The Kids Have Changed - Chapter 33

Carol didn’t open her eyes until noon, a long time after Madame DeJoue visited and went back in the morning.

Overnight, she developed a fever and threw up, and the child had passed out.

Once the doctor came and gave her some medicine, her breathing eventually seemed to ease.

“Haa…”

I closed the book I was reading.

All this time, I had desperately tried to prevent Carol from coming across the Duchess.

As a result, it seemed that Carol was in shock at her mother’s cruelty.

Whatever she was dreaming of, it was making her cry constantly. I stroked Carol’s pale cheek.

“Sissy…”

It was Carol’s nickname.

It was a nickname I used for Carol only when she did something kind or acted cute.

I could call her that a thousand times, ten thousand times now. I just wanted her to open her eyes.

The Duchess would be arrested soon, but I wanted to talk with Carol before then.

If she wanted to continue seeing her mother. Or if she wanted to live like her mother had never existed.

“Sissy… Open your eyes…”

Unfortunately, she had to make a decision now.

The things that rolled into motion after Carol fainted yesterday morning were not things I could delay.

I had to move before the Duchess could cover up the incident.

Fortunately, Madame DeJoue was quick. Thanks to her competence, I was able to be a step ahead of the Duchess again.

“Sissy…”

Did my prayers go through? Carol’s eyelid trembled faintly.

“Sharon…?”

I sat close to Carol, who was still red with fever.

“Yeah. Sissy. I’m here.”

Carol gave a radiant smile at my response.

“I thought… You might not be here… So I was afraid to open my eyes.”

Carol’s eyes glistened with tears. I gently cupped her cheek.

“Stop crying. You still have a fever.”

“Sharon… The maid died, right?”

“……”

There are times when silence is a more weighted answer than anything one could say.

That time was now.

Carol quietly closed her eyes.

She had seen something so terrible at such a young age.

I felt glad that I had entered this novel. At least I could comfort Carol like this.

“I know it’s not a good time now, but Carol… I have something to ask…”

“Sob… Sharon, I… I hate my mother. I heard it all… What you talked about with Madame DeJoue.”

I didn’t want to be away from Carol, so we had talked here… I guess she heard it.

I silently brushed Carol’s hair back.

“I can live without seeing her. I don’t want to see her. But Sharon, will you stay by my side? Sharon, you’re my only family. Okay? Will you stay?”

Carol rubbed her head against my hand. Tenderly, I replied,

“Of course. You’re also the only family I have.”

That’s why I decided to take out the Duchess. To protect my one and only family.

I hadn’t wanted to use the advantage of my knowledge of the story like this…

But if I hadn’t, Carol, who I had raised well since she was young, would go down a bad path.

…I didn’t even want to imagine it.

I laid down next to Carol and pulled her into a hug.

“It’s okay, Sissy.”

“Yeah…”

Carol earnestly clung onto me and hugged tighter. I patted her back until she fell asleep.

I hoped and hoped again that her dreams would be pleasant.

***

The news that the doctor came to the house had also reached the palace.

Madame DeJoue held out some letters in front of me, which I accepted.

One was addressed from the Empress, and another from Julien.

In addition, cards wishing for Carol’s recovery came one after the other. Though most of them seemed more curious about the Duchess’s arrest than in offering well-wishes.

“The life of a little princess is quite troublesome.”

“I agree…”

Before Madame DeJoue finished speaking, Carol interrupted.

“Me? You’re saying I’m troublesome?!”

Was she Sha Wujing in her past life?[1]

I shook my head and told her it wasn’t about her; she yelled and asked if it was about her. She looked fine, but she must still have a slight fever.

“No, I told you it’s not about you!”

In the end, it wasn’t until I yelled back that Carol stopped.

“Hmph! Then you should have said so earlier.”

“Go clean your ears!”

“Can you clean them for me…?”

She always asked me to do everything, really. Seeing me shake my head, Carol snorted.

“…I wish the two of you could have a ladylike conversation,” Madame DeJoue said pointedly.

Carol faked a sudden cough.

“…Y-you were very ladylike, Lady Carol!”

Madame Berna’s words were not credible at all. She stuttered like her own conscience was working against her lie.

“Here. Just read this.”

Madame Berna pushed all the letters from the Empress and Julien to Carol.

“Oh? This is Sharon’s!”

Carol opened the envelope from the prince and handed me one of the sheets of paper.

The paper was tightly packed with words.

[Sharon. I heard that Carol is sick. I figured that you were working hard because of the Duchess. After all, I know that only you would do something like this for us.

I want to ask you if you’re all right. Though I know that you’ll act like nothing’s wrong, as always.

I’m worried about you, Sharon.

Were you greatly shocked? Are you sleeping and eating properly? I’m worried about your everyday life. I know you’re taking care of too many things because of us.

Sharon, Sharon.

When I become an adult, I want to give you a world that is peaceful, just for you. It would be nice if we could live in a world where we only see and hear good and beautiful things.

Sharon. I wish I could grow up faster so that I can comfort you and protect you.

You’ve worked hard, Sharon. In the past and in the present.

Unfortunately, even in the future as well. Thank you for being the gift who is by our side, Sharon. I wait for the day when we meet again.]

My jaw dropped.

This guy’s grown a lot! I should keep this as an heirloom! How touching. I received Julien’s good intentions to comfort me. The letter was gentle and soft, like cotton candy.

I glanced at Carol, who was intensely reading her letter.

Probably… If the prince wrote something like this to me, he would have written even more sweetly to Carol.

Hm?

Suddenly, my heart felt sore.

What weird thing did I eat again?

“Sharon, are you finished reading?”

“Yup. Do you want to see?”

“No. I won’t show mine to you either.”

Oho. She must be feeling shy.

Ohohoho.

“…Ah, really. Don’t make that evil face!”

Carol yelled at me.

Then, she showed me the letter from the Empress.

The sentences were concise and elegant.

It was like the letter contained the Empress as she was. It was full of long descriptions of how she wished for Carol’s complete recovery.

“Carol.”

“Hmm?”

“Get better quickly. So many people are worrying about you.”

“What about you?”

“Of course I’m worried too!”

“Hehehe. All right!”

Carol’s cute smiling face was still red with a slight fever. I tousled Carol’s hair.

Ah, our puppy!

***

Carol laughed evilly and threw the letter from Julien into the fireplace.

“Rude bastard.”

She was only able to hold herself in front of Sharon because—

“It’s because I’m nice!”

Fuming, she glanced at the letter in the fireplace as it burned up, leaving only a handful of ashes.

Only a few words were written in the letter.

[Wish you’ll recover well. Don’t bother Sharon.]

What I did to the Duchess quietly blew over without additional fuss.

It was thanks to Madame DeJoue’s skills.

The Duchess was taken into custody, and, as expected, the Duke filed for divorce.

Things were going as I intended, and so I was taking a break.

“Sharon! Stop sleeping! Please? You said you would go to the brook with me during art class today. Wake up!!”

I had to wake up again to a hand that shook me.

Why…

Just leave me alone…

I’ve been tired from using my head these days.

“Shaaaron! Please? Please?”

It had only been a week since Carol recovered.

Her classes had just resumed. Madame Berna had to write letters to all her teachers saying that classes needed to be postponed.

Now, she was looking at Carol from behind with anxious eyes.

“You can’t go outside yet…”

I said. My voice cracked, since I had just been taking a nap.

I was comfortable in both mind and body because I didn’t have to go to class.

Even when I took naps, Madame DeJoue didn’t come to wake me up!

Hahahaha.

In addition, since news of Carol’s sickness spread through high society, I could even skip out of going to the palace this week.

Hey Carol, please stay in bed a little longer!

Your older sister is asking you a favor. Yeah?

I couldn’t sleep at night because of nightmares, and during the day, I was deep in troublesome contemplation, so I felt like I was withering away.

“Sharon! Wake up! Aww… I’m all better now… Sharon… Come on…”

Ah. Let go of me. Agh.

Again and again, she looked at me with the expression of Puss in Boots.

I felt that I could fully understand the heart of the people who were deceived by that cat.

Where did she learn that?

This was another piece of evidence that showed Julien and Carol are two peas in a pod.

Yeesh, this pair of…

“I’ll go. It’ll be fine if I go…”

In the end, I was eventually dragged along. Scrape.

***

“Ehehehe.”

“Are you happy now.”

“Yeah! I’m super duper happy!”

“Milady! You have to speak more elegantly!”

I quietly looked away as Madame Berna glared at me with the whites of her eyes showing.

Sorry. A habit from a three-year-old will continue until they’re eighty.

How could I easily disregard the way I’ve talked for so many years…?

Carol’s face was bright as she smiled and painted my face.

She was being very cautious, but I knew.

“You can’t draw. So why did you have to come all the way here to draw me?!”

“Oh, Lady Sharon. Did you mean that Lady Carol has an original style of art?”

Because of that art teacher, the child was reluctant to give up.

You have to let kids know when things are fruitless!

“No… Madam Jessie…”

“Shush. The model’s job is to stay still, not to move around.”

Fine. I’d stay still, whatever.

I sat with my arms folded. But the day was still warm… And I just got out of bed, so I’m sleepy….

It was natural to fall asleep in a moment.

“Oh my, Lady Sharon is…”

“Shh. I can just draw her sleeping.”

Carol liked whatever Sharon did.

She liked not seeing her mother again, and she also liked sleeping.

Carol did her best to draw Sharon.

Sharon said she should focus on doing something she’s more talented at, but still, drawing Sharon with her own hands….

This was also good.

While drawing Sharon, Carol’s sense of mischief popped up. She quickly put her thoughts into action.

Madam Jessie smiled as she tried to stop Carol, but she wasn’t heavy-handed.

“Lady Carol, Lady Sharon would surely disapprove…”

Sharon was completely unaware of the world once she fell asleep, even if someone picked her up and carried her.

“It’s all right.”

Carol changed her canvas. To Sharon’s face!

***

“Ahhh! What is this?”

Oh my gosh. How immature!

I thought Carol was past the age when she would scribble on the wall, but it seemed she wasn’t past the age when she would scribble on faces.

I yelled as I looked at my face reflected in the brook.

As Carol ran far away with a cackling laugh…

“Come back, you horsebutt!”

Because my temper was stretched far,  I started to run.

I’d catch Carol and punish her for making me look just like Shrek.

…Good. I made a choice.

I’ll make her into Iron Man!

“Get over here!!!!”

“Kyaaah! It’s a green monster!”

It hadn’t taken long for Carol to overcome her sadness and come back to normal.

[1] Sha Wujing: From the Journey to the West, someone known for being dense.