Episode 3
From now on, I’ll call you Snow White
Ugh, could I be any more unlucky?
I had just barely gotten over the shock of ending up in Kabellu—and now, I’d been kidnapped by Huzga Dias.
Once again, I was filled with rage. Curse you, Unus, twisting people’s fates like tangled ropes!
“Hey kid, are you scared of me?”
“N-No! Not at all!”
I quickly stopped cursing in my head and waved my hands nervously.
“I-I was just wondering why your eyes are red and your skin is blue…”
The undead were basically a half-corpse race. They naturally had cold bodies and bluish skin. But since Huzga was half-human, his blue skin looked a little paler.
“Undead don’t feel much pain, don’t need much sleep, or food. But we heal slowly,” he said, chuckling a little.
Then things got quiet.
‘T-This is so awkward.’
Should I tell a joke or something? As I fidgeted nervously, I suddenly remembered something and bowed.
“Thank you.”
“What?”
“For saving me earlier.”
I thought he might kill me just for being annoying, but there’s nothing wrong with saying thanks. I let out a nervous little laugh. His face immediately went blank.
“I’ll kill you for laughing like that.”
……Guess I should just shut up.
I closed my mouth. Then he laughed.
“I’m joking. I won’t kill you. I need to lift my curse. But if you annoy me, I might change my mind.”
Right. Note to self—don’t annoy him.
‘……Wait, he said it’s a curse?’
I peeked at the symbol partly hidden by his robe. He said I was the key to breaking it.
‘What kind of curse is it? And why can I undo it?’
Was it because of the strange mark on my hand? Or maybe it had something to do with my strange healing powers and the fact I hadn’t aged since I was 14?
“How old are you, kid?”
“Huh?”
The question caught me off guard.
Not only had he spoken to me first, but he asked something totally normal. I was about to answer politely—until I heard what came next.
“……You look like you’re barely a teenager.”
“……I’m 22.”
“You don’t look it.”
“I get that a lot.”
Honestly, I looked like a kid. No surprise he didn’t believe me.
“I haven’t grown since I was 14.”
I wasn’t sure if he believed me. He scratched his cheek and looked at me again, tilting his head.
“What a weird body.”
“……?”
Did he actually believe me? That was surprising. Most people would have just made fun of me.
‘Is he just too honest? Or too weird?’
Then he suddenly said:
“Snow White.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to call you Snow White.”
“……?”
Wait, what?
“My name is Inea Joy…”
“No need. I’ll call you Snow White.”
Why not just use a normal name? I gave him a confused look, and he explained casually:
“Do you know the fairy tale The Snow Rabbit Goddess?”
I felt like I’d heard of it before, but shook my head.
“Sorry. I don’t know it.”
“I didn’t ask you to say sorry. Anyway, it’s about a goddess who could turn into a rabbit. People called her Snow White because she lived in the snow and had white hair.”
He smiled slightly.
“So you’re Snow White.”
“……”
“You’re small like a rabbit, and your skin is really pale.”
Well, that was a simple reason. I guess it made sense—since I never went outside, I never got sunburned.
‘So he’s just the kind of guy who gives out nicknames on a whim.’
Still, it felt weird.
“What about your name?”
“What?”
“What should I call you?”
His red eyes sparkled like a kid expecting a gift. I broke into a cold sweat.
“Uh, how about… Huz?”
His face went cold. Oops.
“Y-You don’t like it? I’m really bad at naming, I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me…”
“……Kill you? Just call me whatever. And stop apologizing so much.”
Weirdly, his voice had gotten softer.
Man, is he really not going to kill me just because of a nickname?
＊ ＊ ＊
Please do not repost. Read only at Dropped Inks.
Huz, who called himself a madman, really was totally weird.
He carried me around in his arms, then suddenly turned pale and growled at a pile of trash. Then he swung his scythe at the ground and smashed rocks like they’d insulted him.
After running for who-knows-how-long, he mumbled,
“It wasn’t human.”
……Yep. This guy’s a great solo talker. He should be called “crazy” rather than “killer.”
I was so tired. After running all day, starving, and sick—I felt like I was about to collapse.
I slapped my cheek and forced my eyes open.
‘What are you doing?! You can’t fall asleep now!’
I couldn’t make fun of Huz for being weird when I was about to nap in a stranger’s arms. I tried to stay awake, even slapping myself.
By the third slap, Huz looked over.
‘Why am I so sleepy?’
Then I realized—curse the fatigue or whatever, but Huz’s arms were really comfortable.
Was this what a bed felt like?
I blushed, completely embarrassed that I felt safe in the arms of a wanted criminal. Before I could get up, Huz muttered:
“Stop moving. It’s distracting.”
My tired body gave in as soon as I stopped resisting. I didn’t even get to say thank you before I fell asleep.
As I drifted off, I felt a cold hand gently touch my head.
“……Goodnight, Snow White.”
Was it my imagination, or did he sound like he was about to cry?
＊ ＊ ＊
Please do not repost. Read only at Dropped Inks.
—Will you marry me?
—What?
The woman—me, I guess—yelled, completely shocked. The young man laughed at how surprised she looked.
—Marry me. I’ll make you happy forever.
—……What? No ring? Not even one flower? What kind of proposal is this? Where’s the romance, you idiot!
—Ow! Hey!
She hit him like chopping firewood. He whined, then kissed her forehead.
—So? Will you?
She puffed up her cheeks, blushing hard.
—You jerk… Fine! I guess I’ll do it!
She kept talking fast, embarrassed.
—You can’t cook, so you haven’t had soup in weeks. If I don’t marry you, you’ll probably starve. So I’ll take care of you! Be grateful!
—Thank you. I’ll carry you on my back every day.
He hugged her and gently held her face.
—I’m lucky to be so clumsy. Because now someone like you is willing to take care of me.
—What, you just realized I’m pretty?
—I’ve known since the day we met.
—Hmph, you’re all talk.
She covered his grinning face with her hand, and he kissed her palm.
—I love you, my bride. Thank you for marrying me.
In the end, she laughed and hugged him back.
—Yeah, yeah. But if you ever cheat on me, I’ll rip your spine out!
—Who would I cheat with?! I only know you!
—Whatever. You talk to yourself enough anyway.
She smiled and kissed him. They shared a deep, happy kiss under the orange sunset.
＊ ＊ ＊
Please do not repost. Read only at Dropped Inks.
‘……What was that?’
That was the first thought I had when I woke up.
I sat up in bed, gripping the blanket.
That kiss felt so real. His warm tongue, the way it moved…
“AHHHH! I’m losing it!”
I screamed and shot up.
In that dream, a man proposed to me—no ring, no flowers—and I actually said yes. I even kissed him!
And the happiness I felt… it reminded me of the joy I felt when I first saw the night sky after escaping.
“Why is my part so embarrassing?!”
I fanned my red face and clutched my racing heart.
“Why did I have that dream?!”
Dreams are like mirrors of our inner feelings. And because of what I’ve been through, I’ve always been scared of men—especially young ones.
Yet in the dream, I hugged him. I kissed him. I trusted his words and accepted his love.
It didn’t make any sense.
‘Who was that guy?’
Did he look good? I searched my memory…
‘……I can’t remember his face.’
No matter how hard I tried, his face was just… missing. As if it had been blurred out.
‘I saw him clearly in the dream, right?’
Maybe it was just one of those dreams that fade quickly. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling.
‘……He had black hair.’
That was all I could remember. Black like the night sky.
“And now that I think about it…”
I tilted my head.
In the dream, my hands were long and thin like a grown woman’s. I even had white hair. And my voice was low and soft, completely different from my usual childlike one.
It was strange. I didn’t sound like myself at all.
