Note: Rated mature. Contains: discussion of transition and more~
[collapse]
“He’s back! Earl Rosewood is back!”
As Earl Rosewood’s special floating carriage appeared down the Rosewood roads, the farmers working by the roadside stopped, straightened and tried to catch a glimpse of their lord.
It wasn’t easy—if Prince Rian were here, he’d be visible and waving, but Earl Rosewood was more reticent.
If they could catch a glimpse of Earl Rosewood through the carriage windows, then it was a sign of luck for the day!
The Rosewood team didn’t drive through major towns and villages—it would cause great traffic congestion. They took the road around Redmond town, but town-dwellers seemed to know anyway, with many flocking to the outer road to see their lord return.
Even if they couldn’t see their Earl, they could see the majestic knights and the floating carriage.
Back at the Rosewood summer manor, many staff had also gathered.
Hehe, unlike the common people, they could see Earl Rosewood as he stepped out of his carriage!
“Welcome back, Earl Rosewood!”
In short, the Rosewood fief was very lively when Ren Xiyang returned. It gave Ren Xiyang a funny feeling. They had never been this lively before, right?
“Hello,” he said to everyone. Then he leaned over to Kel.
“Kel, did everyone do something while I was gone?”
“Oh?” Kel asked innocently. “My Lord, you’ve done a lot while you were gone.” She then looked at all the staff gathered, signalling with her eyes to Maria.
“Back to work, everyone,” Maria said on cue. “You can see Earl Rosewood at dinner tonight, come now, have you all finished preparing your report and presentation yet?”
The people dispersed among an uprising of chatter.
Ren Xiyang followed Kel to unload his personal items first.
Then, he changed into his farming clothes, took his notebook and pencil, and went to his favourite greenhouses and garden fields.
The gardeners were enthusiastic—hah!, they got to see Earl Rosewood up close—and told him how they had looked over his plants while he was gone.
Ren Xiyang flipped through the various notes and measurements the gardeners had taken. They were good notes, better than his own. Everything they explained to him was there, and more.
“Thank you for your hard work, you can leave now.”
The gardeners bowed. “It’s our duty and pleasure, Earl Rosewood.”
After the gardeners left, Ren Xiyang went to each plot, comparing the notes with the current growth state. There were little green shots only now poking out of the soil, and large vigorously growing experimental wheat and rice. He conducted some magical tests that the gardeners couldn’t do and recorded those results.
Some varieties of crops were growing better than expected, while others were growing worse than expected. There was one particular variant of wheat that was growing very effectively despite the limited water and nutrients. That said, the conclusions could only be drawn once the wheat was harvested at the end.
He reformulated the fertiliser for wheat W12.8a based on what he had devised on the road. He also planted some new crop seeds that he collected while in Angio in a cleared-out corner of greenhouse 2.
He tended to every plant. He didn’t have weed in his greenhouses and outdoor gardens today—the gardeners had done well.
There wasn’t more for him to do; plants needed time to grow, and Ren Xiyang wanted to examine the natural growth rate of the current plants in the greenhouse.
Feeling like he hadn’t done enough work, he put away his notebook and pen and headed out to the big main fields.
The head farmer had a rosy smile as she walked forward to meet him. “My Lord, welcome to the farms. Is there anything we can help you with?”
“What do you need doing?”
“There’s always more weeding, my Lord. The crops have already been watered for the day…”
“Alright. Where?”
After the head farmer pointed out some fields, Ren Xiyang got a hoe and started working.
(The farmers who had been working in the Rosewood fields for a while felt energised to work harder. They were working alongside Earl Rosewood, not many Rosewood staff could say that!)
(The newly recruited farmers were distracted. That—that—that’s the Earl of the fief! Right there! Dear Saintess, the rumours are true!)
Ren Xiyang was ignorant of what the farmers were thinking. He was focused on his allocated fields. The regular, familiar physical labour felt good. He had been sitting in a carriage for too long. Although his carriage was comfortable, it wasn’t big enough to stand and pace inside.
Something as big as a bus would be better. Or a train. This reminded him that he should develop some public transport, especially as the Rosewood fief’s population was increasing.
Could he skip the development of coal trains and go straight to magical-levitation trains and light rail? Could they be solar-powered efficiently?
After some thoughts accumulated, Ren Xiyang stopped, wrote some notes in his notebook, and then go back to weeding.
There was a big feast at the Rosewood summer manor that night. The core dish was a spicy noodle soup with fresh and in-season ingredients. The kitchen team also made multiple side dishes and extra toppings.
Ren Xiyang appreciated the chilli level. While he had brought chilli oil with him on the trip, he could only use it when the Sedaverian staff cooked.
He finished the last of the delicious noodles, drinking the remaining broth. When he raised his head, he noticed that more of his staff were looking at him than usual.
Mrs. Cooks was smiling, happy that he was enjoying his dinner, but why were the other staff members glancing at him?
He turned to Kel, seated next to him. “Is there something I should know?”
Maria was the one who replied, “Well, my Lord, we heard about your two duels in Angio. We were just curious…”
Ren Xiyang blinked. He had forgotten about them after his confession to Rian and the farming he recently did today. It took him a moment to remember what had happened, and to realise why Maria had phrased her reply like so.
“Do you want a demonstration?”
The bright, eager looks were a clear answer.
“If you have time, my Lord,” Maria said with her head lowered demurely.
“You and Kel can organise a time for it and put it in my schedule.”
Maria lifted her head and grinned. “Yes, my Lord, thank you.”
Ren Xiyang glanced at Kel, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
“Yes, my Lord,” Kel mumbled, embarrassed. She was the one who told everyone about the duels and might have exaggerated them a bit. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, but then someone got the idea of trying to get Earl Rosewood to show the magic again and then everyone wanted to see it…
After dinner, Ren Xiyang went back to his suite.
He felt it made sense that the staff wanted to see some flashy magic. The amount of entertainment around wasn’t as much as his past world pre-apocalypse. He wrote down some notes regarding the past duels and what kinds of spells he could show the Rosewood staff.
Then he worked on his physical transition.
He had been doing this routinely, twice a week, for over two years. However, now that Rian had kissed him, his awareness of his body had heightened again.
Catching sight of himself in a mirror, in the reflection of a window, and seeing how his clothes draped on his body, hinting at the masculine figure underneath, often gave him a burst of gender euphoria.
Sometimes, he would see his body when he was having a shower or changing clothes, and think to himself—I’ve done well. It looks good.
Being able to transition before having the wrong puberty made a big difference. Being able to use magic to do things that were medically infeasible to the point of being effectively impossible (during the time of his previous world) made a huge difference.
(Seeing at his face was a bit different, due to the ethnicity disparity and all, but he didn’t often look at his face so that was fine.)
He didn’t need top surgery anymore, and there was no need at all for bottom surgery.
He didn’t have breasts, and his chest was flat (aside from the pecs he was slowly building—thank you, testosterone).
And over the last few years, he made his penis grow, larger than the usual clit growth from testosterone. He used healing magic and Rian’s body to their fullest potential, shifting his body’s ovaries and vagina til they became different parts of his penis and scrotum. It was a post-birth job of mapping female genitalia and organs to their male ‘equivalent’ (aside from the uterus that he waved goodbye to), but it worked pretty well and he had full feeling and sensation. Given how he had constructed his penis—using the skin and flesh and nerves from his clit and his vagina—he could masturbate and orgasm.
Yes, it was a bit weird and sometimes painful when he did too much, but the results were so worth it. It was a lot better than what bottom surgery could have gotten him—his penis could get hard naturally.
From a physical inspection, he looked like a cis boy. From a cursory healer’s look, he should also look like a cis boy.
However, he wasn’t done yet.
He wasn’t 100% happy yet.
It was true that he should have years of growing left to do. But, it would be nicer if he was taller.
And it would be nicer if his dick was bigger.
And while he could orgasm, there wasn’t any precome or come. He didn’t know how it worked—he hadn’t studied Rian’s body while he was aroused and ejaculating!
Ren Xiyang covered his eyes with a hand as his face grew hot. Just imagining himself asking Rian to let him do that was embarrassing enough.
But Rian would probably agree if Ren Xiyang requested it, especially now.
If neither of them were embarrassed, then it wouldn’t be embarrassing, right?
Aside from the precome/come issue, there wasn’t much left to his physical transition (aside from time). He finished what he could do, did some exercise, and got ready for bed.
Normally he would lie down while calling Rian.
But this night, he felt that maybe he shouldn’t. (That felt a little…dangerous.) Instead, he sat down on the sofa and levitated the communication mirror in front of him.
His mirror connected with Rian’s on time.
“Good evening, Xiyang,” Rian said with bright eyes.
“Hello,” Ren Xiyang said.
“So—” they started at the same time.
“Go,” Ren Xiyang said.
“I’ll go first,” Rian said at the same time. Realising it, he chuckled. “We’re quite in sync. Yesterday night, I couldn’t meet with you because my Imperial parents wanted to speak with me. Unsurprisingly, they talked to me about our duel with King Augustus.” There was a twinkle in Rian’s eyes. “Queen Mira was concerned about you! This bodes well for our future marriage. Aside from that, I’ve been having classes with the tutors that didn’t come with us to Angio. How was your travel back to the Rosewood fief?”
“My travel was fine, but what’s this about marriage?”
“Yes!” Rian beamed. “Now that we’ve confessed, when do you want to get married? Do you want a spring wedding or a summer wedding? I suppose we could have a winter wedding if you want. Since you made me sign that secrecy contract, did that mean you wanted to keep it a secret? We could have a secret wedding first if you wish.”
Ren Xiyang: “…”
“Well?”
“What are you talking about?” Ren Xiyang finally managed to splutter out. “We’re dating! Dating before engagement and marriage talk only after engagement.”
Rian tilted his head in puzzlement. “Dating? Oh, do you mean courting?” He smirked. “If you would like to be courted, I can do that. The final step of courtship is marriage.”
Ren Xiyang rubbed his temples. “We have a misunderstanding. Back in my old world…”
Rian listened as Ren Xiyang explained some points regarding dating culture in his old world. He tilted his head the other way, in more confusion.
“Allow me to attempt to summarise. In your old world, people dated without intending marriage? But why?”
“Dating helps assess marriage suitability and—ah, forget it.” Ren Xiyang gave Rian a look. “We’re currently dating-courting, understood? We’re not engaged.”
Ran nodded obediently. In his heart though, he thought, We’re not engaged yet because I haven’t given in the ring, nor a single courtship-specific gift! He’d fix that when he could.
“I understand…wait, does that mean you’ve had past dates? With people who aren’t me?”
“You’re the most jealous man I know,” Ren Xiyang said drily.
“You know other men as well as me???”
“…” It seemed that after he confessed, Rian had become even more unfiltered and blatant.
“If only you were right next to me,” Rian said with a sad pout.
“If only,” Ren Xiyang deadpanned. “If you want me to answer, then you need to offer your answer first.”
Rian placed a hand over his heart. “You’ve read the original novel, you know that I didn’t have an engagement before I died. The first one in my heart is you, Xiyang.”
Ren Xiyang unconsciously looked away for a moment. Rian’s earnest, affectionate eyes were a bit unbearable. “You’re my first too. Now, what was that gold you mentioned earlier today?”
“What gold?” Rian was so innocent he might as well have a halo above his head.
Too bad Ren Xiyang was familiar with his ways. He merely gave Rian a stern look.
Eventually, Rian broke down. “Just be patient, Xiyang,” he finally admitted.
Ren Xiyang instantly brightened. “Okay. Could I get an estimate of the amount, so that I can plan future purchases?”
“Don’t push your luck!”
Ren Xiyang sighed. “It was worth a try.”
The author has some notes:
1. I thought for a long time about the extent of Ren Xiyang’s physical transition. Should he be more “relatable”, and reach the level currently available, feasible, or typically reached for medical transition? Or should he go down the full “indistinguishable from cis men” route? If I went with the full transition, would Ren Xiyang still be considered “trans” (if he eventually went full “stealth” 100% of the time), and would I be stepping too far from the story’s premise?
In the end, I decided that this story is a power fantasy and I can do whatever I want. Ren Xiyang wants a cis male body and I’m going to give it to him, using weakly plausible scientific explanations so it’s not just a single magic spell that converts cis female bodies to cis male bodies!
2. I was researching sleepwear in medieval Europe, and it turns out that there were time periods and circumstances where people typically slept nude (aside from a hat) (and not just for smexy times).
Now imagine that Rian is naked (except for a hat) throughout that call >w
Note: Rated mature. Contains: discussion of transition and more~
[collapse]
“He’s back! Earl Rosewood is back!”
As Earl Rosewood’s special floating carriage appeared down the Rosewood roads, the farmers working by the roadside stopped, straightened and tried to catch a glimpse of their lord.
It wasn’t easy—if Prince Rian were here, he’d be visible and waving, but Earl Rosewood was more reticent.
If they could catch a glimpse of Earl Rosewood through the carriage windows, then it was a sign of luck for the day!
The Rosewood team didn’t drive through major towns and villages—it would cause great traffic congestion. They took the road around Redmond town, but town-dwellers seemed to know anyway, with many flocking to the outer road to see their lord return.
Even if they couldn’t see their Earl, they could see the majestic knights and the floating carriage.
Back at the Rosewood summer manor, many staff had also gathered.
Hehe, unlike the common people, they could see Earl Rosewood as he stepped out of his carriage!
“Welcome back, Earl Rosewood!”
In short, the Rosewood fief was very lively when Ren Xiyang returned. It gave Ren Xiyang a funny feeling. They had never been this lively before, right?
“Hello,” he said to everyone. Then he leaned over to Kel.
“Kel, did everyone do something while I was gone?”
“Oh?” Kel asked innocently. “My Lord, you’ve done a lot while you were gone.” She then looked at all the staff gathered, signalling with her eyes to Maria.
“Back to work, everyone,” Maria said on cue. “You can see Earl Rosewood at dinner tonight, come now, have you all finished preparing your report and presentation yet?”
The people dispersed among an uprising of chatter.
Ren Xiyang followed Kel to unload his personal items first.
Then, he changed into his farming clothes, took his notebook and pencil, and went to his favourite greenhouses and garden fields.
The gardeners were enthusiastic—hah!, they got to see Earl Rosewood up close—and told him how they had looked over his plants while he was gone.
Ren Xiyang flipped through the various notes and measurements the gardeners had taken. They were good notes, better than his own. Everything they explained to him was there, and more.
“Thank you for your hard work, you can leave now.”
The gardeners bowed. “It’s our duty and pleasure, Earl Rosewood.”
After the gardeners left, Ren Xiyang went to each plot, comparing the notes with the current growth state. There were little green shots only now poking out of the soil, and large vigorously growing experimental wheat and rice. He conducted some magical tests that the gardeners couldn’t do and recorded those results.
Some varieties of crops were growing better than expected, while others were growing worse than expected. There was one particular variant of wheat that was growing very effectively despite the limited water and nutrients. That said, the conclusions could only be drawn once the wheat was harvested at the end.
He reformulated the fertiliser for wheat W12.8a based on what he had devised on the road. He also planted some new crop seeds that he collected while in Angio in a cleared-out corner of greenhouse 2.
He tended to every plant. He didn’t have weed in his greenhouses and outdoor gardens today—the gardeners had done well.
There wasn’t more for him to do; plants needed time to grow, and Ren Xiyang wanted to examine the natural growth rate of the current plants in the greenhouse.
Feeling like he hadn’t done enough work, he put away his notebook and pen and headed out to the big main fields.
The head farmer had a rosy smile as she walked forward to meet him. “My Lord, welcome to the farms. Is there anything we can help you with?”
“What do you need doing?”
“There’s always more weeding, my Lord. The crops have already been watered for the day…”
“Alright. Where?”
After the head farmer pointed out some fields, Ren Xiyang got a hoe and started working.
(The farmers who had been working in the Rosewood fields for a while felt energised to work harder. They were working alongside Earl Rosewood, not many Rosewood staff could say that!)
(The newly recruited farmers were distracted. That—that—that’s the Earl of the fief! Right there! Dear Saintess, the rumours are true!)
Ren Xiyang was ignorant of what the farmers were thinking. He was focused on his allocated fields. The regular, familiar physical labour felt good. He had been sitting in a carriage for too long. Although his carriage was comfortable, it wasn’t big enough to stand and pace inside.
Something as big as a bus would be better. Or a train. This reminded him that he should develop some public transport, especially as the Rosewood fief’s population was increasing.
Could he skip the development of coal trains and go straight to magical-levitation trains and light rail? Could they be solar-powered efficiently?
After some thoughts accumulated, Ren Xiyang stopped, wrote some notes in his notebook, and then go back to weeding.
There was a big feast at the Rosewood summer manor that night. The core dish was a spicy noodle soup with fresh and in-season ingredients. The kitchen team also made multiple side dishes and extra toppings.
Ren Xiyang appreciated the chilli level. While he had brought chilli oil with him on the trip, he could only use it when the Sedaverian staff cooked.
He finished the last of the delicious noodles, drinking the remaining broth. When he raised his head, he noticed that more of his staff were looking at him than usual.
Mrs. Cooks was smiling, happy that he was enjoying his dinner, but why were the other staff members glancing at him?
He turned to Kel, seated next to him. “Is there something I should know?”
Maria was the one who replied, “Well, my Lord, we heard about your two duels in Angio. We were just curious…”
Ren Xiyang blinked. He had forgotten about them after his confession to Rian and the farming he recently did today. It took him a moment to remember what had happened, and to realise why Maria had phrased her reply like so.
“Do you want a demonstration?”
The bright, eager looks were a clear answer.
“If you have time, my Lord,” Maria said with her head lowered demurely.
“You and Kel can organise a time for it and put it in my schedule.”
Maria lifted her head and grinned. “Yes, my Lord, thank you.”
Ren Xiyang glanced at Kel, but she didn’t meet his eyes.
“Yes, my Lord,” Kel mumbled, embarrassed. She was the one who told everyone about the duels and might have exaggerated them a bit. There wasn’t anything wrong with that, but then someone got the idea of trying to get Earl Rosewood to show the magic again and then everyone wanted to see it…
After dinner, Ren Xiyang went back to his suite.
He felt it made sense that the staff wanted to see some flashy magic. The amount of entertainment around wasn’t as much as his past world pre-apocalypse. He wrote down some notes regarding the past duels and what kinds of spells he could show the Rosewood staff.
Then he worked on his physical transition.
He had been doing this routinely, twice a week, for over two years. However, now that Rian had kissed him, his awareness of his body had heightened again.
Catching sight of himself in a mirror, in the reflection of a window, and seeing how his clothes draped on his body, hinting at the masculine figure underneath, often gave him a burst of gender euphoria.
Sometimes, he would see his body when he was having a shower or changing clothes, and think to himself—I’ve done well. It looks good.
Being able to transition before having the wrong puberty made a big difference. Being able to use magic to do things that were medically infeasible to the point of being effectively impossible (during the time of his previous world) made a huge difference.
(Seeing at his face was a bit different, due to the ethnicity disparity and all, but he didn’t often look at his face so that was fine.)
He didn’t need top surgery anymore, and there was no need at all for bottom surgery.
He didn’t have breasts, and his chest was flat (aside from the pecs he was slowly building—thank you, testosterone).
And over the last few years, he made his penis grow, larger than the usual clit growth from testosterone. He used healing magic and Rian’s body to their fullest potential, shifting his body’s ovaries and vagina til they became different parts of his penis and scrotum. It was a post-birth job of mapping female genitalia and organs to their male ‘equivalent’ (aside from the uterus that he waved goodbye to), but it worked pretty well and he had full feeling and sensation. Given how he had constructed his penis—using the skin and flesh and nerves from his clit and his vagina—he could masturbate and orgasm.
Yes, it was a bit weird and sometimes painful when he did too much, but the results were so worth it. It was a lot better than what bottom surgery could have gotten him—his penis could get hard naturally.
From a physical inspection, he looked like a cis boy. From a cursory healer’s look, he should also look like a cis boy.
However, he wasn’t done yet.
He wasn’t 100% happy yet.
It was true that he should have years of growing left to do. But, it would be nicer if he was taller.
And it would be nicer if his dick was bigger.
And while he could orgasm, there wasn’t any precome or come. He didn’t know how it worked—he hadn’t studied Rian’s body while he was aroused and ejaculating!
Ren Xiyang covered his eyes with a hand as his face grew hot. Just imagining himself asking Rian to let him do that was embarrassing enough.
But Rian would probably agree if Ren Xiyang requested it, especially now.
If neither of them were embarrassed, then it wouldn’t be embarrassing, right?
Aside from the precome/come issue, there wasn’t much left to his physical transition (aside from time). He finished what he could do, did some exercise, and got ready for bed.
Normally he would lie down while calling Rian.
But this night, he felt that maybe he shouldn’t. (That felt a little…dangerous.) Instead, he sat down on the sofa and levitated the communication mirror in front of him.
His mirror connected with Rian’s on time.
“Good evening, Xiyang,” Rian said with bright eyes.
“Hello,” Ren Xiyang said.
“So—” they started at the same time.
“Go,” Ren Xiyang said.
“I’ll go first,” Rian said at the same time. Realising it, he chuckled. “We’re quite in sync. Yesterday night, I couldn’t meet with you because my Imperial parents wanted to speak with me. Unsurprisingly, they talked to me about our duel with King Augustus.” There was a twinkle in Rian’s eyes. “Queen Mira was concerned about you! This bodes well for our future marriage. Aside from that, I’ve been having classes with the tutors that didn’t come with us to Angio. How was your travel back to the Rosewood fief?”
“My travel was fine, but what’s this about marriage?”
“Yes!” Rian beamed. “Now that we’ve confessed, when do you want to get married? Do you want a spring wedding or a summer wedding? I suppose we could have a winter wedding if you want. Since you made me sign that secrecy contract, did that mean you wanted to keep it a secret? We could have a secret wedding first if you wish.”
Ren Xiyang: “…”
“Well?”
“What are you talking about?” Ren Xiyang finally managed to splutter out. “We’re dating! Dating before engagement and marriage talk only after engagement.”
Rian tilted his head in puzzlement. “Dating? Oh, do you mean courting?” He smirked. “If you would like to be courted, I can do that. The final step of courtship is marriage.”
Ren Xiyang rubbed his temples. “We have a misunderstanding. Back in my old world…”
Rian listened as Ren Xiyang explained some points regarding dating culture in his old world. He tilted his head the other way, in more confusion.
“Allow me to attempt to summarise. In your old world, people dated without intending marriage? But why?”
“Dating helps assess marriage suitability and—ah, forget it.” Ren Xiyang gave Rian a look. “We’re currently dating-courting, understood? We’re not engaged.”
Ran nodded obediently. In his heart though, he thought, We’re not engaged yet because I haven’t given in the ring, nor a single courtship-specific gift! He’d fix that when he could.
“I understand…wait, does that mean you’ve had past dates? With people who aren’t me?”
“You’re the most jealous man I know,” Ren Xiyang said drily.
“You know other men as well as me???”
“…” It seemed that after he confessed, Rian had become even more unfiltered and blatant.
“If only you were right next to me,” Rian said with a sad pout.
“If only,” Ren Xiyang deadpanned. “If you want me to answer, then you need to offer your answer first.”
Rian placed a hand over his heart. “You’ve read the original novel, you know that I didn’t have an engagement before I died. The first one in my heart is you, Xiyang.”
Ren Xiyang unconsciously looked away for a moment. Rian’s earnest, affectionate eyes were a bit unbearable. “You’re my first too. Now, what was that gold you mentioned earlier today?”
“What gold?” Rian was so innocent he might as well have a halo above his head.
Too bad Ren Xiyang was familiar with his ways. He merely gave Rian a stern look.
Eventually, Rian broke down. “Just be patient, Xiyang,” he finally admitted.
Ren Xiyang instantly brightened. “Okay. Could I get an estimate of the amount, so that I can plan future purchases?”
“Don’t push your luck!”
Ren Xiyang sighed. “It was worth a try.”
The author has some notes:
1. I thought for a long time about the extent of Ren Xiyang’s physical transition. Should he be more “relatable”, and reach the level currently available, feasible, or typically reached for medical transition? Or should he go down the full “indistinguishable from cis men” route? If I went with the full transition, would Ren Xiyang still be considered “trans” (if he eventually went full “stealth” 100% of the time), and would I be stepping too far from the story’s premise?
In the end, I decided that this story is a power fantasy and I can do whatever I want. Ren Xiyang wants a cis male body and I’m going to give it to him, using weakly plausible scientific explanations so it’s not just a single magic spell that converts cis female bodies to cis male bodies!
2. I was researching sleepwear in medieval Europe, and it turns out that there were time periods and circumstances where people typically slept nude (aside from a hat) (and not just for smexy times).
Now imagine that Rian is naked (except for a hat) throughout that call >w
