T K H C

🍁 Chapter 3

“Hey, come here.”

At my words, Carol stopped pouting. She released the air in her puffed-up cheeks and sat in front of me.

Madame Berna had prepared us a desk under the window with lots of sunshine. I had gotten used to the dynamics of the mansion within a week, and when I started poking about the neglected study, Madame Berna welcomed me with open arms.

“That’s right,” she had said. “Young women need to study to become great ladies!”

Unfortunately, that wasn’t my intention.

Back in real time, Carol asked, “What are you doing? Are you going to read a book?”

“Of course. Will you read it out loud to me?”

“N-no, I like listening better.”

Carol was lying. I knew that Carol couldn’t read properly until she was 13 years old. The Duchess didn’t teach her how. The only things she taught her were that she didn’t need to study when she lived in luxury; how to be cruel; and how to torment others.

“Okay. Then, you can read for me next time!”

Carol was silent. Her eyes shifted to the side, as if she was anxious. It would hurt her pride to say that she couldn’t, but she couldn’t say yes because of her lack of ability.

“You can study with me. It’s not difficult to learn,” I said.

“I already know how to read!” Carol protested. “…But, I guess I can study it one more time.”

She’s really a cute child.

Surprisingly, Carol had many cute sides to her. For example, she had no idea how red her face had turned as she bluffed.

“I know that you know. I just wanted to practice.”

“Oh. That’s fine, then.”

“We can take turns reading out loud. I can go first.”

I opened the storybook that I had chosen.

Oh?

The fairy tales in this world were similar to the ones I knew. The book that I had picked was a variation of the tale of Cinderella, with strong morals and a rags-to-riches plotline. It was interesting to see how the features of this world were reflected in its literature. The story was just to my taste, and unknowingly, I had paused, lost in my thoughts.

“Sharon, what happens next? Why did you stop reading?” Carol’s hand shook me, and I realized what I was doing. I started to read again.

“The prince hugged the maid, and he asked, ‘Will you marry me?’”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Carol said. “My mom says that a maid could never be a queen!”

There really is no such thing as a child’s romance.[T/N: Referring to Romanticism, an emphasis on emotion, imagination, individualism, etc.]

“Hey, just listen. It’s only a fairy tale.”

Though Carol pouted, she didn’t interrupt again. She rested her chin on her hands and followed along with sparkling eyes.

That was when it happened.

There was a knock at the study’s door, and a maid entered.

“Excuse me, Lady Carol, Lady Sharon. It’s nearly lunchtime. I knocked on the door for a while, but I opened the door as there was no answer. I apologize for my presumption.”

I hadn’t realized that the time had gone by so quickly. I closed the book.

Children have to eat their meals regularly in order to grow tall, and since we are so young, we also have to take naps during the day.