“……?”

Leticia touched her neck at Chamuka’s murmur, a question mark floating above her head.

In truth, after learning that all the Borba troupe members had died, she hadn’t been so meticulous with her body-altering magic, and above all else.

She was currently disguised as a maid, so of course, she had dispelled the magic…

Wouldn’t a maid with an Adam’s apple be more suspicious than a pretty maid?

“A girl……?”

Chamuka muttered in a daze.

Leticia remained silent, not knowing what to say.

Didn’t he know I was a woman? And when he said it didn’t matter whether I was a man or a woman, was he not being sincere?

“…….”

“…….”

In the suddenly awkward and heavy atmosphere, Luka frowned and asked.

“He thought you were a man? How?”

“My disguised identity was a prince, brother. Of course, I lived as a prince in the Grand Duchy.”

“But the way you look…….”

Leticia sighed and moved her magical energy.

The long attached wig fell off her real hair with a thud.

Not noticing Chamuka’s startled reaction, she brushed off the wig that had fallen on her shoulders and turned to look at Luka.

“Brother. Have you forgotten what kind of actor I was?”

“Travesti…….”

“I specialized in male roles. Of course, it’s difficult for people to tell the difference. And if you add a little magic to that……. It becomes completely convincing.”

She tapped her neck.

An Adam’s apple appeared, then disappeared again when she tapped it once more.

Luka looked her over with somewhat dazed eyes and muttered.

“You really were handsome.”

“I was always more of a handsome man candidate than a beautiful woman. If I had been pretty, I would have just played female roles, why would I have bothered acting as a different gender?”

“No, you’re pretty too…….”

Her appearance was more accurately described as beautiful rather than pretty. Whether man or woman, beauty is universal.

“Save the flattery. So naturally, he wouldn’t have known either. He might be shocked because I hid it for so long. He might be disappointed in me for hiding it…….”

As Leticia’s voice grew smaller and smaller, Chamuka’s dazed mind temporarily returned.

He immediately denied it.

“That’s not it.”

“Right. The idiot is the one who didn’t notice.”

“Brother Luka, why are you talking like that? I told you he’s my family. Stop speaking negatively about Cha- I mean, this person.”

At Leticia’s defense, Luka finally let out a long sigh.

“I just… dislike people who hide their identity. Because of what happened with Sir Borba, it’s an occupational hazard. But if you insist, I’ll try to bear with it.”

“Thank you.”

“And well, now that he knows you’re a woman, he won’t be courting you anymore.”

As soon as those words ended, questions burst simultaneously from Leticia and Chamuka’s mouths.

“Huh?”

“Why not?”

Taken aback by their immediate reactions, Luka was flustered.

“Why? Doesn’t he like men? If he liked you while thinking you were a man, doesn’t that mean that’s his preference?”

“If feelings could change because of something as trivial as gender, then those feelings were only that much to begin with.”

At Chamuka’s resolute answer, Luka let out an incredulous laugh.

“No, that’s too idealistic an answer. Realistically, when you want to be someone’s lover, you have certain expectations and imaginings, don’t you?”

Not being a 5-year-old child, but an adult, naturally.

Luka spoke to the person who either didn’t understand or was pretending not to understand.

“Your body is completely different from what he originally imagined. How can he handle tha- Aack!”

Suddenly, a torrent of water poured down on Luka.

Leticia, with the tips of her ears turning red, muttered quietly.

“Don’t provide the basis for such imaginings…….”

Luka, who had suddenly become soaking wet in the room, brushed back his damp hair.

Having moved beyond incredulity to bewilderment, he asked.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Don’t be a bad influence on Cha- I mean, this person.”

“Are you a child? Are you a child?! Your height might be tall enough to pierce the ceiling, but are you still a child?! Getting upset over something like this……!”

Luka glanced at Chamuka, who had frozen stiff, and shouted.

“You said you were family. If you lived together even for a while, there’s no way he wouldn’t have imagined anything when you were changing clothes or bathin-”

“Stop talking! I said stop talking!”

Splash, another torrent of water poured down on Luka.

Leticia raised her head sharply and exclaimed.

“What are you saying to an innocent person! Shut your mouthhhhhh!”

“What-”

“Aina, you know. Our Cha… isn’t that kind of person! Say something…….”

Wait. I’m sure I saw her standing by the door, but where did Aina go?

“Ai… na?”

Leticia turned her head and discovered Aina hiding her body behind the curtain by the window.

As if in camouflage, her clothes happened to be similar in color to the curtain, making her hard to notice.

Why is she doing that? Why on earth?

Following Leticia’s shifting gaze, the two men’s gazes also slid toward the curtain.

“…….”

“……Please don’t make them look this way. Young master.”

At that moment, the door burst open and a man entered the room.

“Luka, who are you-”

The curtain fluttered with the rough opening of the door.

Nathan alternately looked at the group of splendid faces gathered in the center of the room and Aina hiding behind the curtain, pretending not to know them, momentarily forgetting what he was going to say.

***

“…….”

After remaining silent in the confusing atmosphere of the room, Nathan asked Aina.

“What are you doing there, Sister?”

“Umm. Becoming one with the wall…….”

Related techniques include becoming invisible as air and pretending to be furniture. These are essential survival skills that all servants working in the Basilinte mansion must master.”

Aina thought as she came out from behind the curtain, pretending nothing was wrong.

Other skills include pretending not to see what you’ve seen and pretending not to know what you know. If you master just these, you can say, “You must be in the mood to be a dog today!” even if someone is running around on all fours.

When you finally master all the skills, you gain the deductive ability to predict which field a person who suddenly disappeared one day is buried in!

Of course, you also receive the tremendous responsibility and duty to decide whether to dig up the person buried in that field for investigation, then bury them again, or let them go! Haha! XX!

“……Pardon? What did you say, Sister?”

“Nothing.”

Unable to speak about the cursed daily life of Basilinte that had flowed through her consciousness, Aina shook her head.

She glanced cautiously at Nathan, who was still unfamiliar to her, then looked back at Leticia’s group.

Meanwhile, Leticia was staring with wide eyes, alternately looking between Nathan and Aina.

Those large eyes looking at Aina seemed to be shouting ‘That brother!’ which felt somewhat cute…….

No, no.

Aina disciplined her eyes that were trying to become affectionate.

In front of Basilinte, who was more sensitive than a beast, one had to be careful not only with words but also with one’s eyes.

Especially in front of Chamuka, who had just realized Leticia was of a marriageable gender.

To Aina, who had mastered all the special skills learned by Basilinte mansion servants, the current Chamuka was an extremely dangerous beast.

All Basilintes who had chosen their mates but couldn’t marry were like that.

Their sensitivity reached extreme levels, making them wary of all humans approaching their mates.

According to records searched in Basilinte, most humans were buried in fields during that period.

Moreover, didn’t that person just realize marriage was possible after having naturally given up on it because it seemed impossible in reality?

But what could Aina do about it?

She couldn’t tell Leticia to abandon that dangerous beast and run away.

And after all, Leticia liked that dangerous beast. So…….

“Excuse me. Please continue your conversation. We’ll quietly wait until your fight- I mean, your business is finished.”

Aina shifted her gaze away from Leticia’s innocent eyes.

……Anyway, Leticia would take responsibility. Aina had a brother she needed to take responsibility for.