"Be like...him?" Shinso repeated my statement, his expression gradually turning empathetic. He scooted a little closer to me.
I scooted away a little, feeling a tiny rush of tiredness enter my body the longer I sat awake. "I don't know if I truly want this...I...I don't know if...whatever."
Upon hearing my words, Shinso fell silent. After a few moments he silently scooted off my bed. "I'll just...leave you alone then."
...
That night, I didn't get any sleep. When I woke up and went into the bathroom, still wearing my formal attire, dark circles formed under my eyes, making me look like a raccoon rather than a human being—or at least one that got sustainable rest.
Shrugging off my clothing, I changed into some loose, white pajamas and got back under the covers, sinking into the sheets and closing my eyes. Outside, it was a little darker due to the hue of the clouds, which obscured the sunlight and continually pummeled down snow onto the cobblestone streets.
I tossed again, pulling the blanket over my head and letting out a low groan, attempting to block out all the light that filtered through the linen curtains. On the other side of the room, Shinso remained asleep. Last night, when I refused to elaborate he looked taken aback, but he didn't argue, instead retreating to his bed and falling asleep in a short time.
"You're planning on sulking in this manner all day? That's not very productive." The Umbridge's voice sounded in my ears, rousing me from my haze of restlessness and irritation.
"Y'got any abilities that can put me to sleep or something?" I grumbled, rolling over again and burying my head in the pillows.
"Are you sure you should sleep at this moment? I took a look through the employment papers and found something that might churn your soup."
"You can...look through them without my help?" I raised my head, feeling puzzled and curious.
"I can. But if you want me to interfere further, you can always sign a contract with me."
In an instant, all the tiredness in my body seemed to erode away, I leaned up and stretched in my bed.
"Go on."
The Umbridge sighed softly at the moment. "In order to allow me to manifest into reality through a host body, I can give you a contract—one that binds us and allows me to interact with you in a physical sense."
My vision then turned hazy, all the colors of the room gaining a little vibrance. It was similar to the precognition I was given when I drank the potion. A sphere of light suddenly shrank down from above, manifesting and contorting into the shape of a piece of illusory, crimson paper. Floating beside it was a fountain pen and a small canister of ink.
"You may sign the contract at any time; but I don't mind staying here for a while longer."
"Ok." The Blood-Moon Charm, which had been left in the bathroom, suddenly flew over to me and buzzed erratically. Although the circles around my eyes and other surface signs of tiredness remained, the fatigue and other signs of weariness instantly dissipated.
Just then, my gaze shifted back to Shinso, watching the boy asleep in his bed across the room. "I can't believe he did that last night."
"You sound mad about it." The Umbridge said, a tiny pinch of concern evident in their voice.
I gazed down at the charm in my hands for a few moments before sighing. "If only this charm could fix the pain in my heart."
"Don't get too sentimental, you need food in your system." I suddenly felt my body move upwards, forcing myself onto my two feet. "What are you d-doing?"
"I forgot to elaborate, I can also control your actions for a short period of time."
They forced me down the stairwell and into the lobby of the apartment. Overall it was silent, aside from a patron or two silently eating their breakfast oatmeal.
"Babysitting? Are you serious?" I had turned to the page The Umbridge had recommended, gazing down at the job listed under the Little Experience Necessary section.
According to the papers, the babysitting profession in Seraphis Kingdom has died down as of late, with parents taking their children everywhere they went aside from bars, areas of heavy prostitution, and locations that gave an overall negative feeling.
"Madame Charlotte Fitzgerald is hiring; she pays a handsome 50 golden louis an hour. From what I had read, the golden louis was the highest currency in the kingdom, often used as a formal exchange currency between the upper echelons of society. It was very rare to see someone with golden louis without their outfit being adorned with more jewels than the cost of monthly rent.
"Either their house is akin to a labyrinth, or their child is a demon." Considering everything I've learned about this world, maybe Madame Fitzgerold's child was a demon—or at least possessed by one.
Following a few moments of careful deliberation, I put the papers down. "Later today I'll head over and ask her."
...
"She's been resting all day for the most part." Carter leaned against the doorframe as he gazed down at me. I looked past the man and into the house, where I could see Ayumi nestled in the same chair as when I had left last night.
"Do you know anything else about what happened?" I didn't want to tell Carter what I had learned in regards to my abilities. If he were to learn that I was the cause of her suffering, he'd most likely inform an official group whilst hiding his status as well.
Carter pursed his lips for a few seconds before shaking his head. "As of this afternoon, the only thing she's been doing is going in and out of consciousness."
I nodded my head. "Alright..."
Suddenly, Carter knelt down a tiny bit and gazed into my brown eyes. "You look like rubbish." he commented.
I hadn't taken the time to clean up my appearance at all, so walking around looking like a zombie was verified to draw some attention back to myself. I let out a low sigh and ran a hand through my messy brownish-black locks.
"I didn't get that much sleep."
Upon hearing that, Carter's eyes seemed to light up a little. He took a step back and granted me entry into Catherine's house. Inside, most of the curtains were drawn, allowing little light to enter through the windows. Near Ayumi's chair, I observed the lit fireplace.
"Cathy's the typa' woman to have all sorts of stuff for sleep." Carter made his way into what appeared to be a kitchen and opened an overhead cabinet.
"Does she struggle with insomnia?" I asked.
Carter fell silent for a few moments as he pushed aside numerous semi-transparent bottles filled with a wide assortment of herbs, liquids and powders.
"No. I would tell you, but she's never told me what her problem is."
The man turned around and handed me a bottle of dark-purple liquid which seemed to glow in resemblance to the night sky. "Take this, slip a few drops into a drink and you'll fall asleep in no time."
I took the small bottle and observed it. Unlike my reality, the bottle contained no information regarding the product or its usage. Feeling a wave of puzzlement, I looked back up at Carter and cocked an eyebrow.
"What if I took it directly?"
Carter placed a hand on his side and bit his upper lip, almost to the extent of drawing blood. "Well..."
"There was this one time I did take it directly, I almost drank half the bottle because I didn't sleep in ages."
His eyes flickered with a tinge of ambivalence as he continued explaining. "For the most part I experienced vivid nightmares. I was chased by unimaginable horrors, tortured, just bad stuff on the most part."
"If you almost drank half the bottle, why's it full again?" I sloshed the liquid around in the bottle.
"Becuase Isaiah always makes more when we need some." Carter replied, smiling.
"Catherine didn't make this?" I took a step back, gazing into the dark-purple liquid.
"Most of the stuff in this kitchen isn't hers aside from the food. Catherine is more of a mysticism girl, not an alchemist."
He turned and looked towards the various other cabinets. "You should've known from the start when you set off to get your friend more herbs from that horse guy."
After a few seconds of silence, I sighed and tucked the bottle into my breast pocket. "If I run out of this, should I go to Isaiah to get some more?"
"He won't mind; just knock before entering. Sometimes I feel like a monster might pounce at me from the other side of the door."
"He might be a monster, who knows." I scoffed, stepping back towards the door and bidding Carter goodbye.
...
By the time the entire interaction had ended, it was almost the evening. He had actually invited me to stay for some afternoon tea alongside Catherine. When he brought up the fact that he bestowed me the sleeping serum, Catherine's expression seemed to freeze, but she didn't seem to mind for the most part.
After returning to the Parterre de Fleurs and snatching the job papers, I waited outside for any sightings of a rental carriage. After twenty minutes I stopped by the schedule room and hesitantly asked in regard to the timing. The woman working there, the one with silver hair tied into a bonnet, told me that carriages were closed today due to maintenance on the wheels due to overexposure to cold temperatures.
The city seemed akin to a maze to navigate by foot, but eventually I arrived at Madame Fitzgerald's establishment. The house was a three story with neatly trimmed bushes which had been pummeled in by the snowfall, around the house was a towering iron fence, with a gate where the extravagant looking carriage she owned was tucked away in a separate building.
I found it peculiar that nobody else had offered this job. For the most part, babysitting was listed under the jobs that didn't require much experience. And for such handsome pay, I'd expected the entire kingdom to be ratting on her door seeking employment.
"I assume you're here for the job listed?" A male voice with a french accent sounded from beside me. I jumped a little and stepped back, strangely not having realized they were standing there in the cold. A well-fit man with neatly combed black hair, a monocle, and a gold-trimmed suit was standing beside the gate with a wooden stick.
Seeing the stick, I swallowed my saliva and nodded my head. "I am."
"You seem awfully young to pursue this profession, I must say." The man stated bluntly, standing up straight.
"Shouldn't you be glad Madame Fitzgerald is getting a patron at all?" I raised an eyebrow, the ends of my lips forming a small smile.
The monocled man sighed softly and grumbled as he opened the gate, letting me step inside. The small road leading to her front door had been plowed of the snow, ensuring that whoever wanted to accept the job didn't get their shoes or outfit tarnished. I walked up the steps as my body began to involuntarily tremble, feeling an ice-cold rush of intimidation flood into my heart.
On either side of the door, two statues of gargoyles were perched atop pillars, their gaping mouths showcasing countless razor-sharp teeth. Their mottled eyes seemed to glow in the dim lighting inside the house. My attention was grabbed from the stone creatures as the door suddenly opened in front of me.
I saw a woman with a face as white as the snow outside, her cheeks coated with an abhorrent amount of blush. Her blonde hair was nestled into a high bun perched above her head like a crown, and she dawned a green and white long dress that stretched about a meter in every direction from her hips.
Seeing me, the extravagant-looking woman smiled softly and raised her fan to her face. "Hello, dear."