I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

Paku’s POV

“For eavesdropping on other people’s conversation, that’s rude.”

Paku stared straight into Arianne’s eyes and smiled at her, who was criticizing him.

‘She’s still ferocious.’

“Ah, I didn’t mean to. I apologize for it.”

Arianne’s POV

I crumpled my brows at Paku’s smiley apology.

He looked like he wanted to talk to me. He was beaten up the other day, but he still welcomed me when it was our second meeting. Don’t you think he’s like a pervert?

But I had no intention of talking to him. Raising my eyebrows at his smiley apology, I bowed my head and tried to leave.

I need to get out before I get tired.

Dealing with a man like this would only make me tired.

“Wait a minute, Lady. By the way… My jaw hurts these days. It’s hard to eat something. Do you know why?”

Paku stroked his jaw and looked into my eyes. He was trying to show that he remembered me.

Oh my. Are you trying to threaten me about what happened that day? On the topic of being a molester.

I raised the corner of my mouth and talked coldly.

“They said your jaw would ache as you get older… It seems that you have reached that age.”

Paku’s POV

Paku was absolutely taken aback by Arianne’s words.  He thought she would panic, but he was stunned by the personal attacks that came back. He was seriously worried about whether she needed to check her sight.  

“I’m only 21 years old.”

He finally revealed his age. Seeing Arianne’s eyes widen, it seemed she thought he was older than that. It hurt to say that he looked older at a young age, but his pride was hurting more when she showed it with her expression.

Arianne’s POV

I couldn’t believe he was 21 years old… He’s younger than I thought.

“Ah, I see. Pardon me, but I have something to talk to my friend for a long time.”

This time, without even giving Paku time to catch on, I quickly dragged Sosime and avoided that place.

Sosime’s POV

“That… Lady Arianne…”

Sosime was dumbfounded by what had happened a while ago. It had been her daily routine to be ignored and bullied by others in social gatherings, but by far, only one person had taken her side.

“Thank you…”

Sosime had no idea how to react to the kindness she had received for the first time in her life. There was nothing she could do but be grateful. And when she recognized this fact, she began to cry with emotion.

“Lady Sosime, don’t cry,” said Arianne in a dry, neither friendly nor coercive tone.

Sosime looked up at Arianne. She didn’t despise or bully Sosime. She was just looking at her with an expression that she didn’t understand why she was crying. It was the first time Sosime to see an expression that wasn’t criticizing or ridiculing her.

Ever since entering society, she had chosen to live with her head down for fear of seeing ridicule and derision. However, she could feel that Arianne wasn’t looking at her with that emotion or pretense. A crack tickled in the depths of her hardened heart, and soon the warmth spread.

“Hiks. Huhu.”

Sosime couldn’t hold back her tears. There was no way to stop the wave of emotions brought by a single act of kindness.

Arianne’s POV

She has a lot of tears.

I usually shook off the ugly woman who shed tears and had a runny nose, but now I had read a deep sense of relief in Sosime’s eyes; I couldn’t bear to shake her off.

“Here you go.”

I couldn’t help but hand her a handkerchief. It was the finest lace handkerchief from a famous boutique.

Sniff.

Sosime blew her nose with the finest handkerchief. At that moment, Arianne’s eyes were stained with astonishment, but fortunately, Sosime didn’t see it.

“Thank you… Sniff.”

When Sosime returned the handkerchief she used to blow her nose, Arianne, with a pale face, took the handkerchief lightly with her fingertips.

Ugh. I should throw it away. What a waste.

Sosime’s POV

Sosime, who seemed to have calmed down a little, tried to smile and looked at Arianne with red eyes. Then, she loosened her arms from Arianne’s arms, putting their hands together, and bowed her head to Arianne.

“Lady Arianne, thank you very much. I will definitely repay this kindness.”

Arianne was embarrassed at the moment by Sosime’s behavior, but she didn’t feel bad. Raising the corners of her mouth, Arianne said, “Let’s make it a tie. And you, you’re a stronger person than you think. So don’t be intimidated by those idiots.”

Sosime looked at Arianne with an expression that she didn’t understand what she was saying.

‘I’m… strong?’

Arianne’s POV

I liked that the favor had been paid back. Today’s meeting ended like that.  It was Sosime’s own job to break out of the eggshell. The end of her job was to tap that eggshell.

“I must go back to my fiancé now. Goodbye.”

I bowed slightly, then left. But someone blocked me as if they had been waiting for me.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Glock’s father.”

I thought as I looked down at the man in front of me.

He looks recognizable even if I bump into him on the street. Are they really not the same person?

His short stature, short neck, overly well-dressed attire, and even his arrogant and disrespectful eyes were very similar.

“Yes. Hello, my name is Arianne Bornes.”

At my introduction, Count Colt’s eyebrows rose.

“And I’m also the fiancée of Duke Kaien.”

His soaring eyebrows sank mercilessly at the words that followed.

Huh. Of course, he would be like that.

Like what Glock did, it was clear that Count Colt was the kind of person who believed in his position. For these people, I had no choice but to respond in their own way. What I meant was to press them with a higher power.

“Do you have anything to say?”

Count Colt’s mustache trembled. I wondered if he would even shout at me.

“I want to talk to you in a quiet place for a moment.”

At the same time, I could tell that he was sensitive to other people’s gaze from his gaze that looked around.

“I’m sorry, but I have a fiancé, so that would be difficult.”

Of course, it would be even worse if you were single. If you spend time alone with an old man like this, you would easily be treated like a concubine.

Count Colt blushed and snorted as if he hadn’t expected I would refuse. And I was disgusted with that look.

Urgh. I’m glad he’s shorter than me. If I was that short, I would have felt that foul snort.

“If you have something to say, say it here.”

Count Colt grated his teeth loudly and said with strength in his neck as if he was trying to threaten me.

“Go to the Royal Shooting Range immediately and cancel the match.”

So, he’s coming out like this?

“Why me?”

Glaring his eyes, Count Colt shouted, “That! That match!”

Recognizing that I had made a loud noise, Count Colt looked around in surprise and growled low.

“Because that match is not a fair match! How dare a woman ask for a match! Cancel the match immediately, and don’t even go to the Royal Shooting Range again!”

What kind of logic was that?

“Where about it that you said it wasn’t fair?”

“What?”

I asked, looking down at Count Colt.

“Is there a clause stating that women are not qualified for a fair match stipulated at Royal Shooting Range?”

“…”

“As far as I know. We signed under mutual agreement and had a match under the judgment of Royal Shooting Range staff. From what I understand, there is no phrase about gender there?”

“…”

Count Colt rolled his eyes and thought about it, but no such phrase existed. However, backing off like this didn’t save the face of his son and the Colt family.

“Still, from common sense, that match didn’t make sense! How can a woman do something like that!”

“It seems that it is Count who doesn’t have common sense. And Sir Glock too.”

“What!”

Count Colt took a step closer to me, but I only snorted.

“He shouldn’t come and flirt. You should have scolded the child, who was already an adult but only knew how to complain about it to their father. Isn’t that common sense?”

“What? What! What a cheeky bitch—”

It was then.

“What are you talking about? Why is the atmosphere so threatening? Count Colt?”

“Your Highness.”

It was the second prince.

“T-That… it’s nothing. Your Highness doesn’t need to pay attention to it.”

Count Colt tried to drive away Luiden, making up a forced smile on his face.

“No, Your Highness, please pay attention. A woman without their partner is in a dangerous situation,” said me, hiding behind Luiden as if I had been harmed.

At my words, Luiden raised his eyebrows, and Count Colt opened his mouth.

“What do you mean? Did Count Colt make a move on you?”

Make a move? Well, he begged for this.

“Count threatens me…”

“T-That coward!”

“Isn’t that right?”

I asked Count Colt with my eyes, not my mouth.

Will you stop here and cover it up with your indecent acts, or will you expose your son’s shame and disgrace your family?

Of course, both would tarnish their family’s honor, but his final choice was obvious.

What if rumors circulated that Colt’s family was harassing and mocking women while Glock lost the shooting match?

“I-I’m sorry… I made a mistake.”

Luiden looked down at Count Colt, who apologized pathetically. He was worried that blood would burst out, not sweat, from the veins that popped up on his forehead, which was in shame.

“I will ask for a formal apology next time. Come to Kaien Duchy. Of course, you must come in person. You know what I mean, right?”

Next time, instead of hiding behind his father, I gave a message that Glock should apologize by himself. Count Colt nodded and hurried away.

‘You fucking son of bitch! As if it was not enough to be accused as a molester, you even bring disgrace to this father’s face!’

Count Colt immediately headed home, and Glock was rumored to have been beaten to dust on a rainy day. Less than a day later, Glock knelt in front of me.

As the commotion subsided, Luiden left, and I went to look for Charter.

I’m tired. I want to go back now…

Looking through the ballroom to find my fiancé, I saw Charter. I got closer to him, then saw him talking with someone.

Who is it?

As I moved a little closer, I saw it. That person had the same silver hair as mine.

Father?

Stopping myself abruptly, I stared at my own father.

What the hell are you up to?