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Chapter 13
Aira’s long-standing crush was something she was well aware of herself. There was no way she wouldn’t know.
Her blind love had started from the moment her father had taken her to the royal palace.
Of course… she hadn’t expected it to last twelve years.
In any case, the Duke never stopped Aira. Even though nobles of the same influence as him mocked and pointed fingers at his youngest daughter, it didn’t matter.
The Duke believed that in a person’s life, one should have at least one passionate experience. And he had the power to support such an experience.
However, that didn’t mean he truly supported a union between Aira and the Crown Prince.
Aira and the Crown Prince must not become a couple. If the Duke’s house grew any closer to the royal family, both the royal family and his own house might lose everything they currently enjoyed.
An overgrown power was always a target of caution.
Regardless of whether the Crown Prince liked her or not, for the peace of the family and the happiness of each individual, including the Crown Prince himself, Aira must not go to the palace.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince—or rather, the current Emperor—was not interested in Aira. In fact, he had drawn a very clear line of distance.
The Duke had seen the Emperor, back when he was the Crown Prince, treat his daughter with polite coldness many times. And quietly, he had felt reassured.
After a long passage of time, Aira herself had sorted out her feelings.
Up to this point, there was no problem.
The Duke furrowed his brows, lost in thought.
His reckless daughter had experienced the heartbreak of an unattainable first love, but at least her parents could shield her from the aftermath.
But the Emperor…
Wait.
A possibility that had slipped into the corner of his mind made the Duke’s eyes twitch slightly.
What if… from the very beginning, the Emperor had completely different intentions?
What if he had hidden thoughts even from the Duke, walking the same path in secret?
…If that were the case.
“Your expression is terrible, darling.”
At his wife’s words, the Duke snapped out of his reverie as if awakening from a dream. She was looking up at him with concern.
He gently grasped her arms for a moment, as if to reassure her, and then hurriedly tried to rein in his thoughts.
No, it wasn’t certain. This was just his speculation.
First, he had to enter the palace and assess the situation.
He swallowed a sigh and smiled at his wife.
“Getting older just means worrying more. Don’t fret. I’ll explain everything as soon as I return from the palace.”
“Very well.”
The Duchess nodded and turned, watching her husband’s back for a long time as he walked away.
One of my mother’s main punishments was grounding us from going out.
All three of us siblings were subjected to it in turn. And if you ask who among us got grounded the most, that would, of course, be me.
The first time I remember being grounded was probably when I was seven. I had dug up a rare species of grass from the garden with a trowel, brought in by the gardener after a fight with the butler.
Hmm… actually, no. Before that, I might have been caught pouring milk into the nanny’s cookie jar before finishing all my homework.
No, no, that’s not important.
Anyway, being grounded was an incredibly painful punishment for me. I hated it more than anyone else.
Why? Because I was the only one among us who loved running and playing outside!
But it was okay. Because every time I was grounded…
“I always escaped!”
Hahaha! I laughed out loud, placing both hands proudly on my hips. Standing in front of the full-length mirror in the dressing room, I was dressed in a loose shirt and men’s riding pants, sporting a very short hairstyle.
Of course, this hair was a wig. I grinned at my reflection, inspecting myself from all angles. My arms and chest were tightly wrapped in bandages, but they looked decent enough.
The short black wig had been bought secretly during my last outing. My bare face was free of makeup, and my blue eyes sparkled.
Do I like it?
I smiled at the reflection in the mirror.
“Miss, I really don’t know if this is okay. Is it really alright?”
Samara handed me a pair of boots, worry written all over her face. She was in charge of my wardrobe and was very close to me—close enough to help me with this escape.
I picked up the boots and said confidently,
“Ah, don’t worry, Samara. If we get caught, it’s all my fault anyway.”
“If the head maid catches you, you’ll be in real trouble… I’m talking decapitation!”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Really, don’t worry. It’s okay. This isn’t the first time I’ve snuck out. I’ve done it so often that it’s practically routine. And Marta will understand too. Samara, you know you can’t stop me. It’ll all be considered mitigating circumstances.”
I stuffed the boots on my feet, thinking how clumsy they were, though I had teased Elpine’s brother for such boots. Yet here I was, putting them to good use.
Moreover, the boots had a bit of a heel. They were heavy, but they made me look taller, making me appear like a real boy.
I threw on a cloak, flipped a small tricorn hat backward, and spread my arms to Samara.
“How do I look? Do I seem like a boy?”
“Hm…”
Samara scanned me up and down, then calmly replied,
“Not at all.”
“What?”
Impossible! I quickly turned to look in the mirror. I looked so boyish!
But Samara shook her head, and simultaneously her reflection in the mirror mirrored the gesture.
“You’ll never look like a boy. You’ve grown too much since before, and your chest and height have increased. Your features have become more delicate over these three years… Now, if you dress as a boy, it will clearly advertise that you are a girl in disguise. People might call you a cross-dresser or a pervert, but never a boy!”
“A… pervert…”
Samara’s words felt like arrows piercing my body. I staggered as if hit and pouted.
“Then what should I do?”
“If you don’t go out…”
“I don’t want that!”
At my desperate cry, Samara frowned again. One of her eyebrows lifted.
“Then make a promise with me. I’ll help you, but you have to take Old Man Dale with you.”
“Dale?”
I made a terrified face. Old Man Dale was the gardener. The stubborn man who had fought with the butler.
I was friendly with all the staff in the Duke’s mansion, but Dale was the hardest to get along with.
I thought he had disliked me ever since I had dug up the garden grass. He had shouted at me several times.
Whenever I went to the garden, he would follow me like a hunting seal, monitoring me. I couldn’t even play in the dirt… such a sad childhood it was.
“You absolutely cannot go out without him.”
Samara shook her head firmly at my hesitation.
“You can’t go alone like before. You’ll need a carriage. Dale is going to buy some saplings and seeds today anyway. Besides, he usually keeps an eye on you to see if you cause trouble. So if you go with him, I’ll let you out.”
I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes at Samara. Ideally, I didn’t want to go with Dale, but…
I looked at the wedding invitation on the shelf in the dressing room. The lavender-colored card, perfectly preserved but slightly creased, bore the familiar family crest.
For a moment, my lips tightened. My fists clenched.
No. I must go today.
“Alright.”
I nodded heavily. Samara’s eyebrows rose. She hadn’t expected me to agree so easily.
I realized she had deliberately set the condition, thinking I disliked Dale.
“Really? With Old Man Dale?”
“…It can’t be helped. Today I really have to go.”
I pouted and slumped my shoulders, frowning at Samara.
“Now, okay? Hurry and help me! I want to pass as a boy, not as myself!”
“Ugh, really…”
She sighed reluctantly, then looked at me seriously. Her gaze was sharper than before, scanning me from head to toe.
“Alright. First, wear a tight black turtleneck to cover your throat, and then put a shirt over it. Your wig is too neat, so mess it up a bit. Just the shirt won’t hide your delicate figure. Wear a thick wool coat, and choose a more ordinary hat… a brown hunting cap that a middle-aged man might wear. The tricorn is too cute and exposes your features, so it won’t work.”
“R-Really?”
At her stream of solutions, I got excited and rushed to grab the clothes she suggested. I should have listened to her earlier!
“Ah, no, Miss! Don’t make such a mess!”
“Hurry up and help! I’m really in a rush!”
I shouted at the approaching Samara, knocking down piles of clothes in my hurry.
Now, all that was left was to go out!
