[#CreativeAward2026 Romance Novel Category] "Snake Goddess Mama, Saved by the Dying Baron." Episode 06 "Saving, Being Saved" (Finale)

《Episode 06 Main Text》

“Wow... it’s so big!”
“It’s so pretty!”

The voices of pure wonder from the twins, their hats pulled low, carried across the clear blue sky, echoing endlessly over the magnificent natural scenery of the lake hidden in the mountains. The Baron Lucius family had come on their first short trip since becoming a family.

“Don’t go near the water, it’s dangerous!”
Lamia called out to the twins, who were running around excitedly, but she wasn't even sure if they could hear her. She decided it would be best not to take her eyes off them.

“Lamia, aren't you coming?”
“I don't really like being in the sunlight.”

Lamia remained in the shade of a large tree, leaning against the trunk with a sullen expression. She, too, wore a large hat pulled low. Like the children, it was to prevent her true identity from being revealed in case of an emergency.

“Anyway, where is this place? You brought me here without any explanation.”
“It’s called Burton Village, a small village at the edge of my territory. There’s an old villa here that isn't used anymore; it’s a resort for nobles. Besides,”

Lucius paused for a moment, suddenly catching his breath for some reason. Lamia looked puzzled. Why was he being so formal?

“This is my hometown. My mother was a nameless commoner who lived in this village.”

For the first time in a long while, Lamia felt like she was truly looking at Lucius. Since the day Sariel attacked, Lamia hadn't really tried to talk to Lucius much. She still hadn't sorted out her feelings.

She realized only now that he was wearing calm, blue casual clothes, unlike his usual attire. His appearance, blending into the vast sky, gave Lamia the impression that he had decided to reveal his inner self completely. It was as if he were declaring that he would stop putting on airs.

“I am truly sorry about my brother Sariel.”
“Stop it, stop it.”
Lamia waved her hand dismissively, feeling annoyed.
“I don't want to hear about that guy anymore. Tell me about your mother instead. It seems like there's a story there; what happened?”

“My mother was originally a servant working at my father's villa. But one day, my father took advantage of her on a whim... and that’s how I was born. Yet, for ten years, my father didn't even know I existed. My mother raised me all by herself, working until she was worn out, through rain and wind. However,”

Lamia could tell Lucius was choking on his words again. Given the content of what he had just said so quickly, Lamia instinctively placed a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder.

“...Lucius, don't push yourself too hard.”
“...When I was ten, my mother died. She fell ill, and we couldn't even afford medicine. Then, suddenly, as if they had been waiting, my father's messenger arrived.”

Lucius placed his hand over Lamia's. She could feel him trembling slightly, but over time, it gradually subsided. Eventually, he smiled as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and looked at Lamia as if to reassure her.

“I was taken into my father's house and forced to learn the education and manners of a noble. To that man, I was probably just a form of insurance. But my brothers didn't take kindly to me, a commoner-raised boy who suddenly appeared. Especially after I came of age and was given this territory. You remember the poisoned arrow that almost killed me when we first met?”

“............Hey, wait, you're joking, right?”
“That was likely orchestrated by my brothers.”
Lucius said with a lonely smile.
“Whether it was one of them or all of them... I don't know the details.”

For a moment, Lamia felt an unbearable sense of pity for Lucius. She would say it again: she didn't understand the common sense of human nobles. But to be forced under the protection of the very man who let his own mother die, and then to be hated enough by his half-brothers to have his life targeted—what kind of state of mind must that be?

Living with Lucius for a few months, Lamia realized for the first time that the man before her was carrying wounds far deeper than he appeared.

“So, well... from my brothers' perspective, I am a 'thief.' In every sense of the word.”
“That’s not true, Lucius!”
Lamia instinctively pressed him with a sharp tone. Seeing her husband's look of confusion, Lamia pressed on.

"I finally understand... You, you're questioning what the meaning of your life is, aren't you? But don't think I'll let you forget. You are a body cursed by me, Lamia, a snake goddess who has lived for 600 years. Whatever the beginning was, your life now exists entirely for the sake of us, mother and child. That meaning should be enough, shouldn't it? Am I wrong?"

Lamia grabbed Lucius by the shoulders again, as if to captivate his gaze, and declared clearly.

"Take pride, Lucius! You are now doing something truly meaningful that no one else can imitate. Whether it's your father or your brother, I will not let your worth be denied ever again, so think of it that way. Know that for you to be insulted is, in effect, a humiliation for me as well!"

"............Lamia."
Lucius, who had been at a loss for an answer, finally whispered "Thank you" in a small voice after a long, long silence, and lowered his eyes. Feeling that he had returned to the usual Lucius she knew, she felt a little relieved.

For a while after that, the two sat nestled against each other in the shade of a tree, blown by a gentle breeze, without saying a word. Although they didn't meet each other's eyes, for some reason the distance felt strangely close, and even though they were just holding hands, their hearts and bodies felt warm.

She could see the twins jumping up and down in the distance, calling out to Lamia and the others, saying "Mama!" Lamia looked at her children with an unusually calm expression and waved at them quietly. There was no one else on the lakeshore besides the Baron's family. The great outdoors was like a paradise just for them.

"When I was young, I often came to this place with my mother."
Lucius said suddenly.

"This is a place of memories. I really wanted to show Lamia and the others this scenery at least once. I'm really glad I brought you here."
"Say, that finally makes sense of things."
Lamia stole a glance at Lucius.

"You were flustered the other day when I dressed up like a town girl, weren't you? Was that perhaps because you saw your mother's image in me, or rather, is that what it was? When we first met, you told me to save the children in exchange for your own life without hesitation, too."

"............I'll leave that to your imagination."
"Hmph, well, fine."

Lamia smiled faintly and let Lucius go. Judging by the way he looked away, appearing embarrassed, he probably wanted to keep it a secret, or at least pretend that he was keeping it a secret. Men are creatures who do strange things from time to time.

"I have one more thing I must tell you. About the poisoned arrow you were struck with."
Lamia said.

"That is likely the poison of the Snake Tribe, and a very powerful god's poison at that. I had my suspicions, but your foolish brother's affair confirmed it. No wonder the detoxification ended up being incomplete."

"...In other words, is that what it is?"
Lucius, while showing no small amount of surprise, calmly organized the situation.

"One of my brothers killed one of your kin and took the poison to shoot me with... and that is still continuing to take my life even now."
"If that is the case, I cannot leave it be."
Lamia lowered her voice unconsciously.

"Not only is the pride of the Snake Tribe being trampled upon, but unless we find out which god's poison it is, Lucius, you will continue to die forever. I, for one, am unwilling to let that happen."

"Lamia, you..."
""Mama! Lucius!""

Hearing the energetic voices of Gol and Gon again, Lamia and the others were pulled back from their world of two. They were making a huge fuss as usual, saying they had found a big, beautiful flower or something. Seeing that, Lamia smiled bitterly and said, "We'll talk about this another time."

"If we take our eyes off them too much, they might go to the water's edge by themselves. It's always worrying when it comes to children if you don't watch them closely."
"That's true. Let's go, Lamia."
"......Ah, wait, Lucius."
"Eh............nn."

Without waiting for Lucius's reply, Lamia transformed her hair into silver snakes, wrapped them around Lucius's entire body, pulled him forcibly toward her, and stole his lips.

After a while, when they pulled apart, their breaths mingled at close range, and a warm scent tickled their nostrils. Lucius was visibly blushing, his gaze darting about. Seeing him like this for the first time was amusing, and Lamia let out a small smile. Come to think of it, this was the first time they had kissed while both were fully conscious.

"What is it? Are you dissatisfied?"
"No, it's not that, but Lamia... why so suddenly?"
"Just in case. If you were to die by the water, and drown on top of that, it would be a nuisance, you see."
"...Isn't that the wrong order of things?"
"Don't worry about it, Lucius."

Lamia returned her hair to its usual black, took Lucius's hand, and stepped out from the shade of the trees where they had been staying to walk toward the children.

"Come now, let's go. The children are waiting."
"......Yeah."

Feeling Lucius, who was following her, squeeze her hand slightly tighter as she led the way, she chuckled to herself while pretending not to notice.

A young nobleman and a snake goddess. That day, the temporary couple spent their time playing to their hearts' content with the children under the blue sky. As if to celebrate the dignity they had reclaimed. And for the sake of the day when they might be able to reclaim a new dignity once again.

The story of Lamia and Lucius, saving and being saved in life and soul, will surely continue from here on out.

(The End)

<<Afterword Supplement>>

#CreativeAward2026 #RomanceNovelCategory
#Inter-speciesMarriage #IsekaiFantasy #HomeDrama #ChildRearing #Codependency