So I'm Rouge, So what?

Reincarnations

And so, very few people bother acquiring it.

In fact, there are a handful of families that make a living serving as Appraisers, passing the skill down through generations.

So if you're wondering how anyone checks their status, the answer is with Appraisal Stones.

An Appraisal Stone is a magic tool made through a special process, which allows the holder to temporarily use the skill.

The level of the skill allowed by one of these stones depends on its quality. The number of stones in the world that grant level 10, like the one belonging to the royal family, can be counted on one hand.

Naturally, you need special permission to use it, so basically only big nobles close to the royal family have any chance. Since I'm royalty myself, I can technically use it, but it's not like I can do that whenever I want. I pester Anna the maid about it repeatedly, but it can only be used once you reach a certain age.

In fact, it turns out that your first time having your status Appraised is considered a special occasion, so nobility and the like always hold a big, formal ceremony for it.

And I had to go through that ceremony, too.

In addition to the Appraisal, this ceremony serves as the child's debut to greater society.

Your Appraisal results are revealed to everyone present, and all the adults start judging your value right then and there.

I had more skills than the average person my age, so I knew it probably wouldn't be a problem for me. But apparently, if your stats are super-low, your family might reject you, so that's a frightening prospect.

Anyway, me and my younger sister, Sue, a child of the king's wife born around the same time as me, were about to undergo our public debut.

Sue and I had to change into the ceremonial children's clothes for the occasion and hear about the schedule over and over again.

The current king-in other words, our father-was also attending.

Aside from that, there would be a who's who of other important people present, so making a mistake and embarrassing myself was not an option.

Despite being a kid, I was still a member of the royal family.

I was about to play a leading role in the ceremony, so I needed to carry the dignity of the royal family on my shoulders.

That was a heavy load for a former lower-middle-class commoner.

However, when I saw how majestically my sister was carrying herself next to me, I felt a determination to do things properly that bordered on impatience.

Anna: "Are you ready?"

I nodded silently in response to Anna's final check.

Anna: "Then please proceed."

Anna pushed us forward, and Sue and I walked side by side through the door to the ceremony hall.

As soon as we passed through the entrance, the ceremonial space loomed large before my eyes.

A red carpet extended from the door in a straight line toward a pedestal, behind which a man stood waiting.

A huge crowd of people lining the wall watched us in silence.

Everyone here was a high-ranking noble.

Sue and I walked across the carpet without a word.

Our steps were measured and dignified, the way we'd been taught to walk in anticipation of this very day.