Chapter 71: Turns Out, The Syrenthis Is A Snake Demon And Not A Small Snake At That
Chapter 71: Turns Out, The Syrenthis Is A Snake Demon And Not A Small Snake At That
Elyn’s POV
I know this is strange, but I had a dream where I opened my eyes and saw a blue snake wrapped around my bed.
And yes, it had a beautiful color—but that wasn’t the point.
The point was that there was a snake curled around my bed.
In the dream, I simply went back to sleep because there was no way that could happen. There was no way a snake that big could exist. Maybe in another realm, sure, but not—
Wait a minute.
I wasn’t in the human realm.
I wasn’t in Aelthryn.
I was in the demon realm where anything was possible.
A snake as big as Aelthryn was... absolutely possible here.
My eyes snapped open.
I took in my surroundings.
There really was a huge snake wrapped around me, and it was hissing menacingly at someone else in the room.
I shook my head hard, trying to rid myself of what was clearly happening right in front of me. There was no way this was real, right? The last thing I remembered was Rin, Vaelory, and I laying a trap for the snack thief.
But now...
My eyes widened.
Could it be the snack thief was in the room with me? And perhaps that was why the snake was here? Maybe it was my protector?
Someone tell the delusional queen to pass me her crown. Why would a snake which mind you...I was very scared of even be my protector? Yeah, there was no way that was going to happen.
"You know that’s not going to do anything, right?" a voice said and that reminded me of where I was.
It was a female voice. And it was so sensual the hairs on my arms stood up.
I didn’t know why, but it filled me with a sharp, uncomfortable uncertainty.
The snake hissed loudly, so loudly I had to cover my ears. Its mouth opened wide, big enough to swallow an adult human whole.
"Oh, stop with the noise," the woman said calmly. "What are you even doing in the castle? How does no one know you’re here?"
The snake didn’t reply, I doubted it could reply.
It simply coiled tighter around my bed as the woman approached.
Just then, Rin—who had been sleeping on the wardrobe—opened her eyes and, in a way I would never understand, fell straight in raven form and hit the floor.
The moment she hit the ground, she transformed back and sat upright with a groan.
"Ouch," she muttered, shaking her head.
She looked around the room, took in the massive snake, then turned to the woman—Seraphielle—and gasped loudly. She instantly jumped to her feet and bowed.
"Lady Seraphielle! W–what are you doing here?" Rin asked.
"I came for the birthday party," Seraphielle replied smoothly.
"The birthday party?" Rin echoed, then turned to the snake—who was now coiling even tighter around me.
If that thing moved any closer, I was genuinely going to be suffocated.
"Can you maybe move a bit?" I spoke up.
Everyone froze—including the snake.
"My lady?" Rin called out.
I lifted my hand weakly.
I wasn’t joking when I said the snake was wrapped around me.
"I’m here," I said, my voice muffled from being squished.
"Move," Seraphielle growled at the snake.
It moved closer instead.
I don’t know what came over me, but I reached out and patted the snake lightly.
"If you move any closer, you’ll suffocate me," I told it. "And let me tell you—dying by suffocation is a horrible way to go."
It turned its massive head toward me, those eerie slitted eyes locking onto mine. There was some kind of jewel embedded between its eyes—glinting faintly, beautiful and terrifying.
Then, slowly, the snake uncoiled, giving me enough space to slip out.
I climbed out immediately, putting a respectful amount of distance between myself and it—discreetly, so no one would know I was absolutely terrified.
I turned to the woman in the room, finally taking her in fully.
She was beautiful.
Ridiculously beautiful.
The kind of beautiful that would cause a scandal in Aelthryn—but here, it suited her perfectly. The gown, the horns, the wings—everything about her screamed seductive danger. I wondered what type of demon she was.
Then, as if the thought just struck me, I turned to Rin and said:
"Restrain her. She’s the thief."
Rin looked at me like she could not understand what I had just told her.
"What are you looking at me for? Restrain her! We got what we wanted—the thief is right in front of us."
"Thief?" Seraphielle repeated with a frown.
"Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about," I snapped. "You’re the one who stole my snacks, aren’t you? And you even ate the ones here!" I gestured at the scattered trays of treats from the fake birthday party.
"My lady," Rin began, but I ignored her.
"If you won’t restrain her, then I’ll do it myself." I marched toward Seraphielle.
She didn’t seem the least bit concerned.
In fact—she smirked.
Actually smirked.
Then licked her lips.
I paused.
"Come closer," she purred.
That uncomfortable feeling returned immediately, swirling hard in the pit of my stomach.
"My lady," Rin called again. "She’s not the thief."
I frowned. "What do you mean she’s not the thief? Rin, look around the room. Who else would steal the snacks? She’s obviously the thief."
There was no way she was about to tell me the massive snake was the thief. Snakes didn’t eat sweet snacks. That was ridiculous.
"I’ve been called many things," Seraphielle said coolly, "but never a thief."
"You can pretend all you want, but I know you stole from me," I insisted.
"My lady," Rin said, exasperated. "The snake is the thief. It’s a Syrenthis."
I froze.
THE SNAKE was the thief?
The Syrenthis—
The demon everyone said would be impossible to hide in the castle—
The demon that supposedly wouldn’t be attracted to a human—
The same demon I never thought was a snake and no one even told me too—
"So you mean..." I said slowly, horror dawning on me, "...the Syrenthis demon is a demon snake?!"