Surprisingly, embarrassnt hit a beat too late.
At first, I thought, *What's the big deal about wearing a dress?*
I’d already worn a bunny costu before, with a neckline that revealed nearly everything. By that standard, a normal dress shouldn’t make feel embarrassed at all.
This dress didn’t expose anything. It didn’t even bare my shoulders. It was just… the type of outfit any noble lady might wear.
The skirt was even longer than the skirt of my academy uniform, which, true to the ga’s "pretty girl character" content, was shorter than most real-world uniforms. Objectively, I had no reason to feel embarrassed in this outfit.
Alice had been a bit surprised when she saw this morning, but she hadn’t made a big fuss.
But I only realized the real source of embarrassnt when I went down for breakfast.
Embarrassnt doesn’t co from *how much skin* you’re showing; it cos from *the reactions* of those around you.
When I’d worn the bunny costu, Alice had been with , and though it had felt humiliating, Claire’s reaction was more of stunned disbelief. Besides, we had our reasons for doing it.
But this dress—*I had chosen this myself.*
And people noticed.
“Wow!”
Claire, who had stared at for a few seconds, lit up with a beaming expression, clasped her hands, and approached with sparkling eyes.
“Sister, it suits you so well!”
At the word "sister," I noticed the baroness’s eyebrows raise slightly, but she didn’t show her surprise, instead approaching gracefully.
“You looked splendid in yesterday’s attire, but this dress also suits you wonderfully.”
“Does it?”
Sohow, their reactions made feel even more self-conscious than when Leo had blushed seeing in the bunny outfit.
And Leo’s reaction wasn’t much different.
Normally, he would’ve stared at in shock, but maybe because we’d known each other for a sester now or because we were at his ho, he walked over with a "heroic smile" and said,
“You look great.”
And that’s when it hit .
While there was no character nad Sylvia Pangriffon in the original ga, if a scene like this had been in it, this would definitely be one of *Sylvia Pangriffon’s affinity events.*
As I imagined a half-filled heart icon appearing beside my na in so invisible status window, I felt chills down my spine.
“Does it?”
But what could I do? If I protested with a "no," that would just be another cliché.
I could see the upside in successfully portraying my character, but I certainly didn’t want to feel like I was being "conquered." Even after ten years in a woman’s body, I was still a guy at heart.
“Now the children will definitely feel more at ease eting you.”
Claire, unaware of my thoughts, smiled brightly. Everyone here was likely oblivious to the concept of a "ga world"—they didn’t even have video gas here, after all.
Even if they did, they’d never imagine it like this.
“Is that so?”
Beside , Alice was watching intently as I muttered the sa phrase again. She had just given a lengthy lecture on maintaining a refined posture like a noblewoman before we’d left the room.
Her expression was mostly neutral, but I sensed a hint of satisfaction in her gaze.
*
Daniel’s face turned a bit red as he looked at .
I briefly wondered if he actually recognized .
In my previous life, I’d never imagined myself as anyone’s first love. I hadn’t been particularly attractive for that role.
But "Sylvia Black" was different.
Though the kids in the orphanage had been decent-looking, few were growing into the kind of "beauty" that Claire and I had, simply because they were too young.
Besides, I was one of the few people who had been kind to them in that so-called orphanage.
If they felt any admiration toward , I wouldn’t be surprised. Claire had, after all.
“This way… please follow .”
The baroness excused herself early after breakfast. Though she ntioned she was busy, I suspected it was partly to give space to reunite with the other children.
“They’re all gathered, it seems.”
“Ah, yes.”
I asked Daniel as I followed him, and he nodded.
“They don’t all stay in the sa room, but those with similar roles tend to live in similar areas.”
That made sense.
Butlers and maids wouldn’t share quarters, and neither would the guards.
Even if the estate wasn’t enormous, it wasn’t small enough to be managed by only two or three people. They needed soone to watch over it 24/7. Most of the orphanage kids must have ended up as guards if they’d all been employed here.
Even if more than half of the children were girls.
“Here we are.”
Daniel stopped in front of a detached building separate from the main house, one of the buildings we’d noticed upon entering the estate.
Calling it a "dormitory" seed inadequate—it was quite an impressive structure. If this was where the servants stayed, the Grace family certainly offered them excellent living conditions.
Daniel opened the door and waited for us all to enter.
It felt odd to see a boy shorter than holding the door, but this was just how things were here. Claire, Leo, and Alice all acted as though it were entirely normal.
Inside, the hot air seed to subside a bit. They must have so sort of cooling system, whether steam-powered or magic-based.
The interior looked like an old hotel. Not a particularly luxurious one, but more like a charming, vintage inn sowhere in the European countryside. The lobby counter, however, was empty.
“Two people live in each room. The people Her Highness wishes to et are…”
Daniel glanced at Claire, who nodded with a big smile.
“The ones who stayed with you and .”
“I understand.”
Daniel looked back at , waiting for my response.
“Please, bring them here.”
I nodded.
*
After sitting in the lobby chairs for a few minutes, the children started appearing, one by one.
When we had escaped together, there had been twelve of us, including myself, Claire, and Daniel.
The children shuffled in, looking around shyly. They didn’t seem much younger than Daniel.
Most of them were slightly taller than Daniel, whether they were girls or boys.
“Hi!”
“Sister!”
When Claire waved, a lively girl with short, dark brown hair called out, then quickly clamped her mouth shut upon seeing and Alice behind Claire.
I see.
It looked like the kids who had escaped together had grown close, almost like siblings.
Judging by the way they glanced at and Alice, they must have imdiately recognized us as nobles. The girl, who had almost run over, now approached us with a more subdued step.
She held her skirt lightly and greeted us with a polite bow.
“Hello.”
“…”
I was trying hard to rember her na, so I couldn’t respond right away.
Before she could introduce herself, more children filed in through the corridor.
Red hair, blond, gray, blue… Now that I looked, their hair colors were surprisingly varied. Maybe that old woman had selected children based on hair color?
Lost in thought, I finally noticed all the kids had gathered.
There were nine of them.
Not a single one was missing.
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