Yet, only the part above my neck feels scorching hot, and my ears hurt as if they might tear off.
"Aaah... Aaahh..."
I flail my hands, seeking help. I didn't know exactly what I wanted or how I wanted it, but I understood that I wasn't well. I couldn't figure out why I was hot and cold, or why I was in pain. I just reached out to the older people in the house.
"M-mama... Papa... Big sister..."
...Something cold was placed on my forehead. It seemed to be a wet cloth, drawing the heat from my head.
Suddenly, my whole body felt better. It's strange how cooling your head can ease the chill in your body.
I exhaled and opened my blurry eyes. A little girl was there.
"Marie, how do you feel? Is it comfortable?"
She peered at me, her eyebrows drooping.
"A... Aanya, big sister. ...Thank you."
When I said this, Anastasia big sister sighed in relief.
She is two years older than me, just turned six. Her rosy, round cheeks, her big blue eyes that seemed ready to spill over, and her curly golden hair that reached her shoulders. While I didn't have any of these, our slender fingers were very similar.
"It's okay, Marie. Just now, the doctor said it's just a cold in your ear. You'll get better if you rest a lot."
I felt happy and smiled.
I didn't understand the word "cold," but I was relieved to know that I wasn't in a serious condition, and I was glad that my big sister told me this.
My big sister, holding my hand and repeating, "It's okay, it's okay," made me feel better.
Thinking back, she had always comforted me when I fell and got hurt, when I ate too much and had a stomachache, and when I was scared and cried because I couldn't sleep alone.
No one else, not even Mama or Papa, had done this for me. Only my big sister.
When I felt a bit better, my big sister lifted the book she had been holding on her lap and showed it to me.
"Marie, aren't you bored just lying here? I'll read a book to you."
I cheered. "The Ragged Red Cat." My big sister had read many books to me, even though I couldn't read yet. This was her favorite.
Using her whole body, my big sister opened the large, heavy cover.
"---Once upon a time, in a place not here, there was a traveler who walked through many countries. At the entrance of a town he came to, there was a ragged red cat.
The traveler asked the cat, 'Hey, kitty! What's your name?' The ragged red cat replied, 'Shut up, you fool! I don't have a name. I'm just a ragged cat!'"
"Huhu..."
I hid my mouth in the sheets and giggled.
Because, Anastasia big sister, the lines were different from the last time she read it. She translated the Ipus language carelessly each time.
I couldn't read Ipus yet, but I remembered the whole story because my big sister translated it into the kingdom language for me.
"'Why do you ask my name? Don't you want to know why I'm ragged?' 'I can tell without asking. It's because you're red. You've been bullied by other cats. I know everything.'"
The ragged cat asked the all-knowing traveler, 'Why do I have ears and a tail and can meow and walk even though I'm trash?' 'You're not trash, you're a cat,' the traveler replied. The cat asked, 'If I'm not trash but a cat, why am I ragged?'
...The traveler replied, 'It's just because you are.' The cat asked, 'Why am I like this?' 'Because you are, just as I am a traveler,' the traveler said."
I opened my mouth and recited a passage I had memorized, my voice hoarse.
"The traveler said, 'You should travel too. If a cat rolls around like trash, it becomes trash. If trash meows, it becomes a cat. And...'"
My big sister grinned.
"'If you travel, you're a traveling cat!'"
We both clapped and rejoiced.
We, the sisters, loved the story that began here.
The traveler and the ragged red cat travel the world and meet various people and events.
A scarecrow bored with idleness, a crying ogre, a tiger who thinks it's a cat, an old man cursed to dance until he dies, a princess who doesn't want to laugh. They cross a mountain where only a rainbow bird knows the way, get hints from old songs, and find the treasure of a fallen kingdom.
A grand adventure far more appealing than falling in love with a prince.
My big sister, with large gestures and funny faces, read to me... or rather, acted out the story.
My favorite characters, my favorite story, my favorite big sister. I wished this happy time could last forever—
My big sister, who had been mimicking a phoenix with her arms spread wide, suddenly floated in the air, suspended.
Held by the collar, my big sister groaned, and I let out a frightened cry.
"What are you doing, Anastasia? I told you not to enter Marie's room!"
The one who shouted was an old woman, like a magnified and wrinkled version of six-year-old Anastasia. Her voice was as cold and sharp as an icicle, making me tremble and cover my ears.
Anastasia, who had fallen to the floor, rubbed her body and looked up at her, groaning resentfully.
"Sasha, grandma... I'm sorry..."
"If you're going to apologize, don't do it in the first place!"
Grandma's hand struck my sister's cheek.
"You really don't listen, do you? You always translate carelessly... The multilingual brain is formed by the age of six. You need to learn the local language and pronunciation directly, not by translating it into the kingdom language. This is an important time for Marie's future. I told you not to interfere!"
Even after being hit twice, my sister didn't scream. She held her swollen cheek and replied strongly.
"Marie has a fever. Mama and Papa didn't come because they're afraid of catching it. So I came to take care of Marie, wetting a cloth with water. Because I'm Marie's big sister."
"Can you cure her with this, you fool!"
Smack! ——She slapped hard and threw the wet cloth at my sister, who fell as if blown away.
"Big sister. Big sister. Big sister..."
I covered my ears and cowered in the corner of the bed. I was scared, so scared, and didn't know what to do.
Grandma picked up the trembling Anastasia, picked up the book, and turned around.
She gently stroked my shoulder, which was trembling in fear.
"Marie, from now on, I will take care of you. I'll call the doctor if your condition changes, so don't worry."
"...Y... Yes..."
"Forget everything Anastasia read just now. Clear your memory. From now on, understand the original pronunciation as I read it to you."
"Is it study time...? I'm still not feeling well..."
I asked hesitantly. Grandma didn't answer. Instead, she told me something I hadn't asked.
"Marie, you were born with a good head. Better than anyone else in this house. That's why it's most efficient to train you."
"...But... Big... Big sister also... likes Ipusandros..."
Her blue eyes glared at me. I covered myself with the sheets to escape her gaze. Grandma didn't scold my attitude. She just continued to train me.
"'The Ragged Red Cat'... The content is a silly comedy, but it's a perfect text for Ipus pronunciation practice because it rhymes. Memorize it and master Ipus by the age of four. While you're feverish, it will seep in as you listen. Then learn Flaria by the age of six. You can learn to write Shaina and Bandel by the time you're an adult."
"...Understood..."
When I nodded, Grandma held the book in one hand and started reading aloud while standing.
It wasn't an act, nor was it a reading. She just read the text with correct pronunciation.
...I closed my eyes.
My favorite Ipus language, the stories of Ipusandros.
But when I heard them from Grandma, my ears tingled. I could feel my fever rising. My temples throbbed, and my head started to hurt.
Still, Grandma never forgave me. I was tormented by the fever, scratching my chest, and groaning.
Big sister. My beloved Aanya big sister... Help me.
It's cold. It's hot.
So cold that I can't stop shivering, yet my neck and above feel scorching hot—
...Something cool and pleasant was placed on my forehead.
It was a wet cloth, drawing the heat from my head.
When it became warm, it was removed and replaced again. Each time, my body's shivering subsided.
...It feels good.
...Big sister? ...No, it's not her. Big sister is... gone. ...Where am I?
I finally opened my heavy eyelids. The face of the person taking care of me appeared in my blurry vision. It wasn't a six-year-old blonde girl. It was a grown man with black hair and green eyes.
"A... Cyrus-sama...?"
"Marie, you're awake."
He sighed in relief and lowered his eyebrows.
"...Cyrus-sama, why... Why am I sleeping?"
"No, you fainted from a fever. But don't worry, the doctor said it's just fatigue. You've already been examined."
"...Fever...?"
When I said it out loud, I vaguely remembered.
Yes—when we went to the capital market... and on the way back in the carriage, I felt unwell. I had felt something was off for a while, but I didn't expect to suddenly lose consciousness.
When I tried to get out of bed, Cyrus-sama stopped me.
"Don't overdo it. Stay in bed."
"I'm fine. It seems my fever has gone down a lot..."
"But you were having a bad dream."
"...That's... just a bad dream."
I looked around.
It was a room I didn't recognize. It was smaller and had a lower ceiling than the guest room I had been staying in recently. The walls and floor were exposed stone, with a small rug under the desk. There was an old-fashioned cabinet, a small closet, and the bed I was lying on. The bed mattress was soft and of good quality, but the design was simple. It was a simple, modest room.
"...Where is this...?"
"My room."
"Wh-What! W-Wait, I'm sorry!"
Surprised, I tried to get out of bed, but Cyrus-sama, who had anticipated this, easily caught me and put me back in bed. He covered me with a blanket and said,
"No, it's more like a nap room. It's a hidden room in the old castle. My actual private room is in the mansion, but I've been staying here recently because of the many guests and the busy schedule.