A Snake’s Life Ch 22

Chapter 22

 

The morning sunlight stung as it woke me. I pushed aside the blanket, stretched, and sat up. My body slumped with a cracking sound. Despite what had happened last time, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Zerpell, too, acted as if nothing had ever happened, and the days remained the same as always.

Days no different from when I was a snake.

Zerpell continued to dote on me, and I, in turn, acted cute around him as we passed our unchanging days. Honestly, it already seemed obvious that my being originally human had been exposed. Yet the reason I could remain calm was because of the gentle smile he always gave when I acted cute, the affectionate look in his eyes when he gazed at me, and the things he had said to me. Thinking of those things, I was certain there was no way my master would abandon me.

Since my master didn’t seem bothered, there was no reason for me to be scared on my own. I thought it would be awkward to act cute once I became human. But contrary to my worries, it had already become such a habit that it came naturally even without trying. Zerpell seemed to enjoy that I had dropped my awkwardness and began treating him normally.

To begin with, I had already known about his hidden obsession. He hated it when I clung to or acted cute around anyone else.

There was a time I tried to be nice to those around me to stick close to him. I had thought earning points with others would be more advantageous. But every time I did, all I got was Zerpell’s fierce gaze. Ah, of course, not directed at me—but at the others. So honestly, this life wasn’t much different from before.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and stood up. Zerpell came with a brush, sat on the edge of the bed, and turned me around.

“Let’s brush your hair.”

That had become Zerpell’s hobby these days. He used to start his mornings by touching my scales, but since they were gone, he now began his day by brushing my hair. He gently brushed my hair from behind. I looked at my hair that flowed down to my waist. Thinking it might be hard to manage if it got any longer, I asked him,

“Isn’t it a hassle to take care of this? Should I cut it?”

“No. Why would you cut such pretty hair?”

He didn’t like what I said and refused firmly.

“Is it pretty?”

“Of course. I’ve never seen such beautiful silver hair. Don’t you like me brushing it?”

“No… that’s not it. I just thought it might be troublesome for you.”

“No need to worry. I’m doing it because I like it.”

His brushing hands were gentle, and to be honest, I didn’t dislike it, so I just sat still. Since Zerpell liked it, I had no reason to refuse. Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Ian entered.

“Your Highness, excuse me.”

He seemed to have something to discuss with Zerpell and whispered it in his ear.

“I see.”

“Yes. What would you like to do?”

“I’ll go and talk to them myself.”

“Am I staying in the room again?”

Having been stuck in the room for a while, my whole body was aching. I looked at him with hopeful eyes, silently begging to be let out. Perhaps feeling sorry for keeping me cooped up, he showed a conflicted expression this time. Zerpell placed the brush on the table and swept my hair with his hand. My desperate eyes must have gotten through to him, because he finally gave a positive answer.

“I’ll assign Casa to accompany you, so stay close to him. Make sure you wear your necklace.”

“Okay. Got it. See you later.”

He strangely emphasized the necklace, but I nodded eagerly at the thought of going out. He looked at me with concern, as if unsure if he had made the right decision. But when Ian urged him, he reluctantly got up.

Contrary to his hesitation, I was thrilled, waving my hand so much it nearly hurt as I saw him off. His gaze lingered on my red necklace for a while. Then his face drew closer to mine. I thought he was going to check the necklace, but his target was my forehead. With a short smooch, Zerpell kissed my forehead.

“Be careful, and thanks to the rain, the flowers are in full bloom. You should go see them.”

Seeing that, Ian immediately bowed his head deeply, as if he hadn’t witnessed anything at all. My face flushed, and I touched my forehead with my hand. My eyes had surely gone wide and my mouth agape, but he just gave a small smile as if he found it cute and left.

Once the door closed, I collapsed onto the bed as if all my strength had left me. I clutched the pillow and rolled around. I lightly touched the spot where he had kissed me.

“Seriously… this is troublesome.”

The reflection in the mirror showed my face flushed bright red.

With Zerpell’s permission secured, I confidently opened the door wide. Following Zerpell’s suggestion, I decided to explore the garden. Casa stood outside and didn’t block my way. Without any need to signal him, he followed me silently.

Taking my first stroll as a human, I leisurely looked around. I took my time admiring the buildings, sculptures, and paintings along the way. When I was a snake, I had to crane my head to look up, which hurt my neck, so I hadn’t been able to enjoy them properly.

At last, I arrived at the garden. I took a deep breath of the refreshing air. Just as Zerpell said, the flowers were in full bloom. I wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the three days of rain, but the sight of the various flowers blooming in splendor was quite a spectacle. After walking around the garden for a while, I started to feel a bit hungry.

“Ah. I’m getting a bit peckish.”

At those words, several attendants and maids rushed forward to offer me snacks. I blinked in surprise at the sudden situation. Except for that one time I’d been out, I had spent the rest of the time in the room, so there had been a lot of sidelong glances from the attendants and maids. Since they hadn’t approached, I hadn’t paid them much attention—but with them rushing in like this, it was both flustering and amusing. From what they were saying, it seemed they wanted to express their gratitude.

“Messenger, thank you so much for bringing the rain!”

“Thanks to you, this year’s harvest will go well. We are deeply grateful!”

“Um… I even have a video of it!”

“When will it rain again?”

“I baked these cookies myself—please try them!”

“You’re so beautiful!!!”

They all scrambled to say something or offer me something. Although there were a few annoying comments here and there, I kept smiling. So there really are people like this… I glanced back, and Casa was standing behind me with a look that said he didn’t care at all. That meant it must have been cleared with my master. They were all simply trying to express their gratitude. Their reactions, though noisy, weren’t unpleasant. And I was indeed hungry, so I took some of the snacks they offered and ate them.

“Thank you.”

When I smiled brightly, the faces of the people around me turned red. They handed me various things and then scattered in all directions. It turned out to be more than I expected, and I had to receive it all with both hands full. Judging by the amount, it was too much for me to eat alone, so I offered some of the snacks to Casa behind me with a heart like giving an extra rice cake even to someone I dislike.

“Want some?”

“I don’t eat while on duty.”

“Oh, okay. Then never mind. Since it’s heavy, just hold this.”

He didn’t particularly refuse, and I handed him the snacks I was holding. I grabbed one of the pouches at random and opened it. Inside, colorful candies were gathered together. I tossed a yellow one into my mouth. At my somewhat arrogant attitude, he frowned slightly as if surprised. He squinted his eyes suspiciously.

I could fully understand. Seeing me always by the master’s side, he must have thought this behavior was strange. With the master, I did it to cling to him, but with you, there’s no need for that at all.

While I was looking around the garden, I noticed droplets of water on the petals, as if they had just been watered. I squatted down in front of them and gently poked a droplet. But… does the rain come on its own now? They said it rained while I was asleep, but there’s been no sign of rain since then. Curious, I asked Casa.

“It hasn’t rained since then, right?”

“No.”

Casa carefully studied my expression to understand the intention behind my question. Su-shin had told me that my powers included controlling water, healing wounds, and bringing rain. Even though it rained this time, judging from the way Su-shin spoke, it was as if I didn’t yet possess the power to summon rain myself. If so, it meant I would have to bring rain in the future.

They said wicked ones were stealing my power… For now, I needed to test my own strength.

“Is there a fountain nearby? Or even a lake.”

At my words, Casa took the lead as if to say follow me. I followed behind. The place we arrived at was a surprisingly large lake I hadn’t known about. When I asked what lake it was, he said it was a picnic spot used occasionally by royalty.

“Is it okay to bring me somewhere like this…?”

I asked with a bewildered expression, but he looked at me like it was no big deal. It was me who got flustered by that look and let out an awkward laugh.

“Well, I guess it’s fine.”

But how do I use it? Last time, I was writhing in pain and eventually passed out, so I have no memory of it. Still, they said it rained for three days, so wouldn’t my subconscious remember? Let’s try summoning rain.

First, I aimed at the center of the lake. Isn’t imagery important in these things…? I pictured a pillar of water shooting up in my mind. I blocked out all the sounds around me—the rustling of trees, the gentle ripples of the lake—and focused intensely in the darkness of my consciousness, but the lake’s surface showed no signs of reacting.

“Was I really scammed? What if it turns out it was a one-time thing…?”

Wondering what went wrong, I crossed my arms and rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought. Unable to find an answer, I eventually plopped down on the grassy shore of the lake. Just then, a clear, graceful voice rang out from afar.

“Messenger of God!”