The entire changing area corridor instantly fell into a dead silence.
Klaus's hand, which was clutching Alden's collar, instantly froze. His usually carefree eyes bulged so hard they looked ready to pop right out of their sockets.
Beside him, Alden was also completely dumbfounded. His hand, which had been adjusting his bow tie, froze in mid-air, and the eyes behind his glasses were filled with a blankness that showed his worldview had completely collapsed.
St-strip... strip off their clothes?!
In the corridor right in front of the girls' changing room?
A noble duke's daughter who had just finished the opening dance with the Crown Prince was ordering two grown men to strip right there in the corridor, her fierce gaze looking like she was robbing them?!
“L-Lady Loris... Wh-what did you say? Strip... our clothes?”
Klaus's voice cracked. His already flushed face turned a bizarre shade of purplish-red under the combined influence of extreme shock and some indescribable “excitement.”
He frantically screamed in his heart: 【Holy crap!! Did Lady Loris actually lose her mind because of me?! Or... or is it because my crossdressing tonight awakened some indescribable... No, no, no! This is broad daylight... wait, no, we're in the Royal Ballroom!!】
Looking at these two idiots dropping the ball at a critical moment, I realized I probably hadn't explained some things.
But the situation was truly urgent.
I had just discovered a massive problem.
The ball was about to end!
Yet... that wretched green-haired secretary hadn't gone to invite Liliana! He had actually, actually left her standing there all alone in her evening gown for the entire ball!
Damn it!
More importantly, after my investigation—for instance, grabbing a passing Waldenburg to interrogate him—he said the secretary felt guilty because Liliana had accused him of not being gentle.
I asked where he wasn't gentle. Didn't he splash water on me to protect Liliana? That was incredibly gentle!
Waldenburg calmly replied that Liliana wasn't happy about that. On the contrary, she felt that the secretary's accidental splashing of water on me was terrible behavior.
So, the two of them ended on bad terms.
I was completely dumbfounded when I heard this.
Then I felt an urge to touch my forehead to see if I was running a fever.
How did it turn out like this?
The ball was nearly over, and then this happened. Although the system hadn't prompted me at all from start to finish—likely because this was a checkpoint for the male leads and had nothing to do with me in the first place—I had finished my part of the plot. The ones making changes were the male leads.
So there was no forced quest for me.
But knowing this made my conscience ache.
Was Liliana really going to end the ball like this? In my memories, this was supposed to be a beautiful CG moment. She was wearing such a gorgeous evening gown, yet she didn't even have anyone to dance with... Although I was the one who caused trouble, that was precisely why I felt so guilty.
Damn it.
So now, after finding out about this right as the ball was about to end, I had to make amends!
How?
By letting Liliana spend a happy, blissful evening dancing with someone, of course!
...
Hearing this, the two stunned boys, amid all the absurdity, finally managed to grasp my true purpose, which had been somewhat incoherent due to my extreme panic.
“C-Crossdress as a boy? To save Liliana?”
Klaus blinked his dazed eyes. His brain still couldn't fathom why a duke's daughter would want to save a commoner girl she herself had socially banned!
But as soon as he heard that Lady Loris didn't have a perverted fetish to watch him strip, this young master of a parvenu family felt his knightly instincts and “lackey” attributes awaken in terrifying sync.
“Understood! ...Understood, Lady Loris! Leave this small matter to me!!”
After everything that had happened, Klaus's view of Loris had improved significantly.
With a loud roar, in order to make up for his heinous crime of splashing ink inside the wardrobe earlier, he lunged forward like a rabid dog and slammed the unsuspecting Alden flat onto the marble floor.
“Ah! Klaus, what are you doing?! This is my newly bought formal suit... Don't rip it! The buttons! My buttons are falling off!!”
Shit, so he was stripping his brother to give the clothes to Loris?
All I could say was: well done!
Brothers are meant to be used!!
Amid Alden's shrill, miserable screams, Klaus was extremely skilled and brutal with his hands. In just a few moves, he stripped Alden of his neat, high-grade dark blue coat, his meticulously tied necktie, and even his white undershirt.
He peeled everything off like orange skin!
Not only that, Klaus had even learned from his own failure at crossdressing earlier.
While respectfully handing the bundle of clothes to me, he cleverly pointed to the men's changing area at the left end of the corridor. Lowering his voice as if making a black-market deal, he told me: “Lady Loris! While Alden's clothes are decent, his size is a bit too large for you.”
“In the men's changing area's private storage, because of the Drama Club's procession this afternoon, there happen to be a few spare 【small-sized boy's haute couture suits】 left by the upperclassmen, along with a full set of platinum-blonde male wigs! I-I'll go get them all for you right now!!”
Hearing those perfect keywords—'small-sized boy's haute couture suit' and 'male wig'—
I was extremely satisfied.
“Perfect timing, Klaus! After tonight, I... ahem, this young lady will credit you with a grand achievement! Hurry!!”
I snatched Alden's dusty, wrinkled uniform as a backup and swung open the changing room door.
And Klaus truly was a top-tier agility build. He transformed into a blue streak in the corridor. In less than two minutes, he rushed back, panting and drenched in sweat, carrying a beautiful pitch-black small suit that smelled of camphor, along with a finely trimmed platinum-blonde male wig with a few messy, stylish strands.
He left a shivering Alden sobbing as he put his own clothes back on.
Because they didn't fit me.
“Thanks,” I said in a hurry.
I grabbed the full set of men's clothing and asked them to guard the door. After all, this transformation was crucial, and more importantly, no one could find out it was me.
“You two, guard this door! If anyone comes by—whether they're guards from the Swordsmanship Department or girls coming to change—block them!”
I didn't want to be caught half-dressed and get accused of having a male in the girls' changing area!
Then, slam!
The heavy walnut door slammed shut right in their faces.
A dead silence returned to the corridor.
Only a shivering Alden remained, along with Klaus, who was drenched in sweat but had a solemn expression, standing firm at the door to atone for his sins.
He hoped this... would make his guilt disappear.
Alden had no choice but to stay with his friend.
The complexity and shock in the hearts of the two boys could no longer be described in any language of the kingdom.
...
Inside the changing area.
In front of the massive Victorian full-length mirror in the preparation room, Shirune silently appeared.
Then: “...”
“My lady?”
“Don't ask, just hurry up and help me!”
Shirune fell silent for a moment before stepping forward. For the first time, she helped me put on something like a necktie.
A moment later.
Standing barefoot on the soft carpet, I took a deep breath. Using the extremely proficient crossdressing skills I had learned from watching anime in my past life, I began putting on the black suit Klaus had swiped from the men's changing area, piece by piece.
The design of this outfit was top-tier, featuring a classic tailcoat cut.
First, the crisp, pure white undershirt went on. Since my body wasn't fully developed yet, fastening the high-collar button all the way to the top perfectly covered my slender, white neck and my prominent clavicle as a duke's daughter.
Next was the black high-waisted vest. I tightly fastened the double-breasted brass buttons one by one, instantly compressing my originally soft, slender waistline into a sharp, lean, upright posture unique to a young knight.
The black tailcoat jacket was crafted with exquisite ingenuity. The shoulder pads were slightly raised, perfectly making up for my disadvantage of having narrower shoulders as a girl.
As for my chest...
For the first time, I was glad I was flat...
In short, it visually created an incredibly deceptive, dashing silhouette of a boy, looking like a youth poised to draw a sword.
Finally, the platinum-blonde male wig.
Using a hairnet, I neatly secured my long, light blonde hair at the back of my head. Taking a deep breath, I reached up and pulled on the perfect platinum-blonde wig. It was neatly styled with a few messy, fashionable strands over the forehead, instantly adding a powerful presence.
Shirune watched the mirror and helped me adjust it.
After the complete transformation.
I opened my eyes.
At that moment, in the massive full-length mirror, Loris von Aldheim—the one who used to tilt her chin up and play the villainous daughter with three parts arrogance, three parts poise, and three parts aloofness in high society—was gone.
Standing in her place was a bona fide 【peerlessly handsome youth】.
A youth with a hint of delicate charm.
A few strands of platinum-blonde hair fell gently over the forehead.
Their features possessed an almost otherworldly beauty that transcended gender.
If Crown Prince Leonhart's handsome looks were as radiant as the sun, gentle and accompanied by a blinding savior-like halo, then the platinum-haired, black-suited handsome youth stepping out of the mirror was like a blade unsheathed in the dead of night—cold, noble, domineering, and possessing an absolute charm that could snatch away the souls of all the high-noble daughters in the room in a single second.
Ooooh, I'm so handsome!
Wait, I was already good-looking to begin with, so this is only natural.
Even Shirune, standing behind me, swallowed hard, her face flushing slightly.
Did she catch a cold?
In any case, I had to admit my destructive power was immense.
This was a top-tier, heaven-defying handsome guy on par with Prince Leonhart, and perhaps even superior when it came to a wild, 【domineering CEO snatching away someone else's love】 aura!
“Excellent. This face, this disguise...”
I stood up.
“The closing dance is about to begin... I really have to hurry. Thanks, Shirune... Actually, stay here and keep guard!”
I quickly ran out.
With a terrifying force like a passing hurricane, I kicked open the heavy walnut door of the preparation room.
The moment the door opened, Alden and Klaus, who had been guarding the door like statues, practically stood to attention by reflex and whipped their heads around.
However, as their fearful yet utterly confused gazes fell under the corridor lights upon this peerlessly handsome youth stepping out from the darkness in a sleek black suit, their platinum-blonde hair swaying in the air—
Thud.
These two high-ranking noble boys, who had seen countless talented young men in the Royal Capital and who even followed Crown Prince Leonhart around daily as student council officers, completely had their worldviews vaporized. At this second, they stood dazed on the spot, unable to utter a single syllable.
“Who... is that?”
“No way...”
For the first time, Klaus felt self-conscious about his own looks. He was so incredibly handsome that even as a guy, Klaus couldn't help but feel jealous of that face.
Both of them spoke in unison: “So cool.”
Rate on N.U.
