Chapter 9: You’re a woman (I)?

Chapter 9: You're a woman (I)?

Charlie Green, an enthusiastic field girl who leads Rowan, a wandering squire hoping to pursue the career of knighthood through the teachings and education of the Nightwind State Military Academy. 

After being asked if she was a single person, she followed up by giving her name.

"And my name- it is Rowan Bonheur. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Rowan. You should stay in my home tonight! Seeing how you saved me and all, daddy wouldn't mind!" (Charlie) was very bold and charming, her smile was so bright it could light up the whole room. 

Rowan takes in that smile but still, she shouldn't be letting people drag her to wherever even if it's a cute little fox like her calling the shots. 

"Is it… really alright for me? I wouldn't want to intrude, Miss Charlie." (Rowan) asks the girl who stops at her tracks and assures her that it's alright for her to stay at her home. 

"My daddy owns most of the fields here and I try not to ahem… boast but my family is a big deal here and it's okay, we have plenty of rooms." (Charlie) assures her with a thick accent to which Rowan having saved her, Miss Charlie Green feels indebted and wants to repay her savior properly. 

"Alright… I will be in your care." (Rowan) replies shyly, not being used to someone leading her on. 

"You certainly are in the Green family's care now!" 

…

Destination: Green Family Estate

…

Rowan stands still at the iron gates and a few men in uniform opened them, expecting to see the little miss back home so soon. 

"Welcome home, Miss Green." The guards greeted her politely, watching over Rowan who was carrying over a trunk and looking around in curiosity. 

"Delighted to be back home." (Charlie) greets and continues on walking inside with Rowan in tow. 

"This is your home?" (Rowan) asks, feeling a bit intimidated by everything she was seeing- from the grand road leading up to her home, the number guards patrolling around the area, and realizing that this was no ordinary girl that she just saved. 

Charlie nods. 

"Yes, it is my home. Do you like it?" She seemed expectant that she would say yes and Rowan could only marvel at how huge this place was.

Granted she lived in a Duke's mansion but never with such an open field estate such as this. They arrive inside at the huge estate with a lot of stables inside as well as a garden with pruned bushes and trees. 

"You're… very well off, Miss Charlie." From the way the girl dressed she expected a normal common home. 

"Perks of my daddy owning a successful business. He's the best he lets me do whatever I want as long as it ain't doin' anything bad." (Charlie) crosses her arms and smiles. 

"I see… Your father is a nice man."

"Our family didn't always come from the golden spoons but with some luck and prayers we're now selling horses to the highest bidder." It seems that Miss Charlie Green's family came from a humble agricultural background before digging gold and buying everything they've ever wanted but never forgetting their roots of hard upbringing. "Oh- Sorry about my ramblin' is it too much? Other people tell me I talk too much. You can talk about yourself too, if you'd like, where you're from and family, ya know all that." 

Rowan shakes her head, there shouldn't be a need to be affiliated with a stranger she'll only be with for a day. "No… I think it's nice, please continue if you'd like to share more about yourself." 

"You're sweet-! You and my daddy will certainly get along. We're almost there!" 

The walk towards the front door of the estate was certainly a while, it took them a solid three minutes before they arrived at the door from the iron gates, there were guards in every corner and Rowan was not expecting how her luck would turn out like this. 

"I'm home!"

"Pardon the intrusion."

The door opens and reveals a wide area inside, with so many doors, portraits on the walls and carpets on the floor. Everything looked expensive and could be worth a fortune- it seems that the little miss has given her so much trust that she doesn't even hesitate to think that Rowan could be a thief.

"I'll fetch daddy and tell him the day I had! He'll give you a proper reward for saving me too so please I'll have one of my good servants escort you to one of our guest rooms." (Charlie) claps her hands and gestures to one of the elderly servants. 

"Please find her a good room to stay in. Is daddy still in my office?"

"Yes milady, he has been expecting you from your visit in the village."

Charlie was chipper and went into another way with a dozen servants in her tow behind her. "Wonderful I have someone here that I'd like for daddy to meet. Mind asking a few of the maids to help her get settled in?"

A few of her maids volunteered and offered to carry Rowan's trunk of belongings for her. 

"Of course, young miss." 

Rowan held her trunk tightly and refused their offer to carry her things. 

"It is alright. I can carry my trunk." She was overprotective about the only things she owns now and had a bit of trouble with new people being left with it. 

"I shall escort you to the young miss' guest room then. Please follow me." Says one of the maids, motioning for her to follow behind. Rowan nods slightly following her into a stranger's… grand home estate.

It seemed like a long walk to the guest room, but soon they arrived and the 'guest room' that they have could easily support one common family because it had everything it needed. "The Lord of the estate will be expecting to meet you, based on the young miss' words I would suggest you get ready and be presentable for meeting with him."

Rowan blinks at the word, 'presentable'. Is what she's wearing not considered as presentable? It was a brown dress paired with white- and boots for traveling. "I… see… um… Do you mean I have to dress formally to meet him?" 

"Yes, if it would be possible." 

"I… don't have any formal clothing on me."

The maid turns to the closet and points at it with a smile. "There are a few of them in the guest closet, miss. If that will be all I shall get going to tell the young miss that you'll be meeting them in a few moments." 

"Thank you." (Rowan) tells her and the maid excuses herself before leaving Rowan all alone in the guest room.

The closet seemed big and there were already clothes inside of it. She looked through all of it and realized it was all formal clothing, yes, but for men. 

It consisted of pants with many different colors, coats from different lengths and a lapel with ties. All types of boots were at the very bottom, as well as black socks- everything were all tailored with high quality silk and fabric that she hesitated on even touching it. 

"..."

Some were in her sizes- considering that she wasn't a noblewoman anymore and men's clothing are far more comfortable, versatile and convenient, she was tempted to wear them. "..."

But if wearing men's clothes would offend the lord with this decision?

"But I don't have anything on me- I never expected to meet the lord of the village… I should've packed a dress." (Rowan) stares at the mirror that was in the closet and sighed. She decided that it would be better for her to wear something formal then meet the lord in a dirty old dress. 

Rowan takes a few pieces of clothing, finding the right sizes and pairs that would be complimenting her red hair. 

"Okay… Um… This is hard to choose." She mutters to herself feeling a bit stressed, normally her sister would help her with these types of problems and always trusted her intuition when it came to fashion.

She closed her eyes, calming herself down.

"If there's anything I learned… is that black goes well with red." 

Rowan nodded to herself getting ready to find all the black pieces putting them all together, studying the patterns of the coats as well as the pants until she finally sighed a breath of relief finding the perfect set. 

The red haired girl placed a hand on her waist and remembered something.

"...sniff."

"I stink."

Thankfully for a luxurious guest room there was a private shower available, she wasted no time in cleaning herself and drying her long crimson red hair before putting on the set of clothes she had in front of her. 

From the black paints-

"..."

The white blouse didn't fit her because of her chest.

"Hngh…" 

She decided in order to fit she needed to bind her chest, a painful sacrifice to do but at least she fitted. Adding a long coat with a bit of a fur lapel and white gloves to give that color contrast. 

Miss Rowan Bonheur was ready.

She faced the mirror after her long hour of hard work. "I sort of… look like a man." But it's better than her old dress so she decided this is her formal outfit for the day. 

Rowan takes out the scrunchie she got from the crown princess and uses it to tie her hair up, facing the mirror once more to talk to herself- acting like Lord Green was right in front of her.

"I am delighted to meet you, Lord Green. I am… Rowan Bonheur a humble traveler looking to buy a horse and to… um… enroll in Nightwind Military… Academy? No, that's a bit awkward to add for now." She was a bit disappointed in herself, because despite being surrounded by so many people- even back home she was a bit awkward introducing herself or even making small talk for long. 

A strong woman with a little dent in socializing, she wants to get better but Rowan knows that might take a while. 

"I should let Miss Charlie do the talking."