I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

“What… is this?” Arianne’s voice trembled slightly.

“What do yu mean what? It’s yur clothes.”

“This? This short piece of cloth?”

Arianne held up the suspicious item that seemed to be nothing more than a piece of cloth, barely reaching her knee, and asked, shaking in front of Dondon.

“It’s not short!”

Dondon was furious. You devil. What kind of clothes do you think this is and talk like that?

It was a cloth called silk. The finest silk from across the ocean! She thought Arianne knew how to recognize the value of things, but she guessed she must be an idiot who didn’t know anything.

“It may have been the best fabric, but why is it so short and torn? Are you telling me to wear this? Don’t you have anything else?”

A vein sprang up on Dondon’s forehead due to Arianne’s grumbling, regardless of time and place. This! I washed it with precious water, and now you want something else?

“Shut up and wear it. It’s time for the tiger to be hangry.”

When Dondon pointed behind herself and spoke, the tiger, as if sensing its master’s intentions, growled low and pressured her. The once solid iron door of the cage, for some reason, had its lock missing, and the tiger was bound with mismatched chains.

“Grrrrrrr.”

The tiger’s hostile gaze was directed at Dondon, not Arianne. But fortunately (?), Dondon had no eyes on the back of her head.

* * *

Are gritted his teeth as he looked at the canyon entrance. “Is she going to come out like this?”

It looked like she was trying to kill him by shutting herself in the canyon. But he wasn’t an easy opponent.

“Load the cannon.”

Are instructed his aide. She probably didn’t want to be isolated inside the canyon. That’s why he calculated that a few cannon shots would make her surrender. Dondon, you picked the wrong place.

At that time, a soldier watching over the canyon announced that the enemy was loading cannons into Dondon’s camp.

* * *

“Now. Let’s get out,” said Dondon.

“No, I’m not going out.” I stood still there.

“Do you want to be trapped like this? That guy really can fire the cannon!”

When Dondon threatened me, I also responded without losing. “I would rather die here than go out like this!”

Dondon wrinkled her small forehead and called in the soldiers outside. (Come in now and pull this one out!)

(Yes!)

As the soldiers rushed into the tent, Charter hurriedly stood before me.

I said with fierce eyes. “You’re saying let’s give it a try, right? Alright. Bring it on. Don’t ever think that you will see your descendants.”

There was no way the soldiers could understand what I was saying, but the soldiers hesitated for a moment. They realized where my gaze was directed, beyond Charter’s shoulder. Sometimes, actions speak louder than words, which could be a more definitive means of expression.

(I don’t know what it is, but it seems like a bad way, so let’s stop.)

Charter, who tried to keep an eye on Dondon, also rebelled against Dondon’s plan. However, it wasn’t Dondon if she changed her mind about their rebellion.

(What are you doing! Bring her out right now!)

(Yes!)

What could the soldiers do? If she ordered, they had to do it. With a fierce shout, the soldiers rushed towards Charter and I. Pow. Pow. Crash. Thud. In an instant, two soldiers rolled on the ground.

(…What’s going on here?)

Dondon glanced at the fallen soldiers and then at Arianne and Charter, who were standing tall with determination. She then let out a blank laugh. These guys are really.

(Catch! Catch… Argh!)

Within seconds, another soldier slumped into his seat. It seemed as if tears were welling up in his eyes, but to Dondon, it was meaningless.

(You’re doing so many things.)

Tsk. Dondon, who clicked her tongue, opened the jewel box next to the tiger cage, picked up a long tube, put it in her mouth, then blew it. And,

“What?”

I fumbled on my back, grabbed something, held it before my eyes, and smiled.

“Ha… anesthesia…”

As soon as Charter noticed something unusual in Arianne’s appearance, he tried to rush to Dondon. However, five soldiers held onto his limbs and body at the same time. Pow. Pow. Charter, who had been shaking off the soldiers without hesitation, suddenly paused. Flap. The anesthetic used to knock the tiger out, made Arianne and Charter quickly sink deep into their other consciousness.

I repeated in my hazy consciousness.  Must kill… I. never forget… my grudge.

“Ugh.”

I groaned in the sense of helplessness as if my body was pressed by a lump of lead. When I managed to lift my eyelids, the burning sun warmed my body.

“Ah. It’s hot!”

I put my hand on the side for a moment to get up, but hurriedly let go of my hand as my hand was burning, and rolled my eyes to look around.

“What! What’s this?”

Around me, golden bars shone brilliantly in the sun.

“What is this…”

Somehow, I was locked in a golden cage. I, who was speechless at the absurdity, had to cover my ears in a hurry at the sudden roar.

Kwangkwang! Bang! Bang! Klang~ Klang, klang, klang. Shh. Swish. Recognizing the roar, the sound of all sorts of weapons hit my eardrums. I, who somehow got up from my seat, opened my mouth at the sight in front of me.

“Are yu awake?”

My gaze turned in the direction in which the sound was heard. Dondon was sitting there sluggishly. Dondon’s attitude of observing all of this, including me, as if it were someone else’s affair, ignited a fire within me.

“You! Do you really want to die? What is this? Why are you doing this here?”

I grabbed the bars, shook them, and shouted. I felt angry and determined to tear off these bars and twist that little shit’s neck immediately to relieve my anger.

“Listen carefully.”

“What! What do you want me to hear! You little shit!”

Dondon looked at me, wondering what was wrong with me, then chinned toward the battlefield.

“Just listen.”

I was huffing and turned my head and looked at the canyon entrance, which was in full swing.

(What are you going? Push on! Hurry up and secure Dondon and that woman! You stupid ones!)

I looked intently at the red-haired man, who shouted loudly from beyond the canyon entrance. What is he saying…

“I don’t know the Kelteman language. What is that man talking about?”

As Dondon looked at me with a pathetic gaze, I felt a lump in my throat, but I had no words to say. Except for me, Dondon, Paku, and even Charter could speak both Harpion and Kelteman.

“Push on! Secure the woman.”

Secure?

“What do you mean secure? Woman? …I hope it’s not what I think… Dondon.”

I glared at Dondon with my eyes, saying that if what I thought was true, I would chew her up right away. Dondon raised her chin as if she wasn’t going to lose to such a gaze and spoke.

“That’s right. It’s yu.”

Dondon used Arianne to provoke Are. Are was crazy about fair skin, curved women. And Arianne was a bait that suited it.

“If he pus way up to here, I said I wuld lend him my strength. And as a bonus, I’ll hand over yu, the prisoner, as well.”

“Ah, I see. So that was… You little shit!”

I reached out to the bars, trying to grab Dondon’s hair, but Dondon only grinned as she sat in a place that was barely within reach.

“Damn it.”

Although I felt frustrated, seeing the situation turning in our favor, I realized it was a viable strategy. If it continued like this, it would work in our favor, and my plan would be executed smoothly. However…

“But why secure? Not rescue?”

Isn’t it strange for the supposed heroic knight who came to rescue a beauty to utter such odd lines? Why are truly sane people so rare these days? I couldn’t help but ponder, recalling the relatively normal people I had encountered in my life.

“Charter! Where is Charter?”

When I, who belatedly noticed Charter’s absence, questioned her, Dondon replied indifferently. “He’s in anoder cage.”

“Another cage? There’s another cage?”

Fortunately, she didn’t kill him. I, who breathed a sigh of relief, began to jump again at Dondon’s words that followed.

“Yes. But not alone.”

Huh? He’s not alone? Who else could be locked up in a cage…

This little shit is really!!!

“Are you crazy? You mean you put him in the tiger cage? Are you even still a human? You barbarian little shit!”

When I slammed my body against the bars, Dondon criticized me.

“Why are yu like this? I’m considered too. Both of dem are anesthetized, so dhey will be fine. Well, if the battle prolongs, who nows what might happen.”

My eyes excluded a cool chill.

This squirrel-like creature is just a small nut that’s not worth bothering with…

Just like Dondon said, the longer the battle, the more dangerous Charter would become. The battle somehow needed to end quickly.

“Wuldn’t things easier if yu draw his attention until Paku comes, right? So do yur best.”

Our gaze met without making any concession.

I turned my body and shouted at the red-haired man. “Come one! Come and get me! Try to secure me! You pervert!”

* * *

“Umm…”

The moment Charter let out a low groan and opened his closed eyes, the ones that greeted him were terrifying yellow eyes. He accepted the current situation at once. The fact that he’s in the tiger cage.

This is absurd.

He might be shocked, but his head calmed down when he came to this situation. Charter, who quietly rolled his eyes and looked around him, furrowed his eyebrows when he confirmed he was inside the tiger cage as expected. At the same time as his eyebrows moved, the tiger began to growl.

“Grrrrrr.”

When Charter stared calmly into the eyes of the beast looking down at him, the tiger licked his lips, leaned over, resting its chin on his chest, and leaned down.

“Ugh. Heavy. Get out of the way.”

Charter pushed its head away, and the tiger shook its head in a whine and slipped aside. He glanced at the tiger and raised himself slowly so as not to offend its nerves as much as possible. His arms almost gave out as if the anesthesia was still in effect, but he managed to sit with his back against the bars and laughed with a deflated sound.

“You don’t seem to want to hurt me.”

In fact, the tiger had no ill feelings toward Charter. The tiger just feels thankful to him. It knew, even though it was just a beast whose instincts were everything. Even for a short time, this dark-haired person brought it out of this cramped cage. It had no intention of hurting him right away because it was full right now.

“It must be hard to get out.”

Chains were tied to the entrance, and the bars in front of him were too thick to break easily. Charter leaned his head against the bar and closed his eyes. He knew instinctively. That the tiger was keeping him alive with generosity because it was well-fed. Still, it was only a moment before it turned into a hungry predator.

“What now…”