My Brother's Bride Is a Serpent のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 9

Philip made a deafening sound inside the room.Mom stood outside with her hands on her hips and shouted, "You useless woman, hurry up and give our family a grandchild, or I'll make you suffer!"I felt sorry for Julia.I couldn't sleep, so I wandered aimlessly around the village and ended up at Lara Clay's front door.Lara was a widow. A few years back, her daughter had been taken by wolves in the hills. She was deeply unfortunate. Even though she had a fiery personality, she had always been decent to me.When I washed the entire family's clothes in the freezing river during winter, Lara helped me wash a few items and complained about how heartless Mom was.Sometimes, she would slip me a few fruit candies I had never tasted before. One Christmas, she quietly pulled me into her home and let me try dishes that smelled amazing.Yet the villagers were a little afraid of Lara because she was a medium with second sight, someone who could perceive things most people couldn't see or unde

Mom glared at me. "Stop talking nonsense. This is my precious grandson. Look at how soft and fair he is. He's so handsome."Mom must have lost her mind. She was actually treating an egg laid by a snake demon as her grandchild.The egg hadn't hatched yet, but once it did, our whole family would be doomed.Mom shoved the egg into my arms and told me to find Julia and have her nurse it. The egg was warm. I could almost feel the little snake moving against my skin.I had to get rid of it. Without another thought, I bolted out the front door and ran toward the hills out back. If Julia had come from those hills, then that must be where she belonged.As I ran, I bumped into Philip and his crew.Philip kicked me to the ground, and the egg rolled over to him. "You useless trash, what are you doing running around at this hour?"Felix spotted the egg and picked it up. "Hey, what's this?""Looks like a snake egg," one of the others said."Don't mention eggs at night. You're making me hung

Before I even got home, Lara pulled me aside. She looked at me with a troubled expression. "Kate, I only figured out last night that you've been set up. That so-called specialist is out to harm you.""What? Mr. Maxwell wants to harm me?""That's right. He used your blood to seal away Julia so she would only remember you. A snake demon's resentment doesn't fade that easily. He's planning to sacrifice you to save the rest of the village."Kate, remember—if Julia comes looking for you tonight, you must not answer her. If you don't respond, she won't be able to find you."I drifted home in a daze after hearing what Lara said. For some reason, Mom and Philip had both gone to bed unusually early.I buried myself under the covers, too afraid to close my eyes, on edge at the slightest sound. As I drifted in and out of sleep, I felt a cold draft against my neck.When I opened my eyes, I saw a figure lingering by my bed, a long tail trailing behind it like a snake's."Kate, it's me, Julia

Mr. Maxwell pulled a bell from his pocket and shook it frantically. It let out a sharp, clear sound. The moment the golden snake heard it, its body thrashed violently. But no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn't break free of the rope.A howling cold wind poured into the shrine. Several of the girls had already fainted from fright. I kept my eyes fixed on the golden snake as the glow across its body slowly dimmed.Just then, a familiar fragrance drifted from behind me. I turned around to see Philip—no, it was Julia in his body—walking in.Mr. Maxwell glanced at Julia without stopping his hand from jingling the bell. He let out a mocking laugh. "You really are cunning. You slipped right through my trap and even hid yourself inside someone else. I suppose you agreed to be his wife just to wait for a moment like this."Julia gave a cold laugh. "It was the village men who couldn't help themselves. They even let me drain their energy on the night of the vigil, greatly boosting my p