Sis! Let's Sleep Together!
"Sis! Let's sleep together!"
Charlotte declared boldly, clutching her pillow to her chest.
I stared blankly for a moment before chuckling and patting one side of the bed.
"Alright. Come here."
The moment I gave permission, Charlotte scampered over and leaped onto the bed.
She dove under the fluffy covers with impressive agility.
"Hehe…"
She pulled the blanket up to her chin, peeking out only with her eyes as she grinned.
I eased my body down from where I'd been sitting propped against the headboard.
"Not too cramped?"
"Nope! It's perfect!"
Charlotte wriggled closer, snuggling right up against my side.
Her warmth seeped through my thin nightgown.
The high body heat unique to children.
I naturally extended my arm and pulled her into a hug.
"You're so warm."
"The blanket and clothes smell like you, sis."
Charlotte buried her nose in my chest and sniffed.
"It smells good. Hehe."
"Probably just the soap."
"No. It's your smell, sis. Sweet… and cozy."
Charlotte wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.
As if she feared I'd vanish forever if she let go.
Her grip was surprisingly strong for a child, making me catch my breath a little.
"Charlotte. Too tight… can't breathe."
"Ah! S-sorry…"
She startled and loosened her hold.
But she didn't let go entirely.
Instead, her fingers toyed with the hem of my nightgown.
They wandered around my waist, then slyly crept upward.
A small hand slipping between the buttons.
"That tickles."
"Stay still. Your nightgown's all wrinkled."
Charlotte put on a stern voice as she pretended to straighten my collar.
Her warm, soft fingers brushed sporadically against my skin through the gaps in the fabric.
"Sis."
"Yeah?"
"How long… are you staying here?"
Charlotte's voice trembled as she asked.
Her hand had stopped on the restraint collar around my neck.
"A month, right? So about three weeks left."
"Three weeks…"
She rolled the words around in her mouth.
"Too short."
"Short? It still feels like forever."
"I… I wish we could live like this forever."
"No one bothering us, eating yummy food, sleeping together…"
Her breath felt damp against my skin.
"I wish time would just stop."
I stroked her hair.
Knowing how precious this peace was to her, I couldn't offer hasty words of comfort.
"Once your confinement ends, you'll go back to the academy, right?"
She lifted her head to gaze up at me.
Her amethyst eyes, infused with moonlight, shimmered softly.
"I'm scared. What if I wake up tomorrow morning and everything's back to how it was? You ignoring me again, no one in the mansion caring…"
"That won't happen."
I answered firmly.
"Tomorrow, the day after—everything will be the same while I'm here."
"While you're here…"
Charlotte softly echoed my words.
"Sis… do you want to leave?"
"Of course. I've still got academy to finish."
"The academy…"
Her brow furrowed slightly.
"I'm not old enough yet. I can't go until next year."
She pouted sulkily.
I gently patted her back.
"I'll visit every break. And we'll write letters a lot."
"…"
"And before I go, I'll make sure no one can touch you. You saw what I did today, right?"
"Yeah… I saw."
Moisture crept into Charlotte's voice.
She buried her face in my chest and stayed silent for a long while.
Then, abruptly, she whispered in a wet voice.
"Sis… you're mine, right?"
"Huh?"
"You said it. I'm your little sister. So you're my big sis too, right?"
"Yeah, obviously."
"Not anyone else's… just mine…"
Charlotte lifted her head again.
Her eyes had a strangely clouded look.
Obsession.
It was a sticky, dense emotion that felt too intense for a mere child's whim.
"Yeah, obviously."
I brushed it off casually and stroked her head.
"Who else's sis would I be? In this huge mansion, you're the only one besides Marie who talks to me."
"Hehe… good."
Relieved, Charlotte burrowed even deeper into my arms.
"Sis."
"What now."
"Can you sing me a lullaby?"
"I can't sing."
"Aww, come on. You play piano so well. Please?"
She tugged at my nightgown, wheedling.
"Hurry. If you don't, I won't sleep."
Caught between her whining and coquetry, I cleared my throat reluctantly.
"Fine… but don't laugh."
I hummed a faint melody.
A tune from my past life, now faintly remembered.
"Mm… hmm…"
A low, gentle hum filled the room.
A song with simple lyrics and melody.
Charlotte, who had been pressing her ear to my chest, stopped fidgeting.
The steady rhythm of my heartbeat overlaid with my soft singing.
How much time passed?
Rhythmic, even breathing sounds reached my ears.
I stopped singing and looked down at her.
Her face was defenseless and serene.
A faint smile played on her lips.
The terrified expression from our first meeting was gone.
Sleep well.
I tried carefully to extract my arm, but she gripped my nightgown tighter and whimpered.
"Nngh… don't go…"
Even in her dreams, she feared me leaving.
I gave a wry smile at the sight and hugged her again.
"I'm not going. I'm right here."
As I patted her back, the crease between her brows smoothed, and she seemed to sink back into deep sleep.
Watching her, I slowly closed my eyes.
That night, I slept deeply without dreams.
After that day, time flew by like an arrow.
Life in the annex was pure bliss.
I'd wake in the morning to find Charlotte sleeping beside me.
"Miss! Breakfast time!"
Marie would burst through the door, and the day would begin.
The table was always laden with enough food to make the legs buckle.
"You expect me to eat all this?"
"You're growing! Miss Charlotte needs to eat plenty too!"
Forced by Marie, I'd stuff it down, and before I knew it, lunchtime arrived.
Afternoons were for strolling the garden or playing piano.
"Do, re, mi, fa…"
Charlotte's piano skills improved by leaps and bounds each day.
She used to fumble with tangled fingers, but now she could play through a proper piece.
"Sis! I did great, right?"
"Whoa, not bad? You've got talent."
Sometimes we'd read in the study.
I'd lounge diagonally on the sofa with a novel, while Charlotte nestled between my legs, flipping through a picture book.
As if it were her assigned seat.
Turning pages for her from behind, she'd tilt her head back to look up at me.
"Sis, what's this word?"
"Hmm… 'eternal'."
"Eternal… nice word."
She murmured it, pressing her finger into the page.
"I wish you and me could be eternal."
Then she'd grab my hand and rub it against her cheek.
One lazy afternoon, she insisted on brushing my hair.
"Your hair's like the night sky, sis. Black and soft."
Small hands worked carefully from behind, combing through my long locks.
"I'll tie it pretty. So tight no one can undo it."
A moment later, my reflection showed a crooked braid, looking a bit comical.
But Charlotte's proud face kept me from laughing.
"How's it look? Like it?"
"Yeah. Don't want to undo it ever."
At my light praise, she blushed and threw her arms around my waist.
And when I was writing a letter to Leoness,
"Sis. Play with me."
Charlotte would appear out of nowhere to interrupt.
Those peaceful days continued.
The main house stopped summoning me.
Duke Cassius and Sebastian no longer set foot in the annex.
It felt like a world for just the two of us.
But time mercilessly refused to stop,
and Charlotte clung to me all day, as if trying to ignore our impending parting.
By the time checkmarks filled her wishlist notebook,
the leaves outside the window had deepened into summer green.
The end of my confinement was approaching.