New World, New Life: I Became A Bigshot In The Ancient World
Chapter 167: WAS JUST A CHILD

Chapter 167: WAS JUST A CHILD

Wade was pulled out of his thoughts when a hand fell on his head. Slowly, he looked up to see that his stepmother was the one whose hand was upon his head.

His heart pounded fiercely, and he was left staring up at her.

Charlotte awkwardly patted his head; something her parents and family would always do to comfort her whenever she was feeling under the weather.

"Do not listen to her."

Wade’s eyelashes trembled and he nodded. He suddenly felt his eyes sting. He felt like crying. Tears welled up in his eyes against his will.

He hadn’t cried when those children surrounded him and bullied him and told him he wasn’t allowed to play with them because his mother was a prostitute.

He hadn’t cried when his mother spewed hateful words at him.

He also hadn’t cried when noble children told him he wasn’t worthy of being among them because he was a commoner and lowly son of a mistress.

So why was he crying now, when the woman everyone had told him hated him, his stepmother, held his head and told him not to mind their words?

Drop by drop, tears spilled from his eyes and trailed down his cheeks.

Charlotte was stunned and didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t used to handling a crying child. She tried hard to think of how her little brother was usually comforted.

Wade began to pour out his feelings. Feelings he had kept locked away in the deepest part of his heart.

"S-she said I-I was responsible for her losing clients. She said I d-didn’t have a f-father and that the o-other children were right that I was a b-bastard. S-she said I s-shouldnt call her mother, that she didn’t know why I was b-born and...hic...and she s-should have s-sold m-me when she had the chance." His voice kept breaking as he spoke and his chest kept heaving as hiccups hit him with the force of his tears.

With each word he uttered, Charlotte was even more horrified.

"She said I didn’t...hic... deserve to play with the other children who had fathers." He was sobbing now. He wiped his tears away harshly with the back of his hand.

"They refused to play with me. They said mother was a prostitute and the child of a prostitute didn’t deserve to play with them. Mother...hic..." His words came out in broken syllables.

He was suddenly engulfed in a warm and pleasant embrace, and a faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils. It was oddly comforting.

At some point, Charlotte had come to sit beside him. She hugged him to her bosom, her heart breaking. What kind of mother asked her child not to call her mother?

"It is alright." She said softly in a bid to comfort him.

Wade hiccuped, his chest rising and falling harshly as he spoke with emotion. "The noble children said I don’t belong here. They said I am the son of a mistress. They said I have d-dirty blood."

All the words he had been told had etched into his heart and left deep wounds and scars.

Charlotte rubbed his back comfortingly. Anger welled up in her heart. She knew that the nobility was vicious and that Wade would be mocked. She should have expected them to not have let a child off from their cruel attacks.

He was just a child, yet he had gone through so much and endured so much from a lot of people, even those who were supposed to be family.

What made it worse was that the culprits were also children. Their actions were as a result of their parents’ comments and discussions in their presence. Both the adults and children were at fault.

Even she herself was at fault. She hadn’t tried or even bothered to get to know the child. She was too focused on how she was feeling that she didn’t try to understand the child who had suddenly been brought to an unfamiliar place filled with unfamiliar people as his family. She felt extremely bad and disgusted with herself.

When Wade first arrived at the mansion, he had probably thought he would meet a woman who would treat him well as his new mother. But she hadn’t treated him well, even though she didn’t mistreat him.

’What’s wrong with George?’ Charlotte couldn’t help but feel anger rise up in her chest.

Why couldn’t George notice when those around him were suffering? He couldn’t even tell when his own son was being bullied.

She sighed with frustration. It was the same with her too. While she was enduring the treatment from nobility, George had remained oblivious and hadn’t taken notice.

She turned back to Wade whose small chest was still heaving.

When Wade felt better, he stopped sobbing, only occasionally releasing soft sniffles and hiccups. His mother had never comforted him in such a way.

He slowly wiped his tears, and lowered his head in embarrassment when he looked up at Charlotte’s dress. It was damp with tears.

"I-I’m sorry about your dress." He apologized, not looking her in the eyes.

"It’s alright." Charlotte didn’t care about the dress at all.

She genuinely wanted to get close to Wade now. Without the haze of betrayal she felt for her husband and portrayed to Wade blocking her thoughts and holding her back, she felt a sudden clarity. This one month that the Queen gave her... maybe she could try to understand him.

They stayed in silence for a few seconds until Wade spoke, "I’m sorry for ruining your marriage."

It was something he always wanted to say. He knew that his father’s wife no longer ate at the dining table because of him. He also knew that she slept in a seperate room because of him. He had heard some maids talking about it. There were lots of things he had heard that had gone wrong between the couple, and it was all because of him.

And that maid had always made it clear to him too... Wade lowered his eyes.

Charlotte was shocked on hearing him say that and her heart pricked. She stilled, her mouth opening and closing. It was indeed after Wade’s arrival at the mansion that things became worse between George and herself, but it wasn’t his fault at all.

He was also a victim, a product of her husband’s deed with another woman. He hadn’t asked to be born.

Finally, she held his hand and said. "Don’t say that. You didn’t ruin my marriage."

The true culprit was the person who had schemed against George, even though George was at fault as that outcome could well have been prevented.

The child hadn’t asked to be born, and to such a wicked woman as a mother. Charlotte knew that if Wade hadn’t been found, her marriage would have remained as it was.

However, she was grateful. Because of his existence, her marriage had taken a turn. If he had not come into their lives, would she have continued to be miserable?

She had let her life revolve around George, not even bothering to bring other people into her life.

Deep down, she still loved George, but now she would not live unhappily for him. She would focus on her own happiness too.

Wade looked at her hand that held his in surprise, then back at her, his eyes and eyelashes still wet from crying.

Charlotte gently wiped his tears. "Listen to me carefully, Wade. You did not ruin my marriage. Do not listen to anyone who says otherwise. Do you understand?"

Wade slowly nodded. Her gentle gaze and touch caused his eyes to well with tears again. He had the intention to hold it back, but when Charlotte pulled him for another embrace, it was as if the dam holding the tears broke open again.

"There, there," Charlotte held the little boy in her arms. Her heart ached as she assured him again and again, "You don’t have dirty blood. You have the blood of your father, a proud Marquis. It is the other children who don’t deserve to play with you. Your mother is wrong. She failed to see how much of a blessing you are."

She took a deep breath. "I’m sorry, Wade. I did not prove that there was a difference between those people and I." She slowly rubbed his head.

Wade’s heart felt warm. Charlotte was just like the mother of those other children when they comforted them.

He had always desired a loving family. He envied those children whenever he saw their parents doting on them.

He leaned further into her embrace. A sigh escaped his lips. He wished Charlotte was his mother. She made him feel like she was. Her voice was soothing and motherly as she spoke to him as if he was her own child.

It slowly lulled him to sleep. He yawned. His eyes felt heavy and slowly closed. "Mother..."

Only after the words were out did he realize what he had said. The initial sleepiness faded and he became awake.