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The next morning, Selian prepared breakfast using simple utensils over a campfire.

Whether it was Selian’s thorough preparation or the Deretia family’s attentiveness, we managed to whip up a quite decent breakfast using ingredients stored in the carriage.

Even Selian’s cooking skills looked remarkably adept for a homeless setup.

Having filled our stomachs, and with the carriage repairs completed the night before, there was no reason to linger in this spot any longer.

I worried for a moment that something might break again, but fortunately, the carriage didn’t encounter any issues until we reached Selian’s mansion.

As the carriage came to a stop and I stepped down with the guidance of a servant opening the door, a massive mansion stood before me.

Selian’s mansion truly radiated the grandeur of the Marquis of Deretia family. The garden was bustling with a fountain and, on one side, a statue likely of a summoned hero.

The mansion already seemed to be bustling with activity, save for a few servants; no one was around. Given our unexpected delay due to the accident, they probably only received the news when we passed through the city gates.

“Now, let me show you around.”

I entrusted my personal belongings to one of the butlers standing nearby and followed Selian as she guided me around the mansion.

The mansion was quite vast, but luckily, it seemed to have been built by the same person, or perhaps this was just a common structure, as it bore a resemblance to Yuli’s mansion, making it easy for me to navigate.

After exploring the notable spots, Selian directed me to the room I would be staying in.

“This will be your room during your time here.”

Stepping inside, I was struck by how well-decorated the guest room was for a simple guest space.

Although my taste wasn’t particularly refined, I could see that considerable effort had gone into the room’s decor with my relatively cheap sense of money.

Every single decoration in the room struck my fancy.

Even the simple table in one corner resembled the one I had splurged on while shopping, due to its alluring design.

Of course, it looked far more luxurious than the cheap table I had purchased, so the price difference was probably significant.

Before going to bed as an assassin, I often imagined… one day, I would quit being an assassin and enjoy a leisurely life in a house styled to my preferences away from the bustling world.

Now, the room I had only dreamed of was right before my eyes.

I thought about filling it with shelves packed with novels, setting up workout equipment here, and placing a table there where I could calmly enjoy tea.

The room was fully packed with all those things I had only thought about before.

Only one thing seemed a bit odd—was this not a bit of an unconventional taste for a guest room?

I don’t mean to belittle myself, but my preferences are a little off the beaten path. Growing up as an assassin, that’s only natural. I don’t intend to deny it. My dorm room was also rather bleak compared to the others.

A room that perfectly matched my taste would probably not receive great reviews from guests from a typical perspective.

For a moment, I wondered if someone had intentionally decorated the room to suit me, but that thought was absurd.

There was no reason for the Deretia family to go to the trouble of completely revamping a guest room just to suit my taste.

Moreover, I had never shared my dreams with anyone, and Selian was no exception. While she had been close to me throughout the semester at the Academy, we hadn’t spent nearly enough time together for her to know all my preferences.

So, it was likely a mere coincidence that this room fit my taste so perfectly.

“What do you think? Do you like it?”

“Yeah. It’s surprisingly suited to my taste.”

“Yes. I didn’t forget everything El mentioned.”

From Selian’s words, noting she had remembered everything I had casually mentioned during our little chats, I could sense her thoughtfulness in providing me with the most suitable guest room.

“Oh, are those novels on the shelf?”

I asked, pointing at the bookshelf I had seen earlier.

“Yes. I’ve filled it with genres similar to the ones I usually recommended to El. You might find them enjoyable when you get bored.”

The countless books I had read throughout the semester had grown quite a bit. They were all novels I had picked up on Selian’s recommendations.

Selian seemed to have a knack for hitting the mark, as she often suggested romance novels popular among women.

Since I was living as a woman now, I found myself more empathetic towards the female protagonists, and being a former male, it was only natural that I resonated more with stories focusing on a woman.

While I might have hidden tastes I couldn’t mention openly due to my appearance as a woman, luckily, Selian appeared to view them as just novels and didn’t look at me strangely.

I figured I would probably be busy keeping up with Selian during the day, so I planned to read before bed.

“By the way, is it okay if I skip greeting the Marquis or others?”

“You’ll meet them at mealtime anyway, so it seems a waste of time to show my face twice, right? That time could be better spent…”

“True, the Marquis has a schedule too, so interrupting him just to greet would be a nuisance.”

“…Exactly. So don’t worry about it. For now, let’s unpack your things.”

Selian picked up one of my bags that had been brought in by a servant earlier. It wasn’t the one I packed when I first left for the Academy, but the one I received with clothes from Yuli.

“I’m pretty sure you didn’t have that bag when you left the Academy, right?”

Selian also mentioned that I had only left with one bag and unlocked it.

Well, since it was filled with clothes, I figured it would be better to unpack it in the dress room rather than here, but the bag was already wide open.

It seemed Selian had the same thought, as she paused upon seeing inside the opened bag.

Then she reached in and pulled out a piece of clothing.

“This is… a garment I’ve never seen before…?”

“Oh, that’s something Yuli gave me, saying it was clothes she didn’t wear. They’re almost brand new, and it’d be a shame to waste them.”

“…Really?”

Selian set down the garment she was holding and rummaged through the bag again to pull out another piece of clothing. This time, it was an academy uniform.

“Um, El?”

“What is it?”

“This… is this El’s uniform? I thought El’s uniform was…”

“Yep? Then it’s my uniform—oh, right! At Yuli’s house, my uniform got torn, so I received a replacement uniform then.”

I had already gathered several pieces of clothing, so I had forgotten that I would not have the need to wear the uniform before returning to the Academy.

I decided to leave the clothing bag to Selian and started unpacking the bag I had brought when I first set off.

As I neatly tucked my now-familiar women’s underwear into the lingerie drawer, I heard Selian’s voice.

“El?”

When I turned my head, Selian was looking at me. In the meantime, her gaze seemed to be sliding over to the lingerie drawer.

Well, I wasn’t the kind of guy to slack off while helping Selian unpack.

“Did you call for me?”

As soon as I spoke to Selian, who had been darting her gaze around, she turned to me, seeming to realize I was actually helping her.

“Will you follow me?”

Instead, Selian grabbed my hand and, without waiting for my response, pulled me along somewhere.

Of course, I had no reason to refuse, and given Selian was stronger than me, I obediently followed her on her energetic pace.

We arrived at a room on the upstairs.

Though she said it was a room, I realized right away it was Selian’s room as soon as I entered. It resembled a dormitory room, and without hesitation, she led me inside.

The place where she took my hand was the dress room.

Why did this remind me of the incident that had occurred at Yuli’s mansion just a week prior?

“Selian?”

Once inside the dress room, Selian released my hand and instead busied herself digging through clothes without answering my call.

…No way, right?

*

In the end, the number of my bags grew to three. Just like with Yuli, it might even have been a longer fashion show than the one with her.

Though Yuli’s clothes and Selian’s were a bit more ample around the bust, they fit comfortably overall.

I felt tired and embarrassed but should look on the bright side. In exchange for a little hardship, I received several outfits that would be unimaginable with my money, so it was a remarkable deal.

I mused about whether I would think about fashion instead of convenience while choosing these outfits, but let’s avoid critiquing that part.

“It would have been nice to do this earlier; a step too late. In any case, Yuli cannot let her guard down either.”

Why am I competing with Yuli in a place like this, Selian? Especially since Yuli was likely lounging in her mansion now, blissfully unaware of Selian’s competitive spirit?

Well, since Selian seems satisfied, I won’t poke fun at this anymore.