Lady Crystal Is A Man - Chapter 2
Crystal Rotary was the child of Duke Rotary and his concubine.
The Duke of Rotary was famous for his promiscuous relationships with women. He had one wife, three concubines, and countless mistresses.
The Rotary family was the only family that had both gorgeous blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. Even if there were people with similar colour combinations, it didn’t give off a feeling of brightness like the Rotary family.
So, a child who met the two conditions could officially enter the Rotary family. It was a structure that accepted all children as long as they could prove their lineage.
However, there were not many children. The duke had two sons and five daughters. Among them, the two sons were the offspring of the main wife.
The five daughters were born evenly between the concubines and mistresses, but there was little discrimination within the family based on the origin of the mother. The right of succession only went to the son, after all.
The property also went to the son. It was natural that they were not willing to fight among themselves because they treated their daughters as outsiders, only giving them equal dowries.
In such a family’s customs, the fact that both of the sons were the offspring of the main wife meant that they had avoided futile succession disputes. Even more so because the second son was weak. It was almost certain that the first son would be the one to inherit the family.
Some might say Duke Rotary was wildly lucky, but the reality was crueller than that.
Having daughters was fine, but he killed all his sons.
It was the result of a joint effort between the main wife, who wanted to further solidify her son’s successor position and the Duke, who wanted to avoid troublesome situations.
Blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. The idea that your hair will get darker as you get older was meaningless torture. It was natural that Crystal’s mother, who gave birth to a son, one that proved he was a child of the Rotary family with his distinctive features, tried to hide her son.
“Chris for son, Crystal for daughter.”
“…How will we do it?”
Marianne looked at her friend with a worried expression.
Even if she ran away with her son, it would be next to impossible to hide his striking outward appearance for the rest of his life. But even if she ran away, when they find out, the son must die.
Crystal’s mother made a bold choice.
“I had decided to name my son Chris and my daughter Crystal. My child’s name is Crystal.”
“That means…”
“My child will be named Crystal Rotary. She is the fifth daughter of Duke Rotary.”
“…Crystal. It’s a pretty name. When she grows up, she will become a woman who will make men cry.”
“Yes, definitely. Because she resembles me.”
They shared an unspoken promise in front of the newborn child.
The beginning of the lie was the rumour that Crystal had a chronic illness since childhood. Her frail body made it difficult for her to get around outside. It was an excuse for when Crystal grew up and couldn’t hide her gender any longer.
The frail excuse regarding her body’s condition was never questioned. Everyone only had a rough idea that she resembled her mother. As much as that, there was no one in the Rotary family who was interested in Crystal’s existence.
There was no reason to stop the mother and daughter from staying in the annexe in the corner on their own. The Duke of Rotary was faithful to his love for his lover, but he was not the type to take care of his family, and he stopped caring about his concubine after confirming that the child was a girl.
Thanks to that, Crystal became an adult safely.
Their words came true. As Crystal grew up, he became more like his mother. The grown-up Crystal became a young lady with a history of making the male servants of the family cry.
If the Rotary family hadn’t tried to marry Crystal off, he would have stayed in the annexe. Safe and happy in his little world until the day came when he quietly disappears.
But now, Crystal Rotary was in the Great Pentrine Castle.
“Yes. I am Crystal Rotary. Nice to meet you.”
Crystal casually brushed his hair behind his ear. He didn’t forget to put on a bright smile.
“Thank you for coming a long way.”
“It’s okay. It was a pleasant trip. This is the first time I’ve gone on a trip because I’m frail.”
While listening to the voice mixed with laughter, the butler took Crystal’s bag. Crystal, who he observed for a moment, had no gaps in her clothing to reveal bare skin. The only place Crystal, who was also wearing a scarf and gloves, had revealed was her face.
Just seeing her for a moment made it feel like the rumours that Crystal was sick were true. The notably plump face and pale lips supported the rumour.
The man who was looking at Crystal, Damian, erased his thoughts. There was a limit to the amount of information that can be grasped only from appearances. It was better to erase personal thoughts and remember only objective facts to inform the Grand Duke.
“Did you enjoy your trip? It may have been difficult because the temperature would have been so different. They say it doesn’t snow much in the South.”
“That’s right. The last time snow fell was 10 years ago. That’s too little and too long ago. Thanks to you, I was able to enjoy the snow.”
‘No. Actually, I slept.’
As if to compensate for the nervousness he had so far, he fell asleep without hesitation.
“Now is the best time to see the snow. It will start snowing in earnest in a week.”
“Heavy snow? Does it snow more than this?”
“Yes. It snows enough to make it impossible for outside activities. Most people stop their activities and relax at home. We call this period ‘Jenewal’.”
She couldn’t imagine. It was true that she didn’t look at the snow because she was sleeping, but there was so much snow everywhere that she didn’t have to look. But more than this?
That means if it just was a few days later, they could have been blocked by heavy snow along the way. Just imagining it would have been a disaster. Crystal sighed in relief.
“Is it the same for Pentrine Castle?”
“Yes, but the Great Castle of Pentrine is rarely accessible from the outside, and we rarely step outside too, so it is not much different than usual. There are only five people staying in the castle, including Grand Duke Ellian. There are many rooms here, so you can use any room you want.”
Five? Crystal, who almost inadvertently asked back, shut his mouth quickly.
Even the Rotary family, which was half as small as the Grand Duchy, hired more people than that. No matter how developed magic was, it was better to utilize the hands of people for trivial things. Neither cleaning nor cooking could be resolved with magic.
But there were only five people. Crystal seemed to understand why rumours related to the Great Castle of Pentrine started. It was a huge castle with so few people. It was a perfect breeding ground for spreading strange rumours.
Damien added an explanation, as though he had read Crystal’s thoughts.
“The reason why there are few residents is that Grand Duke Ellian, one chef, two wizards, and myself are enough. The management is done by the chef and the wizards. It’s tough to take care of a castle with just two wizards, but their abilities are more than enough. And…”
Damien hesitated for a moment. After a brief silence, the words followed.
“Grand Duke Ellian doesn’t like crowds.”
Crystal was convinced that this would be the biggest reason.
Ellian Pentrine.
A hero who protected the north, a faithful confidant of the wise King, and a man as cold as ice who did not reveal himself to the public. You would be able to talk all day just by listing the titles surrounding him. Thanks to that, there were not only one or two people who became excited, in more ways than one, just by hearing his name.
If there were good rumours, there were, of course, bad rumours as well A blood-drinking monster, a psychopath who disliked people and quit having external relations, and a sadist who enjoyed people’s screams…
Rumours were not always true, but there was always a small spark at the beginning of a rumour, a reason why it began. In order to protect the northern boundary, he was a person who did not hesitate to kill, and the Grand Duke, who hid his appearance, stayed in a castle with a small number of people. This spark was enough to start rumours.
“We have prepared a room on the third floor. First of all, if you use that room and tell us that there’s another room you want, we will prepare it right away. All rooms are kept clean at all times, but we cannot give any unprepared room to guests.”
“No, no. Any room is fine.”
Crystal shook his hands. The room was rather nice. If there were no people nearby, the third or second floor was fine.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“You can feel free to tell me anytime. This is a given, of course, for guests of the Grand Duke of Pentrine.”
‘What?’ Crystal smiled brightly at Damian, who smiled while making eye contact as if he was getting confirmation. Inwardly, pulling the strings of the tension taut.
He said ‘guest’ twice.
Crystal was here as a bride-to-be for the Grand Duke of the North. She sent a proposal and received a positive response. All that was left now was the procedure of signing the marriage certificate.
However, the man, who was the Grand Duke’s subordinate, spoke the opposite.
In turn, maybe she was still a guest, as this marriage hadn’t been confirmed.
The marriage proposal sent by Crystal had only the minimum formality, but most of the requirements for a marriage between families were omitted. In other words, the marriage proposal was sent in the name of Crystal, having no family seal.
The proposal itself was polite, but in fact, it was on the same level as asking if it was okay to roast some beans over lightning. It would have been justifiable if the Grand Duke got angry at Crystal for being rude.
The problem was that Grand Duke Ellian sent back a half-hearted letter of approval.
Thinking that he would fail, he poked at the lightning to ask if he could roast the beans, and in reply, the duke sent the lightning to let Crystal roast them to his heart’s content. It was no wonder that Crystal and the nanny, who read the letter of approval together, were astonished enough to faint. He thought that he could understand the situation if he thought about it slowly, but somehow he felt uncomfortable.
He came to the duchy filled with half worry and half fear because, as he feared, the Pentrine family was difficult.
“Is it possible for me to meet Grand Duke Ellian right now?”
‘Please say no.’
“Oh, I think that’s going to be difficult. You can’t meet him right now because the Grand Duke is out of the castle.”
‘Thank you.’
“Then I’ll just have to wait in my room. When will he be back?”
“Perhaps he will be back before dawn tomorrow. He will visit you tomorrow morning. You must be weary from your arduous journey, please rest well tonight.”
His body felt strangely damp from earlier, perhaps because his body recognized the fatigue of the trip as he had slept the entire time in the carriage. Meeting Grand Duke Ellian was never an easy task. It would be good news for Crystal if he could take a good rest today and make up his mind.
“The dining hall is on the first floor, but… as there are few residents, the boundary between the restaurant and the kitchen is small. And it’s rare for the dining hall to actually be used because each person has a different meal time. If you don’t mind, I’ll bring you your meal to your room.”
“Thank you. Ah, then the Grand Duke doesn’t use the dining room either?”
“Right. The Grand Duke does not come out of the study… Since he is usually busy with work, we bring meals to his study… It’s…”
Damian stuttered. Even his feet climbing up the stairs came to a halfway stop.
Crystal opened his eyes wide at the sudden change and looked at the man. The rigid man’s gaze turned to the stairs. Following the gaze, she saw a person standing at the top of the stairs.
“…Grand Duke?”
The small murmur was unconsciously done, a result of Crystal talking to himself. Like Damien, Crystal, who couldn’t take his eyes off the top, heard a man’s voice clearly.
A drowsy smile formed on his lips as he looked down expressionlessly. The unique composure possessed only by beasts of prey, who can relax even in front of their prey, was possible because they are always sure of victory.
Ellian Pentrine.
He was standing there.
[Ed./N]: Regarding the use of pronouns, we are thinking of primarily using “he/him” for Crystal now that we know that Crystal is actually a man. However, earlier in this chapter “she/her” was used for him. This was because it was from the butler’s perspective, and he thinks of Cyrstal as “she/her”! If this method gets too confusing though, please let us know how you’d want Crystal to be addressed (in regards to pronouns) and we’ll take it into consideration!!
TL;DR In third person, Crystal will be referred to as “he/him” aside from when it is from the perspective of another person that thinks Crystal is a lady.
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