baptism, Helen has received visitors daily without interruption.
As expected, Shevelin's choice of the empire's founder as her baptism caught attention.
It's been a busy month like this.
One day, after meeting Shevlin and Glazi, Helen had an idea:
“Why don't you talk to anyone but me?”
Recently, Shevelin has become very shy around others.
During her time with Glizi, she remained silent. She didn't just look tired.
“I could speak freely in front of my mother...but because she was not my mother, I could not speak, so I became upset and cried.”
This sudden realization shocked her deeply. This wasn't the first time Shevelin had behaved this way.
"Mom? Why don't you come?"
Sheveline, who was running ahead of her, urged Helen:
'There is no serious health problem, right?'
“Coming, now.”
Helen dismissed her concerns as unnecessary, and followed Shevlin.
As Helen watched Shevelin enjoy her strawberry shortcake, her anxiety continued.
Because she could not get rid of her increasing anxiety, she called the royal doctor.
“Greetings to Her Highness, the Fourth Princess and Shining Star of Betstein. I heard you asked for me.”
When the royal doctor arrived at Largon Palace, he greeted Helan respectfully.
“I think the princess may be sick.”
“Princess?”
“I thought she was just shy, but she says she can't talk to anyone but me.”
“Since she's talking to Her Highness, she doesn't seem to be mute… I'll run some tests first.”
Immediately upon hearing Helen's words, the royal doctor began speaking to Shivalin.
“Princess, how are you?”
“…”
“Can you draw this animal for me here?”
He also asked her to draw something in her sketchbook.
After completing all the tests, Helen heard a result that was almost unbelievable.
“The princess appears to be suffering from selective mutism.”
“Mute…selective?”
Helen raised an eyebrow, demanding a precise explanation. There was no room for pleasantries.
“It is a condition where a person cannot speak in certain situations.”
“…”
“For the Princess, the specific situation seems to be to be with anyone other than Her Highness.”
As Helen's face filled with shock, the royal doctor quickly added.
"To be clear, it is not autism. The princess's learning ability is above average for her age."
Helen wiped her face with a dry hand and let out a deep sigh.
“Are you sure?”
"Yes."
“The root cause of the symptoms is not an inability to use language or a lack of knowledge.”
Helen staggered, feeling dizzy.
She never imagined this.
She thought it was a bit strange.
She regretted not taking it more seriously, thinking she was simply adjusting to a new environment.
It was shameful for her to even consider herself a good mother.
Above all, she felt deeply sorry for not realizing it sooner.
Seeing Shevlin smiling brightly while eating her snack made her heart ache.
“Could it be because I fell down the stairs with her? Or… the divorce from her father?”
Helen asked the royal doctor, recalling every detail carefully.
“Divorce may have had an effect, but there appears to be a more direct cause.”
"What do you mean?"
Helen frowned at the thought that it wasn't because of the divorce.
“Selective mutism often appears as a defensive reaction to something heard.”
Self protection. Helen was speechless at the thought.
Maybe it was because of something Revan said.
The royal doctor gently comforted her while she stood still.
“However, it is fortunate that her condition is this good.”
“…”
"In some cases, children do not even talk to their parents. This shows the strong bond between Her Highness and the Princess."
"So, what do we do? Will she… never recover?"
Helen's voice trembled with worry.
“Of course not. Since the princess was diagnosed early, she will improve with psychological treatment.”
The Royal Doctor's positive response brought some relief to Helen.
“It is a relief that she will be healed.”
Although she was still anxious, she was grateful that there was hope for improvement.
“My friend specializes in child psychology, but...”
The royal doctor turned around, looking hesitant, with an unsure tone.
“My friend cannot come to Pitstein due to personal circumstances.”
“Where is your friend now?”
“Last I heard, she was in the Rikuir Empire. That was a few days ago, so she should still be there.”
It was not possible to take Shivalin to the Ricoir Empire immediately.
“I'll call my friend first.”
“Okay, you can go now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After the royal doctor dismissed
She approached Shivalin with a smirk as she ate her snack.
“Honey, are you enjoying…?”
Helen stopped mid-sentence. The fork in Shevelin's hand had turned black.