Chapter 56
Soo, fully recovered, ran to Aria the moment she saw her, holding her tightly without any thought of falling. The small, fluffy baby fox and the tiny, adorable Aria melted the hearts of the Snow Mountain searchers. Though only for a brief moment, Aria, who had been showered with love from the searchers, bounced up and ran over as Charlotte stepped outside the castle.
However, Soo reached Charlotte first, running over and climbing into her arms. Surprised, Charlotte held her gently. Soo rubbed her face against Charlotte’s arms, neck, and cheek while wagging her fluffy tail. Then she climbed onto Esh’s shoulder, purring softly. Seeing her act so affectionate made it clear she had been quite sick.
Charlotte hugged Soo warmly and gently scratched under her chin. Soo stretched her chin forward, closed her eyes, and let out a contented sound. As a reward for saving Aria from the monsters, Charlotte had planned to tell Anna to serve a whole roasted duck, plump and juicy, especially for her today. But a sharp gaze suddenly caught her attention.
“Milady.”
Esh called Charlotte in a voice that seemed to be holding something back. His gaze was directed downward. When Charlotte lowered her head, she saw Aria, cheeks puffed up, arms outstretched. She hadn’t noticed Aria while holding Soo. Aria stomped her feet impatiently.
“Hug Aria too!”
“!”
“Mom! Aria too!”
“Alright, come here, our Aria.”
When Aria whined, Charlotte hurriedly picked her up. Aria seemed firmly upset for not being hugged immediately, but as soon as she was held and comforted, her mood lifted instantly. When Soo licked her cheek, she even burst into giggles.
My lovely daughter… how could she be so beautiful? Charlotte buried her face in Aria’s soft hair. Then Aria grabbed Charlotte’s sleeve with her small hand and tugged. She was staring at the pocket of Charlotte’s cloak.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“What’s that?”
Charlotte unconsciously turned her head and realized with a start. The corner of the reply she had prepared for Baroness Verbel was sticking out. She had brought it along to hand to the Snow Mountain searchers for delivery, but she hadn’t expected Aria to ask. Momentarily flustered, she smiled gently without showing it.
“Hmm, it’s a letter. It’s a letter for Baroness Verbel.”
“Why are you sending a letter?”
“Well…”
Charlotte hesitated to answer. She was beginning to realize she needed to explain the adoption to Aria. She could have sent her for adoption without saying anything, but she feared Aria might feel abandoned again. How could she explain it so that Aria wouldn’t be sad and would accept going to a better home?
“Aria, shall we… meet some really nice people?”
“Nice people?”
“Yes. They’re very kind. They will love you very much.”
Aria quietly studied Charlotte, tilting her head as if observing her expression.
“Will I be happy if I meet nice people?”
“Huh?”
Charlotte expected her to say either yes or no, but the response was unexpected.
“Then I want to go!”
Before Charlotte could even answer, Aria had expressed her positive decision. She couldn’t help but not smile. Adoption felt so close, right in front of her, and above all, Aria’s smile… it seemed somewhat forced.
The Kennys arrived in Nostrie, facing a dilemma.
“Honey, isn’t this a minor baronial family?”
“Quiet.”
“How can a baron be the secretary to Duke Balian…?”
“I’m thinking. Just be quiet for now.”
Beth coldly responded to her husband.
Damn, this was completely unexpected. They hadn’t planned to genuinely raise the child and intended to claim her only on paper. After performing the act of “a noble couple rescuing a poor child,” they had planned to sell her immediately. Damn, no wonder things were going so smoothly.
They had deliberately chosen the northern region, hoping to pick a baroness unknown in high society to fetch the child, yet her husband was the secretary to Duke Balian. It made no sense that a baron personally handled a duke’s affairs, and even more absurd that he had avoided securing a position in society. Was this woman lacking something mentally?
‘If my husband were Duke Balian’s secretary, we’d be living comfortably. Why are we stuck in the north?’
Seeing the lavish use of platinum in the baron’s reception room, Beth thought he had spent some money, though she didn’t show it. The opulence wasn’t mere luxury; they truly had that much wealth. She began to resent her husband sitting there gaping like an idiot.
‘If I mess this up, we’re doomed.’
Beth quickly thought of a plan. Using her experience surviving as a slave trader’s underling, she devised a way to escape this situation without suffering any damage. The best approach was to exploit the other’s weakness.
‘This woman can’t have children, right?’
Beth decided to target the vulnerability of Baroness Verbel.
“Cough, cough!”
Suddenly, she bent over and forced a harsh cough. Pretending to cough hurt her throat. Baroness Verbel, seeing Beth seemingly about to cough up blood, summoned a maid in alarm.
“My goodness, Mrs. Kenny! Are you alright? Bring her some warm tea, and add more wood to the fireplace.”
“No, no, Baroness. I’m fine.”
“Honey, what’s wrong?”
Beth elbowed her clueless husband sharply, faking pain and writhing as she coughed. Seeing this, her husband finally caught on and played along.
“My wife is usually weak, and perhaps the northern climate gave her a cold.”
“Oh, I didn’t know your health was so fragile. I also heard you joined the advance party recently…”
“My health doesn’t matter. I had to come.”
Beth struggled to hold back tears.
“The drawing of the child you sent… was so lovely! And above all, I wanted to see her with my own eyes. I’ve lost a child before.”
Baroness Verbel gasped in shock, but it was a lie. She had never had a child, not even a pet.
“When I lived in the south, in a forest that turned green in summer and white in winter, I lost a child I cherished. It was winter. I let her play in the forest for a while, but a blizzard came, and she was lost…!”
“Honey, don’t cry.”
The story was heartbreaking, even though entirely fabricated. Beth admired her own acting.
“My child had white hair like Aria. And being abandoned in the forest… I thought maybe the goddess of Lebelain reincarnated my child. Meeting Baroness Verbel might have been the goddess’s way of guiding me to you, to reunite me with my reborn child…”
Beth buried her face in her hands, tears streaming.
“Cough, cough!”
“Madam!”
Her throat really hurt from crying out to elicit pity, but the effect was perfect. Baroness Verbel, who had longed for a child, empathized completely. If Beth had said she had never had a child, Baroness Verbel might have cried even more.
Beth smiled quietly, covering her mouth.
‘Anyway, I promised, so I’ll meet the child. I should return soon for health reasons. If needed, the child can be rescued elsewhere later—there’s a suitable excuse…’
“Such a story! I will tell Lady Blanche for sure.”
“…Yes?”
Beth’s heart froze. Who did she say? Tell whom?
“Lady Blanche? The person taking care of Aria… is Lady Blanche?”
Beth felt her blood run cold. Could it be the Blanche she knew? Tla, watching Beth’s act admiringly, also started looking serious. But Baroness Verbel once again confirmed it.
“Yes, the granddaughter of the Marquis of Blanche. Lady Charlotte Blanche is currently Aria’s guardian.”
Beth went pale, as if seeing a ghost. She had assumed a delicate young noblewoman or a governess was protecting the child, but it was a member of the Blanche family? Why was she in such a harsh place? Shouldn’t she be hosting tea parties in sunny gardens with peers?
‘This is insane…’
They were truly doomed. What should she do now?
Water dripped from the cave ceiling. At first, they thought it was just water, but going deeper, Seberon realized it was actually blood. He had worked as a paladin long enough to have seen many gruesome scenes. He could even sleep among monsters’ corpses. But this… Seberon couldn’t bear it and gagged.
“Commander…”
“Send people to the temple.”
The heavy voice of Theodore echoed off the walls and ceiling. A dark mage, presumably in contact with the slave trader, had been torn apart by monsters. In a corner, the corpses of boys and girls, failed attempts at turning them into monsters, were piled like a mountain.
When did this start happening? Theodore closed his eyes tightly. Just as he thought he was too late, a voice came from deep inside the cave.
“Help us!”
“!”
“Please, get us out!”
