The Legend of the Reclusive Princess Zuicho of the Rikan Empire ~She Escapes From The Palace Everyday and Works as a Capable Government Official.~ - Chapter 1

“—So, what happened to your hair?”

The man who said these words while grabbing a strand of Saya’s damp blond hair was a handsome person in his mid-twenties. His long black hair was tied up high.

His sharp, well-shaped eyes were deep black, showing calm thinking. He wore black robes lined with gold, adorned with exquisite embroidery visible only when illuminated by light. A gentle, elegant scent came from his clothes—it was probably incense.
Just one look told you—he was someone of high status.

But this man, despite his noble appearance, acted nothing like a noble. He casually pulled up a chair next to Saya, crossed his long legs boldly, and sat as if it were nothing.

“…Ah, well… something unexpected happened…”

Saya was sorting through a mountain of unread documents. She glanced quickly at the man who had brought his chair and seated himself next to her without asking, then immediately looked back at her work.

They were in the office of the Ministry of Revenue, a room with long rows of desks.

Dressed in an official’s robe, Saya’s position as Deputy Minister allowed her to sit next to the Minister of Revenue.
It was extremely rare to be promoted to this rank in just five years, but she had gone to a business high school in her old world, and she was good at bookkeeping, calculations, and paperwork.

So this job felt just right for her.

Now, during working hours, several government officers—including Saya—were busily working on the documents spread out on their desks.

The Ministry of Revenue was always short on people, and everyone had to work efficiently.
Saya made an effort to convey that she didn’t want to waste time on idle chatter.
But the man didn’t notice—or didn’t care. He stared at her with curious eyes.

*****

“Hmm… Did you take a bath this morning? Your hair’s still wet… but it smells kind of like moss.”

“P-Please don’t sniff my hair!”

She quickly leaned back as the man brought his nose close to the blond hair that fell over her chest.

(Wait—this is dangerous! If he gets too close, he might find out…)

Trying to stay calm, she pretended to be angry and adjusted the front of her robe.

Even though her chest was tightly bound with a sarashi (a cloth wrap), if he somehow noticed the shape of her body, everything would be over.

That’s right—
Saya was pretending to be a man in this office.

She kept her chest hidden, lowered her voice, and didn’t show many expressions.

Thanks to the loose design of the government robes, she had managed to hide her identity as a woman for five years.

All of this was possible only because she worked very hard.

In this world, only men were allowed to be officials but she had still reached the rank of Deputy Minister.She had no plans to give up her position now.

(…Not to mention, I’m still listed as part of the imperial harem…)

If someone found out she was a woman—or worse, that she snuck out of the inner palace—it would be a disaster.
Therefore, she needed to maintain distance from others.

She believed that being extra careful was the safest choice.

(…But still, I’m really glad he didn’t pull my hair too hard…)

Saya moved away from the man with a suspicious look on her face. She ran her fingers through her damp blond hair, which felt rough and dry from the bleaching.

Actually, her real black hair was hidden inside her official cap. She had carefully braided it and wrapped it around the top of her head. Then, she let the leftover blond-dyed hair hang down like normal hair. It took a lot of effort to make it look natural.

When she wore her cap low over her face, she looked like any other blond government official.

Even though she pinned it in place tightly, she didn’t know what would happen if someone pulled it too hard.

Even more than her disguise as a man, the bigger danger was someone finding her real black hair.

Because in this country, where blond hair and blue eyes were the norm…

Black hair and black eyes were considered a ‘divine omen’—a’ rare and sacred sign.