The Grimm Variations (グリム組曲)

Wilhelm. How is that new fairy tale you've been working on coming along?

I'm finished, Jacob. It's all written out.

Ah! Is that you, Charlotte?

We can see you hiding, you know.

My dear brother Jacob. And my dear brother Wilhelm.

I would love to know more about the new fairy tale you've been working on.

It's a story about a poor little girl who lost her parents.

Cinderella...

Orphaned and alone,

Cinderella is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters.

Poor thing...

There's no need to worry, little one.

Huh?

A diligent and hardworking girl like our protagonist

will inevitably get her happy ending, with good hope.

What do you say, Miss Tsuruko?

Viscount Otawara, I worry that if I accept your proposal...

Do you still have misgivings?

I only worry

what your darling daughter will think of us.

- Trust me, there's no reason for concern. - What?

Actually, the proposal was Kiyoko's idea.

She encouraged it.

- It seems she desires a new mother. - She'd see me as one?

That's right. You and your daughters would live here with us both,

and I promise you will live without a care.

Oh.

Mmm.

OTAWARA

Girls, we've finally arrived.

Now please, do watch your step.

Mama, tell me I'm not dreaming.

I've never seen such a magnificent building in my whole life.

Is this place really our new home?

You two, stop your prattling.

That talk is hardly befitting of the daughters of a viscount.

Oh!

Now, that's better.

- Madam Tsuruko. - Oh.

It with great pleasure that we welcome you and your daughters home.

"Sawako Otawara."

That has the most beautiful ring to it.

"Makiko Otawara" sounds much more ladylike.

Well, nobody asked you, wench!

- Sawako is far more charming and elegant. - In your dreams!

Come in.

Uh...

Oh! Who are you?

I'm Kiyoko! Oh, Mother! And my dear sisters!

- I'm your new little sister! How exciting! - Uh...

I've been dreaming about this day!

I've waited and wondered for so long what my new family would be like!

And now my dream's come true!

In fact, it's even better than I dreamt it!

I don't think there's a happier girl in the world than I am right now!

Please, don't hesitate to ask anything of me.

Make yourself at home! We're family now!

I swear I'll be the best little sister either of you have ever had.

Oh, that's right. I forgot to introduce my friend!

I'd like for you all to be her friend, too, please!

I was convinced she would be a selfish brat, but she's harmless.

She seems more innocent and naïve, really.

I know, right? She even called us her "dear sisters."

She'll probably do whatever we ask.

Right. Did you see that gorgeous hairpin she was wearing?

Is that all you can think about right now?

Though... those amethysts were very pretty, weren't they?

Yes!

She'd give it to you if you told her you liked it. We're family now, right?

Who's the selfish brat now?

Argh!

Use your manners!

You weren't raised in a barn.

Hmm!

- Hmm! Mmm! - Oh my, Lady Kiyoko.

I want to be just like my big sisters.

It makes the food taste better, and it's fun!

- Uh... - Can we eat this way from now on?

These are the clothes my mother wore when she was young.

I'm sorry that they're not brand new.

They're beautiful!

This is really quite nice!

Yeah. But I think it would look even nicer on me than you!

- How dare you snatch that from me? - Well, now this is mine! So just back off!

This is your fault, you brat!

My fault? Dusty old hog!

- How dare you? You pulled hard! - I could have got hurt!

You should have let go!

- What vulgar hussies. - Yoshi!

You can tell just by looking at them that they're the daughters of a former geisha.

But if you ask me, they're a complete disgrace to the Otawara household.

They're nothing like Miss Kiyoko.

I can't believe they had the audacity

to snatch up all of the late madam's kimonos.

Jeez, I mean It would have been nice

if those greedy selfish brats had saved at least one of them for me.

Enough of that, Yoshi.

It was Miss Kiyoko's idea, you know.

Those two are her sisters now.

Fine!

Such lovely people.

This will be so much fun for me!

My new mother seems intelligent, and my two big sisters are very kind.

I'm looking forward to this!

Hmm.

I really am.

Pardon the interruption.

Do either of you know who cleaned the girls' rooms yesterday?

I'm not sure. Either Tomi or Yoshi.

We can ask them whose duty it was. Is something wrong?

Yes. Lady Makiko's hairpin has disappeared.

You're kidding!

You mean Miss Kiyoko gave it to you?

Yes... yes, she did.

When she found out how much I loved her gorgeous amethyst hairpin,

she said it would look better on me than it would on her.

- So she gave it to me. - You got it? That's so unfair!

You two, quiet!

Why didn't you tell us?

Mmm... Kiyoko said to keep it a secret between just us.

She said she felt bad about the kimono being torn apart.

Oh!

- That hurts! - Oh?

Let go of me! I did nothing wrong!

She was prancing around like a crow with a shiny treasure between its beak.

- So I dragged her here. - What's all this about?

Here. This is it, right?

You have my hairpin!

- Gah! - Huh.

How dare you? Dirty little pickpocket!

You sullied the gilt with filthy hands!

Please stop! I found it in the garden and thought it was pretty!

I didn't know it was stolen!

- Please believe me! - You're a liar!

Makiko!

That's quite enough of that!

I won't stand for you tarnishing my husband's good name.

I cannot have a thief working here.

Everything between these four walls belongs to my husband,

down to the smallest stones.

You are to leave this house right this instant!

I'm so jealous.

You get all the nice things.

That's just too bad, isn't it?

Ugh! I can't stand you.

What Yoshi did was wrong, but those two sisters are just as bad.

Acting like feral territorial animals. All they do is take, take, take.

It must have been their upbringing.

Hmm.

Mm.

Please forgive me! I'm terribly sorry!

- Go get her another. - Right away, sir.

What's wrong with you all today? You're all acting strange.

Hmm?

It's nothing, my Lady.

If there's something you want to say, then out with it!

Huh?

Don't play coy. We can see your hands trembling from fear.

- I told you to spit it out! - Makiko!

She's right! You treat us like we're nothing but fools.

You call us unrefined and gossip about us.

Please settle down.

All of you, is that true?

It's not, my Lord!

I'm terribly sorry, my dear Makiko.

Mmm?

Your lives would be significantly harder if we lost our servants.

Be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve.

Well, what do you two have to say?

- My dear Makiko. - Mm?

Here. You can use this to clean yourself off.

Would you please forgive the servants, for my sake?

Please?

You won't wear it anymore?

Mm.

It's just too heavy.

I bet the servants all hate us, don't they?

That's for sure.

And since they're only ever going to see us as the children of a lowly commoner,

then it's no surprise they'd have no problem stealing a hairpin or two from us.

I suppose, but what a fool that girl was.

Of all the hairpins, why steal the one Kiyoko...

What, Makiko?

- Say, does any of this seem odd to you? - Hmm?

Even a poor girl like her,

she'd be able to tell how expensive that hairpin was.

So why would she be flaunting it like that?

She may as well have

declared from the rooftops that she stole it.

Do you think it's possible someone might be trying to disgrace us?

But who in the world would do that, Makiko?

Even I didn't know Kiyoko gave you that hairpin,

so how would anyone else know?

Kiyoko!

I, um... I was just...

You were just spying on us.

Hold on. Don't tell me it was you behind all of this!

I don't understand what you're saying...

Stop it. You're the one who gave me that hairpin in the first place.

You knew what you were doing.