Chapter 13: Maid's Cold Scare

Camille has always been tasked to walk with her little brother back home from school.

She thought that her parents wanting them to get along was only a pretense to say she needs to take care and prioritize her prodigy of a brother.

One day, she was invited to peer therapy as a result of the test from their counselor.

It was a tempting offer to which Camille gave in.

At first, she thought she just ought to try it and leave if it makes her uncomfortable.

It was done beyond school hours, so she had to leave her brother to walk alone.

Their parents come home by 7 p.m. and the session's only an hour.

The circumstances were ideal for her.

"Don't tell them that I'm leaving you to walk alone, alright?" She coaxed her little brother, Arthur. "I promise I'll buy you books you want in exchange for keeping my secret. You can go home alone, can't you?"

Arthur looked at her expressionless, almost as if coldly calculating the situation.

He eventually nodded, agreed, and said nothing more.

Camille was instantly drawn at the peer therapy she attended even for her first day.

The space she was introduced to was comfortable, safe, and accepting.

It wasn't exactly warm as much as you call a 'home,' but it was enough for her.

And so, she kept on attending the sessions, leaving her brother to go home alone.

This went on for almost a week until one day, Mrs. Claire Rousseau, her mother, caught on.

Mrs. Claire once chanced this after getting home early unannounced, seeing her son Arthur alone at home.

When she asked where his sister was, Arthur refused to tell anything.

That day, Camille went pale when she saw her mother at home first, thinking she was caught.

She thought that her mother would severely scold her, but Mrs. Claire was surprisingly indifferent that time.

She just welcomed her daughter home, served them dinner, and talked as if nothing happened.

She didn't even mention it to Mr. Albert Rousseau, who strongly suggested that Camille would have to take care of her brother.

It was strange for Camille, but it gradually left her mind when Mrs. Claire never brought it up again.

Mrs. Claire secretly tried unfolding what her daughter was doing and ultimately knew about the peer therapy.

Mrs. Claire Rousseau kept a confidential interaction with the counselor who reported her of her daughter's progress.

"If this is what she wants to do, then so be it," Mrs. Claire thought with a soft expression.