T K H C

🍁 Chapter 12

‘I think there was something like this last week, too.’

The scene looked familiar to Julien. Sharon was sleeping again as Carol and he stood by, observing her. The only difference was that Sharon was squirming as she slept.

“Aaaah, no! You frigging shitstain!”

Julien was a little taken aback.

“What is she saying?” he asked.

“Dunno. But it sounds like she’s cursing, doesn’t it?” Carol smiled. She wriggled to lie down next to Sharon and played with her hair.

Julien sat down by the bed and stared at Sharon as she mumbled.

“What language is that?” he asked. Julien had to learn at least four languages as part of his education as Crown Prince, but it was the first time he heard words like these.

“How would I know?” Carol said. “She sometimes says weird things when she takes a nap. Isn’t it fun? But she gets really flustered if I imitate the things she says. I don’t think they’re very polite words.”

Despite Carol’s unexpectedly civil response, Julien didn’t say anything. Sharon was strange in many ways. She didn’t treat him differently despite the difference in their statuses, and she also treated him like a child.

That wasn’t all.

She was also the first person to hold his hand. Not even his mother held his hand after he ascended to the position of crown prince.

Julien clasped his hands, as if he could still feel her touch. Furthermore, Sharon usually had an indifferent face, but she was quite zealous in anything that involved Carol.

‘I… I want her to care about me too.’

He wanted her warmth and affection. He wanted to see himself reflected in her eyes.

Julien bit his lip. This week passed by so quickly as well. He didn’t see his mother, and he had been busy because of some unexpected guests at the palace.

Because they were from the same country as Julien’s great-grandmother on his mother’s side, he had to devote all of his time to them. That was what his mother wanted him to do.

Julien was still afraid of disobeying her.

Remembering his mother’s demonic face, he grabbed his shaking right hand with his left hand.

‘It’s annoying.’ Julien’s irritation soared from his inability to do anything. He wanted to monopolize Sharon. He wanted to hold her hand again.

Sharon said that she would come for him if he ever needed her… so he could just pretend that he needed her.

Julien was used to wearing a mask, so it wouldn’t be hard to do.

***

I woke up after the cookies had come out of the oven and cooled down.

“That was a nice nap. Let’s eat the cookies quickly and go. The sun is about to set.”

Carol nodded her head at my words.

“Go? Where to?” Julien asked.

“Home, of course.”

“Oh.” Julien frowned and scratched his forehead.

I took a bite of a cookie on the table. “Oh, not bad.”

“Sharon, that was the one I made!” Carol said excitedly.

“It’s delicious.”

“That’s because I made it!”