The Hunting of Snow White: A Grim Tale - Chapter 14 - Hunter’s house

03_Hunter’s house

‘Where am I?’

Prina blinked slowly. The first thing she saw upon waking was an unfamiliar ceiling she had never seen before. Sunlight piercing through the chandelier’s crystals scattered sparkling light across the room.

A robin was chirping, so it must be early morning. Outside the window, the branches of a large, beautiful tree stretched all the way to the windowsill. Mornings at the monastery had always been busy. Since daily routines began at dawn, by the time the sun was fully up, everyone was hard at work.

She had never experienced such a peaceful and leisurely morning before. With a dazed expression, she looked around once more.

Soon, Prina found herself surrounded by soft bedding in the center of a wide, luxurious room. The bedding was a pale ivory color, embroidered with small flowers. The texture against her skin was nothing like the stiff sheets at the monastery. No, the more she touched it, the softer it felt, like clouds.

Without realizing it, Prina stroked the fabric, then slowly sat up and looked around in silence for a long while.

It was a very beautiful space.

A high-quality lace canopy, densely embroidered, hung above her. All the furniture was luxurious, and everything seemed to be delicately and carefully maintained by someone. Not only the lace-adorned bed, but even the vanity set against one wall was decorated with tiny bottles, a jewelry box, brushes, and the like.

As she surveyed the room, Prina spotted a mirror hanging on the wall. The frame around it was intricately inlaid with jewels. In the spotlessly polished glass, she could see half of her own face reflected.

Jet-black hair, blue eyes, and red lips. It was unmistakably her own reflection.

Was this a woman’s room?

She looked around for anything like a portrait of the room’s owner, but nothing like that was visible. The only thing she could see was her own bewildered face in the mirror, unfamiliar with this space.

There were traces of people throughout the room, but not a single sign of anyone’s presence. It was as if someone had carefully decorated and cherished this room, then simply left it untouched.

The uncanny stillness made Prina take a deep breath on purpose. Her own breathing sounded so loud in the silence.

As she sat there absentmindedly for a while, Prina recalled her last memory before waking up in this place.

If she remembered correctly…

She had been told she would be taken to the palace, so she followed a knight. But as the carriage entered a remote forest, he changed completely. In the name of the royal family, before he killed her, he had tried to satisfy his vile desires.

She remembered being forced down onto the grass, feeling as if thorns were piercing her entire body. The revolting sound of heavy breathing, the bloodshot, frenzied eyes, the indecent hands creeping over her body like a snake… Just the memory of it made Prina instinctively curl up.

She had had to muster every ounce of strength she possessed just to struggle free of him.

And then.

Bang—!

After that, she heard a single gunshot.

The light in his eyes that went out in an instant, the smell of blood spreading with the heavy rain, and the sound of heavy footsteps. That was when a strange sense of déjà vu washed over her, and Prina finally lost consciousness. That was her last memory.

She had really almost died.

She had always been close to death, and had witnessed the deaths of others, but maybe she had never truly imagined it would ever happen to her.

Just thinking about that moment made her fingertips tremble and sent chills through her whole body. Looking down at her shaking hands, Prina hugged her arms around herself again.

It felt as if she’d woken from a long sleep. Her head was still foggy.

She couldn’t recall everything precisely, but she was sure she had gotten drenched in the rain at that time.

‘So then… how did I end up here?’

She looked down, examining her appearance. Earlier, her rain-soaked nun’s habit and veil had felt like they were weighing her down. Now, both the habit and veil were gone, and she was dressed only in a white, soft negligee.

When did she change clothes? Did someone change her while she slept? But who?

Her mind was still full of unanswered questions.

Rustle.

In the deathly quiet, something shifted. Someone was there. Startled, Prina held her breath.

Rustle.

Turning her gaze toward the source of the sound, she saw a door left slightly ajar. Whatever it was, it moved too quickly for a person, leaving only the faintest trace behind.