“Hello.”

What is this? Is this a dream?

I blankly stared at the face sparkling as brightly as a jewel. The person before me was dressed as if attending a banquet. The reason I thought this was a dream was because I had never seen him so elaborately dressed up at the Serpentine household. Above all, I couldn’t react immediately because of who the person was.

‘Am I still half-asleep?’

Why am I having such an ominous dream? I have been tired lately, but…

However, no matter how many times I rubbed my eyes, nothing changed.

In the end, I had no choice but to blurt out his name with my mouth wide open.

“Er-han?”

That’s right. The crazy bastard who had dressed up lavishly and appeared before me at this early hour was none other than Erhan.

When I mumbled in disbelief, Erhan smirked. His gray hair was tousled, and at the same time, his eyes, containing gray irises, narrowed into crescent moons.

‘So, you’re telling me Erhan is standing in front of me right now?’

I can’t believe Erhan is really here.

‘I thought it was just a bit noisy, but it was because of Erhan?’

No wonder the mansion was in an uproar since morning. When had the Serpentine household ever been this loud? Feeling slightly puzzled, I had sleepily stumbled down to the first floor, only to be greeted by Erhan, dressed so extravagantly. Still unable to grasp the situation, I stood there with a dumbfounded face, utterly bewildered.

“Oscar, are you up?”

“You’re awake.”

But it wasn’t just Erhan and me here. I was startled by the unexpected voices.

Mother, looking picturesque, and even the Duke were present.

“Uh… huh? Good morning.”

“Did you sleep well too?”

Despite my truly inadequate and lacking greeting, they kindly responded.

Only then could I properly look around. More servants than usual were on the first floor, and I had been hearing repetitive sounds of something being set down.

The Serpentine mansion was so bustling. It felt like any lingering sleepiness was instantly dispelled.

“Now that Erhan is here and you’re awake, shall we all have breakfast together?”

Mother suggested with a smile. Behind her, servants were hurriedly moving about. They were all carrying luggage, and judging by the quantity, it was quite substantial.

“Well, breakfast sounds good, but… has Erhan… I mean, has my brother returned?”

It seemed Erhan had indeed returned to the Serpentine mansion. Although he had said so at the banquet, honestly, I didn’t believe he would come back this quickly. That’s why I was even more flustered. Seeing my disconcerted state, Mother grinned.

“That’s right.”

He really came?

As I looked up at Mother, my eyes met Erhan’s, who had been standing far behind the Duke. He seemed to have been watching me for a while, and as soon as our eyes met, he slowly opened his mouth. Without making a sound, he mouthed something to me, just moving his lips.

‘…Hai, r?’

What is he saying? Frowning at Erhan, he snickered. Yet, whenever Mother or the Duke glanced his way, he pretended not to be laughing, putting on an innocent act. Erhan repeatedly mouthed the words. I could only understand two of them, which were:

‘Hair, idiot?’

Such a strange combination of words that a dumbfounded expression naturally formed on my face. As if giving a hint, Erhan tapped his own head. Reflexively, I turned my head and stared at the nearby window. As a result, I confirmed that my hair, reflected in the window, was conspicuously disheveled at a glance. Instantly, my mouth fell wide open.

‘I came out looking like this?!’

That’s not all. Since I had rushed out wondering what was going on, my clothes were a mess too. I had appeared before the Duke, Mother, and Erhan in a state lacking any semblance of decorum. With my face turning bright red in an instant, I bowed my head deeply.

“I’m… sorry, but I’ll go and freshen up quickly.”

No matter how informal the breakfast, I couldn’t go in such a disheveled state. As I spoke hurriedly, Mother laughed as if she found me adorable, and the Duke gestured as if telling me not to mind. But Erhan was different.

He was still snickering at me.

‘So, he meant my hair looks like an idiot.’

It made sense because my half-curly hair would stick out in all directions every morning. No one should have known how ridiculous it looked, but what a dreadful turn of events.

However, the reason I needed to swiftly return to my room wasn’t just because of my hair and attire.

Although I acted nonchalant in front of them, I practically ran as I crossed the corridor and hastily returned to my room. Then, seeing Zachary still fast asleep on the bed, I clutched my head in despair.

‘What do I do about this?!’

It’s driving me crazy. Even today, on the fifth day, Zachary still hasn’t properly opened his eyes.

At first, I was worried that something might be wrong, but he was simply sleeping peacefully. Fortunately, it wasn’t anything unusual. Whenever I had a chance, I searched through books and felt somewhat relieved to learn that some people fall asleep due to a lack of energy after a spell.

If that’s the case, it seems he’s recovering…

Judging by the squirming of the spell circle, it appeared that some change had occurred. I also wondered if this was happening because of that influence.

‘But Erhan shows up at this time?’

This was the problem. The biggest variable here was the fact that Erhan had returned to the mansion.

These days, I had been locking the door to my room under the pretext of focusing on my studies, preventing anyone from entering.

I had already laid the groundwork with Mother and the Duke, so they didn’t approach me. Whenever I had to leave the room, I made sure to lock the door. That’s how I had managed to keep the fact that Zachary was sleeping in my room a secret.

“Please wake up…!”

As if Erhan was the type to not open a door just because he was told not to! He was always an unpredictable character who surpassed my imagination.

The possibility of Erhan barging into my room unannounced?

100%.

Undeniably, absolutely 100%.

I frantically tried to wake Zachary, but there was no way he would suddenly open his eyes after not doing so for five days.

What should I do? I looked around and stared at the wardrobe. However, Zachary’s large build was too big to cram into that wardrobe. Moreover, if the furniture were to collapse under Zachary’s weight, he could get hurt.

‘What can I do?’

Even while searching for a place to hide him, I was afraid Erhan might suddenly appear.

How many more days would Zachary remain asleep? Seeing that the spell circle was still rippling, it seemed like he would sleep for several more days.

‘I need to find a place where he won’t be discovered for a long time. Plus, somewhere I can frequently check…’

As if such a place existed. While I was wracking my brain in desperation, a certain location flashed through my mind like lightning. It was a place all too familiar to me.

I swiftly turned my head. And I stared at a spot that I frequented so much that the entrance might have worn out by now.

‘The snake’s passage.’

That’s right. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? There was no need to wander far when the answer was right in front of me.

Of course, Erhan, as the successor, would know about the existence and layout of the snake’s passage. However, he would have no reason to enter the snake’s passage located in my room right in front of me.

Not to mention the Duke and Mother.

“Ugh.”

I carried Zachary on my back. Honestly, I’m not sure if the term “carrying” is appropriate. Just lifting Zachary’s long and heavy body was an ordeal.

I could feel Zachary’s feet dragging on the floor, but there was no other way. With sweat pouring down my flushed face, I knocked on the passage door six times to open it and carefully laid Zachary inside.

“…Phew.”

Wow, I’m dying. Zachary is really heavy.

I slowly adjusted Zachary’s position so he could lie comfortably.

Then, I brought a blanket and covered him. I placed a pillow too. Although the snake’s passage was still gloomy, doing that made it somewhat… like a sauna.

A sauna and Zachary. The combination was so mismatched that I couldn’t help but laugh, but I had no time to dwell on it. I stroked Zachary’s hair once. Then, I hurriedly changed my clothes, tidied my hair, and headed down to the dining room.

‘It’s bustling, but still quiet.’

Erhan had returned to the mansion after a whole decade. Although sudden, it was common for aristocratic families to provide a grand welcome in such cases.

However, strangely enough, the mansion was quite quiet. While it was more lively than usual, apart from the servants moving luggage, there wasn’t much difference.

‘Honestly, for someone who’s been away for so long, you’d think they’d make an exception and hold a banquet…’

What a stingy family. As I pondered, I arrived at the dining room. Upon my arrival, the two servants standing in front of the door opened it for me, as if they had been waiting. With the sound of the floor being scraped, the open door revealed a large table set with a feast. Mother, the Duke, and Erhan, seated at the table, came into view one by one.

As soon as the door opened, they all simultaneously turned to look at me.

Two pairs of gray eyes, one pair of golden eyes.

“Oscar, you’re here.”

With a thud, the Duke spoke, and the door closed behind me.

I stood there, my back to the firmly shut door, staring at them blankly for a moment.

Mother, the Duke, Erhan, and me. The members of the Serpentine family had finally gathered in one place.

As I observed their serene faces, the Serpentine family crest on the wall suddenly caught my eye. The large sculpted serpent, coiling and winding, captivated my gaze more than usual today.

‘The Serpentines…’

All the characters had finally assembled.

Although they were unaware of the impending disaster lurking beneath their feet, ready to devour them.