A Snake’s Life Ch 71

Chapter 71

 

An article had made the front page in bold letters. The veil surrounding the Divine Envoy had finally been lifted! The sensational headline and prominent coverage made me wonder if I was reading about some celebrity.

There was a photo of Zerpell holding me like a princess—the one I least wanted anyone to see—snapped at some unknown moment despite what must have been tight security. I nearly toppled over from shock. That wasn’t all—there were also pictures of him feeding me food and us dancing together, plastered all over the article.

To top it off, the title was something sensational like Divine Envoy’s Bombshell Statement! The journalist had apparently interviewed various noblewomen, asking about their first impressions of me, my appearance, and their thoughts on my relationship with Zerpell. But unexpectedly, the reactions weren’t bad.

“I thought they’d criticize us… This is unexpected.”

I had assumed that a relationship between two men would naturally be frowned upon. Yet the interviewees spun it into a romantic tale and even offered their support. Not everyone might feel that way, but it was only natural to feel a little pleased.

And… I found out from the newspaper that wearing matching outfits was something typically done only by engaged couples. I read and reread that section. So he’d intended this from the beginning. Also, the infamous “rumor” that the nobles kept alluding to turned out to be about my relationship with him. They’d always just said “that rumor” without spelling it out, and I’d been so curious.

One segment of the article read, According to the atelier, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Divine Envoy ordered matching outfits. Madame says their relationship seems far from ordinary… and confirmed it to be true, noting that the information had already spread among the nobles and caused quite the stir.

They hadn’t mentioned it openly because it hadn’t been certain…

“What? So they all knew about the rumor that I was dating him, and still tried to pair him with Camilla? Those bastards…”

The newspaper crumpled in my trembling hands.

That’s what had made me so upset, made me drink, made me cause that whole mess! The fury surged up again, and with it came a wave of self-reproach at how pitiful I’d been.

I covered my face with the newspaper. As I tried to collect my thoughts and looked up again, I noticed an article at the bottom about the return of Marquis Francia.

Remembering Zerpell’s strange reaction at the ball when the Marquis’s return was mentioned, I immediately sat up straight and read the article from start to finish.

“That bastard. What a vile man. Why come back now? If you’ve declared retirement, just stay the hell down.”

The word “Empress’s father” jumped out at me. He had withdrawn from politics two years ago as part of the Empress’s maternal family. I didn’t need to look any further to see where this was going.

“The Empress must’ve planned this.”

You can’t judge someone by appearances alone, but he was an old man who looked rotten to the core. And being part of the Empress’s maternal family? Who could say for sure that he wasn’t involved in matters concerning the Sanctuary? More likely, he’d been leading it. The timeline matched too—he left politics two years ago, and the snake captures had started a year ago. If some preparation time was needed, it was more than possible.

“No matter how much I dig, there’s always more. Can’t this ever end already?”

Another article carried the blatant headline: Is the Current Emperor a Setting Sun?

“Serves him right.”

It was clear how far the Emperor’s influence had fallen. Or maybe Zerpell had made a move? Some articles assumed it was the Emperor who made a political play—because they openly criticized my remarks, unlike the majority of the other reports. Either that, or the journalist was fiercely patriotic… it had to be one or the other.

“People are the same everywhere. It all depends on who controls the media.”

I laid back down on the bed, still flipping through the paper, when Zerpell walked in. I sprang up in surprise at the sight of him standing there. I checked the clock—it was still work hours. I folded up the newspaper and walked over to him.

“What’s this? You done with work already?”

Zerpell narrowed his eyes as if measuring me and said,

“Shuiren, do you want to go outside?”

“…Huh? Out of nowhere? Why?”

His probing tone made me awkwardly rub the back of my neck. Outside? Where to? Zerpell didn’t like me leaving the palace. He always said it was for safety reasons, but that wasn’t the whole truth. He wanted me to remain within his protection. That’s why his unexpected suggestion caught me off guard. Had I done something wrong?

“You must be getting bored, staying in the palace all the time. I thought we could go on a trip.”

“A trip?”

I repeated blankly. I had tried reading him, but he kept a perfect poker face. A sudden trip? Still, I didn’t mind. Especially since this was another world. Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t done any real exploring since I arrived.

“I’d love to travel with you… I’ve never left the palace before… So yeah, I’m in.”

“Alright, let’s do it. Is there anywhere you want to—no, anything you want to see?”

Zerpell nodded and asked me. I hesitated but felt a little excited. I hadn’t traveled much in my past life either. Seeing me so happy, he looked pleased too. A trip, huh… kind of like a date. Even though we were in a relationship, we hadn’t gone on anything that resembled a real date. It was always the office or the room.

His question made me think. I didn’t know the geography of the Empire. And when asked what I wanted to see, I couldn’t think of a specific answer. I stared out the window. The weather had already turned warm, but something about it still didn’t feel like spring. For me, the moment I truly felt spring had arrived was when I saw cherry blossoms fluttering down as I walked.

“Hmm… Something I want to see… I’m okay with anything, really… Maybe some flowering trees? Do you have cherry blossoms here?”

“Cherry blossoms?”

Zerpell repeated the word, seemingly unfamiliar with it. It seemed this world didn’t have the concept of cherry blossoms. That was kind of a letdown… I gestured with my hands as I explained what they were.

“It’s a tree with tiny pink flowers that flutter in the wind… But it’s fine if there aren’t any.”

“No, you want to see them—so let’s go see them together.”

“You don’t have to force it if it doesn’t exist. I’m fine with just traveling.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to see those flowers?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“Then I’ll find a place where beautiful flowers bloom. This is the first time you’ve told me there’s something you want to see. I can’t just let it slide.”

“…Do as you please.”

Honestly, he’s too good at making people emotional. Zerpell didn’t brush off my words. He seemed determined to show me the scenery I’d described. I forced myself to wipe the mushy look off my face and said,

“Let’s eat delicious food and see interesting things on the trip. It’s been forever since I had a proper vacation. I want to go on a real date this time.”

“A date?”

“Yeah. I mean, we’re always in the office or the room or the garden. Nothing changed whether we were dating or not, and I had a bit of a grumble about that.”

I wondered what it would be like outside the palace. Curiosity lit up my face. Zerpell looked at me from an angle and gave me a kiss.

“We should have gone on a date sooner.”

His lips curved into a graceful smile.

“But… there’s one place we need to visit before the trip.”

He wore an apologetic expression. For what? I tilted my head in confusion.

“Um… The Pope requested to see you.”

“…The Pope?”

“Yes, a letter arrived.”

“Let me see it.”

So that’s why he suddenly brought up a trip. I eagerly took the letter and read it through. Realizing the trip might have been prompted by this summons, a wave of disappointment quietly washed over me. As my mood sank, Zerpell quickly stepped in.

“That’s absolutely not it.”

“…I didn’t even say anything.”

“You pout when something upsets you. Your lips always stick out.”

I glanced at him and quickly retracted my pout. He laughed cheerfully.

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“I’m just happy. You seem just as excited as I am.”

“Excuses… I knew something was off when you mentioned a trip. It was because of the Pope, wasn’t it? You could’ve just said so instead of sugarcoating it…”

I felt ridiculous for getting so giddy thinking we were going on a fun trip. I was convinced Zerpell had chosen the word “trip” on purpose. The last time we saw the Pope, I had bluntly said I didn’t want to do any more work. So I thought Zerpell was pulling a trick on me. He turned me around and looked straight at me.

“That’s not true. You’re the most important thing to me. It’s true I thought of it after receiving the Pope’s letter, but…”

He leaned close and whispered softly in my ear. His breath tickled, and I flinched.

“I wanted us to have time alone too. To show you something different from our routine, to give you a new experience.”

“Really?”

His sincere smile melted away all my doubts. He may twist words sometimes, but he never lies to me. I tilted my chin up and said,

“Okay then, you’re forgiven. Let’s deal with the work first and then enjoy the trip. I don’t like things hanging over my head. Better to take care of it and play freely.”

It didn’t seem like the Pope was calling me with pure intentions either. I threw the letter aside. No room for distractions when it’s time to have fun. Zerpell seemed to agree.

I left all the planning to him. I had offered to help at first, but he firmly refused. He clearly wanted to prepare everything himself, so I just waved it off and let him be. That’s why, even with our departure set for tomorrow, I had no idea what the itinerary looked like.

“Is the trip coming along okay? You said we’d keep the group small, right? So who’s coming with us?”