A Snake’s Life Ch 12

Chapter 12

 

Before arriving in front of the office, Zerpell sensed a chaotic atmosphere. People were running around busily, but they weren’t from the Crown Prince’s Palace. Even those who were usually in the palace were moving quickly as if they were searching for someone.

Ian frowned at the situation. Entering the palace without permission was a security issue. The attendants, seemingly too busy, passed by Zerpell without even acknowledging him. He couldn’t suppress his anger at the absurd situation. Ian stopped attendants he didn’t recognize.

“What are you doing in His Highness the Crown Prince’s palace right now?”

“Ah, well… we’re searching for the young prince who has gone missing.”

At the mention of the young prince, Ian pressed his lips together. He now understood their behavior. It must have been the Emperor’s command. After suppressing his anger, Ian scolded them.

“Even so, what is this commotion in front of His Highness? Barging into a palace without permission…”

“W-We are truly sorry. His Majesty ordered us to search every corner…”

“Fine. The child is sick and missing, so His Majesty must be very worried.”

Realizing their mistake, they glanced anxiously at Zerpell. But Zerpell, seemingly uninterested, began walking again. Strangely, his steps were fast. He felt that too much time had passed and was worried about Shuiren being alone. Ian glared at them as if to commit their faces to memory. Cedric believed this situation reflected his own failure to properly manage the palace guards.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry. I will make sure to give strict orders to the gatekeepers.”

Ian gave a hollow laugh, finding the situation absurd. He had only been away briefly, yet strangers were roaming freely through the palace.

“This might be a good chance to replace some people.”

Still at a loss, Ian could only laugh hollowly. Zerpell didn’t seem to be listening and merely quickened his pace. Upon arriving at the office, he pushed the door open even before the knight could open it for him. No one greeted him; the office was completely empty. Only the cushion where Shuiren had been remained. A sense of foreboding swept over his entire body.

Cedric looked at Zerpell, puzzled as he didn’t step inside. Zerpell stood frozen for a while. Then, a chilling aura began to emanate from behind him. Cedric asked what was wrong, but Zerpell merely frowned and scanned the office with his eyes.

“Shuiren is gone. What happened to the attendant who was here?”

“Pardon?”

“Are you going to make me repeat myself?”

At Zerpell’s cold words, the knights guarding the door stiffened at attention in alarm. After briefly scanning them with icy eyes, he looked to Ian and ordered him to bring the attendant immediately. The knights were at a loss and sweating profusely. They cautiously opened their mouths, but his sharp gaze cut them off.

“W-We left the post briefly to help search for His Highness…”

“Your Highness. I will educate them properly. You all better be prepared for tomorrow.”

Cedric gave a sharp rebuke to the knights who were making excuses. The knight looked devastated but knew he was at fault and said nothing. Ian returned with the attendant, who stood pale and terrified. The attendant tried to speak, but Zerpell interrupted him.

“Did you leave your post to look for Aiden too?”

Zerpell’s words struck right to the core, and the attendant couldn’t even offer an excuse, simply bowing his head. Zerpell looked around. His expression was chillingly emotionless. The air grew several degrees colder. The attendant, especially, trembled uncontrollably.

“Are you one of Aiden’s people? Or mine? Do you think it’s necessary to keep someone who doesn’t understand their priorities?”

“Y-Your Highness! Please, just this once… I’ll find him right away!”

“Where exactly? Judging by your state, you’ve been searching, but haven’t found him. That means your chance is already gone.”

Indeed, the attendant was covered in leaves and dirt as if he’d been searching through bushes and undergrowth. He could see a shadow fall over him. Zerpell leaned down to meet the attendant’s bowed posture and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. The attendant felt his body freezing from that very spot.

He was sure he was about to die.

Just two months ago, there had been an incident where a maid tried to poison Zerpell in the young prince’s palace. Zerpell had instantly beheaded her with a sword. It was said the maid didn’t even realize she was dead and collapsed while still bleeding. Another maid who had witnessed it still hadn’t forgotten what His Highness had said.

“Ah, looks like I made a mistake.”

There had been a lot of talk that his seven years on the battlefield had dulled his sensitivity to human life. Since he arrived, everyone had tried desperately not to make mistakes. He thought he was just unlucky to be the first one to mess up.

Even though Zerpell had only placed a hand on his shoulder, the attendant found it hard to breathe. In a chilling voice, Zerpell whispered in his ear.

“I hope I never see you in front of me again. If I do, I can’t say what might happen.”

It was essentially a dismissal. He had angered his master and would likely not even receive a proper letter of recommendation. When he looked up to protest, the murderous glare silenced him. Zerpell walked past him, and the sound of the office door closing was followed by the attendant collapsing to the floor.

Once inside the office, Zerpell sank into his chair. He sat down so roughly that the soft chair creaked loudly. Ian, reading the dangerous mood, cautiously asked,

“Shall I handle it quietly?”

Sensing Zerpell’s killing intent, Ian was inquiring about how to deal with the attendant. Zerpell stroked his jaw and replied,

“It’s about time… We don’t need the incompetent. Use this opportunity to weed them out.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“More importantly, send people out immediately to find Shuiren.”

As if the earlier incident no longer mattered, Zerpell ordered the search for Shuiren. Ian, knowing it was dangerous to further upset His Highness, hurriedly gathered people and began combing the palace thoroughly.

But not even a snake, let alone a small animal, could be found. The attendants, glancing at Zerpell, searched even harder, but since Shuiren wasn’t in the palace, he naturally wasn’t found. Finally, Ian reported to Zerpell.

“It appears he is not in the palace.”

“That can’t be. Where could he have gone with that small body?”

He spoke irritably. The servants kept silent in response to his displeasure. Clearly annoyed, Zerpell ran a hand through his hair. The servants, having just witnessed an attendant being dismissed, were terrified the same might happen to them. As many sighed internally, one attendant cautiously spoke.

“Um… I’m not sure, but I think I may have seen the young prince a little while ago.”

“What do you mean?”

The attendant took a deep breath before continuing.

“Well… While we were searching for the young prince, I saw a glimpse of blond hair from afar. The distance was great, and I wasn’t sure, but since I heard we were looking for the young prince, I thought it might be worth mentioning. His Highness often collects unusual things when he goes outside. Among those are small animals, so he may have taken Shuiren.”

There had already been many rumors among the attendants about Aiden’s collection habits. Because Aiden had a weak constitution and spent much of his time in his room, he would often bring something back whenever he went outside. Aiden would pick up anything that caught his interest, regardless of type—whether it was pretty or curious. Sometimes it was insects, sometimes rocks or flowers he found lying around. He had even gone so far as to create a separate storage box to keep them in. Since it was the attendants who managed these items, there was no way they wouldn’t know. Among them were many small insects or animals, and rumors abounded about how much trouble the attendants went through because of them.

“I see. Come to think of it, I heard his health is improving?”

“Pardon? Are you going to His Highness?”

Zerpell began walking without hesitation, driven by a slight hope. Ian quickly dismissed the attendants and told them to return to their stations. Cedric was already following behind Zerpell, and Ian followed after him.

They soon arrived at Aiden’s palace and began walking toward the front gate. Ian grabbed an attendant and asked about Aiden’s whereabouts, and the attendant pointed in one direction. As they walked that way, voices reached their ears.

“Lord Zerpell is only in the position of Crown Prince because His Highness has been in poor health. His Highness is the one truly suited to be Emperor of this empire.”

Zerpell halted in his tracks upon hearing that. Was that voice from the nanny he had seen before? Even when he first met her, she had looked at him as if he were an unwelcome guest, so it wasn’t surprising that she would say something like that. Zerpell and Cedric, both of whom had sharp senses, could clearly hear the conversation. Cedric placed his hand on the sword at his side and spoke. Ian, confused by his words, looked puzzled.

“Your Highness. Shall I take care of it?”

“Put your sword away. It’s easier to deal with people when you let them run wild.”

At that moment, a sharp voice rang out.

“Ha. A mere snake dares to touch me?? You’re no different from those who don’t know their place and act out.”

The voice was so loud that it reached even them, though they were still some distance away. At the word “snake,” Zerpell quickened his pace. Through the gap between the trees, he saw Shuiren clinging tightly to her hand, eyes shut, refusing to let go. The sight made him stop in his tracks. Zerpell had been ready to run over at any moment, but when he stopped, Ian and Cedric, who were behind him, also suddenly came to a halt.

Zerpell stared intently at the scene before him as if etching it into his memory. Ian called him softly, reacting to his expression, but Zerpell didn’t seem to hear a thing. He just kept staring. Eventually, Shuiren fell to the ground, and Zerpell, finally snapping out of it, pushed past the branches and said:

“What are you doing?”

—

Sunset light was pouring in through the window, and soon darkness would arrive. In front of the window, Shuiren was curled up asleep. Zerpell closed the window, worried that the wind coming through might be too cold. Then, he carefully picked him up with the cushion and placed him next to the pillow. Judging by his steady breathing, it didn’t look like he would be waking up anytime soon. Shuiren, who had never once missed a mealtime, was now fast asleep even though it was dinnertime.

Zerpell, sitting on the edge of the bed, lightly tapped Shuiren to wake him, but the touch was so gentle it couldn’t really be called an attempt to rouse someone. It was more like a tender gesture, as if saying “sleep well.” Maybe he liked it, because Shuiren moved closer and clutched Zerpell’s fingers tightly, refusing to let go.

Maybe… it really would’ve been better to kill him.

He hadn’t felt anything when someone said something insulting about him. It was something he was used to. But when he saw Shuiren lunge at the woman who had insulted him, he didn’t know how to describe what he felt.

His heart dropped, yet at the same time a deep satisfaction rose from within. This little creature really had a way of surprising him. Even in ordinary moments, Shuiren would quickly pick up on his foul moods and act silly by his side, somehow lightening his spirits before he even realized it.

Why would he throw himself at a woman who looked several dozen times his size? He must have known he couldn’t win…

Watching the peaceful scene before him, Ian couldn’t help but feel worried. But he had never seen Zerpell look so relaxed. Having seen what had happened earlier, Ian spoke up.

“It’s clear now that he wasn’t sent by the faction targeting Your Highness.”

“…Seems so. Do you think he understands human speech?”

“You mean Shuiren?”

It was true. The way Shuiren behaved suggested he understood what people said. Ian had seen it with his own eyes, and there was no way Zerpell hadn’t noticed. Shuiren’s aggressive reaction to the nanny’s words couldn’t be dismissed as coincidence, not after all the behaviors they’d seen up until now.

Shuiren only looked at him, followed him with blind devotion. So it was understandable that His Highness had grown possessive. On the battlefield, there was no one to trust, and those who were trusted only brought betrayal. To Zerpell, who always built walls between himself and others, Shuiren might be something special.

“He’s clever, so it’s quite likely.”

Zerpell smiled with satisfaction at Ian’s words.

“So you’re assigning him a shadow?”

“I can’t guarantee that something like today won’t happen again. And aside from Cedric, he’s the only one remotely useful. You’d oppose assigning Cedric, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course. Someone has to protect Your Highness. Luckily, the investigation ended today, and I did receive a letter saying he’s on his way back.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

With a soft chuckle, Zerpell spoke to Shuiren. It wasn’t something he said to anyone else—it was a murmur meant for himself.

“To think you threw yourself at someone for me with that small body… It’s a strange feeling. If this keeps up, I may never escape you.”

Zerpell looked genuinely happy as he said it. Though he claimed so, Ian, who had served him for a long time, couldn’t view the snake so positively. Zerpell was already slowly being influenced by that snake.

Ian gave a helpless smile. He was worried about His Highness having a weakness, but if this brought him happiness, then it was his duty to support that as well.

‘Perhaps he truly is a being sent by the gods, moved by pity for His Highness. Of all places, why did he appear there…’