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Chapter 6
Right then, the door flew open and Levi came in.
“Waaah! No! Don’t come in!”
Thud—
Kalli slammed belly-first right into Levi’s face.
“Mmgh… M-Miss…?”
“Ahh! I-I’m falling! Hurry and catch me! What are you doing?!”
“O-Okay! Yes, ma’am!”
His arms were too short to grab Kalli by the ears. As she slowly slipped downward, Levi reached out to catch her.
Unfortunately, his hand headed straight for Kalli’s bottom.
For a brief moment, both Kalli and Levi froze.
Smack.
Kalli moved first and smacked her own forehead.
“It’s rude to touch a lady’s bottom, Levi.”
“I-I’m sorry. But… you’re a squirrel…”
“Even if I’m a squirrel, I’m still a lady. And I used to be human! Never forget that.”
“Yes… I won’t. But, Miss, your fur is incredibly soft.”
Levi, already used to this by now, gently placed Kalli on top of his head.
She wriggled around before lying flat on her back, as though she were looking up at the sky.
“Levi. I have something I want to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know when His Grace the Grand Duke is coming back to the estate?”
“Ah… well…”
Levi, who had confidently promised to show her the famous library today, suddenly stopped walking.
He clearly looked troubled.
Feeling the movement stop beneath her, Kalli crawled forward until her stomach rested against the top of his head.
She crept all the way to his forehead and looked down.
Levi was forcing a smile.
“They say… there are just too many monsters… So that’s why His Grace is late…”
“I see.”
“D-Don’t worry! He promised he’ll definitely be here on the wedding day!”
“At this rate, I don’t think he’ll even make that.”
“No, he will! Lady Jane said so too, and everyone else did. Whenever His Grace goes on a monster subjugation, it always takes several weeks…”
“Hm…”
“It’s true…”
“I know. I didn’t say it wasn’t.”
That part had been mentioned in the original novel.
It wasn’t described in much detail, but it had definitely been there.
To conquer Credencia, it was essential to destroy the iron wall protecting the northern lands.
Since that was a necessary step, monsters constantly appeared throughout the North.
‘Of course, in Leonhardt’s case, he also goes because seeing blood calms his madness.’
She understood.
Still, at this rate, it seemed possible that he wouldn’t even make it to the wedding.
Well…
It didn’t really matter.
This wedding was a little different from ordinary weddings.
In this Empire, a marriage was only officially recognized if the couple made a sacred vow before both the Imperial Family and the Holy See.
Any other marriage was difficult to acknowledge.
But the Spencer family was different.
Because of the curse, exceptional circumstances were permitted, so even a simple wedding ceremony was recognized.
‘Normally, a Grand Duke would have an extravagant wedding. But because this marriage is only due to the curse, I guess they’re just keeping it simple.’
The word marriage drifted through Kalli’s mind once more.
She stood up and patted her stomach.
“Hmm… Did I gain weight?”
Ever since becoming a squirrel, she’d done nothing but eat, sleep, and play.
She’d practically been living the life of an unemployed freeloader.
Even in a squirrel’s body, there was no way she wouldn’t gain weight.
Tilting her head, she felt Levi chuckle.
“Why are you laughing, kid?”
“You’re definitely heavier than before, so I think you gained a little.”
“What? Seriously? No way.”
She sprang to her feet and looked herself over from every angle.
But thanks to all her fluffy fur, she couldn’t tell at all.
Her expression turned troubled as she poked at her belly before plopping back down.
‘It’s not like a squirrel is ever going to wear a wedding dress anyway.’
How exactly was a squirrel supposed to wear a dress?
Still, mentally she was a woman, so she couldn’t help being sensitive about gaining weight.
The problem was that this ridiculous squirrel body made it impossible to tell what was fat and what was just fur.
“Come to think of it, Miss, you’ve never actually met His Grace the Grand Duke before, have you?”
“No. This’ll be my first time.”
A slender figure that, beneath the clothes, was packed with lean muscle.
Long arms and legs.
Black hair like the darkest chestnuts.
Eyes that shone like molten gold.
A small face with perfectly arranged features.
She could roughly picture what kind of man he looked like.
‘So basically… he looks weak and skinny, but he’s actually solid underneath. Plus, he’s ridiculously handsome.’
Still, he was nothing more than a picture she could never reach.
According to the novel, he also had a slight sadistic streak.
‘Definitely not my type.’
Maybe that was why.
She wasn’t looking forward to meeting him in the slightest.
Honestly…
It would be fine if he never showed up at all.
The day of the wedding.
Kalli quietly stared at the clothes Jane held out.
“What do you think, Miss? Do you like it?”
“Could this possibly be…?”
“Yes. I made it myself. I stayed up several nights just for you.”
“Wow… Your craftsmanship is amazing…”
Unbelievable.
The tiny white dress, modeled after a wedding gown, was perfectly sized for a squirrel.
Kalli applauded over and over in admiration.
She had assumed squirrels simply didn’t have clothes to wear.
Deeply touched, she let Jane help her get dressed.
The little dress was decorated with adorable frills here and there to imitate a real wedding gown.
“Thank you so much, Jane. You’re really talented.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just happy that you like it.”
“By the way… where’s Leon— I mean, His Grace the Grand Duke? It feels like he should be here by now.”
Jane’s expression instantly became awkward.
Kalli wondered if she’d asked something she shouldn’t have.
But that expression alone told her everything she needed to know.
“So… he still hasn’t come.”
“Miss… well…”
“It’s okay. I expected this.”
“It wasn’t as though this was a real wedding where guests gave gifts and congratulated the couple.
There was a forest within the Grand Duke’s estate.
Deep inside stood a large pond, and at its center was a pavilion flanked by two beautiful statues of the Goddess.
That was where the simple ceremony would take place.
‘Can you even call that a wedding? It’s closer to an engagement.’
The attendees consisted of one officiant, the bride and groom, the head butler, the head maid, and a handful of Leonhardt’s subordinates.
He was the Grand Duke.
A man whose power rivaled even the Emperor’s.
Yet because of the curse, his wedding would be nothing more than this pitiful little ceremony.
“But I’m so small that nobody will even see me. What are we going to do about that?”
“Oh.”
Jane retrieved a cushion from atop a dresser.
Made of luxurious velvet, it looked incredibly expensive.
Golden tassels hung elegantly from each of the four corners.
She carefully lifted Kalli with both hands and gently placed her onto it.
“I’ll carry you like this during the ceremony.”
“Oh… You’ll be the one carrying me?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Still…
If the ceremony was going to be this simple, wouldn’t it have been easier just to sign a contract?
‘Wouldn’t that solve everything?’
She tilted her head.
Just then, someone knocked.
Turning toward the door, she saw Levi peek his head inside.
“Good morning, Miss.”
“Morning, Levi.”
“Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Ah. Thanks.”
Not exactly something she wanted to hear.
Still, she nodded politely.
“I… don’t have permission to attend, so… I wanted to congratulate you now.”
“Why not?”
“They said I’m not officially employed yet.”
The disappointment was obvious on Levi’s face.
After thinking for a moment, Kalli broke into a grin.
“Jane. Make Levi my personal attendant starting today.”
“Excuse me…?”
“I’m becoming the Grand Duchess today, aren’t I? I think I can do at least that much.”
“Miss, but…”
“Then Levi can attend, right?”
“M-Miss…!”
Jane was flustered, but Kalli remained completely confident.
It wasn’t an impossible request.
Jane opened her mouth to object before finally smiling in resignation.
She handed the velvet cushion she had been holding over to Levi.
“Miss… it seems you’ve really grown fond of Levi.”
“I have. He’s cute. And he’s such a good listener…”
He’s basically like a puppy.
Oops.
That wasn’t supposed to be an insult.
Well, he was only seven years old.
A puppy sounded nicer.
Every time he saw her, he practically wagged an imaginary tail, begging to be picked up.
At this point, she figured she might as well keep him.
Making absolutely certain Kalli wouldn’t fall, Levi carefully carried the cushion while following Jane toward the pavilion.
“So… His Grace really isn’t coming after all.”
“Levi, you shouldn’t say things like—”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”
Sitting comfortably on her cushion, Kalli watched the scenery drift by.
She had passed this way once before thanks to Levi.
Maybe it was because the ceremony didn’t feel like a real wedding.
Whether Leonhardt came or not made little difference to her.
What mattered was meeting him.
She had to meet him and tell him they needed to break the curse together.
“Miss, aren’t you nervous?”
“Hmm? Not at all.”
The pavilion drew closer.
As expected…
Leonhardt was nowhere to be seen.
The officiant looked startled upon seeing Kalli, but after clearing his throat, he announced,
“The bride will now enter.”
Levi tried his best not to make a mistake.
Seeing how tense he was made Kalli laugh.
Could this wedding simply be meant to deceive the witch’s eyes?
The witch had only said that the cursed bride needed to get married.
‘If that’s the case… couldn’t the Grand Duke just have a proper wedding with another woman later in front of the Imperial Family and the Holy See?’
But then again…
A witch’s curse wasn’t something so easy to fool.
Would the witch really have failed to anticipate something that obvious?
“The groom will now enter.”
“……”
“Ahem. The groom…”
Sweat trickled down the officiant’s forehead.
No matter how long he waited, the groom never appeared.
After a moment of thought, Kalli finally spoke.
“Just continue.”
“But…”
“He’s busy and couldn’t make it. Please go on.”
It really didn’t matter.
The officiant reluctantly raised his hand to continue.
Just then—
The doors of the pavilion swung open.
“The groom has arrived.”
At the sound of that deep, rich voice that effortlessly caught people’s attention, Kalli turned her head.
Standing there was a man dressed impeccably in formal wedding attire.
“Well now. The wedding isn’t over yet, is it?”
