Alice always appeared as ‘Allen’ inside the Clover Tavern.

It was unthinkable to visit a pub where commoners gathered in attire for social gatherings. She would likely be denied entry the moment she stepped inside wearing a flowing dress.

At the very least, it would have been fine to come in casual clothes worn at the mansion. A look of regret flashed across Allen’s face as he sipped from his glass.

But you never know when you might run into an acquaintance and be exposed. If rumors were to spread among servants working at other houses, it would only be a matter of time before it reached her father’s ears.

Sneaking out of the mansion to come here and then returning was quite arduous. But it was worth the effort for the food here and the atmosphere created by the people.

“Hey, Allen!”

“Jake, congratulations on getting off work. Let’s have a drink?”

A man looking worn out from fatigue waved and approached Allen. His face was scruffy, perhaps from not shaving on time, with stubble growing darkly.

The man called Jake plopped down next to Allen, scratching his head.

“Phew, I don’t even know how long it’s been since I went home. My wife and daughter might forget what I look like.”

“Having a lot of work is a good thing. It means the newspaper is running well, right? Better than just counting dust on your desk with nothing to write about.”

“If only it was all good news… We have to face unpleasant things head-on too.”

Soon, a mug of beer and some light snacks were placed in front of Jake. Even if they wanted to have a proper conversation, the voices of the drunk patrons were getting louder, to the point where they had to nearly shout to be heard.

“Should we move somewhere else?”

“Nah. There’s no better place for conversation than this.”

The noisier it was, the more suitable it was for hiding and concealing secrets.

No wonder there’s even a saying that nobles’ backroom deals happen at parties. Taking advantage of this boisterous atmosphere, Allen would occasionally hear insider stories about articles or updates on the republican faction that Jake shared.

“Anything unusual lately?”

“It’s always a series of unusual events. Allen, do you happen to know anyone at the Military Academy?”

“Why ask that out of the blue?”

Allen emptied the glass in front of him, dismissing Jake’s question casually. As a waiter briefly stopped by to naturally clear away the empty glass, Jake lowered his voice sharply.

“I heard there’s been some grade manipulation going on there. Frequent discrimination against students based on their status too.”

“At the Academy? And here they were promoting it as a fair and equal educational institution of the Empire.”

“Can’t be helped, I guess. The nobles’ influence is pretty strong? Over half the students are from prominent noble families. Especially for the Military Academy, they think just getting in guarantees a spot in the Imperial Guard.”

“I heard that even though the Imperial Guard is in that state, they still discriminate against regular soldiers. They say it’s hard to get promoted if you’re not a Military Academy graduate.”

Complaints about the military had been on the lips of commoners for quite some time. Despite this, Cledius was freezing soldiers’ wages while stubbornly continuing to wage wars.

In contrast, not receiving proper treatment led to complaints among soldiers that it would be better to work as mercenaries instead.

A new glass was placed in front of Allen. Completely forgetting this fact, she focused more intently on Jake’s words.

“And have you heard that the Military Academy recently started recruiting female students?”

“I know. It was all over the news for a while.”

“They say they’re not including the female students in the curriculum. Whether it’s intentional exclusion or if it was agreed upon with the students is another issue we need to find out.”

“That’s pretty low. The problem is, I don’t know anyone in the Military Academy either. We can’t just do undercover reporting recklessly. Should we try to find some students to ask around?”

“That would be even harder. If they get caught wrong, they might be labeled as internal whistleblowers and have trouble even graduating.”

A sigh escaped simultaneously from the mouths of the two sitting at the bar. Allen, who had been blankly staring at the lights of the Clover Tavern, suddenly stood up.

“Ah, what time is it now?”

“It’s almost twelve. Why?”

“It’s going to be close. This man with a curfew must excuse himself.”

“Come on, tell them at home. What kind of man has a curfew!”

Leaving Jake’s grumbling behind, Allen hurriedly left the tavern. If only the smell of alcohol could fade a bit while walking. It was clear that getting caught would be even more troublesome.

The brief freedom must be set aside for now. It’s time to return from Allen to Alice once again.

Alice headed towards the hole in the wall she had spotted earlier, circling around the tall fence of the mansion. It was fortunate she was wearing pants like a man; if it had been dress skirts, it would have been quite an unsightly sight.

Crouching down as much as possible to squeeze through, she immediately connected to the backyard.

She hid the wig she had taken off inside an old jar that no one paid attention to. Then, keeping an eye on her surroundings, she moved towards the small side door leading to the kitchen.

She quietly tried to turn the doorknob, but the door wouldn’t open. It’s customary to lock all doors, including the back kitchen door, close to midnight. But Alice smiled triumphantly as she rummaged through her pocket.

“I knew this would happen, so I made a copy of the back door key in advance.”

Children, as a rule, tend to engage in covert operations the more their parents impose prohibitions. Just as she was about to insert the key she had quietly taken out into the keyhole, it happened.

“Sneaking in like a little mouse.”

It’s over. Alice squeezed her eyes shut. If only she had drunk one less glass, or if only she had hidden the wig faster and opened the door!

But regretting what’s passed won’t turn back time. At times like this, the best strategy was to smile as meekly as possible while speaking.

“Good evening, Father. Did you sleep well?”

“How could I sleep well with you like this? Do you even know what time it is? It’s twenty minutes past midnight!”

The face of Alice’s father, Viscount Diobe, who was no different from a living clock, was visibly crumpled.

“Follow me inside!”

Alice trudged after Viscount Diobe towards the inside of the mansion. She cast a resentful glance at the nearby butler, but the butler also seemed to be in an awkward position, having unexpectedly been caught off guard.

Entering Alice’s room, Viscount Diobe first downed the cold water prepared by the butler. The sound of water going down his throat was clearly audible. Alice just sat quietly by the bedside, waiting for her father’s scolding.

Slamming down the water glass with a bang, Viscount Diobe pointed at his first daughter, Alice.

“What’s wrong with you? Why do you keep running around looking like that every night?”

“I went out because I felt stifled.”

“If you felt stifled, you could have gone to a salon or tea room where ladies gather during the day. Why do you go around looking like some farm boy!”

“It’s quite comfortable and nice. The young ladies should know about this comfort.”

She didn’t back down an inch. Sitting quietly and talking back so articulately, Viscount Diobe was truly at his wit’s end. He pulled at his thinning hair and shouted.

“Why can’t you be more like your sister? She was so obedient and hardworking, and look how she rose to the position of Empress. What have you been doing all this time!”

Here, Alice had to control her surging emotions.

More than half of the money spent on Selina’s social debut was earned by Alice. But it was too tiring to argue about it now.

It was fine up until she finished her studies at the girls’ school in the suburbs. Thanks to that, there wasn’t much difficulty in finding work as a tutor in the capital.

However, Selina and Viscount Diobe’s spending showed no signs of decreasing. To make matters worse, an investment Viscount Diobe made somewhere went wrong, wiping out even their savings.

In the end, all the financial burden fell on Alice. As tutoring alone wasn’t enough, she had to take on other odd jobs nearby during her free days when she had no work.

Naturally, conversations between the sisters also decreased a lot. Alice and Selina were quite close sisters, but with no time to face each other, their relationship grew more and more distant.

And then Selina abruptly entered the palace as a ‘shadow’.

As soon as she heard the news, Alice came out in opposition. Having heard various things while working as a tutor for noble families, she knew how ‘shadows’ were treated.

‘Our hardships are over now! Since Selina is receiving abundant favor from His Majesty the Emperor, we can aim for the Empress position beyond just being a consort!’

Selina eventually rose to the position of Empress. Is her sister truly happy?

“Hey, are you even listening to me?”

“Yes.”

Anyone could tell that Alice was responding half-heartedly to her father’s words. Viscount Diobe jumped up and called for the servants outside.

“You are forbidden from going out at night from now on. Don’t even think about wandering around after sunset! Everyone, keep a close eye on whether this one goes out at night!”

You think I can’t do it just because you tell me not to. Alice quietly pouted her lips.

From the moment they moved to this mansion in the capital, she had figured out the doors and holes in the walls for entering and leaving the house.

Moreover, the kind and friendly eldest young lady had won over the opinion of the mansion’s employees. Most of them knowingly turned a blind eye to Alice’s late-night outings.

“Oh, oh! You’re making all my hair fall out!”

“Ask Selina to buy you some premium hair loss treatment. She’s the one who raised our family’s status, surely she can buy something like that for you?”

Far from being intimidated, she even shrugged her shoulders as she spoke, leaving Viscount Diobe at a loss for words. He had to leave the room, rubbing his stiff neck.

With a loud bang, the door closed violently. Alice lay down on the bed without even changing her clothes.

Fortunately, the wig hadn’t been discovered yet. If they found out about her going around with her hair cut short as a disguise, it wouldn’t end with just house arrest.

She needed to pull herself together again. The friends she met at the tavern, including Jake, didn’t know about Alice’s situation.

For the time being, she had to behave as obediently as possible while looking for opportunities. Wasn’t she an expert at playing the role of the well-behaved eldest daughter?

**

It was a sunny day after a long time. Perhaps some good news would come. Ilarid took a short break, leaning against the long sofa in the office.

Having only caught brief naps for the past few days, Lynette’s worries had grown again. But she was afraid to take the sleeping pills prescribed by Letitia. What if she fell asleep again and dreamed? What if nightmares gripped her ankles once more?

The sound of someone running down the corridor was heard. The door opened, and Lynette entered with her hair completely disheveled. Her flushed appearance suggested she had heard something and hurried over.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

“What’s the matter?”

“They say we’ve won.”

She said a telegram had just reached the Imperial Palace. Seeing Ilarid’s stern face, Lynette quickly handed over the newspaper she was holding.

The front page only showed an image of Cledius standing majestically and a large, bold headline. On the next page, hastily turned, was a detailed article about how the Empire had secured Rosen’s surrender.

It said the Grand Duke of Rosen was captured more easily than expected. Rosen’s soldiers, no different from reservists, were all disarmed, and there were reportedly few casualties.

The other articles only discussed the losses and benefits that would occur as Rosen was absorbed into the Empire.

There was no mention of the mercenary corps anywhere.

Soon, an official telegram from the Emperor arrived at the Empress’s Palace as well. The Imperial Guard, dressed in uniform and giving a stiff greeting, placed an envelope bearing the Emperor’s seal on Ilarid’s desk.

Disregarding Cledius’s mark, Ilarid looked at the Imperial Guard officer expressionlessly.

“What about the list of casualties and wounded?”

“Here it is.”

The Imperial Guard placed the list in front of Ilarid. There were indeed some casualties. Ilarid slowly checked the names on the list of wounded and fallen soldiers she had received. Unfortunately, Cledius’s name was not there.

“I understand. Please inform them that I will be visiting the wards of the wounded. And…”

Why did she feel nervous about bringing this up when others were around? Ilarid tried to maintain a businesslike attitude as much as possible, speaking in an emotionless tone.

“What about… the mercenary corps?”