Tiyi returned to her room.
Leaning against the door, the lingering scent of Qingruo still clung to her skin from their tumble. How could two girls carry such utterly different fragrances?
She lowered her head, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face as she lifted her nightgown.
"Not here…" Tiyi exhaled slightly. No Witch Mark marred her skin.
Witch Marks didn’t always show. Skilled witches could conceal them—if they knew the secret arts. They only surfaced involuntarily during extreme stress or when a witch lost control.
Her hand slipped beneath her collar, retrieving the elegant lipstick. Its rose-gold casing bore Qingruo’s fingerprints and still held the warmth of Tiyi’s own chest.
Memories of Qingruo pressing it into her cleavage made her shudder.
A Holy Temple Knight—why did she perform such acts with such ease?
Of course, the Templar Code never forbade a Lady Templar Knight from tucking lipstick into her maid’s bosom.
*What have I done? Why did this night spiral so out of control?*
Staggering to the bed, Tiyi collapsed onto her knees. Her face buried itself in the sheets, breathing in the distinctly feminine scent that now claimed her space. The traces of her male self had vanished long ago—every night reclaimed her as a woman.
A small mercy remained: Qingruo hadn’t dragged her to the Empire’s soldiers for interrogation as a spy. Nor had she uncovered Tiyi’s true connection to Yedi.
*Hmph. How could she? Who would ever imagine…*
Only Tiyi knew the full truth. Kneeling before Qingruo, she alone tasted the depth of this ruin, this hollow ache.
*How will I explain myself tomorrow?*
Alone at last, her mind felt clearer. Around Qingruo, her thoughts always thickened—though perhaps tonight’s chaos was to blame.
Pushing herself up on trembling elbows, Yedi began to strategize.
First: weave a plausible story. It must align with what she’d told the Academy Headmaster earlier—that she’d transfer her female self here.
*So… I’ll be my own distant cousin?*
*I am my own cousin?*
Silence swallowed the room. Her bangs shadowed her forehead as she gently shook her head.
*It’s the only way.*
*As Teacher Yedi’s cousin, lingering in his room for consecutive nights wouldn’t raise eyebrows. Qingruo trusts my character. And… what exactly did I do? What could I have done?*
Head bowed, she weighed the symbolic one-day contract. This single day of breathing room must yield value. Otherwise, she’d truly have served as a slave for nothing.
If Qingruo rejected her explanation, the contract could stretch indefinitely. Tiyi couldn’t allow that—but the contract rested in Qingruo’s hands. She had to persuade her.
*But… how do I reach the castle gardens tomorrow in broad daylight? Someone might see me.*
Go as Yedi, then transform?
*Too risky. Discovery would ruin everything. Besides… tomorrow might be… that time.* A faint blush colored her cheeks.
*Not her period—but a day when her feminine essence ran too strong to shift back to male.* She’d already asked Gallilu to adjust her class schedule through the Academy Office. With Yedi’s status, no one dared question it.
*Perhaps it’s a blessing. A scheduled class would’ve complicated things further.*
Her gaze drifted to the black lace strap clinging to her pale shoulder. *She saw me like this…* Though dimly lit, it offered no comfort. Each glimpse Qingruo stole of this form chipped away at Tiyi’s courage to face her as a boy.
Dragging a large trunk from under the bed, she flipped it open. Silk lingerie, scandalous nightgowns, elegant evening gowns, and gothic witch dresses spilled into view. *So this is why Xialda and the others packed these… Plan B, in case my strength failed the mission.*
Ignoring the whisper-soft fabrics, she dug to the trunk’s base. There, neatly folded, lay a set of girls’ academy uniforms.
Black spring uniform of the Imperial Sacred Academy.
…
Next afternoon.
Wind stirred pollen across the Imperial Sacred Academy’s ridges. The sky bled into an Impressionist wash of gentle blue-purple.
The Empire’s spring lacked the brilliance of epic poems, yet its muted sunlight still carried the breath of early blossoms.
The main castle’s rear garden lay secluded and quiet. Beyond it stood the Student Council’s annex—no other paths crossed here. Ordinary students rarely wandered this far.
Tiyi navigated narrow trails and forested slopes, relying on Yedi’s intimate knowledge of the campus to avoid fellow students.
Dressed in the Holy Academy’s girls’ uniform—white knee-high socks, black shoes brushing spring grass—she carried the faint, pollen-dusted scent of earth.
Even plants knew this season of blooming.
*My chest feels… tight.* Nerves, perhaps. Breathing strained against the stiff blouse hugging her ample curves.
This uniform had been prepared by the witch Dilovei for infiltration. With the Nightshade Ring’s time limit, a backup girls’ uniform was essential.
*I never thought I’d need it so soon…* Beneath the heart-fluttering spring warmth, her skin prickled with tension. The Academy’s thick floral perfume unsettled her—whether from her female body or unfamiliarity, she couldn’t tell.
No duel awaited today, yet the pressure crushed harder than any match.
Only now did Tiyi realize: she’d only ever seen Qingruo as the Academy’s top student. Even as Yedi pined for her, he’d never truly *known* her.
How many secret admirers loved a mirage?
Arriving early, Tiyi passed wrought-iron garden gates draped in wisteria. Sunlight bleached the stone path pale white, carpeted with fallen violet blooms.
She stepped on crushed petals, entering the garden’s fragrant hush.
Beyond a corridor of towering, sculpted hedges, beside an ancient fountain dappled with sunlight, a tall figure waited.
Wind lifted her long hair. Petals swirled around her academy uniform skirt like confetti.
Tiyi had meant to be first. Yet Lady Qingruo had arrived earlier.
*Of course. Being fashionably late is the heroine’s privilege.*
The thought chilled her despite the warm air.
*Today, I must convince her…* Drifting blossoms and dandelion seeds blurred her view of the figure who seemed stepped from a painting.
