Stahlia Ten Years Old, Second Month of 947

“One other thing to keep in mind, Lady Stahlia… Those numbers are extreme… In any given year, the total number of initiates is less than a hundred combined, boys and girls. Something might have happened to cause the Order to need a lot more recruits… If that’s the case, I normally would have been informed…”

I gulped at the possible implications of Jacqueline having been left out of the loop. “Right, and I have something to share with you about the Academy. I think they’ve assigned another Shadow to watch me there. A young knight who calls himself Rowell.”

I grimaced, the implications were indeed frightening. Jacqueline fell silent with a pensive look on her face. “In any case, there isn’t much we can do about it right now, is there?” Jacqueline nodded at my assertion. “In that case, there is one last thing that needs to be done tonight. Pet, could you come here, please?” Pet looked up from her now empty plate. She looked a bit scared, but wasn’t in pain; I had phrased my request as such so that it wouldn’t activate the compelling force of our contract.

After a moment, Pet stood up and walked over to me. “Thank you. Pet, would you, would you let me check something about you really quick? It might feel strange but I promise it won’t hurt.” I neglected to do this with Rosial because I was afraid she would ask awkward questions and my secret would get out. With Pet though, I can rest assured she won’t tell anyone. That’s one benefit of the slave magic I guess… I felt my stomach twist up a little. After a moment of hesitation, Pet nodded.

I smiled in what I hoped was a reassuring way and slowly reached out my hand towards her. Feeling her warmth against my palm, I instinctively started rubbing my hand on her, gently of course. After a moment, Pet got a funny look on her face and started purring softly, an action that caused her to turn beat red. Adorable. I started rubbing a little more aggressively, but still taking care to be gentle; I didn’t want to hurt or scare her.

Pet gave a sharp yelp. “Nee-San, My head feels funny!” I nodded.

“Don’t worry, it will feel better soon, we’re almost done.” After another moment of petting Pet, I felt her resistances fail completely, and my mana was able to flow into her unobstructed. Her information appeared in a menu window for me to peruse.

Name/Age: Pet, 4

Species/Level: Beast-kin[Ebony Cat Tribe], 4

Ability Values:

* Strength C: 65

* Endurance C: 65

* Dexterity B: 91

* Intelligence C: 65

* Charisma C: 65

* Mana E: 13

Special: Slave(Owner: Stahlia von Ris)

Skills: Envious*, Language Proficiency[Central Human], Language Proficiency[Central Beastkin]

I gave Pet one last head rub before removing my hand. She looked a bit disappointed. Well, it looks a lot like when I check Stil. I haven’t checked a person other than the boys back in Ris, but this matches up with what I could see then, in fact, this showing me skills and species/level info means it’s showing more information than it did back then. Probably has something to do with the “Special” section. Both Pet and Stil are magically linked to me.

Her stats were impressive for a level four, but when you took into account it came at the cost of having basically no mana, it didn’t seem overpowered. Blood Magic let me easily match and overpower these numbers, even when I was her level, and there were chanted spells that could do something similar to my own enhancement. I did note that her Dexterity was one grade higher than the other stats, indicating that the plus one boost from being female still applied even to demi-humans.

Ebony Cat Tribe huh. I wonder if that’s a rare one? I know the beast-kin in this world tend to group up into large clans, but Drakas doesn’t keep records of which subtypes are more numerous since they see them all as “abominations”. “Cats are Cats, Dogs are Dogs, and Rabbits are a plague” is the general sense of this shitty kingdom. I turned my attention to the main stand-out feature, that is to say, her single skill “Envious”.

The name is a bit scary. It makes me think of Envy, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. With my heart in my throat, I focused on Envious, causing the description window to appear.

“Envious(500LP): One of the Sin skills. User can obtain a copy of any Talent they witness. Acquired Talents will be the lowest level. Repeated observation of a Talent that is a higher rank than the user's will yield Talent Experience. Use of this skill progresses user towards Demonization[Demon of Envy].”

I swung my head around and stared at Pet. She was holding both hands on her head with a faint smile on her face. Noticing my gaze, she looked up at me. What the hell? Why does she have a skill that’s going to turn her into a fucking demon?! “Pet… how did you learn to do that curtsy?” Pet cocked her head sideways and answered innocently.

“Elienor-Sama was showing Pet how to act properly. Pet wanted to impress you but couldn’t do it right. Then Pet got really upset, and then *BAM*! Pet could do it properly. Elienor-Sama said Pet was very clever!” The smile she beamed at me didn’t have a single hint of any ill intent. Also, “Elienor-Sama” the fuck? I chose to ignore the weeb speak, for now, and focus on the bigger issue.

“Just like *BAM*?” Pet nodded. Right, that’s probably Envious getting activated, she probably has no idea about it, so she can’t explain properly. I briefly considered giving her an order to speak truthfully, but doing that would almost certainly destroy the trust I had managed to build up in the past couple of days. For better or worse, she really reminded me of Rosial, I didn’t want her to hate me. The line about her becoming a demon was a bit scary, but much like the issues with the Order, there wasn’t much I could do about it right now.

“Alright, well that was everything. I have the school social tomorrow so I should probably sleep early.” Jacqueline nodded and started preparing my bed. As I started pulling at some of the fastenings holding my clothes together, I felt a small tug at my skirt hem. Glancing over, I saw Pet’s small hand tugging at me.

“Can… can Pet sleep with you Nee-San?” Her upturned eyes reminded me of Rosial, and I felt my heart melting. I bit my lip.

“That… That wouldn’t be a good idea… If Frieda or Lucy were to find you in the bed, they might do something bad…” Pet’s eyes started to tear up a bit at the corners, enhancing her begging by a factor of a thousand. “Ugh. Fine. But only for tonight alright?” Of course, I was under no illusions that it would be “only for tonight.” Pet used beg! It was super effective!

As I was preparing to fall asleep, Jacqueline approached me. "One more thing Lady Stahlia. You will likely meet the King during the Entrance Ceremony, when that happens make sure to watch out for..." What she told me was indeed quite frightening. I'm so glad I have such a knowledgeable vassal!

★★★★★★

A nondescript location, later that night

I was kneeling with my head down, waiting for him to arrive. I was both thrilled and terrified. We did not usually make our reports in person, let alone to this man. I checked and rechecked myself. Of course, my effects were in perfect order, I was no amateur. The routine of going over my equipment simply helped to calm my nerves. Before long, he arrived.

I quickly lowered my head upon confirming his entrance. “You may make your report.”

I dared not raise my head but quickly began talking lest this great personage grows irritated. “As you command, Lord Five. I successfully made contact with the target. I believe she noticed me, so garnering her sympathies should prove simple enough. However, I can only follow her in and around the academy due to my cover. Will this be adequate?”

Lord Five nodded. “Yes, that will suffice. I have other eyes on her at the Francois’ Estate.”

I dared to risk a peek at his lordship’s visage. “Not the eyes of that traitor?”

Lord Five shot me a glare and I quickly lowered my head again. “No. Not “Jacqueline”. Someone far superior to her in every regard. Do you question me?”

At his inquiry, I suddenly felt a chill, the chill of cold steel being pressed against my throat. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a small hand gripping the blade, as well as a flash of black hair. I gulped instinctively. “No, I do not question you, my Lord.”

He nodded. “Good. My word is absolute. 23, release them.” I felt the pressure of the knife abate at his command. “Remember, the target intends to destroy this kingdom and one of our own, your sister, is aiding her.”

My heart filled with anger at the thought. “Please permit me to simply remove them, my Lord.”

“No.” His voice was suddenly very cold. “Your target still has her uses, you will simply watch her, for now.”

Tch. Killing her would be so simple though… “Yes my Lord, my blade is yours to command.”

“Of course it is.” With those parting words, I felt his presence vanish. After a moment to collect myself, and calm my heart, I stood up and departed. It would be a big day at school tomorrow.

That 23 is so lucky though… directly serving our lord every day, I wish I was in her position.

★★★★★★

Contrary to my expectations, Lucy did not say anything about Pet’s location when she came to my room the next morning. Rather, she seemed to find the sight of the young catkin clinging to my side and trapping me from getting up early to train endearing. I was not, however, without problems.

“Jacqueline, what is this?” Jacqueline glanced over from where she was preparing my school uniform.

“That would be a Bra, Stahlia. You wear it around your chest.”

No shit. “I know what it is! Why did you give me one?”

Jacqueline smiled at me. “So that you could wear it.” I groaned.

“But why do I have to wear it…?” Jacqueline just shook her head.

“Lady Stahlia, you are ten years old, you need to start practicing certain things now or you will regret it later. Besides the fact that you are entering school marks a good turning point in your life.” She seemed utterly convinced that I should wear this thing.

“But what about my other goals? A Bra would just get in the way! I’ll use a wrap.” Jacqueline shook her head.

“No, you would be surprised Stahlia, a properly fitted Bra will not get in the way of fighting at all; I wear one myself.” I smiled, she had unwittingly given me an out!

“Ah, but I do not recall you ever taking my measurements! Therefore this Bra is not fitted properly! What if I get attacked and have to fight? It might chafe and distract me.” Jacqueline shook her head.

“I eyeballed it. In your case, it wasn’t hard to guess accurately since you’ve barely started growing.” I felt my cheeks grow red and instinctively covered my chest with my hands. Now that I’m properly feeling it, I think I have started growing… I’ll be bigger eventually! Wait, why do I care about that!? In the end, I did wind up wearing the proffered article of underwear. It felt incredibly awkward having something clinging onto my chest under my bodice.

I had been mostly ignoring my new gender and any issues it presented had been minor inconveniences at worst. Indeed, the biggest struggle was using the bathroom… getting dressed… dealing with strangers… actually, there were a lot of inconveniences. Now that I was being confronted by a constant reminder squeezing my torso, I was finding it hard to focus on things other than my gender.

Case in point, when I entered the yard to take the carriage to the Academy, Dominic was there to greet me. As soon as my eyes met his, I suddenly felt very conscious of the fact that I was now starting to develop in certain aspects. Dominic seemed to pick up on the fact that I was feeling a bit distressed and quickly came up to me, offering his hand. “Lady Stahlia, are you perhaps feeling ill?”

I couldn’t help but break off our eye contact. “N-no, I am quite alright. I am simply nervous regarding the social today.” Dominic’s expression went wide-eyed for a moment before a smile broke out across his face. For some reason, he seemed absolutely thrilled.

“Ah, is that so? Worry not, I am sure everyone present will love you.” He again offered his hand, it was clear that I would not be able to avoid taking it. Reluctantly, I took his hand and allowed him to escort me to the carriage.

“After all, you look absolutely stunning in your dress today.” I felt a shiver run up my spine. Of course, there was no way he would know about the recent addition to my wardrobe, but having my appearance complimented now of all times was doing wonders for my recently deteriorating self-image. I managed a half-smile and thanked him for the compliment in the firmest voice I could muster before boarding my carriage.

“I-is that so? T-thank you, Lord Dominic.”

His smile stretched out even further, I was beginning to think he might be messing with me on purpose. “Of course my Lady, your smile is radiant today as usual.” Not once did he blink while helping me up onto the carriage. Ugh. Why are boys so creepy? Wait, I was a boy once too! Blegh! I’ve been wearing panties for nine years now! Why is it a fucking bra of all things that makes me feel so uncomfortable! Of course, deep down, I knew it wasn’t the bra in and of itself that was making me feel this way. It was the fact that I had just been suddenly confronted with the fact that my body was starting to mature. I had always known this would happen eventually, I thought I was comfortable with it, but apparently not so much.

We arrived at the school without much further distraction. I was greeted at the gate by Rowell, my guard knight, and suspected shadow, who stood by when Dominic helped me down from the carriage. The number of people watching this from the sidelines was quite uncomfortable, to say the least. Entering the main hall, I was greeted with the sight of nearly three thousand students, the vast majority of them the children of various nobles.

The room itself was gigantic, outside of assemblies like this one, I couldn’t see a real use for it. The decorations were likewise impressive, banners depicting the crest of the royal family, as well as smaller flags with the crests of the five dukes decorated each wall. The cloth was a rich dark red, similar to our school uniforms, but one could easily tell that it was far higher quality. Those banners probably cost more apiece than Ris Village’s GDP.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

There was even a full orchestra towards the front of the room, playing music that to my ears sounded vaguely classical, but some of the instruments were strange. I could see what looked like the ones you would expect to see; violins and cellos, trumpets and trombones, a piano. Of course, they didn’t look exactly like the ones in my memories, but it was close enough you could reasonably call them as such. But I could also see instruments I wouldn’t have ever expected to see in an orchestral arrangement; there was a set of bongos keeping the rhythm, a kind of stringed instrument I was pretty sure was called a biwa, and even something that vaguely resembled a kazoo of all things. I mean, the music still sounds pretty good even considering the arrangement is a bit… It’s honestly more weird that I didn’t know about these instruments beforehand; my memory is perfect now, and yet I can’t recall either of my parents even once mentioning or trying to get me to learn music… isn’t that something noble children are supposed to learn?

Off to one side of the room, was a line of very large tables all laden down with extravagant dishes. I could recognize a few of them; they were somewhat similar to things I had been served at the Francois Estate. Other’s I could somewhat guess as to their identities; for instance, the one towards the far end appeared to be an entire Direwolf whole roasted. The smell coming off of the table was delightful, and I could feel my mouth watering slightly.

Dominic was greeted by a group of boys roughly his age, whereupon he introduced me as his fiancé, before making an excuse and leaving me alone. He looked apologetic about it, however, in my current mental state, I would greatly prefer if he were to stay as far away as possible. I managed an awkward smile and bid him a farewell before stepping back and placing my back against the wall.

Every so often, someone would come up and introduce themselves; various faculty who wanted to show their face to the new Special Student or students, curious about the first year garnering so much attention from the teachers. Of course, the kids who had been in my testing group were interested in me for their own reasons. At least in their case, I could recognize some of them by face if not by name. A couple of them even managed the feat of standing out; namely, the commoner girl and the daughter of a duke who had been sitting near me during the tests.

Most of the students in my year, that is to say, those students who had just become students, were still grouped together according to their social positions. This line blurred a bit in the higher years, but from what I could tell, gazing in from the sidelines as I was, it never went away entirely. These two, however, the commoner and the high noble girl, seemed to be discussing something animatedly with each other. Curious, I strained my ears.

“You heard right? They have opted to make one of the incoming first-years a Special Student right away! It’s you, isn’t it? Lady Edith.” The commoner girl seemed impressively close to the noble, considering her status. According to my memory, that’s Edith von Claurence. Her father is the regent of the Northern territory.

“No, Sar, it is not me. I do believe it is that Baron’s daughter… Stahlia von Ris was her name. The one who caused the stir among the first prince’s faction with her engagement to the Francois’ third son.” Edith shot a pointed look at me, making eye contact. It would seem that my eavesdropping was noticed… but what’s this about an incident among the first Prince’s faction? I thought the Francois family were in the Third Prince’s… oh.

Without anything else to do, and based on the gestures Edith was making with her line of sight, I made my way over to the two of them. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, I am Stahlia von Ris, first daughter of Baron Ris.” I addressed my greeting towards Edith and gave her a full curtsey. Towards the commoner Sar, I inclined my head. Even with the supposed ban on rank-based actions at the school when in doubt it was better to go with convention and I had no way of knowing how Edith might react to a casual greeting.

Edith raised an eyebrow before quickly introducing herself. “I am Edith von Claurence. This is Sarala, a friend who came with me from my father’s domain. Everyone is equal here, Stahlia. Call me Edith.” Edith was just a bit taller than me, just enough so that I had to lightly bend back my head to meet her eyes. Though, come to think of it, so was Sarala. Are we really in the same year? I also made note of the fact that both girls had a visible, albeit faint bulge to their chests. Something that I definitely wouldn’t have noticed, and in fact did not notice, yesterday. Damnit, Jacqueline! This damn piece of cloth is making me so self-conscious!

Still, the fact that Sarala was considered a friend, and not a servant or attendant, of Edith’s. Despite the latter’s social position, spoke volumes of Edith’s character. It might be worth it to try and befriend her. The Claurence family is staying neutral in the cold war conflict between the Princes, so they get access to a lot of information I wouldn’t be so easily capable of getting for myself. It was also worth a wager, that if Edith really was so kind, then I could eventually confront her with the truth of the kingdom and gain a true ally. For that though, I would have to be very careful and be sure to vet her out completely.

I put on an awkward smile and nodded. “In that case, by all means. Please call me Stahlia.” Edith nodded started asking me all kinds of questions about growing up in Ris Village. As she herself had grown up in a large city, she was greatly curious about the conditions of a veritable frontier village, and how such an environment would have produced someone like myself. Sarala, on the other hand, seemed to retreat a bit from the conversation once Edith and I got going. I suppose, even if she is technically a friend, it must be incredibly awkward for Sarala to be caught in the conversation between two nobles like this…

I decided I should do something to try and make her feel more at ease around me, since based on my earlier observations she was perfectly at ease around just Edith. “Sarala, we keep talking about me, but you must be very impressive yourself, to be allowed to follow Edith to all the way to the Academy.” Very briefly, I caught a look of irritation flash across Sarala’s face. Hmm? Does she not like being addressed…? As I was pondering if I might have said something wrong, I recalled my earlier eavesdropping; despite being at the academy where status supposedly didn’t matter, and Edith being her friend, Sarala still referred to her as “Lady Edith”.

Ah, it’s like that then. With my newfound realization, I turned to Edith. “Is that right Lady Edith? Sarala must be quite talented herself.” Edith nodded, and began telling me all about Sarala’s early accomplishments. Out of the corner of my eye, I noted that the irritation had vanished from Sarala’s face, and she in fact now looked quite embarrassed.

“Indeed, Sarala is very talented; by the time she was four years old, she had already acquired Fire Magic I, Ice Magic I, and Shadow Magic I. As of the new year, her Shadow Magic has become Darkness Magic I, and her Fire Magic has nearly become Flame Magic!” Edith’s eyes were sparkling as she described her friend. For my part, I was equally impressed. I had the Prodigy skill-boosting my own abilities, and I had struggled for nearly two years to get Fire Magic I, but Sarala had apparently gotten three magic talents by the time she was four.

I turned to Sarala with a gleam in my eye. Considering my goal to translate the magic language, I need to get Sarala to be my friend. I was about to start asking her questions, when there was a loud chime from the front of the room, near where a full orchestra was entering. Sarala snapped her head towards the sound and exclaimed; “Oh look! Something else, let us focus on it, Lady Stahlia, Lady Edith!” Her ears were still quite red. I see she’s weak to being praised, I’ll have to remember that for operation “Win Sarala’s friendship.”

Up at the front of the room and speaking into a magic tool to project his voice, I recognized Percius. “Thank you to all of our students and Alumni who could attend our welcome banquet for this year’s newest crop of young talents!” He paused and looked around the room. “It is with great pleasure that I lead you all in welcoming them all.” The room erupted into applause, as several of the new students looked around bashfully, me included when I noticed a group of boys that were watching Edith and me with an uncomfortable intensity.

“As is the tradition in our fine institute of meritocracy, I will commence tonight’s festivities by announcing the top three incoming students. The rest of you will have to wait until tomorrow to learn your rankings.” Oh fuck. I’m definitely on the shortlist… I swallowed and did my best to prepare myself for the unwanted attention. “Placing third in the placement examinations with a score of sixty-two, I present Edgar von Strappe, first son Count Strappe.” Applause filled the room again at those words. Looking around, I was able to spot a boy who was having his back clapped by those around him. I could vaguely recall seeing him in my own testing. Sixty-two though? Assuming that’s out of a hundred, what the hell? Were those tests really supposed to be so difficult?

Percius called for silence, and the applause abated. “Placing second, with a score of seventy exact, I present Sarala, daughter of Mira. A rare case of a commoner woman managing to place so highly, our institution is pleased to welcome her among our ranks!” The applause was a bit more subdued following this announcement, presumably, it was very rare for a commoner to rank highly at all, let alone second place. But Sarala is the friend of Edith, so she has the backing of one of the five duke families. That should help shield her a bit once the word gets out. Indeed, among those not clapping, were the boys surrounding Edgar. Each of them was watching my group of three girls, specifically Sarala, with fairly obvious jealousy and hostility.

It’s a bit strange that they know who she is, considering she’s a commoner… This must be an example of Edith’s influence, as well as a testament to how much of an achievement it is to learn three magic talents so early. Let alone getting an evolved magic talent. I glanced at Sarala out of the corner of my eye; I didn’t want to look at her directly, lest she thinks I was staring like so many others were. Indeed, she was certainly embarrassed, her face was red and she had slid slightly behind Edith as if trying to hide in her shadow.

Again, Percius called for silence, and again the applause abated. Here it comes. I took a deep breath, clenched my jaw, and squared my shoulders. “Coming in first place, and setting a new record for the academy with a perfect score of one hundred. I present Special Student Stahlia von Ris, first daughter of Baron Ris and fiancé of Dominic von Francois, third son of Count Francois.” There was no applause. Rather, everyone was looking around at each other with confusion on their faces. I see Edith really does have good ears, apparently, very few people knew about me ahead of time.

Suddenly, Edith exclaimed from behind me, in a voice that carried due to the silence. “Congratulations Stahlia! That’s a remarkable achievement!” Instantly, several heads snapped around and zeroed in on us. Wait, did they not even know what I looked like? But they knew Sarala’s appearance? Or was it that they knew she would be near Edith? Several of the boys in my year, and even some older students and one or two of the teachers were now eying me with a frankly, revolting expression. Like a wolf looking at a lamb.

I shifted uncomfortably. What the hell, I’m ten!? That guy over there looks older than my dad! Suddenly, I felt my hand get grabbed and tugged to something warm. Due to my mental state, I failed to offer much resistance. Glancing in that direction, I saw Edith had pulled my hand into her chest, which I couldn’t help noting as possessing much more defined lumps than my own. Despite being the same age, why the hell are hers bigger? Wait, what am I thinking?! Ignoring my inner turmoil, Edith again spoke up in a voice that I now realized was intended to carry through the room. “I am so glad to have had the chance to make you my friend Stahlia!” I see, she knew that people would eventually come to know who I am, predicted the reaction, and decided to publicly announce me herself, all while insinuating her and I were close, thus placing me under her protection! The sudden wave of realization washed over me, blowing the fog out of my mind and causing my opinion of Edith to shoot up several hundred points immediately.

Indeed, following Edith’s announcement, a wave of whispers passed through the room and the majority of those carnivores who had been eyeballing me turned their gazes elsewhere. “Thank you, Lady Edith.” I whispered in a small voice, employing a trick Jacqueline had taught me to speak without visibly moving my lips. Edith responded using a similar technique, though I didn’t find that particularly odd; it was useful for nobles as well as assassins, and she was a duke’s daughter.

“Of course, Stahlia. We are friends after all.” She gave a small smile before nodding her chin slightly in a direction. “Though I suppose I should turn you over, Dominic is making his way over to us.” I looked, and indeed, Dominic was sliding through the crowd and making his way towards us.

“Lady Edith, might I request you hand my fiancé over to me? The first dance shall be commenced shortly.” Edith nodded and passed my hand over to Dominic. Don’t just hand my hand to him! At least let go and let me give it to him myself… I already know I won’t be able to avoid dancing at least once. Dominic took my hand, and held it up at around the height of my shoulder, such that our elbows were slightly bent. Before he led me away, he addressed Edith one more time. “I must say Lady Edith, that was an interesting scene to witness. Do pass along a message to your father from mine.” Without actually saying anything about what said message really was, Dominic led me towards a space in the room that was largely devoid of people.

I feel like I just witnessed something really important… What the hell was that about, and what does he mean by message? I tuned out the surroundings and focused inwards. I abused my Eidetic Memory skill to replay the full sequence of events, as well as everything I knew about Edith and the Claurence house. After about a minute of realtime analysis, I realized what I had likely just witnessed. Edith is the first daughter of Duke Claurence. As such, even though she’s a woman and thus has less political power than her brothers, her actions still hold a lot of weight.

The Claurence and Percius houses have thus far maintained neutrality in the succession cold war, while the other three dukes have each chosen to back a different prince. The Ris house is likewise neutral, despite my father receiving the favor of the third prince, we hold too little influence for our allegiance to mean anything, thus we have been largely ignored. But I am currently set to marry into the Francois house, one of the strongest Count families. By declaring that “Stahlia is my friend” in front of so many nobles and their children, Edith basically declared that the Claurence House is no longer neutral, and is now planning to back the third prince.

I shuddered at the realization that I had just witnessed a single move on the political chessboard, and yet this move was likely going to sway the future of the entire kingdom. And I’m directly in the eye of the storm. I was torn from my thoughts when Dominic turned to face me. “Well Stahlia, might I have the pleasure of this dance?” I couldn’t stop myself from flinching slightly at the idea, but I was able to prevent a look of complete disgust at the thought of being held close in his arms.

“I-It would be my pleasure, Dominic.” Too late, I realized I had called him familiarly, it had been a reflex response to him doing the same with me, despite the fact that we were in public and there were other couples preparing to dance all around us. My face turned slightly red and I had to glance away. I heard a nearby noble girl let out a small squeal before her own partner turned her away.

The dance turned to be, unfortunately, one of the slow romantic type ones where the male would lead and hold the female close to his chest. I also couldn’t back out by saying that I didn’t know the steps, as this was one of the dances I had been taught by my mother during one of her bouts of “you need to be a proper young lady!” training.

As we danced, Dominic leaned forward just a bit, close enough that he could speak directly into my ear without being heard. Unsurprisingly, he was also speaking without moving his lips. “Stahlia, I do apologize that I left you alone. Had I known Lord Percius was going to do that I wouldn’t have left your side like that.” I was spun away from him in a move similar to a step in a waltz, before being pulled back and landing into his chest. I was startled by how firm it was, and I felt my heartbeat quicken slightly. What the hell?! You’re just working up a sweat from the dance Stahlia. Nothing to worry about. You aren’t attracted to this jerk!

“If I had been with you, none of those men would dare have laid such eyes on you. I will pull some favors and arrange for you to receive a greater degree of protection.” His tone was surprisingly cold. Glancing up I could see he had set his jaw, and was staring directly at one of the older men who had been looking at me earlier.

“No, it’s ok I-“ He cut me off.

“No I must insist Stahlia, because of my negligence, this has blown out into a political affair involving the forces that move the country. If I don’t move appropriately, then our engagement may be dissolved… I don’t want to lose you.” I was being held close enough to his chest that I could feel his heartbeat. It was calm and steady, and despite our exertion, he was not visibly sweating. He… He’s serious?! What the hell did I do that would make him fall for me like this?! My cheeks turned crimson, and I had to fight the urge to hide them by burying my face in his chest. What the hell is going on with me? There’s no way wearing a bra for the first time should make me like this! It’s just a piece of fucking cloth!

★★★★★★

The rest of the day ball passed without much else of note. After my absolutely embarrassing dance with Dominic, I was able to excuse myself from him with the age-old classic excuse of “I need to go pick some flowers.” When I returned to my previous location, Edith had stepped to the dance floor and was currently dancing with the number three. Based on his facial expressions, I could only imagine he was being warned off Sarala.

Sarala as well had left. Based on her personality, I could only assume she had hidden away from shyness, due to Edith having stepped to the dance floor. I slunk over to the food table and selected a few items, relying on my stealth talent to ward off any potential approaches. Unsurprisingly, Rowell had no issues continuing to follow me, despite me actively hiding my presence.

As the event wore on, I was able to calm down somewhat. It helped that, other than Rowell, nobody was paying me any attention anymore. But seriously. What the hell is going on with me? The only thing that changed since yesterday was Jacqueline giving me that fucking bra, which caused me to notice my body started changing a little. I groused to myself as I picked at a dessert tart. As I was putting the last piece of tart in my mouth, it hit me.

It’s fucking puberty! This whole time, I’ve been able to more or less deal with my gender by just ignoring it, but now my hormones are starting to go out of whack, and Jacqueline confronting me with that bra made me extra sensitive to the changes! I shuddered as I remembered, in perfect detail, all the awkwardness of my last puberty experience, the one from my previous life. I hope this shit finishes quickly, I just can’t wait to start all that gross stuff I know girls do… I wanted to find a dark corner and curl up to cry.