Chapter Text
Katarina let out a small huff, her hand coming up to wipe away the sweat that was currently dripping down her face.
"Boy, it sure is a hot day today!" she said, a bright smile plastered on her face as she turned her attention to Pochi, her newly acquired dark magic familiar.
Rather than respond, Pochi let out a small ‘yip,’ wagging his tail in a happy fashion as he stared up at his mistress.
Katarina let out a small coo, dropping the hoe she had slung over her shoulder so she could hold out her hands for him.
"D’aw, aren’t you my good little boy?" she said, letting out a giggle when his tail only seemed to speed up, wagging so fast that she was sure that he’d hurt someone if they had the misfortune of walking past him.
Upon seeing her open hands, Pochi didn’t even so much as hesitate to bound towards her, happily barking as he launched himself off the ground and into her awaiting arms. He then proceeded to aggressively lick her face, as if he too was attempting to get the sweat and grime off her face.
Katarina let out another giggle, her hand coming up from under him so that she could gently pat his head.
"Pochi, that tickles!"
Although he was considered to be ‘bad’ due to his dark magic origin, Katarina personally considered him to be nothing more than her adorable and good little farming helper and beloved new pet. He always listened to what she said, and due to him not needing to be fed, he sometimes stored sweets inside himself for her to enjoy whenever she wanted. He was just such a good boy!
Besides, in her past life and in this one, dogs never seemed to like her no matter how hard she tried to befriend them, so she was elated that Pochi adored her so much!
He looked especially adorable today, considering the little white bandanna she had tied on top of his head in an attempt to keep the sun out of his eyes, not that he probably felt it to begin with. He was also sporting cute, dog-friendly green overalls that matched her own. Much like her own, she’d personally sewn it herself so that it perfectly fit him, just like she did for all of her friends when they showed an interest in farming with her.
Katarina tore her gaze off of her adorable familiar, who was still attempting to lavish her with affection, her eyes drifting over her farm. Thanks to Pochi, she’d managed to finish the farm’s weeding at a record speed. They’d probably have finished faster if Keith had also given them a hand like he always did. However, he had been invited away to some noble function along with her father.
From what Katarina knew, it was an incredibly important function for Keith’s future as the next Duke of the Claes family, which was probably why her mother had forbidden her to go along with him, lest she distract him with her impertinence. At least that is what her mother said when she asked why she couldn’t go.
Not that Katarina minded too much, of course. It was well known how much Katarina disliked noble etiquette and functions unless there was delicious food involved. She was sure her mother had been thinking of her as well when she told her she was not going. She was just looking out for her.
Right?
Right!
Katarina shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts, before turning her attention to Pochi with a smile.
"We did such a good job today. Why don’t we go cool off in my room with a nice glass of lemonade?" she asked, getting a small bark in response from him, "oh, you like that idea, huh? Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!"
With that, Katarina turned away from her farm, Pochi still securely held in her arms as she all but skipped to the back entrance of the Claes manor, humming a little tune as she went. However, upon getting closer, she immediately spotted the sight of an unfamiliar carriage parked at the front of the estate.
Katarina tilted her head, confusion filling her at the sight of it.
Both Keith and father were out, so whoever was here couldn’t be here to visit either of them. Katarina most definitely hadn’t been expecting any company today either. So, that meant that whoever was here could only be here to visit-
"Mother!" Katarina all but yelped, frantically scooting away from the back door like her life depended on it.
Mother must have taken advantage of having the manor mostly to herself to invite a friend or two over. They were probably having tea in the guest room parlour right at this very moment. It was the same guest room parlor that was right next door to Katarina’s room.
Katarina shivered, remembering her mother's words the last time she’d invited company over.
"I expect you to be on your best behaviour today," mother said, her sharp eyes practically piercing Katarina's soul as she all but glared down at her, "because if I see you covered in even a speck of dirt, crumbs, or something else while they are here, you are going to be very sorry!"
Katarina gazed down at her overalls wearily. Thanks to her hard work, she was practically covered head to toe in dirt. Not only that, but her face was almost completely red, as well as quite sweaty due to all the labour she had done in the hot mid-summer afternoon sun.
She was most definitely not up to par to see anyone, let alone a friend and guest of her mother.
Katarina bit her lip, stroking Pochi’s dark fur as she thought about how she could get into her room without being seen. The last thing she wanted was to be scolded by her mother again for embarrassing her in front of the company. Especially considering how she was still somewhat recovering from the whole kidnapping scare with Keith.
If a small part of her wondered if her mother had worried about her the same way she worried about Keith after her own kidnapping fiasco, she quickly squashed it down. After all, both Keith and Katarina got out of it relatively unscathed, so who cares if mother barely reacted afterwards when she finally came home from her time with Sora?
Katarina’s gaze slowly lifted up the building, until her eyes focused on the familiar visage of her bedroom’s balcony. Katarina stared at it for a few more minutes in silence, before her eyes suddenly lit up, as an idea finally came to her.
"If I can’t walk around the halls, then I guess I have no choice but to sneakily climb my way up, right Pochi?" she asked, letting out a small laugh when Pochi responded by simply licking her cheek, "I’m glad you agree. In that case, since I won’t be able to hold you, I’m going to need you to go home."
Pochi let out a small bark of what she presumed meant agreement, before jumping out of her arms and into her shadow with a small ‘plunk.’
Katarina dusted off her hands, attempting to get the leftover dust off of her gloves so that she could have more grip. Although she was quite familiar with the art of climbing trees, climbing buildings required a bit more precision on her part.
"Alright, tree climbing skills don’t fail me now!" she said, before jumping up so she could grab the wooden ledge above the backdoor, using her upper body strength to hoist herself up so she could perch on it.
Thankfully, it appeared that climbing trees and climbing a building were relatively similar, as both simply required you to find a groove big enough for you to hold on to and use it to hoist yourself higher. It had only taken her a few minutes to reach her balcony. Although she had had a few near-misses when she overestimated how strong a particular groove was, she had easily been able to recover from each of them due to her years of climbing experience.
Upon reaching the outer fence of her balcony, Katarina hoisted herself over it with a small grunt, plonking herself down onto her balcony with a small sound of excitement.
Operation ‘sneak to her room without her mother catching her’ was a success!
Katarina made to move over to her, thankfully, unlocked balcony doors. But before she could enter her room, she could hear bits and pieces of the conversation between her mother and whomever she was speaking to.
"Oh, I see you’ve started Keith’s training as the future Duke?" a familiar and feminine voice said from within the guest room, letting out a small giggle, "Nicol began his training under his father just last year, and from what I’ve seen, he’s been doing wonderfully so far."
Wait, Nicol?
Katarina’s eyes widened in realization.
Oh, this must be Nicol and Sophia’s mother! she remembers her saying that her name was Lady Radea?
Wow, she didn’t know her and her mother were friends! What a small world!
Now that she knew the identity of the mysterious guest her mother had invited, she couldn’t hold back her curiosity as to what they were talking about, eagerly leaning over her balcony somewhat so she could hear what they were saying.
Mother let out a small hum, as the distinct clank of a tea cup being put down found its way to my ears.
"Yes, Luigi has officially started Keith’s training, I pushed for him to start it earlier, but Luigi insisted that we wait until he graduated from the academy so as to not overwhelm him," mother seemed to let out a small scoff at that, "as if Keith would be overwhelmed by such a thing. He’s always been a meticulous and level-headed young man, even in his youth. It is the reason why he is so incredibly talented at both his studies and his noble duties."
Katarina nodded in agreement with that. From a young age, Keith had always been really good at planning and organising things, and was also incredibly smart. It was probably how he was able to balance helping her with my own studies along with his own.
"You seem to be quite proud of him," Lady Radea said, although for some reason, her tone sounded almost a little…..odd.
"Of course, he is my son. What else would I be but proud of all he’s achieved?" mother said in response, and for some reason, her tone sounded a little odd too.
There was a brief moment of silence between the two, before Lady Radea opened her mouth to speak once more.
"Speaking of achievements, I’ve heard that your daughter Katarina has been doing quite wonderfully at the moment," Lady Radea said in a bright sounding tone, making it clear that she was probably smiling, "not only has she received a direct invitation for employment at the ministry, but from what Sophia’s told me, her classmates have labelled her as a saint! Surely you must be quite proud of her as well?"
Katarina beamed, her heart filling with pride and a small bit of embarrassment at Lady Radea’s praise of her. Although she’d never seen much of her, she always struck her as rather nice. She kind of reminded her of a more expressive Nicol, although that was to be expected, as he probably got his personality and mannerisms from her.
"Proud?" her mother asked again, with that strange tone in her voice, "Why would I be proud of her?"
Katarina's heart felt like it had stopped, the blood in her veins feeling more like ice as her body violently jolted at her mother’s rather abrupt statement.
Huh?
Without a moment of hesitation, her mother continued on, that odd tone in her voice still incredibly present as she spoke.
"That girl is a real menace when she wants to be. "No matter how hard I try, all the noble etiquette I try to teach her brushes off like water off a duck's wing," her mother said, "no wonder poor Keith looks so tired some days; he's constantly having to look after her and keep her from making a fool of herself."
Katarina winced, feeling as though a metaphorical arrow had just struck her heart, her arms coming up so that she could wrap herself in a small embrace.
Had she really been troubling Keith so much?
"Not to mention that fiancé of hers, who does nothing but indulge her. Honestly, how can he expect her behaviour to improve if he simply pulls strings for her so she can do as she pleases all the time without consequences?"
Another arrow found its way to its mark, right next to the other one.
Had she really been unknowingly forcing Prince Geordo to pull strings on her behalf?
"And, I mean no offence to you when I say this, but your children, as well as her other friends, are all far too lenient with her tomfoolery. They allow her to get away with far too much, even if it causes them trouble. It’s a wonder my daughter has learnt anything at all with them all constantly coddling her."
Two arrows struck the very small bit of open space remaining in her heart, her eyes watering as she all but staggered away from the edge of the balcony.
Has she really been such a burden to her friends?
Katarina's mother let out a small huff, before proceeding to say something that completely shattered what remained of Katarina’s already fragile heart.
"Sometimes, I wish that she had simply not been returned. It would greatly reduce the amount of stress she causes me on a regular basis by a landslide!"
Katarina’s hand came up to cover her face, her body rippling with grief as she desperately fought back a sob as tears began to helplessly stream down her face.
She’d known that she tended to cause trouble for her mother due to her antics, and she knew that all too well if the way she was always scolding her was any indication. However, Katarina still believed that her mother loved her regardless of the numerous scoldings and her frustration.
Clearly, she had been wrong. If what she just said had been any indication, her mother, in reality, seemed to want nothing to do with her. In fact, if her mother had it her way, she’d probably see to it that Katarina simply would not return home one day, so that she never had to put up with any more of her nonsense.
Katarina let out one more helpless sniff, her hand coming up to wipe away her stray tears, before turning to enter her room.
She’d heard more than enough to understand the situation before her, and now she had a lot to think about when it came to her future.
Lady Radea Ascart let out a small laugh, reaching forward so she could gently pat her exasperated but laughing friend on the shoulder.
"Mirridiana, you mustn't joke about such things," she lightly scolded, before lowering her hand so she could pick up her tea cup once more, taking a dainty sip from it, "for all you know, Katarina could have been in actual danger in that instance."
Mirridiana’s exasperated expression shifted somewhat, as she let out another disbelieving scoff.
"Danger? Radea, my dear, I had the utmost confidence in my daughter’s competence at keeping herself safe when she was kidnapped. Any true danger she could have potentially been in would have immediately dissipated the moment she opened her mouth to speak to her would-be kidnappers," Mirridiana said, giving a small shrug of her shoulders, her hand raising so she could blow cool air on her face with her fan, "as wild as my daughter can be, she is truly one of the most charming and socially intelligent people of her generation. I’m sure she could convince even the most hardened of criminals to change their ways and turn a new leaf if you gave her the opportunity to do so."
Lady Radea giggled once more, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as a knowing smile appeared on her face.
"Indeed, I am well aware of your daughters’ social talents. My children speak highly of Katarina’s charisma. Even Nicol has informed me of her ability to charm those around her," she said, but her expression did waver slightly, "however, I’m afraid I would not have such confidence in my child’s safety if I was in the same position. What would have happened if her charm was not enough to keep her safe?"
Mirridiana smiled, her eyes filled with both pride and slight exasperation in equal measure.
"My daughter is by far no pushover when it comes to matters involving strength. If it came down to an altercation, I’m sure she would have come out on top," she said, her voice oozing with confidence in her child’s abilities, "she’s always had a better handle on a sword than her brother, not to mention all the muscle she’s gained due to her rather strange farming hobby. Despite his best efforts and much more potent magic, Keith has always been a bit more…..fragile compared to her, in both strength and constitution."
Lady Radea smiled at her friend, clearly seeing the love she held for her daughter, despite how frustrated she had appeared earlier during her playful rant.
"Like mother, like daughter. That is how the saying goes, yes? If I remember correctly, you were once considered one of the best duelists in our entire year at the academy. I’m certain you’d put the royal knights to shame!" Lady Radea said, her hand coming up to cup her chin as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face, "You used to go on and on about the knights too. It was your dream ever since you were a girl to one day receive a knighthood, even though your shyness prevented you from truly expressing it."
Mirridiana’s cheeks reddened, her hand moving so she could use her fan to obscure her face from her friend’s teasing gaze.
"What does it matter what I previously dreamed of? I’ve grown up now, I am the Duchess of the Claes family, I’m happily married to the love of my life with two lovely children. What more could I want?" she said, ignoring the way Lady Radea’s eyes shifted to a more sympathetic one, "besides, it was a foolish dream that was simply never meant to be. It's better that I accept that and move on than live my life in nothing more than disappointment."
"Is that why you're so hard on Katarina? Because you’re afraid that she might end up disappointed as well if she continues as she does?" Lady Radea asked gently, causing Mirridiana to jolt slightly at the accusation. "
Mirridiana shuffled a bit in her seat, her hand lowering so that she could place her fan back on the table between the two of them, her sharp, upturned eyes narrowing slightly.
"You know as well as I do that our society cares little for those who dare to be even the slightest bit different," she said briskly, her tone frosting slightly.I simply do not wish for her to suffer at their hands like I have."
"Yes, with a child who has had to constantly fight just to be treated even the slightest bit civilly by her fellow peers, I am quite aware of the struggles you speak of," Lady Radea said back just as briskly, but her expression softened slightly as she continued, "however, there comes a time when you can no longer attempt to shield them from the views of our materialistic society. And when that time comes, you can do no more than accept that they are strong enough to stand on their own should their differences ever be challenged."
Mirridiana remained silent, her expression becoming thoughtful as her friend’s words rained down on her.
Lady Radea reached forward, squeezing her hand in her own with a gentle smile on her face that uncannily mirrored her son’s with its dazzlingness.
"Fear not, Mirridiana. If Katarina is as strong as you say, then you should have nothing to worry about when it comes to her future," she said, giving her hand another gentle squeeze, "all you can do now is sit back and let her live her life as best as she can."
"That is easier said than done, I’ve spent so long scolding her, it would be rather strange to suddenly stop after so long," Mirridiana said somewhat dryly, her expression changing from thoughtful to grateful, "but regardless of my feelings, you are right, Radea. It is time for me to let her live her life. As much as she doesn’t act like it, she is an adult now. It’s time I let her make her own decisions, and face her own consequences for those decisions."
Mirridiana thought back on all her daughter’s achievements over the years, all on her own, her heart filled with both pride and exasperation. Unlike her, Katarina had somehow managed to surround herself with a strong network of people, all of whom would do anything to protect both her and her reputation from harm. Not only that, but she’d also somehow charmed her way into getting an invitation to join the ministry, something that was usually only offered to those with high academic standing.
Yes, despite how often she scolded her, Mirridiana was truly proud of who she had become, and was glad that she hadn’t inherited her shyness nor her ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. No, it was clear that Katarina had inherited her father’s temperament and charm, something that Keith was slowly learning how to cultivate under his tutelage as well.
Maybe she should start spending more time with her? She’d only held back from doing so due to how independent she had grown after her head injury all those years ago. Katarina hadn’t requested to spend time with her, so she had assumed that she did not wish to do so.
Perhaps it was time to rectify that? It certainly wouldn’t hurt to at least learn about her interests. That way she could guide her into an occupation or field that would suit her nicely.
Lady Radea’s gentle smile widened, as she let out another small giggle.
"See? Aren't you glad you swallowed your pride and called me over for advice?" she teased, taking great joy in the way Mirridiana’s cheeks reddened once more, "considering your usual unfortunate word choices and misconclusions, who knows what sort of misunderstanding you would have caused had you not asked me for my aid!"
Despite all her etiquette training advising against it, Mirridianna reached forward and threw one of the neatly placed scones at Lady Radea, causing her to let out a small, amused snort as a result.
"Quiet," she hissed, her hand already poised to unleash another bread-based attack should she dare tease her again.
Katarina layed motionless on her bed, the only movement being her hand. She was currently in the process of petting a napping Pochi, who was resting obliviously on her stomach.
After spending the last couple of minutes curled up crying just inside the doors to her balcony, she’d only just been able to muster up the energy to change out of her dirty overalls and into clean clothes and summon Pochi, before practically sprawling herself on top of her bed.
Katarina knew that her eyes were probably completely bloodshot, something which she would have to get rid of when it came time for Anne to come in and prepare her for dinner, lest she burden somebody else in her life with her problems like she apparently always did. However, at the moment, Katarina couldn’t bring herself to care about such a minor thing.
Ever since she had been reincarnated as the ever hated and terrible Villainess of Fortune Lover, Katarina had strived to be anything but the villainess she had been destined to be. She had been as nice as she could to everyone she met, just like she used to in her old life. She’d done her best to help her friends and family with whatever plights they found themselves in, no questions asked. She’d even offered to end her engagement so that Prince Geordo could be free to pursue whoever he wished to, which he, for some reason, rejected at every turn.
And yet…………
Had she unknowingly been living as a villainess the whole time without realising it? By behaving as she would in her old world, had she accidently placed an unimaginable burden on those she held dear due to her antics?
Whenever she asked them to farm with her, play with her, and do whatever she wished for them to do, had they actually been doing it because they wanted to? Or was it because they simply were too nice to say no to her?
Was that why Prince Geordo refused to end his engagement to her? Because he was afraid that without their engagement, she would ruin herself without his help? Had he lied about being in love with her in an attempt to spare her feelings?
And Keith……Poor, sweet and gentlemanly Keith. Had he also been lying about his feelings? Had he only confessed as a way to reassure her that she had a backup plan in case Prince Geordo eventually grew tired of taking care of her all the time?
What about Prince Alan and Mary? Had she been ruining their relationship as well by constantly third-wheeling on them? Were Mary's frequent invitations and insistence on spending time with her because she wanted her to stop gatecrashing between them?
Katarina couldn’t quite figure out how she’d hurt Sophia, but she was sure she had done something to the sweet girl if she too felt like Katarina was a burden. It could have been on Nicol’s behalf, but Nicol was another mystery. Perhaps by constantly hanging around him, she was unintentionally ruining his chances of seducing the one he was in love with? Maybe that was why Sophia was annoyed with her? She’d always loved her brother fiercely and tended to be a hopeless romantic.
This whole time, had she been nothing more than a burden for everyone around her?
Katarina thought back to when she faced the judgement event last year, and how all her friends came to her defense, and how they had all unintentionally insulted her in the process.
Had it truly been unintentional? Or had it been their way of crying out their ever growing frustrations with her?
Katarina stopped patting Pochi, her hands coming up to cover her face as a wave of frustration and grief hit her once more.
What could she do? How could she fix the mess she had unintentionally made? How could she make her friends happy again?
Catastrophic Bad End Avoidance Strategy Meeting
Chairwoman Katarina: Present
Intelligent Katarina: Present
Aggressive Katarina: Present
Timid Katarina: Present
Happy Katarina; Present
“What do we do? At this rate we’ll be forced into exile by the end of the year if we keep this up!” Happy Katarina cried out, her voice oozing with panic as she frantically turned her attention to Intelligent Katarina.
Intelligent Katarina let out a small hum, adjusting her fake glasses on her nose as she stared down at her shoes with a thoughtful look on her face.
Seeing Intelligent Katarina’s lack of response, Happy Katarina turned her attention to Timid Katarina, who immediately recoiled into her seat.
“We could, uh, we could always just apologize to them for the trouble we caused them?” Timid Katarina suggested, her voice uncertain and small as she shifted a little in her seat due to the attention that was currently on her.
Aggressive Katarina shook her head in disagreement, her fist coming down to slam the table in frustration.
“We can’t do that, it's far too late for a simple apology to suffice!” Aggressive Katarina said, her voice as loud and boisterous as always, although it lacked its usual enthusiasm, “we gotta come up with something better than that, something that makes everyone happy in the end.”
“But how on earth are we going to do that?” Happy Katarina asked, her voice filled with more uncertainty than any of the other council members have heard from her, “what could we possibly do that could ever make up for all we’ve unknowingly done to them over the years?”
With that Intelligent Katarina lifted her gaze from her shoes, her eyes filled with a solemn yet determined gleam as she stood from her seat.
“There is one possible solution that could resolve this situation,” Intelligent Katarina said, her hand coming up so she could once more fiddle with her fake glasses, “however, I only wished to save it as a last resort in case of the worst.”
“Well, we may not be facing the worst, but we certainly are heading straight for it if we don’t do anything,” Chairwoman Katarina said, her eyes narrowing down at Intelligent Katarina, her voice stern, “so now is a good time as any. Speak.”
Intelligent Katarina straightened her shoulders, before opening her mouth to speak.
“If our actions are leading towards our potential future exile or death, then why don’t we simply exile ourselves before such a thing comes to pass?” Intelligent Katarina said, her eyes imploringly staring at her fellow council members as she spoke, “we’ve been preparing for such a scenario as just in case for years, so implementing it now would be of no hassle to us.”
The rest of the council remained silent, which seemed to encourage Intelligent Katarina to continue her explanation.
“Think about it, by leaving not only are we ensuring that it is on our own terms, but it is also the best way we can make amends with everyone we’ve unknowingly placed a burden on,” Intelligent Katarina explained, “without us being there, everyone else can continue to live their lives in peace, and we can live in peace knowing that the worst has already happened.”
The council remained silent once more, until said silence was breached by a hesitant looking Timid Katarina.
“But……if we leave, won’t that cause everyone we love to worry about us?” she asked, her gaze uncertain as she stared at Intelligent Katarina, “won’t they…..won’t they try and find us if we just up and disappear?”
The rest of the council murmured in agreement, causing Intelligent Katarina to once more resume speaking.
“That is of course a genuine possibility, however with all our preparations and some clever planning I’m sure we can avoid any and all attempts at bringing us back,” she said, letting out a small sad sounding sigh, “besides, once they realize how good they have it now that we are gone, I’m certain that they’ll forget all about attempting to locate us anymore, as sad as such a thing might seem.”
The rest of the council once more murmured in agreement, all except Timid Katarina, who still looked relatively uncertain. However, she made no move to protest.
“Very well, as Chairwoman of this council, I approve this course of action suggested by Intelligent Katarina,” Chairwoman Katarina said, banging her gavel down as a sign that the meeting was now concluded, “as soon as everyone has gone to bed, we shall make preparations to leave for our self-imposed exile!”
For once, in the council’s entire life, not a single member celebrated the successful drawing of a conclusion. Instead, they all simply remained silent.
Katarina’s expression calmed, her frustration melting away until only sadness remained.
It was for the best, it truly was. Without her there to drag them all down, her friends would surely flourish into the people they were meant to be if she hadn’t come along. They’d be confused and upset at first, but Katarina was certain they’d forget all about her if given enough time to experience the joys of life without her. Not only that, but her mother would also get her wish. She’d finally be able to focus her full and undivided attention on the child she actually loved.
Everyone wins.
Everyone……………except maybe her.
But who cares about that?
"Come on, Pochi," Katarina said, wiping away the remaining tears on her face before sitting up from her bed, causing him to slip off her stomach and down onto her lap.
"We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want to be ready to leave by midnight."
As soon as the clock struck midnight and everyone else, as far as she knew, was asleep, Katarina practically sprung out of her bed, summoned Pochi, and began her preparations to leave.
Ever since Katarina was young, she had been slowly developing a plan and gathering resources in the event that she ever had to place herself in self-appointed exile. However, she never thought the day would come that she would have to genuinely use it.
Until now, that is.
Firstly, to begin her plan, Katarina informed her loyal and probably equally burdened maid, Anne, that she was feeling unwell due to heatstroke and would not be able to make it to dinner. Anne, of course, worried heavily about her, especially upon seeing the redness in her eyes. However, thanks to her reassurances, Anne merely insisted that Katarina get a good night's rest, drink plenty of water, and told her that she would bring her dinner to her room. Of course, Katarina would not eat this dinner tonight, but rather she would store it away in a little knapsack as emergency travel rations, along with whatever she could gather up from her ever growing farm.
If a part of Katarina desperately wanted to ask Anne to accompany her in her self-directed exile, she quickly smothered it. Anne deserved far better than to be strolling through the countryside with her, especially after all Katarina had put her through.
No, at long last, it was time for Anne to rest, to be released from the burden of taking care of her anymore. Katarina could take care of herself from now on, and if she needed company, she would simply turn to Pochi.
And if Keith or anyone else came inside to check on her well-being, well, Katarina merely laid down in her bed, lifted the covers over her head and feigned sleep.
Secondly, over the years, Katarina had stored away many simple dresses that she had hand sewn with spare material she had gathered from old dresses that no longer fit in the event of an exile, as she would need none-noble attire to wear so that she didn’t get herself mugged for looking too rich. Katarina also packed these away as well, only leaving one out for her to change into when it came time to leave.
She would keep her shoes. Good leather was hard to come by, and leather shoes would last infinitely better than any sort of high heels or commoner sandals she could scrape up at the last minute. She’d also gone to the effort of sewing herself a long plain-looking cloak, just in case the road got colder than she originally expected.
Thirdly, Katarina had been saving a small bit of her weekly allowance into a rather large piggy bank hidden in a small groove at the back of her cupboard ever since she had gotten her memories. Safe to say, she had saved quite a sum of money, which would come in handy for both travelling and setting herself up wherever she chose to. She too packed this away, making sure to hide it underneath her clothes so that it wasn’t obvious to any would-be thieves.
Fourthly, Katarina had decided long ago that in the event of an exile, she would have an idea of where she was going, so she could prepare herself accordingly if need be. After looking at numerous maps and globes of the different countries, towns, and villages, she’d ended up choosing a small farming village just on the very edge of the Sorcierian border, drawing near to the kingdom of Ethenell. It was close enough to the border that it would be an easy jump over if the need to run came about, but it was also within safe Sorcerian territory.
If the visit she’d somehow convinced her father to take her on when she was just twelve years old had anything to say about it, the village was quite friendly and close-knit, meaning she would have no trouble blending in and setting up a life there if need be. She made sure to pack a map with her so that she would not get lost on the road whilst travelling there.
Fifthly, whilst Katarina wasn’t the brightest in her friendship group, she liked to think that she at least wasn’t a complete and utter idiot. She knew that travelling on the road would come with unforeseen dangers, especially considering she was a rather young and somewhat attractive lady. That was why she was planning on bringing her trusty hoe with her, as both a future farming tool and a potential weapon if need be.
Not only would it not draw as much attention as a sword would, which she had initially considered but decided was too risky, but it was also something she could justify carrying on her person. Katarina had spent a significant amount of time practising using the hoe as a weapon, and she had discovered that with some practice, it came as naturally to her as using any sword.
That, and since she acquired Pochi, she at least now knew that she had a back up plan in case this didn’t work. Although he was cute and cuddly, Katarina was sure that he could pack a punch if need be. From what she’d seen, anything involving dark magic tended to be quite dangerous and or powerful. She was sure, if push came to shove, that Pochi was no exception.
Finally, Katarina knew that Anne checked on her all throughout the night to make sure her blanket hadn’t been kicked off while she was sleeping. It was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her, even if it had the potential to make future self-exile escape attempts much harder than they needed to be. Luckily, Katarina had had plenty of time to workshop something to buy her some much needed time, so she could at least get a head start.
Using her rather impressive, if she didn’t say so herself, art skills, Katarina had managed to sculpt a realistic looking bust of her head up to at least her shoulders. She’d modified it whenever she needed to over the years, and had safely stored it away underneath some old clothes in her cupboard.
The bust was, of course, hairless, as Katarina didn’t want to risk attaching hair to it just in case her hair length changed when she needed to use it. However, upon giving herself a quick haircut with some small gardening shears she was planning to store away to about just below her chin, (something which also ironically doubled as a somewhat clever disguise), she promptly added this finishing touch, using any left over hair to make her bangs and fringe. She then stripped down and proceeded to dress it in the nightgown she had been wearing, plumping up some pillows to form a makeshift body like she used to do in her past life whenever she wanted to sneak out in order to hang out with Aachan.
Upon setting up her duplicate, Katarina then changed into her commoner attire, which was a rather plain looking dress with her usual brown boots, fake glasses, and a large wide-brimmed hat. Katarina then slung her hoe over her shoulder and looked at the fruits, both literally and metaphorically, if the food she had subtly collected from her farm had been any indication, of her years of preparatory labor.
Katarina stared down at her doom journal, picking it up in her hands as she contemplated whether or not to bring it with her. After a few moments of thinking on it, Katarina eventually decided against it, slipping it back into its usual space under her bed without a second thought.
Katarina then ran her hands through her, now infinitely much shorter, light brown hair, letting out a small sigh before making her way over to her desk, her bag full of supplies safely slung over her shoulder along with her hoe. She hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if she should even bother with it, before making up her mind and placing the letter she had spent the evening writing for her friends and family on her desk, propping it up with her two bracelets that she usually wore with her white gloves.
She knew none of them would probably read it, but it had made her feel somewhat better by writing it for them anyway. It at least brought her some form of closure in regard to the end of her life with them.
Katarina then turned, smiling down at Pochi with a rather bittersweet-looking smile.
"Well then, Pochi. I guess this is it," she said, crouching down to give him a small pat on the top of her head, "let’s go, we’ve got a long journey ahead of us."
Pochi let out a small bark, before jumping up onto my shoulder, giving my cheek an affectionate lick.
Katarina let out a small giggle, ruffling his dark fur briefly before she made her way over to her balcony once more. Katarina cracked open the balcony doors, stepping out onto the balcony. Katarina made her way over to the edge of the balcony, took a deep breath, and then swung her leg over the side of it.
‘Goodbye, everyone. I wish you all a long and happy life now that I’m no longer here to ruin everything.'
And with that thought in her head, Katarina took off into the dead of night, with not a single soul awake to see or hear it.
She was simply just………gone.