Chapter 1

Sandra Telles Grover, twenty-five years old.

Currently engaged in self-reflection.

How on earth did I end up like this?

"Look, that!"

"Oh, how scandalous!"

Unfamiliar young ladies are whispering behind their fans, hiding their faces.

Or rather, they might be speaking loudly enough for me to hear, so it might not be considered whispering.

And their criticism is not entirely off the mark.

After all, this is the entrance to the knights' quarters, a place where no noblewoman should be.

Yet, here I am, gazing blankly at the man in front of me.

Perhaps it was a mistake to let my mind wander, but the man lifted my chin as if to lift me up.

"To look away while you're with me is quite cruel."

His voice is so sweet, it feels like water saturated with sugar, making my skin crawl.

The familiar face draws closer.

His pale purple, mysterious eyes and eyelashes that rival any woman's. His small face seems almost too delicate to belong to a knight, and his curly golden hair reflects the light, blinding to the eye.

The young ladies from earlier let out small gasps.

I feel like screaming too.

In the end, the man kissed my cheek.

But to the young ladies watching, it must have looked like a proper kiss.

I stomped on his foot as hard as I could under my dress, out of their sight.

"Ugh…!"

The man—my brother Julius—grimaced and let out a stifled cry.

I, who had been complaining all the way here, felt a bit of satisfaction at the sight.

To explain why I, an unmarried woman, am pretending to be my brother's lover, there is a reason that seems deep but is actually quite shallow.

Julius, who was frail in his childhood and often mistaken for a beautiful girl due to his radiant appearance, started training with a sword to build his strength. By the age of nineteen, he had become the youngest member of the elite Blue Star Knights, known for their strict selection process.

That's all well and good, but while his body became strong, his androgynous appearance remained, attracting both men and women.

Despite being nineteen, his only interest is in swords, and he is a battle-obsessed fool.

What happens when such a man is placed in the knights' quarters in the castle?

I haven't seen it myself, but apparently, he has had numerous unpleasant experiences, with unknown women entering his room and being nearly overwhelmed by burly men.

Julius, thinking that this was all due to not having a lover, came up with the idea of using his real sister, me, as a deterrent.

I, having passed the marriageable age, still work as a lady-in-waiting to the queen at the palace, away from our family's viscount household.

I find my job fulfilling, and I have no plans to marry or any lover.

He must have thought that I would be suitable as a stand-in lover.

As a result, I am here, having been begged by my brother.

I have loosened my usually tight hair and adorned it, and I wear a mask of unfamiliar heavy makeup.

Even so, I can't help but feel inferior to my naturally beautiful brother, and the young ladies who see us can't help but show their jealousy.

Despite this, I think I have achieved my purpose and step away from Julius.

The slightly sad look he gives as we part is something that hasn't changed even after he became a knight.

It makes me feel like I'm back to when he was a little boy, and I can't help but want to pat his head.

In the end, I am too soft on Julius.

"What are you doing here?"

At that moment, we were called by a low voice different from the young ladies, and we turned around.

Standing there were Kenneth Lee Fox, the captain of the Blue Star Knights, and Ian Molder Lucas, the vice-captain.

Captain Kenneth is a towering, muscular man with fiery red hair, and Ian, his assistant, has unkempt silver-blond hair that hangs from his head and mouth, earning the disapproval of the higher-ups for not fitting the image of a knight.

I flinched.

Why?

Because he is the object of my unrequited love.

Anyway, if it were to be revealed that I am Julius's real sister, it would only cause trouble. While it's normal for family to be affectionate, if the young ladies watching us from a distance were to find out, all my efforts would be in vain.

Next to Julius, who straightens his posture in front of the captains, I take a deep breath.

It's fine. There's no way they'll recognize me. After all, I look completely different today.

"Ho, bringing such a beautiful young lady, you're not to be underestimated, Julius."

Captain Kenneth said with amusement, patting Julius's shoulder. The force seems gentle, but Julius, who is supposed to be well-trained, wavers.

I curtsied with a wry smile.

I have had conversations with Captain Kenneth before due to my job, but he doesn't seem to recognize me.

Meanwhile, Ian is silently staring at us.

His long bangs make it hard to see, but I can feel his steady gaze.

"Vice-captain?"

Julius must have found Ian's behavior strange, as he called out to him. But he still doesn't respond.

Despite his wild appearance, Ian is actually a rather conventional person.

So he's not ignoring the greeting on purpose; there must be something that has caught his attention so much that he has forgotten to greet.

Cold sweat slides down my back, constricted by the corset.

Has he figured it out? Or hasn't he?

Ian's silence feels like it lasts forever. The piercing gaze is painful.

The smile I put on to dispel his suspicions is dry and beginning to crack.

Captain Kenneth then slapped Ian's back hard.

This time, it seems to be done on purpose, as Ian, who nearly falls, hurriedly regains his balance.

"To be so captivated by someone else's girlfriend, you'll get kicked by a horse!"

With that, Captain Kenneth dragged Ian, who still seemed to have something to say, into the quarters.

And we, the siblings left behind, looked at each other.

I'm excited about this new serial!

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