🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 12
“A ribbon with a bell?”
“Yes. Make sure it’s pink.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
Levi left to carry out the Grand Duke’s order.
Growing uneasy at the command, Kalli lightly bit Leonhardt’s palm, which was covering her head.
Though all she managed to leave behind were faint teeth marks.
“Now that I’ll prepare a proper gift, you’ll accept it, right?”
“H-How is that a gift?! And a bell, of all things…”
“It’s a gift for my squirrel. The moment you take it off…”
“Take it off… then what happens?”
With Kalli perched on his shoulder, Leonhardt turned toward the garden. Standing on his shoulder, she asked anxiously.
Leonhardt’s hand dropped to his side. At that moment, Kalli fell into thought.
Should I jump down? Or should I just stay quietly on his shoulder?
“I’ll make sure you can never leave my side.”
“Ugh… That’s terrifying…”
“Kalli. Struggle a little more.”
A lazy smile spread across his lips as he turned his head to meet her eyes.
“Because you’re cute.”
Ugh… I regret it. I really regret it.
She never should have become a pet. Ever since then, he’d been openly teasing her and enjoying every reaction she gave him.
She didn’t know exactly what it meant, but one thing was certain.
Leonhardt liked Kalli.
Is this… a good thing? Or a bad thing? I don’t even know anymore!
His attention was both welcome and unwelcome.
If that attention blossomed into affection, then that would be wonderful. If it eventually became the “sincere love” the witch had spoken of, then the curse would undoubtedly be broken, and she would become human again.
That’s right! This is all part of breaking the curse. Just enjoy it. Enjoy it!
If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.
There was a reason people said that.
“I noticed the attendant carries you on his head. Do you like that?”
“I do. I like getting some fresh air up high.”
“Hm… Really?”
He seemed to ponder something before his hand suddenly reached over. Like one of those claw machines, he grabbed Kalli and placed her on top of his own head.
Blinking in surprise, Kalli shifted around.
Just like when she’d ridden on Levi’s head, she tried lying down to get comfortable.
But his round head wasn’t nearly as comfortable as Levi’s.
“From now on, use my head instead of his.”
“Um… why?”
“Because I’m your owner, not him.”
It was a simple, straightforward answer.
Even so, Kalli couldn’t help wondering, Why?
She didn’t really care whose head she sat on as long as she could enjoy the garden.
Still, if she had to choose, Levi’s flatter, lower head was much more comfortable.
Leonhardt’s was too round and too tall.
“I like Levi better.”
“That’s your owner’s command. You should listen. Good squirrel, Kalli.”
He’s treating me like a real pet.
Narrowing her eyes, Kalli grabbed a handful of Leonhardt’s black hair with both paws.
Then she yanked it hard.
“Could you stop calling me like I’m some puppy?”
“Then how should I call you… my squirrel?”
“Ugh… I hate that so much…”
Making a face of utter disgust, she repeatedly smacked the top of Leonhardt’s head.
Laughing cheerfully, he picked her up and placed her back on his shoulder.
“The top of my head isn’t very good.”
“What are you talking about, you fickle man?”
“I told you already. I’m very fickle.”
“…”
Leonhardt continued walking leisurely.
“If you’re on my head, I can’t see my squirrel very well.”
“Um… Did you always like animals?”
“No. Not at all.”
He wasn’t even an animal lover.
So why was this man showing such strange interest in her?
Eventually, Kalli stopped trying to figure it out.
This man is definitely a sadist.
That was all there was to it.
He simply enjoyed teasing people.
Whatever. That was just his preference.
There was no point overthinking it.
No matter what kind of attention it was, she didn’t mind.
As long as it eventually turned into affection, the curse would be broken.
This is actually going really well. Better than I expected.
She didn’t need to worry so much about the curse anymore.
“Kalli. What are you thinking about while you’re with me?”
“I was thinking about the curse.”
“…The curse?”
For a brief moment, his expression turned cold before returning to normal.
The subject clearly struck a sensitive nerve.
Kalli didn’t miss the slightest change in Leonhardt’s expression.
He wanted the curse lifted just as badly.
“What were you thinking about?”
“I want to become human again as soon as possible.”
“What did you originally look like?”
“Me? Well…”
What did the original Kalli look like?
The moment she’d been dreading had finally arrived.
Just as she’d expected, Leonhardt had started asking questions about the real Kalli.
She could make something up and get through the moment.
But if she became human later, she’d inevitably have to explain the lie.
In that case…
Kalli quickly came up with an answer.
“The truth is… I don’t remember anything from before I became a squirrel. I can’t remember.”
“You don’t remember?”
That answer apparently caught Leonhardt off guard.
He stopped walking.
Kalli nodded.
For some reason, his gaze was filled with sympathy.
It’s because I’m not actually the real Kalli.
She couldn’t exactly tell him that.
Fortunately, Leonhardt seemed willing to believe her explanation.
“Yes. When I opened my eyes, I was already a squirrel. The only thing I remembered was my name. I don’t know what kind of person I used to be, what I looked like… nothing.”
“…”
“Maybe becoming a squirrel sealed away my memories too. That’s just my guess, though.”
It was the best excuse she could come up with.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Leonhardt seemed to believe every word.
“It sounds like the curse has made things pretty difficult for you too.”
“It has.”
So stop tormenting me already. Please lose interest.
His fingers gently stroked her back.
His words sounded every bit like a sadist’s, yet his touch was soft, warm, and even tender.
He was truly a man of contradictions.
Kalli decided Leonhardt wasn’t actually a bad person.
“Then I suppose it’s my responsibility to shower my squirrel with affection.”
“…How did this conversation end up there? Seriously?”
“Kalli. It’ll be easier for you that way.”
It was lunchtime, so they headed back.
Leonhardt turned and walked toward the mansion.
“Being quietly pampered by your owner.”
“I’m… a human, you know.”
“But right now, you’re a squirrel.”
Just then, Levi returned with the ribbon that had a bell attached.
Standing before them, he handed it over.
“Fortunately, Lady Jane had one, so I borrowed it and attached the bell.”
“Well done.”
Leonhardt placed Kalli on top of Levi’s head.
Then he tied the pink ribbon around her neck, leaving the bell hanging beneath her chin.
“There. It suits you perfectly.”
He flicked the tiny bell with his fingertip.
A bright, cheerful chime rang out.
“Now I’ll hear an adorable sound every time you come.”
Looking thoroughly satisfied, he lifted Kalli once more and placed her on his shoulder.
As they walked back toward the mansion, Kalli found the jingling around her neck strangely unsettling.
It almost made her feel like she’d become a cat.
He’s seriously planning to raise me as a pet…
A sudden thought crossed her mind.
What if I turn back into a human but still keep all these pet habits?
No.
Forget it.
She’d worry about things that hadn’t happened later.
Breaking the curse comes first. As long as I become human…
I’ll leave this mansion without a single regret!
At the time, she had no idea.
That she would never be able to leave the mansion.
After lunch,
Leonhardt said he would take her to the secret garden Levi had mentioned.
Curious about the place, Kalli couldn’t help feeling excited.
“I heard there’s even a gondola. Is that true?”
“There is. Did you really want to ride one?”
“Of course. I’ve never traveled abroad before, so I’ve always wondered what riding a gondola would be like…”
“Abroad?”
“Oh… I mean traveling to another country.”
She had barely taken a few steps before his hand scooped her up into the air again.
He dusted the dirt from her feet before placing her back on his shoulder.
She had wanted to walk herself.
Staring longingly at the ground, she sighed.
“No. Kalli, I’m not letting even a speck of dirt get on you.”
Haven’t I heard that line somewhere before?
She searched through her memories.
‘I won’t let a single drop of water touch your hands.’ Wasn’t it something like that?
Wasn’t that usually the kind of thing a man confessed to the woman he loved?
Confused, she looked at Leonhardt with uncertain eyes.
But he merely smiled brightly as though nothing were unusual.
Unable to understand what he was thinking, she swallowed her question.
“Do you want to visit other countries?”
“If I ever had the chance, I did.”
“If it’s somewhere outside the North, I’ll take you there someday.”
“Huh… You? Taking me? I mean… together?”
“If an owner wants to look after his pet’s happiness.”
“I’ll pass.”
What ridiculous nonsense.
Kalli’s face twisted into a grimace.
The more displeased she looked, the broader Leonhardt’s smile became.
There’s no place for your name in my happy future! Don’t try to squeeze your way into it.
Lying flat on Leonhardt’s shoulder, Kalli dangled comfortably as he walked.
After a while, something struck her as odd.
Why is he walking so slowly?
The answer became obvious almost immediately.
If he walked too quickly, she would have trouble hanging on.
He was deliberately slowing his pace for her.
It was a level of thoughtfulness that didn’t seem like Leonhardt Spencer at all.
Or… was he always this considerate?
She found herself fascinated by this unexpected side of him.
More and more, she kept discovering sides of him that had never appeared in the novel she’d read.
Thanks to his slow pace, hanging from his shoulder wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
She even had time to admire the unfamiliar scenery around them.
“Leon…”
Without realizing it, she spoke.
“You’re… surprisingly kind.”
“’Surprisingly’? That’s rude. Do you know how kind I am?”
Chuckling softly, Leonhardt reached up and gently stroked Kalli.
The fluffy softness of her fur was unexpectedly pleasant to the touch.
“Come to think of it, there’s something I’ve been wondering about.”
