Side Chapter: The Rainbow sheep and the Stubborn Gorilla (I).

This was at the church...The time where Natasha and the main couple had just met up.

Natasha... couldn't understand what she was feeling.

She felt happy for her friend, and love interest that she was happy and even seeing the royal highness that she was not a horrible person- it feels like something sharp managed to hurt Natasha's rough heart.

The three watched a familiar figure upon the stage, it baffles Natasha on how these two couldn't realize that it was their acquaintance.

The general that was leading the escort from before, the nobleman wearing a dress dancing and smiling looking so excited while he twirled and offered a dance to their light goddess.

He looked so different from the messy state she would always see her in, it made her think, was this really the same person who easily got drunk on wine on the Pegasus stables that day?

"Please, anyone who I consider a friend can call me Rose. Calling me your highness in my commoner clothing is rather weird." (Rose) would go on to tell her, once they've come past an understanding that Kein's happiness is their first priority.

"Yes.. er.. Rose. Thank you, Natasha is grateful for your kind words." (Natasha) was still unused to calling someone of royalty casually but seeing the crown princess' face light up like that she just made her brain think that this would be an order from the crown, and if she does not comply she'll be facing a punishment by the morrow.

"Mm! Mm! Call me Rose from now on!"

The two of them talked for another ten more minutes before Natasha went ahead and told us that she needed to go to the restroom and she'll go home right after.

"Well then Rose and Kein, have safe travels when you get home." she would wave at the two and quickly leave for them to have their privacy. The two were really happy with one another, Natasha could clearly feel and see it.historical

Go home... it is what Natasha has said.

Natasha... lied.

She wasn't able to go home but instead hid herself in a nearby bathroom to fix herself. How many times would she need to see those two together to move on? "Natasha... move on, no feelings, these kinds of things will only let you down and drag you to the bottom pits of Nyavka."

She would go on to look at herself in the mirror and furrowed her eyebrows in a fury.

"How many must Natasha lie."

"Natasha is happy, but also hurt."

"Natasha lies for her to be happy."

Natasha takes out a knife and holds it tightly in her hand. In order for her to calm down, a certain game she would play called stabberscotch or the knife game. She places her hand up against a wall and begins stabbing repeatedly the space between her fingers in such a space.

Many other girls who would come in would look at her and just- leave.

Natasha didn't care if someone would come and go to see her play such a game, for her she needed to feel alive- something to help her focus. What else can it be than a game where you really need to focus or else you'll cut a finger off if you're not paying attention?

The Winshern people's past time was rather peculiar, some of them were into life or death gambling. It excites them knowing you can lose your life for something in equal exchange.

How exciting!

A life for something you want, whether you volunteer or were forced upon their Winshern games best not to run. Running would leave you dead, trying your luck would be better instead.

Natasha was one of these gamblers who would gamble her life for money, meeting one of the royal family members and into the scene she thought she was living her life at the best of it. Not until she was betrayed in blood, being the prize- and her life gambled by the same royal family member that claimed her.

"Natasha, clearly you love me right?" The memories resurfacing upon the game. Many of his figures smiling telling her sweet lies were everywhere.

The first prince of winshern had this twisted sickened smile when he held her hand and pulled her over to press her body against his. "You're my treasure. I would like you to be my currency for this gambling game I want to try. You'll say yes won't you? After all, a woman would always obey... the man she wants."

Obey... obey... and obey...

Only when Natasha got saved by a mysterious blonde Knight when she was banished she was saved. The only light she ever had was that person. Was it so easy to forget?

Stab! Stab! Stab!

The wall of the bathroom was having holes from how fast and forced Natasha would plunge the knife in. Having a precise skill, the girl was not worried- but still it was helping her finally get her mind out of the-

"Lady Natasha- is that you?"

"..."

Someone called out to her name. The stabbing abruptly stopped as Natasha sighs, feeling the adrenaline quickly leaving her body, it seems that this is not enough, such a game that would only wound her hand...

She needs something else to feel alive.

"Who dares call Natasha's name."

She turns around and sees a beautiful figure wearing a white dress, the person who danced in front of so many people giving the blessing of the Mistral dance and yet that didn't matter to Natasha.

"Lord Vincent, you're here in the female bathroom." (Natasha) bluntly says, remembering what he is and Lord Vincent blinks in embarrassment.

He really didn't want to dare come into the female bathroom but when he heard something was getting stabbed at the wall, he was worried that there was some attacker or a hidden assassin taking their time in the bathroom.

It turns out it was just Natasha with her knife out in the open- like that's any better!

"Not that I wanted to, I came in because I was afraid that an assassin was inside. The noise you were making was quite the ruckus. The girls who have already come in before have reported to several members of the church and soon you'll be asked to leave." (Lord Vincent) tells the girl who clicks her tongue in annoyance.

Puronian people can't even handle someone with a knife.

"Your countrymen are soft, the only one exception is Kein. You ruined my time to gamble and think, Natasha will leave the bathroom, don't bother kicking Natasha out." (Natasha) points a finger and leaves the bathroom out in a puff. She still had her knife out in the open because it felt right for her to do such a thing.

Winshern people were people who trained themselves to sleep with one eye open, especially the women in their country. No one there would dare say it but it is problematic and such a scary place to be in.

If you're not too careful someone would dare come into your house and... defile you in your sleep. Kill the husband, defile the wife and children.

Such a childhood nightmare would never leave Natasha's mind.

She felt like she was born to be miserable at every chance she had something she would love, it would always be gone, slipping out of her finger's reach, replaced by blood.

"Wait! Hold on! You're going home alone?" (Lord Vincent) followed behind and trailed after her. Natasha didn't stop walking and only faced forward.

"Natasha is always alone, she will always be alone."

She was definitely not in a good mood talking with the nobleman. There have been so many times of their path crossing that it was irking Natasha's min.

The last time they talked was at a bar where someone was trying to hit on her and Lord Vincent would then tell on how he chickened out on confessing his feelings to Kein's cousin. That day Natasha saw this man as a coward, someone soft at heart and a sensitive man.

"Hold on, I don't think you should be alone wandering the streets at night Natasha. It's rather dangerous-"

"So you're going to accompany me?"

Natasha stops walking and eyes Lord Vincent who was still wearing the pretty white dress he used to dance in front of many people. It was really beautiful, he was beautiful.

Those pretty blue orbs of eyes, wig of hair braided behind him and his lips that were put on lipstick.

"No wonder. It will be dangerous if you're this pretty in a dress." (Natasha) would blindly compliment him even if it was not in her intention!

She was actually pissed off at how a man like this, born and even served in the military, would have such a good figure to pass someone who looks like a woman!

"Shouldn't you get changed?" she asks him and he slightly feels a bit red not expecting the backhanded compliment.

"I... erm... Do I really look pretty in a dress?" (Lord Vincent) would dare to look up at the expressionless Natasha and feel a bit expectant for her to repeat her words again.

Natasha's words telling him that he was pretty made his heart dance in a weird way.

"Yes, you do."

"Then shouldn't I keep wearing it?"

"..."

Natasha felt that this conversation was too complicated. In her country a man is not allowed to wear something like a dress but in [Sprivanto] and now [Puronia]? Slowly things are taking out of a turn, this is a new territory for Natasha to explore.

"Natasha... thinks you're... right?"

Lord Vincent was really beaming on her words after that. On the topic of going home, they decided to go out and just see the night market on its offers instead.