A Snake’s Life Ch 7

Chapter 7

 

Why did it come to this…?

Was eating the steak the mistake after all? But it was a choice I had no control over. If asked to choose between raw meat and steak, wouldn’t most people pick steak? Of course, if I were a real snake, I’d probably go for the raw meat. I am a snake, technically, but after hearing the scholar’s words, I wasn’t so sure anymore. Anyway, no matter how much I looked like a snake on the outside, I was still a person on the inside. There were bound to be differences. Ian had been watching me closely for days, and now he had completely lost trust in me, staring at me with a look that said, “What are you scheming?”

That’s right… I’m being watched!

Right now, I’m curled up in my usual spot by the sunny window. The sunlight coming through the window should’ve been dazzling, but instead, my back felt like it was burning. It was all because Ian was staring daggers at me from behind, with a gaze full of determination to expose my true identity.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t enjoy my usual afternoon nap. Well… honestly, I’d probably be suspicious too in his shoes… I’ve been worrying a lot about this lately, but I already gave up on finding an answer. I thought maybe I got some sort of buff from dimensional travel, but I didn’t have any hidden strength or anything like that, and I couldn’t even turn back into a human.

Day by day, I was sticking close to Zerpell, pouring on the charm in hopes of winning his favor and living a comfortable life without causing trouble.

Master, please do something about him…

Wanting to escape that intense gaze and get some sleep, I quietly slithered over to Zerpell. He was diligently reviewing documents and stamping them. Seeing how hard he was working, I didn’t want to interrupt him and thought I should just endure it… but that didn’t last long. In the end, I used Zerpell as a shield. I slid down to his lap, curled up, and lay there. I could feel his eyes following me, but instead of stopping me, he adjusted his posture to make me more comfortable.

His lap wasn’t bathed in sunlight, but it was cozy and warm. Most importantly, the desk blocked that piercing gaze.

He knew exactly why I had come running. While still reviewing the documents, he said to Ian,

“Ian. Stop staring.”

“But, Your Highness. No matter how I look at it, it’s suspicious. You should deal with it…”

“There haven’t been any issues so far, have there?”

“You’re being too lenient! Just like the scholar said, this snake is strange. What kind of snake eats steak and closes its eyes to nap? What if it’s here to harm you…”

At those words, Zerpell put down the documents he was reading. Ian flinched for a moment under Zerpell’s gaze but didn’t back down and stood by his words. I poked my head out to watch the situation unfold closely.

“I brought it here and even gave it a name. ShuiRen is not that kind of creature. Say no more.”

“…That’s exactly why it’s strange. You never act like this. Are you under a spell?”

“Maybe I am.”

Ian spoke sarcastically, but Zerpell just laughed and played along. Ian glared at me even more sharply but finally sighed and said,

“Understood.”

In the end, it was Ian who surrendered.

Nice! All my efforts weren’t in vain after all.

No matter how suspicious Ian found me, he had no proof. And there was no way anyone else could know something that even I didn’t. I hummed a little tune in my head, feeling satisfied as I leaned into Zerpell’s warmth.

It wasn’t that Zerpell didn’t understand Ian’s reaction. He himself didn’t know why he cared so much for this snake. But if something has caught your heart, what can you do? He simply wanted to take responsibility once he had decided to. Maybe it was pride. Maybe he wanted to prove that he was different from the others. Ian glanced at Zerpell with a puzzled look as he suddenly let out a hollow laugh, but Zerpell didn’t continue the topic and asked about the documents instead.

Zerpell looked down at the small figure curled up neatly in his lap. In response, ShuiRen lifted his head and looked up at Zerpell. His crimson, ruby-like eyes stared straight into his as he tilted his head slightly. When he reached out to pet him, he leaned into his hand, nuzzling against it.

Maybe he had fallen for those eyes that looked straight at him.

How could this happen?! How could you do this to me?

“I’m sorry. I can’t take you with me.”

I stared at Zerpell like he had betrayed me. He gently stroked my head with his thumb as he spoke. He looked hesitant to leave, perhaps worried about me. Ian urged him on,

“Your Highness, we must go.”

“Yes. ShuiRen, wait patiently.”

That’s right. He was the crown prince, with mountains of work to do. One of those duties was attending a meeting—a meeting with the central nobles. And now, he was leaving me behind for it. All the effort I’d put in to win his favor was now meaningless—he was abandoning me to attend a meeting. I shuddered in betrayal.

Judging by what Ian said, this seemed to be the first meeting with the central nobles. He mentioned needing to assert dominance over them. That puzzled me. Isn’t the crown prince the next emperor? I was surprised both that it was his first meeting with the nobles and that he needed to assert dominance.

Well, I’m sure he’ll handle it fine.

He ordered a nearby attendant to take good care of me and then turned his back and walked away. I stared blankly after him, dismayed. The attendant, who had stood so stiffly while Zerpell was present, sighed with relief once he was gone. Then he grumbled about why he had to babysit a snake.

So unfair. So, so unfair. Once Zerpell left, I was placed on a cushion like some sacred relic. I was too tired to sit still and, out of boredom, started rolling around and thrashing my tail, but the attendant didn’t react at all. No, he actually gave me a weird look.

If it were Zerpell, he would’ve asked if I was bored and played with me…

I was just waiting for Zerpell to return. I didn’t know how much time had passed, but I could sense that things outside had become chaotic. The footsteps weren’t loud, but many people were moving hurriedly, and I could hear doors opening and closing. Someone knocked quietly on the office door. When there was no response, the door creaked open, and someone carefully stepped inside.

The servant who entered and the one standing next to me seemed to know each other and looked surprised when their eyes met.

“What are you doing here? And more importantly, how could you just walk in like that? Do you want to get killed by His Highness?”

“You’re one to talk. What are you even doing here—no, wait, that’s not important right now. The prince is missing! The Empress fainted from the shock, and His Majesty has ordered everyone to search the palace. We’re all looking for him right now. If I don’t find him, I’ll be dead before His Highness can even touch me! You help too!”

The servant’s face was tense, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. It was clear he had been running around trying to find the prince. The servant next to me stiffened at the news and looked at me with concern.

“But… the snake…”

“If a snake were to go somewhere, where could it even go? It’d just be inside the office anyway.”

The attendant standing next to me was flustered and unsure of what to do, but eventually, he left his post and rushed out to search for the prince. Honestly, whether the attendant was there or not didn’t matter to me at all.

If it’s the prince, is he a younger brother?? Well, that wouldn’t be strange.

At the time, I naturally assumed he was Zerpell’s biological younger brother.

It was awkward and boring to just sit there on the cushion, and since no one was around, I thought I’d take a little walk. Usually, wherever Zerpell took me was either a room, the dining hall, or always the office. Even if I was trying to raise favorability, I still needed some fresh air to stay healthy. To be honest, I was a bit resentful that Zerpell had left me behind, so I decided out of spite.

Tch. Does he think I’m following him around because I have nothing better to do? Let him realize how precious I am!

If Zerpell could go out, why couldn’t I? Besides, I needed to familiarize myself with the area around my nest.

With that decision made, I looked toward the window. Hmm… could I do it? Honestly, Zerpell always carried me over—I’d never crossed it myself. I visually compared the length of my body to the distance between the table and the window. It looked to be about three times my body length. Fortunately, there was a chair placed about halfway there, so I figured if I passed over it, it should be possible. I stretched and coiled my body like I was warming up for a move. Thankfully, the attempt was successful, and I smoothly reached the window.

Nice! I’ve grown quite a bit. I felt proud, thinking that all the eating and sleeping had paid off. It felt like just yesterday I had struggled to slither around in this unfamiliar body. The window was open too, so I could go outside. After hardship comes happiness—wasn’t that how the saying went?

Now how do I get down…

One obstacle after another. It was great that I’d made it to the window, but what lay ahead might as well have been a cliff. Thankfully, there was a flowerbed and some bushes below. It did cross my mind—do flowers usually bloom like that in winter?—but it didn’t matter. If anything, I was relieved. In books, bushes were often described as natural shock absorbers. With the attitude of “so what if I die,” I jumped down.

The flowerbed and bushes did a fine job cushioning my fall. But that didn’t mean I didn’t feel the impact.

I wanted to smack my earlier self for being such an idiot.

Damn, that hurt so bad!! They say ignorance is bravery… and I guess I’m living proof.

My body stung from the scratches I got falling into the bushes and flowerbed. Still, the fresh air and the fragrant scent of flowers lifted my spirits. I told myself that this kind of scratch would heal with just a lick, and I ignored the sting in favor of the joy of being outdoors, slithering through the flowers.

At that moment, I had no idea that golden eyes were tracking my movements. And because of that, a rough day was about to begin…