Last time we got Claudine's background, so now it's time for Maya's. What kind of secret can she be concealing...? A short chapter, but they will get longer from here!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.

T/W for this chapter: Pregnancy difficulties.

Chapter 2. Born Into Tragedy

The common folk living in the Seishou Empire had countless struggles; struggles that the majority of the nobility could care less about.

And the poorer nobles of society, who were just wealthy enough to hold the title, but constantly one slip away from crossing the line into poverty, had their fair share of strife as well.

The general assumption was that the highest-ranking and wealthiest of nobles of society suffered no such inconveniences. They could want for nothing, for they always had whatever they desired, and if they didn't already have it, it was easy enough to take it, buy it, or be granted it.

In the Seishou Empire, the highest of the high and the richest of the rich were the Tendos. Generations of family lineage had owned and controlled the major water and food distribution companies, thanks to connections to the Emperor's family. History stated that the Tendos' ancestors and those of the Emperor himself had connections for centuries, sometimes by marriage, sometimes by blood, and sometimes by business.

Either way, the Tendos were an inarguably established family name - a name no one ever dared to question or oppose. Essentially, they were akin to being on the level of the Emperor himself, in all rights.

So naturally, the lower-class masses would fear and revere them, and never once thought they might have difficulties of their own.

Twenty-two years ago, the current head of the Tendos and his wife had been enthralled at the news of not only one baby, but twins.

Of course, the male child was still preferred, especially in the highest-ranking families. But the wealthy tended to have enough money and comforts to provide fairly for their daughters as well. Where a female infant born to a poorer family was often a burden, a wealthy noble's daughter was treated with respect and pampered her entire life so she could be an attractive wife to other wealthy noblemen.

This was why the young Lord and Lady Tendo at the time didn't mind that one child would be male and one would be female. After all, even before the children were born, the couple had been discussing trying again next year in the hopes of producing a second son.

However, when the babies suddenly arrived prematurely, even the best doctors and medicines the Empire could afford couldn't save the Lady - or her son.

Only the daughter survived, crying loudly and healthily, as though she'd robbed her sibling and mother of life.

On that tragic night, as the servants had prepared the bodies for burial, Lord Tendo, the Emperor himself, and a few other trusted persons had come together for a crucial meeting.

There were two feasible options with how to proceed.

The first being that Lord Tendo could claim his wife and both babies had perished, and thus get rid of his daughter as well, either by killing or selling her. He could then take a new wife and start fresh in hopes for a male heir, as there was certainly no shortage of women who would be eager and willing to accept such a role.

But in spite of the picture society painted of them, even the wealthiest of nobles sometimes have a heart.

Lord Tendo couldn't fathom such a thing. He'd loved his late wife, and the thought of replacing her made his stomach churn. And in spite of the whispers that the surviving child had been the cause of death for the other two, he couldn't help but adore her.

His daughter was clearly healthy and strong. She had fight in her, and so long as they started right away, the alternative option could work.

And so Lord Tendo had proposed the second option; to tell the truth, but only half of it.

The entire empire had known the news that his wife had been pregnant with twins, and it was simply unavoidable that he would have to announce the tragic news of her passing. But he would simply change the news about the babies.

He would tell the world that his daughter had perished at birth along with her mother, but the male heir had survived. It would be a much more attractive story than if only the daughter had come out alive from such a tragedy.

Lord Tendo proposed this idea, and the Emperor saw no faults with it. The only other people who knew of this plan were two who were close to Lord Tendo; a man by the given name of Shuuichi, and Rei - the trusted maid who had wrapped and buried the infant's body and known what she had prepared for the funeral had been a boy.

Lord Tendo proposes a plan to her - that she will raise his daughter as a boy in exchange for handsome compensation.

The maid readily agrees, and not only for the benefits, but because she took great pity upon this poor child who was left motherless and without her sibling the moment she took her first breath. Rei vowed to keep her safe and conceal the truth, and she swore it on her own life.

With all of this established, Lord Tendo concluded the covert meeting with one final statement.

Maya. That would be the child's name.

He and his wife had already decided that their daughter would be called as such, but they had wanted to discuss the boy's name after he was born. But being that there was no longer a need for that, the husband decided to honor his late wife's wish and at least give their daughter her proper name.

Though, no one would call Maya by her name outside of those present that night. To the rest of the world, she would be addressed only by the family name and honorifics.

And so, Tendo Maya's life of secrecy had begun.

After it was publicly announced that the wife and daughter had perished during childbirth, the Tendo family had been showered with consolation gifts and credits at the funeral. They had been gifted incredible amounts of money and supplies by other noble families to help cover the expenses of raising the surviving son.

Since Lord Tendo had suffered such a devastating loss, the nobility ensured his son would never want for anything for the rest of his life.

The father was to be addressed by his surname and his given name, whereas the son was only to be addressed by the Tendo surname.

"Tendo-sama," was all Maya ever heard for her first few years of life. From everyone but her maid.

Her name was Rei, and she was an exceptional maid. She took care of all of Maya's needs from infancy into her childhood. When Maya was old enough to understand her situation, Rei explained it all to her; why she didn't have a mother, and that she had once had a brother, but he had died at birth.

Maya had wept for them, and once she'd recovered, Rei had explained that she was being raised as the male heir to the Tendo name. Maya listened intently, and was immediately determined to go through with it. It was the least she could do for her deceased brother, and it's what her mother would have wanted if only the boy had died.

And so Maya committed to the act that day, when she was only seven years old.

From then on, she understood why she was constantly separated from any other children, and why everyone interacted with her as though she were male. To everyone but her father, the Emperor, Rei, and Shuuichi, Maya was male, after all.

As she grew up, Maya went to Rei with any of her concerns. And due to the fact that Maya was strictly educated within the Tendo estate, there were never any opportunities for any kind of slip-ups.

Maya's only request was that she keep her long hair, which both Rei and her father were supportive of. After all, long hair was a symbol of wealth, proof that one was well-off enough to be able to afford the supplies to care for and maintain it.

Maya kept her long brown hair tied into a low ponytail, which was the typical way the noblemen with longer hair would wear it. She wore suits and other clothing that was fitting enough to where she didn't need to bind her chest much more than the average woman would have to, even when she reached her teenage years.

Due to her secret, Maya's interactions with the outside world were extremely limited. But even so, the people still revered her as a respectable, capable, and formidable heir to the Tendo family name.

There were no complaints about her. She excelled in everything that was expected of the other noblemen, including etiquette, sword fighting, politics, and so forth. She was highly educated, yet suave enough that the other young men didn't even view her as competition, but more so as a companion.

She spoke like a young man, dressed like one, and presented herself as one. In all rights other than the biological, and perhaps a bit of the emotional, Maya was male.

Which meant that now that she has come of age at twenty-two, she must do what all noblemen are expected to do: choose a bride.

One day, Maya is called into a meeting by her father. Rei is also in attendance, as is Shuuichi - her father's business partner who also knows Maya's secret. He is the one who takes care of legal documentation and ensures everything involving Maya accurately adheres to the act they are putting on.

It's at this meeting when the details of Maya's marriage are fleshed out to her.

She will begin searching for a bride amongst the nobility of the Seishou Empire. Dozens of families had already caught wind of the news that the young Tendo heir was interested in finding himself a bride, and as such the nobility have been volunteering their of-age daughters to be met with in hopes of winning his favor.

But of course, Maya was female, and things wouldn't be as cut-and-dry as every other marriage would be.

The arrangements are explained to her in great detail: Maya may choose a bride based on the woman's ability to keep the Tendos' secret. As Maya meets with all of the available noblewomen, she must assess their personalities and faithfulness in terms of keeping such a weighted secret.

At Maya's discretion she may choose a bride, and once she is formally approved by Maya's father, the girl and her parents will be brought in to be told the details of the arrangement.

They will, of course, be told Maya's secret of being female, therefore the bride and her family will be paid handsomely in order to keep this secret. The Tendos have plenty of money to offer for this bribe, enough so that the woman won't be able to refuse even if she wanted to.

The bride would then legally on documentation need to agree to the following terms: she would bear the children of a nobleman of the Tendos' choice, likely a cousin still blood-related to the family, and then pass off those children as Maya's. Maya would raise the children as their father, and the chosen bride would be their proper mother.

She would be required to appear with Maya socially and keep up the act of being Maya's wife, and she would be responsible for raising and caring for the children alongside Maya.

The Tendos would of course produce copious funds for such things. The woman and her children would be provided for for the rest of their lives as compensation. And in addition to the funds, for the bride's agreement and participation in the deal, she would also be allowed to have a lover outside the Tendo family if she chose it - so long as she played the part of Maya's wife and the mother to the children publicly.

It would be a business contract more than anything, hence why Maya needed to ensure the woman she selected would be absolutely trustworthy - or at least blinded enough by monetary greed to swear and legally sign her name.

Once Maya is made aware of the terms and conditions for the marital arrangements, she agrees. After all, she feels it is her duty as the sole survivor of her birth to do what would be best for the Tendo family name.

She's already been buried so deeply in the secret of her gender thus far. Plunging a bit deeper in the act of matrimony wouldn't be a challenge.

With the meeting adjourned, Maya retreats to her luxurious quarters for the evening. Here, she finally releases her long hair from its confines before stepping into the restroom to bathe.

Even in spite of being raised as a boy, she had never once disliked the way her body looked. Hence why she isn't at all disturbed by the prospect of having a woman for a lover - even if they won't actually have to be in a romantic relationship beyond what the public would see.

Maya knows there would be no discomfort on her part for spending the rest of her life with a woman. She just hoped the woman she chose wouldn't be repulsed by Maya's secret.

Of course she would be shocked, no doubt, and perhaps a bit disheartened, but once she'd be told she could have a lover outside of the marriage, she would likely be fine with it.

False romance, more lies, children that were not her own…

This was what was in store for Maya's future.

She didn't particularly like it, but there wasn't anything she could do about it.

She finishes bathing, then gets dressed in men's sleepwear before laying down for bed.

Outside her window, a perched dove takes flight, and leaves her far behind.

A/N: A convoluted plot just for the sake of keeping Maya's real gender a secret... but in these times good social status and an appealing family image demanded a male heir for the wealthy nobles. Maya has always been dutiful and diligent, so she will do what's expected of her.

I mention the Emperor a few times here, but he really isn't going to be important at all. The only significance is to show how the Tendos were close to him and allotted much of their wealth and status due to being involved with the ruler of Japan.

And I gave Maya's maid the name of their canon dance instructor, so you can imagine her as Miss Sakuragi!

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