A Snake’s Life Ch 9

Chapter 9

 

Aiden, flustered by her demand to throw it away immediately, stammered in confusion.

“Uh… We can’t throw it away. This snake… I think it belongs to His Highness… I was going to return it and…”

“What? How did you know th— Wait, don’t tell me you went to see His Highness!!”

The nanny, who had been crouched in fear, sprang up before Aiden could finish speaking. Grabbing him tightly, she spoke with such a serious expression that Aiden was startled and froze.

“Didn’t I tell you not to go there? Don’t tell me… You actually went to the palace?”

Aiden looked away, mumbling awkwardly. Seeing this, she sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead, as if she had a headache. Aiden nervously fidgeted with me while glancing at her. She spoke in a quiet, measured tone, but her voice was filled with irritation.

“Your Highness. Why on earth did you go?”

“…But… I just want to get along with my brother… Everyone around me keeps telling me not to go, and last time when I saw him, I ran away without realizing it, so I went to apologize… and just then, the snake fell from the sky. It seemed like his pet, and he’d be sad if it went missing. So I thought I’d return it and talk with him… I just… I have a big brother now, so I want us to be close…”

So he had run away upon seeing Zerpell before and was now trying to apologize. More importantly… had he seen everything from the beginning? Just thinking about what I must have looked like falling from the sky made my face flush with embarrassment. But Aiden’s words were odd. He now had a big brother…? Judging by appearances, Aiden seemed around ten years old, and unless they had been separated all this time, it didn’t make sense for him to say he now had a brother.

Aiden looked like a scolded child, completely dispirited. But why would a nanny try to stop a younger sibling from meeting his older brother? I began to feel confused because I couldn’t understand the situation. I simply didn’t like how this was going.

Even though Zerpell was the crown prince, he didn’t seem to be welcomed. I had an inkling of his delicate position. After all, I had eight years of social experience—university life, military service, and a month at a job. No one had ever told me I was bad at reading a room.

Only Ian and Cedric directly served Zerpell. The other attendants appeared to respect him politely, but there was an inexplicable distance. Some even seemed afraid. I couldn’t understand why. I was always by Zerpell’s side, and I had seen him sigh and gaze endlessly out the window when he was alone in his study. His face at those times carried worries I couldn’t decipher.

The nanny looked Aiden straight in the eyes and said,

“Lord Aiden. Didn’t I tell you? His Highness is not someone to get close to. You and he are in competition.”

“But…”

“Your Highness. And have you forgotten? That look in his eyes back then? He came back from war and had no hesitation in killing people. Well… I suppose he didn’t learn anything else but killing.”

She frowned and clicked her tongue, unable to hide her disgust toward Zerpell. Aiden seemed used to her reactions—he opened his mouth to protest, then shut it again at her continuing words. From that, I could tell how much she had worn him down and that Zerpell was clearly a thorn in her side.

I was shocked to hear Zerpell had gone to war. At the same time, I clicked my tongue in sympathy. Now I understood where all those small scars had come from. And to some extent, the attendants’ attitudes made sense. Somewhat. Every time Zerpell passed by, the attendants held their breath and shrank back. It was natural for them to be cautious. To be honest, Zerpell didn’t have a warm personality, and perhaps they saw him as a ticking time bomb.

That’s why I was even more furious at the nanny’s words. She was treating Zerpell like a murderer just because he had killed in war. But come on, if you don’t kill in battle, you get killed. There’s no guarantee of returning alive from war. That’s why most people try to avoid it, and it’s usually the commoners who get conscripted. The fact that the crown prince went to war was a big deal! I must’ve picked the right master. He risked his life for the country, and this is how he’s treated? Unbelievable.

Lady, that’s no way to live. You’ll be punished for that someday.

I hissed at her like I was about to pounce. But they seemed lost in their own world or maybe just couldn’t hear my threats, continuing their conversation. In the end, I got tired first.

More than that… this kid turned out to be more pitiful than I thought. I assumed he had it easy as the crown prince, but clearly, that wasn’t the case. I should treat him better. I decided I’d show him some affection and endear myself to him.

Biting his lip, Aiden finally protested.

“But! Back then, that maid…”

“Yes, I know. But His Highness didn’t hesitate for even a second. He executed that maid in front of us. And I still vividly remember what he said afterward. Someone like that could harm Your Highness in order to take the throne.”

She spoke sternly to Aiden. From what I had seen, Zerpell didn’t seem to care much about status. Her claim that he had executed a maid was suspicious, but I was sure he wouldn’t have done it without a reason.

My master’s a good person, okay? You can tell by how he treats me. Zerpell was always considerate, even to animals. Honestly, I couldn’t believe their story so easily. Even so, I was certain he must have had a reason.

“I’m not really interested in the throne… and I’m not very healthy…”

“Your Highness!! Didn’t Her Majesty the Empress say so? That if you just take your medicine regularly, you’ll get better. You really are improving, aren’t you? Please don’t say such things. You are the true heir to this empire—not a half-blood, but a legitimate successor. Your dazzling hair and eyes are the proof. Once you regain your health, ascending to the position of crown prince will be effortless.”

She raised her voice in anger. Aiden lowered his head like someone who had done something wrong. Her words completely missed the point. Aiden clearly had no interest in becoming emperor, yet she kept pressing him with a domineering attitude.

“But still…”

“His Highness Zerpell holds the position of crown prince only because Your Highness was too weak. You, Your Highness, are the rightful emperor of this empire.”

She once again forcefully cut Aiden off and asserted her stance. Her tone was gentle at the end, but it sounded fake.

Was he that frail…? She kept talking about his health, saying that once he recovered, he could claim the crown prince’s position. A nanny is someone who cares for a child from a young age. Given Aiden’s weak health, he likely relied on her completely and couldn’t raise his voice against her.

Still though. Even so. Say what needs to be said!

I rolled my eyes around. From what I gathered, Aiden seemed to be Zerpell’s half-brother. She had mentioned the empress, and the way she supported Aiden while calling Zerpell a half-blood and Aiden the true heir made me think Aiden was the empress’s son, while Zerpell was born of another consort. That’s probably why the empress supported Aiden, but because of his weak health, he couldn’t become the crown prince.

I couldn’t agree with the nanny’s words and made my displeasure clear. The most I could do was swish my tail. Aiden, his shoulders slumped, was the very picture of gloom. He absentmindedly stroked me while looking at me with sad eyes. Seeing that, I gently licked his hand to cheer him up.

This is a special service just for my master, okay?

Maybe she didn’t like seeing that, because she opened her arms to console Aiden as if in competition. But I turned my head away and hissed at her. She flinched and withdrew her hand. Feeling proud of myself for driving her off, I rubbed my face against Aiden’s hand. His slightly bloodshot eyes curved beautifully in delight. He carefully petted my scales. It didn’t seem like Aiden hated Zerpell. If anything, he seemed to like him.

But… was it okay for me to be here? Anyone could tell that she hated Zerpell, and whether intentionally or not, Aiden and Zerpell were in a struggle for the throne. And I was in Aiden’s hands. Wouldn’t this cause a misunderstanding…? It was like I had ended up on the enemy’s side, acting cute. I could hear the sound of all my efforts up to this point collapsing.

Kid, now that you’re feeling better, let me go. I get that your situation is tough, but I’m in a hurry too! So please, let go of my hand already!

I poked Aiden’s hand, which was holding me, with my tail.

Once calmed down, the nanny finally reached out and stroked Aiden’s head. When she asked, “Do you understand?” Aiden nodded with me still tightly in his hands. It was obvious he nodded because he had no choice. Though there was dissatisfaction in her eyes, she seemed to be content with ending the argument there.

“So now throw away that snake. Handling something so filthy could make you sick.”

Her absurd remark made me furious. I’ll have you know, my master keeps me clean! Sure, I had a few scratches and some dirt from falling to the ground, but I wasn’t filthy.

Her comment was the last straw. I lunged at her, hissing as if to bite her. Aiden was startled, and so was she. The nanny told Aiden to let me go immediately, and Aiden panicked. When she tried to grab me, I smacked her hand with my tail.

“Ow!”

Hmph! How do you like my tail smash? You should’ve watched your mouth.

The part of her hand where I hit swelled up red. Seeing that made me proud—my practice had paid off. I often expressed myself with my tail, so I had done a lot of tail workouts. Whether she was angry about getting hit by a snake or just upset with the situation, she went and said something she absolutely shouldn’t have.

“Ha. A mere snake dares to touch me?? You’re just like him, not knowing your place and running wild.”

What? I thought I misheard.

“Just like him.” She was clearly talking about Zerpell. Her earlier words had merely exaggerated facts to paint him in a bad light, but this… this was a direct expression of her own view of Zerpell, even if she didn’t name him.

Even she seemed startled by what she’d said, quickly glancing at Aiden. But Aiden looked too flustered by the situation to catch it. The nanny sighed in relief. Then she glared at me with burning eyes. I glared right back. I don’t like you either, lady. She spoke sweetly to Aiden, but her trembling lips and fierce eyes betrayed her.

“Now. That vicious snake might harm Your Highness. Please give it to me.”

Aiden, instead of handing me over, tried to hide me behind him. The nanny, seemingly deciding she couldn’t wait any longer, reached for me. I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity. I opened my mouth wide and bit her hand.

“Ah! Get off! Get off of me!”

She flailed and staggered in pain, trying to shake me off, but I clung on with all my might. Eventually, my strength ran out, and I dropped from the air to the ground, the impact leaving my head spinning.

The nanny, apparently too frantic to fix her disheveled clothes, clutched her bleeding hand.

“L-Look at this! This is dangerous. It must be dealt with immediately!”

She panted in anger. It was only a few drops of blood, but she made a scene as if her life were in danger.

With her face red with fury, she stormed toward me. Her eyes were deadly serious—she intended to kill me. She lifted the hem of her skirt slightly with both hands, and beneath it, I saw high heels. Considering my size, it was clear she meant to stomp me to death.

Ah, shit. I’m going to die.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A familiar deep voice rang in my ears. I turned around quickly and saw Zerpell standing there, his head tilted slightly. Behind him were Ian and Cedric. Though Zerpell just stood still, a heavy, quiet pressure filled the air.

At the sight of his face, the nanny recoiled in horror and quickly bowed in courtesy.