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Chapter 40
Leonhardt, who had been quietly listening, finally opened his mouth.
“It must not have been easy.”
“Exactly. While being exploited, the Asteri tribe either killed themselves or were killed… That’s how their numbers dwindled. Of course, they weren’t the type to go down so easily. That’s why, afterward, the remaining ones supposedly lived in hiding…”
Clink. Kendrick lifted his glass, wetting his throat for a moment, then turned his gaze toward Calli.
“The truth is, no one knows what became of them after that.”
“So, Lady Calli.”
Calli, who had been absorbed in eating cream puffs, flinched.
Come to think of it, I… I did tell Kendrick that I might be from the Asteri tribe.
There was a gleam in Kendrick’s eyes. He seemed truly curious.
Calli deliberately turned her head away and kept silent. It wasn’t an answer she could give him anyway.
“That’s all?”
Leonhardt’s expression grew dissatisfied. Some of what Kendrick said was already familiar to him.
Kendrick jumped up at his friend’s look.
“Hey, I did bring you a lot! The Asteri tribe is practically a legend. There are plenty of people who don’t even believe they existed!”
“For something like that, you certainly investigated quite a bit. Thank you.”
“Lady Calli…”
Kendrick’s eyes grew misty as he sank back onto the sofa.
“Most of the information was probably hidden or covered up by the royal family, after all.”
He shrugged, as if there was nothing that could be done about it.
He took a sip of his now-cold tea.
“If Lady Calli really is from the Asteri tribe…”
“T-that’s just a guess…”
“Oh, shame. If it were true, there are so many things I would’ve asked you. A living Asteri… imagine.”
If what Kendrick said was correct, then the place they had hidden themselves was likely the Morai Forest.
What were they thinking as they lived hidden away there? And why did they continue to remain tied to the Spencer family?
The more Calli listened, the more questions she had.
“According to the last words of the Asteri chieftain, though…”
“……”
‘We will live guarding our land, so please do not come looking for us.’
“……”
“…that’s what was said.”
“Our land…”
“That must have referred to the land of the Asteri.”
Kendrick smiled faintly.
Calli looked up, gauging Leonhardt’s expression. When he noticed her gaze, he reached out his hand.
Leonhardt gently patted Calli’s head and nodded.
“I see.”
“Well… it’s more like a founding myth now. Hardly anyone believes in the Asteri anymore.”
Calli didn’t voice the suspicion forming in her mind. It felt too much like a what if.
The witch is an Asteri.
If that assumption was correct…
Could the witch be the chieftain of the Asteri?
She must have helped Arthur Spencer establish the Empire. But after being betrayed, she may have remained hidden deep within the Morai Forest.
Yes. I have to return to the Morai Forest once more.
To push past those monstrous vines, and deeper still.
“Calli.”
A gentle touch brushed her fur, starting from her neck all the way down to her tail.
Calli, lying on her stomach, tilted her head to glance at him.
“…What?”
This was after Kendrick had left.
Leonhardt had been lost in thought. Yet even so, he hadn’t left her side or taken time alone.
He either touched her quietly like this, or simply called her name. Nothing in between.
“You said you might be from the Asteri tribe, didn’t you?”
“It’s only a guess. To confirm it, we’d have to return to the Morai Forest.”
“I understood your intent when you said we should go back.”
He swirled the glass of liquor in his hand. The clink of ice rang out.
Calli turned her gaze toward it—only for two of his fingers to block her view.
“No, Calli. Not for you. You’re too young for that.”
“Excuse me… I’ll have you know I’m twenty years old!”
“Still too soon. My squirrel is far too young.”
“I know how to drink!”
“And yet, I don’t care to see a drunken squirrel.”
His amused voice brushed her ears like a whisper, even as his hand lowered.
His glass lifted instead, drawing Calli’s gaze upward with it.
Her eyes eventually stopped—on Leonhardt’s profile. Her gaze traced down his high nose, and she gulped before she even realized.
Seriously… he really is handsome. Handsome men are the best. They never get old. Always thrilling. Always new.
When he took a sip, his Adam’s apple bobbed with the swallow. Calli was mesmerized.
If only he kept his mouth shut.
The moment he opened it, words that teased or tormented her spilled out endlessly. Always mischievous, always playful.
But then again, he could be unexpectedly gentle. He showed surprising sides to himself sometimes.
“Calli.”
His pleasant baritone sometimes stabbed right at her heart.
“What are you staring at?”
That teasing tone tickled her heart strangely. Calli, who had been lying flat, slowly pushed herself upright.
“What’s wrong? Suddenly fallen for me again?”
Snapping back, Calli turned away quickly, presenting her back. If she’d been human, her face would’ve been burning red.
“N-no, I wasn’t looking at anything!”
Leonhardt chuckled softly and caught her tail. The ice clinked in his glass as her body lifted off the ground, dangling in the air.
Swinging back and forth, her gaze locked perfectly with his.
His eyes narrowed with a sly gleam.
“Even if you were Asteri, it wouldn’t matter to me.”
“…Why?”
“Even if you were connected to the witch.”
Clink. Ice struck again.
Calli’s body spun involuntarily. His golden eyes held no emotion.
That’s exactly what I was just thinking earlier.
The witch Arthur Spencer had met.
Arthur Spencer, the founding hero.
The knight who had suddenly become the empire’s founder. Listening to Kendrick, Calli had felt that something was off.
“…So, Leon, you thought the same as I did.”
Clack. Leonhardt set his glass down on the table, then placed Calli in his other palm.
“Anyone would see a connection there.”
“……”
“I despise the witch. But you, Calli… no.”
“Then…”
“On the contrary.”
He paused, staring into her eyes. His lips curled upward at the sight of the little squirrel.
“On the contrary… what?”
“……”
“What? Why stop halfway?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
He rose, carrying her with him toward the bed.
“If I say it now, then you’ll…”
He set Calli down in the center of the bed. Despite having drunk, not a trace of disorder marred him.
“…never escape from me for the rest of your life.”
Calli regretted asking. Those words echoed in her head.
Leonhardt loomed above her, looking down at a slant.
His gaze burned—like that of a predator savoring how to devour its prey.
Calli averted her eyes quickly.
“Calli.”
His low murmur thudded against her heart.
“Never run away.”
His voice was unceasing temptation.
What’s the truth? Why are you doing this to me?
His pull was irresistible.
Was it genuine—or was it a lie?
Calli could no longer tell. What was Leonhardt’s true heart?
If he really was interested in her and trying to seduce her… then why—
Why am I not changing back into a human?
If that was the case, then his seduction wasn’t genuine. Or maybe he still saw her only as a pet.
If that was the truth, it hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Why?
The question arose again.
While puzzling over his actions, this time she questioned her own heart.
At first, all she wanted was to survive—to break the curse and live as a human. Otherwise, she’d be abandoned in the woods as a mere squirrel.
Wasn’t that the only goal? To just break the curse?
She was supposed to leave this mansion and start a new life.
That had been her first goal, her only purpose. She had joined hands with Leonhardt for that reason alone.
And yet—
Why do I feel upset at the thought of not turning human?
If his temptation was just a joke, she hated it. So where did his truth lie?
Calli grabbed her head with both paws.
“Aaagh!”
She banged on the bed, rolling around restlessly. Frustrated, she even pounded on her own chest.
What had she done wrong? Why couldn’t she just be given a new life?
“No! Forget it! I don’t care!”
She didn’t need to be loved. She wouldn’t love him. She wouldn’t do anything!
—Flinch.
Her movements stilled. She buried her face into a pillow, blinking rapidly before shutting her eyes tight.
What am I even thinking right now?
Calli curled herself into a ball.
I already know. I was just pretending not to.
At first, she only tried to cozy up to Leonhardt in order to survive. But unexpectedly, she’d had fun.
Being more like a pet than a friend wasn’t so bad. Mischievous as he was, his touch was undeniably gentle.
You… you actually like Leon, don’t you?
The answer to that inner question had already been decided.
Yes. I like him.
Calli stretched out flat again, her tail and ears drooping.
When? When did I start liking him?
She had never liked anyone before. She wasn’t even sure this feeling was really “liking.”
She had forced herself to ignore it, but now it was impossible.
The heart was like that. What began as a tiny seed slowly sprouted over time.
What is it about Leon that I like?
As she blinked, the sound of the door opening froze her in place.
“Calli.”
Now, hearing her name whispered like that was no longer something she could bear so easily.
“Why were you screaming just now?”
