I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 252

“Sit here.”

Seo-ah patted a wide, low rock, and Snow White silently sat down, glancing back.

“Why?”

“Well, you’re supposed to be a princess… What’s with that look?”

Seo-ah took out a brush and hair tie from her inventory.

She sometimes went on dates with Yoo Ji-an through the gate, so she had prepared items to fit in her inventory and carried various things like this.

With the hair tie in her mouth, Seo-ah brushed Snow White’s ebony hair.

“It’s fine, no need to.”

Snow White seemed awkward and kept trying to look back, but Seo-ah firmly scolded her.

“Tsk, stay still.”

At Seo-ah’s words, Snow White obediently looked forward, and Seo-ah neatly brushed her hair high and tied it up with the hair tie.

It was a simple ponytail, but it was much better than the unkempt style from before.

Only after tying her hair did she sit next to Snow White.

“But why did you call me? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, that’s right! Something happened.”

Seo-ah told her about the old woman’s visit just now.

“So, be home tomorrow. The story needs to progress quickly.”

Snow White nodded readily.

“I will.”

“Um… you can’t kill her right away! And don’t hit her either! You have to get an apology.”

“I can’t kill her yet because she’s still under the protection of the story.”

As they were chatting, they heard voices calling for Number 8 from outside the forest.

“Ah, it looks like everyone’s back.”

Seo-ah got up from the wide rock, and Snow White stood up with her.

They walked out of the forest together.

“Isn’t it hard?”

“Well, I’m the youngest, so I don’t have much to do.”

“That’s a relief.”

Snow White, who had stopped at the edge of the forest, gestured for her to go.

“Isn’t there no need to do that?”

“What?”

“Let’s go together; even if you can’t sleep inside, you can have dinner with us.”

“I’m…”

Little Dwarf Seo-ah’s small hand tightly grabbed a couple of Snow White’s fingers. Snow White was helplessly dragged by that weak force.

“Oh, maknae [youngest]! And Princess!”

“Perfect timing, we were making meat stew. We had a lot of meat left over from breakfast!”

Two dwarves were carrying a large pot from both sides to the yard.

“The meat I caught wasn’t for you guys…”

Seo-ah sharply cut off Snow White’s indifferent reaction and sat her on the wooden floor.

“Princess, don’t say strange things and sit here!”

A bowl of soup filled with meat was placed in front of the princess, who sat with her mouth tightly shut like a clam.

The amount was twice as much as a normal dwarf. Yoo Ji-an glanced at the youngest dwarf Seo-ah and put a few pieces of meat into Seo-ah’s bowl.

Dwarf Number 1, who was munching on the soup, opened his mouth.

“We’re going to the farm starting tomorrow.”

“Farm? Did you get a job?”

“Yeah, we can’t go to the mine because it collapsed. We have to do something to make a living. There are eight mouths to feed.”

“But when did it become eight?”

At Number 6’s question, the dwarves exchanged glances and tilted their heads.

“Well… from the beginning?”

“Well, did our maknae [youngest] fall from the sky?”

“Hahaha, right?”

“Cough, cough!”

Dwarf Number 8, who was chewing and swallowing meat, coughed as if something was stuck in his throat. Snow White quickly handed him water, and he drank it all in one gulp.

“Maknae [youngest], eat slowly.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot here.”

“Princess, eat a lot too!”

Fortunately, the topic quickly passed without incident. Soon, the dwarves finished their meal and cleaned up.

“I’m going now, thanks for the meal.”

Snow White also left only a blunt word and disappeared into the forest.

The next morning, the dwarves were busily preparing to go to the farm.

Just before packing their farming tools and leaving, Dwarf Number 8, Seo-ah, briefly looked into the forest.

‘She needs to be home to meet the witch. I guess she’ll take care of it herself, right?’

He probably knows about the Snow White story. And they talked yesterday.

Believing that, Seo-ah also left with the dwarves.

* * *

“Aigo [expression of weariness]… my back. Why is this house in such a deep mountain valley?”

The old woman, holding a basket of apples, came to the dwarves’ house again.

“I wonder if that little kid conveyed it properly.”

But no matter how much she looked around, the house was empty. Is no one here? Then what about Snow White?

“That bitch will surely come to kill me again. I’m so scared!”

The cold eyes and terrifying greatsword of the princess looking at her came to mind. The old woman wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. And after waiting for a while, suddenly a large deer fell into the front yard with a thud. It was a dead deer.

“Oh my goodness! What is this!”

The old woman was horrified and took a step back, and then Snow White, whom she had been looking for, appeared.

Hair tied up high as black as night, Snow White with her arms and legs rolled up [sleeves and pants tucked up], it was clear to anyone that she had hunted the deer herself.

Since when did the princess hunt herself?

Snow White stared at the terrified old woman and nodded as if she had remembered something.

“Ah, you said you were coming today.”

Snow White took a step towards the old woman. Then the old woman was horrified and started to run away.

“I won’t let you.”

Snow White caught up with the old woman in one step and blocked her path.

“P, please save me!”

“Give it to me.”

“Yes?”

“Give me that basket. It has a poisoned apple in it, right? Which one is the poisoned apple?”

The old woman was so surprised that she even hiccuped. And she desperately hid the basket behind her. If she found out that she was trying to kill Snow White, she would never leave her alive.

“P, poisoned apple! No, no…!”

The old woman was easily subdued, and the basket was taken away.

“Aaaaaah!”

The old woman ran away as soon as the basket was taken away, and Snow White didn’t chase her anymore.

Snow White sat down on the porch in the front yard with a basket containing three apples.

All three were beautifully ripe red apples, so it was impossible to tell which one was the poisoned apple on the outside.

Without hesitation, Snow White picked one up and took a bite.

Crunch.

At the same time as the sweet juice spread, she felt a tingling sensation on her tongue and in her mouth.

‘This was it.’

Unfortunately, the first one she chose was the poisoned apple.

Snow White put down the apple and stretched her legs out on the porch and lay down. She felt a little dizzy and sleepy, probably because the poison was slowly spreading.

Snow White closed her eyes and fell asleep as if she were dead.

* * *

The dwarves returned home late in the afternoon.

“Huh! Princess?”

“Is she sleeping?”

“Wow, a deer!”

Dwarves Numbers 1, 2, and 3, who were walking in front, ran to see the situation in the front yard.

They were surprised by the large deer, but they were also surprised by the princess who was sprawled out on the porch. How could she be so undignified!

But the face of the sleeping princess was very beautiful. Seo-ah, who was behind, also found Snow White and quickly ran over.

“Is she really sleeping? She’s not breathing?”

“Ah, there’s an apple here that’s been bitten!”

Seo-ah first put her finger near Snow White’s nose.

‘No, she’s breathing.’

It was so faint that she mistook her for dead, but she was breathing. Seo-ah unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.

Even though she knew it couldn’t be, she was afraid for a moment when she thought he was dying.

“Uwaaaah, I think the princess is dead!”

Numbers 7 and 6 looked around at Snow White and burst into tears first.

“Princessss!”

“The princess even caught animals for us!”

“We can’t eat meat anymore, waaaah!”

The dwarves began to cry, either for a slightly self-serving reason or out of affection.

Even though Seo-ah knew she was alive, tears inevitably welled up due to the emotions conveyed through [Emotional Transference].

After crying to some extent, Numbers 1 and 2, who were the oldest, came to their senses first.

“We have to hold a funeral for the princess. We’ll make a coffin, and the maknaes [youngest] will pick flowers. Hurry up!”

At Number 1’s orderly instructions, the dwarves scattered. Seo-ah watched the lying Snow White for a while and went to the river with Numbers 6 and 7 to pick flowers.

“Heave-ho, heave-ho! Move carefully!”

They worked together to move Snow White onto the made coffin and decorated it with flowers.

Snow White was still beautiful, unlike a dead person. Looking at him, Seo-ah suddenly remembered.

‘Wait a minute, the prince is coming soon… Then the prince is…’