The Kids Have Changed - Chapter 30

“Do you want it?”

Julien’s mother wasn’t referring to the necklace. She was talking about Sharon.

He’d already been caught. If he said no, there was no telling what sort of harm his mother would do to Sharon to test him. It had been a long time since Julien had been put on edge like this.

Seeing Julien clench his fist, the Empress laughed. “Well. It isn’t bad to want something. Actually, this could be a good thing.”

The Empress took Julien’s hand and placed the necklace on top. “Here. You can have it.”

Julien was anxious. It was suspicious how mildly his mother was taking this.

“However…”

As expected, she wasn’t done. Julien hardened his expression.

“My son, you have to be perfect. In whatever you do. Furthermore… What if the duke’s daughter leaves you because you aren’t good enough? Look at this case. You have to become better.”

Her mad eyes focused on Julien. His reflection in her moonlit eyes was eerie, and Julien stepped back.

“Like your brother was, Julien.”

Julien watched as his mother’s face turned nostalgic at the mention of his brother, whose face he didn’t even know.

He held his breath and waited for the Empress to continue speaking.

“Yes, like your brother.”

The Empress gazed into the air for a moment and opened her lips.

“Seduce Carol with whatever means necessary. That’s how you and I will survive. It’s also your bridge to become emperor. Even if you don’t like it… You can at least tempt her with your body.”

Julien’s heart turned frosty.

“What are you saying…?”

“I see you’re playing dumb, Julien. I’m telling you to do whatever it takes.”

Julien felt dazed, like the sight in front of him was growing further.

His mother was ordering him to learn how to sleep with women.

It was the price for revealing his feelings. His heart felt like it was suffocating.

“If you spite Carol, you and I will have no future. Do you think Duke Gratoni will leave the ones who abandoned his daughter alone? We cannot ignore the poison he hides in his heart. He is a terrifying man.”

But in Julien’s eyes, his mother looked even more terrifying.

“Don’t you think it’s time we avenge my son, who was trampled over by the First Consort?”

Julien couldn’t say anything. It was like the Empress’s eyes didn’t even see him.

“I never wanted to give birth to you, so you must become the emperor for me.”

His mother, as usual, was merciless toward him.

“Then.”

At that moment, the atmosphere around the Empress suddenly changed. The cold Empress squarely met Julien’s eyes.

“Then. I will allow you to have what you want.”

Julien felt his hand, which was still holding the sound marble, lose its strength.

“I trust that you understand me, Julien.”

“Mother…”

“Go inside.”

She wasn’t listening to him. Julien bit his lips to keep himself from screaming, and turned toward the bedroom.

He knew this for a long time, but… Julien really was nothing but a tool to the Empress.

‘I can’t get rid of this useless lingering sentiment.’

Seeing that his heart still hurts, he still had some expectations of

his mother. Julien opened the door and entered the bedroom.

The bedroom door would not open again until dawn.

***

Julien, who had been silent for a long time, moved. The woman who had been loitering about in front of him flinched when she saw him.

Julien threw a purse in front of the prostitute who reached out to him. He may have come in because of his mother, but he had no intentions of moving according to her will.

“Check it.”

The prostitute’s cheeks flushed red with excitement when she saw the gold filling up the pouch.

“You’re getting paid by my mother. I’ll pay you as well. Stay in that corner for a while, then tell my mother this. The crown prince was properly taught, and he even paid you for it.”

The prostitute’s lips opened in an “o.”

She’d gotten money from a maid before she had arrived as well. The Empress had handed her an amount equal to the money the prince just gave her in exchange for the prince’s education.

‘How lucky!’

The money she received in return for a good night’s sleep on the couch exceeded the amount she could receive in a year of work.

“By your command.”

There was no reason to refuse. She’d worried about becoming a concubine later. The money right now was more important.

The woman sat on the couch in a corner, away from the bed, to escape from the eyes of the prince, who stayed up all night.

Nevertheless, she was able to get a good night’s sleep. Julien didn’t move an inch as he held onto the sound marble throughout the night.

Sharon would definitely learn of this. After all, he had allowed her to keep surveillance on him.

‘I hope you don’t misunderstand this kind of useless thing… Sharon.’

He didn’t want to cause trouble for her, but nothing ended up as he intended.

His world was still dark.

***

The next day, this news naturally reached Sharon.

Madame DeJoue told her that she had something to discuss urgently, so they sent Carol out of the library.

“I want to listen, too!”

“If you leave quietly now, I think we can go shoe shopping this afternoon.”

“What does shopping have to do with this?”

Carol became a little smarter as she grew up.

“Since it’s my decision.”

“Hmph!”

Carol stomped her feet, but it was, ultimately, my decision whether or not I would accompany her to buy shoes. Eventually, Carol sulkily went out, slamming the door behind her.

“Whew. Please let me know in advance if you want a private conversation, Madame DeJoue. It gets difficult when Carol is in a mood.”

Madame DeJoue looked troubled at my words.

“It’s an urgent affair. It’s about the prince…”

She trailed off. Her expression as she bit her lip flickered between a range of emotions. Troubled, angry, and annoyed.

“What exactly is the issue?”

Madame DeJoue continued to hesitate, finding it difficult to speak.

“The Empress pushed a woman into the prince’s bedroom.”

“…?”

For a moment, I was silent. I thought that I had heard wrong, at first. Madame DeJoue spoke forcefully, but her voice was quiet, like the words would shatter apart at any moment. So I thought I was wrong.

”…What? I didn’t hear you right.”

“The Empress bought a woman and brought her into the prince’s bedroom.”

I guess my ears weren’t wrong. I felt my face turn white.

“Is she nuts?!”

Madame DeJoue stopped me from yelling more. Without realizing it, I had screeched.

“Lady Sharon! You can’t tell let this story leak. You should know this well.”

“Ha. That woman is truly crazy, isn’t she? What kind of mother does that to her son? Don’t tell me that it’s normal.”

Madame DeJoue paused at my question, then shook her head. “…It isn’t.”

“…Am I supposed to be happy about that?”

Madame DeJoue offered me a warm cup of tea at my pointed question.

“For now, please drink some tea and calm down. You have to think objectively. As you always must.”

She was right. I calmed my agitation by sitting on the chair and drinking the tea that Madame DeJoue prepared. Right away, I suppressed my desire to shake the Empress by her collar.

“Why did she do this? Is she trying to give him a concubine this early?”

My thoughts were all over the place. Was she trying to introduce a woman from a new family as a concubine to expand her power?

Or, did the marriage talks with the Gratoni duchy fall through without me knowing? But that was ridiculous.

Since the daughter of Duke Gratoni was getting engaged to the crown prince, no family would dare offer their daughters as concubines. No one wanted to make Duke Gratoni an enemy.

“It’s not like that. It seems that the Empress is trying to make the prince learn bedroom techniques.”

“….What? Ugk!”

Oh, my poor head. I grabbed the back of my neck as I leaned against the chair. Madam DeJoue gently rubbed my neck.

“You’ll fall over at this rate. You’re too young to get stress headaches… Take it easy, milady. Nothing much happened.”

I breathed slowly and deeply. I may die of sickness like this.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It looks like the prince paid off the woman. Fortunately, the Empress doesn’t seem to know.”

“Haa…”

I sighed. It was lucky that the woman could be convinced by money.

And I was relieved that the prince did not do anything he did not want.

“I’m glad. Madame DeJoue, please find the woman and buy her silence one more time. Let’s apply one more layer of glue on her lips.”

“I knew you would say so. I will proceed as you ordered today.”

I felt my stiff neck lose untense at Madame DeJoue’s reliable answer.

“You were right that this was urgent. I’m glad Carol didn’t hear about this.”

If Carol had heard it, she would have been very hurt since she liked Julien.

Also, the other person who may have been hurt by this situation came into mind.

“Julien… Is Julien okay?”

Madame DeJoue smiled bitterly.

I was worried about what Julien, who must have been hurt by his parents’ horrible actions, was thinking and what kind of face he had.

Another scratch must have been added on his already scarred heart.

“…I have to see him.”

“Pardon?”

I grabbed Madame DeJoue’s hands.

“Tonight. Can I go see Julien?”

“I’m not certain… That woman might be there too…”

I couldn’t stop my mouth from continuing to blabber.

“We can feed her a sleeping pill to put her to sleep.”

I was speaking from my heart.

”…I’ll prepare things so it’s not dangerous.”

“Thank you, Madame DeJoue,” I said sincerely to Madame DeJoue, who always helped me. “Really, thank you for letting me know.”

The usually prim Madame DeJoue looked very beautiful right now.

***

“Sharon! How about this?”

I was so out of it that I didn’t hear Carol. Carol had said that the shoes she bought two months ago no longer fit, and I had come along to appease her after her sulk.

“Sharon!”

I snapped back to attention as Carol shook me.

“Hmm?”

“I asked you if you think this is pretty! Are you really going to be like this? I’m really going to be upset!”

I smiled awkwardly.

“Sorry, sorry. Which one? This one?”

“ …I don’t care anymore!“

I grabbed Carol, who turned her teary face away from me.

“I’m so sorry, Carol. Were you talking about this one? I think that it has a lot of lace. It suits the dress you’re wearing now, but I don’t think it fits the yellow dress you bought last time.”

“…Then what about this?”

“The ribbon is a little big. Is there anything a bit smaller? A big ribbon might get stuck on things. The color is pretty, though.”

“…And this?”

“It’s just right! You should try on both this beige one and the pale pink one.”

I let out words like a submachine gun in order to show Carol that I cared and did pay attention to her.

Then, I sighed a breath of relief as I saw Carol’s sour face unwind.

‘Phew. That could have been bad.’

It was my fault for not hiding my uneasiness despite knowing how jealous children could be.

Carol excitedly wore the shoes that I pointed to, then asked, “So why are you like this? Was it something bad?”

Carol’s question surprised me.

“Did Julien… Did something happen to him?”

I realized then. Carol was also worried about Julien. I had tried to hide it, but Carol had also witnessed the times when Julien was injured.

‘Of course Carol knew…’

I guess I was still thinking of Carol as being too young.