4. I Was Born a Woman, You Know?

Even without connections to the North, everyone had heard rumors about Ivan.

After being practically chased off to study abroad in Arsetia, Ivan remained the same even as an adult.

Despite spending a fortune on his education, he frequently failed and barely graduated from the academy, continuing to live a debauched life with alcohol and women.

“A child completely abandoned by the Count family, but if he enters the Duke’s family as a live-in son-in-law, he could aim for the Duke’s position and all that wealth.”

“Aren’t he and Katarina on bad terms? Why would he attempt something with such low chances of success?”

“Don’t worry. They’ve already accepted on their side.”

No sooner had Gregory finished speaking than the tavern door was kicked open, and Ivan, now an adult, entered.

“Hey, old man! I’m here.”

“Come and sit down.”

“Old man, thanks for last time. You really saved me, you know?”

Ivan, walking over with a swagger, slung his arm around Gregory’s shoulder and sat down.

The suitors clicked their tongues at his behavior, calling a Count old man who could be his father.

“Let’s see. Are you all my financial backers?”

“What do you mean?”

“If you’ve hired someone, it’s common sense to pay a retainer.”

Among the bewildered suitors, Gregory asked with even more surprise.

“What do you mean by that? Last time, you agreed to do it if I paid off all your gambling debts.”

“Yes, but thinking about it, it seemed too cheap for making the impossible possible.”

“Sigh… Name your price.”

“How about this much, in large bills?”

Ivan spread his five fingers. It was a year’s-worth of living expenses for commoners.

The suitors, who were initially shocked, eventually gritted their teeth and emptied their wallets to pay him the retainer.

Ivan quickly counted the money on the spot to ensure the amount was correct. His nonchalant manner of counting money was not typical of a noble scion.

“Just right. So should I submit the marriage proposal tomorrow?”

“To think you’d take that witch of a woman, you’re a real man!”

“It’s just mutual aid, nothing more. Besides, I have a debt to settle with that woman.”

Ivan muttered. Even ten years later, he couldn’t forget the humiliation he had suffered back then.

He was one of the troublemaking four who Katya had made wet himself when he was nine.

His heart was already racing at the thought of enacting a long-held revenge.

“Thanks to you, we are saved, haha! Here, take a glass!”

“You’re the only one who can break that fierce woman’s spirit.”

“Let’s all swear for Count Petrovsky’s sake. Even if one of us marries Miss Bianca, we won’t aim for the Duke’s position!”

At Olen’s words, everyone raised their glasses, swearing.

The suitors, quickly becoming friendly with Ivan, competed to clink glasses with him, enjoying themselves. The suitors’ table soon became lively again.

And a little distance away, there was a man looking at their table with disdain.

He thought it rude to speak ill of a woman and conspire about whether to propose with money.

Feeling pity for a woman he had never met, who was being talked about by drunk men in broad daylight.

The tavern door chimed cheerfully as it opened once more.

“Your Highness, what are you looking at?”

The person who entered approached the man’s table and spoke. He seemed to be the man’s companion.

He lowered his voice so only the man could hear when using the title ‘Your Highness.’

“Nothing much. How did the investigation go?”

“This place is noisy, let’s step outside. I’ll explain as we go.”

The man left with his companion. They had barely touched the drinks they ordered.

As soon as they passed by, an old man at the next table spoke to his companion.

“Did you see the man who just passed by?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Oh, you know. The man who was sitting alone with his cloak hood pulled up next to us.”

“I saw him. Why?”

“Wasn’t his hair silver?”

At those words, the companion waved his hand dismissively.

“Let’s get going. You seem too drunk.”

“I’m not drunk! I’m telling you, his hair was silver!”

“Come on, man! If he’s silver-haired, that means he’s from the Grand Duke’s family, so why would such a noble person be here?”

His companion chuckled, lightly tapping the old man’s back with his cane as if telling him to get a grip.

“Why are you already senile at our age? Weren’t you saying you saw the Grim Reaper before?”

“I said that? Oh dear, I must be old and ready to die.”

Thinking he might have been mistaken, the old man scratched his head and lifted his glass again.

The old man brushed it off casually, but his eyes were accurate.

The man was currently dyeing his hair dark gray, but it had slightly faded, revealing a hint of his original hair color.

The subtle silver sheen was barely noticeable unless observed closely, which the old man had luckily caught.

The man’s name was Nikolai de Vasily. He was the current Grand Duke of Hersen, secretly visiting the southern region.

***

While Ivan and the suitors were cheerfully toasting, Katya was secretly out at the market without her father’s knowledge.

She had heard that the shamshir she had been waiting for had arrived.

While Bianca felt excited looking at pretty teacups and plates, Katya’s heart raced at the sight of new weapons.

Though not as skilled in martial arts as she was in shooting or horseback riding, she had a hobby of collecting various weapons.

The shamshir was a sword from the eastern continent of Ekadot with a long crescent-shaped blade. It was rarely used in the western continent and was hard to find.

Especially this time. It was a limited edition, custom-made by an Ekadot craftsman with jewels embedded in the scabbard.

“It’s a good thing I offered a high reservation price; otherwise, I would have missed it again.”

Katya, who had acquired the limited edition for a hefty sum, left the shop with a satisfied face.

Just then, Nikolai arrived at the shop and brushed past her, entering with his aide.

Inside, the voice of the weapons dealer could be heard.

“Oh, are you here for the shamshir too? The last one just went out. You should have come a bit earlier.”

‘Why would he add that it just went out instead of just saying it’s not available?’

Fearing that the man might chase after her, Katya clutched the shamshir tightly and bolted away.

By the time Nikolai turned around, she had already disappeared.

“Boris, let’s go.”

“What about the wait?”

“It can’t be helped. I didn’t come to the South just for that.”

Though he spoke that way, his face showed lingering regret. Just as Nikolai was about to leave the shop,

something lying on the roadside caught his foot. It was a pocket watch.

“Is this your watch?”

Nikolai held up the watch to show the weapons dealer inside.

“No. It seems the young lady who bought the last shamshir earlier dropped it.”

“The customer who just left was a woman?”

“She was wearing pants, so I didn’t realize. She wanted it so badly that she offered ten times the average reservation price.”

Come to think of it, her tightly tied hair seemed quite long. I hadn’t given it much thought, but I remembered it was strawberry blonde.

“I understand. I’ll make sure to return it to her when I meet her.”

Nikolai hadn’t walked far after leaving the shop when he spotted a woman with strawberry blonde hair.

To be precise, it was in front of the tavern where the suitors had been earlier.

The suitors, who had come out of the tavern with their arms around each other, hid in fear as soon as they saw Katya walking by.

Seeing the frightened suitors, Ivan clicked his tongue and immediately charged toward Katya.

He wrapped his arms around Katya’s waist from behind.

“Long time no see, Katya.”

“Who are you?”

Katya quickly elbowed him in the stomach and escaped his grasp. Ivan laughed even after being hit.

“Don’t you remember me? I still vividly recall you threatening me with a bow.”

“…Petrovsky?”

“Katya, I almost didn’t recognize you. You’ve become quite the woman.”

He said, looking Katya up and down with an unpleasant gaze.

“Molesting someone in broad daylight, you’re still an incorrigible person.”

“Are you going to threaten me with a real weapon again? That’s not something a grown lady should play with.”

“Is there a need to bring that out?”

Katya picked up a lute discarded on a pile of trash by the roadside. Ivan snorted with laughter at the sight of the broken-stringed lute.

In the past, they were of similar height, but now the size difference was so apparent that it seemed ridiculous to him.

“Do you think hitting me with that would hurt?”

Ivan rolled up his chemise sleeve to show off his muscular forearm.

“No? I’m going to do this!”

Katya lifted the lute with both hands and brought it down on Ivan’s head.

The thin backboard shattered, leaving Ivan’s head poking through the lute, making him look ridiculous.

Laughter erupted from all around.

“Serves you right. And saying I’ve become a woman is an insult. I was born a woman, you know?”

Ivan, red as a beet with anger and humiliation, shouted.

“Catch that woman!”

At his words, the group of ruffians he had befriended with at the tavern charged at Katya.

Katya used the shamshir in its sheath to fend off the ruffians’ punches.

The men she kicked fell to the ground.

Though she boldly unsheathed the shamshir, she only knew the basics of martial arts and was outnumbered.

Quickly assessing the situation, Katya turned and ran with the shamshir in hand.

The men, outraged at being bested by such a slender woman in broad daylight, quickly pursued her.

Nikolai, who had witnessed the scene from afar, felt disgusted by the sight of multiple men ganging up on a single woman after failing to harass her.

“Where are you going without your knights?”

“Wait here for a moment.”

Nikolai said this and immediately chased after them.

He had given his knights a break and sneaked out, so he was unaccompanied by any guards.

Boris, the aide left behind, tried to follow him but tripped and fell forward.

“Your Highness, please stop! I mean, sir!”

Boris couldn’t even call him ‘Your Highness’ properly and cried out desperately, clutching his scraped knee.