The Kids Have Changed - Chapter 17

“Julien knew that we had people watching him.”

“Of course he did. He lives under such scrutiny every day, and he’s very quick-witted.”

“Ah…”

I felt a bit disconcerted at the moment.

“…That’s not just speculation. You’re certain of it,” I said.

Madame DeJoue smiled gently.

“I also know for certain that you’re not the same Lady Sharon as before.”

“That…”

I clicked my tongue.

It was as if we were one step closer to each other’s secrets.

“Shall we make a bet, miss? Who will figure out the other first?”

“…Sure.”

Madame DeJoue was someone who was actually from this world, so I had a good chance of winning.

“What shall we wager on?”

“Something classic would be good. Miss, how about we grant one wish?”
“No matter what we wish for?”
“Of course.”

…I feel like I’ve made a dangerous bet with the darkest and most opaque curtain in the world.

I gulped and nodded my head.

It’ll be okay as long as I win.

Let’s go!

***

It was nearly 11 p.m. when I returned home last night.

“Haaaa—m.” I yawned.

I couldn’t sleep, so I ended up reading a book that was as thick as my palm. Because of that, I was able to close my eyes as I saw the eastern sky.

What sort of light is that…

“Ugh… I’m sleepy.”

“…Sharon, you just woke up. You shouldn’t say that.”

“What did I do?”

Carol quietly gazed at the clock.

“You don’t know how to read the time.”

“But I know that you know what time it is right now. And I know that I’m eating dinner right now.”

Her words pierced me. I  ducked my head.

“You’re so clever, Carol!”

Despite my praise, Carol sighed. She was probably sulking because I left her alone all day. I felt tense, seeing how dejectedly she pushed around the salad on her plate.

“D- did something happen? While I was asleep?”

“Nothing happened. Just… I went to lessons alone and studied alone, so it was no fun.”

“Huh?”

“I was quite lonesome.”

…Recently, I feel like the kids were precocious in the way that they talked.

I gave a warning look to Madame DeJoue and Madame Berna, who were laughing at me from behind.

If Carol heard them laughing, Carol would be even more upset. And I would be the one who would have to deal with it.

“It was my fault. I made our puppy feel lonely.”

“My face was super swollen today that I couldn’t see anything in front of me…”

Of course it was, after she cried so much yesterday. Though, I had been blessed by the author, so I woke up with a normal face…

“But Carol, where did you hear the word ‘super’?”

“…Sharon, it’s a word that you use.”

Ah, I told myself to watch my mouth!

I covered my loose lips with my palm.

“Don’t worry. You’re careful in front of the adults.”

What… It felt like Carol had grown up a bit.

Why was she acting like an adult, all of a sudden?

It wasn’t like her.

How should I appease her in this situation?

I looked intensely at Carol’s swollen face. It was clear that she was acting like this because she felt upset.

“I’ll play with you tomorrow.”

“I have a lesson tomorrow.”

“Then we can play afterwards!”
“Really?”

“Of course!”
I nodded enthusiastically. It was too easy to cheer her up.

I was thinking about taking her to the candy store she mentioned before. After all, kids love sweet things.

“Hehehehe— ahem. Really?”
Carol couldn’t stop the laughter from passing through her lips, and so she tried to cover it up by clearing her throat and looking serious.

Hey, it was already too late.

She already revealed herself, so there was no need to hide like this.

I looked at her, tilting my head. Carol put her face in her cheeks and started shaking her head.

“You really promise, right?”
“I already said yes. But.”

“But?”

Carol stopped moving her head. I could see reflected in her big, dark green eyes that she was laughing at me.

She was enjoying this situation.

I felt the evil parts of myself wake up.

“You need to get 10 questions right on your history exam!”
“Aaaaack!”

Carol screamed and opened her mouth wide. Her hands were still on her cheeks.

What was this—Munch’s scream?

“Well… Isn’t it time for you to get 10 questions right? Hmm? There’re only 30 questions. Does it make sense that you only answered 7 of them correctly?”

“You praised me for it before! How can a woman say two different things with one mouth?!”

“…Then I won’t be a woman.”

“Then what?”

I put two fingers above my head.

“I’ll be a cat. Meow, meow.”

“…Madame Berna, Sharon’s being weird.”

“I see it, too, miss.”

I had no choice but to back down as everyone immediately started looking to me like I was crazy.

“Then… a puppy?”
“You seem very tired, my lady. You should finish eating and go to sleep.”

Yeesh. I clicked my tongue.

***

It was the pride of the family.

I put the paper up on the glass of the terrace where Carol and I usually ate. On it, 10 of the 30 questions were circled.

“Come one. It’s embarrassing!”

“We have to celebrate it!”

I wrapped my arm around hers and stared happily at the exam results.

Ladies and gentlemen, our child has finally reached her double digits!

It was hard to suppress my desire to go brag about her all over the neighborhood. I patted Carol’s head, who was shaking her fists by her side as if she wanted praise.

“Hehe. Did I do well?”

“Totally! Amazing! Very! Awesome! Job!”

I was so excited that I couldn’t stop my mouth.

I glanced at Madame Berna as the words that an elegant lady should not use poured out like rapid fire.

Unlike Madame DeJoue, who had already given up on my language, Madame Berna was quite concerned about my mouth’s influence on Carol.

However, Madame Berna was busy wiping away her tears as she stared at the test paper.

“My goodness… Our young lady has finally made it!”

I felt that same thing a hundred times.

It was as if a kid you taught at the English academy went from scoring 10 points to a 100.

I didn’t want to disturb Madame Berna, and I turned to Carol, who was acting cutesy.

Since Carol had studied so that we could play, we should reward her.

“Now, go pack your things! Let’s go out!”
“Kyaaaa!”

Carol was so excited that she was screaming like a dolphin. She bounced away to her room.

Today, we were going to go to the candy store.

Even if it depleted my wallet, I was determined to buy her anything she wanted to eat.

Ha, let’s go! Your older sister will pay for it!

The candy store that we went to once we were all ready had all different sorts of candies on display. There were a variety of shapes and colors, enough to make one’s eyes flutter.

Carol’s lips were open as she busily walked around the store.

She was stuffing the bag that I told her to put the things she wanted to eat in, and it was growing exponentially.

“Her teeth will rot…”

“She can brush her teeth. She likes it, so let’s leave her be. It isn’t as if Lady Carol eats sweets every day, either.”

“Do you think so?”

Madame Berna still looked worried, but Madame DeJoue talked her down.

She worried about all sorts of things.

Madame Berna, who worried about even the things that I didn’t, seemed too soft-hearted.

“Sharon! This one too!”
Carol pointed to a candy that was as big as her face that was high up on a shelf.

“Put it in! Over here!”
I ran to her right away to order the candy that she wanted.

We handed over two paper bags filled to the brim to the employee.

“…All this?”

“Yes.”

Even if she couldn’t finish it, I would buy it for her.

Carol, who seemed to have been worried that I would refuse her, straightened out her shoulders.

“How much will it be?”

“It’s 30 gold.”

“Yes, I’ll pay it all at once. Madame DeJoue?”
Madame DeJoue handed me 30 gold pieces, and I paid the employee.

Oh. Carol looked so happy.

Your older sister is someone who can pay with cash.[1]

***

“I don’t want to give it to Julien… Sharon, you bought it for me.”

“I’ll buy more for you. And even if you give that away, you have a lot more at home.”

Carol pouted and grumbled as she eyed the pouch of candy in my hand.

Carol hated it, even though it was only one part of her candy stash that was piled up like a mountain.

In fact, there was so much candy that Madame DeJoue and Madame Berna agreed to distribute some to the maids, knights, and servants—and there were still so much left.

It needed to be eaten before it all melted, but Carol wasn’t even thinking about eating it. She just stared at the pile after she stacked it up.

She ate maybe only one a day.

“Hmph. I bought it before it was glittering and pretty.

“…Candy is for eating.”

“But it’s so pretty when it sparkles! That’s why I didn’t eat it…”

“…”

Did she collect the candy because she couldn’t buy jewels?

Her preference for shiny things hasn’t changed.

“Hey. It’s going to melt. It’ll be better to buy more after you eat it.”

“Are you going to buy it for me?”

Carol fluttered her eyelids innocently, and I had no choice but to nod.

“If it’s just that much, of course I’ll buy it for you!”

“Hehehe. Then, we can give that to Julien!”

Her words were probably not something she should be saying in front of the prince’s castle. Wasn’t she already going to give it to him?

The week passed by too quickly, and it was already time to go to the palace.

As we passed through the doors which are always open to us, we went into the garden and saw that Julien was holding a teacup.

Where was the Empress?

“Huh? Why are you alone?”

Carol butted in to find the answer to my question at once. At her words, Julien glanced at her and shrugged.

“She won’t be coming from now.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

There was no doubt that it was related to the event at the Foundation Day ceremonies. I heard that the Empress was told by the Emperor to stop her activities for a while for self-reflection.

I was pleased with getting help from an unexpected figure.

“Have you been well?”

Julien nodded at my greeting. His previously swollen face was now milky white, back to its original color.

As soon as we sat down at the table, Carol took the pouch in my hand.

What was she going to do?

At my doubtful expression, Carol looked sentimentally at the pouch before holding it out to Julien.

“Here! Take this.”

“What is it?”

“It’s candy. Candy!”

“…I don’t really like candy.”

At his reply, Carol looked at me triumphantly, as if to say, see this?

She was still planning to take it back for herself.

I quietly stretched my hand out to Carol.

“Give it to me.”

At my words, Carol flinched and turned away, but I didn’t give in.

“He said he didn’t like it, not that he wouldn’t eat it. Share it with him so that he can eat it when he doesn’t feel well. Carol, you’re a good kid, right?”

Reluctantly, she handed over the pouch. I patted her on the head.

This naughty puppy.

She listened well to directions, though.

I turned over the pouch to Julien.

“Eat it one at a time when you’re in a bad mood.”

“…It was you who was giving it to me?”
The prince, who was rarely embarrassed, awkwardly received the pouch.

“I bought it for Carol, but Carol is sharing it.”

“…Anyway, it’s actually from you.”

I mean, if he insisted that it was, I guess. I shrugged.

Julien picked up a piece of candy and placed it in his mouth.

“Oh… It’s sweet.”

Even though it didn’t suit his tastes, he didn’t spit it out.

How cute.

“Sharon, Sharon.”

Carol, who didn’t want me to take my eyes off of her for even a moment, shook my arm.

“What is it?”

“We’re going on a picnic today, right?”

“Yes. We have to get ready to go. Madame DeJoue will be here soon to pick us up with the picnic goods.”

“A picnic?”

“Yup! We said we were going to go on a picnic. Julien, you can’t remember? Then don’t come with us.”

“Carol!”

I called out firmly to the grumpy and naughty Carol.

What was up with her today?

[1] In the original text, pay it all at once rather than with a payment plan. Sharon’s rich!