Sue and Ann exchanged a glance, then ran forward, grabbing wooden poles and joining the fight.
"Go!" Una shouted, and the other girls quickly followed suit. "Go!"
The entire scene turned into chaos. The villagers had the advantage in numbers, but they fought clumsily and without coordination. In contrast, Natalie's group worked together seamlessly.
On top of that, the village women were visibly shaken. It wasn't long before the battle was over, and Natalie's side had won.
Maverick lay pinned under Marcus' foot, and his face was pressed against the dirt as he continued spewing curses.
Marcus pressed down harder, and soon enough, Maverick could no longer speak.
The other villagers had all been subdued. Natalie turned to the crowd, stepping under the red flag as she swept a cold gaze over all the villagers present.
"Anyone else not convinced?"
Her voice was cold as she continued, "If you're not convinced, step up. I'll beat you into submission myself. The days of you lot playing petty tyrants are over. Are girls' lives worth nothing to you?
"They are your daughters, not your enemies. What gives you the right to treat them like this? Do girls have to be born inferior? Do they deserve to be belittled and discarded?
"And you!" She pointed at the group of women in the crowd. "You've been through this suffering yourselves. So why would you force your daughters to endure it too?
"Instead of hoping for a better life for them, you're dragging them into the same pit of misery. Is that your idea of being a mother? Having mothers like you is the real tragedy in their lives."
"Natalie!" Maverick yelled. "Stop pretending to be so righteous! We all know you're just training them to be your maids in the future."
Natalie laughed out of anger. "My maids? Are you serious? Before I came, what kind of lives were they living? And since I arrived, what kind of life have they had?
"If not for Lynette and the other girls, do you think we would've stayed and helped your village? Scum like you don't deserve our help."
Her words were blunt and sharp-edged.
Federrick had warned her about this place long ago. He told her that the men here were selfish and arrogant. They treated women as nothing more than disposable tools.
In some families, if too many girls were born, the younger ones would be thrown into the mountains or drowned.
Federrick had made it clear that there was no need to show mercy to men like these. That was why she immediately used force to suppress them after their first negotiation fell through.
When talking didn't work, a show of force did the job.
Now, things had simply come full circle.
But they hadn't fought for nothing. At the very least, the girls here had learned something. They had learned that men and women were equal.
That they were just as capable as anyone else.
That they could forge their own path forward.
Federrick had always been a kind man. He never sought anything in return for the children he saved. Who knew how many there had been?
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