Chapter 23

Charlotte saw the people moving turbulently, then raised her head and looked up at the sky.

The autumn sky in the land of Lannia where the air was clear, was high and blue as usual.

“The weather is so nice .”

Is it because of the good weather? Instead of going away I felt like I was going for a short walk with my loved ones.

I couldn’t tell if my heart was beating from excitement or from tension.

‘The harvest season is soon, but it’s a pity that I won’t be able to see it.’

Charlotte smiled bitterly.

Autumn harvest was the biggest event of the year in this place as there is no special means of entertainment.

The sight of young people smiling at the fruits that are larger than their hands, and the children putting food in their mouths, was one of the scenes that Charlotte loved the most.

“Miss, I’m ready.”

At Emma’s words, Charlotte turned her head at the loading carriage.

Emma, Charlotte’s exclusive maid, voluntarily followed her there. There was also a bag of luggage in her hand.

“Ok! I understand .”

Charlotte replied lightly and approached Baron Lannia and his wife who were standing in front of the palace.

Baroness Lannia was crying and putting the handkerchief over her mouth, and the Baron was closing his mouth tightly, as if he was grinding his teeth.

“I will go now . I will send your regards to my brothers.”

Charlotte laughed and remembered her two brothers who should be in the training ground by now.

‘I can’t even imagine what they will say when they hear the news.’

With things progressing so quickly, I wasn’t able to tell my brothers yet.

The speed of sending and receiving messages from the capital was the same, so she decided after arriving to the capital that she would tell her brothers.

‘Will they go crazy?’

While thinking about her brothers’ reactions, Baron Lannia grabbed Charlotte’s hand and smiled.

It was his hand that always made her feel reassured.

“Yes . Take care of yourself and send us a lot of letters”

“Yes, I understand. I will write letters to you often, and I will also relay my brothers’ news.”

“And ….”

Baron Lannia looked to the left.

I turned and followed his gaze and saw Carcel holding Theo in his arms, while he was still asleep.

He carefully puts Theo in the carriage and gets out.

“If you wanted to come back, don’t hesitate to do so. Your father always respects your choice. For us, your happiness is the most important thing.”

To have a place to go back to, to always have someone behind your back to support you.

This alone seems to calm my anxious mind a bit.

Charlotte nodded, barely stopping her urge to cry.

“Yes I will .”

This time, I turned and looked at the Baroness.

The Baroness, still unsatisfied, took a deep breath before glancing at the maid who was standing behind her.

The maid handed her a brush.

“I heard the capital would be colder than here. You went to the capital at this time before, and caught a cold.I don’t know what’s going to happen, so take care of yourself.”

The Baroness approached Charlotte and handed her the brush, though she didn’t think it was too cold, but she could feel her body starting to get warm.

“I can’t have this, it’s something mother cherishes.”

Charlotte tried to give it back hastily, but the Baroness stopped her with a slight nod.

“I am giving it to you because I cherish it.”

Charlotte grabbed the brush more tightly.

“Be sure to warm up when you go out.”

The Baroness took a deep breath through her nose and placed her lip gently on Charlotte’s forehead.

Her gaze turned to Charlotte’s injured forehead.

“Once you reach the capital, get treated.”

“Yes .”

“Everyone is waiting, go on.”

The Baroness gently patted Charlotte’s back.

During that short time in which she got into the carriage Charlotte lost count of times she looked back, and every time the Baroness waved at her.

“Mom, Dad, be healthy.”

Finally, Charlotte got into the carriage with Carcel’s help.

In there, Theo was sleeping on a pillow.

The carriage door closed and Charlotte carefully lifted Theo’s head and placed it on her thighs.

It didn’t take long for the carriage to move slowly.

Charlotte leaned to the window and stared at the distant Lannia mansion.

Although she was not born to grow up here and look out over the landscapes of her hometown, Charlotte has made a promise to herself.

‘I’ll be back safely again.’

Life in the capital may not be as smooth as it seems, but she will surely return to the arms of her beloved family.

Charlotte closed the window and patted Theo’s head.

Now is the time to focus on this child.

The Mana Gate closest to Lannia’s mansion was a long journey, one day by horse and two days by carriage.

Unbeknownst to the others, Theo couldn’t ride a horse, so Charlotte moved into the carriage.

There was even a cart carrying Sir Heather’s corpse and the assassins, so the movement was inevitably slow.

Carcel and all of Heinst’s men rode on horseback, and Charlotte, Emma and Theo rode in a carriage arranged for them by Chase.

‘Uncomfortable .’

Charlotte frowned slightly and rubbed her waist.

Chase did his best to find a good carriage, but there were no luxury carriages here.

The carriage was better than the one used by the Lannia family, but the ride quality was a bit of a mess.

Moreover, the road was uneven, so the more the cart bounced, the higher the body jolted up.

Charlotte had to hold on to Theo every time this happened.

‘But I’m relieved that he seems comfortable.’

Charlotte looked out the window and hugged Theo tightly.

Tired of the long journey, Theo awoke with a faint sigh, and, contrary to Charlotte’s fears, his face was excited.

He played with the toys she brought and looked out the window, his mouth wide open.

“Brother!”

Theo waved when Carcel on horseback showed up

Instead of waving his hand at Theo, he shook his head.

When his eyes met Charlotte, he approached the carriage.

“Do you feel comfortable?”

“Yes . I’m fine .”

Charlotte naturally made up lies.

She was feeling a lot of inconvenience, but there’s no need to complain, talking won’t solve anything.

“If there is any inconvenience, let me know.”

After this word, Carcel walked away to lead the men.

Theo, who was hanging out the window and watching as if he wouldn’t miss the scene for a second, rubbed his stomach.

“Theo is hungry!”

“Oh really ?”

Charlotte looked out the window.

Until now, the carriages were shaking, but after leaving the Lannia area the carriage was moving smoothly.

Of course, the vehicle’s vibration is greatly reduced.

So I thought I could give Theo some snacks.

“It’s too early for lunch break, do you want to have some snacks?”

“Yes !”

Charlotte glanced at Emma who took out the bag of snacks she was carrying in her purse.

Once she gave Theo the bag he clung to it and looked inside.

He was like a mole whose head was stuck in the ground and searching.

“Theo’s cookies!”

Theo, who was rummaging through the bag, took out a brown peanut biscuit.

He tried to eat the biscuit with his mouth wide open, then paused and gave the biscuit to Charlotte.

“Eat it!”

Then he took out the chocolate biscuits and handed them to Emma, who was sitting in front of him.

“Emma too!”

“Is Young Master really giving me these?”

Emma grabbed the biscuit with both hands, but she couldn’t eat it right away because it would be a waste to eat it now.

Only after giving the two biscuits did he finally take a big bite.

Charlotte patted Theo on the head a little and resisted the urge to bite his chubby cheek.

“Did you take care of Emma and your sister first? Theo is very kind.”

Theo rejoiced at Charlotte’s compliment, sniffed the biscuit and ate it quickly.

“Slowly.”

“Slowly.”

Theo slowly followed her, chewing a biscuit.

After completing one cookie, Theo’s next target was a thumb-sized caramel.

“Sister, what is that?”

“Caramel.”

“Theo wants to eat this!”

Theo hurriedly took it out. However, he couldn’t open it properly, perhaps because he was excited or not used to using his finger muscles yet.

Theo handed the caramel to Charlotte with a pale face.

“Sister, do it for me.”

Charlotte taking the caramel thought for a moment.

‘Can he eat this?’

Children at Theo’s age were told that eating the wrong things, such as candy or jelly, could clog their airways.

And there was nothing else to feed a child in such a moving cart.

After thinking, Charlotte returned the caramel to the can.

“If you eat this your stomach will hurt, let’s eat something else.”

Theo frowned and expressed his displeasure, but picked up another cookie.

Then he took a big bite from it.

“Theo, if you eat like this….”

At that moment, Charlotte was startled and tried to stop him.

The carriage shook as there were rocks on the ground.

Charlotte instinctively hugged Theo’s body.

At the same time, a voice played in her head.

“It is dangerous to eat such biscuits all at once because it may block the airway.”

Why did Carcel’s words come to my mind at such a moment?

Charlotte was worried and quickly checked Theo’s condition.

Theo, who was smiling brightly until now, let out an ominous sound.