Chapter 4

The entrance ceremony was conducted grandly. On the stage stood two figures, a man and a woman—the protagonists of this game. Jeron von Selvius, the male lead and crown prince of the Selvius royal family, alongside a girl with splendid golden hair, Yulia.

The reason she, a commoner, enrolled in this academy was simple. She was the only human capable of wielding ‘Divine Power.’ A woman who could use a power that didn’t exist in a land devoid of both magic and divine strength suddenly dropping from the sky was quite the spectacle. Because she was a commoner, she was enrolled in the academy to help her get accustomed to the noble society. Perhaps she was fairly intelligent, as Yulia scored full marks in the entrance exam and stood on the same stage as Jeron, who also scored perfectly.

Jeron taking an interest in Yulia marked the beginning of this game’s story, and Lilian fought a desperate battle against her own yawning as those thoughts crossed her mind.

“I swear. We, the students…”

As she straightened her posture, enduring the tedious oath, a gentle whisper reached Lilian’s ear.

“Is that the eldest daughter of House Portus? How noble she appears…”

“Though her reputation in the central social circles isn’t great, that’s just a rumor spread by opposing factions…”

‘Huh? Lilian’s reputation is better than I thought?’

Normally, Lilian should have a terrible reputation at this point of entering the academy. But for some reason, it seemed her reputation hadn’t plummeted to the extremes. Lilian didn’t know that all this was thanks to Catherine correcting ‘Lilian’s’ behavior, and after pondering momentarily, she shook her head. After all, pondering wouldn’t reveal anything about a reputation she couldn’t learn about anyway. She figured she would investigate it later and stared intensely at the stage, feeling as if she had just locked eyes with Yulia.

“Well then, we’ll conclude the entrance ceremony.”

As the entrance ceremony wrapped up swiftly, Lilian strode confidently toward the auditorium door, and the onlookers parted, much like a scene from a biblical miracle.

‘Hmm, this could be convenient.’

Half the looks were filled with admiration, and the other half with disdain. And… one peculiar gaze. A glance in that direction revealed a man was staring at her.

‘Ugh, Bellus…!’

The game’s main antagonist number two. If Catherine was the one who tainted Lilian’s character with wickedness, then Bellus was the one who manipulated her. He was the one who slithered away when Lilian faced execution while using her as a shield for his nefarious deeds.

There was absolutely no way for any goodwill to arise. Their eyes met, but Lilian perfectly ignored him as she exited. Meanwhile, Prince Bellus, who watched her, twisted the corners of his mouth.

“Ha.”

“…Is something the matter, Your Highness?”

“No. Nothing at all.”

Bellus chuckled softly as he watched, finding her still interesting.

#

“Ughghghgh—”

“Just hold on a bit longer, Young Lady.”

“Don’t tighten it—”

The ridiculous voice coming from my ‘Young Lady’ just from putting on one corset was quite something. I sighed as I pulled Lilian’s corset even tighter. After enduring what felt like an agonizing time, I quietly spoke as I finally finished dressing her.

“Now, all that’s left is the dress.”

“…Phew. Thank goodness.”

As I took in the sight of Lilian exhaling a sigh of relief, I slowly lifted the dress. It was a beautiful blue dress that suited her silver hair and wall-eyed appearance. After putting a sapphire necklace from the family on her, I swiftly began dressing her. Since I was the only one allowed to touch her body, I had to learn quickly how to dress her properly. Being a man, I had an initial resistance to dressing a woman’s clothes, but as a child, I certainly didn’t feel any inappropriate feelings towards a young girl’s body, and as time passed and my desires faded alongside my facial muscles, that resistance disappeared.

Thirty minutes remained. Considering the time it would take to move to the party venue, it wasn’t much, but since Lilian was in a position where she could arrive a little late, I dressed her fairly quickly but with a relaxed demeanor.

“Do a turn for me.”

“Huh? Ah, okay.”

As she spun around, I scrutinized her for any oddities and then handed Lilian a pair of white gloves.

“Put these on.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

After she had donned all her attire, I led Lilian out of the dormitory. The moment she stepped outside, the surrounding students began to stare at her. It was only natural since the ‘Young Lady’ was exceptionally beautiful as long as she kept her mouth shut. I had no doubt she would rank within the top three of the Empire.

“Speaking of which, if you haven’t seen your fiancé, are you going in without an escort?”

“Uh? I don’t think so? Oh, how about Catherine as my escort?”

Taken aback for a moment by Lilian’s absurd suggestion, I calmly replied.

“That would tarnish your honor, Young Lady. There’s no need for me to go that far.”

“Tsk.”

“You shouldn’t click your tongue. Even if the daughter of House Portus enters alone, there won’t be anyone to cross her. Just walk in with your chest held high.”

“Got it.”

While her nod felt a little shaky to me, I didn’t let it show as I escorted her onto the carriage. Lilian, holding my hand as she stepped into the carriage, extended her arm toward me.

“Hmm. How about Catherine as my escort?”

“…Hah.”

Throughout my time working as a maid, I had never sighed even once, but since I began looking after her, the sighs seemed to increase dramatically. Feeling like if I didn’t grab her hand, she would keep reaching out indefinitely, I took her hand, and she smiled in satisfaction.

“Hmph, great.”

Ten minutes remained. Given how expansive the academy was, taking the carriage still meant we would be late. Especially since the banquet venue, where the party would be held, was a twenty-minute ride from the dormitory. Perhaps aware of this, Lilian looked outside the carriage with a slightly anxious expression.

“Aren’t we going to be a bit late?”

“It’s fine. It won’t go against etiquette.”

“Really?”

With my eyes slightly closed, I quietly listened to the sounds of the carriage rolling along, lost in thought. Without a doubt, Lilian had kept her distance from me on her first day and before arriving at the academy. Her avoidance was proof of that. Moreover, there was always wariness in her gaze.

However, ever since she came to the academy, she had started acting friendlier around me. Why? Was there something to gain from me?

Was she afraid I wouldn’t serve her properly? No, perhaps she saw through my identity as not truly being Lilian. I was but a maid, while she was a Young Lady, so she should know it wasn’t necessary to become close. Didn’t she understand the nature of our previous relationship?

Lilian’s sudden change in attitude was utterly incomprehensible. Since my ‘Young Lady’ turned into that despicable woman, her behavior had become the most baffling. The other ‘Young Lady’ had not returned. The little habits were different from the original Young Lady’s. Moreover, the original Young Lady had never acted so familiarly toward me. So why now?

After glancing at Lilian for a moment, I shook my head. There was no need to overthink it. I doubted a clear answer would emerge even if I confronted her directly.

Lost in these thoughts, the carriage arrived at the banquet hall. It felt somewhat strange how she hadn’t uttered a word until now, but I disembarked first and extended my hand to her.

“Young Lady.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you.”

The hand I grabbed was ice-cold. Startled by the eerie chill of her hand, I looked at her. It turned out she appeared significantly tense, her face rigid and all. This unnerving shift was unlike the ‘Young Lady’ of our past; she so certainly wouldn’t behave that way.

“Don’t be nervous, Young Lady. This isn’t something you haven’t done multiple times before.”

“Uh-huh….”

“If it helps, let’s go to your fiancé. I’ll take you there.”

“No, I’d rather stay with Catherine.”

“…As you wish.”

Am I worrying for Lilian? I hesitated a bit, feeling an unfamiliar emotion in my chest. The ‘Young Lady’ had always taken care of her duties without needing my concern. Yet the ‘Lilian’ in front of me wasn’t that Young Lady. She was just a little human who gets nervous even at an event like this. Suddenly realizing that, I stopped walking. Lilian seemed to sense that, glancing back.

“Catherine?”

Her slightly pale face as she turned to look at me made it clear—I had no choice.

“I’ll stay back. No matter what trouble you get into, don’t worry.”

“Huh? A?”

“…I’m not good at comforting anyone.”

As I quietly murmured, she stared at me, seemingly at a loss. Then, surprisingly, a chuckle sounded from ahead.

“Pfft, hehe—”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought it was interesting to see that Catherine, who I always considered cold, has this side too.”

That comment felt very much like the Young Lady. In a moment, I caught a glimpse of the Young Lady’s face in Lilian and shook my head slightly. This was not the right sentiment. My Young Lady wasn’t here. I stood next to her, expressionless, and crossed my arms.

“Well then, shall we go?”

“Yeah. Catherine, escort me.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

Thus, we arm in arm slowly made our way to the banquet hall. I slightly relaxed my grip and approached the attendant at the door.

“Lady Lilian Beon Portus has arrived.”

“Ah, yes.”

The attendant, somewhat flustered at seeing me in my maid outfit alongside Lilian, collected themselves after my announcement and shouted.

“Presenting Lady Lilian Beon Portus of the Alexis Empire—!”

“Eek, so embarrassing.”

“Lady, it’s time to enter.”

“Okay.”

After a brief moment of embarrassment, Lilian nodded and began to enter slowly but with grace and dignity. It was a transformation as swift as a butterfly shedding its cocoon. I found myself stunned as I watched her. The cold expression of someone who seemed displeased with everything, the dignified demeanor—all of it reminded me of my Young Lady, and like a sponge soaking up water, a rush of nostalgia flowed through me.

“Catherine, you should follow as well.”

“…Yes.”

The moment she turned back and called my name, it felt like the magic had faded, and everything came to an end.