A Snake’s Life Ch 6

Chapter 6

 

In front of my eyes was a grand feast worthy of a drama or movie scene. It started with soup and included bread, salad, fish dishes, and even a main course. It was an excessive amount for breakfast, and beyond that, it was a staggering quantity not meant for one person. The table seemed ready to collapse under the weight. Attendants and maids stood by the side. The head chef came out personally, holding his hat tightly in both hands, waiting nervously for Zerpell to start eating.

“…Haa, Ian. I thought I said we’d eat something simple in the office…”

That’s right. We were definitely waiting for a meal to be prepared in the office. But Ian never missed a chance like this. When Ian suggested going to the dining room, Zerpell gave him a displeased glare. But in the end, he gave in to Ian’s concerned words, and Ian finally got Zerpell to sit at the dining table.

He really is a sweet guy. Even when spoken to coldly, he listens to everything. He just seems curt, that’s all.

Zerpell was seated in a chair, and I had a separate spot prepared on the table. The meat in front of me seemed to say, “I’m expensive,” with its color and sheen being anything but ordinary. It looked like the kind of meat I had very rarely — the kind that cost over 100,000 won per portion. No, it was definitely better than that. The days I survived on cup noodles suddenly felt so pitiful, and I felt tears welling up. I was once again reminded of the importance of money.

My appetite was definitely coming back, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat. I couldn’t take a bite of the meat that still held its bright red blood. I glanced sideways and saw a delicious-looking steak in front of Zerpell. The savory scent of the steak stimulated my nose. Zerpell elegantly cut the steak with his knife and took a bite. Watching him savor the meat, the head chef swallowed nervously and asked,

“D-Does it suit your taste?”

“It’s not bad. But it’s a bit much for breakfast.”

“Your Highness, more time has passed than what you’d call morning. Since you keep skipping breakfast, your timing has gotten off, hasn’t it? At this time, it can very well be considered lunch. Please eat. It’s been a while since the head chef showcased his skills. Which dish do you like best? It will be noted for the future.”

Indeed, a lot of time had passed since we woke up. I had even taken a nap. Zerpell seemed to realize that too and gave an excuse.

“I’ve been busy with work. It’s unavoidable.”

“That’s exactly why you need to eat more, Your Highness.”

Ian eagerly explained each dish while recommending the food. Faced with such enthusiasm, Zerpell had no choice but to try a bit of everything.

I could eat steak too, you know…

Zerpell ate mechanically. My eyes naturally followed his fork. The well-cooked steak looked much better than the bloody raw meat in front of me. My tongue kept flicking out, but it was like looking at a pie in the sky. While eating, Zerpell seemed to notice my gaze, and he turned his head. Our eyes met. Hoping for a chance, I looked at him with sparkling eyes. Zerpell furrowed his brows slightly, looked between me and the meat, and then moved the meat back and forth. My head followed the movement instinctively.

“Do you want some?”

As expected of my master, he’s quick on the uptake!

“Yours is right here. Go ahead and eat.”

Zerpell set down the meat he was holding and offered me the raw meat, but I turned my head away in refusal. Seeing that, Ian asked the head chef if there was something wrong with the raw meat. The chef, startled by the unexpected question, insisted that it was freshly prepared.

“Would grilled meat be okay?”

Though he seemed skeptical, he placed a piece of meat on the plate after seeing the eager glint in my eyes. I could feel my chest swell with excitement as I took the offered meat in one bite. Wow… It’s delicious… The meat melted in my mouth. Having never tasted meat like this before, I looked at him with sparkling eyes, silently asking for more. Every time I looked, Zerpell placed another piece for me.

A nearby attendant, reading the mood, placed another plate on the table. Zerpell took it, cut the meat, and kept feeding me piece by piece. After eating to my heart’s content, I licked my mouth with my tongue and sprawled out. Ah… what a good snake life. With a full belly, I felt happy.

“Was it good?”

He poked my protruding belly as he spoke.

Hey! Don’t bother me!

Avoiding his bothersome touch, I curled up, clutching my full belly. Then I thought I should at least show some gratitude. That way, I might keep getting tasty meat — a thoroughly calculated decision. I turned and licked his finger, intending to show thanks, but it happened to coincide with the moment he poked me, and his finger ended up in my mouth.

There was a gasp around me. Surprised by the unexpected event, I froze with wide eyes. He touched my front teeth with his finger. What the heck! Feeling weird, I immediately pulled back and hissed in anger. He covered his mouth with his hand, but I saw it — the slight curve at the corner of his eye. Just then, an attendant came over to Ian and whispered something. Ian then spoke.

“Your Highness, the scholar has arrived. Where shall I escort him?”

“Bring him to the office. Come, Shuiren, let’s go too.”

As soon as we reached the office, I found a sunny spot — perfect for a nap. My stomach was full, and I was ready to enjoy some sunshine, when suddenly, a guest arrived. Was it the scholar they mentioned? I wondered what kind of scholar he was as I looked toward the door, and soon, a middle-aged man entered.

Ian introduced him, and the man held a thick book, adjusted his glasses, and greeted Zerpell.

“I heard you summoned me, Your Highness.”

“You’re knowledgeable about snakes, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I can answer any question you may have.”

Snakes? Me? What are they curious about? I looked between the scholar and Zerpell.

“What kinds are there? He’s not venomous. Even when provoked, his venom glands don’t react.”

What the heck? So that’s why he touched my front teeth earlier? So the reason he was fiddling with my front teeth was to check for venom? If there had been any, it could’ve been a disaster. My mouth hung open in shock, but he remained unbothered.

Zerpell pointed at me and spoke, and the scholar, upon spotting me by the window, narrowed his eyes and stared intently. Before I could even react to his weird gaze, he rushed over and began touching my scales, checking my teeth, and poking all over. Hey, you jerk! Where do you think you’re touching! Ian tried to signal him with a look, but the scholar seemed completely oblivious.

“These are exceptionally rare scales. I’ve never seen such pure white ones!! Hmm. Hmm. This is a species I’ve never encountered. It may be a yet-undiscovered species!! I thought I had mastered most texts, but to think there’s still a snake I don’t know about. This is worth studying…”

In his academic fervor, he seemed to forget he was in front of the prince and rambled on by himself, beating his own drum. He was so excited that I couldn’t even follow what he was saying — it was all too fast. I tried to wriggle free from his hands, but he handled me so deftly I couldn’t escape. Apparently, Zerpell didn’t like what he saw.

“What exactly are you doing right now?”

Feeling the chill, the scholar turned around. There stood Zerpell, glaring with golden eyes full of displeasure. The scholar, sweating profusely, carefully set me down and stepped back. Zerpell reached out to me, and I crawled toward him.

Master. What’s with that guy? He’s weird…

He held me in his arms and thoroughly checked me over with his eyes to make sure there was no problem. Once satisfied, he spoke to the scholar.

“He wouldn’t eat his food earlier, so I gave him grilled meat instead. Is that a problem?”

“He ate grilled meat??”

“Is that an issue?”

At the scholar’s unusual reaction, he looked at me, seemingly worried. If this went wrong, there was no chance I’d ever get to eat that delicious steak again. It felt like I’d be stuck with that bloody raw meat next time, so I leapt up and expressed with my whole body, “I’m healthy!”

“Normally… they eat live fowl. They’re sensitive to heat, so even if you give them dead animals, they need to be warm for them to recognize it as food…”

He muttered to himself.

“Ha. Useless.”

Zerpell didn’t like that the scholar wouldn’t give a definitive answer and was cold toward him the whole time. Yeah, that’s it! Scold him more! I didn’t like that scholar who tried to feed me something tasteless. I rubbed my face against his chest like I was whining, hissing as if trying to talk to him. When I acted cute, it seemed to please him—his chest rising and falling showed he was in a good mood. I liked the way he carefully petted me, so I closed my eyes and leaned against his chest. The scholar, surprised at that, said,

“A… are its eyes closed?!”

“What’s the problem with that?”

“Well… snakes don’t normally close their eyes. Even when sleeping, they keep their eyes open.”

He said it was an exceptional case, claiming it made no sense, and started flipping through the book he brought. He kept muttering “nonsense” over and over again. He was truly astonished.

Don’t they close their eyes when they sleep? I grumbled internally, unable to understand how someone could sleep with their eyes open, as the scholar claimed. I looked up, feeling someone’s gaze, and saw Zerpell watching me. I tapped my tail on his chest to say I was okay.

The scholar began explaining based on the knowledge he had. He said snakes eat small animals and only once a week. If they overeat or eat something too large, they can’t digest it and regurgitate it. He also mentioned the temperature and humidity that must be maintained, that they don’t close their eyes while sleeping, and that their vision and hearing are poor, so they rely on their sense of smell.

I remembered my friend saying the exact same thing before. At the time, I’d heard it with one ear and let it out the other, so I didn’t really recall much, but thinking about it now, it was kind of… strange. I had focused on how to survive, so I hadn’t paid attention to my own body. But based on what the scholar said, none of it applied to me. My vision, hearing, smell, and taste—none of them were impaired.

Hmm… why?

My head felt foggy from how accurately his words hit the mark.

“Based on what Your Highness has said, it really doesn’t seem like a snake… The species aside, one thing’s for sure: it’s not an ordinary snake. It’s definitely worth studying! If you could entrust it to me for a short while—”

The scholar glanced nervously at Zerpell, but then stopped talking when he met his eyes.

Tap. Tap.

The sound of fingers tapping the table was so menacing, it felt like a warning. He seemed annoyed by the situation, running a hand through his hair. Meeting his emotionless gaze, the scholar straightened up, extremely tense. Clicking his tongue briefly, Zerpell asked the scholar,

“Then is it okay to leave it as is?”

“Yes! Since there seems to be nothing wrong physically, I believe… I’m certain it’ll be fine!”

“You’d better take responsibility for those words.”

Zerpell glared at him with a chilling look, and the scholar gave a firm answer. But his eyes darting all over the place made it impossible to believe him. With a gesture, Zerpell dismissed the scholar, who fled without even looking back.

“Useless.”

“I’m sorry. He’s said to be the best in that field… But it’s true Lord Shuiren is unusual.”

After hearing the scholar’s words, Ian began to doubt me. Of course, I could understand his position. According to the scholar, the things I did were very different from a normal snake. Even I, having listened to everything, began to wonder if I really was a snake. That says it all. I racked my brain, but I couldn’t understand anything. It had only been two days of snake life. It was strange, yes, but I wasn’t seriously ill or anything. I’d be fine. I buried my face in his chest, but I could still feel a piercing stare from behind.

“Probably just imagining it.”

“That may be, but… it’s worth looking into.”

I get that I’m suspicious, but don’t stare so intensely!

“Or… maybe it really is a messenger of the gods.”

“…Excuse me?”

He smiled weakly after speaking, as if it were a joke. But Ian seemed to take it seriously.