Charlotte's Provocation
"Charlotte. Are you in a lot of pain?"
Julia rested her chin on her hand as she slowly picked at her food. It had been a long time since she'd seen Charlotte burning up with fever like this. When was the last time Charlotte had gotten sick? The winter before last, maybe? A hole in the window had let in freezing drafts, and Charlotte had caught a terrible cold after giving her blanket to Julia.
But this was the middle of summer. Was it just bad luck? Julia tried to brush it off, but then she remembered the look in Charlotte's eyes when Aslan had carried her on his back. Her body went rigid.
...No way.
Surely that had all been an act? No, the fever itself couldn't be faked, so that part had to be real. But would a mild fever really leave her so out of it? Could Charlotte have been faking the severity? Why? To get Aslan's attention?
Julia's teeth ground together. Without Aslan's hand, she'd spent the entire night clutching the shark plush, wide awake. No, that couldn't be it. Why can't she sleep alone?
She could control the spirits' whispers now. She could keep them from entering a certain radius. Her spirit speech had grown strong enough to work even on Muddy, who had once been a Great Spirit. So why, why did she still lie awake every night? Why did she need that man's hand to fall asleep? She couldn't understand it.
He must have done something to me...!
One or two nights might be coincidence, but this was too strange. Had Aslan cast some kind of curse that made her suffer insomnia without his touch?
How shameless...!
So that was his plan—to make her dependent on him! She'd figured it out! If it wasn't a curse, then it meant she was some unstable child who felt extreme anxiety without Aslan's hand. That couldn't be right. No. Absolutely not. Julia arrived at a clear conclusion.
Does he really think this will make me like him?
It was ridiculous. Childish, even. He probably expected her to slowly fall for him once she couldn't live without him. But she wasn't that easy. Did he really think she'd become the Countess so readily?
"Charlotte's late."
Even though she'd been eating slowly, Julia's bowl was already empty. She glanced around the large, empty dining hall, then stood up abruptly.
"Maybe she really is seriously ill."
It might not be faking after all. It could be a real sickness accompanied by fever. Worry swelled in Julia's chest as she headed toward the room where Charlotte was isolated.
Voices?
She could hear Charlotte's cheerful chatter all the way down the hall. When Julia approached, the maids who had been crouching by the door crack stood up, faces flushed.
"Ahem, ahem. Did you enjoy your meal?"
"Yes... Is Charlotte all right?"
"Would you like to check for yourself? Hehehe."
The maids giggled among themselves as they left. Why did those people always look so happy? And why did they only ever talk about her and Charlotte...?
Julia tilted her head. Then, as if drawn by a spell, she knelt by the slightly open door and peered inside.
"...Ah."
Something inside Julia snapped.
How much time had passed since she'd been shut in her room? Julia was still clutching the shark plush tightly, thrashing in distress. What was this feeling? Why did her chest feel so tight and prickly? She didn't know. Not knowing only made her irritation rise.
"Muddy."
[What is it.]
"What do you think Charlotte is planning?]
[...I can't even begin to guess what you're asking.]
"You're close with Charlotte, so you should know. Has she changed recently?"
[...]
Close? With that girl? The Earth Great Spirit's brow furrowed. She was just a toy being played with one-sidedly. Muddy started to turn away with a disinterested expression, but after seeing Julia's complicated look, he took on a more serious tone.
[I wouldn't know. I haven't known you two for very long.]
"Even in that short time, you should be able to tell. Charlotte when we first met versus Charlotte now—didn't you notice any difference?"
[I don't know. As far as I can tell, Charlotte seems the same as always.]
"Fine, then."
Ugh. Completely useless. Julia buried her face in the shark plush and kicked her legs in frustration. Charlotte hadn't changed? That was impossible. If Charlotte was the same, then did that mean she had changed? That didn't make sense. Julia shook her head and immediately erased the Great Spirit's opinion from her mind.
"...She's back."
Chattering voices and footsteps approached from outside. Come to think of it, the mansion had been quiet for a while. Had Charlotte gone out somewhere? Julia got up from the bed just as the door burst open. Light flooded the dark room, casting Charlotte's bold shadow.
"I'm back!"
"Mm, Charlotte. Are you feeling better?"
"Totally fine! Super healthy! All thanks to Mister taking care of me all night!"
"..."
All night? Julia's teeth ground together.
"What's that behind your back?"
"Oh, this? Ta-da! Mister bought it for me! It's a teddy bear! Isn't it cute?"
"..."
A teddy bear. The very one she'd wanted first. Julia squeezed the shark plush until it crumpled, grinding her teeth again. Was she doing this on purpose? Was she?
It was the first time Charlotte's bright smile had ever made her angry.
"What are you trying to do?"
"What do you mean?"
"You never liked dolls before."
"Yeah. I wasn't interested, but since Mister offered to buy one, I picked one out. I think I'll start liking them from now on."
"...And it just had to be a teddy bear?"
"It just had to be a teddy bear, huh."
Charlotte smiled, eyes crinkling. She really was doing it on purpose. Julia sighed and hopped down from the bed. Muddy, caught between them, froze in place without making a sound.
"I asked what you're trying to do. Why are you getting on my nerves like this?"
Julia glared with bloodshot eyes.
"Getting on your nerves? Me?"
"Yeah. You are. You left the door open on purpose when that man was giving the massage, didn't you? It wasn't an accident—you did it deliberately. Being clumsy usually, it must be convenient when you want to do stuff like that."
"Huuuh. What are you talking about?"
"And why did you pretend not to see me earlier?"
"Hmm. I didn't want to interrupt my time with Mister?"
"..."
Ha! So she was finally showing her true colors.
"See? You want me to back off because you're claiming Aslan for yourself."
"Well... yeah, that's true. But why would that get on your nerves? You hate Mister, don't you?"
"What..."
"You said he was gloomy and you didn't like him. That's why I said I'd become the Countess. One of us has to marry him, and you hate the idea so much you'd rather die, right?"
"I, I just... I just want to sleep..."
"If that was all, it wouldn't bother you."
"..."
Julia's mouth snapped shut. Charlotte was right. She absolutely didn't want to become the Countess, so why did it irritate her so much whenever Charlotte flirted with Aslan?
"If you keep this up, it'll be too late, Julia. You'll regret it later."
"...What will?"
"Haah. I can't tell if you're pretending not to know or if you really haven't realized yet..."
Charlotte sighed and shook her head. Julia tilted hers in confusion. Too late? Regret it? Haven't realized? She had no idea what Charlotte was talking about.
"Mister's side is free now! I'm satisfied, so I'll hand it over to you."
"..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Which side are you on, Charlotte? Are you becoming the Countess even though you hate it? Or do you really..."
Really like Aslan? Julia swallowed hard before she could finish. Charlotte was different on the inside than she showed on the outside. More precisely, she could make the outside look different from the inside. Even when dealing with people she disliked, she could smile brightly without showing it. Julia couldn't hide her feelings at all. Charlotte could act like a kind child everyone loved. So when she was with Aslan, was it all just an act? Which was it? Julia was dying to know.
"Hmm..."
Charlotte stared silently into Julia's eyes for a long moment. Then her eyes narrowed into a meaningful smile.
The intent behind the question is so obvious.
It was written all over Julia's face. Please say it's just an act.
Heh. How cute. Charlotte grinned.
"Who knows. Which do you think it is?"
"Charlotte...!"
"Ehehe. I guess I took the joke too far. I didn't expect you to react so strongly. Sorry."
Charlotte rushed over and hugged Julia. Julia accepted the embrace quietly, but couldn't hide the clear bewilderment on her face.
"What about you, Julia? Which side are you on? Do you just want to sleep comfortably, and that's the only reason you want to keep Mister to yourself?"
"O-of course..."
"Julia, girls who aren't honest aren't popular. You should listen to your own heart more."
"..."
So she still had no idea what that meant... Julia bit her lip. For some reason, Charlotte seemed overflowing with composure, and it annoyed her.
[Ah. I want to go home.]
And in the midst of this tense atmosphere, the Earth Great Spirit felt a sudden wave of exhaustion.