A Snake’s Life Ch 25

Chapter 25

 

Zerpell was annoyed by the duke who kept pestering him with a marriage proposal. Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand the duke’s reasoning, but he had no intention of changing his mind. The thought of having to shake the duke off gave him a headache, and his brows furrowed instinctively. The duke, frustrated, followed Zerpell around, trying to speak with him.

“Your Highness, political unions are necessary.”

“Did I not already say no?”

“Is there a reason why you’ve changed your mind?”

Zerpell rejected him firmly, as if there was no further need to speak. The duke was left feeling helpless. He surely knew this was the most critical moment.

Just then, a sound came from afar. A clear, delicate voice made both Zerpell and the duke turn their heads in its direction. In the duke’s eyes, he saw someone nestled snugly in Zerpell’s arms. That person was looking up at Zerpell, constantly chattering away.

Responding to the voice, Zerpell welcomed the person into his embrace, and the posture seemed familiar. The discomforted expression on his face was gone, replaced with a gentle one. The duke vividly witnessed that change from beside him. Curious, he observed the individual more closely. He had suspected it from the silver hair—it was the divine messenger who was the center of current rumors.

‘Don’t tell me… the reason he rejected the engagement is because…’

Zerpell gently stroked Shuiren’s hair and replied in a soft voice. The duke’s eyes widened—it was the first time he had seen such an expression on His Highness.

The duke recalled the first time he met Zerpell.

He had been living peacefully in his territory with his only daughter. Still, he had heard the rumors. Word had spread that the war had finally ended and Zerpell had returned. But he thought it had nothing to do with him—at least until Zerpell came looking for him.

He knew who Zerpell was. He had once been the crown prince and had even protected that position for a time. Zerpell was a child used for political purposes. As soon as the empress gave birth to her child, his position became unstable, and the emperor intended to install the newborn as the crown prince. It was a baby born weak, uncertain whether it would survive. Making such a personal decision about a matter of national importance made no sense. Moreover, His Highness had been maturing into a fine leader at the time. But as a consequence, he was sent to the battlefield. Everyone had heard the rumors that he was to take part in a war even grown men avoided.

Back then, the duke had felt sympathy. But that was the imperial palace. Later, he heard that Zerpell returned as an adult and was handling various affairs with ease. He also heard that Zerpell was gathering his own faction. The duke had no fondness for the palace and was fed up with political strife. That’s why, when Zerpell came to see him, he turned down the visits multiple times. But Zerpell did not give up.

“Father, why don’t you try listening to what His Highness has to say?”

After the same situation repeated for several days, his daughter spoke up. Persuaded by her, he reluctantly agreed to meet. Duke Bert had anticipated what Zerpell would say. But he had no intention of getting involved in politics again.

“It’s been a while, Duke.”

“Yes, it has been quite a while. I believe I know what Your Highness wishes to say, but I…”

The duke expressed his opinion without hesitation. But Zerpell, in silence, handed him a set of documents. At that action, Duke Bert’s gaze shifted to the papers.

“What is this?”

“Look. We’ll talk after that.”

At his tone, Duke Bert narrowed his brow. He accepted the documents with a suspicious gaze and began flipping through them slowly. They contained evidence Zerpell had gathered of various nobles’ embezzlement. And on the final page—there was a story about the deceased duchess.

In truth, the death of the duchess had been a major reason the duke stepped away from politics. At first, he thought Zerpell was using his deceased wife and crumpled the papers in fury. Understanding his anger, Zerpell offered an explanation.

“Every person has a different constitution. But apparently, the empress would always prepare a special tea whenever she met the duchess.”

The duke’s eyes visibly shook. It was something he had suspected deep down. As the rumors suggested, his wife’s death had been the main reason he withdrew from politics. There had always been suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

The empress was frail and rarely engaged in external affairs. She only occasionally appeared at social gatherings. That’s why, in the social world, the real queen was the duchess, not the empress. The duchess, despite her high status, never flaunted authority and was upright and virtuous, gaining recognition even among the commoners. The empress disliked her. Once, she had even competed against the duchess as a candidate for empress, so a sense of rivalry was expected. The current empress had risen to her position through a marriage proposal from the duke.

The duchess once said that though the empress was publicly known as gentle, in reality, she was not. She had called the empress the scariest person in the imperial palace and had warned to be careful.

Using her poor health as an excuse, the empress often had tea time with the duchess in the empress’s quarters. After those tea times, the duchess would complain of dizziness and stomachaches. Even when told not to go, she insisted it would be rude and continued to attend. The symptoms seemed minor at first, but her condition worsened, and she eventually became bedridden. When it deteriorated further, poison was suspected, and both a cleric and physician were summoned. However, the physician said no known poison could cause those symptoms and shook his head. The cleric also investigated for any lingering toxins but found nothing. Eventually, she passed away. The duke reported the matter to the emperor for an investigation, but it didn’t even register. The case was buried in obscurity.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Let’s just say it’s likely. It wasn’t exactly poison. But the tea’s ingredients didn’t suit her constitution and, for her, had effects similar to poison. Gradually, her body weakened. Because it was an herbal tea safe for most people, no one suspected.”

The duke cursed his own foolishness, but it was all in the past. Even if the truth came out now, the years that had passed were more than enough to erase any evidence. Though his lips trembled, he spoke as calmly as he could.

“It’s already in the past. My wife rests in my heart.”

“What about Lady Camilla?”

“What…?”

“There’s one more reason you stepped down, isn’t there? You tried to name your daughter as heir but faced fierce opposition, didn’t you? I believe you know better than anyone what the empress is like. She wants to be the highest and most revered. But for a woman to inherit a noble title—for a duchess to exist for the first time? That would not sit well with her.”

“……”

What Zerpell said was true. Camilla had loved the territory and its people since she was young, and he had thought of her as a promising leader. At first, he simply found her charming. But as she continued to work hard, he began to consider her as his successor. Though he thought of bringing in a son-in-law, seeing Camilla’s determination made him change his mind. But the outcome was disastrous. A woman as a duke? There was no such precedent. He was cleanly rejected. Even the other nobles turned their backs on him—he had no options left.

“Let me make a proposal. Since this concerns the young lady, you may call her to join us.”

The duke, after a silent stare-down with Zerpell, instructed the nearby butler to summon Camilla. Camilla greeted Zerpell politely.

“Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you. I am Camilla Bert.”

“Sit. We were just speaking of you.”

A bit flustered, Camilla sat down as her father instructed. Zerpell spoke directly.

“Lady Camilla. Do you wish to become a duchess?”

“Pardon?”

Startled by the sudden proposal, she seemed very confused. Camilla looked toward her father, who was quietly sipping tea beside her. Then, with eyes firm in determination, she replied clearly.

“Of course. I knew that Father had once fought for my sake. And I also know it ultimately did not work out.”

“…Camilla…”

“I thought it was my fate. A woman had never become a successor before. So I even considered taking a husband into the family. But… this is my domain. Even if he were my husband, I cannot entrust the people of my land to someone else. I want to become the duke.”

“In that case, I have a proposal for you. If you help make me emperor, I will change the law. So that women can become successors, too. I don’t think it’s a bad offer.”

Camilla’s eyes widened. Her hand holding the teacup trembled. She calmed her stirring heart and asked Zerpell.

“Is that possible?”

“Gender and status don’t matter when it comes to proving ability. I like capable people. If you can show me your abilities, there’s no reason to refuse.”

“If you wish for it, I intend to follow Your Highness’s words.”

Camilla glanced around and lowered her head. When she raised it again, her eyes were filled with resolve. Zerpell gave a small smile.

“If you give me the chance, I will show you what I’m capable of.”

“Then I’ll take that as the duke having no objections.”

“Very well.”

From that day on, they talked about many things, and the topic of engagement was subtly brought up as well. It was purely for gathering the support of the nobility. Although His Highness was the legitimate heir, he lacked solid support from both the imperial family and his maternal relatives. Especially since the empress was from a baron’s family and not of high status. On the other hand, Aiden was weak in body but had a solid background. However, Zerpell had already gained recognition for his ability from the nobility and had the favor of the people as well. The factions were wavering, constantly trying to read each other’s political signals.

For the nobility, status meant power. If he were to become engaged to Camilla, a member of a duke’s household, he could sway the wavering nobles to his side, or at least keep them from siding with the emperor. It was perfect as a show of union between noble houses. At the time, His Highness didn’t show much reaction, but because his goal was firm, she thought he would give a positive answer. But when she saw how affectionate His Highness was with the messenger, she understood.

He had no intention of making Camilla his empress, and since His Highness did not wish it either, there was nothing more to say.

“Did you have fun?”

“Of course, of course. I’m done playing now, so I came to see my master.”

I told Zerpell about receiving snacks from the attendants in the garden, and about going to the lake. I still couldn’t help laughing at the memory of the nanny falling into the water. Just as I was about to tell him that story, his eyes met mine. Then, he quietly said the child’s name, his voice full of curiosity.

“Aiden?”

“Oh, right. I met him today.”

Oops. I had forgotten about Aiden. One of Zerpell’s eyes lifted sharply. He glanced at Casa, who stood behind us. Casa was still holding the fragrant pouches full of sweetness. Aiden was still clinging tightly to my collar, staring at the ground without the slightest intention of lifting his head. I pushed Aiden’s back and brought him before Zerpell, then took Zerpell’s hand from my head and placed it on Aiden’s.

“There. Pat, pat.”

I moved his hand to pat Aiden’s head. Zerpell raised one eyebrow at my sudden action. Then, with a small sigh, he gently tapped Aiden’s head.

“Have you been well? Thank you for playing with Shuiren.”

Though his touch wasn’t as gentle as when he petted me, Aiden’s face flushed bright red, clearly pleased. Feeling content, I decided to give Zerpell a gift. Actually, among the offerings I received earlier, I had set aside the one that looked best. Eating something sweet is supposed to help with work, or so they say.

“Here, a gift.”

With a rustle, I took out the chocolate from the pouch and handed it to him. By the way, chocolate didn’t seem to be considered a luxury item here. Out of all the tributes I received, there was only one piece of chocolate. I pressed it into his hand and said,

“Eat this and work hard.”

Zerpell stared at the chocolate rolling in his hand for a while, then put it into his pouch. With affectionate eyes, he patted my head, then moved his hand down and lightly scratched my neck.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

As expected, nothing beats the master’s touch. Even after becoming human, I must have retained some snake instincts—having my neck scratched still felt incredibly good. I could feel my expression melting with pleasure. Suddenly, I sensed a gaze on me. Aiden was blinking at me. He stared blankly at me and Zerpell. Oh no—what a disgrace to show in front of a kid!

I quickly removed my master’s hand and composed my expression. Zerpell’s hand floated in the air for a moment before he pulled it back. Ian, who had been beside Zerpell, cleared his throat awkwardly. When I turned my gaze toward him, I noticed an unfamiliar person standing there. A middle-aged man with a kind-looking face was chuckling warmly.

With a benevolent smile, he spoke.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Messenger of God. My name is Cheska Bert. I’m also glad to see Your Highness looking well.”

“Cheska Bert?”

Who’s that? I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name. But it sounded vaguely familiar. As if aware of my confusion, he clearly stated his identity.

“Though I may be lacking, I bear the title of duke.”

Duke? Isn’t that just below royalty? I was startled by how high his position was. Come to think of it, wasn’t this the person the master’s mother mentioned last time… the one who helped him? Then he’s on our side. Zerpell spoke to Duke Bert as if dismissing a bothersome person.

“Duke, you may take your leave. Let’s pretend your proposal was never made.”

“Just seeing Your Highness is enough to understand. Very well. I’ll relay your words to Camilla. Then, Messenger, I’ll see you at the banquet.”

He gave a polite bow and left the way he came. I didn’t fully understand the situation, but it seemed the matter was settled.

“Shuiren. Why were you with Aiden?”

“Huh? Oh, I told you I went to the lake. We met there. And…”

I recounted everything that had happened in detail: the story of the nanny, how Aiden controlled water, how he wanted to see the master—everything. Aiden tugged on my collar as if telling me to stop, but I ignored him and pressed on. Aiden turned as red as a beet when he realized I’d told Zerpell exactly what he had said.

“I heard you’re amazing with the sword? I want to see, too.”

I looked at him with shining eyes. But instead of the expected response, his expression turned awkward. As if reluctant? I tilted my head at his unreadable face.

“It’s getting late, let’s head in.”

“Huh? Already? Are you done with work?”

“Yes. Aiden, you should return to the palace as well. Come visit whenever you like.”

Zerpell smiled awkwardly and changed the subject. Then he grabbed my shoulder and started walking toward the room. I felt uneasy leaving things with Aiden so awkwardly. But Zerpell didn’t neglect him—he ordered Ian to escort Aiden back. When I looked back, Aiden was waving at me. I had hoped we could talk more, but I guess you can’t be full from just one bite. Feeling a bit regretful, I walked into the room.