The Fake Bride Offered to the Snake God - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The people from the Temple retreated.

Not very gracefully.

Malo was dragged out of the Serpent Lair by the swarm of snakes. When he left, he was covered in blood, and even his priestly robes had been torn into strips.

After Norn woke up, he stared at Semyre for a long time.

“Are you my father?”

I nearly spat out the water in my mouth.

Semyre fell silent too.

Norn shrank back a little.

“I heard them say I have your Divine Bone inside me.”

“No,” Semyre said coldly.

“Oh.”

Norn let out a breath of relief.

After a while, he asked in a small voice, “Then can I call you brother-in-law?”

The Serpent Lair fell silent again.

I clapped a hand over Norn’s mouth.

“The fever cooked his brain.”

Semyre glanced at me.

His gaze was very faint.

But for some reason, my ears started to burn.

Most of the Black Lotus had been burned away, leaving only a few small blossoms by the pool.

Semyre’s wounds still hadn’t healed.

For now, he couldn’t leave the Serpent Lair for too long.

Norn and I stayed for the time being.

No one from the village dared come looking for us.

The people of Yuehuai Village knew the Temple had been defeated, and they also knew Malo had screamed the entire way when he was dragged out. One by one, they shut their doors tight.

I didn’t have much sympathy for them.

Back when they sent me in here, not a single one of them had opened their door to look at me either.

Norn recovered quickly.

Every day, he basked in the sun at the cave entrance and chatted with the little snakes while he was at it.

I asked him if he could understand them.

He said no.

“But they can’t understand me either, so it’s fair.”

As Semyre passed by, he said, “They can understand you.”

Norn froze.

The little snakes all raised their heads in unison and looked at him.

Silently, he took back what he’d just said about the little snakes looking like noodles.

I couldn’t help laughing.

Semyre glanced at me.

“You don’t look like her when you smile.”

My smile faded a little.

He seemed to realize that hadn’t been the right thing to say, and paused.

“I’m not looking for her.”

I lowered my head and sorted through the medicinal herbs.

“Then who are you looking for?”

Semyre didn’t answer right away.

A long time later, he placed a small stone bottle by my hand.

“Medicine for your brother.”

“Isn’t he already better?”

“To strengthen his body.”

I looked at the bottle.

“That was a very clumsy change of subject.”

His expression didn’t change.

“Mm.”

At least he admitted it quickly.

I put the medicine bottle away.

“Semyre, I’m not Livia.”

“I know.”

“And I don’t want to be her.”

“I know.”

I looked up at him.

“Then from now on, when you look at me, can you just see me?”

The moment I said it, I regretted it.

Too direct.

So direct it felt like I had handed myself over to be judged.

Semyre looked at me quietly.

His eyes were still cold, but they no longer held the hatred they had at first.

“Ailia.”

“Mm?”

“I’ll try,” he said.

“If I mistake you for her, remind me.”