They Said the Serpent Was a Prank, but I Found the Scales This Morning Chapter 04

They Said the Serpent Was a Prank, but I Found the Scales This Morning Chapter 04

Just when I thought the only way out of that night was to die with him, the bridal cart had barely moved a short distance before something stopped it.

It came to a violent halt.

Outside the curtain, there was a beat of silence.

Then came several cries of pure terror.

“Am I seeing things? What is that… a white tiger? In these woods?!”

“Snake! Oh god, it’s a massive anaconda! Run! Help me!”

The cart was slammed down hard, and my head spun.

Beside me, the man who had tried to violate me was caught by a thick serpent tail and dragged out in an instant.

Beyond the curtain came the roar of a tiger, the howl of wolves, the shriek of hawks diving through the air.

From deep within the mountains rose the cries of countless beasts, shaking the earth beneath them.

Tears had dried at the corners of my eyes.

I stared blankly at the magpie carrying in a gold-threaded wedding gown, and at the clever little shrikes fluttering around me, pinning and arranging my hair.

The wedding cart rocked slightly, as if a massive, unseen force had cradled it from below.

This time, it moved slowly.

Steadily.

When the wind lifted one corner of the curtain, I gathered my courage and secretly looked toward the tall, upright figure walking ahead of the cart.

Was he the Serpent Lord from the old stories, the one who had protected Raven Hollow for a thousand years?

Not far away, a thread of pale golden light tore through the ink-dark sky.

Dawn was truly coming.

…

As the morning fog lifted, Everett rode through Raven Hollow on a horse draped in white and gold, a small wedding procession following behind him with fiddles and bells.

Along the roadside, congratulations and envious praise rose without end.

“The Ellises must be blessed. Two daughters marrying on the same day, and the younger one gets the finest man in Raven Hollow.”

At that, Everett frowned.

The wedding hour had arrived. Tessa’s harmless little joke should have been over by now.

Had Maren found out the truth and, feeling hurt, deliberately spread rumors in anger?

The wedding procession happened to pass the old mountain chapel.

He quickly glanced inside.

It was empty.

Everett relaxed, then found his own sudden nervousness almost laughable.

He knew Maren better than anyone.

She was earnest and honest, and her whole heart belonged to him.

No matter how angry she was, she would never joke about their marriage.

At the thought of finally marrying her after five full years of waiting, Everett tightened the reins and urged the horse faster toward the Ellis home.

Sure enough, a woman in a crimson ceremonial gown was waiting for him, silent beneath the dim chapel light.

“The hour has come, and even the sky has sent a blessing. Heaven itself must be celebrating this marriage!”

Everett looked up with the crowd.

Across the horizon, faint golden clouds spread in scale-like patterns, soft and luminous.

His heart softened.

Maren would be so happy when she saw them.

His expression relaxed, and he prepared to dismount, when a sudden, thunderous shout from the edge of the crowd halted him.

“Last night, the mountain beasts escorted the bride. This morning, the sky showed an omen. The Serpent Lord’s marriage must already be complete!”

The man who cried out was Elder Whitcomb, Raven Hollow’s most respected elder.

His aged face could not hide his joy. His eyes were fixed on a certain direction deep in the mountains.

“A sacred wedding like this comes once in a thousand years. To witness it before I die… Raven Hollow has truly been blessed.”

Everett stared at him in disbelief.

The Serpent Lord’s marriage?

So Raven Hollow really did have such a legend.

But it had to be some kind of lucky omen.

How could it possibly be real?

“Come on, Everett. The bride is waiting!”

Amid the noise, the crowd pushed Everett forward.

The bride stood perfectly still before him beneath her red veil.

His lips lifted.

He took her hand.

“Maren, I’m here to marry you.”

In the next instant, his movement froze.

This hand was soft and delicate.

There was not a single callus on it.

It was not Maren’s hand.

It felt as if something snapped completely inside his mind.

Everett’s face went white.

Then he reached out and tore the veil from the bride’s face.