Chapter 41
Since regaining her memories with Esh, her trust in the Snow Mountain scouts he kept under him had increased significantly. She believed that if he, burdened with Leopold’s curse, kept them by his side, they must be safe.
She had expected to find them in the reception room, but learning they were waiting outside the castle gates made her trust them even more.
Although these people had been brought without prior notice, they could have been given the external reception room. Judging by the look of it, it seemed they had politely declined. Charlotte approached Pedro, leaving Anna behind as she hurried toward the backyard garden, carrying Aria in her arms.
Behind Pedro, who wore thick leather gloves, three or four people were visible. Pedro greeted her with a friendly smile.
“Thank you for taking the time, Miss.”
“It’s cold outside. Let’s go into the reception room first.”
“You’ve been considerate, even though it must have been inconvenient with our sudden visit. I’ll just confirm what Anna mentioned.”
The hallway had been neatly cleaned by the maids. Still, they had stored some of the black liquid in a separate vial, just in case.
Charlotte instructed another maid to bring the vial, along with Aria’s clothes, which were smeared with the liquid, and Suu, who had been tossing and turning day and night in a deep sleep.
“Could you explain the situation?”
“I can’t explain everything clearly because it happened suddenly. While I stepped away briefly to bring Aria a snack, the incident occurred. The hallway floor was covered in an unknown black liquid, and it seems Suu ate some of it; she was gagging for a while.”
“Anna said there was a dead mouse in the liquid. Is that true?”
“A dead mouse? What did you say?”
That was the first Charlotte had heard of it. Anna had deliberately not mentioned it. At that moment, the maid returned with the vial and Anna’s clothes.
In her arms, Suu hung limply, his fur patchy from trimming tangled hair. Charlotte picked up Suu, while Pedro began examining Aria’s clothes and the vial in detail.
Seeing little with the naked eye, he twisted open the vial’s lid. Instantly, the stench of rotting flesh hit them.
Charlotte’s brows furrowed tightly, and her stomach churned. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand, clutching Suu tightly. Suu whimpered and burrowed into her arms.
‘Is it rotten?’
Because of the mouse corpse? If not that…
Charlotte hurriedly dismissed the maid, who had been shocked by the foul smell, and quietly asked Pedro,
“What exactly is this?”
“…May I see Suu for a moment?”
Not only Pedro but the other Snow Mountain scouts behind him looked quite pale. Perhaps the situation was even more serious than expected.
When they forcibly opened Suu’s mouth with thick fingers, he swung his front paws and made a loud fuss. Through the opened mouth, the blackened, rotted fangs were visible.
“It seems Suu did eat it. His teeth have rotted.”
“Rotted? What do you mean…!”
“I hoped it wouldn’t be so, but our worries have become reality. You two, stay outside with this. There could be another attack.”
The ones who received the glass vial of black liquid bowed to Charlotte and immediately left the reception room. Their backs looked anxious, like knights who had witnessed a surprise attack.
“Miss, this liquid has a mix of scorched smell and animal carcass. This isn’t just a simple liquid—it’s blood. Suu’s teeth rotted because of the poison mixed in the blood.”
Poison? Charlotte’s heart pounded. It wasn’t a snake, so ordinary mouse blood wouldn’t contain poison. But if it wasn’t an ordinary mouse… then it was possible.
Swallowing hard, she voiced her feared suspicion.
“…You mean the liquid found in the castle is monster blood?”
“That’s very likely.”
“A monster has entered Steria Castle!”
Just like the last time with the snake, and now this! Why? There were no castle knights stationed, no priests residing. None of the usual conditions for a monster to invade were met.
Could it be because of Esh? But she had heard that the sudden appearances of monsters had increased recently. So there must be another reason.
At that moment, Suu broke free from Pedro’s hands and leapt into Charlotte’s arms. He curled up and buried his head between his tail. Only then did Charlotte understand why Suu’s mouth had been smeared with the liquid.
“So Suu attacked the monster?”
“Seems so. Animals are as alert as humans when monsters appear. If Suu followed Aria closely, he likely bit to protect her.”
Her hands trembled. She roughly understood why the hallway had been such a mess, why Suu had suffered, and why Aria had cried. Yet one question remained.
“Why do monsters keep appearing in Steria Castle?”
“Actually, I’ve kept this secret, but recently, monster appearances have become more frequent. This is also why Duke Valian’s curse manifested.”
Pedro recalled Charlotte bringing the cursed Esh, who had collapsed by the Winter Lake, to her. Just as Charlotte had come to trust the Snow Mountain scouts, Pedro, who knew the master’s secret, had let his guard down with Charlotte. He judged it safe to share some information.
“A crow monster attacked Duke Valian.”
“A crow?”
Charlotte suddenly remembered the black liquid and feathers stuck to the window frame.
“I’ve seen black liquid like that before.”
“Excuse me?”
“When I opened a window, thick black liquid was stuck to the frame. Feathers were stuck too.”
“When was this?”
“When you personally delivered the temple invitation.”
Pedro checked the date. Shortly afterward, they had encountered the crow monster. So it wasn’t just one? But why was blood near the window?
“Which window was it?”
“It was Aria’s room, so the backyard window.”
“May I check it?”
“Follow me.”
Charlotte led Pedro to the backyard. Slightly more snow had fallen than before, and their serious discussion continued along the way.
“Do you plan to report this to Duke Valian?”
“Yes. But it coincided with the blizzard season, and moreover, there are signs that another monster might appear.”
“Signs?”
“Yes… we missed one.”
Though Cassandra had actually foretold it, telling that many monsters were going to attack could cause unnecessary anxiety. Pedro mixed small lies with what could safely be shared.
In the backyard, Aria was making a snowman. Upon seeing Pedro, she ran to him with arms wide open.
“Uncle!”
“Our little lady, long time no see. But your eyes are so red from the snow—you look like a rabbit.”
“Do I look like a rabbit?”
“Jumping around like that, definitely a rabbit~”
Pedro ruffled Aria’s hair affectionately.
“Mom, mom. Are you going to play with Aria now?”
“Yes, I’ll play with you soon. Can you wait a little longer?”
“Yes!”
Aria laughed brightly and ran back to Anna, who was rolling a big snowball.
“This way.”
“You mean right above Aria’s room?”
“Yes. It was stuck on that window frame.”
Charlotte pointed to the second-floor window, but Pedro looked down, not up. He knelt on one knee and began digging through the snow. Beneath the snow, the frozen ground appeared with a faint bird-shaped mark, scorched like the previous one. Pedro recalled what the garden maid had said.
“The bird was dead.”
“!”
“She had said to quickly clean it, not expecting it to be a monster corpse.”
The maid who handled the corpse soon fell ill, suffering from high fever, and eventually resigned. The symptoms were caused by contact with the monster corpse.
“We can’t predict when another monster will appear. This time, Suu protected us, but Aria might be attacked again.”
“!”
“Perhaps you should leave Nostre.”
Leave Nostre and return to the capital?
For Pedro, who didn’t know all the details of why Charlotte had come to Nostre, it was the best suggestion. But Charlotte’s heart sank immediately, and she shook her head before she could think.
“That’s impossible.”
“Excuse me?”
“No, I can’t. I know it might be the best choice, but it’s not time to go. Above all, I cannot leave while it concerns Aria.”
Returning to the capital would raise rumors, which she feared. More importantly, she couldn’t leave before finding a suitable parent for Aria. Since she had taken Aria in, she must decide who would raise her.
Charlotte leaned forward and whispered just enough for Pedro to hear.
“I’ve decided to adopt Aria.”
“!”
“Fortunately, someone wants to adopt Aria, but I cannot leave Nostre until I confirm they’re trustworthy.”
“I understand. But it’s undeniable that you were lucky. This time it was a crow and a field mouse. Next time, it could be a black snake, which would be a disaster.”
Pedro was right. When the black snake appeared, Esh was with her. Without him, they would have been defenseless.
Two monster incidents had occurred without her realizing it. Steria Castle was no longer safe.
“I plan to report this to Duke Valian. Additional investigations may follow. And if monsters continue to appear, we will need to devise a plan.”
Must she really leave Nostre? Meeting the Kennys in the capital was an option, but leaving Aria behind would lead to gossip. That was unacceptable.
Aria was still young, having recently found her mother. Her presence was necessary, and even with care, rumors couldn’t be entirely prevented.
She could not allow Aria to become prey for the social circle. Absolutely not.
At that moment, Pedro, who had been thinking of countermeasures with Charlotte, offered an unexpected suggestion.
“Miss, would you consider staying at the lord’s castle?”
