Chapter 5: I’m a Eunuch?! (1)1“I’m a eunuch?!” – Source.
The feeling of soft sunlight tickling my eyelids woke me up.
So, the fact that I “woke up” means I’m alive, right?
The problem was that I had no idea where I was, or how much time had passed since I lost consciousness.
I was sure I had died. The end arrived vividly as the enemy’s spear pierced through my heart, yet I opened my eyes again and here I was, alive.
The thought made my chest ache. Not an emotional ache, but a literal, physical pain. The severe pain made me think I was definitely injured. How I survived despite having a hole in my chest, I had no idea.
What happened to the others? If I survived, maybe a few others did too? I think I shouted something cool at the end, so it would be embarrassing to be alive and meet again. Cough cough.
First, I decided to try getting up from this unfamiliar bed. My body felt incredibly heavy, like it was weighed down by lead. Somehow, I managed to get up and placed my feet on the cold floor. And then—
Thud!
As soon as I stood, my legs twisted and I fell over. Oooh, it hurts.
My center of balance wasn’t good, and my senses felt strangely twisted, perhaps because I was injured. Suddenly, I felt something heavy slide down from my back to my shoulders, making me flinch.
What was this? Could it be… my hair?
Judging by the color, it seemed to be my hair. The same blood-red hair I inherited from my mother. I used to keep it neatly trimmed just above my shoulders, but seeing it this long, I must’ve been lying here for quite a while.
I absentmindedly played with the long strands of hair that almost reached my waist. Then, I regained my senses, attempting to stand again.
And proceeded to fall straight away. Bang! Ugh, my balance is all off! Even if my chest was injured, why did it feel like my weight was leaning forward? My center of gravity feels all wrong.
While groaning and trying to properly control my body, I suddenly noticed ‘it’.
By ‘it’, I meant a young girl.
A girl who appeared about 13 years old, sitting on her knees on the floor right across from me.
She was a cute girl wearing a yellow nightgown, had long red hair similar to mine, and bright red eyes like a bunny. Hm, I didn’t usually like girls much because of Levina, but she was undeniably pretty. However, what the heck was she doing here?!
…It didn’t take long for me to realize something was off.
When I blinked, the girl blinked too. When I stood up, the girl also followed suit. I raised one hand and waved it. She also raised a hand and waved.
Only then did I realize that the figure in front of me wasn’t some random girl but a large, gilded, full-length mirror.
My frozen reflection slowly, very slowly, lifted both hands. Then, I grasped the two firm, apple-sized lumps protruding from my chest. Huh?
“…What is this?!!!!”
A high-pitched, thin voice filled with a childish tone. No, this wasn’t my voice. However, the sound was unmistakably coming from my mouth. What would any ordinary man do in a situation like this? I frantically reached between my legs to check, but the result was inevitable.
“WHATTTTTTT…?”
Shock and terror washed over me. None!2The way he says None! (not there/inai!) makes me think it’ll be similar to RPG song by SoraMafuUraSaka.
The thing that should have been securely in place between my legs—it was gone!
Dear Mother, Father, gods above, have you taken away the most important thing to me as a man? HMMM??
Engulfed in utter chaos, I tore off the yellow, dragonfly-wing-like clothes on my body and pressed into the mirror. Although I had never actually seen a woman’s body, I knew enough about what it looked like from the books circulating among the knights… Cough, well, it should be more than enough.
Thus, I was able to tell that the body before me was that of an underdeveloped girl.
I stood stark naked in front of my reflection, feeling a cold shiver run down my spine.
I used to take pride in my original body that was strong and masculine in its own way. A body with well-toned muscles, delicate bones, and pale skin, all perfectly suited for a swordsman.
Nothing like this… a frail body with two throbbing lumps attached to the chest. As my gaze traveled further down past the pale, swollen chest, I saw a flat stomach with a faint line down the middle, and below that…
As expected, the thing that should’ve been there wasn’t there! The fact that I didn’t collapse immediately was almost impressive.
Furthermore, I wasn’t just in a woman’s body but in the body of a young girl. What on earth had happened? Was I under some terrible spell? Or was I trapped in some cursed illusion before I died?
Calm, calm. I tried my best to not lose my head. Let’s stay calm, calm! I must have fallen into some kind of trap. The question was, what kind of bizarre pedophile could have set up such a trap?
For now, I took a deep breath and started looking around the space where I was being held. It was strange. Something about it… felt similar to Levina’s room I had seen at home in the past.
Rather than a prison, it seemed more like a young girl’s residence. Strawberry-colored lace curtains fluttered by an open window, and beyond it…
…Wait a minute.
I subconsciously approached the window. An inexplicable sense of incompatibility was creeping up from my toes. What was this? Why… did this feel so familiar?
A garden full of colorful summer roses. A pond filled with carp. A lawn, a sundial, and a brick trail. That was…
Slam!
“Oh my, Young Miss3Can be “Young Miss” or “Young Lady”. I’m using Young Miss because I used Young Master in the earlier chapters., why…! Ahhh, what are you doing?! How improper!”
A chubby middle-aged woman suddenly opened the door and immediately started shouting incomprehensible words upon seeing me. I stood there blankly, staring at her. She was dressed in a maid’s uniform and had a warm, kind expression. What kind of trick was this?
“Young Miss, let’s get you dressed first…”
“Don’t come any closer.”
“What…?”
“I said don’t come any closer! If you take one more step…”
I trailed off, glancing around frantically. Then I grabbed the first thing I could see and took a defensive stance. Um, was this a parasol?
“Young Miss, what has gotten into you? Did you have a bad dream or…”
“I told you to not come any closer! Back off!”
However, she didn’t show the slightest bit of fear and kept approaching me while constantly chattering. I eventually swung the parasol and smashed the mirror. Crash!
“Kyaaa! Young Miss! What are you doing?!”
“Move! Get out of my way!”
Ignoring her screams, I swung the parasol wildly and secured a path of escape. The moment she covered her head and stumbled backward, I bolted out of the room. I didn’t know what was going on, but I had to get out of here now!
“Young Miss! Young Miss!”
“H-H-Huh? Young Miss?!”
Everyone I passed started shouting something, chasing after me. Damn it, they were going to catch me at this rate! I noticed a staircase just as I desperately searched for a way out, practically flying down the steps.
…Only to lose my balance again and tumble loudly down to the bottom. Thud, thud, thud, THUD!
Owww, my tailbone was going to break!
I didn’t know why the staircase was so long, but after tumbling down for what felt like an eternity, I finally landed ungracefully on the soft carpeted floor. Well, to be more accurate, I rolled to a stop rather than landed.
Stars were spinning before my eyes. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like anything was broken… but why was it suddenly so quiet?
It was very noisy just a moment ago as everyone chased me, but now it was strangely quiet. Clutching my aching knees, I groaned and slowly opened my eyes. Wait, were those two pairs of feet in front of me…? Did they end up catching me?
“Ray, you…”
What, this voice? It sounded so familiar.
Slowly, very slowly, I lifted my gaze. And then—
“Wha…?”
My mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Brother… and Father? What the heck were they doing here?
It had been almost two years since I last saw them. They looked slightly different, but there was no doubt that they were my father and brother.
I couldn’t quite pinpoint what had changed. They still had their silver hair, cold ocean-blue eyes, and tall, expressionless faces…?
While I sprawled out there on the floor, dazed and gaping up at them, they stared back at me with an equally baffled expression. I didn’t know how to describe the look on the two’s faces that were beside each other
My father’s expression seemed to be blank for a moment, but then it slowly twisted, while my brother looked down at me as if he were seeing a square-shaped egg or a four-legged chicken.
Of the two frozen figures, my father was the first to speak.
“You… what on earth are you doing…”
His cold and familiar voice made me instinctively shrink back. This was the scary part about habits. I thought I had grown more confident, but now that I was facing my family again, I felt myself cowering just like I used to.
Then it hit me—he had just called me “Ray”, meaning he recognized me, but they were shocked that I was currently in the body of a little girl. No wonder they were confused. As I thought that far, I began to worry.
What if they misunderstand the situation? Like I was possessed by an evil spirit or cursed by black magic? Maybe I was, if this wasn’t just a dream…
Gods above, I’d sell my soul for an answer! …What’s that? You’re not interested in buying my soul?
“My goodness, Young Miss, are you alright? Didn’t I warn you… Oh dear, to show such a disgraceful sight in front of His Grace and the Young Master.”
The woman’s voice from earlier came again, but I didn’t have the space of mind left to respond to her. My family–who I never expected to see again–was standing right before me, but why…
“Hello!”
Suddenly, something jumped into my line of sight. The next moment, I was face to face with my archenemy, the one who had turned my childhood into a living nightmare.
“Hi, Sister! Nice to meet you, my name is Levina!”
Thud!
“Ray!”
“Young Miss!”
And with that, I fainted. Just like a heroine in an opera, I really passed out.
