Leorino had been wearing dresses from a young age, per his mother’s wishes. Indeed, he had looked so good in them, no one ever gave it a second thought, and Leorino himself hadn’t questioned it once until now.
“But…I’m a boy, right?”
The attendant nodded.
In the Kingdom of Fanoren, one became a full-fledged adult at the age of eighteen. At the age of twelve, one was considered “half-fledged” and was gradually allowed to participate in society.
Leorino was fast approaching that tender age.
“Hey, Gauff, I’m almost half-fledged. How much longer will I have to keep dressing like this?” Leorino complained, following his older brother into the stables. He looked down at himself, picking at the hem of his frilly dress.
Gauff stroked the muzzle of his favorite horse, looking at his dispirited brother with eyes full of sympathy.
“…Until Mother is satisfied, I suppose.”
“…Stop looking at me like that. I don’t want your pity.”
“But don’t worry—you look good in that! No one minds.”
Leorino stomped his foot. “I mind! I don’t care if it looks good on me. That’s not the problem!”
Gauff hadn’t expected that outburst. He had never seen his sweet brother stomp his foot in anger before.
“…Rino, you can’t really be considering rebelling against Mother?”
“Please, Gauff! Please tell Mother to stop dressing me this way!” Leorino glanced down at himself with a miserable look on his face.
The light-blue ribbon swayed in the breeze blowing through the stable.
“I want to wear boy clothes like you do!” The boy’s heart-wrenching cry echoed through the stables.
One after another, the horses seemed to whinny in sympathy.
Once he became half-fledged, he would enter society and begin meeting new people. Leorino decided that something had to be done before then and finally announced his intentions to his mother.
“Mother, starting tomorrow, I will be wearing clothes intended for boys.”
Maia inclined her head gracefully. “And why is that?”
“Because I am a boy.”
“Of course, I’m well aware. But what seems to be the problem with wearing clothes that suit you regardless?”
“No, I do not believe dresses suit me at all. Therefore, I will no longer be wearing them.”
After that, Leorino did just as he had promised: He tossed his dresses out into the hallway, found Gauff’s old clothes, and wore those instead. Throughout Brungwurt, news quickly spread that the angel had entered his rebellious phase.
Both the family and the servants struggled to decide whether to side with Leorino or his mother. Reason would dictate that Leorino’s request should be granted. It made perfect sense that a boy nearly half-fledged would want to wear boys’ clothing. But as selfish as it might have been, some agreed with Maia’s belief that it would be a shame to abandon clothes that looked so good on him. His natural beauty transcended gender, and the luxuriant dresses complemented his appearance perfectly. Leorino was like a white rose blooming in the castle, and his presence alone brought great joy to all.
In the end, the decision fell to August, the head of the house.
“Father, I wish to dress like a boy.”
“Yes, Leorino, I understand. However…”
“Father, it’s been nearly twelve years since my birth. I recognize that this is sudden, but…I do not wish to wear dresses any longer.”
August looked at his youngest son with sadness in his eyes.
“Father? Are you hearing me?”
“Rino… Why don’t you call me ‘Papa’ anymore?”
He was missing the point.
“Father, please!”
Leorino, usually so calm, so soft, and so tender, now stomped his feet, just like he had with Gauff.
“It does not matter what I call you, Father. We were talking about my clothing!”
“Are you saying my feelings don’t matter…?”
For the first time in his life, Leorino looked at the father he had respected so much with utter disbelief.
Next, it was Maia’s turn to wring the handkerchief she was holding as she stated her case before her husband. “No one thinks twice about gender in this day and age. What’s wrong with Rino wearing clothes that look good on him?”
“Hmm, I suppose you have a point…”
Maia pointed at her eldest son, who was watching the whole affair in silence.
“Just look at Auriano. He certainly appears masculine, but look at his white shirt and dark-blue jacket. Don’t you find the combination dull? Do you want our Rino to wear something so plain?”
“Dull…? Plain…?” the eldest son muttered to himself. To the casual observer, he would have seemed like a very fine-looking man, but he was no match for Maia.
Leorino nodded in agreement with his mother. “Indeed, my brother dresses rather plainly.”
“Hey…,” Auriano interjected before he could stop himself.
“Mother, I think your open-mindedness toward dresses and who can wear them is wonderful. But I want to dress like a boy and wear clothes as plain as my brother’s.”
“Hey!”
“I’m a boy, and I’ve always been a boy, so I see no reason why I should be denied the right to dress plainly like my brother!”
“Can you stop calling me ‘plain’ already?!”
Leorino and his mother continued to argue, both refusing to budge even a little.
Leorino’s rebellion had involved all of Brungwurt, and in the end, he emerged victorious. August, afraid of antagonizing his beloved youngest son, finally gave in to his insistence. And ever since, Leorino had been wearing the boy clothes he had so desperately longed for. If nothing else, they served to make him look a little more masculine.
The compromise he had reached with his mother involved him wearing shirts with delicate pleats, which weren’t nearly as elaborate as the dresses but meant he still looked like a beautiful little angel.
Still, Leorino was satisfied.
He even felt he had become stronger, more like Ionia.
As his twelfth birthday approached, Leorino began to dream of attending school in the royal capital.
“You know, Hundert, I think I’d really like to attend the academy in the capital.”
For generations, the boys of the Cassieux family had obtained their higher education in the royal capital after they turned twelve. However, the margrave and his wife had already decided that Leorino would be privately tutored in Brungwurt by a scholar from the capital, even after he became half-fledged. Leorino had never complained about his parents’ plans for him, but here he was saying such things.
The attendant broke out in a cold sweat, fretting that he was about to witness a repeat of the dress wars. “Lord Leorino…I believe your parents have already made their decision.”
“I know. That’s why I want you to help me convince them.”
The school was, in truth, a pretext that would get him to the capital.
Leorino wanted to learn more about Ionia. He had been thinking there must be some way of finding out if Ionia was really just a product of his imagination or a real person. He still regularly had dreams following Ionia’s life. He figured it must have been fate. That’s why he needed to get to the capital.
At the same time, the margrave and his wife had their own reasons for wanting to keep Leorino inside the province. One of the reasons was Leorino’s beauty. As the fourth son, Leorino would not inherit his father’s title, which meant he would eventually have to find a job and become independent. However, August and Maia already knew that it would be difficult for their youngest son to live a normal life. Living alone without a guardian would likely be impossible, on account of his beauty. Their second and third sons, Johan and Gauff, lived in the capital, but they, too, were title-less and as such unsuited to be his guardians. August couldn’t allow young Leorino to reside where his eyes couldn’t reach.
But there was another reason, too. Leorino was known as an angel, not only due to his otherworldly ethereal appearance. The Cassieux family, with its long history, was known for its good fortune.
The day of Leorino’s birth was a very special day for Brungwurt.