Proving the housekeeper’s guilt with accounting ledgers and dismissing the quack doctor and servant who had aided her.

The awakened Giselle handled all of this in just two days.

‘As expected of a female lead candidate.’

How could her growth be so fast? Luke-na marveled at Giselle, who changed day by day.

On the seventh day of staying at the Golden estate like that.

A warning letter about unauthorized absence arrived from Saint Military Academy.

The yellowed paper contained a stiff sentence stating that further unauthorized absences would result in expulsion.

‘Should I go to the military academy first?’

It wasn’t bad, as it was a school where you’d be sitting on a pile of money if you endured just 6 months.

It could also help the Golden siblings who trusted her, and she felt like she should return there for some reason.

‘If I go to the military academy, I might be able to uncover the secret of this body too.’

Luke-na dressed in her cadet uniform to return.

The neat navy blue uniform, similar to the royal guard’s formal attire, suited Luke-na’s short platinum blonde hair well.

‘It’s cliché to say, but clothes really do make the person.’

Waiting for Giselle in the reception room, Luke-na looked at herself in the decorative mirror on the wall.

Perhaps due to the short hair, Luke-na’s appearance was closer to an androgynous beautiful youth than a pretty young lady, but she was definitely pretty.

At that moment, Perta and Giselle entered the reception room.

“The cadet uniform suits you well, Luke-na.”

Perta, wearing a large ribbon tie over a lace shirt, smiled brightly, showing off his pure beauty.

After removing the scented candles and starting to use proper medicine, Perta’s condition improved in just a few days, and now he was able to move around on his own.

“I’m really grateful, Luke-na. You saved my life and the Golden family.”

He held Luke-na’s hand tightly while gazing at her wistfully.

What man could be this pure? Luke-na admired Perta’s beauty, like a single lily, while listening to the rest of the conversation.

“From now on, I’m going to reclaim the family head position from uncle. When I become the family head, I’ll immediately remove your name from being adopted into our family. I hope you can become part of our family through… another method.”

“Another method?”

Luke-na tilted her head. Perta, who had been fidgeting, turned bright red.

The sight of the blonde beautiful youth not knowing what to do had a charm that tickled the hearts of those who saw it.

“I, I’ll become more impressive! So when Luke-na comes of age, I will definitely…”

Perta bit his red lips tightly, unable to continue his words.

Watching this, Giselle muttered, “What a useless brother,” and snatched Luke-na’s hand that Perta was holding.

“Thank you, Luke-na. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You said you’d stay by my side. If it weren’t for those words, I wouldn’t have been able to change. I didn’t have the courage to be courageous.”

The courage to be courageous. Luke-na repeated those words and chuckled. Come to think of it, it was true.

Ironically, it takes courage to have courage.

Some people gain that courage from the rebound of hitting rock bottom, but there are also people like Giselle who stand up because they have someone to be with them.

Luke-na felt proud for a very brief moment that she had become Giselle’s support.

She hoped that this lovely girl would never despair and turn to darkness as she had seen in the underground prison.

“Take this, Luke-na.”

Giselle handed over a rectangular briefcase.

When the lock on the bag was clicked open, simple writing tools, textbooks, and a bottle of red, thick liquid juice were visible.

A small sticker attached to the glass bottle read ‘Gender Juice’.

“What’s this juice, Giselle?”

“You must drink it.”

“Huh?”

“It tastes terrible, so drink it when you arrive. Last time, you drank it in advance and threw up in the carriage, remember?”

With that, Giselle handed Luke-na a pouch made of red velvet. The fist-sized pouch was filled with shiny gold coins.

“I sold the jewels we found in the underground prison that day to prepare this. I heard nowadays cadets enter with about this much pocket money.”

“This is too much, Giselle. If you give this to me, what about you…”

Luke-na looked around. Despite the newly hired maids moving briskly, the interior of the count’s residence was still shabby.

Even though the situation was still like this, she was taking care of Luke-na first. Luke-na’s heart warmed at this protagonist-like thoughtfulness.

“Don’t worry, Luke-na. I think we’ll find more hidden treasures when we clean up the underground prison. We have quite a bit of leeway here too.”

Giselle shrugged her shoulders and smiled brightly.

“While you graduate safely, my brother Perta and I will work hard to become wonderful people worthy of you. Look forward to it?”

“Giselle…”

“I’ll write to you, Luke-na. I’ll be very… upset if you don’t write back.”

Giselle’s gaze demanding a reply was unusual.

Luke-na left the mansion, vowing to always reply to Giselle’s letters no matter how busy she got.

It took half a day from the Golden territory near the capital to the military academy.

Luke-na was riding in a modified cargo wagon with an arched canopy.

The Golden family had four-wheeled carriages like those seen in movies, but Giselle had put Luke-na in a carriage open on all sides.

Indeed, there was no stuffy feeling. Luke-na tapped her stiff arms and legs while gazing beyond the carriage.

Wooden signposts scattered here and there were visible over the streets in the setting sun.

The carriage was following the direction pointed by a wooden nameplate engraved with ‘Saint Military Academy’.

‘Are we almost there now?’

The carriage crossed a wide open space called the ‘Square of Honor’.

Something must have happened, as guards were strictly guarding the altar set up in the center of the square.

The streets radiating out from the square were packed with shops and restaurants.

Following the north road all the way up, the destination, Saint Military Academy, came into view.

Vintage college buildings built with brown bricks.

Perfectly maintained gardens and a vast campus.

Groups of cadets in neat uniforms gathered in threes and fives, discussing something.

Every scene was disciplined, elegant, and intellectual.

‘But it’s strange. Why do I only see male students? Is it because it’s a military academy?’

Luke-na, who had gotten off the carriage, stretched her neck and busily scanned inside the school gate. But no matter how hard she looked, there were no female students.

After tilting her head for a while, Luke-na finally realized the reason when she saw the school gate sign.

Saint Military Academy, the cradle of imperial male education.

If it’s male education… It was an all-boys school? Then this body had been living in an all-boys school dormitory!

Now she understood why Giselle had kept saying ‘adopted as a son’ rather than an adopted daughter.

That’s why her hair was short like a man’s too.

‘How did I endure in a place like this for over two years?’

No matter how rich you’d become, the risk was too great.

It wouldn’t have been easy to hide her gender with dormitory life. No wonder she ran away to her hometown saying she was dropping out.

‘Let’s just give up and go back to the Golden estate.’

How could you know what would happen in 6 months?

Just as Luke-na, having quickly made up her mind, was about to turn around.

“I sense a holy aura here. It must be nearby!”

A murmuring sound was heard from far away.

Luke-na, standing in front of the school gate, turned her head towards the sound.

Guards were looking around holding magic tools that measured holy power.

“Are you saying the holy sword thief is nearby?”

“Seems so. They say an enormous holy power is sensed in this area.”

Holy sword thief? If it’s the holy sword…

Luke-na held her breath and gripped her pendant tightly. It looks like she’s going to be framed as a thief once again?

“But will His Majesty really execute the holy sword thief?”

“Probably. Stealing the empire’s treasure is a serious crime.”

Luke-na covered her mouth with both hands. What should I do? If I’m caught like this, it’s definitely a death ending.

‘I can’t die so meaninglessly right after coming to another world.’

Luke-na immediately turned around and walked in the opposite direction. But soldiers popped out of every alley, making it difficult to find an escape route.

While panicking and pacing back and forth, the voice of the holy sword rang in her head.

“Shall I guide you to the optimal route for your survival, master?”

‘What, you. You could talk to me first?’

“In special cases, I can link to the master first.”

‘Then guide me quickly!’

“Turn around and move 75m. Enter Saint Military Academy.”

‘What? That’s an all-boys school! How can I, a woman, enter there?’

“An assistant is also estimated to be inside the school. 4 minutes before being arrested by soldiers.”

‘They say you have to live in the dormitory here. Even if there’s an assistant, it’ll be hard to hide that I’m a woman.’

“It’s possible if you drink the Gender Juice in your bag, master. 3 minutes 20 seconds before being arrested by soldiers.”

‘Gender Juice, you say.’

Luke-na took out the juice bottle from the package Giselle had prepared.

She had said to make sure to drink this when she arrived.

Inside the glass bottle was a red, thick liquid that looked like ground tomatoes. She had said it tasted so bad it would make you vomit, and it certainly looked like it.

‘If I drink this, I’ll become a man?’

“Yes. You don’t particularly look like a woman now, but it’ll be more perfect if you drink it. The soldiers have detected noticeable holy power. The escape time has been shortened. 28 seconds before arrest.”

‘What?’

Luke-na turned around.

“Suddenly, an enormous holy power was detected here!”

The soldiers holding magic tools began walking towards Luke-na’s direction.

‘Damn, did my holy power amplify while talking to Bisbi?’

At this point, it’s all or nothing!