A Dangerous Invitation

Should I just grab this b*tch by the scruff of her neck and snap it right now?

“Hmm~?”

She couldn’t see my face, but I must have looked terrifying. Lady Le Havre frowned deeply and stepped in to stop her.

“Stop doing things like that. She clearly hates it.”

“This girl…”

Girona looked me up and down, then spoke with a smirk.

“She’s firm.”

“I suppose she’s exercised quite a bit.”

“Oh, Lady Ariang?”

I’m not a “Lady”; I’m a Countess.

“…Yes.”

“Want to go to the sauna together?”

She spoke with a sneer, her hand still resting on my chest where the pad had already slipped out. At this point, shouldn’t I just rip this woman apart and toss Lady Le Havre out of Sky Castle along with her? As I grit my teeth, thinking of the urgent need to destroy the evidence—

“Shut up and get lost. You’re doing it again.”

Lady Le Havre swatted her hand away for me.

“Aww, Senior, you’re being like that again.”

“Your reputation is trash. Why do you keep touching the girls’ chests? Did you grow up without being nursed by a nanny? You’re acting like a literal infant.”

“Even if they aren’t infants, there are people who do this, Senior.”

“Who?”

“It’s so cute that you don’t know. I wonder who?”

Lady Le Havre detached the scabbard from her waist and made a threatening gesture.

“You crazy b*tch, do I look like your friend? Do you want to die?”

“You won’t actually hit me.”

“I don’t hit you because if I did, you’d die.”

“You’ve always had a soft spot for me.”

“Just get lost already.”

“Fine, fine, I’m leaving. Ariang, let’s definitely go to the sauna—just the two of us?”

Girona gave me a wink and walked out. My face felt like it had turned beet red, and the heat wouldn’t subside.

“She’s out of her mind. It’s okay, I kicked her out. Put it back in.”

Ugh, I can’t do this. Should I just kill every student in the Imperial class and blow myself up? Lady Le Havre picked up the pad, tucked it back into my chest, and adjusted my formal dress. However, due to the significant height difference, she struggled. She stood on her tiptoes, ignoring the sound of her sword clattering against the floor as she helped me.

“Uh, ah, yes… thank you.”

“Your maids probably thought this was some kind of ball and told you to put a lot in.”

My biggest concern before enrolling was my sturdy upper body. In this world, there are ways to “correct” the lower body, and as a noble lady, it’s rarely revealed before marriage anyway.

“……”

But was it really irrelevant? I had felt safe because I assumed “modesty” was the standard, but this place didn’t follow common sense. My expectations were shattered by the existence of a rigid hierarchy and the immaturity of the students. In a place where violence is ignored and people haven’t grown up, sexual harassment was bound to exist. Anyway, given the situation, I was too stunned to speak. Seeing me silent, Lady Le Havre patted my shoulder.

“I’ll scold her for you. Don’t be upset.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.”

“You’re refusing to feel better?”

“Ah, no, it’s not that.”

I wouldn’t say I felt “good,” but I was mostly just spacing out while trying to figure out how to handle the fact that my chest had just been felt up.

“That girl… there’s a second-year with a really large chest, and she follows her around doing that every day. I’m going to stop her now. If she does it again, come tell me.”

“Yes…”

“If you truly master a weapon, that’s just what happens to your body. Don’t be too ashamed. I’m the same way. What’s the big deal? Here, feel.”

“Wait, no!”

She tried to take my hand, but I resisted with all my might. Her body was sleek and quite flat, but it was still the body of a noble lady. A taboo among taboos. As I resisted, she actually seemed to enjoy the tug-of-war.

“Oho, you’re strong! I like you. It’s fine, come on.”

It’s not fine for me. Honestly, as long as you don’t suspect my identity, I wouldn’t care. But I can’t be the one doing the touching.

“How could I do to another person the very thing that made me feel upset and miserable? I don’t want to.”

“Then will you stop crying? Then it’s fine.”

“You are the daughter of a Duke; why are you acting so unseemly? Do not show your skin.”

“Even if I walked around naked, no one would say a word to me.”

“How undignified!”

“We’re all women here, so why does it matter?”

Sorry about that. I pulled up the one-piece formal dress that had fallen to the floor. Underneath, she was wearing a tank-top style tight and leggings to minimize skin exposure, but the curves of her body were still quite apparent. As I helped her pull it up, Lady Le Havre suddenly pulled my head toward her.

“W-woah.”

“Don’t cry again. If something worth crying about happens, tell me.”

Do people normally go as far as hugging for stuff like this?

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

For the first month, the first-years gather in the Imperial class’s grand hall to receive education on etiquette and history from the student council seniors before the actual professors take over.

“There is no etiquette that requires a noble to bow their head—”

Slap!

Lady Colmar, a first-year from a Ducal house, got slapped first thing in the morning for resisting the seniors. Her cheeks were going to be a mess.

“The Princess is here, and the Twelve Assistants who serve the Emperor are treated with the same respect as Imperial children or higher than Dukes. Do you not understand?”

The war had happened, and since the icon of the class was a war hero, teaching military-style discipline actually made sense. While the third-years were busy “educating” the freshmen—

“Ariang Aosta.”

Girona, who was among them, came over and tapped my shoulder.

“Ah, yes, Senior.”

“I heard you cried?”

“…Pardon?”

“Senior Le Havre gave me a headbutt and then left. Ouch.”

Seeing her rubbing her solar plexus, I guessed the headbutt hadn’t actually hit her face.

“Is that so?”

“You’re soft-hearted. I thought you’d be as tough as your chest. Want to go to the sauna today?”

Is she possessed by a ghost that died because it couldn’t go to a sauna?

“No, thank you.”

“Hmm, giving me the cold shoulder?”

“Yes.”

Girona leaned in and whispered into my ear.

“I won’t tell anyone you’re a man, so when you’re mentally prepared, let’s definitely go together.”

Why is she breathing on me? I pushed her away in disgust.

“It’s just… small.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

First of all, there’s no proof. Muscle development, chest size, and body hair are all hormonal; individual differences are so vast that they’re poor evidence for determining gender. If I deny it, the only way to verify would be to strip me publicly. And there are far too many social taboos regarding a noblewoman’s skin for that. In fact, if a man accidentally saw a noblewoman’s skin, having his eyes gouged out wouldn’t even be considered a harsh punishment. However, the coercive atmosphere of the Academy was worrying.

There’s no rule saying I can’t request a duel.

I had read the school rules carefully, and there were no restrictions on duels—the traditional method for resolving conflicts between nobles. If she kept pestering me, I could just claim she tarnished my honor, challenge her to a duel, and cut her head off fair and square. Usually, knights act as proxies, but since this is a girls’ school and male vassals can’t enter, they likely didn’t include that in the rules.

“But it felt exactly like a man’s…? Hmm, fine. Since Senior Le Havre is backing you, I can’t force you. But I really want to check; is there any way?”

She can’t force me? That means I don’t need to create an extreme confrontation yet. My main concern was her gathering a group to make a public issue about my “padding,” but if she doesn’t do that, I have no reason to fear. I have the higher rank and the moral high ground.

“I suppose you’ll just have to treat me well enough for me to feel like showing you?”

“Oh, so I just have to be nice to you?”

“Even children know that it’s easier for the warm sun to make a traveler take off his coat than the cold north wind.”

The look on her face was priceless. Nothing beats a quote for backing up logic.

“…Lady Ariang, you’re quite the talker.”

“I am a Countess.”

“Ah, right, you were a Countess… but being a Countess doesn’t really carry much weight in this school.”

“‘A senior who bullied and even harassed another student forced a Countess to leave the Academy. That senior belongs to a Baronial house. To punish this, the Countess sends her army—the army of a Border Count.’ If this becomes a scandal, it won’t just end as a conflict between nobles, will it?”

“My, you’re planning to go that far? We were just—”

Did she think our families’ powers were comparable? I might not be a real Aosta, but the Aosta territory has plenty of troops, the people are bellicose, and if necessary, I can hire mountain mercenaries. The Emperor only refuses to grant them a Dukedom out of fear they’ll declare independence, using the excuse that a “female Countess” can’t handle it. Mobilizing a Duke-level force isn’t hard for them. I just need to bluff using that background. And the “Blood-Soaked Count’s” army from the Kingdom that could exploit that gap? Well, that’s me, so I don’t have to worry.

“A Baron’s daughter might have a few guards, but a Border Count has an army and many knights at her disposal.”

“Hey, I was just trying to be friendly.”

“That depends on your attitude, Senior.”

“I thought you were just pretty, but you’re quite firm.”

“If you’re curious, shall we duel? I have the right to punish someone who touched my body without permission.”

Girona glared at me for a moment before speaking.

“You definitely seem like the child of a noble house. Wait… actually, that’s even better.”

“What do you mean?”

It was good that she assumed I was at least a noble, even if she suspected my identity. It meant she couldn’t touch me recklessly. But why did she say that was “better”?

“I want us to do something fun together.”

“Pardon?”

“Something really fun. Something that can only be done if Ariang is a… man.”

What is this crazy b*tch talking about?