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Chapter 5
Although he became violent, reckless, and cruel whenever his madness flared up, he was somewhat human the rest of the time.
Still, Kalli had never imagined he was the kind of person who would show kindness to someone.
“My mother died from an illness, and my father was addicted to gambling… so he sold me.”
“Umm…”
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.
Kalli had no hobby of poking at other people’s painful memories.
Feeling awkward, she swallowed. But Levi continued speaking.
“It hurt so much that I ran away and was hiding in an alley. Then His Grace the Grand Duke brought me here.”
“His Grace the Grand Duke is my lifesaver. Hehe.”
“Hey, Levi.”
“Yes?”
“You…”
Levi didn’t seem to know much about a parent’s love either.
Maybe that was why.
Kalli felt something strange stirring in her heart.
She raised her tiny hand and gently patted Levi’s head. As if he understood, Levi smiled brightly.
“My lady. It tickles.”
“Levi, if you’re ever bored, take me around the mansion again tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow too?”
“Yeah. Or come see me whenever you’re bored.”
“Where do you stay, My Lady?”
“Me? Over there. The room at the end of the right hallway on the fifth floor.”
“You’re pretty far away.”
“But you’ll still come, right?”
Kalli liked this child.
He carried pain similar to her own, yet he had grown up without going astray.
And he was kind enough to indulge her, and talking with him wasn’t unpleasant at all.
“Then… are we friends, My Lady?”
“Friends? Ah… yeah. Sure. Friends are nice. By the way, are you close to His Grace the Grand Duke?”
“Yes. He’s the one who brought me here.”
“I see.”
Perfect.
Kalli smiled slyly to herself.
If Levi was close to Leonhardt, then this was even better.
She could use Levi as a stepping stone and become friends with Leonhardt too.
Still… Leonhardt is more surprising than I thought.
He even had a compassionate side.
Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
So please, hurry up and come back already. Let’s talk.
But Leonhardt still showed no sign of returning.
Before long, Levi started walking toward the kitchen.
A child was still a child after all.
He wandered toward the delicious smell as if enchanted.
“Levi. Are you hungry?”
“No. But it smells so good…”
“This smell…”
Freshly baked bread.
Kalli jumped to her feet, her eyes sparkling.
Nice one, kid. I was going to tease you for being such a glutton, but this was actually a great discovery!
Her mouth was already watering.
Levi seemed to feel the same, his little body fidgeting excitedly.
“Levi… do you like bread?”
“O-Of course! What about you, My Lady?”
“I love it too. Freshly baked bread is the best.”
She knew from experience working part-time at a bakery.
The moment you put freshly baked bread into your mouth…
While Levi hovered around the oven, his eyes met the cook’s.
The cook was a stout man with a gentle smile.
“Ho ho. Levi, you little rascal. You’re here again. Come over.”
“It smells amazing again today!”
The cook looked surprised when he noticed the squirrel sitting on top of Levi’s head.
Soon enough, however, he smiled warmly again.
“My Lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the cook, Fuer.”
“N-Nice to meet you.”
Perhaps being reincarnated as a squirrel wasn’t so bad after all.
Stab!
Leonhardt pierced the one-eyed monster straight through its eye and let out a chuckle.
True to its nature, the monster’s blood was purple.
“Ugh… disgusting.”
“Your Grace, I’m amazed you can stab something that disgusting.”
Shrugging at the knights’ comments, Leonhardt straightened up.
The purple blood splattered across his left cheek was revolting enough to make his skin crawl.
“I think we’re finished on this side.”
Gerald handed his lord a handkerchief before looking around the devastated forest.
Monsters that harbored hatred and vengeance toward Leonhardt and his knights were scattered all across the northern lands.
No one ever knew when another would appear.
“Your Grace. Kei has returned with another crow.”
“Hahaha… ha…”
Leonhardt laughed before letting out a sigh.
He had been thinking it was finally time to return to the mansion…
…and then another monster had appeared.
That was merely an excuse, though.
If he went back, he’d have to see that squirrel bride he had no desire to face.
If he saw her, anger would consume him again, and his madness would take over.
Then he might once again find himself moving under the curse’s command.
If I kill her before we’re married, I’ll die too.
The previous Grand Duke had failed to recognize that his bride had become a deer and killed her before taking her as his bride.
Two months later, the former Grand Duke died from an unexplained illness.
Leonhardt remembered that day vividly.
“Kei. Come here.”
As soon as he stretched his arm toward the sky, the white crow swooped down as though it had been waiting.
It rubbed the tip of its beak against the back of Leonhardt’s hand in a gesture of affection.
Gently stroking the crow’s head with the back of his hand, Leonhardt untied the note attached to its leg.
Your Grace. Only one week remains until the ceremony.
So what?
Picking at his ear, Leonhardt opened the next message brought by another crow.
Please return before it’s too late. I beg you.
The handwriting belonged to the aide he had left behind at the mansion.
Despite the desperate plea, Leonhardt simply read it and tossed it aside.
He gathered mana into his fingertips and ignited the paper, burning it to ashes.
His blood had already begun to stir, preparing to surge, so he quickly extinguished the flames.
The madness mixed within his mana was far too assertive.
“Are you finally returning now?”
“Your Grace, we’d like to get some rest too!”
“Hear, hear! Please let us go back!”
“It’s already been two weeks!”
“Boo! Drunkard! You’re the worst! Boo!”
“Ah, shut up. Shut up.”
Covering his ears and pretending not to hear them, Leonhardt turned around.
He pulled the sword planted in the ground free and pointed it at the grumbling knights.
“Who just called me a drunkard? Step forward.”
Silence instantly fell over the area.
“If we go back now, we’ll arrive earlier than planned. I still can’t return.”
“Then Your Grace can come later. We’ll head back first!”
“Not happening. Since when do subordinates think they can arrive before their lord? How insolent.”
Watching Leonhardt’s stubbornness from the side, Gerald quietly sighed.
“Your Grace. Even if you dislike your bride that much, you should at least attend the wedding properly.”
“You’re becoming more nagging by the day. You’re starting to sound like Ains.”
“Perhaps you’ve forgotten… but Ains is my younger brother.”
“I didn’t forget.”
Judging by his expression, he had absolutely forgotten.
Gerald shook his head helplessly.
Sliding his sword back into its scabbard, Leonhardt stretched and glanced over his knights.
Many of them couldn’t keep up with his stamina.
Perhaps he had been thinking only of himself.
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
The cursed voice wasn’t whispering in his ear anymore.
I guess I have no choice. I’ll have to go back.
Leonhardt sent both the white crow and the black crow away without a reply.
As if pleased, Kei circled once through the air before flying toward the mansion.
A single white feather drifted down from the sky.
White fur…
A chubby little squirrel completely covered in fluffy white fur.
How exactly was he supposed to deal with that?
“Let’s go back.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Have you ever known me to lie? Let’s go.”
A mischievous grin spread across Leonhardt’s face.
Keeping his eyes lowered, Gerald spoke quietly.
“Your Grace. Bullying animals is something only petty people do.”
“I never said I was going to bully her.”
“Your face is practically covered in mischief. It’s wrong to torment someone just because you dislike them. And when it’s an animal, it’s even worse.”
“If I can’t avoid it, I’d rather enjoy it. You’re saying I can’t even do that? That’s harsh.”
Leonhardt stopped walking toward where the horses were tied.
“Gentlemen… shall we postpone our return by one more day?”
A horde of monsters with crimson eyes emerged from the forest.
“Gerald. Tell Ains this.”
Smiling as though it were a shame, Leonhardt discarded his sword sheath altogether.
It was getting in the way.
“This really isn’t because I don’t want to go back.”
Just when was Leonhardt going to return?
Rolling back and forth across the enormous bed, Kalli finally stopped when she reached the edge.
She had almost fallen off.
She rolled back the other way.
It’s already been three weeks since I became a squirrel.
People really could adapt to anything.
Getting used to this tiny body, which she had thought would be difficult, turned out to be surprisingly easy.
After all, a squirrel had nothing but time.
Come to think of it… what happened to my original body? There wasn’t anyone to even hold a funeral for me.
She had no relatives.
No one to take care of her poor body.
Thinking back, she had worked unbelievably hard.
She hated the thought of people pointing fingers and saying, “She’s like that because she has no parents.”
So she constantly pushed herself forward.
And the result of all that effort…
…was being reborn as a squirrel.
“…Hey. Why am I sitting here thinking such depressing thoughts?”
Muttering to herself, Kalli sprang to her feet.
Her short legs and tiny arms still made her sigh automatically.
She had run through life like a crazed racehorse.
Now that there was nothing left to do, life felt unbearably dull.
A squirrel’s life consisted of eating, sleeping, eating, sleeping…
…and then eating and sleeping some more.
“Ahhh! This is so boring!”
She couldn’t take it anymore.
She had to do something.
Jumping down from the bed, she landed gracefully.
She had become surprisingly good at landing.
Feeling rather proud of herself, Kalli walked over to the table where the flowerpot sat.
It seemed Levi wasn’t coming today.
Ever since then, he’s really been wearing down the doorstep with how often he visits.
Levi had come to see her almost every single day.
Jane always left Kalli in Levi’s care without worry.
Perhaps because he was the only child attendant, everyone in the mansion adored him.
He’s just the kind of kid you can’t dislike.
Climbing onto the table, Kalli leaped toward the doorknob with practiced ease.
