His question had sounded so absurd that for a moment, Clette thought he might be playing a prank of her. That theory was quickly discarded as there was no trace of playfulness in the child’s face. He was a perfect visualisation of fear from head to toe. Edmund’s advice slipped Clette’s mind and she frowned.
“Who told you that.”
Despair hung over his small features.
“Mum used to say that witches turn naughty kids into frogs.”
It seemed like a future wherein he is a frog had already unfolded in Tita’s head. The teary eyed child knelt in front of Clette desperately.
“What do you think you’re doing? Get up right now!”
‘Oh no, what if he gets stabbed by a glass fragment?’
Clette tried to force him up but the child repeatedly knelt.
“I was wrong, your grace! Please don’t t-turn me into a frog! I really don’t want to become one.”
Chunky tears rolled down from his purple eyes.
‘What the hell is happening and why am I apparently turning this kid into a frog?!’
Clette was obviously more than capable of turning 100 children into frogs if she so wished, but why would she do such an inefficient thing?
‘His mum has completely filled his head with all kinds of nonsense, hasn’t she?’
Clette decided that clearing the broken glass was more imperative than soothing the crying child for now. It would do no one good if he got injured because of shards.
“What on earth is happening here?”
Edmund, who hadn’t been in his room for whatever reason, appeared at the end of the hallway. The scene in front of him was so ridiculous that such words escaped his lips.
“He’s crying alone again, I haven’t even done anything to him though?”
He didn’t reply to Clette and gently approached the crying Tita right away.
“Your highness, why are you crying?”
“Sir bu- butler, I don’t want to turn i- into a f- frog!”
Edmund patted Tita’s head gently and turned to Clette, eyeing her reproachfully. She suddenly felt as though she was a very bad person.
‘This is so unfair, I haven’t even done anything to Tita!’
“You haven’t said that you’ll turn him into a frog, have you your grace?”
“Wait a minute, are you suspecting me?”
“You should speak nicely in front of children, your grace. I cannot believe you even made him kneel.”
“He knelt out of his own volition! And so what if I turn him into a frog? I’m the owner of this castle anyway.”
In a fit of defiance, Clette ended up saying something she didn’t mean. Tita immediately began sobbing uncontrollably. His cries growing more mournful. The sound of one holding their breath with all their might was strangely unpleasant to her ears.
“I’m so so sorry, it’s all my fault! Forgive me please, I don’t want to become a frog.”
“Your grace.”
Edmund called out to Clette as if admonishing her. This experience was thoroughly maddening to Clette.
“Okay! Okay, I won’t turn you into a frog! So please stop sobbing already.”
Only
‘I didn’t even want to turn him into a frog in the first place! What am I supposed to do with one little frog anyways? Huh?’
Tita swallowed his tears with an expression of suppressed sorrow.
Now that things calmed down a little, Clette tried to put an end to the commotion by issuing a warning to the child as she knelt to match his eye level.
“Remember this Tita, I won’t turn you into a frog. However, if you ever move recklessly while there are broken glass fragments around again, I’ll turn you into a toad. An absolutely hideous toad. You’ll end up eating only flies for the rest of your life! Am I clear?”
Before Clette’s final words reached Tita, Edmund hurriedly covered the boy’s ears.
“Have I not told you time and time again to be wary of the way you speak to his highness? Why can’t you be more gentle towards him?”
“How am I supposed to be more gentle than this, huh? I’m really trying my best here.”
Edmund didn’t even bother to pretend as though he’d heard Clette’s complaint, instead, he merely paid attention to soothing Tita.
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