Is This Really a Characteristic?

Serion hurriedly pulled the curtains closed, wrapping them around his entire body.

His heart was pounding rapidly.

Soon, the door to the study opened cautiously.

He peeked through the curtains and saw the face of a maid.

It was Lily.

Lily paused, momentarily stunned by the sight before her.

“L, Lord?”

Lily looked visibly surprised to see Serion covered in curtains.

However, she quickly regained her composure, lowered her head deeply, and continued, “I brought your tea.”

Serion thought she looked exactly the same as when he first met Lily a few days ago.

‘Could it be…’

With a sliver of hope, he opened his mouth towards Lily.

“What happens if you spill the tea…”

But Serion’s words were cut short.

He had forgotten that his voice had changed and quickly shut his mouth.

Lily noticed that Serion’s voice was vastly different from what she knew.

It was a voice that couldn’t be described as masculine.

Soft and enchanting, a timbre that made listeners lose their minds.

Lily slowly raised her head and asked, “L, Lord…?”

Serion concealed his fluster and waved his hand.

It was a silent gesture to tell her to leave the tea and go.

However, Lily was already aware of Serion’s infamy.

She couldn’t understand what that gesture meant.

She remained frozen in place, unmoving.

Her eyes were filled with bewilderment and fear.

Serion waved his hand once more.

At that moment, the curtain covering his face slipped down.

Lily gasped and stumbled backward.

What entered her vision was not the Lord, but the figure of a woman.

Moreover, a woman of indescribable beauty.

Lily, mesmerized by the enchanting face, unknowingly dropped the tray she was holding.

The sound of shattering teacups echoed through the study.

Serion sighed deeply.

“Damn it, Lily, don’t get any unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“H, How do you know my name… Who are you? Where is Serion?”

Lily asked, almost in tears.

Serion moved his lips a few times before finally opening his mouth.

“It’s hard to explain, but I am Serion.”

Lily cautiously scanned Serion’s body up and down, examining him once more.

“And don’t tell anyone about what you saw just now. Understand? If you breathe a word of it to the head maid or anyone else, I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

Lily had many thoughts, but she knew that thinking and judging were not her place.

She swallowed hard.

“Yes, I understand.”

Lily nodded and quietly left the study.

As the door closed, Serion took a deep breath.

Then, he quietly called out.

“Black Sword.”

A black figure appeared before him.

“You called?”

Serion looked at Black Sword and asked.

“Who am I?”

Black Sword answered without hesitation.

“You are Lord Serion.”

Serion placed a hand on his prominent chest and said.

“Even after seeing this form, you still call me Serion?”

“When I first discovered you in the study, you were already unconscious, Lord. I tried to approach, but an unknown Barrier was formed, preventing me from getting close. And within that Barrier… you transformed into your current form.”

“Barrier or not, you should have saved me. Isn’t that your duty? What am I supposed to do now, damn it.”

“That Barrier was beyond my capabilities.”

“So your vaunted swordsmanship was useless after all.”

“Until just now, I couldn’t be sure if you were truly Lord Serion… but you certainly are.”

With a deep sigh, Serion quietly sank into thought.

After organizing the assumptions in his head, he asked Black Sword.

“… How many days were left until the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“The coming-of-age ceremony is in a week.”

Serion’s eyes wavered.

The assumption was becoming a reality.

‘To return to the past.’

In the form of a woman, no less.

Serion didn’t move from the study until nightfall.

He sat by the window, gazing up at the sky shrouded in deep darkness.

He held his hand up to the moonlight.

Slender and elongated fingers, smooth skin. A beautiful curve extending from his shoulder to his waist.

He stroked his neck.

It was still attached, but the agonizing memory of being beheaded on the guillotine was unforgettable.

“So it wasn’t a damn dream.”

He muttered softly, gathering his thoughts and recalling what he had seen.

‘A Trait…?’

Then, a phrase appeared before his eyes.

▷ Trait Lv.1: Pleasure (Happiness)

Senses are heightened.

Serion frowned.

He couldn’t understand what it meant.

Pleasure, as in joy or happiness.

That the senses are heightened meant he would die from overwhelming happiness?

‘This is supposed to be a gift? You bitch… See you next time, you said?’

He clenched his teeth.

“Next time, I’ll tear that mouth of yours first.”

Serion repeated the goddess’s words about seeing him next time and suddenly had a thought.

He had met the goddess after he died.

‘Does that mean seeing me next time means I’ll die again? Be beheaded again? Don’t be ridiculous. I won’t be caught twice. I’ll just kill her first.’

His thoughts, driven by anger, soon collided with a realistic wall.

He was a woman now.

If he went out in this body, he wouldn’t even be able to overpower a single guard.

He might not even be able to kill a single maid properly.

He couldn’t even get help from Black Sword.

He had stated clearly.

Only the head of the family could give orders.

After a long period of contemplation, he came to one conclusion.

To change people’s perceptions before the coming-of-age ceremony.

Several days passed.

Serion was still living with an unfamiliar body.

Under the name of nobility, he had never done anything himself.

The maids took care of his bath, the head maid took care of his clothes, and even buttoning a single button was someone else’s job.

Doing everything himself was killing Serion.

The clothes brought to him were always loose at the shoulders, and he didn’t know how to style his hair, so he just tied it up roughly with a towel.

Even that was a good situation.

He always had to cover his entire body when he left the bedroom or study.

The maids and butlers who passed by began to whisper about it.

The voices were small, but Serion heard them very clearly.

That Serion had suffered full-body burns.

That he was learning Shadow Technique from Black Sword.

Some of those with good eyes seemed to notice something different.

That there was a strangely pleasant scent.

That he seemed to have shrunk a little.

Having to pretend not to know was quite a torment.

If it were the old him, he would have cut off their tongues.

He couldn’t say anything.

The only person Serion could talk to was Lily.

One way or another, Lily had learned the truth.

He often had to borrow Lily’s hands.

“Lord.”

The bedroom door opened and Lily entered.

“Lord, the bathwater is ready.”

Lily no longer seemed to be afraid of Serion.

Serion stopped tying his hair and looked at Lily.

“Lily, are you not going to knock anymore? You’ve never been to the basement, have you?”

“I’m sorry, Lord. By the way, you look so beautiful today too.”

“I told you not to say things like that.”

Lily’s ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t seem to contain any real remorse.

“I set the temperature perfectly.”

Lily approached with the robe that Serion wore when he went out.

“I’ll put it on myself, so go away.”

“Don’t you remember almost getting undressed while trying to put it on yourself last time?”

Lily skillfully put on the robe and carefully covered Serion’s entire body.

The bathroom was foggy with moisture.

Serion slowly took off his clothes in front of the mirror.

He looked at his naked body, not wearing a single thread.

‘This is my body…’

It was a perfect body, as if God had sculpted it himself.

He carefully brought his hand towards his chest.

Just as he was about to swallow hard and touch the tip of his finger,

“Lord.”

Startled, Serion quickly submerged himself in the bathtub.

“Wh, what is it? What’s wrong?”

Lily’s voice came from beyond the door.

“… I will help you.”

Serion submerged himself deeper into the tub and said.

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

As if she hadn’t heard Serion’s answer, the bathroom door opened.

Lily entered, wearing only thin underwear.

Her skin was visible through the thin fabric.

“You can’t do it alone, Lord.”

Serion grumbled as if dissatisfied.

“I can, you don’t even know… And what’s with that outfit.”

“I’ve always worn this outfit when helping you with your bath, Lord.”

Lily answered nonchalantly and approached Serion from behind.

She carefully lifted his wet hair and began to caress his shoulders.

It was just a touch of her hand.

It was no different from bathing all this time.

But the sensation now was so unfamiliar.

“Ugh…”

Serion inadvertently inhaled.

It felt like a dizzying current was running up his skin.

‘What is this feeling.’

“I’ll make some bubbles.”

Lily put bubbles in her hand and slowly swept them down his back.

That’s when it happened.

▷ Trait [Pleasure Lv.1] is activated.

For a moment, he felt like he was running out of breath.

“Hoo. Lily, I’ll do it myself, so go outside.”

“Lord? Are you alright? Your face is red.”

Serion barely squeezed out a voice.

“… It’s a little hot.”

“I’m sorry. I guess the temperature was a little high.”

Lily mixed in some cold water and lowered the temperature of the tub.

Serion was in a daze, his mind blank.

‘Th, This is the Trait?’

He kept thinking about the face of the goddess who had said this was a gift.

‘Damn it…’

As he swallowed his curse, Serion had a chilling thought.

‘What will happen if I get used to this body like this?’