Months quickly went by...
Katherine finally started training her kids in proper etiquette. At first, the three of them were excited.
They were all thinking about how fancy they would be after the training. But they soon regretted it.
Most of the stuff served no practical purpose, ranging from eating only after their seniors to how to address people in a formal setting.
For Alex and Mary, it wasn't too difficult to learn the proper manner of mouth passed. However, Sophia found it extremely annoying.
This was partially because she was already ten years old. But more importantly, she encountered a problem that would soon haunt Alex later.
---
"Mom... Am I dying?"
Sophia weakly asked as she remained on the bed, her face looking a little pale as if she had just been stabbed or something.
"No, you silly. You're just having your first period. I should have prepared this in advance for you."
Katherine apologized as she gently lifted her from the bed, signaling Alex and Mary to follow her to the restroom.
"Period? What's that?" Mary curiously asked as they watched Katherine put Sophia down inside an empty bathtub.
"It's something all girls have. It comes every month for a few days... Ahem, Alex, can you leave the restroom for a second?"
Just as Alex was about to turn around and leave, Sophia's words made him stop right by the door.
"Wait, Mom... What if Alex has a period too?"
Sophia's question made Katherine freeze for a second, but she quickly shook her head before continuing to push him out.
"He's a boy. He's not going to have——"
"But we both know he's... a little different."
Sophia blushed as she thought back to the last time they took a shower together. Her lips were unable to continue any further.
Katherine thought for a second, then turned back around to bring Alex inside despite his wish to remain outside the restroom.
"Mom, I know what a period is. I read it in the books before, and I'm sure it won't happen to me. I really don't need to see this."
Alex pleaded as he tried to wrestle out of her hands, but Katherine was just too strong for him to fight back.
"Don't be shy. She's just your sister... Besides, I need you to learn how to care for yourself in case it actually happens."
As Katherine turned her attention back to Sophia, her face had flushed red in embarrassment.
Both of her siblings were looking at her with curiosity, almost as if they were looking at some exotic animal in a cage.
"Ahem, so what your sister is having is called a period... What you want to put on is something that covers all the blood that comes out of your lower body.
For me and many other women, we use a little pad attached to our panties here... Mary, can you bring Sophia a new pair of skirts and panties?"
With Mary running out of the room, Katherine quickly headed over to the sink drawer to find a rectangular cloth with mysterious-looking padding inside.
The moment Mary returned with the clean clothes, Katherine began attaching the rectangular cloth to the new pair of panties.
Its soft string on the side instantly tightened up as the padding suddenly started inflating until it fully fluffed up into small, soft cushions.
"Okay, now you can just wear this with your panties and wash away the padding when your period ends.
It should be able to absorb all of the blood. But remember, don't lose it. I spent a lot of time making this..." Katherine warned.
With Sophia nodding in agreement, Katherine began taking off her slightly reddish skirt before making all three of them look shocked.
"So much blood!" Mary pointed out after noticing Sophia's panties were soaking red as if she had just been stabbed in the leg.
"It probably built up for a while... Sophia, when did this happen to you?" Katherine quietly asked as she began pulling down the dirty panties.
"I-I think this morning... But I have felt a little leg cramp for a few days now," Sophia shyly whispered.
"Next time, tell me right away rather than hiding it yourself, okay? Don't be scared to tell your mother about your body."
Sophia nodded in silence as Katherine started wiping her crotch with a clean towel right before the two of them stood there.
"There will be less in the future... To avoid having a severe period, you need to start eating healthier food a few days before, okay?"
Sophia's face blushed red again as she thought back to the last few days of eating meat and cake for her birthday.
"Okay..."
For the rest of the day, Sophia rested on the bed while Alex and Mary were taught about writing and reading in the living room instead.
When the next day arrived, Sophia was finally good enough to walk around and rejoin them in learning more about manners.
A few days after that, she was fully back to her usual self. It was almost as if nothing had happened, as everything returned to normal.
---
A few months later...
"Mom, when are we moving back to the capital? I thought we were leaving after we finished learning proper etiquette."
Alex questioned as the four of them sat at the dining table, eating the food that Katherine had just cooked a few minutes ago.
"Soon... Just be patient, sweetie." Katherine calmly replied as she picked up the lettuce-like vegetable with her fork.
"But it has been a year——" Before Sophia could finish speaking, Katherine interrupted her.
"I don't want to go this early, okay? Is that the answer you wanted?"
Katherine's outburst made all three of them a little scared for a second, but it soon fell into an awkward silence.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you guys. I just don't want to go back to the capital..."
Hearing her apologize and looking down at the table filled with sadness, Sophia and Alex both felt a little guilty.
It was clear that something about the capital was triggering a bad memory in her as she remained still, not picking up any of the food she had cooked.
"If you guys really want to go to the capital, I can have someone bring you guys there to be with your grandparents instead."
Katherine's suggestion was met with dead silence as all three of them looked back at her before Alex spoke up first.
"It's fine, Mom. I'd rather live in the village and be here with you. I don't want to go to the capital without you."
"Yeah... There's no point if we can't experience it with you." Sophia added next.
Hearing both of them choosing to be with her, Katherine felt a little touched as her heart began to soften.
"Me too! I-I never wanted to go to the capital!" Mary quickly chimed in.
"Thank you guys..." Katherine murmured as she held in the urge to cry, her hands resuming to eat the food on the table.
Ever since that day, all three of them stopped asking Katherine about going to the capital, even as a whole year soon flew by.
Sophia was now twelve years old, and they had just finished celebrating Alex's tenth birthday.
Meanwhile, Mary's eighth birthday was just around the corner. A month away, to be exact.
Just as the three of them thought they were just going to live in the small village, maybe for the rest of their lives, a surprise announcement came.
---
"We're going to the capital after Mary's birthday," Katherine announced as she put the last dish onto the table.
All three of the kids rubbed their ears and shook their heads in unison as if they couldn't believe what Katherine had just announced.
"Mom, you aren't joking?" Sophia asked with uncertainty.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Katherine questioned, looking back at her with a fully serious face.
Within seconds, all three of the kids yelled out in excitement as they realized they were finally going on the trip.
"Mom, you're the best!"
All three of the kid ran up and kissed her on the cheek before running back to their seats.
"Yeah, yeah, anyway, you guys better say goodbye to all your friends in the town. We aren't coming back once we move there."
"Okay!"
The house soon filled with laughter and chatter as everyone began preparing for the move.
Days turned into weeks, and before they knew it, a month had quickly gone by as Mary's birthday arrived.
They celebrated by eating the cakes Katherine had brought from the bakery and singing a happy birthday song that Alex 'created' himself.
After the birthday, the four of them had already packed everything the night before as they entered the horse wagon one by one.
"I kind of miss home already. We had lived there for so long..."
Sophia murmured, sitting alongside Alex and Mary with their luggage in the back of the wagon as their home was now a distant image.
"Well, too bad now," Katherine replied as she gently kicked the horses to start moving the wagon again.
"Geez. Why does Mom look so excited? Wasn't she the one who didn't want to go?" Mary quietly asked.
"I have no clue. Maybe she just likes being in the wagon driver," Alex replied as he opened the side flaps of the wagon.
Looking outside, there were a bunch of farm fields. They still hadn't driven out of the town's proximity.
"Mom, how long is this trip going to take?" Sophia asked out loud as the wagon wheel was starting to get louder and louder.
"About a week... I hope you all are prepared." Katherine suddenly started laughing as the horses began to speed up.
The three kids didn't understand why she was laughing until the horse wagon left the paved town road.
It was quickly becoming a nightmare session for all three of the kids in the back as the roads were filled with rocks that made the entire wagon jump upward.
There was zero suspension on the wagon. Even the smallest uphill and downhill made the bench that the three kids sit on swing up and down.
"I'm going to get sick from this..." Sophia complained as she started to think the entire wagon was going to fall apart.
"There's no way in hell that someone didn't think of inventing suspension on the wheel," Alex murmured as he held in the urge to throw up.
Meanwhile, Mary was somehow completely fine. To her, it was almost like a rollercoaster—extremely fun without the scary part.
There was no fear in her eyes, no thoughts in her mind that the wagon would break apart after all the jumps.