A Snake’s Life Ch 31

Chapter 31

 

It was still a peaceful day. In the training yard, Aiden was deeply focused on sword training. Only recently gaining some stamina, Aiden was holding a wooden sword made of the lightest material and taking his stance. A knight standing beside him corrected his posture whenever it wavered.

What might be a very light wooden sword to others proved too much for Aiden’s fragile wrists after a few swings. His hand was trembling slightly.

“Your Highness, let’s stop here.”

“I’m fine!”

Aiden stubbornly tried to swing the sword again but eventually dropped it due to a lack of strength. As he tried to pick it up again, the knight firmly stopped him. The nanny who was nearby also dissuaded Aiden.

“That’s right. You shouldn’t overdo it. You still have other lessons.”

The nanny disapproved of Aiden focusing so much on swordsmanship. She tried to reduce his lessons however she could, but his stubbornness wasn’t easy to overcome. There was much to study—economics, monarchy studies, and more. With his frail body, overexertion could worsen his health, which would be a serious problem.

As Aiden hesitated, the knight spoke firmly.

“A proper amount of training is important. If you overdo it, you won’t be able to train the next day.”

In fact, there had been a time when he trained too hard alone and couldn’t move his arms for a while, forcing him to skip training. Remembering that, Aiden followed the knight’s advice.

“Then let’s continue tomorrow.”

The knight picked up the wooden sword and stepped back, and the nanny quickly came over and wiped Aiden’s sweat with a towel.

“Your posture has improved a lot today.”

“Really?”

Pleased by the nanny’s praise, Aiden walked away in high spirits. On the way to the palace, a group of people was gathered in the distance, murmuring. Though it was too far to see clearly, they appeared to be busily carrying something. Among them, one maid who noticed Aiden’s party ran toward them in a panic.

“Something terrible has happened!! Knights stormed in and entered Lady Paulina’s room…”

She was so flustered from running that she couldn’t even greet Aiden properly and spoke directly to the nanny. Both the nanny and Aiden, as well as the attendants and maids behind them, were startled and confused.

At that moment, unfamiliar knights approached from behind the maid with firm strides.

“Who dares barge into His Highness’s palace…”

One of the attendants began to speak, but was drowned out by Ian’s voice from within the group of knights.

“Are you Paulina Brandt?”

Something unusual was clearly happening. She recognized Ian’s face, someone who had once stood at Zerpell’s side. His presence made her shoulders shrink.

“Yes. I am Paulina Brandt.”

Ian scanned her from head to toe, then motioned with his chin toward the nanny. The knights positioned themselves on either side of her and grabbed her arms. The startled nanny raised her voice.

“W-What is the meaning of this!! Let go of me this instant!!”

She struggled to break free, but there was no escaping the trained knights. Ian unrolled a scroll and read out the charges in front of her.

“You are hereby placed under arrest for the following crimes: embezzling palace property for personal luxury, arbitrarily dismissing palace employees, and assaulting maids and attendants. Take her away.”

“Yes, sir!”

The nanny’s jaw dropped upon hearing the charges. She shouted her denial, but the knights didn’t budge, and the palace staff were thrown into disarray. Aiden’s eyes shook violently. Seeing this, the nanny shouted one last time.

“Your Highness, it’s not true. Do not be deceived. They’re lying!”

“Y-Yeah. The nanny is…”

The nanny desperately tried to defend herself, as if Aiden were her last hope. Ian clicked his tongue at the sight. Aiden opened his mouth to defend her, but Ian sighed as he glanced at him and spoke.

“Then how do you explain all those luxury goods?”

The knights had raided the nanny’s room and laid out expensive porcelain, famous paintings, and ornaments. Among them were even sculptures made entirely of gold. All those items had come from one person’s room.

“T-Those were gifts! I have nothing to be ashamed of as the prince’s nanny!”

“Then you can explain it in court. If you’re innocent, you’ll be released. If not, you’ll be exiled.”

“Y-You’re not afraid of Her Majesty the Empress? She would never forgive this!”

“That will also be dealt with in court. Now, take her away.”

In the end, the nanny was dragged off by the knights. Aiden stood there, stunned, staring blankly after her. A deep sigh escaped him. Ian had no personal grudge against Aiden. He offered some advice.

“Your Highness, you must learn to judge people properly. Especially in times like these, you need to stay sharp.”

Ian hadn’t meant to be so cold, but this was the palace, and such was the situation. Without looking back, he left, organizing the scene as he went.

After the commotion, silence settled over Aiden’s palace.

“Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened.”

“Quiet! You’re in Her Majesty’s presence!”

A maid who had witnessed Aiden’s nanny being dragged off ran to deliver the news to the Empress. She was one of the maids the Empress had planted in Aiden’s palace. The Empress gestured for her to be silent. The maid behind the Empress stepped back quietly.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

“You may all leave.”

The maid glanced cautiously around. Soon, only the maid who came to report and the Empress’s personal maid remained behind her, while the rest swiftly disappeared. The maid whispered into her ear. The Empress’s twisted expression revealed her displeasure.

“Ha… So it’s come to this… And what happened next?”

“She keeps calling for Your Majesty.”

“What will you do?”

The personal maid asked the Empress’s intention. The Empress simply stared at her teacup. As if she had reached an internal decision, she spoke in a heavy voice.

“Now that Aiden is healthy, there’s no use keeping the useless around. How much did she take?”

“They say precious items came pouring out of her room.”

“She really took a lot. She’s just facing the consequences of her own choices.”

The Empress let out a light chuckle. It was quite a different sight from her previous demeanor, where she would explode with rage whenever something happened. As if nothing was wrong, she took a sip of tea and spoke. The disappearance of the nanny had no impact on her at all.

When they were looking for a nanny for Aiden, his appointment as crown prince had already fallen through. She had even resented why he had been born so weak. Since he was a child born through great hardship, she was all the more displeased. The nobles didn’t jump to any conclusions and were still assessing the situation. Then, a woman stepped forward, volunteering to become the nanny. She was a countess, though from a fallen noble family. Her appearance was elegant on the surface, but it was all a facade. Still, her status wasn’t too low, and the Empress had sensed the ambition glinting in her eyes. There hadn’t been any grand reason for choosing her. The Empress had liked her boldness and courage—and above all, people like her were easy to use. When she had come to pay respects and said she wanted to revive her family by becoming the nanny, the Empress had instantly seen through it as a sugar-coated excuse.

The nanny didn’t know it, but she and her family had already outlived their usefulness. Now that Aiden’s health was improving, it was only right to cut off those of lesser standing. Still, since she had once been considered her own person, it stung the Empress’s pride that she had been dragged off to prison due to Zerpell’s schemes.

“How irritating. If His Majesty had done things properly, none of this would have happened.”

The Empress sipped her tea and criticized the Emperor. Though it was an insult to the Empire’s foremost figure, the maids showed no particular reaction. They simply waited calmly for her command. The Emperor had made the mistake of giving up military authority in a fit of anger. She had advised him against it, but what good was pride?

She was also dissatisfied with the palace banquet. It was obvious that the nobles would grovel before the crown prince without any sense of loyalty. According to the Pope, even the messenger of God had quite the temper. When the Emperor had been brimming with confidence, claiming the Pope could be swayed, and then returned completely defeated, she could barely suppress her laughter.

“Each and every one of them is pathetic… I can’t just sit and take this.”

“What will you do?”

The Empress clicked her tongue and spoke. The maid politely asked her.

“What you mentioned last time—is it ready?”

“It can be done immediately.”

At those words, the Empress smiled widely with narrowed eyes and quietly spoke to the maid beside her. The maid leaned in to listen closely. Though the Empress’s lips were hidden behind her fan, her eyes gleamed coldly.

“Ugh… the sunlight.”

Rubbing my eyes in a daze from the sunlight flickering before me, I groggily sat up. For some reason, this damn sleep didn’t seem to be decreasing. Stretching out my body, I heard my joints crack and felt the stiffness in my shoulders. I rolled my shoulders and looked around—Zerpell, who should have been beside me, wasn’t there.

“Huh? Where’s Master?”

Zerpell, who always greeted me when I woke up, was nowhere to be seen. Even with the curtains drawn, the light was so strong that it clearly passed through—the sun had definitely risen a while ago. Scratching my messy hair, I got out of bed. Why didn’t he wake me?

“Let’s get moving…”

I grabbed the clothes neatly folded on the side table and began to put them on one by one. It felt a bit awkward to dress myself. There was oil and a comb next to them.

“Not like I really care about my hair…”

To think I’d be putting oil in my hair after being reincarnated… I picked up the ends of my hair, which reached down to my waist. Thanks to Zerpell’s meticulous care, it was glossier than before.

“But Master likes it…”

I started brushing my hair. But wow, this was surprisingly tiring. My hair was so long that combing it from root to tip was exhausting. After brushing it a few times, my arm started to hurt.

“My arm hurts! I give up.”

In the end, I threw the brush aside.

“Let’s eat first.”

You have to eat after waking up! I picked at my food slowly in the dining hall. Without someone to talk to, it was boring. We usually ate together… though I did wake up late… I wonder if Master ate?

“Is Master busy today?”

I asked Casa, who had been waiting behind me.

“He said he had some matters to attend to. It should be finished by the afternoon.”

“He’s busy, huh…”

I had planned to go play in his office, but it seemed like Master was busy today. What I heard from Zerpell yesterday wasn’t exactly encouraging. He probably had some urgent business again today. Since Master was working hard, I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing. I had just decided that I would help him. Besides, there was something suspicious in the Pope’s behavior that had caught my attention. I was beginning to wonder if the ‘evil one’ mentioned by the divine messenger was the Pope.

The divine messenger had said they would fall asleep again but told me I could come to them anytime I needed help. I also had something to report to them, and I needed to investigate what was going on. I was thinking I should visit soon. But the divine forest was a sanctuary no one was allowed to enter. Could I even enter it? I vaguely remembered that during the rain ritual, the high priest had deactivated the barrier. Even if I was the divine messenger, it was a forbidden area—there was a chance I might not be able to enter.

“I’m thinking of going to the divine lake… is that okay?”

Casa replied in a tone that said he didn’t mind.

“It’s fine. You are the Messenger, after all.”

“Alright, let’s go.”

They’re all finished. I’ll dig into exactly what they’ve done to steal the divine power.