The Hunting of Snow White: A Grim Tale - Chapter 16

She ran and ran, straight ahead.

“Hic… Hic…”

Her steps as she dashed down the long corridor were frantic, her knees buckling beneath her. Her vision blurred, the world around her spinning chaotically. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears like a drum signaling the end of the world. Because her body kept swaying, Prina had to support herself against the walls and cling to the railing as if it were a lifeline even while running.

At last, she arrived in front of the room where she had first woken up.

Paradoxically, her feet had carried her here as if drawn by something. By the time she realized this was an irrational, wrong choice, it was already too late to turn back. Even knowing it was a dead end, she couldn’t help but be driven into a corner. If she headed for the entrance of the mansion, that man would surely be waiting to catch her.

Right now, she simply needed somewhere to hide from him.

Barely managing to get inside the room, Prina hastily locked the door.

Leaning her trembling back against the door, she collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her.

Haa, haa…

Prina caught her breath and looked around the room.

Her whole body trembled as if she’d just barely escaped death’s swamp.

The big tree outside wrapped the window in a cozy embrace. The warm sunlight streaming through the glass and the gently rustling leaves felt as if they were blanketing her shivering body.

Strange, isn’t it. The room that had seemed so unfamiliar before now felt like the safest refuge.

* * *

She had no idea how much time had passed.

Prina was still hiding in the room, holding her breath. Despite how desperately she had fled, nothing had happened since. There was not the slightest hint of movement outside.

Having fallen into a doze in front of the door, Prina now retraced everything that had happened to her.

‘What about Lucky…?’

Ironically, the first thing that came to mind was Lucky’s safety.

The man hadn’t acted threateningly as he had before, and Lucky, too, seemed perfectly at ease with him, like a well-trained animal… Yet, maybe because of that first encounter, she couldn’t stop worrying. Those big hands that had once gripped the small rabbit’s ears so menacingly seemed capable of snuffing out such a tiny life at any moment.

She felt cowardly, as if she’d abandoned a weak animal and run away just to save herself. But even looking back, there had been nothing else she could do. She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if she’d stayed there.

But that wasn’t her only question.

She had released Lucky in the secret forest. How could Lucky be here instead?

She’d traveled for ages by carriage after leaving the monastery.

Even if Lucky had somehow been running free, animals had their own territories. Small animals didn’t stray from their home range, and it was strange for Lucky to be this far from the forest.

“No, that’s not it. I don’t even know where this place is yet.”

If the man from the secret forest had found Lucky and brought him here, that was perfectly possible.

Given that Lucky was safe, and even followed him so well, it was clear the man hadn’t hurt the rabbit.

Then was it the man who brought me here as well…? If this was his house…?

As soon as her thoughts reached that point, Prina looked down at herself.

Oh, dear. She was wearing only a thin negligee.

She’d known she was dressed like this, but thinking that he must have bathed and changed her while she slept made her face burn so hot she couldn’t even lift her head, despite being alone.

Just as she’d seen him naked, he must have seen her naked too.

Good heavens. She was mortified. Curling up in the bedclothes, Prina pulled the blanket over her head.

Scratch, scratch…

Then, she heard a sound as if something was scratching at the door.

At first, she thought she’d imagined it.

Scritch, scratch. Scritch.

The noise came intermittently, but with an oddly persistent rhythm. Holding her breath, she listened. It sounded like a thin awl scraping at wood. Goosebumps prickled along her skin. Prina, eyes wide with fear, stared at the door.

It wasn’t a loud sound. In fact, it came concentrated just below the door, and strangely, the doorknob didn’t move at all.