You woke up early, my little brother?

The next morning, Avian woke up feeling all weird and puzzled. Her memories of the previous day were a bit hazy. Rubbing her eyes and stretching her legs, she let out a soft sigh. 

'Stretching is always good in the mornings,' she nodded to herself before unbuttoning her shirt. 

After Zenith left last night, Avian was too worn out to move. Unwilling to drag her aching body across the room to change her outfit into a normal nightgown, she decided that sleeping off would be the best option for her. 

However, as a result, her body was now a bit stiff. Her chest did not feel comfortable at all, forcing her to massage her body by herself to ease the tension of being wrapped tightly even in her sleep. 

'I really need to find some spell to turn me into a guy, even if it was for a limited amount of time.'

Temporary spell that will swap her gender; for Avian, that was the only thing she needed at that moment. Changing her appearance to appear like a man every day was genuinely a hassle. 

But alas, it was not like she could shout around asking if anyone had a similar spell. The suspension this simple act will attract to her was immeasurable, and thus Avian had to research this kind of spell on herself. 

Thankfully, she had a bunch of resources here. 

'The royal academy should be helpful for me in this regard.'

With various resources to satisfy the majority of its students, the royal academy ought to have the needed resources, whether it was previous research or materials and ingredients. 

"Anyway, I better get out of here. My first day here is starting, and I can't be late."

Adjusting her white shirt and forcing a tight, purple jacket over it with fitting black pants, Avian tied her hair in a ponytail. She knew that many would look at her as more feminine, and some may even outright think she was a woman, but she could not care less about them. 

As someone who was supported by the Crown Prince, Avian knew that nothing aside from what she said was going to be considered as the truth. 

'My worries will only hold me back.'

With a clear mind after yesterday's events, Avian finally left her room and walked confidently towards the main building. 

"Oh wow, is that a new student?"

"She looks gorgeous!"

"Huh? Is that a woman?"

"I'm not sure, but the facial features are too soft for a man."

"A slim waist like that can't be for a guy…"

"But such a wooden board can't belong to a man either."

"Is that a he or a she now?"

The students gossiped and whispered to each other. They did not bother to hide their whispering and curious gazes, which somehow made Avian more comfortable and confident. 

'Perfect, all the eyes are on me.'

Being in the spotlight suited her the best. 

She casually tilted her head to one of the female students who was staring at her, almost to the point of drooling, and her lips curved upward. 

"Hi!" enthusiastically greeting the female student, Avian took her hand and kissed the back of it. Her movements were swift, gentle, and dripping with elegance. 

"Good morning, beautiful lady~"

The female student blushed but forced herself to not stutter, "Hello… Can I help you with anything?"

"Oh! Thank you for your consideration. I believe you can guide me to my class. I moved here yesterday, and I'm still a little confused about the structure of the buildings."

"Oh, sure thing." Blinking to wake up from her daze, the female student nodded shyly. She remembered what her friend said yesterday about meeting a girlish, handsome new guy.

Then everything clicked together. 

"Oh, wait a minute, are you Avian Maximilian?"

"Yes, in the flesh," with another bright smile, Avian confirmed her identity. Her guess was on point: the gossiping girls ought to be the people who she could use best. 

Now that someone has already said her name, the noble students should be able to catch the bait. 

"What?"

"The Maximilian family?"

"Oh my, the duchy?"

"But wait, I received a note last night…"

'Everyone caught the bait. Perfection.'

The female student released her hand from Avian's grasp with a surprised gasp, realizing the status of Avian. 

"Oh my, I apologize for being rude to you, Lord Avian!"

"No need, you can calm down. I believe I'm going to lose this title soon enough."

Putting on a pitiful appearance, Avian extended his hand to the female student again. He pretended to force a smile as he officially introduced himself. 

"Greetings, young ladies. I'm Avian Maximilian, the one who used to be known as the eldest son of the Maximilian duchy and the soon-to-be abandoned fake heir."

With those words, the whispers all died down. The noble students exchanged uneasy glances to each other while the commoners looked at each curiously. 

The young noble seemed to be taking the news of her 'true' identity with some pain, yet Avian Maximilian was not afraid of showing up in public. That alone showed great resolve that everyone respected. 

In addition, the requirements to enroll in the royal academy were to have a real talent, an ability, and to be capable. 

Even if Avian Maximilian had lost that surname, being in the royal academy would be enough to compensate for that. 

For that alone, they did not look at her with disdain. Whether they were nobles or commoners, everyone knew she could never step foot in this place without real capabilities. 

But despite that, the nobles were uneasy with how they should treat her. If they treated her well and the true heir, who was also enrolled recently into the royal academy, got dissatisfied with that, their relationship may be tense. 

'Again, as expected.' All of these factors were something Avian had expected, and she was ready for some difficult times at the start. Someone, however, had other plans for her. 

"Ah, Avian. You woke up early, my little brother?"

As if heaven were smiling to the nobles, their decision was not so difficult anymore. Zenith Maximilian showed up, throwing his arm around Avian and smiling brightly. 

"Did you enjoy last night's outing?"

Speechless and yet slightly thankful for this weird, unexpected help, Avian only sighed with a weak nod. 

Her new life in the royal academy had just started, and her own plans were rushing and moving beyond her.