Chapter 8: Wine and Fever
“I’m home!
Lax, are you here?”
Charlotte opened the door and called out.
Normally, Lax would come flying out the moment he heard her voice.
But that day, he did not appear.
‘Did he go play by the lake?’
Charlotte did not think much of it and invited her companions inside.
“Please, come in.
It’s a small house, but…”
It truly was.
The building had originally been a nearly collapsed mountain cabin.
It was not spacious by any means.
However, it had been kept immaculately clean, and a vase of lovely white flowers decorated the room.
The scent of dried medicinal herbs lingered in the air.
For some reason, it was the kind of home that naturally put people at ease.
The men, who had been cautiously peering through the doorway, carefully stepped inside.
The wooden table seated four people, so the messenger, the two highest-ranking knights, and Charlotte took their places there.
The rest remained outside on guard duty.
Charlotte had told everyone to come in without hesitation, but they firmly declined, citing their duties.
“So then, Lady Charlotte, why do you live in a place like this?”
The royal messenger asked with curiosity.
Taking a sip of herbal tea, Charlotte smiled awkwardly.
“Oh my.
You call it a place like this, but it’s actually quite enjoyable once you live here.
After all, I get to spend all of my time on myself and my son.”
At her husband’s house, she had been treated like a servant and never had a moment to rest.
Compared to that, her current life was wonderful.
She earned money with her own hands, relied on no one, and she and her child lived healthy lives together.
‘I’m fortunate.
Lax is such a good child too.
Though admittedly… I do miss my family.’
Charlotte remembered the family she had not seen since her wedding day.
Her kind and loving parents.
Her two dependable older brothers.
Her gentle older sister.
Her troublesome younger brother.
And the adorable youngest twins.
Whenever she thought of them, a cold breeze seemed to pass through her chest.
It was loneliness and regret.
Charlotte always endured it by clenching her fists tightly.
“You mentioned someone named Lax earlier.
Is that your son’s name?”
“Hm?
Yes.
He’s my precious only son.”
Lost in thought, Charlotte hurriedly returned her attention to the conversation.
The messenger stroked his small mustache repeatedly, perhaps out of habit, and leaned forward.
“Forgive me for asking, but your son…
Is he human?
Or perhaps… a dragon?”
The words left Charlotte speechless.
What was he suddenly talking about?
What possible reason did he have for such a suspicion?
In Charlotte’s world, dragons occupied a unique place.
They were not mythical creatures, yet almost nobody had ever seen one.
Charlotte herself only knew of dragons from the stories told by traveling bards.
Occasionally, rumors spread of famous adventurers slaying dragons, but it was said that most dragon scales and dragon blood sold in markets were fakes.
Their blood could heal any wound or illness.
Their cries could be heard beyond two mountains.
Every glittering scale contained magical power, and with a single scale, even a human could fly.
‘That’s just a fairy tale.’
Charlotte felt anger rising inside her.
Certainly, Lax did not resemble an ordinary human.
Three years had passed since his birth, yet he still could not speak.
He had neither hair nor eyebrows.
But he would never hurt anyone.
And he was a good child who always listened to Charlotte’s words.
A hot emotion swelled in her chest.
“My son is not some ridiculous thing like that!”
Though she sometimes raised her voice while disciplining Lax, she was normally cheerful and gentle.
The sight of Charlotte suddenly standing up in outrage was so intimidating that the messenger instinctively leaned backward, his round belly wobbling.
The knight with the wine-colored eyes once again placed a hand on the hilt of his sword.
But Charlotte could not back down.
Her son’s honor was at stake.
“You came looking for the Witch of the Northern Forest, but there is no such person here!
And my son is a child I carried and gave birth to myself!
If you’re going to talk about him like that, then please leave!”
“But—”
“Just leave!”
Tears filled Charlotte’s eyes as she shouted.
Her body trembled.
The truth was, she was terrified of yelling at armed men.
But she could not remain silent.
That was how deeply she loved her son.
Faced with Charlotte’s fury, the shocked messenger reluctantly left the cabin.
The two knights followed after him.
However, just before stepping outside, the knight with the wine-colored eyes turned around.
Charlotte flinched.
But he did not draw his sword.
Instead, he lowered his head deeply and offered her a sincere apology.
“We have done something truly unforgivable.
Especially after you even served us tea…”
His words brought Charlotte back to her senses.
She had invited them into her home herself, only to practically throw them out.
No matter what they had said about Lax, such behavior was not befitting a lady.
And besides, they were royal envoys.
As she stood there unsure of what to do, the knight’s expression suddenly softened.
“Your son is fortunate.
To have a mother like you.”
With those words, he gave a respectful bow and left the cabin.
Charlotte’s cheeks turned bright red, as though she had come down with a fever.
Unable to move, she remained standing there blankly until the sound of the men’s footsteps finally faded into the distance.