Chapter 2.1

‘My hair has grown quite long. I’ll need to trim it soon.’  

Lyla stared intently at her reflection in the mirror, lost in thought.  

Her soft brown hair had grown to the point where it now covered her collarbone. Since she normally paid little attention to her appearance and had been busy with her daily life, she hadn’t realized how long it had gotten.  

Taking a comb, Lyla neatly brushed her hair and tied it back with a green ribbon.  

Recently, among women, it was fashionable to braid their hair, twist it into a bun, and secure it with pins. In the capital, a slender neckline was considered a mark of beauty, and this standard had reached even the northern regions. Everyone seemed eager to show off their delicate necklines by styling their hair up.  

‘Would it even be possible with my current hair length? Oh, wait. This isn’t the time to be thinking about such things.’  

Lyla shook her head vigorously.  

It wasn’t something that concerned her. Not only did she have no need to groom herself or appear feminine, but the opposite was true.  

Lyla had to hide her increasingly apparent femininity. The fact that she was a woman was a secret she intended to take to her grave.  

‘My lips look unusually red today.’  

Touching her crimson lips, Lyla opened a drawer and retrieved a small case. Inside was a balm. She applied it generously to her lips, dulling their color. It was an expensive ointment she had purchased because it promised to reduce the natural redness.  

“Hmm… It doesn’t seem to make much of a difference. Won’t it just wear off quickly?”  

Frowning slightly, Lyla muttered to herself.  

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been scammed.  

Despite all her efforts, the reflection in the mirror was not that of a dignified man but of a fragile woman who looked as if she might crumble at the slightest touch.  

“Well, there’s no helping it.”  

Lyla let out a deep sigh.  

Hurriedly, she began wrapping her ample chest with stark white bandages. Though she had been doing this for over ten years, it never felt like second nature.  

Would I grow accustomed to it by the time I died?  

‘Do I have to live like this until the day I die?’  

Her hands, which had been wrapping the bandages, froze mid-motion.  

‘You have to be strong, Lyla.’  

Suddenly, the youthful voice of her older brother echoed in her mind.  

Lyla had a twin brother. His name was Lyle.  

When they were children, Lyla and Lyle often climbed the mountains to gather herbs.  

Their mother, who was from the eastern regions, always suffered from a persistent cough during the winter. The problem was that the Earl’s family’s financial situation had deteriorated to the point where they could no longer afford medicine. So the siblings took matters into their own hands.  

But fate was cruel. Despite their commendable efforts, their mother’s life was taken.  

Even after her death, the siblings continued to climb the mountains to gather herbs. Their father, devastated by the loss, had fallen ill as well.  

And as if to mock their misfortune, another tragedy struck.  

It was on a day when the mountain air felt strangely sharp against their skin.  

While in the snowy mountains, the siblings were attacked by a bear. The creature was enormous and terrifying compared to the young siblings. Lyla froze in place, unable to move. Lyle, however, did not.  

Lyle, who had inherited their father’s exceptional swordsmanship skills, shouted,  

‘Lyla! Hide behind me!’  

With their father’s sword, which he had secretly taken, Lyle managed to fend off the ferocious bear.  

But when the fierce battle was over, Lyle’s body was in shambles. In the bear’s final moments, its paw had struck him, tearing away his lower half.  

The ground was soaked with the metallic scent of blood. A crimson pool surrounded Lyle’s body, his lower half mangled beyond recognition.  

Lyla crawled through the bloodied snow to reach her brother.  

‘Brother! Brother! Please, don’t die!’  

‘Lyla…’  

Unlike Lyla, who had lost all composure, Lyle accepted his impending death calmly.  

Gripping his sister’s hand, the dying Lyle spoke.  

‘Lyla. Listen to me carefully. Mother always said that twins are special beings, born from a single soul split in two. That means you and I are no different. Protect Father. And… you must carry on our family’s legacy in my place. Be strong, Lyla. Do you understand?’  

She understood what it meant to be strong. She also understood the plea to protect their father, who had been reduced to a shell of himself after losing their mother.  

But how could a girl like her carry on the family legacy?  

In the northern lands, the rules were simple. Only men could inherit titles, property, and the family line.  

At that moment, Lyla recalled something her uncle had said during their mother’s funeral.  

‘My brother has become a broken man, and Lyle is just a greenhorn. It would be better for everyone if the title were passed to our branch of the family. Hmph…’  

With their father’s health deteriorating further, their uncle had been eyeing the Earl’s title and estate.  

If, in this situation, Lyle were to die…  

At last, Lyla understood what her brother had meant.  

‘Alright, Brother. I’ll protect Father. I’ll protect our family. I promise. I promise, so…’  

Please, don’t die.  

But perhaps her desperate prayers didn’t reach him. In Lyla’s arms, Lyle closed his eyes for the last time.  

After sobbing uncontrollably for hours, Lyla finally steeled herself as the sun began to set. She exchanged clothes with her deceased brother.  

And she killed herself.  

That day, it wasn’t Lyle who died but his twin sister, Lyla. From then on, Lyla lived as Lyle.  

The lower half of Lyle’s body had been mangled beyond recognition, and the twins had even kept their hair the same length. No one suspected anything.  

Not even their bedridden father. He, too, remained unaware for a long time, as the shock of losing his daughter had left him deeply shaken.  

Thus, on the day of Lyla’s funeral—  

‘It should’ve been Lyle who died.’  

These were the bitter words muttered by their uncle, who had come to the funeral. Lyla couldn’t respond.  

If she opened her mouth, she feared her secret would be discovered.  

‘Was the Earl’s son always so frail?’  

‘It must be the shock of losing his sister.’  

‘The Earl’s family is doomed. If the eldest son is like this… Tsk, tsk.’  

Under the sharp gazes of those around her, Lyla grew more withdrawn each day.  

Time, cruel and unrelenting, didn’t wait for her. Neither did her body.  

Her excuse that she couldn’t wield a sword due to the trauma of losing her sister wouldn’t hold forever. Meanwhile, her once-flat chest began to develop, and her body filled out at an alarming rate.  

“…”  

Pausing her bandaging, Lyla stared at her reflection.  

Her body had fully matured into that of a woman. Her ample br*asts, once small, had grown to the point where they now sagged slightly under their weight.  

Even though they retained their shape, it felt meaningless.  

“Ugh… It hurts.”  

Despite wrapping her chest twice with bandages, the bulge was still noticeable, prompting a sigh.  

It felt as if she lived every day wearing a corset, constantly suppressing her true self.  

‘We’re nothing alike, Lyle.’  

Lyla frowned at her reflection in the mirror.  

They were not the same at all—in fact, they were complete opposites. It wasn’t simply a matter of appearance or gender. If Lyle was strong, Lyla was weak. If Lyle was brave, Lyla was a coward.  

Of course, the saying that twins are two halves of the same soul wasn’t entirely wrong. When Lyle died, Lyla experienced despair so profound it felt as though half the world had crumbled.  

It was a terrible memory of loss, one she never wanted to endure again. She didn’t want to lose anyone precious to her ever again.  

But as if mocking her wish, the winds of war swept across the Empire.