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Chapter 15
“Where did you suddenly come from?”
As I barely managed to hold on to my dizzy mind and asked, the man’s eyes briefly widened.
Then he let out a short, troubled “hmm,” as if thinking.
“I didn’t know, you say…”
His voice was low and heavy, carrying a strange, unsettling feeling.
“What… what do you mean?”
Feeling uneasy, I carefully asked again. A simple answer came back.
“You pulled my tail.”
“…Tail? What tail?”
My mind froze for a moment.
“You pulled it pretty hard. Thanks to that, there’s a clear handprint on my butt.”
“…Eh?”
The man casually said something completely absurd, then tilted his head with a lazy gaze.
And then it hit me.
Those familiar golden eyes. That white hair. That shameless, overly composed attitude.
‘M… my Mangdeok… don’t tell me…!’
All the strange clues came together at once.
The identity of the dangerous man in front of me was becoming painfully clear.
“…Mangdeok?”
“That name… feels a bit unfair. But since you gave it to me yourself, I don’t dislike it.”
As I muttered the name in a dazed state, the man smiled gently and lightly kissed the back of my hand.
His touch was cold—but strangely warm.
Nothing about this felt real. I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or awake.
Then I suddenly remembered something I read while studying snake-related books a few days ago.
Snakes seduce humans. Those who face their beautiful appearance and hear their sweet voice will forget divine grace and fall into corruption by evil.
‘I didn’t want to realize that was actually true with my own body…’
A black rabbit loved by the gods… “corruption”?
I had lived as a faithful servant of God my whole life!
I froze completely, unable to move a single finger.
Was it because the man was too beautiful?
That was part of it.
But the bigger reason was simpler—
The shock that this tall, perfect man was actually my tiny, cute Mangdeok.
‘How have I been treating Mangdeok all this time?’
I used to pat his head until his scalp felt like it would peel off, kiss his soft cheeks whenever I wanted, rub my face against him, and even sleep hugging him tightly while saying, “You can’t fit in a basket, so I have no choice…”
‘I even… bathed with him! I applied oil all over his body too!’
Then… the way he used to stiffen up and close his eyes tightly…
It wasn’t because he hated water… but because he was a shapeshifter!
My memories with Mangdeok flashed through my mind like a life-or-death montage.
And my expression slowly twisted.
“So you’re… really Mangdeok?”
“If you’re asking if I’m the white snake, then yes. I’m that snake.”
He answered calmly, without denying it.
“There’s no point hiding it anymore.”
“So you’re a snake. You.”
“Yeah.”
“Since when…?”
“Hmm… since I was born, I guess.”
Every question I asked, he answered so casually.
Then he noticed me staring silently and looked slightly embarrassed.
“…It’s a bit embarrassing when you stare like that.”
“Your face…”
“Huh? It’s not that impressive, right? Disappointed?”
At his uncertain tone, I grabbed both his cheeks.
“I’ve never seen a face like this before. I didn’t know someone could be this perfect.”
“…Luceline?”
“This is shocking…”
I quietly mumbled to myself.
“I thought I was the prettiest in Rubidium…”
“Sorry…”
The man looked awkward and tried to apologize.
“Don’t apologize. You fraud.”
“S-sorry…”
“I said don’t.”
“Sorry… no, okay…”
After the apology exchange ended, I finally realized something.
He was way too close.
He had been a few steps away just moments ago… when did he come this close?
Before I could move back, my back hit the bed frame.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
He had closed the distance in an instant.
His face stopped just before our breaths could touch.
I couldn’t push him away. I couldn’t attack either.
There was no hostility from him at all.
Then I noticed what was in his hand.
‘That’s…!’
It was the dagger Dean had given me.
So while distracting me with his face and words… he had taken it.
As expected of a snake—clever.
“Luceline.”
The soft expression from earlier was gone.
His golden eyes turned cold as he looked at the dagger.
“If I break this… will it be a problem for you?”
It sounded like a question, but also like a self-talk.
I panicked.
‘Break it? That’s impossible! That dagger isn’t that weak!’
That dagger was not ordinary.
It was made from bloodstone hardened over time, far beyond normal weapons.
Even a normal target would die instantly from it.
“Give it back.”
My voice trembled.
“…Hmm.”
He looked down at it.
Then—
CRACK!
A sharp, clear breaking sound echoed through the room.
In just three seconds, the dagger split perfectly in half.
Even the handle was destroyed beyond repair.
The bloodstone inside cracked and lost its glow.
‘W-what just happened?!’
I stared at the broken remains in shock.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to break it.”
He smiled awkwardly, as if it was unintentional.
“…What?”
I felt like I might faint.
Am I dreaming? Did God abandon me?
“This seems weak. Probably because it’s made from dog bone.”
“Dog bone…?”
Calling Dean’s weapon a dog bone?!
That was insane.
‘This man… what is he?’
I pressed my forehead, dizzy.
A weapon made from the bone of a top-tier red wolf—he called it weak?
The entire world of predator hierarchy I believed in felt like it was collapsing.
I couldn’t accept reality.
As I swayed, he naturally opened his arms.
“What are you…?”
Before I knew it, I was already in his arms.
I didn’t even realize it.
The man I thought was a harmless pet… was real.
Not only that—he was a snake shapeshifter.
We had eaten, slept, bathed together.
A chilling thought formed in my mind.
‘This man… there’s definitely more to him.’
And my blue eyes slowly turned cold.
