A Snake’s Life Ch 8

Chapter 8

Just as I was about to start my exploration, pushing through the flowers and glancing around, I locked eyes with a boy who had been crouching next to me. He was trying his best to curl up and stay hidden in the grass beside the flowerbed, out of sight.

Startled by the direct eye contact, I flinched.

What the—? Who’s this little squirt?

The boy looked at me with sparkling eyes, his gaze wide and curious. Uncomfortable under that intense stare, I ignored him and walked past. But the uneasy feeling rose as I felt his eyes following me steadily. I’d seen kids like him before—especially boys—eager to catch frogs or snakes just out of curiosity. I had been one of those kids once… They say words have power, and sure enough, I felt a hand snatch me up.

Shit.

Regretting my carefree younger days, I yelled at the kid. “If you’re not careful, you’ll end up living as a snake like me! Watch it!”

The boy firmly grabbed my body and held me up close to his face. I turned my head sharply to avoid eye contact, ignoring the sweat trickling down my forehead. The boy stared at me intently, mesmerized. I couldn’t stand his gaze anymore and snuck a glance at him.

“Hyung-nim, you fell from the palace, didn’t you…?”

Huh? Hyung-nim?

Then I remembered—before I came outside, the attendants were making a fuss about the young prince disappearing. That thought made me look closely at the boy. His eyes resembled someone’s… but other than that, there was nothing similar. He was still young, hadn’t even hit puberty, with soft, delicate features. Cute, even. My master had black hair, but this kid’s was golden.

Being a prince, he was dressed in clothes embroidered with golden threads. From head to toe, he was decked out in gold. He was dazzling, as if his entire being declared, “I’m noble.” Gold suited him well.

My master is handsome too… If this kid was flashy, then Zerpell was more dignified. Still, I liked my master better. I nodded to myself, admiring him. That’s when the boy started coughing. Maybe he wasn’t well—he kept coughing like he couldn’t catch his breath. Worried, I checked his condition.

What are his parents doing, letting a sick child roam around like this? But if he was Zerpell’s little brother, then his parents were the emperor and empress. Given that the emperor was likely involved in a central nobles’ meeting, he was probably preoccupied.

Now that I thought about it, I had never heard or seen much about Zerpell’s family. Despite being by his side for quite some time, no one ever visited him, not even his parents. Even though he was performing duties fitting of a crown prince, he handled everything silently and diligently. You’d think they’d at least visit to check on him. I didn’t even know he had a younger brother until now.

I was curious, but the more pressing matter was the boy in front of me. Wondering if he had a fever, I extended my tail to his forehead. His skin felt warm, but not hot. No fever. After a long bout of coughing, he finally stopped and began breathing deeply.

Now that he’d stopped coughing, I assumed he had run away based on where I found him—hiding in the bushes—so I decided to leave him be and go on my way. As I wriggled to escape his grasp, he only tightened his grip. I thought he was weak, but he was surprisingly strong.

Why are you wandering around outside when you’re sick? Go home and rest.

“Is this Hyung-nim’s snake…? But I heard he doesn’t like animals much… Still, just in case, I should take it to him. Maybe it ran away.”

I jumped at his words. Ran away? I had no reason to abandon my cozy home. I was just out for a walk! I protested, but of course, he couldn’t understand me. After a moment of thought, the boy suddenly stood up.

Whoa, that scared me!

“That’s it! I’ll give him this snake as an apology! Then maybe he’ll…”

The boy smiled brightly, clearly having come up with some idea. It seemed he had done something wrong to Zerpell and now planned to use me as a conversation starter to apologize. But that had nothing to do with me. Can’t you just let me go? Go on your own! I squirmed but couldn’t get free.

Apparently unwilling to release me, the boy started running somewhere with determination. But the direction he took wasn’t toward Zerpell’s palace—it was getting farther away. Stunned, I stared longingly at the distant palace, my vision shaking. Should I bite him and escape? But my conscience pricked at me. He was still my master’s little brother… I let my long body go limp and swayed with the wind. I already get motion sickness easily… Where the hell are we going?

I had been in such a good mood when I left for my walk. This just proves it again—outside the nest, danger lurks. I etched that truth deep into my heart once more. Master, save me!! My hissing echoed in vain.

The boy ran, panting. Occasionally, he’d slow to a walk, or walk briskly, short of breath. I gave up and let the wind carry me. Voices calling out for the prince could be heard all around. The boy smiled brightly and ran toward a middle-aged woman who had been looking for him. Finally, he stopped. I shook my head, trying to gather my senses after the motion sickness.

“Yumo!!”

“Prince Aiden! Where on earth have you been… We were so worried…”

Judging from her elegant appearance and refined manner, she seemed more like a noblewoman than a nanny. It was said that the higher a prince’s status, the stricter the requirements for selecting a nanny, and she seemed to be a noble indeed.

Overjoyed at finding the boy, she embraced him and checked him over for any injuries. The people searching for the prince also sighed in relief. At her gesture, they scattered quickly, returning to their posts. She draped a coat over Aiden and took his hand to lead him back to the palace.

“Her Majesty the Empress was very worried.”

“Mother was?”

“Of course! You can’t just disappear on your own. My heart nearly stopped. You must wait for your nanny to arrive! What were you thinking, shaking off the attendants and wandering off alone?”

“…”

Aiden didn’t answer her scolding. What was curious was how he tried to hide me from her. He seemed to be hiding something. Why not just say he was going to visit his brother at the palace? It was strange.

The nanny, unconcerned, said,

“At least you’re safe. That’s what matters. We were on the verge of finding effective medicine. One moment of carelessness could make your illness worse. Always be careful—very, very careful. That’s it for today’s walk. Let’s go warm up. And don’t think you’ll get off easy—I’m going to scold you thoroughly! I won’t let it slide!”

Her words and tone were stern, but her expression showed otherwise. She was smiling the entire time, and Aiden, knowing this, smiled back faintly. She held one of Aiden’s hands, and in her other hand, I was dangling. I blankly stared at the two of them. Only then did the nanny notice Aiden was hiding something behind his back.

“Did you pick something up again, Aiden? I’ll take care of it for you. Hand it over.”

She held out her hand, pausing her steps. From her calm reaction, I could tell this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. Aiden hesitated, trying to hide me.

“Aiden.”

“…”

Sweat trickled from the hand holding me. Then he tightened his grip slightly and squirmed. I heard a gulp, and suddenly, Aiden shoved me toward the nanny.

“Well, actually…”

“Eek!! A-a snake!!”

Startled by my sudden appearance, she screamed. Aiden, who had been talking, fell silent in shock. Of course, I was also surprised by Aiden’s sudden move, but her shriek shocked me even more. My ears were ringing… Aiden asked in a confused voice.

“Yumo, are you afraid of snakes?”

“Your Highness! Put it down this instant! What if it bites you? This is serious—I’m really going to scold you this time!!”

Aiden was startled, clearly not expecting such a dramatic reaction from her. And no wonder—she had fallen flat on her bottom in fright. She didn’t even notice her clothes getting dirty, too focused on getting away. Covering her face with her hands, she yelled that it was dangerous and demanded he put me down at once.

She said I could be poisonous and insisted he release me, but her actions showed her main concern was protecting herself. I looked at her, sitting on the ground, then met Aiden’s eyes. Feeling awkward for causing the commotion, I muttered in defense,

I didn’t do anything. She just freaked out and fell on her own.