She Is Not a Witch

When leaving the Helis family, Melu informed Loranhil about the Tisphone family’s recent series of actions, and that they had likely reached a secret agreement with the Anemis family. As for the Nisos family, although they hadn’t explicitly sided with Tisphone, caution was needed due to the intermarriage between the previous generations.

After discussing and agreeing with Melu, Loranhil asked Ceres to bring the child’s birth mother, the Helis family’s errant branch lady, out of the house.

When Loranhil met Miss Balya, or rather Mrs. Balya, she was no longer the young girl who had given everything for love. Nearly ten years of house arrest had left her haggard, with a blank expression and lusterless chestnut hair.

Mrs. Balya’s features were somewhat similar to Madam Mela’s, which explained why the Helis family had that idea, Loranhil thought. She then asked Ceres to help Mrs. Balya move some of her belongings, as she would no longer be staying in this place.

In the carriage, Loranhil tried to converse with Mrs. Balya, but she had no desire to talk. Her face remained impassive, only giving simple yes or no answers, so Loranhil stopped trying to engage her.

Upon returning to the Carithes Merchant Association, Ceres followed Loranhil’s instructions to bring Madam Mela and the child to the association headquarters.

When Madam Mela stepped down from the carriage holding the child’s hand, Mrs. Balya just stared at the child, motionless.

The little boy, frightened by this strange woman’s stare, ran behind Madam Mela, afraid to look at her.

Madam Mela seemed to understand something and appeared somewhat relieved. With a sigh, she slowly brought the child out from behind her.

“Diel, don’t be like that. It’s impolite,” Madam Mela said, holding the boy’s hand and helping him overcome his shyness.

“Come, say hello. Just call her…” Madam Mela hesitated.

“Just call her mother,” Loranhil interjected, stepping forward.

“Mother?” The boy looked at Madam Mela, confused.

“Yes, that’s right. Call her mother,” Madam Mela said, crouching down and patting the boy’s head.

The little boy was still puzzled. He looked up at the strange woman before him. He had never seen her before, so why should he call her that? Why was she standing there crying? He didn’t understand.

Mrs. Balya stood there, tears streaming down her face, then rushed forward and tightly embraced the child.

“You… no, you shouldn’t be called Diel. You should be called Ig. That’s the name your father gave you. He hoped you would be free and unrestrained like an eagle, healthy and happy!”

“I am your mother. It was I who gave birth to you. You’re not an unwanted child. You came into this world blessed by your parents.”

She spoke loudly, her voice choked with sobs, tears wetting her face and clothes.

The child’s shoulders were held so tightly it hurt a little. He didn’t understand why, but he felt that the person hugging him was very sad. Being a good child, he said, “Don’t cry. If you cry too much, people won’t like you. My teacher often tells me that only strong children are liked by everyone.”

The innocent childish voice made the birth mother even more heartbroken.

Loranhil and Ceres stood to the side, silently watching this scene. After a while, she spoke.

“Ceres, afterward, take this mother and son to the Strawberry Kingdom in the Southern Islands. Under the advocacy of the New Moon Council, there are many academies there, with numerous mages and scholars. They can receive a good education there.”

“I will also give you some money and personnel to protect this mother and son. This is not only my promise to Angus but also your atonement for past mistakes.”

“Yes, Lady Lacey. Ceres understands,” the butler replied, his voice old but full of gratitude.

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After the visit to the Helis family, there was no need to further question the Tisphone family as the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. The Nisos family currently maintained neutrality, with their thoughts not on conflict, so there was no need to provoke them. As for the Anemis family, after some consideration, Loranhil decided not to visit them. They had already grown very close to the Tisphone family, and it would be extremely difficult to change their stance at this point. She only had subordinates send over the poisoned sword, inquiring about the origin of the poison.

Three days later, an attendant from Anemis brought a small gift, informing the Carithes family that the poison was obtained through unknown channels by outsiders and had nothing to do with Anemis. They expressed regret for alarming Lady Lacey, then left.

Loranhil had someone open the gift box. Inside was a small ornament, a hair accessory with three long leaf-shaped pieces in gradients of red, yellow, and green. After accepting it, she knew that Anemis could no longer change their stance. They weren’t even willing to send a family member to seriously explain the situation, being so perfunctory.

Since the initial meetings and exchange of agreements between the Vegar Business Alliance and Ruluna, the situation had gradually become turbulent. Unfavorable news from Verdant greatly agitated the nerves of high-ranking officials in both countries, and many began seeking ways to break the deadlock.

Some people started looking for ways to bribe Verdant Empire nobles, obstructing the proposals of the Dragons of Ill Omen and re-emphasizing the profits and benefits of trade.

Some began contacting other member states of the Snow Flower Alliance to renegotiate joint defense matters.

Others believed that the Verdant Empire’s strength came from its centralized government system, while the Snow Flower Alliance was too decentralized and self-governing, which was unfavorable for integrating forces and led to severe internal conflicts. They hoped the seven countries could gradually merge into one nation.

The supporters of this faction, guided by this shared ideology, gradually formed an organization called the ‘Frost Rose’.

Both roses and wild roses belong to the Rosaceae family. The Verdant Empire’s emblem was formed by intertwining green and red roses, representing its origins in the Green Moon Kingdom and Emerald Forest. They intended to imitate this system but were unwilling to submit to Verdant rule. So they took the meaning of Snow Flower’s cold blossoming, combining the two to form ‘Frost Rose’.

Because Vegar and Ruluna were closest to the Verdant Empire and had a greater sense of crisis, there were more members from these two countries in the organization, with the Tisphone family being one of them.

Following the failed assassination attempt by the Tisphone family, the delegation from Ruluna finally arrived in Hopland, temporarily calming the situation.

In the evening, at the Carithes family’s association headquarters study, head maid Chelsea pushed open the door.

“Young Miss, the inn where the Ruluna mages are staying has been cleaned and arranged. They’ll settle in tonight and probably come to visit and discuss the new warship project tomorrow.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Loranhil watched the massive iron airships slowly descending in the twilight, accompanied by the thunderous roar of their propellers.