The Troublesome “Beauty” and a Little Knight

I’ve finished fitting the formal dress I’ll wear for the Sky Castle entrance ceremony.

If there’s one saving grace, it’s that the clothing for noble ladies—and specifically the academy—is incredibly modest.

The cut is wide and doesn’t emphasize the figure, which I like.

…Though feeling “satisfied” with women’s clothing brings a wave of self-loathing.

I went to get a final confirmation from Ariang, who has officially taken on the role of my ‘Crossdressing Supervisor.’

“You need to put more in.”

She was raving about how pretty the dress looked, but she kept shoving more pads into the chest area.

This is a medieval setting where brassieres actually exist; if you just fill the cup shape with air, it looks fine. I questioned if I really needed all this extra stuffing.

“Don’t you think that’s enough? I’m not exactly looking to draw attention.”

I tried to decline indirectly, but she kept stuffing them in.

“Don’t you think people will stare at your face more anyway? Since you’re this pretty.”

“Well, that’s true. So even if I don’t stuff these in, no one is going to mistake me for a man.”

“……”

“Why are you glaring at me?”

“You’re so annoying…”

“It’s just the truth. So keep the stuffing moderate.”

Calling me “pretty” is basically a synonym for having “exceptional beauty.”

People who know me often use it as a way to tease me, but getting worked up over it is a losing battle.

I’ve learned to just accept it for my own peace of mind.

It’s only a problem because it lacks dignity on the battlefield, forcing me to wear a helmet, but otherwise, I’m fairly satisfied with it.

“Ugh, fine, My Lord Count. Yes, you’re gorgeous. But look, your shoulders and upper body are broad. The lines look okay, but the frontal volume is so unnervingly non-existent that it looks weird.”

“You have a point.”

After all, swinging weapons in heavy armor for years has developed my upper body.

I suppose a matching chest is necessary for a natural look.

“Right?”

“Fine, decorate me however you want.”

Back then, my younger siblings used to treat me like a dress-up doll or a mannequin, so I just let her be.

Since I’ll be living as Ariang for a while, it’s only right that I look the way the real Ariang wants.

But seriously, how many is she putting in there?

I guess this is how she wanted to look…

After stuffing the substitutes in to create the right silhouette for the dress, Ariang looked at me and seemed genuinely happy.

“Wow, you’re seriously pretty. If it gets out that ‘Ariang’ was actually a guy like this, I’ll never be able to get married.”

That’s a bit of a leap.

She’s a little thin, but Ariang isn’t lacking in the looks department herself.

“Then I’ll take responsibility and live with you, so why don’t you just defect to our side?”

“Why don’t you go on blind dates instead of me with that face, Sister? Please find me the most handsome man on the continent.”

I’m not crossdressing because I want to, nor have I had some awakening about my gender identity. What a horrific thing to say.

“I’d rather kill myself.”

“Don’t be funny. I’m counting on you, okay~?”

“I can arrange to bring you his head and body separately.”

“Ugh, seriously. Forget I said anything.”

“At least I’m glad it’s you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thanks for living like a man. Thanks to you, it seems like I can act like a total tomboy and no one will suspect a thing.”

“Is that an insult?”

“Yes.”

I felt bad about the slap earlier, so I let her hit me on the back, but her “smashing” was spicier than I expected.

********************************

“I’m heading out, Father.”

“Why don’t you wear your helmet?”

Because of my overly pretty face, I lacked dignity when commanding on the battlefield, so I always had to wear a helmet that only showed my eyes.

Combined with the blood on my armor and helm, I was dubbed the ‘Blood-Soaked Count.’

“I have to live as a woman for at least half a year; I’m just going to go bare-faced. It’s not like that helmet is good for my neck anyway.”

“With that voice?”

“Will this suffice, Father?”

Altering my voice isn’t difficult with the help of magic tools.

Plus, I’ve practiced my falsetto to the point of perfection, so I’m fine.

“…Hmm. Are you sure you don’t want a proper procession?”

“It’s not like the Aosta territory is providing one, and we can’t exactly send one from our family. I need to move light.”

Normally, an academy entrance is a grand affair accompanied by a knighthood.

But we aren’t in a position to do that.

It’s not me enrolling; it’s Ariang Aosta.

In the Aosta territory, where Ariang was kidnapped, the regent knight was currently misleading the people about her absence by claiming she had enrolled in Sky Castle.

When your leader is kidnapped by a hostile nation and hasn’t been released, that’s really the only way to deceive the territory and its people.

“It’ll take over ten days by carriage to reach Sky Castle. Is that all the luggage you’re taking?”

“I believe I showed you the trick before, but you’ve forgotten already. Anyway, I’m off.”

I have a few techniques that seem like ‘reincarnator perks.’

One of them is an ‘Inventory’—a cheat skill that provides infinite bag space, eliminating the need for a supply train on the battlefield and allowing armor and weapons to be equipped or unequipped instantly.

I thought I’d shown it to my father, but that man tends to block out anything related to my “past life” talk.

He probably saw it and just deleted it from his memory.

“Even if you don’t achieve your goal, just make sure you come back.”

“I’ll achieve it and come back. Don’t worry.”

Watching that man worry about his son felt awkward, so I ran off without looking back.

************************************

I arrived at the village below Sky Castle and unpacked.

Students are a high-spending demographic, so a consumer city—rare in this world—has formed here.

At the southern gate of Sky Castle’s outer wall, carriages were backed up like a massive traffic jam.

It’s peak enrollment season, so noble ladies, their accompanying knights, and servants are swarming the area.

In the inner town, the inns and hotels were packed to the brim with knights and ladies preparing for tomorrow’s preliminary assembly.

“Are you a female knight? I am—”

Here we go again.

The moment I take off the lid, this happens.

“I am a Countess. Don’t even think about sitting here.”

“Ah, what?! Huh?”

I was eating on an outdoor terrace, watching the gathered knights and ladies.

Among the knights escorting the ladies, there were bound to be some who tried to throw flirtatious glances.

“Why the surprise? Can’t you see there are no empty seats for you?”

“No, I… er, which house are you from?”

“I am Countess Aosta of the Imperial Aosta family. Don’t involve yourself in unnecessary rumors by approaching me carelessly.”

“M-my apologies. Since you had no attendants…”

“Now that you know, would you mind moving?”

“I-I’m very sorry!”

Since almost no noble lady travels without attendants or escort knights, I was wearing a high-quality cloak over my armor to project an aura of both military and financial authority.

I wanted to look like a high-ranking noble who came alone because my swordsmanship was just that good.

And yet, this guy still took me for a mere female knight.

Maybe it’s because I haven’t disarmed?

“Excuse me, pardon me.”

I was about to ignore everything and finish my meal when a youthful voice called out to me.

It was a boy who looked to be in middle school, his voice not yet fully changed.

“Now what… ah?”

“Excuse me.”

I know this face.

I turned up the collar of the shirt I wore under my armor to hide my mouth.

“Ah, no way.”

Seeing me hide my mouth, the boy recognized the gesture immediately.

“From what I can see, you are a noble. It is not proper for a lady to face a strange man so easily.”

“So you are a noble after all. Could it be?”

“Furthermore, I do not mingle with Kingdom nobles.”

“So you are an Imperial noble. I am Malpensa, son of Duke Mullano of the Kingdom. Since you are an Imperial noble, please, you must listen to what I have to say.”

“What is it?”

“First, please take a look at this paper.”

I took the paper reflexively, but I already knew the contents.

Now that I think about it, I’d seen some flyers lying around that looked exactly like this.

Malpensa was even carrying a placard behind the flyers.

It looked like a one-man protest.

I had mindlessly passed over the text on the flyers and placards before, but it was content I could no longer ignore.

“Sky Castle is treating the deaths of two academy students as suicides, even though it’s clear they were murdered. As a lady about to enroll, you must know. Sky Castle is dangerous.”

…Wow, this little brat.

This boy is Malpensa Mullano, the eldest son of Duke Mullano and the fiancé of my younger sister.

He’s two years younger than my siblings.

The troops from my family who were protesting here had suffered many casualties, and I had withdrawn them when we switched to the infiltration plan.

Originally, Duke Mullano was supposed to send his own knights to join the protest, but he backed out after hearing that our family had clashed with Sky Castle and lost.

But to think this kid would be here.

“I cannot turn back now. I’ve already committed to enrolling. But why is the son of a Duke doing something like this personally?”

“One of the students who died was my fiancée.”

“You could have ordered your subordinates to do this.”

“She wasn’t their fiancée; she was mine. It is only right that I do this myself. Otherwise, my love would be nothing but a lie that could be performed by someone else.”

“…I see. So you’ve been doing this all this time?”

I found myself looking at him with newfound respect.

At his age, as the eldest son of a Duke, he should be looking for a new match if he isn’t entering an academy.

The trend here is to strictly enforce political marriages between fiancés right around the time they reach high school age.

If his fiancée died, he could have found a new one, but it seems he hasn’t looked for a new match for the past year.

Instead of enrolling in an academy, he’s been doing this.

“Yes. I protest in front of the gate every day.”

“How long do you plan to do this? Isn’t your family worried?”

“There are other heirs besides me.”

Malpensa’s actions are the perfect target for people to mock him as a pathetic fool obsessed with a girl.

But from my perspective, I can’t look down on him.

It might seem foolish, but it’s the most principled and righteous method.

It’s far more moderate than my plan to slaughter the students and faculty, and it’s a courageous act against a powerful enemy that he cannot hope to defeat alone.

Who knows when those Sky Castle bastards might decide to conduct a high-altitude bombardment on this kid?

“I can’t go as far as signing your petition, but I will take your words to heart.”

“Even that much is enough. Thank you.”

My heart felt a bit heavy, but I couldn’t afford to act rashly.

I’m currently pretending to be an Imperial noble.

“Ack!”

But as Malpensa approached the next table—a group of knights—he was shoved and sent sprawling to the ground.

“What kind of noble wanders around like this? Fiancée? Son of a Duke?”

“I was already about to lose my mind from his squawking at the gate. What Duke’s son protests over a dead fiancée? Why don’t you just die today?”

Okay, I can’t hold back on this one.

I’m enduring the crossdressing, and I can endure most things if I have to, but…

Even if Imperial and Kingdom nobles hate each other because of the war, seeing those of lower rank humiliate a noble is something that should provoke anger regardless of nationality.

“Wait a moment.”

“What’s it to you, little lady?”

“Little lady? What did you just say?”

When I spoke with a threatening edge, the knights who were about to strike Malpensa hesitated.

“…What, are you some Kingdom noble lady? This guy just tripped on his own. We didn’t touch him, okay?”

“So what if we do touch him? He’s a Kingdom noble. I bet the Emperor would give us a title if we brought his head. Let’s each take a piece.”

“I am Ariang Aosta, Countess of the Imperial Border. Back off.”

“Ack.”

One of the knights, who was about to draw his weapon, froze.

But another still looked skeptical.

“Wait, but why are you taking the side of this Kingdom brat? They’re people who deserve to die.”

“Are you saying our Empire should cut off the head of a Kingdom Duke’s son right now and start a full-blown war? Is that your intent?”

“Do you have any idea how many of our comrades those Kingdom bastards have killed? If you just turn a blind eye, My Lady, we can avenge our comrades and serve our country.”

“The vengeance of a mere knight means nothing to the affairs of the state. That is for the Emperor and the nation to decide. How dare you meddle in the realm of politics? Do you call yourselves knights?”

“……”

“Giving the Kingdom a justification to provoke a war against the wishes of His Imperial Majesty is not a choice you are permitted to make on your own. Leave.”

“Wait, have you even met His Imperial Majesty—”

“Are you talking back to me?”

“Ah, no, it’s just…”

“Who trained this fellow? Who is your master? Which lady do you serve? Ah, looking at your crest…”

“N-n-no! Our apologies. Let’s go.”

I could have crushed them with force, but I didn’t feel like fighting, so I just used my words.

Enrolling a daughter in Sky Castle has a huge impact on a family’s long-term standing.

A mere knight causing a scene and an incident?

If they got fired by the noble they serve, they’d have nowhere to complain.

As they retreated, Malpensa bowed his head in gratitude.

“T-thank you, Lady Aosta.”

“If you’re going to be looked down upon by low-lifes like that, you’re better off not doing this at all. Your spirit is commendable, but this is unsightly. It is not how a noble should behave.”

“No. I will do this until the day I die.”

Look at that resolve. He’s a total romantic.

“But, excuse me—urgh!”

In the end, I punched Malpensa and knocked him out.

It would be troublesome if he noticed I looked like someone he knew.