Morning light crept quietly into the room through the gaps in the curtains.
Woken by the glow, Lian stood before the window. She pulled the curtains back slightly and pushed the window open.
She did not open it very far, for the Northland had officially entered winter.
Outside, the scenery of the Youlin Courtyard looked as withered and gaunt as an elderly man, and the wind blowing from the northeast mountains already carried a sharp, piercing chill.
She took a deep breath, letting the cold air dispel her remaining drowsiness.
Turning back, she looked around her room. This was her residence within the Duke’s Household, a magnificent suite located inside the Youlin Courtyard.
She had lived here for some time now. As someone with a strong sense of adaptability, she had already begun to feel a slight sense of belonging to this place…
“Sister Lian~”
“Unacceptable. Brew it again.”
Images of the two girls who had once visited her room seemed to manifest before her eyes.
Milin was sitting in a chair by the tea table, swaying back and forth with a smile as she waited for the red tea to be ready.
In another chair, Feiyin held a teacup, sipping the tea Lian had brewed while heartlessly ordering her to start over…
‘It has only been about one week… so why does everything feel so different?’
Lian felt a surge of melancholy and confusion. To her, the sisterly bond between the two girls had been unmistakably genuine.
Furthermore, Feiyin had an excellent reputation within the palace — even now, many of the maids refused to believe she could be the mastermind behind the attack.
“Sister Lian… I still cannot believe the Head Maid could be one of the Demon Race. Could you and Vera Her Highness have mistaken her for someone else…?”
When she had been confined to her bed, recovering from the wounds dealt by the Chillblade, Tilly and the maids from the XÄ«long Pavilion had come to visit.
At the time, Tilly had sat by her bedside, her face a mask of disbelief and denial.
‘Feiyin… what exactly are you trying to do? How much of what you said… was even true? That child went looking for you… If you hurt her, I will never forgive you…’
Thinking of this, Lian resolved to cast aside her doubts and began preparing for her journey.
She carefully folded the maid uniform she had been wearing lately and placed it on the edge of the bed.
She still liked the outfit, so she straightened the cuffs and hem with meticulous care. However, since she was going on a long journey, such clothing was no longer appropriate.
Lian crouched down and began packing the items she would need for the trip into the backpack on the bed.
Inside were water skins, potion bottles, and other essentials for long-distance travel… she had retrieved these from the palace storehouse yesterday.
“…Wait.”
Lian’s movements froze. She stared at the open backpack, suddenly realizing a very practical problem.
‘I think I forgot to pack a change of clothes…’
To be precise, other than that maid uniform, all she had left was the loose hoodie and sweatpants she had been wearing before her return.
The Housekeeper of the Outer Palace, who had received her when she first arrived, had sent those clothes back to her room after she had settled in.
‘That outfit is easy to move in, sure… but I can’t exactly go out wearing that.’
Lian sat on the edge of the bed, falling into a brief moment of thought. Since she had ended up like this, she hadn’t gone out to buy clothes even once.
While she was recovering, Meliya and Vera had sent her several “pretty” outfits… but she had turned them all down with a flushed face, assuming they were just teasing her.
‘If I had known, I should have listened to them, or just gone out with Tilly to buy a few things…’
Just as she was beginning to get a headache over the situation, a soft knock came from the door.
“Come in, the door is unlocked.”
The door was pushed open cautiously.
The person appearing at the threshold was the maid who had been responsible for reporting the news about Milin in the office yesterday.
Her clothes had clearly been adjusted with care, looking very neat and formal.
Her expression was exceptionally nervous as her hands steadily held a tray with neatly folded garments.
“I am sorry to disturb you, Master.”
That title caused Lian to freeze in shock, and she instinctively stood up.
“W-Wait… that title—”
Before she could finish, the maid bowed her head deeply.
“I am the newly appointed Head Maid of the Red Lotus Inner Palace. My name is Malena Nordfiel. I failed to offer you a formal greeting yesterday… please forgive me.”
“Yesterday… oh.”
Lian’s mind went blank for a second before she realized — that conversation in the office yesterday had been heard perfectly by this maid named Malena.
“I-I’m not… I am the Hero, it’s true, but if you call me that…”
Lian hadn’t known that the maid who had staggered out of the office was actually the new Head Maid of the Innermost Palace.
She wanted to explain herself in her confusion, but then she realized that the title was actually correct —
Strictly speaking, the owner of the entire Northland, the one granted the title of Duke and the sovereign of the Duchy, was her, not Meliya.
“Since you are the Hero, you are the master of this mansion. All shall follow your command.” Her acknowledgment actually seemed to relieve Malena of her nervousness.
The woman, who looked to be about 25 years old, lowered her head even further and offered the tray of clothes forward.
“These garments were prepared according to the instructions of the Madam and Vera Her Highness. Please, accept them.”
The clothes on the tray were designed for ease of movement and were suitable for long travel. Of course, they were still tailored with a feminine design that was apparent at a glance. Lian picked up one of the pieces and held it against herself… finding that the size was surprisingly a perfect fit.
“Do you require my assistance in changing?”
Malena kept her head bowed, her tone respectful and submissive… yet Lian could hear a faint, inexplicable hint of anticipation in her voice.
“N-No need! I can do it myself!”
This conversation, full of deja vu, made Lian realize she was still wearing a thin nightgown.
Her face turned bright red as she covered her body and waved her hand to signal Malena to withdraw.
“O-Oh, right.” Just as Malena was about to retreat with a dejected expression, Lian called out to her.
“Do you have further instructions?”
Malena stopped at the door… her eyes shining as she looked at Lian.
“Um, about my identity… do you alone know?”
“…Yes. To prevent further unrest, Vera Her Highness ordered me to keep it strictly confidential. Therefore, I am the only one in the Inner Palace who knows your identity.”
For some reason, Malena’s expression became even more dejected than before.
“That’s good then. Thank you.”
Lian finally let out a sigh of relief, her expression relaxing.
Even she could imagine that if rumors about her — a Hero who had disappeared for 16 years, had her power restricted by the Demon Race, and had been turned into a girl — were to spread from the palace now, the situation would likely spiral completely out of control.
“Then I shall take my leave. Lady Iyue and Vera Her Highness are waiting for you at the palace gates.”
Malena withdrew. Lian quickly changed into one of the outfits the maid had brought. She stood before the dressing mirror to inspect her appearance, a subtle and complex feeling rising in her heart —
‘I am not a maid now. I have become the Hero again… even if I’m a Hero with sealed powers.’
She patted her cheeks to cheer herself up. Then, she suddenly noticed a familiar, round object sitting on the vanity —
‘This… isn’t this my Communication Pearl? I remember I should have had it on me the night I went to see Feiyin…’
When she had been in the cloth bag, she had confirmed repeatedly that she had nothing on her… so she had assumed that Feiyin had taken the pearl after knocking her out.
Yet here it was, sitting perfectly in place —
‘Did I remember incorrectly? No, that’s impossible…’
“Are you ready? Have you encountered some difficulty? Do you need me to help—”
While she was lost in confusion, Malena’s voice urged her from outside the room.
“Coming!”
Lian stopped overthinking, tucked the Communication Pearl into her pocket, and walked out of the room.