Chapter 5: Pale Green Cookies
Wearing a black robe with the hood pulled low over her face, Charlotte headed into town once again.
Over the past two years, the townspeople had begun calling her the “Witch of the Northern Forest.”
She always dressed in black robes and stubbornly refused to show her face, but the medicinal herbs she brought were famous for their exceptional quality.
However, everyone who tried to imitate her and enter the northern forest had disappeared without a trace.
“Only she can enter and leave the northern forest safely.”
Before long, even such strange rumors began spreading.
“Here you go.
Another fine batch as always.”
With that, the herbal shop owner paid the witch for her goods.
The Witch of the Northern Forest’s herbs had now become luxury items desired throughout the kingdom.
No one dared cheat her on the price because they did not want to lose such an important supplier.
“Um, and also…”
Still keeping her head lowered, the figure in black robes spoke in a quiet mumble.
The shopkeeper with the short black mustache raised his brows in surprise.
The Witch of the Northern Forest was famous for hardly ever speaking.
And her voice was far higher and clearer than he had imagined.
‘Well now…
Maybe the witch is actually pretty young.’
The townspeople had vaguely assumed the Witch of the Northern Forest was an old woman.
They believed she stubbornly hid her face because she did not want anyone seeing how aged and withered she looked.
Lately, parents had even begun disciplining disobedient children by saying, “The Witch of the Northern Forest will come snatch you away!”
To the people of the town, that was the sort of existence she had become.
Rustle.
The witch pulled a wrapped bundle from her basket.
“…Do you think you could sell these?”
Her voice trembled weakly.
When the shopkeeper opened the bundle, he found it filled with pale green cookies.
To him, cookies were supposed to be golden brown, so he had never seen anything like them before.
“Well now…
Mind if I try one?”
“Yes.”
After getting permission, he placed one cookie into his mouth.
It melted there with a pleasantly bitter taste.
“Hmm, not bad at all.
But what’s this bitterness?”
As his black mustache twitched while he chewed, the witch’s shoulders trembled nervously.
“It’s rosemary.
I thought perhaps children who hate taking medicine might eat it more willingly…”
Certainly, many children hated bitter medicinal herbs.
Though these cookies were slightly bitter too, children would probably still enjoy eating them.
Rosemary was well known as a medicinal herb used mainly for headaches.
“This is great!
I’ll talk to an acquaintance who runs a sweets shop too.
Please let us sell these!”
When the shopkeeper clapped his hands in delight, the witch visibly relaxed.
Despite her suspicious appearance, the townspeople did not truly dislike her because even with her face hidden, her emotions showed so plainly.
“I’m so glad.
I was also thinking candy might work well too.
If I add mint and chamomile, it should soothe the throat nicely, right?”
“That sounds wonderful!
You’ve got to make those next time!
The kids will love them!”
And so, the witch happily departed.
In fact, she became so excited that she skipped while wearing her heavy robe and ended up walking straight into a wall on the way back, clutching herself in pain afterward.
‘That person really doesn’t seem like some terrifying witch at all.’
Thinking that, the shopkeeper sorted the herbs she had brought into their respective displays.
Charlotte’s heart danced with joy.
The herbal shop owner had gladly accepted the herb-filled cookies she made as an experiment.
In the end, Lax had never eaten the sweets Charlotte made.
Lax looked apologetic whenever he saw her disappointed expression, swishing his tail guiltily, but even then, he still refused to eat them.
Charlotte had nearly given up on baking altogether since he could not eat them, but then one day, an idea suddenly struck her.
‘What if I mixed medicinal herbs into sweets so children wouldn’t hate taking them?’
Most medicinal herbs were bitter when eaten normally.
Usually, they were dried, ground up, and taken with water, but many children hated the rough texture.
Naturally, Charlotte’s younger twin siblings had hated them too.
Remembering that experience, she realized that children would be happy to have herb-filled sweets, and their parents would surely be grateful too.
And that was how the herb cookies were born.
They were slightly bitter, but the honey added a gentle sweetness.
Charlotte repeatedly adjusted the ingredients and made batch after batch until she finally created something she was satisfied with, which was what she brought to the herbal shop today.
She had feared they would be rejected, but instead the shop owner happily bought the cookies from her.
Overjoyed, Charlotte waited until she was back inside the forest before skipping a little where no one could see.
She removed the cumbersome robe entirely.
The sunlight filtering through the trees was dazzling.
The wind rustling the leaves felt wonderful.
Without realizing it, she even began humming to herself.
Inside the swaying basket at her side, the coins she received from the herbal shop clinked softly together.
‘When I get home, Lax and I should celebrate.’
And with that thought, she returned toward the cabin deep within the forest.
Charlotte did not know.
She had no idea that someone was following her cheerful self.
The pursuer caught his breath at the sight of the witch after she removed her robe.
Then, making sure Charlotte would not notice him, he silently followed her deeper into the forest.