Prologue

“Have you truly decided?”

“Once you drink this potion, you will forsake everything and restart your life as a woman, my dear brother!”

“Of course, sister.”

“In fact, I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time!”

The bright moonlight streamed through the church’s skylight, casting its glow upon a crystal coffin in the center and illuminating the two figures standing before it.

The one on the right was a woman with night-dark hair.

Her long, flowing locks shimmered with a brilliance like starlight, giving them the texture and sheen of crystal.

And what surpassed the beauty of her night-dark hair was her face—an exquisite work of art, a peerless beauty capable of toppling cities and nations.

This was the owner of the church, the successor to Duke Cosmos, the current head of House Cosmos, the Theia Theocracy’s most beautiful knight, the strongest of the younger generation, one who had touched the realm of gods before the age of thirty… and so on and so forth.

Her titles were too numerous to fit on several pages.

Her life was like a cheat code, defying the heavens, having faced almost no setbacks—what one might call an overpowered female protagonist.

Her name was Alicia!

The person she was speaking with was her younger brother—that is, “I”!

As the only son in the family, the title of Duke should have been “my” inheritance, but “I” refused it.

“Sister, I hope you can understand.”

“This is my only dream.”

“Compared to succeeding as the Duke, I… I really want to be a maid!”

Well, to any normal person, these words would surely sound unbelievable.

Giving up the position of Duke to become a maid?

He must have a screw loose.

But no matter what others thought, nothing could change “my” decision.

“Ah, I understand.”

My sister’s expression remained as calm as ever, as if nothing in this world could surprise her.

Even with her own brother giving up his manhood, her face was a mask of indifference.

She slowly took out a small vial from her bosom, filled with a purple liquid as brilliant as a starry sky.

The stars within it vaguely outlined the phantom of a great dragon.

Gulp—!

“I” couldn’t help but swallow.

Although “I” didn’t really understand what was in it, my body instinctively craved this potion.

My intuition told him that by drinking it, he could achieve the form he had always dreamed of.

And so, the conversation from the beginning took place.

Alicia silently placed the potion on the crystal coffin.

Gazing at the photograph placed upon it, she lowered her head slightly, mused for a moment, and then spoke with a serious expression.

“My dear brother, I hope you will reconsider this carefully.”

“Have you truly decided to forsake your identity as the young master of House Cosmos, give up your succession to the dukedom, abandon the hard-won friendships with your schoolmates and teachers, and erase all the traces you’ve left over the past dozen years…”

“In front of our deceased mother, please, think it over… Huh? You’ve already drunk it!”

Just as Alicia was about to try and dissuade him further, “I” had already impatiently grabbed the bottle from the coffin, popped the cork with a bo~ sound, and gulped down the entire potion.

Alicia let out a rare gasp, her voice even carrying a hint of discomposure.

“Sorry, sorry, sister.”

“I’ve been waiting for this day for so long, after all.”

“Finally… Hiccup—!”

“I” couldn’t help but let out a burp.

The potion tasted quite good.

Though it had a slight taste of blood, the thick liquid quickly transformed into a warm current upon reaching my stomach, flowing through my limbs and torso, making my whole body feel as if it were soaking in a warm bath.

Moreover, the water temperature seemed to be rising.

Oh dear, if it kept getting hotter, I’d definitely be cooked!

“Urgh—!”

From Alicia’s perspective, her dear brother’s face was flushed red as if he were drunk, and his exposed skin took on an unnatural sheen.

Then, with a thud, he collapsed to the ground.

His entire body trembled uncontrollably, and low groans escaped his lips, as if he were enduring some great pain.

‘Is it painful?’

‘Don’t be hasty, this is just the beginning.’

‘Next, you will feel your bones, meridians, flesh, organs, skin, and everything else melting away bit by bit.’

‘Don’t worry, this is just a necessary preparation before the reconstruction.’

‘If you can’t bear it, you can give up now, and your sister… Hmm?’

If it were merely a gender change, it would be as easy as flipping a hand for Alicia.

But how could she so easily agree to her brother’s nonsense?

What a joke.

The son of a Duke, running off to be a maid.

Although she had long known of her brother’s strange hobby, she never thought he was serious.

‘It hurts, doesn’t it?’

‘Good.’

‘You must take responsibility for your impulsiveness.’

‘Reflect on your actions.’

In Alicia’s mind, her brother, who had been pampered since childhood and had never been struck, would be unable to withstand the pain of physical reconstruction.

It was a pain more terrible than death by a thousand cuts—to have one’s entire body melted down and remolded.

A pain even longer and more profound than being crushed to pieces!

‘Hm?’

However…

“Hah… hah… hah…”

Alicia’s brother lay on the ground, convulsing all over, seemingly enduring some great agony, but… his expression was not quite right.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

His face was crimson—no, it would be more accurate to call it flushed.

His chest heaved as he let out heavy breaths, his hot, moist exhalations hitting the floor.

Saliva even trickled from the corner of his mouth, forming a small puddle that vaguely reflected the crumbling expression on his face.

Yet, in that expression, Alicia saw no despair or pain.

It looked more like… excitement?!

Was he excited?!

At this very moment, Alicia suddenly realized that she might not know her brother as well as she thought.

He even seemed… unfamiliar!

An unknown amount of time passed.

Under Alicia’s gaze, “my” already slender frame grew even more delicate.

My clothes, disheveled from “my” writhing on the ground in pain, slipped from my shoulders.

My hair gradually lengthened, the black fading away to a silvery white.

The exposed skin became so supple it seemed it would break at a touch.

My figure grew increasingly graceful.

Even with the cover of clothing, nothing was hidden from Alicia’s eyes.

By the end, the silver strands of hair had grown to waist-length, scattered messily on the floor.

The person who was lying on his side—no, “she”—was now lying on her back on the damp floor.

A few strands of hair rested on the elegant curve of her chest, while her smooth abdomen and long, slender legs were in full view.

Her exquisite face, like a work of art, bore a slight resemblance to Alicia’s.

Alicia looked down into her unfocused golden eyes, hazy from the pain (or pleasure), and said with a blank expression.

“Congratulations.”

“From now on, you are Aliciel.”

“Your surname is your own concern.”

“Tomorrow, get out of House Cosmos.”