"... Are you listening? What I'm about to tell you must not be shared with anyone."
In the same reception room we'd visited on New Year's, Chancellor Leonard gave Rille-nee and me that simple warning.
Yesterday, Princess Philia had snuck out of the palace and shown up at the shop out of nowhere, called Gis-nee by an unfamiliar name, and had a tearful, emotional reunion(?) with her. After that, Gis-nee, with the princess still clinging to her, was taken away by Chancellor Leonard.
A night passed without us understanding anything, and just as Rille-nee and I were wondering what to do, a messenger from Chancellor Leonard arrived and invited us to his estate in the afternoon.
If the summons had come even a little later, we would have stormed over there ourselves. Chancellor Leonard must have sensed that, which was probably why he'd finally decided to tell us what was going on.
"Let me start with Giselle. I suppose you haven't been told much at all, have you?"
"Yes. Only that she was originally a farmer. That she became a soldier and was eventually assigned to the royal guard."
I answered, recalling what Gis-nee had told us long ago.
"That's right. Giselle was born in a small farming village in the southwestern royal territory. The leader of a regiment that had gone to subjugate bandits discovered her. She was about your age at the time, Aime, but already built like a grown man, and on top of that, she'd been toughened by daily farm work and hunting. So, well... they simply didn't think she was a woman."
Chancellor Leonard gave a wry smile.
"She didn't bother to correct them either. Being a soldier paid better, and if she was so masculine that no one could tell, she figured she might as well live as a man."
"Then the 'Daute' that Princess Philia mentioned..."
"That's Giselle's male name. Her full name is Giselle Daute. Since her first name sounded too feminine, she went by her surname during her time as a soldier."
Telling first names from surnames can be tricky. Especially in this nation, where people migrated from all over since the old days, so there's all kinds of names and surnames.
"...I see."
Having heard this much, Rille-nee nodded to herself, finally understanding.
"I'd always wondered about this. I never once saw a female soldier in the military. Whenever I asked, everyone said women couldn't become soldiers."
"Is that actually the rule?"
"There's no explicit regulation, but it's customary not to. Having women among men does create complications. Especially since most soldiers live together in barracks."
Well, biologically speaking, cramming men and women into the same space and expecting nothing to happen is pretty unrealistic.
"Did no one figure out that Gis-nee was a woman?"
"They didn't suspect it at all. I suppose she was lucky that her intimidating appearance and overwhelming skills made her someone who people respected."
I suppose nobody would dream that this superhuman might actually be a woman.
I don't know what a soldier's life is like, but as long as she was careful to never undress in front of others, then she would be fine.
"Before long, 'Daute' rapidly rose through the ranks. She was so incredibly strong that she caught the attention of His Majesty himself, and through an unprecedented promotion, was added to the royal guard."
Chancellor Leonard summarised it breezily, but this was no small feat. Gis-nee's strength had been recognised by the King himself. So how did it end with her being expelled?
"Giselle was placed in charge of security for the inner palace, and there, she met the Princess. As you both know, our Princess has always been fond of people, the sort to innocently strike up a conversation with even a soldier. And so, well... one thing led to another. In the end, the Princess fell in love with 'Daute,' and Giselle was dismissed."
Beside me, Rille-nee's jaw had dropped. I took a deep breath first.
I feel like I've been told something I just can't accept. I need to calm down and sort this out first.
"Alright, Chancellor Leonard. I have questions."
I raised my hand, and was told, "Go ahead, you can ask as many as you like."
"First, let me confirm the facts. Princess Philia believed Gis-nee was a man and fell in love with her?"
"That's correct."
"How old was the Princess at the time?"
"Around ten, I believe."
Exactly! Because when we met Gis-nee, Rille-nee was twelve. Princess Philia, being around the same age as Rille-nee, would have been a young child at the time.
"So a group of grown adults went all out of their way to interfere with a ten-year-old girl's first love? That's ridic..."
I nearly blurted out the rest, but caught myself.
A bittersweet love story between a princess of marriageable age and a knight would be one thing, but tearing apart a little girl and a female soldier who just happened to look masculine... what was even the point?
"Aime, I share your sentiments entirely. However, in the interest of His Majesty's honour, allow me to offer an explanation on his behalf."
"I'm listening."
"Thank you. First, from the moment the Princess was born, it was implied that she would marry into Galesh. Her marriage is a testament that the three nations are bound by true bonds, bringing lasting peace to the continent. Nothing could be allowed to tarnish that. Even during the Princess's childhood, no rumour of any kind could be permitted."
"Any kind of rumour" apparently included things like a child developing a crush on one of her guards.
"At first, they tried to resolve it by simply removing Giselle from the royal guard. But the situation worsened when the Princess began sneaking out of the inner palace, risking danger, just to see Giselle. On top of that, unable to bear the suspicious looks from those around her, fearing that something might go wrong, Giselle herself confessed to the King that she was a woman."
"Did that... cause problems?"
"The idea that the Princess might have romantic feelings toward the same sex is not something that would be well received by other nations."
I suppose it would have been less of an issue if Gis-nee had actually been a man?
Princess Philia, who'd believed Gis-nee was male, wasn't actually attracted to women. But if people who'd never seen Gis-nee heard the story, it would apparently be deemed problematic.
Gender is really just a matter of seeming more masculine or more feminine. The combinations of sex chromosomes aren't limited to simple XX and XY; there are actually quite a few variations.
"So Gis-nee was dismissed."
"Yes. But they couldn't say she was dismissed for being a woman, so officially, she was reported as killed in action during a bandit subjugation."
"...Did they tell Princess Philia that too?"
"They did indeed."
He said it so matter-of-factly. The reason was tacked on afterwards.
"Well, you see, when the Princess cornered His Majesty, demanding to know where Giselle was, the King panicked and... that's what he told her."
"That's, um, an incredibly cruel lie, if you don't mind me saying."
Telling his ten-year-old daughter that the person she loved was dead... that would be deeply traumatising. No matter how cornered you felt, that was the one thing you should never say.
The image of the King I held in my memory, that figure brimming with dignity, was crumbling apart, and from inside emerged what appeared to be just a useless father. As if sensing my thoughts, Chancellor Leonard added.
"Aime, our King is a fine man. But back then, he was young, and compared to now, still quite inexperienced. He could not bring himself to tell his beloved daughter that Giselle had left the palace because of the Princess's own actions, nor could he tell her that her first love was actually a woman."
I could understand the feeling. Somewhat.
"If only someone had at least come up with a better lie..."
"That is something we all deeply regret."
The Chancellor nodded solemnly.
"Her eyes were so red and swollen from crying every day, it was heartbreaking. In those days, the anguish tore at all of our hearts. One should never underestimate a child's love. When she finally returned to her old self with the help of the Queen and the Prince, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The guilt lingered, but we believed everything would work out from there."
Leaning back against the sofa, Chancellor Leonard let out a long, deep breath.
"After everything, the least I wanted to do was let Giselle see the Princess in her wedding attire. But I never accounted for the palace guards being this incompetent."
His tone was gentle, but the Chancellor was quietly furious. It's a little scary.
"Um, so where are the Princess and Gis-nee right now?"
Rille-nee asked timidly.
Right, there was no point blaming the guards for their blunder now. We wanted to know where our sister was and what was happening with our friend who had just been reunited with the person she'd thought was dead.
The Chancellor lowered his eyebrows apologetically.
"I can't go into detail, but the Princess has become... rather distraught over all of this. I'm sorry to ask, but I need you to let us keep Giselle with us for a while. We can't have the Princess sneaking out of the palace again."
His words were phrased as a request, but Gis-nee had already been taken. We had no say in the matter. This is what they call after-the-fact consent.
"I swear no harm will come to her. By the time the Princess's bridal procession passes through the capital, your beloved family member will be back with you. I give you my word."
"...So the wedding preparations are continuing as normal?"
"Of course. That is something no one can stop, and we simply cannot let it be stopped."
His tone was firm, but I caught a faint undercurrent of something unsettling in it.
"Gis-nee is at the palace with Princess Philia, right?"
I'd meant it as a simple confirmation, but Chancellor Leonard responded with a forced smile.
"I need you both to stay put and wait quietly. In the palace, even the most absurd of matters can end with someone's death."
Both Rille-nee and I fell silent in shock.
It wasn't a yes or no. His answer to my question was, I think, a threat.
Had Gis-nee been taken away just to calm Princess Philia down? Or was Gis-nee in danger?
It sounded absurd, but Chancellor Leonard's demeanour made it impossible to laugh off.