Chapter 2: Princess Therese of Yurden

Therese.
Therese of Jurden.
Therese Le Alt Jurdenkilaina.
That was the name of the young lady I was to serve.
And on the first day she took me from the facility, she bestowed upon me the name ‘Cornelia’.

“No matter how I hear it, that sounds like a girl’s name.”
“Really? You heard correctly then.”
“Pardon?”
“Because from now on, you have to become a girl.”

Lady Therese said so coolly. I didn’t understand why, and I was about to open my mouth to ask again, but I stopped.

To confess the truth, just a few hours ago, I had plotted another escape while being transported from the facility to the Jurden territory. And surprisingly, I was able to escape with ease.

But why am I suddenly telling this story? And why am I still captured?

Lady Therese always had one or two knights of a very stout build accompanying her. Among them, there was one knight who looked unusually like a pretty-boy, and he was incredibly strong.

How strong? Strong enough to instantly knock down and subdue me, who had been thrilled with my easy escape, and bring me to the young lady’s feet.

The blade that shatters magic, or whatever it was called, I remember being subjected to many experiments, but that history was rendered completely meaningless as I was broken in an instant.

Wow, amazing.

“……Ugh.”

Coming back to the present. The reason I stopped myself from speaking was that the very same pretty-boy knight shot a sharp glare at me as I was about to open my mouth. The places where I had been beaten still throbbed with pain.

“To explain the reason, I have to go to school starting next year.”
“Ah, yes.”

I don’t know the average age for starting school in this world. I just nod my head. In fact, I don’t even know how soon “next year” is.

“But the school dormitories are strictly separated by gender. So I can’t take Duoto with me.”
“Duoto?”

The pretty-boy knight bowed his head slightly. It seemed his name was Duoto.

“So you have to take Duoto’s place.”
“My common sense is lacking, but is this a normal thing to do?”

Oof.
When I came to my senses, I was rolling on the floor. My stomach ached deep inside my gut.

Enduring the pain, I lifted my head to see Duoto dusting off his hands. It seems he had punched me in the solar plexus. I didn’t even see him close the distance and approach me.

“Kuh, ugh…….”
“Don’t do that, Duoto.”
“But, my lady.”
“It can’t be helped that she lacks education. Understand that.”

The sound of someone getting up from a bed.
Click, clack.
With the sound of her heels, Lady Therese approached. She crouched down right in front of me and stroked the head of my disgracefully fallen form.

“Your tone just now sounded like you were telling me, ‘You’re abnormal.’ You can fix that from now on, can’t you?”
“I will try my best.”

I answered Therese obediently.
I cannot defy her.
I already learned that from my experience a few hours ago when I was caught and dragged here by Duoto.
I am the blade that shatters magic, in other words, I have a magic-immune constitution, but unlike 141, who was so inflexible as to reject even healing magic for herself, I was an improved model.

So now, it might be more correct to say I have a magic-resistant constitution rather than a magic-immune one.
I could destroy almost all magic that came from the outside, but I couldn’t stop magic that started from within me.

And right now, I was bound by Therese’s contract magic.

1. If Therese dies, I die too.
2. If Therese is injured, I will receive the same wound in the same place.
3. If I try to touch her without Therese’s permission, I will freeze.

I freeze up, like a machine that’s been powered down.

Even now, although I wasn’t the one trying to make contact, I couldn’t even move a single finger naturally, except for my mouth, which Therese must have unconsciously permitted.

“I don’t dislike you. So I don’t particularly want to use violent means, nor do I have any intention of suppressing your freedom. I prefer an ally-like enemy who would throw their body to save me when my back is against the wall, even if we growl at each other face-to-face, over an enemy-like ally whose loyalty is always in question.”

Therese removed her hand. My stopped heart started beating again. I let out a deep breath. It was sweet.

“Alright. Let’s get back to the main topic.”
“Yes…….”
“You did say you don’t know common sense, but you’re right. There isn’t a single student who would go so far as to turn a male into a female just to have them live in their dormitory. Even normal female maids use separate rooms from their masters.”

Of course, that would be the natural thing to do. But Therese said with a smile.

“But, you see, I’m an incredible coward. The karma tied to our family is so incredibly deep that I’m scared, not knowing when someone might murder me. That’s why I need you.”

She seemed to be smiling brightly, but she couldn’t erase the hint of self-deprecation from her voice.
‘Is there some circumstance?’
‘In fact, just being connected to the facility I was in was already a deep karma.’
‘She might even be the owner of the facility.’

I nodded at Therese’s words. Honestly, I felt like anything would be fine.

Perhaps because the time spent suffering in the facility was so long, I had already given up, thinking that anywhere but there would be fine.

From the sound of it, she says she doesn’t want to use violence, and she doesn’t want to suppress my freedom.

“I understand.”
“You do? That’s a relief.”
“But, how will you make me…….”

The words didn’t fully come out. But, Therese seemed to understand and smiled softly.

“Should we cut it off?”
“May I refuse?”
“Of course. I’m not a child who blindly rejects advice from others.”

“Duoto.” Therese called the knight’s name.

Duoto, as if he had been waiting, brought a box and gave it to me. I opened it.

A small bracelet came into view. When I lifted my head to look at Therese’s face, she nodded as if telling me to put it on.

‘It looks expensive.’
I took the bracelet, which had a noticeable cross carving, out of the box and put it on my wrist. It consumes my magical energy and automatically activates a spell.

Something that started from within me. I cannot stop this kind of magic.

Slowly, my body transforms.
My height decreases, and my shoulders narrow.
My vision also becomes just a little bit lower.
My short hair now tickles my waist.
The flat rags I wore slowly begin to curve.

“Wh-what is this.”
“It’s working properly. That’s a relief, Cornelia.”
“……Woah, ahh.”

My voice also became a little bit thinner. Since I hadn’t gone through my second growth spurt yet, the changes were minimal, but they were there nonetheless. Surprised, I opened my mouth and slowly took the bracelet off again. Back to my original state.

‘How strange.’

“It would be best not to take it off often. It’s better to get used to it.”
“Understood.”

I obediently put on the bracelet. For now, it didn’t feel too awkward.
‘In two or three years, what will happen?’
‘……It’ll work out somehow.’

“Relax. Duoto says it’s no different from cross-dressing.”
“Wait, a minute. Then wouldn’t this all be solved if the knight just wore it?”
“So he says, Duoto.”

Duoto glared at me with a look of humiliation.
‘But what can I do?’
‘As a bodyguard, you are far superior to me.’
‘Even I, who knows nothing, can see this clearly.’
But Duoto looked at my face once, sighed, and then his expression became impassive again.

“An adult cannot wear it for more than an hour.”

‘Hey.’
‘What did you say?’

‘Hey, you sh*t.’
‘Be honest.’
‘That’s an excuse, isn’t it.’
‘That’s an excuse right now, isn’t it?’

“It’s only until you graduate, too. After that, I’ll give you a new name or something. From my perspective, it would be better if you chose to remain female, but well. I’ll respect your words.”

It seemed to be the truth after all. Putting the pieces together, I guessed that if an adult wore it for more than an hour, their gender would change permanently, or something like that.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t there be no problem if they wore it again for an hour after their gender changed?
‘There must be a problem if they’re unwilling to do it, right?’
‘Or perhaps they don’t have the courage to test it.’

‘I don’t know.’
‘Thinking too deeply about it will only cause trouble.’

“……I’ll do it.”

This isn’t such a bad place to work either. That thought occurred to me. If I leave here, I’ll only be met with the harsh winds of the world.

At least this place looks like a rich family’s house, so there probably won’t be any problems with food and lodging. There’s a saying that a dog’s life is the best life. A rich family’s dog would be even better.

“Good, Cornelia. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you, Lady Therese.”
“Yes. Duoto. Take Cornelia to Gloria to receive maid lessons.”
“Follow me.”

‘Maid, lessons.’ I tried my best not to show my dislike. ‘Just be obedient.’

‘If it really becomes unbearable, I can just run away when Duoto isn’t looking.’
‘Although my life is bound to Therese, there was no clause in the contract that could stop me from running away.’

I left Therese’s room. I saw it when I came in, but the hallway was tremendously long. It looked like a royal palace.

“Ugh!?”

As I was thinking that, a fist flew at me. As expected, I couldn’t dodge it. Only after rolling on the ground did I realize I had been struck in the face.

“Lady Therese said she dislikes using violence on you, but I do not.”
“You, you son of a b*tch-!”
“Such a foul mouth.”

I tried to get up and counterattack immediately, but I was instantly beaten down and sent rolling on the ground again.
‘A sword.’
‘If only I had a sword.’
‘I learned some martial arts at the facility, but my basics were still in fighting with a sword.’

“Is this what you’re looking for?”

As if seeing my gaze, Duoto untied the scabbard from his waist and threw it at me. I glanced at his face, then quickly jumped to draw the sword and—

I was rolling on the ground again. My mind went blank.
‘Seriously, I have to be able to react to even fight.’

“Indeed. If you grow up like this, you’ll be fearsome.”

The sword was still unsheathed. Lying down, I tried to draw the sword, but with the blade halfway out, my chest was stomped on by a combat boot.

“Gloria and I will be educating you. But before that, it seems we need to carve out a bit of that rebellious spirit of yours.”
“You crazy—”

He kicked me in the chin. I bit my tongue. Tears welled up from the shock, which felt like my tongue was going to be severed. Blood quickly filled my mouth.

‘I wonder if it’s half-bitten off.’

“From now on, you are to call me just Duoto, without any other titles.”

“Urgh, th-that.”

“Yes, I look forward to working with you, Cornelia. Since you endured that facility, I expect you won’t break easily.”

Duoto said so with what could be seen as a sadistic smile.