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Chapter 11
Hearing myself bring up the relationship between a pet and its owner left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Hmm… All right. And?”
But I’d already decided to go through with it, so there was no turning back.
“In return, Grand Duke, you will allow me, Callie Helares, to call you by name whenever I want.”
He wrote down everything exactly as Callie said.
Except for one part.
Instead of Callie Helares, he wrote Callie Spencer.
Ah. I’m Callie Spencer now. I’m no longer Helares.
Only then did it truly sink in that she had married him.
“And one more thing.”
“What is it? Tell me everything before I sign.”
“When I become human again, I want to leave this place.”
“Does that mean you want a divorce?”
“Is that what it means?”
She tilted her head and looked toward the man whose smiling face revealed nothing of what he was thinking.
“But Leon, don’t you feel the same? This wasn’t a marriage you wanted either.”
“That’s true.”
Leonhart couldn’t deny it.
Everything the squirrel said was correct from beginning to end.
Neither of them had wanted this marriage, and once the witch’s curse was broken, there would be no reason to maintain it.
Since he agreed, he added another clause to the contract.
Once the curse was lifted, Callie Spencer would once again become Callie Helares.
“Ah, but if it’s like this… I have two requests, while only one of yours is included…”
She pointed at the clause about the pet-and-owner relationship.
Leonhart chuckled and nodded.
“You’re right. You could’ve tricked me. You’re surprisingly honest.”
“You think I’m like you? What kind of person do you take me for? I’m a very honest person.”
“Hmm… Then I should add one more thing I want as well. What should I ask for? What…”
He tapped the table with his long fingers.
What kind of demand would keep that clever little squirrel from finding a loophole?
Something advantageous to him, and not to Callie.
Only after a long silence did Leonhart speak.
“If a situation arises in the future where you have no choice but to act, you must do exactly as I tell you.”
“…”
“Why that expression?”
“That’s an incredibly vague and nonspecific condition.”
She stared at Leonhart in disbelief as he wrote it into the contract.
He had already decided to include it whether she liked it or not.
He had prepared two identical copies in advance, leaving only the signature lines blank before handing one to her.
“Oh. Can squirrels not write?”
“I can too! Stop looking down on me. Seriously.”
She snatched the pen from him.
Then she wrote her name in the signature line.
Callie.
In Korean.
The moment she finished writing, she froze.
Wait…
She couldn’t read or write this world’s language.
Strangely enough, she could speak and understand it perfectly.
Just as expected, Leonhart stared at what she had written with a puzzled expression.
“What does this say?”
“Uh… well… that’s…”
“It’s certainly not any script I know.”
“It’s… the language from where I originally lived.”
What exactly had Callie Helares been before this?
She was such a minor side character that the novel never mentioned a single line about her past.
What if Leonhart asked?
Cold sweat ran down her back.
Fortunately, he didn’t.
“I see. It’s an interesting script.”
“I-I just wrote my name. Now it’s your turn.”
He signed almost instantly.
He handed one copy to Callie while keeping the other for himself before standing.
“Don’t lose it.”
“Of course not. Who do you think would lose something this important?”
She carefully rolled up the paper and tucked it under her arm.
“Then… I look forward to working with you.”
He smiled as though genuinely pleased.
“My adorable squirrel.”
Callie had a terrible feeling that her future was going to be filled with misfortune.
“My lady, why do you look so down?”
“I’m not. My face always looks the same. I’m a squirrel.”
Lying on top of the pillow, Callie tensed her body.
She rolled down the sloped pillow.
Whenever she landed on the blanket, she would wiggle her way back up and slide down again.
It was surprisingly fun.
“Levy, is Leon still in the mansion?”
“Ah, His Grace…”
“Yeah. He’s my husband for now, and he gave me permission to call him that.”
No one had ever dared to casually call the Grand Duke by his name.
Neither the previous Grand Duke nor the one before him.
But then again…
She was the Grand Duchess.
Levy quickly accepted it and nodded.
“Yes! He’s in his office. Do you want to see him?”
“Not at all. I’m just glad he’s busy.”
They had to become close as pet and owner.
Owner Leonhart had to shower his pet Callie with affection.
But could he really do something like that?
We agreed to cooperate so we could break the curse…
Then why…
Why does it feel like I’m the one who lost?
Leonhart never did anything that put him at a disadvantage.
She had tried just as hard not to come out behind.
Then why did she still feel as though she’d been thoroughly outplayed?
“Oh, and His Grace asked that you join him for lunch today.”
“Lunch…?”
“Yes. His Grace must really like you.”
“What part of this makes you think that?”
“He’s always kept everyone at a distance and never let anyone get close.”
“Levy… you seem to know quite a lot.”
Before she knew it, Levy had walked over and held out his hand.
Callie climbed onto his palm as naturally as if she’d done it countless times before.
What had gotten into Leonhart?
He wasn’t someone who trusted people easily or kept them close.
She climbed up Levy’s arm until she reached the top of his head.
Levy was short, making it the perfect height.
Adult men were far too tall.
“Then after a walk through the garden, we’ll head to lunch…”
Knock. Knock.
Just as Callie settled comfortably on top of Levy’s head, the knocking came.
She turned toward the door as it opened.
The person who appeared was…
“Callie. It’s time for your walk.”
Leonhart.
Holding what looked exactly like a dog’s collar.
…The seed of misfortune I received at the age of twenty-eight.
That was his very first impression of the cursed bride.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
To be precise, he had never welcomed the cursed bride.
She reminded him of his mother—the former Grand Duchess and the cursed bride before her.
She had never once received his father’s love.
Branded as the cursed bride, she spent her entire life imprisoned inside the Iron Tower.
A miserable woman.
I assumed my cursed bride would be the same.
At least his mother had been human, even if her face had been terribly disfigured.
His own cursed bride, however…
Was a squirrel.
She wasn’t even human.
So he’d planned never to see her.
He would marry her in name only and leave her to spend the rest of her life in squirrel form until she died.
After all, squirrels lived far shorter lives than humans.
I shouldn’t have gone to see that squirrel while I was drunk that day.
There, he found a creature far smaller and more fragile than he’d expected.
Even something that tiny struggled desperately to breathe.
Leonhart’s world had never contained such small beings.
Only horrific monsters.
Only savage creatures.
Compared to those, such a tiny animal felt utterly unfamiliar.
It was nothing more than a passing whim.
That whim led him into the wedding hall.
The squirrel’s startled face when he appeared wasn’t bad either.
And his whim continued afterward.
He kept teasing the tiny creature.
Every little poke brought an immediate reaction.
She flailed like a freshly caught fish.
It had been a long time.
A very long time since he’d encountered something so refreshing.
He had lived in a monochrome world.
Then suddenly…
A being bursting with every imaginable color had appeared before him.
It’s been a long time… since I’ve felt something this enjoyable.
He had spent so long suffering beneath the curse that he had forgotten what genuine laughter felt like.
But now…
He laughed.
And because of that—
He had absolutely no intention of letting go of the toy that had finally brought amusement back into his life.
Yes.
At least until this whim of mine comes to an end.
Leonhart rose from his seat.
He walked leisurely.
Like a predator making its way toward prey it had already captured.
“Well then…”
“I suppose it’s time to go pick her up.”
My pet.
The moment Callie saw the dog collar in Leonhart’s hand, she was speechless.
“Callie. It’s time for your walk.”
People always said you couldn’t spit at someone who was smiling.
No.
I think I could.
Ptooey.
Callie gestured for Levy to come closer.
The kind-hearted Levy obediently did as she asked.
He stopped directly in front of Leonhart.
Standing proudly atop Levy’s head, Callie took a deep breath before leaping.
“Are you insane?!”
She landed squarely against Leonhart’s chest.
With one tiny hand, she grabbed his collar tightly.
Then she slowly climbed upward.
Leonhart merely followed her movements with his eyes.
Curious about what she intended to do, he let her continue without stopping her.
Eventually, she reached his right shoulder.
She stopped there.
Clenching her tiny fist as tightly as she could.
All right.
One…
Two…
“…Three.”
Thump!
She swung with every ounce of strength she had, punching his right cheek.
Naturally, her soft little squirrel fist couldn’t do the slightest bit of damage.
Still, Callie looked immensely satisfied.
“Hmph…”
A laugh escaped Leonhart.
He lifted his left hand and vigorously ruffled her head.
“I told you not to overdo the cute tricks.”
“…What exactly am I supposed to do with this thing?”
She hurled the dog collar onto the floor.
“Ah. Right.”
Leonhart picked it up and handed it to Levy.
“Your attendant? What happened to the maid?”
“I asked for him instead. Jane’s busy.”
“I see.”
“Why?”
“No reason.”
His gaze shifted back to Levy.
“Dispose of this however you like.”
“Instead, bring me a pink ribbon.”
“Oh—and make sure it has a little bell attached.”
