Months quickly went by, and Katherine started training the three kids in proper etiquette.
At first, the three of them were excited, thinking about how fancy they were going to be after the training.
But they soon realized it was the most tedious and painful act to perform, even when it served no practical purpose.
For Alex and Mary, it wasn't too difficult to learn the proper manner within the mouth passed.
However, Sophia found learning the new manner very difficult. This was partially due to the fact that she was already ten years old.
More importantly, she encountered a problem that would haunt Alex later in life.
---
"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 lifted her from the bed, and Alex and Mary followed her to the restroom.
"Period? What's that?" Mary curiously asked as the two watched Katherine put Sophia down inside an empty wooden bathtub.
"it's something all girls have. It comes once a month... 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.
"Mom... What if Alex has a period too?"
Sophia's question made Katherine froze for a second, but she quickly shook her head.
"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.
Katherine thought for a second, then turned back around to bring Alex back inside.
"Mom, I know what a period is, and I'm sure it won't happen to me. I don't need to watch this."
Alex tried to run away, not wanting to haunt himself at night, but Katherine forcefully dragged him back next to Mary.
"Doesn't matter. She's just your sister. Besides, I need you to learn how to care for yourself in case it happens."
As Katherine turned her back around, Sophia's face blushed red, and all three of their attention was now on her reddish skirt.
"Ahem, so when you are about to have a period, you want to wear a pad attached to your panties here. Mary, can you bring a new pair for Sophia?"
With Mary running out of the room, Katherine went into the sink drawer to find a rectangular cloth with mysterious padding inside.
After Mary returned with the panties, she started tying the string on the side of the rectangular cloth to the panties.
As soon as the string on the side was pulled to tighten, the padding suddenly started inflating until it fully fluffed up like a mini-cake.
"Okay, now you can just wear this and wash it when your period ends... It should be able to absorb all of the period's blood for several days.
But remember, don't lose it. I spent a lot of time making this, and I don't have the material for extra ones." Katherine warned.
With Sophia nodding in agreement, Katherine began removing her slightly reddish skirt.
"So much blood!" Mary pointed out as Sophia's panties were soaked in blood.
"It probably built up for a while... Sophia, when did this happen to you?" Katherine asked as she began removing the panties.
"This morning. But I did feel a little leg cramp for a few days now." Sophia shyly whispered.
"That makes sense. Anyway, don't be scared. There will be less in the future.
Although it depends from person to person, as long as you eat healthy food before it appears, it should be a lot less severe."
Sophia's face blushed red again as she thought back to the last few days of eating meat and cake for her birthday.
"Okay..."
After Katherine finished wiping the blood off Sophia, she helped her wear her new pair of panties.
For the rest of the day, Sophia rested on the bed while the other two went back to being taught by Katherine.
When the next day arrived, Sophia was good enough to walk around and rejoin the other two.
A few days after that, she was fully back to her usual self.
---
Time soon flew by, and the three of them finally finished every manner lesson that Katherine knew of.
But still, the trip that Katherine promised was nowhere in sight, as the time was now just fully dedicated to Katherine's math and language sessions.
"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 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 up, Katherine interrupted her.
"I don't want to go, okay? Is that the answer you wanted?"
Katherine's outburst made all three of them jump 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..."
Seeing Katherine apologizing and looking down at the table filled with sadness, Sophia and Alex both felt a little guilty.
Especially as she remained silent, not picking up any of the food as if the word capital was triggering some memories inside her mind.
"If you guys really want, I can have someone bring you guys there to be with your grandparents," Katherine suddenly suggested.
After a short silence, Alex spoke up first.
"It's fine, Mom. I'd rather 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."
Hearing Alex and Sophia both choosing to be with her, Katherine felt a little touched.
"Me too! I-I never wanted to go to the capital!" Mary chimed in.
"Thank you..." Katherine murmured as she held in the urge to cry, with everyone resuming back to eating the food at the table.
---
Ever since that day, all three of them stopped asking Katherine about going to the capital.
Soon, another year flew past.
Sophia was now twelve years old, and Alex's ten-year-old birthday had just finished recently.
Meanwhile, Mary's eight-year-old birthday was only one month away.
Just as the three thought they were going to continue living in the town together until they were adults, a surprise announcement came.
---
"We're going to the capital after Mary's birthday," Katherine announced as the four of them ate lunch at 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 face 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!"
---
A month quickly went by.
Mary's birthday was like every other birthday in the family.
The four celebrated by eating cakes and singing a happy birthday song that Alex 'created' himself.
The day after, the four of them had already packed everything the night before as they entered the horse wagon standing by the door.
"I kind of miss home already," Sophia murmured, sitting alongside Alex and Mary with their luggage in the back of the wagon.
"Well, too bad now!" Katherine excitedly yelled as she signaled the horse to go.
"Geez... Why does Mom look so excited?" Mary quietly asked.
"I have no clue. Maybe she just likes being the driver," Alex replied as he opened the cloth on the side of the wagon.
Outside were a bunch of farm fields, as 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 laughed as she replied to the three.
The three kids didn't understand why she was laughing until the horse wagon left the town road.
It became a nightmare session as the roads were filled with occasional rocks that made the entire wagon jump upward.
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 to himself as he started to get sick as well.
Meanwhile, Mary was somehow completely fine.
To her, it was almost like a rollercoaster—extremely fun without the scary part, as she never thought of it falling apart.