HWWRC Chapter 15

Chapter 15 

“Is the Duke still not feeling well?”

“Yes. It seems it’s still difficult for him to receive visitors.”

When Charlotte quietly nodded, Pedro ran a hand through the back of his hair without saying more.

Three days had passed since the monster appeared at Stellaria Castle. Ash, who had collapsed from the monster’s poison, still hadn’t regained consciousness. He had been moved for treatment immediately, but due to the high risk of infection from the poison, no one was allowed to see him. Charlotte had visited several times afterward, but each time, Ash remained unconscious.

It was a snake-type monster… Father once said the way monsters attack depends on their form. If that was a particularly deadly poison…

Charlotte couldn’t do anything. She lowered her eyes, weighed down with guilt. Ash had been hurt protecting her.
If she hadn’t agreed to the wall repairs, or if she had just taken Aria and left quickly… those thoughts kept haunting her. She tried to keep her expression calm, but it wasn’t easy.

I shouldn’t keep visiting and bothering them. I’ll come back when I hear he’s awake.

Charlotte forced a smile and nodded politely.

Pedro frowned slightly as if he wanted to say something but stayed quiet and just watched her leave.

***

The castle had been under heavy security for days. Thanks to efforts to contain the news, the appearance of the monster hadn’t spread to the public yet. But it was a fragile peace.

Pedro hesitated before knocking on Ash’s bedroom door. He had told Charlotte that Ash was still unconscious—but that wasn’t true. Ash had already woken up a while ago.

“Duke, that young lady came again today.”

“…”

“When should I tell her you’re awake?”

“…Not yet.”

Ash’s voice was rough and low, like a great beast breathing slowly. His tone was hoarse and strained.

“I can’t let her see me like this. Even if Lady Blanche comes again, send her away. Tell her I went to another region for treatment.”

“But, Your Grace… it’s not like you look horrible or anything. She wouldn’t—”

“I said no!”

Ash’s voice boomed so loudly it shook the entire castle. The door rattled violently. Even Edmond, who was patrolling outside, turned his head toward the room in surprise.

If someone else had witnessed this, they might’ve doubted whether the man behind the door was really Ash.

Good thing we sent her away, Pedro thought with a sigh.

“You should all go now. If something happens, I’ll call for you later.”

“…Yes, understood.”

In the end, Pedro couldn’t persuade Ash and had to leave. Once Pedro’s footsteps faded away completely, Ash slowly rose from the bed.

His long, ash-colored hair slipped over his shoulders. He coughed harshly, then reached for his throat. His fingertips brushed against something hard and sharp—scales.

Though the poison had been cured, his appearance hadn’t returned to normal. There was no way he could meet Charlotte like this. She would surely be afraid… she might even run from him.

[“Ash, you mustn’t come out, alright?”]
[“Mother… why… why did Father turn into that?”]
[“It’s okay. I can calm him down. I’ll be back soon. My sweet son, don’t come out, alright?”]

His head throbbed. Even covering his ears couldn’t block the scratching pain in his eardrums. Breathing heavily, Ash looked at his hands. His nails were sharp and claw-like. His already pale skin had turned corpse-like. And his eyes—he didn’t even want to think about them.

He collapsed back onto the bed. Though he was used to the cold of the north, this chill seemed to reach into his very bones.

It took Ash a full week before he finally reappeared.

***

Dear Grandfather,
I’m doing well. Is the weather still warm there?
It’s always cold in the northern Nostri region, but the scenery is beautiful. You were right to suggest I come here. The castle is lovely. I didn’t realize all the stories about Stellaria Castle were true. I can truly feel how much Father loved Mother…

Charlotte was writing a letter to Marquis Blanche. She had kept the previous ones short, knowing he was busy—but this time his reply had come quickly, and it was twice as long. So, Charlotte decided to write more openly and in detail. This was already her third page.

She thought of Aria. Last time she had forgotten to include any news about her.

Grandfather, I actually have some news to share. Since coming here… I’ve found myself with a child.

Charlotte blinked at the sentence she had just written.

Wait—won’t this sound completely wrong?

She quickly reached for her white ink to erase the line. But just then, the study door burst open—it was the fox!

It jumped up onto her desk and into her lap, wagging its tail furiously—not in joy, but as if it were annoyed. Right behind it came Aria.

“Mama!”

“Aria.”

“Mama, look at this!”

In one hand Aria held a comb, and in the other, a clump of fur. Charlotte laughed. The fox must’ve hated getting brushed. She gently stroked its fur.

“So you tried brushing it?”

“Uh-huh!”

“But if you brush too hard, it’ll hurt. Want to do it with me next time?”

Charlotte had called herself “Mama” without thinking. Aria giggled, not even noticing. Just then, Anna entered the room and screamed.

Aria dashed into Charlotte’s arms.

Just hiding your head won’t make you invisible, Charlotte thought, smiling as she patted Aria’s back and watched Anna storm in like a thundercloud.

“I just cleaned this morning! Aria, your clothes are covered in fur! And there’s dust everywhere!”

“Calm down, Anna.”

“No, I will not calm down! Aria, you’re getting a bath. Come here.”

“Waaaah! Mamaaa!”

“My lady, you have to meet Baroness Bebel. Come here, fox, you too! You’re getting a bath as well.”

Anna scooped up Aria with one arm and the fox with the other. Aria flailed, but it was no use. Fur and dust rained down as she struggled.

Anna laughed wickedly.

“The Baroness is here?”

“Yes, and she looked quite excited… she said it’s about the orphanage.”

Anna glanced at Aria, then whispered to Charlotte. So it’s about the favor I asked, Charlotte thought, nodding. She gently stroked Aria’s cheek and left the study. Behind her, Aria’s cries echoed.

“Mamaa, Mama!”

“Nope! Today you’ll get squeaky clean, and I’ll dry your hair too. We’ll do a bubble bath!”

“Bubble bath?”

“Yep! Once you try it, you’ll want another one.”

Anna tried to comfort her while sweeping up the shed fur from the floor. As she glanced around, she spotted Charlotte’s letter on the desk.

A letter? Did she finish writing it?

Charlotte usually wrote one page, maybe one and a half. Since Anna always mailed her letters, she assumed it was ready.

“Looks like she’s done! I’ll just send it off to the Marquis.”

Anna tucked the folded letter and envelope into her pocket, picked up Aria and the fox again, and headed to the bath.

***

“Baroness Bebel.”

“Lady Blanche. I’m so sorry to come without notice…”

“It’s quite alright. I’m just grateful you came. This way, please.”

Baroness Bebel had promised to look into Aria’s background. Her cheeks were red—perhaps from the cold, or maybe from bringing good news. Charlotte quickly led her into the sitting room.

Charlotte ordered warm tea, but the baroness seemed more eager to talk about Aria.

“Aria isn’t from an orphanage. I asked the headmistress for the records, but there was nothing about Aria.”

“Did you hear of any parents in town who lost a child? Any missing child reports?”

“I looked into that too—but there weren’t any.”

If Aria wasn’t from an orphanage and no one had reported a missing child, it likely meant she was abandoned. How could any parent leave a child alone in the forest…? Charlotte’s heart sank. She quietly touched her teacup.

“My lady… when I was speaking with the headmistress about Aria, she mentioned something… Maybe you should consider putting Aria up for adoption.”

“What?”

“You’re still unmarried. It may be difficult for you to continue caring for a child on your own.”

The baroness wasn’t wrong. The region had few people and many elderly noblewomen with grown children. No one had given Charlotte strange looks or said anything outright about Aria. But being a single woman with a child—especially not a niece or relative—would lead to misunderstandings. And those misunderstandings were rarely ever kind.

Put Aria up for adoption…?

Charlotte could only offer a polite smile. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything in response.