If a lie is born of pure intentions, then this punishment should suffice, shouldn’t it? After all, her guilt remained unconfirmed.

After her body trembled slightly from the growing heat, Tiyi lifted her head. Her hair was slightly disheveled. She seemed to see Qingruo’s eyes shimmering like moonlit water. That face—reminiscent of fresh snow yet radiating mature grace—was faintly flushed for reasons unknown.

*So even the Empire’s supreme Lady Templar Knight, the queen of Holy Academy, could blush?* Though Tiyi couldn’t decipher her meaning, a soft, tingling warmth spread through her chest.

*Warmth? Do I even have such a thing?* No… it must be the influence of this overwhelmingly feminine queen. Besides, the punishment was doubled for her.

*No—triple,* Tiyi corrected herself. Considering their true relationship, objectively speaking, her current body couldn’t help but appear more feminine under triple the Holy Power’s chastisement.

Yet as the discomfort faded, she realized no real harm had been done. Clearly, Qingruo only meant to discipline her, not injure her. Perhaps this eased Qingruo’s heart too—some truths simply couldn’t be shared… but Tiyi’s sincerity held nothing to hide from her.

“Senior Qingruo,” Tiyi finally gathered boyish courage to meet her gaze, “I won’t make excuses. I only ask you to trust me. Time will prove my heart someday. Please… believe me.”

*If this punishment restores even a shred of my manhood, so be it.* But it likely had the opposite effect.

“Is that so…?” Qingruo swept a strand of hair behind her ear. Her mesmerizing gaze descended once more upon Tiyi’s face. “So… did this elder sister punish you wrongly?”

“No, it’s not that…” Tiyi answered honestly whenever she could avoid lying to Qingruo. “Your punishment may be just. But even after being chastised, I must stand by my words—they speak my true heart!”

*That’s what being a boy means!*

Even misunderstood, even blushing from punishment, he’d cling to his convictions for the one he cared about.

Qingruo stared at Tiyi. Her words seemed dubious, yet her eyes held no malice—only a strange clarity beneath their turmoil. The more Qingruo looked, the more she wanted to believe her, despite the shadows of doubt. *Why?*

Perhaps… only time would tell.

“So,” Qingruo breathed softly, her mature frame trembling faintly with the motion. A soothing orchid-like fragrance drifted around Tiyi. “How long until you prove it?”

“I… I don’t know. I can’t name a time. But someday you’ll—” Bound hands behind her back, Tiyi lifted her chin with boyish resolve and a junior’s dignity.

“Very well.” Qingruo’s reply was unexpectedly crisp. *If you can’t name a time, elder sister might as well wait.* After all, this mischievous girl’s contract still rested in her hands.

“But… huh? ‘Very well’?” Tiyi blinked in confusion. After such relentless public interrogation with Holy Arts binding her—why yield so suddenly? Did she believe her?

*Probably… but Qingruo’s reactions were always hard to read.*

“Senior,” Tiyi pressed her key evidence, “if Teacher Yedi truly shared a room with me last night… wouldn’t he have sensed what happened?” *Prove one truth, and the rest gain credibility.*

Qingruo’s gaze softened as she looked down. She’d considered this long ago—but lacked the courage to confirm it. She dreaded facing a truth she couldn’t accept.

Yet… Teacher Yedi likely *wasn’t* there, as Tiyi claimed. That much rang true. Protecting his honor mattered most. Any other lies fell under her duty as senior to discipline.

Qingruo exhaled deeply. Tiyi’s heart fluttered with each breath.

As Qingruo leaned closer, Tiyi instinctively turned her face away to avoid their cheeks brushing. Qingruo’s chest pressed gently against hers as she reached around—both bodies trembling at the contact.

“Sacred Words: Hesitation of Divine Will.”

Qingruo’s slender fingers brushed Tiyi’s bound wrists. The holy thorns dissolved.

Relief flooded Tiyi as her stiff arms loosened.

Spring wind carried petals and thick floral perfume. Tiyi—once a boy—now found the scent overwhelming. Dizzy, she squinted and swayed, reaching for a nearby bush.

Qingruo caught her shoulders. The wind surged, swirling petals around them.

Then Qingruo pulled Tiyi into her embrace.

“The pollen winds of Holy Academy… hard to adjust to?” Qingruo murmured, pressing Tiyi’s face firmly yet gently against her chest. As if shielding her with the clean fabric of her uniform and her own warmth.

No flower or grass dared trouble Alandiye.

After all, their contract bound them. This, too, was an elder sister’s duty.

“Senior…” Tiyi had never felt another woman’s chest—especially *hers*. *Is this comfort after punishment? Another trick?* Yet her traitorous body melted into it…

*Is it just because I once loved her? Now that I’m a girl… shouldn’t my heart have changed?*

Then why this shame, this fluttering heartbeat—a reluctant thrill at being overpowered?

Pressed against her chest, Tiyi secretly wished… *just a little longer.*

*May the Empire’s spring breeze blow a little longer.*

Petals danced. Their hair and skirts fluttered in the wind.

Tiyi breathed in Qingruo’s scent, safe from pollen. Her eyes—once wide with shock—softened. Slowly, she closed them.

*Spring’s lullaby, perhaps? Boys don’t close their eyes when held.*

But was this an embrace? No. She was being cradled—firmly, tenderly.

Was she still a boy?

…

Time blurred like an entire season passing. When the wind stilled, Qingruo finally released her.

Even a Lady Templar Knight couldn’t resist spring’s magic. Qingruo wouldn’t question why she’d done it.

She owned many slaves in her manor—but no master would shield a slave from pollen like this.

Released, Tiyi stepped back. The warm wind left her dazed.

She stood like any Holy Academy girl: head bowed, hands clasped before her, facing the taller senior with longer, silkier hair.

“Um…” *Why did I say ‘um’? So girlish.* But she felt genuinely tipsy—perhaps from the sacred chastisement. “Thank you for believing me, senior.”

“Tiyi.” Qingruo’s voice held a maturity beyond their one-year gap, gentle yet commanding—like Yedi’s age reversed. “I don’t fully believe you. I simply feel… whatever your reasons, they aren’t born of evil.”

“Templar Knights are strict with themselves but forgiving of others. Especially since I may become your guild leader. Unless this stems from malice, slander, or deceit… I needn’t pry into your privacy. Besides, your…” Qingruo’s gaze drifted downward, her hair stirring in the breeze.

“Hmm?” Tiyi nodded, then looked up. “My what?”

“Nothing at all.” Qingruo’s black hair fluttered like night itself. She stroked Tiyi’s head—a guide for lost girls in darkness, offering comfort without answers.