Chapter 45

How.

The words that followed were overlooked.

It was probably something like, “How did you know I was a woman?”

When an unexpected reaction came in response to my joking remark, I found myself more flustered.

“Hey. Why is your face turning red?”

“….”

“Hey. No way, right? Huh?”

“….”

Leopard turned his head away from me and remained silent for a moment.

He soon looked back at me and said.

“Is something wrong?”

“….”

His face was serene.

The dumbfounded expression that looked like a fool had completely vanished, making me wonder if what I had just seen was an illusion.

However, the flush covering my face up to my ears remained, making it painfully obvious that I didn’t look calm at all.

So, if you sum up everything that had happened until now, it would only lead to the absurd conclusion that Leopard was a woman.

“Hey. Were you a woman?”

“It’s getting dark. Let’s go.”

“Answer me. Were you a woman? Since when?”

“….”

Leopard just kept his mouth shut, walking ahead of me and refusing to give a reply.

It was a rather honest reaction.

If it weren’t true, he would have exploded in anger and caused a scene.

I wonder if he realizes he’s practically admitting it.

“Mom. Didn’t you know?”

“What?”

“That sister is a woman.”

“Then you knew? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because you didn’t ask….”

I was so surprised that I grabbed Tia by her shoulders and shook her.

More surprising than the fact that Leopard was a woman was that Tia already knew.

How in the world did she find out?

“Uh, how did you know?”

“Um… I just felt it was a woman’s vibe….”

The answer was really unsatisfactory.

It sounded like something a scammer would say when stopping people on the street, claiming they seemed to have a bad vibe.

How could I sense a woman’s energy or a man’s energy?

Maybe if I were the daughter of a dragon, it might be possible.

‘Now that I think about it…’

At first, it was shockingly embarrassing, but upon reflection, it seemed somewhat understandable.

How many times had I thought the hero’s behavior was somewhat girlish?

Not to mention that beautifully delicate face, akin to that of a petting rooster.

I thought that if he were dressed as a woman, it would yield quite a pretty result, but it turned out he was actually a woman.

Looking again, aside from being relatively tall for a woman, his shoulders were not particularly broad, and his frame was not what you would expect from a man.

Though there were aspects that might seem feminine as well…

To put it ambiguously, it wasn’t exactly a model for femininity.

“Ah, just a moment. Leopard. No, Hero. No, Leo? Can you stop for a second?”

“What is it? Again, hhii?!”

Just as I was about to secretly touch Leopard’s body, he suddenly let out a peculiar scream and darted away.

Although I couldn’t touch his chest, it had become crystal clear.

There was no way a boy would let out such a simple scream like a countryside girl.

Moreover, that embarrassed face, flushed pink.

“Woman. It’s true, isn’t it?”

“Shut up… I’m leaving.”

“Where are you going? It’s getting dark; won’t you escort me?”

“Go home by yourself.”

With those words, Leopard dashed away.

Left alone with Tia, I closed my eyes and reflected on the events of the past few days.

Leopard, who used to throw me lewd jokes.

Leopard, who had roughly grabbed my wrist and pulled me away.

And Leopard, who had laid me down on the bed and pinned me down…

“Mom. I’m bleeding.”

“Huh…?”

Only after hearing Tia’s words did I notice blood trickling from my nose down to my lips.

This is maddening.

Why am I like this?

But no matter how I thought about it, if I had to be taken advantage of anyway, I’d rather it be by a lesbian than a man.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I want to be taken advantage of by Leopard.

“Mom, here’s a handkerchief…”

“Thank you. Ugh. Our Tia, why are you so cute?”

After roughly wiping my nose with the handkerchief, I held Tia’s hand and headed home.

It was a pleasant walk home.

Having unexpectedly discovered Leopard’s secret, I felt on top of the world.

—

“Damn it. Damn it, damn it…!”

Having fled to a deserted alley, Leopard was cursing and pounding on the wall.

To think I would confess to being a woman like that.

It was undeniably a ridiculous mistake upon reconsideration.

Thanks to this, my plans fell completely apart.

First, I was going to slowly conquer Julia and have her walk to the bed on her own, then reveal that I was a woman, and shock Julia into submission.

But with the finale ruined, I couldn’t help but feel irritated.

“Damn it…”

Julia is not a homosexual.

Having met countless homosexuals for over fifty years, Leopard could assert this.

In the past, when he mistook her for a man, Julia reacted with disdain towards Leopard, but that was merely a defensive mechanism intrinsic to women, not outright hatred for men.

“It’s a change of plans.”

There was indeed a possibility of going to violate Julia as it stood.

Julia would likely offer no resistance socially or physically and would be powerless to resist.

But that would be no fun.

So, I would make Julia a lesbian and have her fall in love with me.

That was the essence of Leopard’s new plan.

First, I would conquer Julia and bring her to bed.

Then, just as she looked at me with expectant eyes, I would let in the men who had been waiting outside.

Then I could savor the sound of Julia’s scream filled with betrayal.

The Saintess’s purity had already been tarnished, so I wouldn’t feel any more guilt about that.

“That’s it.”

At that moment, Leopard finally wore a satisfied smile as he knocked on the cracked wall.

Soon after, that smile began to taste slightly bitter.

“No… it’s not… No…”

What he truly desired was not something like that.

How did he end up with such absurd delusions?

Since the day he learned that Arial was dead, has he been possessed by the obsession to take revenge on Julia?

Leopard hung his head low, shaking with self-loathing.

He had never felt so disgusting about himself.

—

“Huh….”

In the newly built Dragania villa.

Standing at the main gate, Alexander let out a soft sigh.

People were gathered around the gate in throngs.

It might be that all the nobles of the institution had come together.

It was only natural.

An event that the Duke of Dragania was personally attending.

The Duke already held immense power on his own, but rumors had spread that he was trying to expand his influence in the institution as well.

Thus, this event was a place for the nobles wishing to show their loyalty to the Duke and those wishing to keep him in check to assess each other’s strengths.

‘He still likes to make a grand entrance.’

He seemed eager to shake the entire institution.

Alexander straightened his clothes and moved forward.

He planned to greet the Duke briefly and then exit quietly.

The fact that Alexander was known among nobles as the “mad dog of the church” meant he wasn’t welcome anywhere.

If he had a choice, he wouldn’t want to attend the event itself, but since he had received an invitation from the Duke, it wasn’t something he could simply decline.

So, if anyone were to ask why a priest had come from afar to find the Saintess, Alexander could offer no plausible answer.

“Alexander Graham. I’ve come upon invitation.”

“Welcome, Priest.”

Upon entering, the magnificent mansion was revealed.

The scale was hard to believe for just a villa.

There was no way something like this was built just for fun.

It could well be interpreted as a means to extend influence into the institution.

Wherever he looked, there were only high-ranking nobles.

It was akin to a social gathering hosted by an emperor.

Ignoring the sharp gazes pouring in from all around, Alexander walked forward.

The Duke would soon be making his entrance.

“Duke Dragania has arrived.”

“….”

With the announcement, the massive doors on the second floor opened, drawing everyone’s attention.

Even those who had been chatting and sipping drinks turned their eyes towards the second-floor entrance.

Soon, the great sound of footsteps echoing throughout the banquet hall grew closer.

Finally, the moment the Duke appeared and revealed his cold expression, Alexander felt as if his breath was being choked.

It seemed the other nobles felt similarly, as the banquet hall was instantly filled with a chilling silence.

“Good evening. I thank all of you for coming to celebrate the completion of my villa. It has been quite troublesome not having a place to stay whenever I visited the institution, but now that problem has been resolved, I hope all of you will have a great time.”

“….”

After a brief speech, the Duke began to descend the stairs slowly.

Every action he took was filled with elegance, inspiring admiration simply by watching.

His gracefulness did not seem artificial, learned from someone, but rather, it was as if every movement he made in the way he desired became a manifestation of elegance.

If the word “nobility” were to be personified, it would probably take the form of Duke Dragania.

“Ahem. Hmm.”

Alexander readied himself once more, smoothing out his attire and clearing his throat.

In front of the Duke already stood a crowd of nobles eager to greet him.

Before the line grew any longer, he needed to quickly introduce himself and step out.

It was just as he thought to hasten his way in.

‘Huh…?’

An unexpected situation unfolded.

The Duke ignored the gathering nobles and pushed through the crowd to head somewhere.

There were some high-ranking nobles of comparable status to the Duke among them, which made his actions all the more incomprehensible.

“Excuse me, madam. May I ask your name?”

“Pardon?”

The place the Duke arrived at was none other than a dim corner that didn’t receive much light.

The startled assembly gasped as the Duke suddenly addressed a shabby-looking woman standing lone there.

Who in the world is this woman for the Duke to act like this?

‘Huh? Why is she here…?’

Recognizing the woman’s face, Alexander’s mouth fell open.

Even in her relatively shabby attire, her face was the most dazzling in the banquet hall.

Julia, the tavern writer from Ryuba.

Julia’s face turned crimson with embarrassment in an instant.

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