CH 2

The little boy crouched in the mud and cried.

Startled by the ear-splitting cry, the attendant of the northern noble who was nearby brought the nobles along.

Since they were still waiting for their turn to receive a business explanation, they hoped that things would smoothly proceed in a positive manner.

“It’s just children playing, and they might bump into each other by mistake.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Get up quickly. Do you think it’s appropriate for a boy to cry just because he was pushed by a girl?”

Exasperated by the adults’ attempts to make light of the situation, Katya said.

“It wasn’t a mistake. Your sons were tormenting our dog with slingshots, so I stopped them from doing it.”

Several of the nobles’ faces turned blue at that. Borzoi were expensive dogs.

And for a dog belonging to the Duke of Smirnov, it had to be well above average.

“Sam did it!”

Ivan, who had been watching the situation, suddenly cried out.

“Ivan, what do you mean?”

“Well, the young ladies didn’t care about us, they only cared about the dog, so I stood up for Sam. We also want to play together…….”

It was a brilliant performance that tugged at the heartstrings of the adults.

When the child suddenly pretended to cry, Katya was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t even laugh.

Relieved that it was nothing serious, the nobles chuckled.

“My children must have been trying to get their attention.”

“That’s right, it must be because the young ladies are so beautiful, hehe.”

“Boys are not more immature than girls. They’re just clumsy in showing affection.”

Having reached their own conclusions, the nobles accepted their sons’ apologies.

“In the future, both of you should show respect to the young lady. You’ll be seeing each other for a long time, so get along well. That’s why you can’t do that.”

“Right. Go ahead and apologise to the young lady.”

Ivan, who had taken the lead among the cowering children, knelt down on one knee in front of Katya.

He took her hand, kissed the back of it, and whispered.

“I am sorry, Lady Katarina. Please be generous and forgive my rudeness.”

He didn’t look sorry at all. Ivan rose slowly to his feet with a triumphant look on his face.

“Stop overreacting to something that was merely a joke.”

He whispered, barely loud enough for Katya to hear. Katya resisted the urge to kick him right then and there.

The young boys, using their parents as shields, smirked at the sisters and walked back into the building.

Bianca hugged Laika around the neck, stroking the shot wound.

“Sis, what if they come to our house again and harass our Laika?”

“We’ll make sure they won’t do it again.”

Katya said, shooting Ivan in the back of the head. For the first time that day, she was conscious of her natural temper.

She knew that she wouldn’t be able to go to sleep with a red face without paying him back.

***

The Duke and Duchess had provided spacious and comfortable bedrooms for the children, who were sure to be tired from their arduous journey.

One by one, the children, lying on the vast bed, napping, woke up in discomfort.

“Eek! What is this?”

They awoke to find their hands tied to the bedposts.

“Good morning, boys!”

Katya smiled down at them. In her hands she held a bow almost as tall as her.

“Aren’t you going to untie this?”

“It’ll get to my dad!”

“I’m going to tell my dad everything!”

Katya placed a headband with a fixed apple-shaped accessory on Ivan’s head and tied a knot under his chin.

“You said you wanted to play with me, and now I’m going to play a very funny game.”

Moving away from Ivan, Katya drew an arrow from the quiver she had strapped to her back.

“If I hit all the apples on your heads with this bow, you win, and if I don’t, I’ll play a trick on you.”

“You……. know how to shoot a bow?”

“No? This is the first time you’ve heard of it?”

“Wh, why don’t you stop right now?”

The young masters shouted, their faces white. What Katya was holding was not a toy, but a real hunting bow.

“At this rate, it seemed like my life would escape before the tables were turned.

“Here we go.”

Katya pulled the bowstring taut and let go. One by one, the arrows whizzed past the children.

The children shuddered as each arrow flew by, and eventually pissed themselves.

The screams of the young masters brought the northern nobles running up belatedly.

“Wh, what the hell is going on?”

While the wives untied the children, the noblemen, who were about to lose their heirs, rushed to Katya in anger.

“How could you do this?”

“Is this in retaliation for what happened earlier?”

“Retaliation?”

Katya blinked her large, clear eyes and waved them off. Then she took the arrows from her quiver and showed them to the nobles.

The arrows left the nobles speechless. They were toy arrows with rubber tips.

Only the bows were real, and the children were terrified.

“We were just playing and having fun. Why are you all reacting like this?”

One of the madames rushed over, unable to contain her anger.

“Are you just having fun for yourself?”

“I wanted to become closer, that’s why. I want to play together, but they’re always sleeping.”

“My kids don’t know any better, they do it out of the goodness of their hearts. But this time it was deliberate!”

“They don’t know any better?”

“Yes!”

Katya nodded at the sharp words.

“That’s why I told you.”

“What?”

“They’ll understand if they experience the same thing. Shaking in fear and trembling won’t make it a fun memory anymore.”

The fear that Laika must have felt at the sight of the slingshot and–

“They have to be beaten to tears so they know it hurts and they won’t hit recklessly again.”

Surely the pain of being hit is etched in their minds now.

Until you’ve been in their shoes, you never feel like it’s your job.

“What kind of girl talks back like this so frequently–!”

The nobles were furious. Hearing the commotion, the duke and duchess came into the bedroom.

They relayed the biased information that Katya had scared the children with a real bow.

Bianca ran in front of the duchess who were perplexed by their daughter’s mistake.

“My sister didn’t do anything wrong!”

Bianca sobbed, picking up Laika.

“They were the ones who made Laika like this first. Sniff…”

As she lifted Laika’s fur, they could see the bruises. Laika gave a small whimper, as if in pain, at her owner’s touch.

“The adults saw it earlier, and they acted like it was no big deal.”

“That…… Is that really true, Bianca?”

“Even before, they secretly grabbed and tormented my hair. My sister was the one who protected me and Laika.”

Blondes were rare in Hersen, where brunettes were the norm. When they met at the resort, the young nobles playfully pulled on Bianca’s neatly braided hair.

Knowing that she was gentle and shy and unlikely to snitch, they targeted Bianca among the sisters.

The Duke’s face hardened as he realised what was happening. He turned his icy gaze on the nobles.

“I suggest we put this investment to rest.”

“Your Highness, bringing the children’s affairs into public affairs–”

“Wasn’t the Lord’s proposal related to livestock? Seeing your son, I can understand how the animals are treated without even visiting the site.”

While her husband sorted things out, the duchess took her daughter’s hand and led her outside.

After a moment’s hesitation, Katya locked eyes with Ivan. This time she smiled triumphantly.

From that day forward, the quartet of troublemakers who had ruined their parents’ business stopped harassing the animals.

And none of them dared to touch the Smirnov sisters.

Young Katya’s heart fluttered when her small protest had such a big effect.

She was only nine years old when she realised the wisdom of life. That life is easy when you give up being good.

‘So, should I just live without holding back and freely engage in fights whenever I feel like it from now on?’

Katya thought.

It would be easier to be a tomboy, to live only once.

So she decided to be a tomboy.

***

Katya gained notoriety as she grew up. In the southern region, there was no one who didn’t know the name ‘Katrina.’

The child who pulled the hair of the Smirnov sisters had his hair grabbed in return and was rolled into a dung field immediately,

The child who lifted the skirt had his pants pulled down by Katya, who stepped on the hem and easily stripped them off.

It is said that she was responsible for the fashion for men in the South to wear their trousers with their hems folded.

Time passed, and the tomboyish Katya grew to be a spirited twenty-one-year-old.

“Princess, are you coming now?”

Waiting impatiently for her in the doorway, Alyona immediately accepted Katya’s cloak.

“Did you forget you have an appointment today? He came early and has been waiting.”

“Really?”

Katya frowned and roughly brushed the dirt from her boots.

“Did you guide them to the parlour?”

“Are you going to go then?”

Alyona narrowed her eyes and caught her as she headed for the parlour.

She had just returned from a hunt, and her trousers were spattered with dirt.

Women usually wore skirted redingot gowns, but Katya had always favoured men’s riding clothes.

“You should get changed.”

“You said he arrived early. Making someone wait is not polite.”

Katya strode down the corridor, her long legs swishing, her musket slung over her shoulder.

Before she could stop her, the parlour door burst open.

Katya smiled at her worriedly and closed the door behind her.

A middle-aged man sitting in the parlour jumped to his feet at Katya’s entrance.

“I’ve never met you before, Lady Katarina, I’m Gregory.”

“Yes, I’ve never met you before.”

“You’re quite late. I’ve been waiting for another hour, ha ha–”

Gregory trailed off.

At that, Katya pulled out a pocket watch from her waistband and glanced at it.

“It’s not late if it’s on time.”

To be fair, it was rude to barge in an hour early without warning, as it could be seen as impatient.

“You came…… in that outfit?”

“I came straight here after my hunting trip because I thought you would be waiting.”

“…Well, please have a seat for now.”

Gregory, looking openly uncomfortable, invited her to take a seat.

Katya sat across from him and wiped her musket with a rag.

The man who saw it clicked his tongue involuntarily.