Ch.5Thoroughly Preparing for Admission

“Then I shall take my leave now, Father.”

“Yes. Make preparations for your journey in advance. We’ll need to depart for the Empire in at least three days.”

I left the inner chamber after finishing the satisfactory conversation.

It felt like escaping from a sauna after being trapped inside.

Now I can finally breathe.

The attendant had apparently returned to his original post as he was nowhere to be seen, and only Jahan remained standing rigidly at attention.

“Is your audience finished, Lord Haschal?”

“Phew… yes. I somehow managed to finish it safely. It was exhausting. To the point where I’d like to rest.”

“In that case, I’ll send a servant to the Golden Flower Palace to make preparations. You there, come here.”

At Jahan’s call, a maid who happened to be passing by hurriedly approached us.

“Yes! Lady Haschal, Lord Jahan. What do you need?”

“The lady is tired from her long expedition. Go to the Golden Flower Palace and instruct them to prepare her chambers and hot water.”

“Yes. I’ll relay that immediately.”

The maid bowed and hurried away.

So the Golden Flower Palace must be my residence.

“Shall we head directly to the Golden Flower Palace then?”

“Hmm… yes, that would be good. Lead the way.”

“Me, you mean?”

Jahan flinched slightly, appearing surprised.

What now? Was I not supposed to ask him to guide me?

How would I know that?

…It would be stranger to take it back now.

Let’s just brazenly push forward.

“Do you not want to?”

“…No, that’s not it. I’ll guide you.”

Jahan swallowed whatever he was going to say and began walking. I slowly followed behind him.

Being a troublemaker has its advantages.

Everyone just does what I tell them when I push hard enough.

—-

The Golden Flower Palace was a spacious separate palace located to the west, behind the main palace.

Originally the palace where Haschal and her mother Imelia lived, Orhan himself named it the Golden Flower Palace after Imelia’s hair color.

It used to be a beautiful palace with marigolds blooming year-round, but after Imelia’s death, no one tended to the garden.

Indeed, the garden I saw upon entering was desolate, without even a single common weed, let alone marigolds.

“Sigh…”

After entrusting my armor and clothes to the maids for tidying, I entered the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom and washed my body with warm water.

I sent away the maids who came to assist with my bath, telling them I wasn’t in the mood.

It’s already been 15 days since I possessed this body.

I’ve gotten somewhat used to this new body that once felt so awkward.

Only in functional aspects, that is.

Fighting desperately somehow made me adapt naturally.

As for becoming a woman’s body…

I gazed at my reflection in the water’s surface with fresh eyes.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’m directly seeing Haschal’s face.

There wouldn’t have been mirrors during the expedition, and water was scarce, so instead of bathing, I only roughly wiped my body with damp cloths.

Initially, I was so mentally exhausted that such thoughts didn’t even cross my mind.

Looking at myself now, she’s definitely beautiful.

The black hair grown down to the waist had become quite rough, probably due to the long nomadic lifestyle, but after washing away the dirty oil and dust, it softly fell over my shoulders.

In the original work, she tied up only the left half of this hair.

The face was clean and elegant, unlike what you’d expect from a barbarian who practically lived on the battlefield.

The saying that mixed-race people tend to be beautiful seems to be true.

However, rather than beautiful, she appeared fierce due to her excessively sharp eyes that seemed dissatisfied with the world.

The cold blue eyes without a hint of warmth felt like looking at a wolf’s eyes rather than a human’s.

If only the hair had been white, she would have been the perfect Northern Duchess.

The body was firm without an ounce of excess fat, well-trained but without unsightly protruding muscles.

Rather, it was an attractive figure overflowing with health.

Though there were a few scar-like marks here and there.

It’s certainly a beautiful body, but I didn’t feel particularly embarrassed or excited.

Well, it’s not like I’m seeing a woman’s body for the first time.

Besides, wouldn’t it be strange to feel lust for my own body? I’m not Narcissus.

That would be weird, right? It’s not just me who thinks so?

Anyway.

I leaned back in the bathtub, immersing myself in the warm water.

Come to think of it, I’ve heard it’s tradition for TS’d characters to try masturbating.

Having actually experienced TS, honestly, I neither had the thought nor the courage.

Besides the psychological resistance, if I were caught doing something like masturbating with two hundred virile barbarian men nearby…

I accepted becoming a woman, but I never agreed to become a female.

—-

After finishing my bath and changing into a thin nightgown, I returned to the bedroom.

Unlike the bleak tent, the room was quite luxurious.

Various tapestries with paintings and patterns hung on the walls, and expensive wooden furniture was adorned with gold leaf that sparkled.

The bed placed in the middle of the inner wall was surrounded by silk, and instead of animal hide, it was filled with feathers, making it very soft.

Haschal didn’t seem like someone who would enjoy such luxury.

Perhaps Imelia had such tastes.

As I savored the soft bed that I hadn’t lain on for who knows how long, sleep gradually crept in.

Before long, I fell into a deep slumber.

—-

In my dream, I saw the people I had killed and those I had sold into slavery.

Countless half-rotten hands grabbed my legs as I tried to escape, pulling and biting at them.

I woke up screaming as my legs were being torn off.

It was a nightmare.

—-

As Orhan had boasted, the proposal to send me as a hostage to form a non-aggression treaty with the Empire passed in just one day.

From what I heard, my three older brothers took the lead and enthusiastically supported it.

They must have been quite wary of Haschal. Indeed, staying here would only be dangerous.

I explained the situation to Jahan and Mersin who came to see me after hearing the news.

“It’s a situation where you’ll be alone in the heart of enemy territory… but since it’s you, Lord Haschal, there’s no need to worry.”

“Then what should we do?”

Mersin smiled, seemingly relieved to learn that I wasn’t being forcibly sent.

Jahan asked what they should do if they were left behind in Ordos.

Well. What should I do with these guys?

Their crimes are too deep to let them live, but it feels oddly bitter to leave those loyal to me to die.

No. That’s crazy thinking. Have I grown attached to them already?

“Will you have to join the battle if Father starts conquering the steppes again?”

“If you command it, my lady, that will be the case.”

“So if I don’t order it, Father won’t necessarily take you to the battlefield?”

What should I really do?

“What do you think? Do you want to join the expedition?”

“Of course I want to—”

“Our wishes are not important. We are Lady Haschal’s personal cavalry. We only follow the lady’s orders.”

Mersin cut off Jahan’s enthusiastic response with a decisive statement.

I’ve decided.

Yes. They’re people I won’t care about going forward, but there’s no need to send them to their deaths.

“Then remain in Ordos and guard this place. Going to the battlefield will only result in a dog’s death rather than merit. Do you think my brothers, who are desperate to get rid of me, would leave you unharmed?”

“We will follow your command.”

Just live quietly in Ordos.

If you die anyway, well, that can’t be helped.

—-

After sending Jahan and Mersin away, I spent all day preparing for the journey west.

It takes about six days of riding all day to reach near the border.

Since traveling alone across the steppes is dangerous, twenty cavalrymen from Mersin’s unit were dispatched as escorts.

It was an awkward number, but any more would raise unnecessary suspicion and attention.

These men will accompany me only to the border before returning to Ordos.

I delegated the details such as checking the travel route and preparing supplies to Mersin.

It’s convenient having a capable subordinate.

Seeing how calmly he follows orders, it seems the original Haschal also entrusted such matters to Mersin.

I leisurely recalled information I remembered from the original work or prepared jewelry to use as living expenses in the west.

During this time, a servant came with a heavy-looking wooden box.

“Lady Haschal, the weapon you ordered before the previous expedition has been completed.”

“Hmm? I see. Good work. Bring it here.”

Weapon? If it was before the expedition, it must have been ordered by the original Haschal.

I took the box the servant offered and sent him away.

It’s lighter than I expected. I thought it would be heavy since it contained a weapon.

With curiosity and anticipation, I opened the box.

This is…!

A familiar-shaped silver gauntlet placed on soft silk emitted a subtle chill.

A one-piece scale gauntlet with large, sharp silver scales extending from the left shoulder to the fingertips.

The fingertips were sharpened so keenly that they could easily penetrate bear hide, making it more of a weapon than armor.

Frosting.

The gauntlet symbolizing the mad Hersella was right before my eyes.