Snake Princess is Sick?

At high noon, Amazon Lily, located within the Calm Belt, experiences its most sweltering heat. After all, this is the Calm Belt; the gentle breeze one might feel in other regions is nowhere to be found here.

Because of this, whenever this time arrives, the residents instinctively set aside their work. They drift in twos and threes into taverns to drink, or gather in large groups of sisters to play in the lake and chat.

It is a scene of song, dance, and blooming beauty, yet in this land without men, this magnificent spectacle is destined to be seen by no one.

"I wonder when the Snake Princess will return from this expedition."

"It has to be at least half a year."

"But I heard that for the past month, the Snake Princess has been visiting that man in the dungeon every single day. Could it be... that she's fallen in love with him?"

"Impossible. I heard from the sisters guarding the prison that every time the Snake Princess leaves, that man's face looks absolutely wretched."

"Yes, yes, I heard that too."

"..."

Gossip is a hobby forever patented by women, and even this warrior tribe is no exception.

"Hm?"

Just then, a tall woman suddenly pointed toward the harbor, her tone uncertain: "Is that... the Kuja pirate ship?"

"How is that possible? The Snake Princess just set sail this morning, how could she be back so soon... wait? It really is!!!"

"Why would the Snake Princess return? Could something have happened?"

"Impossible, the Snake Princess is the strongest!"

"..."

While they were arguing incessantly, a crew member of the Kuja Pirates came running over in a panic: "This is bad, the Snake Princess has fallen ill. Where is Elder Nyon?"

"What? The Snake Princess is sick?"

Hearing this, the women were startled. They scrambled out of the lake, one by one, filled with extreme anxiety.

"We can talk later, where is Elder Nyon exactly?"

"Isn't Elder Nyon at home?"

"No, I already checked her house."

"I know, Elder Nyon went to the back mountain to gather herbs. We'll go help you find her right now!"

After some searching, they finally found Elder Nyon, who had been picking herbs in the back mountain.

Dazed and confused, Elder Nyon was tucked under the arm of a Kuja crew member and rushed to the palace, straight into Hancock's bedchamber.

"Elder Nyon, you're finally here! Quick, quick, see what's wrong with Big Sister!"

Inside the chamber, Sandersonia and her sister, who had been as anxious as ants on a hot pan, grabbed Elder Nyon and pointed urgently at Hancock, who was lying on the bed: "We don't know what happened. Not long after we set sail, Big Sister just collapsed."

"Yes, Elder Nyon, please take a look at Big Sister. She keeps clutching her heart. The ship's doctor suspected a heart condition, but couldn't diagnose any symptoms," Marigold hurriedly pulled Elder Nyon over.

"Ah, ah-hoo, mm, so painful..."

On the bed, Hancock was gripping her chest with all her might. Her face was pale, yet it betrayed an alluring, rosy flush. She kept letting out seductive, ragged breaths, making one sigh that even as a sickly Empress, she remained as beautiful and infinitely captivating as ever.

"Hm? These symptoms?"

Elder Nyon stepped forward to carefully observe Hancock's condition. Her expression shifted, and she turned to ask the Sandersonia sisters: "Has anything happened in the last few months? Don't leave anything out, tell me everything."

Sandersonia pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "Nothing happened. It's just that a month ago, we encountered a man who offended Big Sister, so she captured him and threw him into the dungeon."

"A man?"

Elder Nyon was suddenly shocked: "How could the Snake Princess bring a man back!!!"

Elder Nyon was the Emperor three generations ago. To atone for the mistakes of her reign and out of respect for the current ruler, she lived quietly in a remote corner of the village. Because of her isolated location, she was unaware of Bai Ina's existence.

"That man did something very, very excessive to Big Sister. She must have brought him back to torture him severely!" Marigold replied.

"That's right, for this past month, Big Sister has gone to the dungeon every day to torment that man."

"She goes every day?"

Hearing this, Elder Nyon's face grew even uglier. She asked with a grave tone: "What did you say to the Snake Princess before she fell ill?"

"We didn't say anything special?" Sandersonia recalled, then continued: "Big Sister just asked how long this voyage would take, and I told her it would be about half a year. Not long after that, she collapsed."

Cold sweat broke out on Elder Nyon's forehead. She asked Sandersonia: "Do you know the name of that man?"

"It seems to be something like Bai Ina..."

"Ah... ah... ah..."

Before Sandersonia could finish, Hancock on the bed let out a painful moan.

"Is it really as I feared?"

Elder Nyon clutched her forehead in agony and moved to Hancock's side: "Bai..."

"Ah... ah... ah..."

"Yina."

"Mmm... huff... ah..."

"Na."

"Ahhh... ah... ah... mmm,"

"Elder Nyon, have you discovered what illness the Snake Princess is suffering from? Is it serious?" Sandersonia and Marigold rushed forward upon seeing this, asking with panicked expressions.

Elder Nyon's face turned grim as she replied, "Serious, very serious. It is a fatal illness. As far as I know, every empress before me has died from this very affliction."

"What!"

The two sisters were instantly terrified. They lunged forward, grabbing Elder Nyon and demanding, "How can this be? Elder Nyon, since you know of this illness, there must be a way to cure it!"

"This..." Elder Nyon hesitated for a moment before stepping toward the bed, where Hancock lay in agony. "Snake Princess, that man named Bai Ina in the prison seems to have something to discuss with you. Would you like to go see him?"

"Elder Nyon!" Sandersonia's expression turned incredibly ugly as she snapped, "Big Sister is in this state; how could she possibly have the time to pay attention to—"

Whoosh—

Before Sandersonia could finish her sentence, Hancock's moaning abruptly ceased, and in the blink of an eye, she stood up from the bed.

"..."

The three of them were stunned into silence.

"A mere prisoner, yet he dares to demand that this concubine come to see him!" Hancock's pale cheeks flushed with color rapidly. Despite her words, her movements were swift, and in a few short moments, she was fully dressed.

"Honestly, it's boring anyway, so this concubine shall go see that brat!" With that, Hancock ignored the three people standing in the bedchamber like wooden statues and headed straight out, walking in the direction of the prison.

"..."

Sandersonia and her sister exchanged glances, then looked at Elder Nyon with bewildered expressions: "Big Sister, this is..."

"The illness the Snake Princess suffers from is... lovesickness. Because she realized she would not be able to see her beloved for half a year, the pent-up frustration caused her to fall ill." Elder Nyon watched Hancock's departing figure with a look of shock, unable to help but wonder what kind of man could cause this ice mountain, who was thought to be incapable of emotion, to fall victim to lovesickness.

"What!!!"

ps: Thanks to 'Mituyingzidezhifan', 'Kongnuo', 'Qingchen', and 'Xueni Hongzhao' for the tips, thank you so much!

ps2: The melodrama continues to flow onto the page... back to writing!

ps3: Recommending a friend's book [Infinite Beast Evolution]!