Chapter 4: Bitter Liqueur
Three years passed, and Charlotte turned nineteen.
Lax became three years old.
However, his appearance had not changed very much from when they first began living in the forest.
No matter how much Charlotte spoke to him, all he ever said was “Gyaa,” and the only real difference was that instead of catching mice and other small creatures, he now brought back deer and boars.
Charlotte could not eat raw meat, but she sometimes took a little from his catches and made stew.
The northern forest was said to be dangerous, which was why people avoided it, yet strangely enough, Charlotte had never once felt any danger there.
She often wondered why such frightening rumors had spread about the place.
Life in the mountain cabin suited Charlotte well.
She had been raised believing that working hard was simply natural.
After her older siblings married, caring for the younger children became her responsibility.
Especially the youngest twins.
From the time they were babies, Charlotte had bathed them and changed their diapers herself.
Sometimes she found herself wondering what they were doing now.
“Gyaaa?”
Lax tilted his little head adorably.
Though they could not speak to each other with words, Lax was very sensitive to Charlotte’s emotions.
When she smiled, he flew around happily.
And when she felt sad, he clung to her anxiously and refused to leave her side.
‘This child really is my son.
He’s so gentle.’
Charlotte reached out and rubbed Lax’s head affectionately.
Lax happily snuggled against her, so for a while she continued stroking his whole body until he was satisfied.
Eventually, Lax curled up on a bed made from a wooden board covered with fur.
Charlotte stood up and began preparing to head into town.
About a year after beginning life in the forest, Charlotte finally gathered her courage and left the woods.
It was not because she intended to return to her family home.
There were simply things she could not obtain in the forest and needed to buy.
After firmly telling Lax to stay quietly inside the cabin, Charlotte headed to town alone.
The royal capital where she had once lived had not changed at all.
The marketplace was as lively as a festival every single day, filled with the constant murmur of countless people.
Even though she had Lax with her, life in the forest was still lonely.
Being back in the royal capital after so long lifted Charlotte’s spirits.
She sold wild vegetables and medicinal herbs gathered from the forest, then used the money to buy flour and sugar.
And eggs as well.
Now I can make cookies.
Charlotte was in a wonderful mood.
Lax mostly ate raw meat, but Charlotte wanted him to taste sweets she made herself.
Ever since long ago, her dream had been to eat homemade sweets together with her child.
Carrying an armful of purchases, Charlotte walked through the marketplace.
The medicinal herbs from the untouched northern forest had sold for far more than she expected, so even after buying everything, she still had money left in her purse.
‘That’s right.
What if I buy Lax a necklace?’
Lax hated clothes and immediately tore them apart whenever she tried dressing him.
Since he did not seem bothered by being naked, she had simply left him that way, but perhaps he would not mind a necklace.
The moment the idea struck her, Charlotte felt like jumping with excitement at her own brilliance.
Though they looked nothing alike, if they wore matching necklaces, surely anyone would realize they were parent and child.
Thrilled, Charlotte headed toward one of the many street stalls selling everyday accessories.
But her excitement lasted only a brief moment.
As she browsed through the countless ornaments, wondering which would be best, her former husband suddenly appeared from within the crowd.
Her flirtatious former husband with green eyes and gentle-looking features.
The moment he noticed Charlotte, his eyes widened in shock.
“You…”
Just as he was about to say something, Charlotte noticed her.
“What’s wrong, darling?”
Standing behind him was a glamorous beauty.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing, Charlotte…”
Flustered, Hubert addressed the beautiful woman as Charlotte.
“Oh my, dear.
When we’re alone, please call me Sharon, like you used to.”
Sharon smiled dazzlingly toward Charlotte as she said it.
She knew.
She knew about the existence of her husband’s former wife.
Before she realized it, Charlotte had already started running.
Still clutching all her belongings in both hands, she dashed forward without even looking ahead, bumping into countless people along the way.
‘So now she is Charlotte…
There’s no place left for me in this town anymore.’
The feeling was impossible to describe.
It simply made her want to claw at her own chest.
Sadness, loneliness, pain, bitterness.
Everything mixed together into something ugly, filthy, and stagnant.
It stung sharply with bitterness, just like the first time she drank herbal liqueur.
As Charlotte trudged along the road carrying her belongings, she quietly decided that from now on, whenever she came into town, she would hide her face.