I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Glock’s face lit up with embarrassment at my words.

“Judge from the employee of the Royal Shooting Range? T-That!”

It was visible that Glock never expected this situation. All the competitions at Royal Shooting Range with the employee becoming the judge were officially recorded. Meaning that it would be documented as a formal competition that took place secretly.

“What’s wrong? By any chance, are you afraid to lose to this Lady?”

When I asked in a scornful tone, Glock frowned and said, “How could that be? I’m just worried about your honor!”

Hm. Honor? Is he talking about that because he didn’t know that he was trying to tarnish my honor before?

Does he not know who will be blamed when a woman shoots with a man she doesn’t know well? Wait, it doesn’t matter. Because the blame won’t be directed at him. They will just take issue with the woman’s conduct, as always.

Pretending to be worried about others when you were worried of getting stigmatized for being a man who had a formal competition with a lady. What a hypocrite.

“Thank you for worrying about my honor, but I will protect it on my own, so let’s stop delaying it.”

“Still… there is no point asking the shooting range employee to judge, right?”

Glock was still concerned with my honor.

“You don’t have to worry about me. Is there any reason why it shouldn’t be recorded?”

I asked, looking at him with a look of ‘Is it because you’re afraid you’re going to lose to me?’

“It’s not that!… I understand.”

Glock realized that this competition was inevitable. 

An official competition with a woman. Even if he won, it wouldn’t help his honor. It would never happen, but if he ever loses…

‘No way that I would lose. Even against this immature lady.’

That lady didn’t seem to know the consequences of her childish behavior. In name and reality, he was the greatest marksman in this empire. Daring to demand a competition against him, he had to give this beautiful but foolish lady a stinging taste.

‘You need to pay the price for mocking a man.’

He didn’t know which family she belonged to. Still, in the future, she would be branded as a foolish and disobedient lady in society.

Arianne officially asked the employee, who didn’t understand what was happening and just looked around.

“This person here and I are going to compete for our honor. Could you be the judge?”

Arianne deliberately scratched Glock’s nerves, saying about honor. Is there any other provocation like this for someone who values honor over life?

“That’s right. I will do that competition in my honor.”

As Glock said that, he gritted his teeth, staring at Arianne.

“Ah… yes. Since you both agreed, I will prepare the documents. Please wait a moment.”

The employee disappeared, sending regard for Arianne. After a while, he appeared with two more employees and offered Glock and Arianne the competition pledge. 

“You can sign here at the bottom. You will be shooting from the same place with the same gun. You get a chance to practice once with six shots…”

“I don’t need six shots. Let’s just start right away,” spoke by Glock nervously as he signed it with annoyance.

“But this Customer visited our shooting range for the first time today…”

“What?”

Glock looked at Arianne with a look of absurdity.

‘As it was not enough to covet my place, she dares ask for competition on the subject of beginners?’

“Three shots. Three shots are enough.”

Arianne ignored Glock and told the employee.

Glock didn’t need to practice because he went in and out of this shooting range just like his own house, but Arianne needed practice because it was her first time. Of course, her skills were enough just to practice with three shots. But Glock never expected it and made a fuss about it.

“Hmph. Can you practice now?”

After all, it was said with a sarcastic tone with no consideration for his opponent. It felt as if he had already won, but Arianne let it go because she thought it was worth seeing how that expression would change soon.

Glock didn’t gaze at her as he stood with his chin raised as high as he could. Arianne’s signature was scrawled on the competition pledge.

A little later.

“I-It can’t be…”

Glock, who confirmed the target brought by the judge, trembled his hands at the unbelievable result. No, his whole body was trembling.

“What can’t be?”

“That…”

What he wanted to say was, ‘There’s no way a woman can beat me?!’

Arianne sneered at him and talked to the employee, “Now put the results in the record book.”

“Yes? Yes… I understand.”

The employee shook his head, looking at Arianne blankly as he couldn’t believe it was real.

“Wait!”

Glock shouted at the employee.

“Didn’t you change the target?”

Glock pressured the employee with glaring eyes as if he couldn’t admit it.

‘That’s right. The target must have changed. How can I lose? I’m the best marksman in the Harpion Empire.’

“No. I have put each of your names under the target, so nothing has changed.”

The employee, who seemed to be annoyed with Glock’s attitude of doubting their judgment, answered with a firm expression on his face.

“No, it doesn’t make sense. How did she shoot all of it to the center! Does it make sense that she didn’t miss a single shot? I can’t even do that.”

“You can’t do it?”

“What!”

Glock glared at Arianne with a lost face. Arianne only looked down at him with a blank expression. She looked down at him already enough to make him annoyed. Still, it was obvious that Arianne had a happy expression.

Glock raised his hand as if to strangle her at any moment, then managed to clench his fists. Then he murmured as he alternately looked at Arianne and the employee. 

“Ah, I see. It was like that.”

“What do you mean?” asked Arianne, raising the teacup leisurely.

“It must be manipulated. I’m sure you and that guy made it up.”

‘Otherwise, how could she beat me? It must be a filthy trick to tarnish my honor!’

Glock was sure about it. Or else it didn’t make sense.

Arianne rolled her eyes and looked at the employee. As she expected, the employee was mad.

“I didn’t know how you see our Royal Shooting Range to say those things, but I will report those remarks to the upper management.”

Those were remarks that shouldn’t be said to the employee of the Royal Shooting Range, who pride themselves on being fair judges.

Glock belatedly tried to make an excuse, but the employee didn’t want to listen to his excuse. Before Glock could catch him, he turned his back and walked away, holding the competition pledge and the target in his arms.

“No! Hey, hey!”

An urgent shout echoed through the wide shooting range. But the person he shouted to was already gone.

“Today’s competition was fun. Perhaps there won’t be next time, right?” said me, organizing my seat.

He would be rejected from the entrance if he made a fuss at the Royal Shooting Range. No matter how much he was the greatest marksman in the empire. It was the price of trusting only his status with his insignificant skills. Nothing like today would have happened if he had been a little more humble. If that was the case, I didn’t have any need to publicly humiliate him.

I just wanted to compete with the best marksman in the Empire. It was his fault for misinterpreting my pure intentions. And it was because he dared to mock me. It was disappointing that he had poorer skills than expected, but I didn’t have any regret at all for him.

“How dare you insult me… You! Did you do this even though you knew I’m the eldest son of Count Colt!”

“You are? Then how can you be so ignorant to a lady?”

As if surprised, Arianne covered her mouth with a fan and asked back with wide-open eyes. Her mouth, covered by the face, drew a long arc.

“Shut up! I will go to my father right away and ruin your family, bitch! You! Which family do you belong to!”

Sadly, Glock was unable to attend the last imperial banquet. It was because he was punished by his father for custody as he was caught harassing a lady just a few days ago.

Relying on his fame and his father’s power, he became arrogant and debauched. Since he was the son of a powerful man, he lived under the illusion that all women would like him.

‘Sometimes there were women who rejected me like her, but they had to pay the price for refusing me without knowing their subjects.’

His father scolded him, but in the end, he was always on his side.

First of all, he had never seen the Lady in front of him before. So he thought he must be a rich commoner or, at best, a countryside noble who came to the capital. If there was such a beautiful, noble lady in the capital, he would be aware of it.

‘How dare you insult me when you’re just a country bumpkin?’

He would pay for that cheeky woman somehow. Considering his family’s position, sooner or later, that woman will cry and beg at his feet, just like other women.

I’ll cut her some slack. If you think about my family’s position, she’ll soon cry and lie at my feet, like the other girls.

When he was thinking like that.

“Arianne Bornes.”

‘What?’

At that moment, intense sunlight shone through the dense forest surrounding the shooting range, and Arianne’s silver hair shone brilliantly.

“My name is Arianne Bornes, Sir Glock Colt.”

‘What? Bornes? The Bornes I know? Count Bornes is also a Count, but I remembered the rumors circulated that his daughter had recently been engaged to Duke Kaien.’

Duke Kaien…

‘Ah. I’m doomed.’

Then his short legs loosened, and he slumped down in his seat.

* * *

Before leaving the shooting range, I handed a thick envelope to the employee.

“I’d like you to deliver this for me.”

When the employee saw the recipient on the envelope, he blinked, then nodded his head as he understood. Then he bowed his head deeply and greeted me.

“I was really impressed today. We hope you will visit our Royal Shooting Range often in the future, Customer.”

“I will.”

My captivating smile made the employee’s ears red.

Behind me, as we left the shooting range, Madrenne couldn’t resist asking.

“Lady, don’t tell me this is the end?”

Madrenne seemed to be expecting something spicier. I gave such a meaningful smile to Madrenne then.

“Are you going to end it like this?”

At the unexpected voice, I stopped my feet and looked at Dale. He was staring at me with a stiff face.

Dale would run to Glock and throw his gloves on Glock’s face if Arianne lost her honor. He couldn’t stand the man who dared to make a dirty mockery to the Duke’s fiancée. A while ago, he missed the timing because of the maid who kept pressing down his hand, which was itching to take off his gloves, but he couldn’t back down like this. However, Arianne, staring at Dale, looked surprised, then answered with a smile.

“No way. But that will be the end for today.”

Sooner or later, Glock would be kneeling at my feet. Those who believed only in power and were ignorant were bound to succumb to the greater power than them. I didn’t have to do it on my own.

“I feel good, so shall we go eat dessert?”

Madrenne’s eyes sparkled at the word ‘dessert.’ She seemed to have forgotten about Glock all of a sudden.

“Then, how about a new cafe downtown?”

“All right.”

After the happy dessert time, I returned to the mansion and heard the news of the uninvited visitor.

“A man who claims to be Lady’s cousin is here.”

“The lady’s cousin is here.”

I gritted my teeth at the butler’s words.

My sworn enemy!