I think he cross-dressed too. After the mother died there is a picture of little Roxant and Brill in male clothes and there is no reason why, Brill as a child should cross-dress as a boy.
I mean, its a patriarchal system so if they are girls it is more likely, that they will be married off to an other family and wont become the successor. (So girls will be less importent for the enemy -> wont be attacked)
I mean, its a big deal Leah will become the successor even through the Hildebrands are a womens family.
Kind of sad
@Binary10011
I don’t have a link, unfortunately. I just remember picking up the information through osmosis when learning about Japan. Obviously, this isn’t a Japanese comic, so I didn’t want to assume that the practice was specific to Japan only. Of course, it’s always possible that my information is completely wrong, so please take it with a grain of salt.
Edit: Actually, now that I think about it more, I remember reading about it first in the manga xxxHolic, but I do have an impression of learning that it was an old, rare superstition that actually existed. But I don’t remember where I got that impression.