Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 48.1
Chapter 48.1
As I reached out, a smooth, white body slithered up my arm. Reaching my shoulder, it revealed its face, its jet-black eyes fixed on me.
“Kyuu!”
It made a sound, a high-pitched sound of apparent delight.
“Thank you, Snowy. Well done.” I stroked the sleek skin beneath its chin. Snowy swayed, head bobbing, and continued its happy, “Kyuu, kyuu!” It looked like it was dancing with excitement.
This reminds me so much of Slinky.
Not just Slinky. Wiggly, Jiggly, Springy, and the others also expressed their joy by wriggling their long bodies. Perhaps, having lived with me, they were observing and mimicking human behavior. But seeing Snowy, who I’d only recently met, act similarly made me wonder if it was a characteristic of snakes in this world.
‘What, what, what! You really changed form!’
Slinky, appearing suddenly on my other shoulder, exclaimed in astonishment, mouth agape. He seemed quite surprised that the dagger, barely a handspan long, had transformed into Snowy.
“I told you.”
‘Still, seeing it with my own eyes is unbelievable!’
“Is it really that shocking…?” I muttered, then paused to consider. If someone I knew suddenly transformed into a chair or a water glass, I’d probably be just as incredulous, even after witnessing it firsthand. I really need to consider things from a human perspective. Now, Slinky’s reaction made sense.
Slinky slithered across my shoulders towards Snowy, examining the white body closely.
“Kyuu?”
‘You were a dagger shorter than me. How did you transform? How did this long body become so short?’
“Kyuu kyuu!”
‘No, you were short! How did you get longer?’
Slinky, eyes gleaming, questioned Snowy.
So that’s what you were curious about, Slinky…
Slinky was a snake with high self-esteem, despite being the shortest and smallest among his siblings. This presented both advantages and disadvantages. He could easily slip into inaccessible places, but he was also the weakest. As a hatchling, even smaller than now, he’d been despondent, but by adulthood, he seemed unconcerned. However, accepting a situation he couldn’t change didn’t mean he didn’t want to grow bigger.
‘Huh? Huh? Say something.’
“…Slinky, you seem to be forgetting something.”
‘How can I get longer? Huh? Huh?’
Slinky, ignoring me, continued to bombard Snowy with questions. The only response was a series of “Kyuu, kyuu!” sounds. His small head twitched.
‘…Don’t tell me you still can’t talk?’
“Kyuu!” Slinky turned to me, his small eyes filled with disappointment.
“It seems Snowy can only make these sounds.”
‘Aw, I thought since you’re a magical creature, you could talk.’ Slinky slumped, dangling from my arm.
“Snowy can change form because he’s a magical creature. As for you, Slinky…”
‘Tch, I know. I just thought I’d ask.’
He swung back and forth, hanging like laundry from my arm.
“I like you the way you are. I’d still like you if you grew bigger, and I’d like you even if you became smaller.”
‘…Sniff, I, I like you too, Amelia!’
My words seemed to have comforted him. He coiled around my arm, his eyes shining with emotion.
“Kyuu kyuu! Kyuu!”
Snowy nudged Slinky with his head.
‘You agree with Amelia?’
“Kyuu!”
‘You think I’ll like you just because you say that? Sorry, but absolutely not!’
Despite his words, Slinky nuzzled against Smowy, rubbing their heads together, his pleasure evident.
Smiling at the sight of Slinky and Snowy intertwined, I turned my attention to the open space on the floor beside the unconscious knight, Gilbert Auid.
“…This is a ridiculously poor hiding place.”
Did he really think it wouldn’t be discovered in an abandoned house? Fingerprints, likely Gilbert’s, marked a glass bottle. Inside was the same black liquid Pazl had carried, and beside it lay a leather pouch, slightly open to reveal gold coins.
If found with Gilbert, this would expose his crimes. Of course, he’d initially claim he was framed.
“The Crow Knights aren’t that foolish.” They likely already suspected Gilbert’s complicity with Pazl, assigning him to monitor other knights to gauge his reactions. They hadn’t acted because they lacked concrete evidence.
Gilbert was skilled at evading surveillance and hiding. His ability to remain undetected was how he’d joined the Crow Knights in the first place. They likely planned to lull him into a false sense of security before catching him.
