DSMBL Chapter 52

Chapter 052

Silkworm cocoon?!

But I had nothing to say in my defense.

I could feel my face turning red.

I had been completely wrapped up in the snow beast’s arms the whole way here.

If I had come up to the villa in broad daylight, I would have been an easy target.

So, I stayed hidden in the forest, talking with the Snow Beast and waiting for the sun to set.

I knew people were searching for me, but they never came near where we were hiding.

Well, no one would think to check right under their noses.

If we showed ourselves too soon, we could have been attacked.

So, the best thing to do was stay quiet and wait.

As soon as night fell, I knocked on the villa’s door.

The knights guarding the door stared at me and the Snow beast, completely stunned.

The moment the door opened, and I saw the faces of the people I knew, tears filled my eyes.

I thought I had cried enough earlier, but—

“H-how am I a silkworm cocoon…?”

My voice was muffled from crying and sniffing.

“This human cries again. This human eats nose. This human…is dirty.”

Shut up, you idiot.

I had spent all day in the cold, starving and trembling in the middle of a pack of Snow beasts. I had every right to cry!

Cassius reached out his hand.

The Snow beast hesitated for a moment, then carefully passed me over to him.

My body had been tied up all day, and now my limbs felt completely numb.

“We couldn’t untie you.”

The Snow beast held up their thick fingers.

Cassius frowned.

“Were you kidnapped by Snow beast?”

“No!”

I quickly shook my head.

I couldn’t let my saviors be blamed for this.

These Snow Beasts had bravely risked their lives to save me.

They were heroes!

“They rescued me.”

“Rescued?”

“I was kidnapped by someone else. The Snow beast saved me.”

Cassius looked at the Snow beast.

The one who could speak nodded.

“We saved her. This human… cries a lot.”

That was completely unnecessary!

I glared at the Snow beast.

“They have something to say. That’s why they saved me. I am the price for their negotiation.”

Cassius held me tightly and let out a small laugh.

“I see. Not much of a skilled negotiator, are they? Giving away their bargaining chip first.”

I buried my face in his chest.

His scent, his warmth, and the sound of his voice—

I finally felt safe.

Cassius signaled to the knights.

“We’ll move them to the back. Keep their presence hidden. Form a guard formation.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

He paused, then gave another order.

“One of you, go inside and make sure the nanny and Lady Lorencia do not come outside.”

“Understood, Your Grace!”

Cassius nodded and led the Snow beast toward the back cliff, where they wouldn’t be easily seen.

The Snow beast sat down, looking a bit confused.

Cassius carefully set me down and used his dagger to cut the ropes around me.

“…Thank you, Cassius.”

Cassius met my eyes.

His deep, dark gaze was filled with so many unspoken words.

But now wasn’t the time.

We had unexpected guests waiting.

The moment I was freed, Stephanie and Theo ran over and clung to my sides.

Ignoring the pain in my sore body, I hugged their little heads.

Meanwhile, the conversation had begun.

---

“We were attacked by Werewolves.”

“I know werewolves have been hunting Snow Beasts. Is that why you’re here?”

The Snow beast nodded.

It still felt unreal.

Even after they had saved me and brought me all the way here, I could hardly believe it.

I stared blankly at the Snow beast as he moved.

“We need help. We don’t know how to fight.”

The Snow beast spoke quickly, waving its hands and feet.

It looked very desperate.

“All dead. Babies dead too.”

They had already said that most of their kind were young.

It was an incredibly cruel act.

“Help us. In return, we negotiate.”

The Snow beast pointed at me.

“…How did you recognize Charlotte?”

“We watched you. Watched all of you come here. That woman… she is the king’s woman.”

King?!

What kind of dangerous nonsense was that?!

“Not a king. A duke.”

Cassius sighed.

He rubbed his face, finally letting go of some of the tension.

“Snow beast strong. But we don’t know how to fight. We have one enemy. We are on the same side.”

The Snow beast pointed at Cassius and itself.

It was trying to say that we were allies.

“How high is your position among the Snow beast?”

“Not me.”

The Snow beast pointed to another Snow beast beside it.

“Krinini is high. Prince.”

The one called Krinini suddenly puffed out its chest and stood up.

“GROOOOAR!”

“…Tell your prince to keep quiet unless he wants to attract every human here.”

“Groooar, groooaaar, groooaaaaar.”

Krinini looked around, then quickly crouched back down.

Honestly… it was kind of cute.

Wait, no!

I refused to think a monster was cute.

I shook my head vigorously.

“Krinini decides.”

So, Krinini had the authority to negotiate.

Cassius looked at him and said firmly,

“You must promise never to harm humans. No matter what, you must never invade human territory.”

The Snow beast gestured wildly.

“No food. We die. Babies die.”

“We will provide food for you.”

The Istheria family had more wealth than they could ever spend.

Feeding the Snow beast during the winter wouldn’t be a problem.

“Groooar, groooaaar.”

The two Snow beasts discussed something.

Then—

Krinini rolled onto his side.

“Wow… The bear is rolling, Charlotte.”

Theo whispered in awe.

It’s not a bear, you little brat.

It seemed like rolling over meant “yes.”

“Krinini happy!”

A nearby tree cracked and fell.

If he got any happier, he might roll right off the cliff.

“…I have a feeling we still have a lot more to talk about.”

“No time. You come.”

The Snow beast pointed its thick, long fingers at Cassius.

“Find us. Nest.”

Cassius nodded.

After exchanging a few more words, the two Snow beasts stood up.

They waddled into the darkness, disappearing from sight.

We watched them until they were completely gone.

Once they left, we returned inside the mansion.

It felt like all the energy had been drained from my body.

Everything had been so tense.

For years, Snow Beast and humans had been enemies.

They came in peace this time, but we still had to be cautious.

Cassius turned to look at me.

His deep, sunken eyes seemed to say a thousand words.

After staring at me for a long moment, he turned away.

“Giverny. Come in.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Giverny and the other advisors followed Cassius into his office.

They were probably about to discuss what to do next.

“Phew…”

If only I could walk in there and tell them—

“Don’t hesitate. Just form the alliance!”

In the original story, Cassius hesitated but eventually accepted the alliance.

Of course, in the original, I wasn’t there as a hostage…

Maybe that small difference was why we were able to talk instead of fight this time.

Hopefully, this time, Cassius would accept the alliance right away.

In the original story, he rejected them at first.

That led to a small war between humans and Snow Beasts.

The Snow Beast had attacked, trying to steal weapons they couldn’t even use.

Only after that did Cassius believe that the Snow Beast was truly serious about fighting the monsters.

I knew Cassius was naturally cautious, but I really hoped he would accept the alliance this time.

As I stared at his office door, lost in thought, Theo spoke up.

“Charlotte, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

Theo rubbed his head against me like a puppy.

Stephanie copied him and snuggled against me too.

I smiled and gently stroked their heads.

Then, we walked forward together.