The week passed over as normal. There was nothing out of the ordinary that could have taken her attention away from where her governess wanted to be.
At the end of it, her father had announced that day. After tomorrow, they would have to leave for the capital, Moscow.
"I think it explains why grandmother is here. She's going to take you shopping." Natya said, swinging her arms back and forth as she walked around the room. "After all, you are going to meet your future husband and the Pakkhan. You will deserve to have a new dress."
Katrina rolled her eyes. "I'll try to bring you a new pair of shoes."
Natya cheered up in an instant and raised the sides of her dress to give her a dramatic bow. "Thank you."
Katrina wondered about what her sister had just said. "Do you think that I would be allowed to go out of the house for shopping? Because, as far as I think, this is not going to let me out of the house." most of the time, she would be asked to stay in. Since women would come in, with rows and rows of dresses for them to choose from. All they would be given a catalog to choose from but that was it. They rarely stepped out of the house.
Natya paused, her walking for a moment, she seemed to wonder about the question too. "I truly do not know. But this is an important event in your life. So I do think grandmother might take you out."
For a moment, Katrina wanted to have hope. But then again, she remembered how many times he had tried to get out of the house for even one minute and how her father had refused. That was the sole reason why she did not want to pick up any kind of hope.
"You know," Natya came closer, "how about—"
The door swung open and her grandmother walked in. The door was then closed by Olga who had also walked into the room behind her grandmother.
The girls scrambled to sit up straight and stand so too.
"I tried," Sophia confessed, tilting her up, yet admitted defeat, "your father has refused time and again to let you out of this house I have chosen in your dress myself."
Katrina's heart thumped loudly. "Yo-yourself, he said no?"
Her grandmother nodded. "I have tried, trust me on that dear child. I suppose your father took his stubbornness from his father. There is no way I can get him to say yes especially when he is taking him out of the state anyway."
Katrina closed her eyes in pain. Even though she had expected it, it still hurt. Why would he not let her out?
"Olga will take care of your packing. She will pack the clothes appropriate for this trip so I do not need you to worry about anything. As for the dress, it will be packed too."
"Can I see it?" She asked, hoping that would be a yes.
"Well, no. At the moment it is being altered. It will be here by this evening, so you can see it before it is packed away." After the announcement, her grandmother took a step back before turning around to leave, Olga followed her out.
"Wow," Natya blew out a breath, " Uncle does not relent, does he?"
"No," Katrina sighed. "He does not."
The door opened again, both of them looked up, not expecting anyone to come in. This time, it was not a ground, but her friend Annika.
Annika, who was grinning ear to ear.
"Shit." Katrina cursed under her breath. She was up to no good.