Chapter 1: The Maid and the Mysterious Girl

In front of the brightly lit bar, a handsome youth with a golden ponytail tied to the side raised a glass, holding it against the glow of the white lights, and gently wiped its rim with a cloth.

The youth was clad in a black and white maid’s outfit, utterly unfitting for his gender. Anyone who knew him, if they were to stand a short distance from the bar and observe, would undoubtedly marvel repeatedly at his fair, tender face.

Conversely, strangers would surely question their own sanity for staring so intently at such a beautiful maid working in a tavern. It would simply be too impolite.

Yet, this ‘maid’ was not a true girl. As mentioned before, he was a boy named Fran, who had come from the countryside to work in the capital. The reason for his maid’s attire was simple: the manager had offered him double his wages if he agreed to wear it to work.

For some unknown reason, it seemed that since his arrival, the tavern’s business had indeed flourished considerably.

Among the patrons was the individual currently before him.

A brown-haired woman in a red dress, her face alight with a smile, playfully pushed aside several new patrons attempting to flirt. She approached Fran and gently patted the youth, prompting him to reluctantly turn his head.

“What is it, Teacher?”

Fran gazed at the brown-haired woman before him. She appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, an age nearing, yet not quite reaching, ‘old woman.’ Describing her as ‘still charming’ felt somewhat unfitting, but neither could she be called youthful and vibrant.

One thing was certain: she was beautiful. Every gesture exuded a blend of mature elegance and romantic allure. It was truly difficult to imagine that this person spent her days as a doctor, saving lives and healing the injured.

The doctor, a playful smile gracing her lips, gestured towards a sofa not far away. Fran followed her gaze.

A young girl appeared to be seated on the sofa. The doctor clicked her tongue beside him, then said, “Fran, there’s a silver-haired foreign girl over there. Aren’t you going to take a look? She’s been staring at you for quite a while~”

“Me?” Fran pointed to himself, blinking in confusion. He then looked towards the girl. This time, she seemed to sense his gaze, turning her eyes towards him simultaneously. As their eyes met, Fran finally got a clear look at her.

She possessed a cascade of silky, silver hair that shimmered under the lights. Her sapphire-like eyes held a hint of shyness, befitting someone alone in an unfamiliar place. The girl’s cheeks were faintly flushed, her nose delicately upturned, and her long, slender legs were positioned somewhat awkwardly between the table and the sofa, clearly a tight fit.

Fran was lost in contemplation. The doctor, with a mischievous grin, roused him with a pat.

“Well? Is the Teuton girl pretty? Look at you, completely smitten~”

“Teacher…” Fran clutched his head, averting his gaze. He lowered his voice, asking the doctor, “Teuton? How do you know?”

“I was just chatting with her. Her Francian is very stiff, with a hint of that accent from those Teuton barbarians in the east, and she has silver hair. What do you think~”

The doctor clicked her tongue. Fran nodded, acknowledging her words. While he couldn’t entirely confirm the girl’s identity based solely on his teacher’s remarks, it was highly probable.

“So, don’t you find it strange, Fran? Although a full-scale war hasn’t broken out yet, and there’s no movement from the armies on the border, Francis has already declared war on Teuton. At a time like this, a young girl comes to a bar in the enemy capital. Do you truly believe she’s just here for a drink?”

“So, Teacher, you mean…”

“Hmph, if this young lady is so fond of our Francian wine, then let’s prepare something special for her. Oh, and Fran, that lady specifically asked me if she could get to know you~ So, why don’t you, Mr. Fran, go deliver a drink to her~”

The doctor watched the silver-haired girl, who was diligently writing on the sofa, and a slightly cunning smile spread across her face. Fran understood immediately upon seeing that expression. He nodded, accepted the glass of red wine the doctor handed him, took a deep breath, and walked briskly towards the silver-haired girl.

From a distance, the silver-haired girl saw Fran approaching. She immediately put away her small notebook and pen, then somewhat flustered, stood up and greeted him, “Hello, Miss Maid, I apologize for disturbing you.”

Fran handed her the wine glass, offering a professional, practiced smile. He sat opposite her, feigning innocence as he shook his head. “It’s alright, no disturbance at all. It’s just… I’m a little nervous; being singled out like this is a first for me. Also… I’m a boy.”

“Ah? You…” The silver-haired girl’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re a boy?”

The silver-haired girl was taken aback. After a moment of staring into Fran’s eyes, her gaze grew even more excited.

‘Such a cute person, and a boy at that? This is truly… a treasure!’

At least, that seemed to be the case for the silver-haired girl. Fran, feeling quite nervous under her intense stare, could only subtly shift the table closer to himself, allowing the girl more room for her legs and, incidentally, redirecting her attention.

“Yes, I am a boy. Um… if you mind, I can call someone else over.”

“No, don’t!” The silver-haired girl urgently stopped Fran. “This… this is perfect!”

Her face flushed even deeper. She patted the empty space beside her on the sofa, then quietly asked Fran, “May I ask, could you sit here?”

Fran secretly weighed the situation, concluding that he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. After a moment of hesitation, he sat down beside the girl.

“Um, guest, you haven’t told me your name yet,” Fran suddenly spoke, asking.

The girl was caught off guard by the question. She awkwardly averted her gaze, pondered for a long time, and finally stammered, “My name is… Yuli. Yes, that’s right, Yuli.”

“Hmm…” Fran nodded, half-believing, half-doubting.

‘How could I possibly believe that? Is her own name so hard to recall? Or is translating a Teuton name into Francian so arduous?’

‘A fake name, definitely a fake name.’

Fran, however, had no intention of probing further. From this brief exchange, he gleaned only two pieces of information: first, this individual seemed quite interested in boys who cross-dressed, and second, she possessed a strong sense of secrecy.

“Um… Miss Maid, well… I know you’re a boy, but I still want to call you that. I…” The girl interrupted Fran’s thoughts, reaching out to gently touch his cheek.

“May I buy you a drink?”

“Mm…”

Fran nodded. The silver-haired girl personally brought the glass to his lips, while her other hand silently wrapped around him from behind, pulling him into an embrace.

Eh?

Fran was somewhat passively fed the red wine he had brought. He immediately felt a strange sensation; how to describe it… the red wine shouldn’t have been so potent.

The girl then drank the remaining half-glass of wine.

A peculiar feeling spread between them. As their gazes met, the atmosphere suddenly grew somewhat ambiguous, and an inexplicable flutter stirred within their hearts…

After a while, the silver-haired girl suddenly proposed, “Miss Maid, may I request your exclusive company tonight? We could… talk in detail at my place~”

****

“Oh, come on, customer, what are you talking about? I’m just helping a friend mind the shop. How can I handle credit? I’m sorry, but I really can’t!”

The doctor was busy haggling with a customer when she suddenly remembered Fran. She turned her head, only to see that the sofa was now empty.

‘Eh? Where did he go? Damn it, I forgot to tell that boy the red wine was specially concocted.’

‘So… where is he?’

The person, at this very moment, was already lying on the large bed in the silver-haired girl’s inn room.