Previous | Index | Next

“Please don’t worry about it; one or two more loads of laundry won’t make a difference,” a maid said kindly.

“You must have been tense from sleeping in an unfamiliar place,” another added with concern.

“Ah, yes…” Iris Lune replied.

The maids’ warm consideration pierced Iris Lune’s heart that morning. She was trying her best to reach a state of void, her mind feeling numb.

Her conscience was practically non-existent, capable of mass slaughter, but it seemed her sense of shame remained intact.

The maids efficiently helped Iris Lune change out of her chemise-like nightwear.

It seemed that even in Ciel-Terra, the upper class didn’t dress themselves. Renée did have memories of her parents helping her dress when she was young, but that was when she was unable to dress herself. To have everything done for her now felt odd.

Right now, this was like a rehearsal, a training period before she really began working as the young lady’s double. Renée had lived a simple life, so experiencing the life of the aristocracy was quite a culture shock. Her mother had apparently been given some fortune when she was exiled from the palace, but she hadn’t splurged on it, and instead, lived frugally, carefully managing it. Not even hiring a single servant… perhaps it was simply because they were living in hiding.

Being dressed by someone else was a culture shock in itself, but the clothing was as well. Renée had only ever worn simple, plain wool dresses. However, what was prepared now was something that seemed to be a dress or a one-piece, in vibrant crimson and gothic black, so dazzling it hurt her eyes. The frills and ribbons were so abundant that it looked like she was wearing a giant Buddha’s head. The flared skirt seemed designed to make her waist appear smaller. The white frilly pannier worn underneath would probably peek out from the hem of the skirt.

This lavishly adorned outfit looked no different than the parade costumes with flashing lights for a rat kingdom.

— No, now that my memories as a man are returning, the very concept of wearing a skirt or a dress is weird. It feels drafty, like wearing nothing at all. Why are all women okay with this? Are they strong? Are they a warrior race?

The most common type of women’s underwear seemed to be loose-fitting drawers, which, well… if she ignored the appearance, weren’t too different from boxer shorts, so it didn’t bother her too much.

However.

“Ouch!”

“Oh dear, was it a little too tight?”

Iris Lune instinctively cried out, and the maid who was tightening the laces paused for a moment.

The corset that pressed against her chest and stomach was a new experience for Lune, and needless to say, for the former Earthling male, Chojiro.

She recalled that corsets were considered harmful in Earth’s history, and were eventually abandoned…

— Yeah, this is definitely bad for the body. Well, I’m already dead, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?

It would be a problem if this interfered with her duties as ‘Iris’, she thought.

After the undergarments were on, came the parade outfit. With the shirt underneath, the apron-like part, and all the laces that tightened in all directions, it was like assembling a wooden puzzle. She probably wouldn’t be able to put it on by herself later.

“There, all done. Please have a look.”

Finally dressed, Iris Lune was stood in front of the mirror.

“Wow…”

A beautiful girl who perfectly fit the description of “doll-like” was there. Her wavy golden hair was beautiful, and her violet eyes sparkled in the mirror.

Iris, the body Renée was inhabiting, had a striking face to begin with. And when dressed in nice clothes, she exuded a radiant charm.

Even if it was a temporary body, Iris Lune’s heart was racing.

She was clad in an authentic noble outfit. The elegant dresses she had once only dreamed of in stories, she was now wearing.

— Wait, is it right to be excited about this? Me?

Iris Lune suddenly became serious and straightened her face.

There was a saying, “Living happily is the best revenge.” While that kind of lukewarm revenge wouldn’t satisfy her, finding a little bit of joy while working towards vengeance was not necessarily a bad thing, she concluded.

But still.

This former male Earthling, now the strongest undead, seriously questioned whether it was right to feel excited about wearing such a girly outfit.

“Revenge” was what both Renée and Chojiro desired. But in many other aspects, they were having a mental tug-of-war.

Renée, as a girl, might think that this clothing is okay, but what about Chojiro? Imagining himself, a man back when he lived on Earth, wearing this outfit, Iris Lune came to the merciless conclusion that “a passing child would scream and run away”.

— Uh, but I’m a girl now… or rather, I’m inhabiting Iris, so I should think based on Iris’ standards… Wait, am I getting confused?

While Iris Lune was lost in thought, her hair was brushed, her face was lightly powdered, and her morning preparations were completed with the efficiency of some kind of production line.

Away from Iris Lune’s preparations, a room in the castle had been allocated to the “Dragon’s Throat”.

It was part of the residential area for the castle staff. One of the rooms, which had been vacant, became the party’s living quarters. Three beds and some furniture were brought into the large room that was meant for five or six people.

When Iris Lune entered the room, the three were just finishing their breakfast.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Following Iris’s memories, Iris Lune gave her usual greeting.

Hugh, who had been staring blankly at Iris Lune, put down his food and broke into a wide grin.

“Oh, Iris! I didn’t recognize you for a moment.”

“I did.”

“You’d recognize her by smell, wouldn’t you?”

Hugh slapped Benedict, who was munching on a smoked meat sandwich.

Benedict, being a Kobold, had ears and a nose as sharp as a dog. He had saved the party multiple times with his abilities.

Well, even he wasn’t able to hear the sound of the flare that had exploded in the <<Silent Silence>> (Diana seemed to sense the magic though), nor did he sense the fact that Renée had possessed Iris.

“What’s with that outfit?”

“Umm, the maids… no, the ladies-in-waiting. They dressed me.”

“Oh, I see. You look good, Iris. You’re always cute, but you’re incredibly cute like that.”

Diana complimented her casually. For some reason, Iris Lune felt a little embarrassed.

“Right, you’re the young lady’s double. You have to wear the same clothes, huh?”

“I always just think about armor and maneuverability with my robe, so I have to get used to this.”

“I thought I was going to die from the corset.”

“Ahahaha! They really are tight. Adventurers don’t wear things like that.”

Diana didn’t usually wear corsets, but it seemed like she had tried them on before.

Corsets were nothing more than corrective underwear meant to enhance appearance. Adventurers couldn’t possibly use something so suffocating and movement-restricting.

“And, this outfit is really complicated. I don’t even know how to take it off, let alone put it on.”

“Hmm? …Oh, right, you didn’t put it on yourself, did you?”

“That’s right. The ladies-in-waiting did everything… I feel kind of embarrassed to be helped with dressing.”

Iris Lune was just stating her honest opinion, but Hugh tilted his head in response.

“You’re fine with stripping in front of us but you’re embarrassed to be dressed by someone else?”

“Ugh. That’s…”

Iris Lune was at a loss for words.

Originally, Iris was rather careless, and Diana would often scold her for exposing herself carelessly in front of Benedict and Hugh.

However, just three days ago, after Renée had possessed her, Iris had made a rather big blunder by changing in front of Hugh.

Looking back, it felt like that was “a man’s sense” at play…

— In this case, it’s fine since Iris was originally like that… but if it was ‘Renée’, I would never have done that. Maybe it’s because my memories and sensations from my past life have resurfaced. I have to be careful not to arouse suspicion.

Iris Lune engraved in her heart the lesson that she must not forget that she was a girl now.

“So, how was your job of sleeping alone in a fluffy bed?”

“Well, umm…”

Iris Lune was asked by Hugh and vaguely replied while hoping the maids would keep their mouths shut.

“We had proper beds, too, you know?”

“Yeah. Being able to sleep in a room with no draft was wonderful. The food was amazing, too.”

“That’s right. It’s a dangerous job request, so we have to get properly compensated for our expenses and reward.”

Diana, still not entirely convinced about this job, bit down on her sandwich with unnecessary force.

“But, is this really going to work? This double thing is obvious, isn’t it? Iris can look like the young lady with a disguise, but… the “Dragon’s Throat” isn’t unknown. If we keep coming in and out of the castle, Night Python will probably realize that the young lady and Iris might be switched.”

“You say that after accepting the job?”

Benedict looked at her suspiciously. Iris Lune agreed with the sentiment.

The servants knew about this as well, and, while Iris Lune was in the castle, her protectee, Countess Catherine, would continue her life almost as usual.

In other words, there would be two “Catherines” in the castle, and Iris Lune couldn’t help but wonder if there was any real point to this.

But Hugh just shook his head as if it were nothing to worry about.

“It’s fine if they notice. Maybe. That would make it harder for them to lay a hand on the young lady. They might be thinking that maybe the young lady here is a fake.”

“I see.”

“Even if that doesn’t work out, it’s the Count’s problem. We just do our job as we’re told. It’s not our place to complain.”

Hugh said this so lightheartedly, but Benedict looked worried for the young lady.

— Umm… This is a point where ‘Iris’ should speak up, right?

When Renée possessed Iris, she was able to see her memories.

Saying something innocent and logical here was how Iris would act based on the memories Lune had gleaned.

“Hugh, even if that’s fine as an adventurer, I want to properly help Catherine-chan.”

Iris Lune said something she didn’t really mean.

“I’d be happy if we are all safe, but if something is out of our ability to handle, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Yeah. Iris, please be careful not to get into danger either.”

“Okay~”

Iris Lune replied, sounding a little dissatisfied.

“More importantly, Iris, haven’t you had breakfast yet? I saved you some.”

“Oh, then I’ll have some.”

“Please wait, Iris-sama… I knew you were here.”

Just as Iris was about to reach for the sandwich, the door, slightly ajar, was pushed open and a woman dressed in an unadorned, ascetic-looking dress stepped into the room. She had her hair in an updo and wore triangular glasses, a textbook look, and was Catherine’s etiquette teacher. For the next few days, Iris Lune would be taught manners and etiquette by her to act like an aristocrat.

“Iris-sama will have breakfast elsewhere. The way you eat is part of your studies.”

“Y-yes…”

“Too bad. Good luck with your training.”

Diana waved, grinning wryly.

Iris Lune had only met the teacher yesterday, but after being severely corrected on her posture for about 10 minutes the first moment she had met her, Iris Lune had already come to dislike her.

“We’re going to have a security briefing and then a tour of the castle.”

“I’ll tell you about the points to note later.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Walking down the corridor following the teacher, Iris Lune was replaying the conversation from earlier.

The “Dragon’s Throat” members. She had heard that adventurer parties were business-like and sometimes betrayed their comrades for money, but at least the “Dragon’s Throat” was not. It was like a family.

Everyone cared deeply for Iris. Even knowing that these feelings were not directed towards her, Renée, possessing Iris, found the party agreeable.

She was possessing Iris and taking her place, stealing the affection Iris should be receiving. It came with a sense of betrayal, but also a profound sense of sadness. After all, these feelings were directed to Iris. It didn’t feel like she was being fulfilled.

This grief and anger could not be healed by anyone.

The only way it could be healed was by the blood spilled through vengeance, Iris Lune thought.

Previous | Index | Next