Iela gazed languidly at the darkening view outside the window. In Valita, the nights are longer than the days.

The hour when the taverns that had been dead quiet all day came to life, the hour when regulars would pour in seeking strong drink to thaw their bodies frozen by the cold. Those with more domestic inclinations would go home and uncork a bottle of vodka.

Iela did not dislike the drunkards who trod carefully along the frozen roads and toasted to another uneventful day.

She enjoyed the boisterous bragging of drunkards so much that she had on occasion slipped secretly into a tavern while evading Diana’s eyes.

Valita was less strict about the distinction between men and women compared to other regions. What could be more foolish than worrying about gender when survival itself was a pressing concern?

However, less strict did not mean the customs were particularly free-spirited.

For example, taverns were places where only men were permitted entry. Since the very idea of a woman coming of her own accord had never occurred to anyone, Iela had gotten through simply by pulling her hood down low and lowering her voice slightly.

There were even drunkards who, taking her for a visitor from out of town, were happy to offer her a drink.

Iela enjoyed that kind of thrill, yet at the same time felt a sense of irritation.

It grated on her that the tavern doors were open even to outsiders, yet firmly closed to Iela, who was from the same domain, for no reason other than her s*x.

Similar forms of discrimination were countless. Too trivial to list one by one, yet the kind that made her feel petty and small-minded the moment she brought them up. A clearly drawn line.

Iela, who was not the least bit afraid of being called petty, always crossed those lines with deliberate flair.

She paid no mind even when Philip Lorid clutched the back of his neck in distress and Diana pleaded with her to be more careful. It was not because she had some great fighting spirit, driven by a desire to resist vague discrimination.

For the same reason, even if there were a woman who boldly stepped forward to challenge injustice, Iela would not come forward to help her.

Other people were of no particular concern to her. It was simply that she could not stand it when it became her own matter.

‘And yet the final destination turns out to be a single rose.’

She had not sat on the cold windowsill for no reason, indulging in pointless self-pity.

She had torn open all six pillows that had been neatly arranged on the bed, and when even that had not relieved her frustration, she had moved to a different spot.

She appeared to be gazing out the window, but inwardly she was absorbed in thoughts about what it would take to shatter this glass.

“Miss. It is Mary.”

Lost in thought, Iela was brought back to reality by a knock.

“A knight says he would like to come up briefly. What shall I do?”

The loyalty of the maids who had received gold coins was sky-high. Only when Iela nodded did they open the way. Mayer, whom she had met that morning, crossed the threshold with his heavy, unhurried steps.

He was not alone. Iela looked quietly at the unfamiliar face that was nearly hidden behind Mayer’s large frame.

“This is the one who will be in charge of my lady’s guard.”

“I am your guard.”

The lean-built man offered a greeting that was plainly lacking in courtesy. Mayer smacked the back of his head.

Even so, the grinning expression on his face did not change, and Iela narrowed her eyes and looked him over.

“You are something of a notable figure, are you not? It is an honor, truly an honor, to make your acquaintance like this?”

“Notable?”

“Because you are Diana’s younger sister.”

“By that reasoning, the notable one is my sister.”

“The fact that you are Diana’s younger sister comes with a remarkably widespread notoriety.”

It was not quite hostile, but it could not be called friendly either.

Iela tilted her head quietly. He was acting casually familiar while subtly mocking her.

“You know my background, so shall we get along informally?”

“Exactly. You see, Captain. Miss Iela is not a refined lady who stands on ceremony. What is so wonderful about becoming a noble? A young woman raised in a free-spirited household is suddenly going to be tied down by rules. Should she not at least have a friend like me to speak openly with?”

It seemed the entire knight order was not made up of former mercenaries. Iela rested her chin in her hand and crooked a finger at the man who was showing off a familiarity he had no intention of actually offering.

Mayer, seeing it, smacked the back of his head once more instead of the man who was too busy talking.

“Show proper respect to my lady.”

“My lady, really. I am even acquainted with Diana.”

“Had I known that your claim of there being no one more suited to guard duty than this one was connected to my lady’s situation before her marriage, I would have excluded him from the start. I apologize, my lady. This fellow is not ill-natured at heart, but he occasionally says and does things that invite misunderstanding. It is not his true intention, so please do not take it too much to heart.”

It was a clean apology, not at all what one would expect from a former mercenary. Iela looked silently at Mayer, who had bowed his head. Then she looked up at the man who was still standing stiffly without having even given his name.

“Your head is too high.”

At those brief words, the smile disappeared from the face of the man who had been grinning.

“My notoriety is not all that impressive. At most, something like being unkind, or having a bad manner of speaking, or occasionally getting on people’s nerves? Seeing that you took such minor notoriety to heart, you must have a great deal of time on your hands.”

Iela paused briefly and continued with a mischievous expression.

“Ah, were you perhaps one of my sister’s suitors? Strangely, the men who court my sister tend to find me particularly irritating. Perhaps they never anticipated being rejected by the kind and gentle Diana, so the shock is immense as well. Amusing.”

Iela actually laughed out loud. The laugh that came out with the corners of her mouth not lifting at all conveyed unmistakably that she was looking down on him.

“My sister has her shortcomings, but that is only where I am concerned. Having a good personality does not mean she does anything foolish enough to grant any request asked of her. If she had been out of her mind enough to accept a proposal from someone like you, she would have had about five husbands by now through bigamy, would she not?”

It was just as the man’s mouth fell open, his complexion having changed.

“Miss Lorid, why are you still here!”

Anton burst in. He completely ignored the knight with the twisted expression and Mayer with his evident discomfort.

“Peter Carpenter has already shown himself. I lured him to the annex as planned, but what is the point if Miss Lorid is not prepared at all?”

Iela did not miss the man letting out a small laugh when Anton called her Miss Lorid.

Without so much as glancing at the white dress the maid who had quietly entered was holding out, she pointed at the man.

“I have a better plan, Anton Mivela.”

“We have already come up with a perfectly good plan.”

“Every plan has the potential to be improved.”

“I have a feeling Miss Lorid’s ideas only ever get worse, so I will decline.”

“It is amusing that you never concede a single word, Anton Mivela.”

“It is not amusing. Not at all. Not even slightly. There is not a single amusing part anywhere, so please follow my plan.”

Iela shrugged and said.

“Dress this man in the gown.”

Silence fell. After a moment, Anton let out a long sigh.

“The jokes can wait,”

“It is not a joke. Lord Bahar does not want me to be in danger. Come to think of it, given how much he cherishes me, is it not a bit harsh to use my own body as bait without a second thought?”

“If that were truly your sincere feeling, you would not have come to the annex in the first place.”

“I had not thought that far at the time.”

Iela maintained her position firmly.

“A knight protecting a lady. How romantic. If you went outside right now and called for volunteers, would they not all step forward? This man appears to be from Valita and says he wants to be my friend. So.”

Iela looked directly at the man who had been left speechless and said.

“I will give you priority as a friend.”

“I…”

“Do not decline. Who knows? I might drop a word to my sister about a commendable man who would even go so far as to dress as a woman for my sake.”

“There seems to have been some miscommunication. Diana and I are not in that kind of…”

“You proposed to her. I just remembered. Was it last year? You threw stones at the window in the middle of the night to call her out, did you not? Do not worry. I could not hear what was said. I only saw you hold out a bouquet that was clearly something you received as a leftover and get turned down.”

It was a lie. But the men who courted Diana were generally like that.

They coveted the greatest beauty in Valita while wanting to invest as little as possible. After all, she was a kind and gentle commoner.

Anton, who was a noble and had met Diana not long ago, shot the man a look of contempt. It was a gaze that treated him as a disgrace.

“Understood.”

Anton replied as though to bring the situation to order and gave the maid a look. The maid held the dress out to the man. Since it was meant for a ghost costume, it was generously cut and could be put on without too much damage.

“Go change.”

“…I am sorry, my lady.”

When the situation turned, the man tucked his tail, but Iela only smiled fiercely and urged him on.

“Was there not something about time being short, Anton Mivela?”

“Go change.”

“My lady, just this one thing…”

“It barely qualifies as a dress. Are you worried it might look like cross-dressing? Do not worry. This is not cross-dressing, it is a ghost costume. What does gender matter when imitating a soul that has already died? They say when you die, you all return to a handful of dust. So think of it as dressing up as a handful of dust and take it easy.”

Mayer looked away from his subordinate’s plaintive gaze. He had no desire to say the wrong thing and end up in the same situation.

“There was an order from my lord to put Miss Lorid first above all else. Move at once.”

Anton issued the final ultimatum. The man had held his ground stubbornly against Iela’s unreasonableness, but before authority, there was no choice but to comply without exception.

He drooped his shoulders and accepted the dress.

His back as he trudged out was hunched unlike when he had come in, and Iela smiled brightly.

Seeing her smile, Mayer straightened up with even more rigid posture.

“I will take charge of the guard duty.”

“Do as you like.”

The former mercenary knight secretly admired the commoner-born lady. Iela, feeling the warm gaze on the side of her face,

“Could you look away? It is unpleasant.”

…said this, and added the instruction to bring eight new pillows.

Mayer ran off faster than the maid.