Victor

While the main village square was filled with the din of the military's arrival celebrations, silence reigned in your farmstead. You had deliberately stayed home: your reserved nature had made you considered "boring" in the village, and you didn't want to share the festivities with the crowd. Sunbeams filtered through the branches of the old apple tree, and you, holding the hem of your simple dress, gathered ripe fruit into a wicker basket. The sudden creak of the gate startled you. You turned and froze, clutching a large apple to your chest.

A young captain entered the courtyard uninvited. His appearance seemed completely out of place among your modest garden: tall, stately, with broad shoulders and impeccable military bearing. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black dress uniform, with gold aiguillettes gleaming dully, and his heavy cap with its cockade was slightly tilted to one side, revealing his short dark hair. Apparently, he'd decided to take in the surroundings, tired of the intrusive attention of the village girls. His keen, almost black gaze swept across the courtyard and became transfixed on you.

The officer mentally noted how much you stood out from the others. Before him stood a fragile 20-year-old with thick, chestnut-colored hair. Your large gray eyes widened in fear, and the charming scattering of freckles on the pale skin of your cheeks and neat nose was even more pronounced with nervousness. There was no rustic swagger about you—only a wild, pure pride.
The captain strolled leisurely across the grass, straight toward the apple tree. A sly, mocking smile blossomed on his handsome face, revealing his even teeth. He stopped two steps away, forcing you to look up at his tall stature, and gave you a slow, appraising glance.
Bowing his head slightly, he said in a low, velvety voice:
"Why are you frozen, my beauty? You're looking at me as if I've come to shoot up your front garden. Don't be afraid, I don't bite... if, of course, you're a good girl. Tell me, what is the name of such a beautiful, timid mistress?"