My Little Sister's Wish List
“Um… Lady Elise… Can I call you… sister?”
Charlotte’s voice was smaller than a mosquito’s buzz.
I stared down at her blankly for a moment.
Her amethyst eyes trembled with anxiety. She looked terrified of rejection—or of getting scolded for being presumptuous.
Sister, huh.
In my past life, as an only child, I wasn’t used to anyone calling me big brother or anything like that.
And sister? What was the big deal about siblings calling each other that, to make her ask so desperately?
There was no reason to refuse.
I let out a snort of laughter.
“Sure. Do whatever you want.”
“P-Pardon…?”
Charlotte’s eyes went wide at my nonchalant reply.
“Why not? We’re sisters.”
“R-Really…? Is it really okay…?”
“What’s there to even ask permission for? Just call me whatever you want.”
The moment I gave permission, Charlotte’s eyes quivered. Her expression slowly shifted—from disbelief to pure joy.
“S-Sister…”
She tried the word out softly.
“Yeah.”
“Sister… Sister…”
She rolled the word around in her mouth like it was the sweetest candy.
“Hee… Sister…”
The crying child from moments ago was gone. Charlotte burst into a beaming smile. Tear tracks still lingered at the corners of her eyes, but the grin on her lips shone like sunlight.
It was… pretty cute.
Is having a little sister always this adorable?
I cleared my throat awkwardly and looked away.
“Anyway, how’d you get in here? The door was locked.”
I’d clearly heard Sebastian locking it from the outside when he left. And the windows were boarded up—no way a kid could climb through.
“Ah!”
At my question, Charlotte let out a short gasp and scurried over to the wall by the fireplace.
“This way, Sister!”
She pointed behind an old decorative cabinet. Pushing it aside revealed a small gap at the base of the wall, just big enough for a mouse hole. No adult could fit, but a tiny kid like Charlotte could squeeze through.
“You came in here?”
“Yes! I found it playing hide-and-seek once. No one knows about it.”
She puffed out her chest proudly.
“So this is my secret base.”
“Secret base, huh.”
I glanced around the room again. At first, I’d thought it was just a dusty storage space, but now I noticed Charlotte’s traces everywhere. Worn dolls in the corner. Scribbles on the floor. Furniture that felt lived-in.
She must come to the annex often.
“What’s this?”
I picked up a small box on the piano.
“Ah! That’s…”
Charlotte reached out in a panic, but I was faster. Inside were all sorts of trinkets: pretty pebbles, a dried four-leaf clover, a broken glass marble, and…
What’s this?
Tucked among the junk was a notebook with a worn leather cover. I pulled it out.
The cover was shiny from constant handling.
“N-No! Don’t! That’s really off-limits!”
Charlotte clung to my arm in horror, her face beet red.
“It’s embarrassing! Please, Sister!”
But telling someone not to do something just makes them want to more. I gently pried her off and opened the notebook.
“Let’s see.”
Lady Elise scolded me again today. She said I clinked the teacup too loudly. I need to be more careful next time.
Serena-sister sighed when she saw me. Why am I so useless?
I miss Mom. I wish she’d appear even in my dreams.
It was a diary.
Crooked letters pressed hard into the page. Every entry dripped with gloom and sadness. A loneliness too heavy for a child weighed down every page.
Charlotte was on the verge of tears now, stomping her feet.
“Okay, okay. I won’t look.”
I started to close it, but then a folded page at the very back caught my eye.
“What’s this?”
“Eek! Don’t look! Sister!”
Charlotte lunged desperately, but I held the notebook high, using our height difference.
Her jumping arms couldn’t reach.
“Let’s see.”
1. Greet Sister.
2. Get head pats from Sister.
3. Eat snacks with Sister.
4. Have Sister say my name.
And below that, densely packed writing continued.
I flipped to the back without thinking.
45. Play piano with Sister.
46. Walk with Sister.
47. Have dinner with the whole family.
48. Get through a day without being scolded by sisters.
49. ………
“…”
I was speechless as I read down the list.
This was a wish list?
Charlotte’s wishes were so modest. Pathetic, even.
“This is… your wish list?”
At my question, she hung her head, fiddling with her fingers. Her ears were bright red.
“Y-Yes… I just… wrote one every day, and…”
Her voice was tiny.
“It’s just fantasy. It’ll never happen…”
I looked between the diary and Charlotte.
1: Eye contact and greet. We did that earlier.
2: Head pats. Yesterday.
4: Say her name. Done.
A few had come true without me realizing.
Over nothing.
I skimmed through and spotted one item, then snapped it shut and handed it back.
“Hey, Charlotte.”
I sat on the piano bench and patted the spot next to me.
She shuffled over hesitantly.
“Sit.”
“Huh?”
“Sit down.”
With a confused look, she gingerly perched beside me.
I opened the dusty keyboard lid.
-Creeeak-
It was stiff from disuse, but the keys looked fine.
“You know how to play piano?”
“N-No… I don’t know at all…”
“Really? I saw ‘play piano with Sister’ on your list earlier.”
“Ah…”
She stared at me in surprise.
“I’ll play first. Watch closely.”
I stretched my fingers and placed them on the keys.
I wasn’t great at piano in my past life either. Just forced lessons in elementary school.
So my repertoire was limited. I picked the simplest one Charlotte could follow: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
Ding, ding-ding.
The cheerful melody filled the room.
Charlotte watched my fingers with wide eyes.
“Wow…”
A soft gasp escaped her.
I finished the first verse and looked at her.
“Wanna try together now?”
“Me? I-I can’t! What if I mess up…”
“Then do it again. Put your hands up.”
I took her small hand and placed it on the keys.
“Start here. Do, do, sol, sol.”
“Do… do… sol… sol…”
Her trembling fingers pressed down.
Ding, ding, ding, ding.
Rhythm off, volume quiet, but pitch perfect.
“Good. Next: la, la, sol.”
“La… la… sol…”
We sat side by side, tapping the keys. Her stiff shoulders gradually relaxed. I added accompaniment, turning the simple tune into something decent.
“Heehee.”
Soon, Charlotte bobbed her head excitedly. Her fingers gained strength.
Ding-dong-dang-dong.
We hit the final note and lifted our hands together.
Silence fell.
She alternated stares between her hand on the keys and mine, blinking in disbelief. Then a bright smile slowly spread across her face.
“I-I… I played it all the way!”
“Yeah. You didn’t miss a beat.”
I recalled a line from her diary.
Nothing special.
Just one piano duet, and she looked like she owned the world.
I ruffled her hair.
“I’ll teach you more next time. Something longer.”
“Really? Is it really okay?”
“What’s not okay? Come find me when you’re bored.”
“Heehee… Yes! I will, Sister!”
She nuzzled into my hand like a puppy.
Sunlight filtered through the window cracks, mingling with dust in a lazy haze. Our first cozy, peaceful sibling moment.
I thought we could stretch it out a bit longer.
-Bang!
The annex door flew open as if it might shatter.
“Miss! I brought lunch!”
She strode in briskly, arms full of massive bundles.
“Uh… Marie?”
“Oh, there you are!”
Marie beamed and stepped inside.
Then she spotted Charlotte beside me.
“Oh? Lady Charlotte’s here too?”
“H-Hello…”
Charlotte jumped up hastily but stumbled.
Marie casually plunked the bundles on the table.
-Thud.
I gaped at the table.
“Marie.”
“Yes, Miss!”
“What’s all this?”
I pointed at the mountain.
“Lunch!”
She proudly unpacked.
“This is… lunch?”
“Yes! You said you wanted something light, so I put extra care into it!”
“…”
Hellish mealtime was back.