HWWRC Chapter 14

Chapter 14 

Ash wasn’t holding her hand harshly. In fact, he looked just as surprised as Charlotte. The pressure of his grip slowly eased, and Charlotte quietly pulled her fingers away from his wound.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to. I just did it without thinking, like I do with Aria…”

“No. That’s not it.”

Instead of looking annoyed, Ash seemed more flustered by her apology. He quickly let go of her hand and looked down, covering his mouth with his hand. After a brief pause, he quietly said:

“…It reminded me of when you treated my wounds before.”

Charlotte blinked.

He said ‘before’… Have I met him in the past?

She searched her memory, confused. Meanwhile, Ash’s face gradually turned red.

[“Ash, there’s a cut on your face.”]
[“It’s just a scratch. I’m fine.”]
[“Even scratches should be treated.”]
[“I said I’m fine.”]
[“I’ll put medicine on it.”]
[“…Alright, fine.”]

Ash tried to calm his heart, which was beating heavily. A memory of little Charlotte crying and fussing flashed in his mind. It had only been a short meeting, but he’d remembered it all these years. Why did it come back now, of all times?

“Duke… have we met before?”

Charlotte looked up at him, her long white lashes fluttering. A small crease formed between her brows as if she were trying to recall something. Ash felt heat rise to his neck. Thankfully, it was cold in the north—otherwise, his face would’ve been bright red by now. He took a step back.

“…It was just a brief encounter. You probably don’t remember.”

“When did we meet?”

“When you were a child.”

“Then I’d remember. I usually don’t forget those kinds of things.”

Charlotte whispered to herself, Because my childhood wasn’t very happy. If she had met someone kind like Ash, she would’ve remembered. Few people had ever shown her kindness.

“My lady.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not something you need to remember.”

“Then… if I do happen to recall it someday, will you tell me when it was?”

“…I will.”

When Charlotte first met Ash, he didn’t feel unfamiliar. Maybe that was because they had met when she was young. Her gaze dropped to the cut near his eye again—a thin scar on his pale, porcelain-like skin. Something about it felt familiar, like a dream she couldn’t quite grasp.

Suddenly, Ash turned his head toward the direction Aria had run off to. His brow furrowed and relaxed repeatedly. Then Charlotte heard it too.

“Aria?”

It was Aria’s cry. As soon as she recognized it, Charlotte turned toward the back garden in alarm. Did she fall? Is she hurt? But something felt off.

Aria usually didn’t cry just because she got hurt. She cried after someone came to help. Charlotte’s heart sank. Aria was supposed to be alone in the garden.

When Charlotte arrived, Aria was crying sadly. Ash looked around carefully, while Charlotte ran and picked up Aria. She didn’t seem hurt, but she was very frightened. She clung to Charlotte, sobbing, calling out, “Mommy, Mommy…”

Rustle!

Just then, Charlotte noticed the northern fox Ash had brought standing alert, facing the bushes. Its body was lowered, paws forward, and it was making strange noises. Its fur and tail puffed up, making it look twice as big.

Charlotte quickly backed away from the bush with the fox.

“My lady, stand behind me.”

Ash sensed something was wrong and moved to shield Charlotte and Aria. He pulled out a small flute from his coat and blew into it. As he did, Aria curled up in Charlotte’s arms and sobbed:

“I don’t want to go.”

“Aria?”

“I don’t want to go. I won’t go… Mommy…”

What does she mean? Who’s trying to take her? Did someone try to kidnap her? Charlotte panicked.

Ash’s expression hardened as Aria cried. He tightened his grip on the sword hanging at his waist. Then something unbelievable happened.

The bushes stopped moving—and began to rot. Green leaves withered, branches turned to dust, and a black form slithered up from the ground.

“A snake…” Charlotte whispered.

Ash shouted,

“Everyone, stay alert! Don’t attack carelessly—it’s a monster!”

A monster. Charlotte’s entire body froze. She had never seen one before. Her father was a holy knight, so she should have seen one at least once—but he was so powerful that monsters couldn’t even get near him.

Now, Charlotte stood frozen, staring at the giant snake. It was nearly three meters long, with blood-red eyes and a flicking tongue. As she clutched Aria tighter, the mountain scouts who had been fixing the castle wall rushed over.

Pedro stepped in to protect them and shouted:

“My lady, get inside the castle now! Don’t come out!”

The scouts gathered their weapons, but the monster was huge, making them look small in comparison. Charlotte slowly backed away, shielding Aria. Every time the monster flicked its tongue, she felt chills.

Pedro lowered a massive axe from his back with a loud thud. Charlotte doubted anyone could even lift it. But as soon as the monster lunged, Pedro swung it.

With a loud whoosh, the axe aimed for the monster’s neck—but bounced off with a shattering sound. Pedro stared at the cracks in his weapon and laughed bitterly.

“Pedro!”

“Damn monster. Why is its skin so tough?”

Other scouts attacked together, but their swords shattered too. Archers fired dozens of arrows, but they broke on contact. Nothing worked. The monster didn’t even try to dodge.

The monster wasn’t focused on the scouts—it was looking straight at Charlotte.

Ash stepped in front of her.

But Charlotte knew. Somehow, she just knew.

The monster isn’t after me. It’s after Aria.

She didn’t know how she knew—it was just a feeling. Something inside told her the monster came because of Aria.

Charlotte tried to run, holding Aria, but then—

“The scale…”

“Aria?”

“The reversed scale…”

Even while trembling, Aria spoke clearly. Charlotte followed her gaze to the monster’s scales—dark, sleek, and endless. But among the hundreds, one scale was different, twisted, right under its right eye.

“Duke! The eye!”

Charlotte shouted. Everyone turned to look.

The monster screeched and lunged forward.

“Under its right eye! Attack the reversed scale!”

Before she even finished speaking, the monster was already in front of them. Its mouth opened wide, enough to swallow a grown man. Its fangs gleamed, and its breath reeked of poison.

But it never reached them.

Ash threw aside his sword and blocked the monster with his bare hands. He grabbed its jaws and held them open. His inhuman strength froze the creature in place. It struggled, thrashing its tail, but couldn’t escape.

Then Pedro leapt onto the monster’s back and didn’t just stab the weak spot—he ripped it out.

The monster screamed and writhed, then finally stopped moving. The earth shook as it fell. Pedro, panting and swearing, kicked the corpse.

The scouts, still on alert, finally relaxed and sank to the ground. The tension had broken. Charlotte staggered. Her arms stayed stiff around Aria, but her legs gave out slightly.

She looked up at Ash, who was breathing heavily.

“How… did you know?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“How did you know its weak spot was the reversed scale?”

Charlotte hesitated. She had only said what Aria told her. But for some reason, she felt like she shouldn’t mention Aria.

“I…”

Before she could answer, Ash suddenly stumbled.

Red blood dripped from his arm. Only then did Charlotte notice—his arm had been bitten. The venom was spreading fast, turning the skin a sickly blue-purple.

“Duke!”

Charlotte screamed as Ash collapsed.