Florencia hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully so as not to offend Eriendna.

“Too, a bit…… daring, I think. Besides, according to the Academy’s rules, underwear should be white or light pink. Do you perhaps have another design?”

Her cat-like sharp eyes instantly became even fiercer. She snatched the red cloth pieces that Florencia was holding, which could hardly be called underwear.

“If you don’t like it, forget it! How dare you be so picky when you’re just borrowing? There’s less than a semester left until graduation, who cares about the rules. You’re just so provincial, but if you’re a lady of the capital who’s had her coming-of-age ceremony, you don’t wear the kind of underwear you’re talking about anymore. You’re not a twelve-year-old child…… If you wear such things, even men who were interested will all leave. Well, I guess such things would suit your figure much better.”

“……”

“Either wear this or get out right now. That’s all I can lend you. What are you standing there for? Could you please leave quickly? You’re polluting the air in my room.”

Florencia’s eyes wavered as she looked at the daring underwear in Eriendna’s hands.

“……No, Eriendna. I’ll take that. Thank you for lending it to me.”

“Do you even know how expensive this is? You couldn’t buy even one piece of the lace attached here if you sold all those trashy dresses in your wardrobe. It’s new, and I’m giving it to you specially because I feel sorry for you, so you’d better be grateful.”

Florencia took it again with trembling hands.

‘I should go back to sleep,’ said Eriendna as she walked back to her bed, raising the corners of her mouth pleasantly and smiling like a red rose.

* * *

From then until the start of morning classes, about two hours, Florencia spent the entire early morning feeling restless.

The ‘underwear’ Eriendna had given her fortunately fit her body reasonably well since it could be adjusted with strings, but when she actually wore it, it felt even more risqué. As an illegitimate daughter who had nonetheless received strict education as a noble lady, it was a design Florencia could never have imagined. Moreover, she had pledged to live a pure life as a saintess after graduation.

When Florencia looked at herself in the mirror, she felt dizzy. Not only was the corset that clearly revealed her snow-white br*asts and the n*pples at their peaks shocking, but the bottom piece connected only by strings that completely exposed her b*ttocks was really…… too much. The piece of cloth covering the front was also smaller than her tiny palm, making her nervous that her pubic hair might show if she wasn’t careful.

Even if it’s underwear…… this is too extreme.

But she had no other options, so she couldn’t even take off this embarrassing underwear. All Florencia could do was wrap herself in the darkest navy dress she had.

They say misfortunes never come singly.

Florencia’s misfortunes didn’t end there that day.

Just as she was about to leave her dormitory room to avoid being late for morning class, she heard the thick voice of Miss Blake, who served as an assistant to the dormitory supervisor, Mrs. Burns. When she hurried out into the hallway, she saw Blake gathering the ladies at both ends of the corridor. In the center stood Mrs. Burns, holding the ash wood cane she always carried.

Mrs. Burns, with her hair tied back without a single strand out of place, always gave the impression of being angry with her woodpecker-like appearance, but today she seemed particularly upset. She claimed she remained unmarried and devoted herself to education at the Imperial Academy because of her faith and loyalty to the imperial family, but the prevailing rumor was that after her debutante, no young gentleman had courted her, leaving her alone until now.

“Recently, I’ve been hearing concerns that ladies who are close to graduation have been engaging in behavior that violates school rules.”

Mrs. Burns scanned her surroundings with a sharp gaze.

“I understand that you may be excited after your debutante, but even as adults, you are still students of the Academy. In that sense, I will conduct a special uniform inspection today.”

Uniform inspection……!

They used to do it occasionally when they were freshmen, but they hadn’t done it once this year, so why today of all days……

Small complaints erupted noisily among the ladies, but Florencia stood frozen, unable to make a sound.

“Be quiet! The rules of the Imperial Academy are equivalent to the will of His Majesty the Emperor!”

At the cold, sharp cry like the dawn wind, everything around them instantly quieted down.

Mrs. Burns instructed Charlotte, the Viscount’s lady, to change out of her gold dress that resembled evening wear, and confiscated the excessive green feather ornament from Lady Tallis’s hair, but pretended not to see Princess Jenia’s large earrings that dangled to her shoulders.

And finally, standing in front of Florencia, Mrs. Burns scrutinized her thoroughly with a fierce gaze as if monitoring her. Coincidentally, today she was in a bad mood and needed someone to vent her frustration on. Here, she was the only lady against whom no family would lodge a complaint, no matter how unfair the punishment.

“Lady Florencia Hazel.”

“Yes.”

“Why is your dress…… particularly less voluminous? Perhaps you didn’t properly wear your underskirts or petticoats because the weather has gotten warmer?”

“Well, that……”

“A modest lady should always protect her body with several layers of undergarments, no matter how hot it is. Especially regarding you, Lady Hazel, unfortunately, there have been some unfavorable reports. Miss Blake, check inside the dress.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Burns. Actually……”

Before she could finish her explanation, Blake’s rough hand abruptly lifted her dress hem. Florencia’s startled scream and the murmurs of other ladies surprised by the provocative design of the underwear erupted simultaneously.

The rigid Mrs. Burns’s face turned red and blue. When Florencia opened her eyes, which she had tightly shut, she could see Eriendna whispering something to her friend and laughing in the back.

“……Lady Hazel, how could you……”

An angry voice echoed through the hallway. Florencia explained in a small voice that someone had taken all her underwear, but that explanation only further provoked Mrs. Burns’s anger.

“You expect me to believe such nonsense? A thief in the sacred Imperial Academy run by the imperial family! Lady, are you trying to insult His Majesty the Emperor?”

“No! Mrs. Burns, I really didn’t mean……”

“Aren’t you ashamed when your sister Eriendna sets an example of a proper lady? And you’re not even showing your humble origins…… Besides, if a thief took all your underwear, how did that shameful piece of cloth remain? I suppose even the thief was reluctant to take your vulgar items.”

Mocking giggles could be heard from all around. Among them was Eriendna’s laughter, which sounded quite amused.

‘This was Eriendna’s scheme from the beginning to put me in a difficult situation.’

But it was obvious that saying so wouldn’t make anyone believe her. With her fists tightly clenched and her head lowered, Mrs. Burns’s merciless sentence fell upon Florencia.

“As you know, items that violate the Academy’s rules will be confiscated. Blake, remove Lady Hazel’s underwear.”

“Wait, Mrs. Burns! Miss Blake, please don’t do this.”

Florencia pleaded with a face that looked like she might cry, but Blake showed no mercy. She lifted the navy dress forcefully as if she might tear it and pulled off the cloth that barely covered her private parts.

The piece of cloth, which was originally connected only by thin string knots at the front and back, came off her body all too easily. Soon after, the buttons fastening Florencia’s bodice were torn off by Mrs. Burns and Blake, and they also roughly removed the see-through corset as if tearing it off.

Tears welled up in Florencia’s violet eyes as she barely clutched the forcibly opened bodice. Mrs. Burns, still not satisfied, said firmly,

“Lady Hazel, turn around and lift your dress.”

When Florencia, who didn’t understand at once, asked “What?”, she raised her voice even more sharply.

“Don’t you understand? This is almost grounds for expulsion. Moreover, didn’t you make statements that could be considered insulting to the imperial family? You should be grateful it’s ending with just corporal punishment.”

The quick-witted Blake roughly grabbed Florencia’s thin wrist and turned her around. Soon after, her dress was lifted up to her waist, clearly exposing the curves of her snow-white b*ttocks.

“If you don’t want to be expelled from the Academy and bring great shame to your family, it would be better to quietly accept the caning, young lady.”

With a slap, the dormitory supervisor’s cane fell repeatedly on her tender skin, making a sharp sound as it cut through the air.

Turned around with part of her body exposed in front of all the other ladies her age, Florencia tightly gripped the window frame in the hallway and barely endured the shame and pain. Regardless of the small moans that escaped between her lips, unable to bear it, the harsh caning continued. Amidst the stinging pain of her soft skin being torn, Mrs. Burns’s voice, sharper than the cane, was heard.

“Since Lady Hazel seems to enjoy secretly wearing obscene clothing, I will grant that wish today. For today, you will attend classes without any underwear, wearing only outer clothing over your n*ked body.”

* * *

Florencia couldn’t sit properly at her desk all day. Mrs. Burns’s cold ash wood cane had struck her bare b*ttocks twenty times without mercy.

The tender flesh struck with the hard, elastic cane was covered with several lines of red cuts. The wounds where the skin had broken and blood had congealed were very painful even when just brushed by clothing. Moreover, unlike the other girls who wrapped their bodies in drawers made of soft cloth and petticoats piled so thickly they were fluffy, Florencia wore only a dress made of rough cloth over her bare skin.

The wounds on her b*ttocks felt increasingly hot and swollen as time passed. It was no small ordeal to sit on a hard chair and concentrate on classes for long periods in such a state. Meanwhile, Florencia had to keep adjusting her uncomfortable posture, worried that blood might stain her dress or the chair.