Chapter 392: Kali

"...Auntie Saluvia... why is Mommy so weird?" I ask Auntie Saluvia while I eat a golden apple hanging from one of the castle trees. Auntie Saluvia down below looks at the castle and then at me.

"Esther is busy with Evelyn. In the end, everything involving a coronation requires a lot of planning. It's natural for something to seem like it's changed since it demands so much time and—"

"That's not it!! That evil woman... I'm not talking about her!! I'm talking about Mommy!!... She used to be happier before... why does she seem so weird now?" I don't understand.

I don't remember very well, but when I was younger, Mommy was really loving and way more cheerful. Now she's... sad. Sometimes she cries out of nowhere, and sometimes she has panic attacks, and sometimes she shows a coldness that scares me.

She's like what Saluvia once said — 'inconsistent.' I don't know what that means, but is that what Mommy is now? She changes her attitude out of nowhere. She's still loving and sometimes cheerful, but it's way rarer, and she always seems to have little "energy" to play with me.

"Look, you're too young to understand."

"I am not!! I'm five years old!! I'm old! I've even learned to talk all properly!!"

"Five years old is too young. You're very clever, but there are things that aren't for your age, things someone as young as you shouldn't know."

"It's that woman's fault, isn't it!?"

"...She's also your mother."

"No!! She's not... Esther is evil, and she's the one who made Mommy cry so many times... she's not my mother! Only Mommy Evelyn is my mother!!"

"Evelyn has too many problems, and they're not something you would understand even if I explained... although yes, a considerable part of the blame is Esther's. That's not a lie, and you've noticed it yourself, but she's still your mother." I get frustrated with that.

"It's hard not to notice... but why don't you think about something else? You like these fruits, right? Why don't you talk about them?" She asks, staring at me.

"I like golden apples because Mommy likes them! And they're good, but Mommy's milk is better."

"Don't you think it's time to stop drinking Evelyn's milk? Aren't you too old already?"

"No!! You said I'm young!!"

"...Too young to know the facts, but too old to drink milk from her breasts like a baby." What she's saying doesn't make sense.

"That doesn't make sense! Either I'm old... or I'm young!!"

"Haaa..." She just sighs as she leans back against the tree.

"Don't you have any less complicated questions?"

"Why does that woman bite Mommy Evelyn?! And why does Mommy Evelyn let her?"

"...Because they love each other, and because Esther needs flesh and blood since she's a Ghoul, just like you." I bite the fruit, throwing the rest on the ground and grabbing another one.

'That doesn't make sense...'

"Why doesn't she eat fruits then?! She's evil! She keeps eating Mommy Evelyn!!"

"It's complicated for you to understand."

"Why!? Why do you say everything is complicated?"

"Because you ask too many questions, and problematic questions that are things I can't explain to a child. If I explain it to you, Evelyn might end up worse than Esther when it comes to punishment."

"Liar!! Esther bites Mommy's breasts and steals her milk from me. Why would she need to bite and tear pieces off of Mommy if she's already stealing my food?"

"...Look, it's not the same thing... why are you asking so many questions about Evelyn today? You normally stop after two or three."

"It's because they went out! And that woman isn't here to stop me!!"

"...You're a little devil. Your mother would be angry to know you do bad things only when they're not here to see."

"You're not gonna tell! So there's no problem! If no one sees or knows, then it's allowed!"

"That's not how it works," she says in a disapproving tone.

"But I saw Esther saying that."

"Esther is not an example."

"Mommy Evelyn agreed." I saw Mommy Evelyn agreeing. If she agreed, then it's true.

"..." Auntie Saluvia brings her hands near her eyes, rubbing between them.

"You're old, Auntie Saluvia. Are you feeling sick?"

"No, just stressed. Stop asking weird questions. Today was a horrible day for me. Your mothers should be arriving soon, so get down from that tree and go take a bath."

"I don't want to!!"

"Kali, get down from there right now. If you're dirty with dirt and leaves when they arrive, I'm the one who'll have problems. Do you want me to have problems?"

"I don't care."

"Selfish little brat..."

"What did you say?!" I didn't hear it, but I'm sure she insulted me somehow.

"Nothing. Fine, stay there then, but if a monster attacks you, I won't protect you."

"Hmph! Liar! I'm not a baby! There are no monsters in the forest! I've explored everything. Besides, the scariest monster of all is that woman! And she's not in the forest."

"...There's a dangerous beast in the forest, with sharp fangs and claws—"

"Mommy Evelyn is not a beast."

"..."

"Fangs and claws are common things! It's not just Evelyn who has them."

"But there's nothing in the forest! Only Mommy Evelyn who sometimes walks in it, and Esther who sometimes walks in it too! And sometimes both of them!!"

"Besides, I'm learning magic!! If I see a monster, I'll punch it!"

"Why would you punch it if you're learning magic? Forget it. Just get out of there now, or I swear I'll knock you down."

"You can't! Mommy Evelyn will be mad at you!"

"...B-But I'll leave here if... you give me those little white balls!!" I'm really curious about those little balls. I wonder if they're tasty?

"That's not food. It's medicine for Evelyn. I'm not giving you her medicine. Get down from there now."

"No! I know you can't hurt me!! You won't fool me! I'm not four years old anymore!! I'm way too smart to fall for silly tricks!!" I've noticed she never actually touches me, no matter what she says.

She doesn't have permission to hurt me, hit me, or even be the cause of any injury. If I get hurt because of her, Mommy Evelyn gets mad.

"..." I see Auntie Saluvia clenching her fist hard. She's irritated, but I'm not leaving here. I'm eating fruits.

...

...

...

I look at Kali up in the tree and clench my fists hard, filled with rage at this pest. I'm forced to take care of her because of the agreement where I serve Evelyn, but Evelyn has simply become too possessive.

Two years ago, I accidentally scratched Kali's arm while walking, and when I came back and Evelyn saw it and found out what happened, she had one of her episodes. She bound my entire body in threads and started pulling my limbs until they were almost torn off completely.

After the war, her mind became a complete mess. The medicine doses had to be increased to three times the potency to actually work, and even with the medicine, if something triggers her jealousy, she has an episode.

I know it's a defensive response to trauma. Esther explained that Evelyn suffered something bad inside the vault of the angel kingdom, but the fact that it's a defensive response combined with her draconic possessive instinct doesn't change the fact that taking care of her daughter is like constantly walking on eggshells.

Evelyn can only separate injury through causers. If Kali hurts herself on her own, then it's fine. Evelyn is just gentle and helps her tend to the wound, but if I'm somehow at fault, she completely loses her calm, and even if Esther hurts her, Evelyn doesn't take it well.

Although, because of all the dependency, Evelyn doesn't attack Esther. She ends up taking out the loss of control on objects. She binds them in threads and squeezes them until they're completely cut apart when she's alone.

That's why I hate taking care of this girl. It's become a dangerous duty, and Kali is annoyingly clever and explorative. She asks too many questions, defies orders, and never obeys when she doesn't want to.

"If you don't get down from up there and take a bath, your mother will cry. Do you want to be the reason she cries? Do you like seeing her cry because you were disobedient?" When I say that, she makes a shocked face.

"N-No... I-I'm going down now..." She becomes discouraged instantly, but it's her fault for disobeying. I don't care if she feels guilty. I have my own life to look after. It's never been so hard to live normally before. These two crazy women I have to deal with daily are driving me insane.

"And hurry up. We don't have much time." Esther is just cleaning the blood off Evelyn's body and will soon bring her back to this place.

"Okay! Okay... I'm going... no need to be so annoying..." She throws the fruit on the ground as she climbs down the branches, jumping when she's low enough. She ends up slipping and getting her clothes and face even dirtier.

"..." I catch her in my arms, carrying her quickly into the castle. I can't wait for Evelyn to lose the Demon King title so I can leave. I hope she doesn't keep the title for long.

'Evelyn's body isn't worth all this effort. She's not even going to die naturally. I'm hardly going to get her body... this contract has only brought me trouble...' I really wish I could give up, but I can't break the contract without the original contractor, who's already dead, so I can only wait.

"Auntie Saluvia, Mommy Evelyn won't cry if I take my bath, right?"

"No, she won't..."