The Kids Have Changed - Chapter 36

I was worried that he might have been hurt.

I could protect Carol since I was always around her, but that wasn’t the case for the prince. Julien was exposed to a difficult environment without me.

To satisfy the Empress’s expectations, he had to endure harsh lessons for his crown prince education. He lived on thin ice and was always careful of the area around him.

How admirable, my baby! Goochie goochie goo!

“That’s right. You barely have time to care about the people who like you. So you can just ignore those guys.”

“……”

“Your hair is pretty. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a beautiful red color. Your hair is like the sun, so you’ll become an awesome sun!”

In my arms, the prince laughed at my cheering.

He became prettier when he smiled, but I was only telling the truth. The natural vivid red was beautiful. It was like a flame or a flower petal, and the color was endlessly passionate and tender.

I hugged the prince a little tighter.

“I’ll be your backer.”

“Backer…?”

“Yeah… Your background. So you just need to trust me!”

“Even though you’re smaller than me…” The voice mixed with quiet laughter and was released into the air.

Hey, I was an adult!

I held onto Julien until he let go by himself.

I was thankful that he grew up well. He didn’t become an emotionless doll made of ice like in the original nor some blood-crazed killer.

It felt like I was one step closer to the happy ending I was aiming for.

Then, I heard a voice that I had forgotten.

“Hey, I’m here too!”

From the side, Carol lifted her head.

“…Why did you come?” asked Julien.

“I came because I missed you.”

The prince’s face twisted as he saw Carol smile. He must have been embarrassed.

Ah, what a shy kid!

***

After Sharon went back, the world reflected in Julien’s eyes turned colorless.

“Sharon.”

But just by saying her name, the world again filled with the colors of the rainbow.

‘Isn’t this a severe condition…?’

Even though his heart was suffering like this, he couldn’t even confess his feelings to himself.

At this point, Sharon wouldn’t accept his feelings. It was bitter to think about, but he had to admit that reality.

It was thanks to Sharon that he wanted to live.

Sharon appeared while he was going insane between his mothers and his half-brothers. Julien wanted to stand at the top so that he wouldn’t suffer from the racket anymore.

But now, he wanted to become emperor so he could have Sharon by his side.

He wanted to be able to love Sharon as much as he desired.

‘I’ll never let them take away the warmth I felt today…’

Julien made a pledge as he held the sound marble in his hand, one that overlapped with the promise he always made.

***

We were in a special place today.

Strangely, only I was tired, while the kids were excited.

Ahahaha.

This time, Carol had a cold. I had been worried lately because she was swaying and stumbling. In the end, she became ill.

Thus, Julien came to visit at the duke’s mansion today.

“Bye now… I have something to do.”

Julien was the first to react to the words I said because I wanted to get away from the two.

“What is it?”

“…I put off my nap.”

The prince’s expression fell.

“…I’m being serious.”

I unconsciously flinched when the prince let out a thick sigh. It was because I remembered what I saw last time.

If he badmouthed me, I was going to be mad.

However, the voice that flowed from the prince’s lips was wet and pitiful.

“I feel awkward since it’s been a while since I came here…“

Suddenly, Julien pretended to be vulnerable and picked at the table with his finger.

What was he doing? I knew he wasn’t that shy!

It was obviously a set-up. The prince’s gesture was awkward. It didn’t suit him; it was something more like what Carol would do.

“It’s really awkward and… It’s uncomfortable…”

“You have Carol.”

“I already talked a lot with Carol.”

“You’re acting like a psiduck,” Carol said quietly.[1]

A psiduck, in this world?

Huhu, I was a woman of great influence.

Of course, the way that Madame DeJoue and Madame Berna turned their eyes to me was nothing to boast about.

“So even though I came here… Are you really going to leave to sleep?”

At that moment, Julien’s eyes sharply glanced over me.

Maybe I heard wrong, but I thought I heard him say ‘leave your family’ to sleep. It must have been my mistake…

The prince was still picking at the table, drawing circles with his finger. It seemed like he’d pierce a hole through it.

Agh. It’ll be over if I sit down, right?!

“There. I sat down. I sat!”

Only then did Julien remove his finger from the table.

“Good thinking.”

As if he hadn’t pretended to be depressed, the prince sat back in his chair with a relaxed expression. Sitting with his legs crossed, he was like a jaguar.

“What… Sharon, that’s unfair! When I try to make you stay, you just leave.”

“…Then should I go now?”

“No…”

I patted Carol’s head, which drooped sullenly.

When I calmed one, the other went wild.

When will these kids grow up…

“Sissy, you’re a good kid.”

It was a hidden card to soothe Carol! I brought out her nickname.

She brightened up and burst into laughter, and I felt better as well.

She looked every aspect like a little princess. I couldn’t imagine that she exuded an aura that said ‘go away’ when I wasn’t around.

Of course, no one could match my charisma.

Anyway, I thought that Madame DeJoue and Madame Berna’s claims became less reliable.

Maybe if she was a puppy.

It was the prince who expressed his dissatisfaction this time.

“Sharon.”

“What is it?”

“Call me.”

“Julien…”

The prince’s eyes narrowed.

“Why do you call me Julien?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you call me by a nickname?”

The prince’s voice was gloomy.

…I felt tired. Why were they doing this to me?

I should have left when Julien said something earlier. I overlooked the fact that kids were very jealous. I should have been treated them the same in every way.

I opened my lips to appease the prince who seemed hurt when I only called Carol by a nickname.

“Liya.”[2]

This wasn’t difficult at all.

The prince’s eyes curved sweetly into smiles. Also, as if it was only a joke that he felt hurt, his voice became low as usual.

“Yes, Sha.”

My goodness. I blushed without realizing it. What kind of boy smiled so prettily? It was so extraordinary that I couldn’t help but blush.

“It sounds really nice.”

I gulped at the prince’s words. Puberty hit him early, and he now had a beautiful voice.

His tone was pleasantly low-pitched.

…I should be the one saying that it sounded nice. ‘Sha.’

“I’ll call you that too! Sha! Sha!” Carol interrupted.

Her face looked upset. The prince’s face twisted in proportion to Carol’s.

“Julien, you’re slower than me. She’s been calling me ‘Sissy’ since a long time ago. I originally had a nickname!”

“…Sharon will call me Liya from now on.”

I would? Since when?

“How laughable. Sharon never said that she would! She’ll only call me by a nickname. You cosmic idiot.”

I was just going to call both of them by name, though?

Already, nobody was listening to my point of view.

“Ha. Right back at ya.”[3]

Julien said in a quiet voice. What in the world? Saying something like that with that voice.

…I had sinned. These were all things I taught them.

I covered my head, seeing the expressions of the servants, Madame Berna, and Madame DeJoue around us.

Yes, I know.

They couldn’t believe what they heard, could they?

But sadly, they heard it right…

I stared silently at Carol and Julien, who continued to bicker.

A thick cloth was draped over the gazebo in the mansion’s garden to prevent the chilly wind.

Thanks to that, the outside noise was cut off, and the sounds of kids talking and pouring tea were contained.

Fine then. Fight. Do it.

Who’s looking?

“Your throats must be dry. Drink some tea.”

I pushed the teacups at them at the same time.

Without a single error. But as I watched the kids fight, I suddenly had a thought.

I didn’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth.

“You two… really get along, huh?”

The kids’ faces turned to me at the same time.

Oh, what a shock

Look at that. Even their timing was fantastic.

“No!!!”

“There’s no way we would.”

Well, I understood that it was embarrassing. I’d let their denials slide.

“Don’t yell…”

Carol, who was fuming at my words, folded her arms and turned her head away. Julien bit his lips and brushed back his hair. He sighed deeply.

Even if they did that, I already knew it.

The pair of them suited each other well.

***

The prince stayed until dinner and then went back. Since the empress would like that, I didn’t try to stop them.

It was also nice to see them being good friends, no matter how much they pretended otherwise.

Carol fell asleep while reading, and I carefully left her side. She had been straining to study, saying that she’d beat me at the linguistics test tomorrow, but she fell asleep within 10 minutes.

It was just like me with math problems.

“Oops.”

I sneaked out of the room, putting back Carol’s arm, which I had accidentally moved.

I had no choice but to come out because Carol slept over in my room whenever she was sick.

“Madame DeJoue. You’re still awake. Thank goodness.”

I had come to Madame DeJoue’s room.

I had no time to talk with her because Carol had been with me the whole time when I wasn’t outside.

I sat by the heater by the wall, as Madame DeJoue recommended.

“Do you want some warm milk?”

“Coffee, please.”

“…Young girls shouldn’t drink that.”

Can’t I just drink coffee when I wanted? However, arguing was a waste of energy, so I brightly changed my mind.

“Then, milk please.”

“You’re giving up rather quickly…”

Madame DeJoue spoke as if she was unsure whether to be happy or not and served me warm milk with honey.

The reason I came here today was for business.

“It’s late at night, so I’ll quickly get to business. Since Madame DeJoue also needs to sleep.”

“Lady Sharon, aren’t you the one who’s sleepy…”

That was true.

I nodded with a serious face.

“Because I’m growing.”

“Though you’re poor at speaking… Anyway, I know what you’re here for. Is it a problem with the duchess?”

“Yes. But please don’t call her the duchess anymore. It makes her sound like she’s still Carol’s mother, so it feels weird…”

“Then, I’ll call her the ex-Duchess.”

“That sounds a lot better. How is she now?”

“She’s going crazy. Every day, she scratches at the walls, shouts and asks if they know who she is, and angrily shakes the iron bars.”

“…Nothing has changed at all.”

“How would that personality change? She’s been there for nearly a month… But seeing that she asks to call for her father every day, she seems very desperate.”

“Do you think the time is right?”

“It’s right.”

I grinned.

[1] Psyduck, but spelled weirdly to avoid copyright issues (presumably).

[2] The actual nickname is “Hiya” with a short “i” sound. The exact pronunciation of Julien’s name in Korean is Yurehin, so it’s taking the “hi” from there.

[3] The Korean term is “rainbow reflection” because it’s reflecting back the insult. The gist of it is that they’re being immature.