Since It's My First Time Being a Lady, I'll Cause Some Trouble - Chapter 32

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

A Lady Does Things for the First Time — Chapter 32
To summarize the events so far: the rebellion began three months ago, when its architects identified a suitable puppet—someone malleable enough to serve as their figurehead emperor.
That someone was Julian Penry, born of the Emperor and his mistress, Constance.
Though he bore the title of Marquis, his status as a lifetime peer meant he could pass neither rank nor lands to any heir.
As the Emperor’s illegitimate son, he was barred from all political participation—which made his resentment toward the court perfectly natural, particularly for one of his proud temperament.
The conspirators exploited exactly that, luring him in with honeyed words and flattery.
Seduced by promises of the throne, Penry poured his entire fortune into their hands.
That wasn’t enough—he also borrowed money from his mother and leaked secrets about the inner workings of the Imperial Palace.
House Gordon appeared to have sided with Penry around this time. Their betrothal to Rosemary occurred precisely then.
The Gordons were of noble birth, yet held no title.
Lacking a title hardly meant social disgrace.
Since each parent could pass their rank to only one child, all other siblings necessarily went without—which meant a substantial portion of high society was untitled. It was simply the way of things.
Yet there were disadvantages. In Rodinia, one required a title to serve in Parliament. Even the children of great noble houses could not hold a seat without one.
Those truly determined to enter Parliament had to earn a title through distinguished service, or establish themselves as influential legal scholars or military officers.
Lacking any of those paths, one’s only recourse was to make a substantial “donation” to the Imperial Palace in exchange for a parliamentary seat.
According to the Countess, House Gordon had wanted a title.
So they’d attached themselves to Penry hoping to seize advantage—after all, if the rebellion succeeded, they might have become the Emperor’s in-laws.
‘I thought he was just naturally arrogant… but this was the scheme all along?’
I’d assumed only the Emperor was setting himself up like this. But birds of a feather truly do flock together—neither of them seemed to have their wits about them.
Still, the conspiracy pressed forward methodically.
To avoid drawing attention, they’d stage chance encounters at the Social Club and hold strategy meetings in private rooms—a show of care that they believed was quite meticulous.
Then one day, a problem arose.
Not only was Marquis Penry challenged to a duel by me, he lost—catastrophically.
And the cause of that duel was his insulting a nobleman of considerable reputation.
According to reports, this incident created a rift among the conspirators.
One faction argued they should simply use him as intended and dispose of him without concern; the other insisted the fool would ruin everything and needed to be eliminated.
‘Thank goodness—it doesn’t sound like anyone voted for killing me.’
In any case, the incident caught the attention of the Second Prince, who had long been wary of rebellion, and the entire plot unraveled.
The conspirators who fled then murdered the Gordon family in their cell to silence them.
The true mastermind was surely whoever Mirinda had been about to reveal.
“But who exactly?”
I wanted to know, but pursuing it would almost certainly have gotten me killed by an assassin.
All I’d learned from my time in the cell was that Penry’s mind simply wasn’t sharp enough to orchestrate a rebellion or issue those orders himself.
I might manage to dodge the worst of it, but the Count and Countess and their servants were ordinary people—fragile and defenseless.
I had no intention of satisfying my curiosity at the cost of their lives.
All I could do now was trust that Count Rosetti, as the investigation’s lead, would handle things properly.
Hang in there, sir. The lives of many people rest in your hands.
Goodness, I was exhausted.
I yawned widely, my mouth stretching open.
Betsy entered the room just then, but she only gave me the look of someone who’d come to expect such unladylike behavior from me.
In truth, I was no different from usual.
“Miss, the master is asking for you.”
“What for?”
“He’s hired new servants and wishes to introduce them.”
New servants? In times like these?
“Ah!”
Of course—we’d finally hired bodyguards!
‘I’ll finally be able to sleep.’
It had been three days since we’d sent back Count Batori’s soldiers.
Honestly, the Count would have preferred to keep them until new guards were in place.
But following Count Rosetti’s advice—that keeping them might invite the Imperial court’s displeasure—we’d had to return them in haste.
As a result, I’d spent three nights running patrols myself; mercifully, no one had attempted to breach the estate.
‘If it’s a mercenary guild, Lishina or Rentus would be excellent. Demonish too.’
Anywhere would do except the Resolution Guild. Of course, their competence had to be assured.
I descended to the ground floor, where the Count and Countess, the housekeeper, butler, and various servants had gathered in the entrance hall.
“These are the guards who will protect us starting today.”
A woman who appeared to be the captain greeted us in a blunt, straightforward manner.
“Good day to you all. We look forward to working with you.”
As she introduced the guards, disguised as household servants, I studied them with the eye of a hawk.
Lives hung in the balance—I needed to know whether these were capable people or just hired help with the appearance of competence and nothing beneath.
But for some reason, the guards’ faces looked familiar.
‘……Surely not.’
Yet looking again, they were indeed people I knew.
‘What are they doing here? Could it be that the Count contracted with……?!’
“Which guild do you belong to?”
I forced myself to keep my voice steady, asking with feigned curiosity.
“The Seibo Guild, ma’am.”
“Hahahaha! This is insane.”
As I laughed without thinking, the guild members flinched.
The Count leaned toward the head of security, his expression darkening.
“Forgive her. My daughter is rather……eccentric.”
“……I see.”
The Countess’s sharp gaze—a lash demanding propriety—cut through the air, but that wasn’t the problem right now.
The Seibo Guild was a security and escort division under the Resolution Guild.
‘So that’s why I recognized them—I’ve known these people for ten years.’
Which meant from now on, I’d be stuck with Calderon’s subordinates all day long. And that would last until they caught whoever murdered the Gordon family.
Until now, I’d maintained our relationship without revealing my identity to the Resolution Guild, and all that effort was about to go to waste.
The head of security explained each guard’s assignment and role in his flat, businesslike tone.
“……Accordingly, the Count’s security detail normally consists of two personnel, but during travel to Batori Territory, we’ve assigned three. The Countess and the young lady will each have two guards assigned, posing as their personal attendants—”
“Wait a moment!”
I cut him off urgently, raising my voice.
“It’s natural for the Count and Countess, being the masters of this household, to have two or three servants attending them, but would it really be appropriate for me to have two guards following me around?”
It might sound mad, but I had my reasons.
No matter how much I’d become a lady, I had no intention of sitting demurely at home.
‘And I need to know what happened with the commission I made to the Resolution Guild!’
I’d already anticipated that having guards would compromise my privacy.
But I’d assumed I’d only receive close protection when going out or meeting outsiders.
Two people watching me twenty-four hours a day—that absolutely couldn’t happen.
‘And sharp ones will figure out who I am in no time.’
It would be disastrous if the Resolution Guild learned that the Swift Lightning Hand was the young lady of Netzer.
Even a cursory investigation of my movements would uncover countless contradictions. After all, I’m currently living in a girl’s body.
If that came out, I might well die by Calderon’s hand for impersonating an old friend and deceiving the guild.
I was the real one, yet here I stood, drowning in injustice!
To save my life, I’d have to come clean to Calderon, but revealing that the Fountain of Wisdom was kept in the Netzer family was strictly forbidden.
So as long as I kept hidden the fact that the young lady and I had swapped bodies, I had to reduce the eyes watching me, however slightly.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————