Chapter 3: Lax and the Mountain Cabin

When her in-laws learned that the long-awaited heir was not even human, they flew into a rage.

They declared the baby proof of Charlotte’s infidelity and demanded a divorce.

However, Charlotte, who believed children were made through kisses, had no idea what she was being accused of.

She merely tilted her head, wondering why no one would love such an adorable child.

Then, during all this, her husband, who had been holed up at his mistress’s house the entire time, suddenly returned home.

This time, it was his mistress who was pregnant with his child.

His parents were overjoyed.

Before Charlotte even knew what was happening, she was thrown out of the house, and the mistress was formally welcomed in as his wife.

They even disguised the mistress as Charlotte so they could keep the noble title.

In exchange for losing her place to belong, Charlotte thought quietly to herself.

‘If my family learns I was divorced, they’ll surely be heartbroken.
My kind father and brothers might storm into my husband’s house in anger.
But if that happens, the financial support will be cut off, and the marriage funds they gave us before the wedding will surely be taken back.’

The so-called marriage funds were, in truth, financial assistance for Charlotte’s family.

With that money, they had planned to invest in equipment for the winery and make life easier.

Charlotte could vividly remember her family rejoicing over it.

And so, she resolved not to tell them anything and instead live on her own with her son.

Or rather, herself plus one little creature.

However, even after making that decision, there was a problem.

No matter where they went, her son stood out terribly.

And although he no longer needed breast milk surprisingly early and therefore was not much trouble to care for, he constantly demanded small animals like mice and baby rabbits, leaving his mother troubled.

In the end, Charlotte decided they would live in the remote northern forest.

Surely the vast woods spreading across the northern reaches of the royal capital would be filled with mice and baby rabbits.

Moreover, legends claimed man-eating monsters lived there, so even hunters avoided the forest.

That way, no one would be startled by the appearance of her son.

Charlotte immediately began preparing for life in the forest.

First, they needed somewhere to live.

At first, she had prepared herself to sleep outdoors, but once they entered the forest, her son suddenly fluttered out from her arms.

When she followed after him, she was astonished to discover a lake and a single mountain cabin.

Strangely, the lake was covered in mist, making it impossible to see its full expanse.

‘It looks just like the lake from that dream.’

Thinking that, she stepped inside the cabin.

It seemed abandoned, with dust piled everywhere and parts of it broken, but if she cleaned and repaired it, it looked more than livable.

Delighted, Charlotte began living there alone with her son.

Using the baby socks she had knitted but ultimately never needed as cleaning rags, Charlotte began tidying up the mountain cabin.

Her son happily played outside in the yard.

Since he could still only fly short distances, he likely would not wander far.

She opened every window to let the air flow through and wrapped cloth around her mouth so she would not inhale the dust.

Then, with an old broom, she swept down the cobwebs and dust before brushing them outside.

“Gyaa, gyaaa!”

Whenever Charlotte emerged from the cabin, her son came fluttering over to her.

His head was probably heavy, because the way he toddled around on two legs looked adorably clumsy.

Yet despite that, he was already three months old.

Compared to a human child, his growth speed was astonishing.

Charlotte was about to call out to him when she realized she still had not given him a name.

Her life had been so chaotic up until now that, much as she regretted it, naming her son had been the last thing on her mind.

‘To think I still hadn’t given him a name…
What kind of mother does that make me…’

Stepping outside, Charlotte dusted herself off before picking her son up into her arms.

His large round eyes were the same pale blue as Charlotte’s.

The surface of his body was soft and smooth.

When she stroked him, he felt pleasantly cool, and his skin clung softly against her hand.

Charlotte loved the sensation.

Like the surface of water at dawn, his scales mysteriously changed color depending on the angle.

“That’s right, Lax.
Your name shall be Lax.”

Charlotte decided to give her son that ancient word meaning “lake” as his name.

“Gyaao!”

Lax happily flailed his arms and legs inside Charlotte’s embrace.