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Chapter 10
He crossed one leg over the other and folded his arms.
Looking down at Kali, Leonhardt gave no reply, as if silently telling her to continue.
“Don’t you want to break the curse?”
At the mention of the word curse, the smile finally disappeared from Leonhardt’s face.
His expression turned cold.
At last, he discarded the mask of constant smiles.
“…What are you trying to do?”
Even though that expression should have been intimidating, Kali paid it no mind and continued speaking.
“The curse. The curse that’s on both you and me, Your Grace.”
Leonhardt pressed his lips together and remained silent.
At first glance, he seemed deep in thought.
Kali waited patiently for him to speak.
A long while passed before he finally opened his mouth.
“And how exactly does someone like you think you’re going to break the curse, saying something so arrogant?”
“There’s only one way to break a witch’s curse.”
“That’s right. Love.”
Ridiculously enough…
Love.
That disgusting, insignificant, utterly useless emotion.
For a fleeting moment, a bitter smile crossed Leonhardt’s face.
“If I sincerely fall in love with you, the curse will be broken.”
He muttered the words in a flat, emotionless tone.
He wasn’t wrong.
If the cursed Grand Duke truly loved the cursed bride, the curse would be lifted.
But who could ever genuinely love a cursed bride?
“No. It’s actually easy.”
“You make it sound simple because it’s someone else’s problem.”
“Think about it. Love doesn’t only mean romantic love.”
Kali stood up.
Keeping her eyes fixed on Leonhardt’s, she continued as though telling him to listen carefully.
“There’s love between family. Love between friends. Love between people who are close to each other. There are many kinds of love.”
“…”
“The witch never specified what kind of love it had to be.”
“…”
By now, Leonhardt’s eyes had taken on a look of interest.
Seeing that, Kali continued with newfound confidence.
“Well, since she told us to get married, she probably meant romantic love… but she never actually said that. Right?”
“Hm… now that I think about it, you’re right.”
“What exactly does the curse say? What are the precise words?”
“Exactly as it was spoken. The cursed Grand Duke must sincerely love the cursed bride.”
“I knew it…”
Leonhardt was beginning to understand what Kali was proposing.
Slightly persuaded, he finally smiled again.
“The witch never said the cursed bride had to be loved as a lover.”
“Exactly.”
Excited, Kali slapped the table with her palm.
The light thumping echoed through the office.
“So cooperate with me, Your Grace.”
Surprisingly, the conversation progressed much more smoothly than expected.
See? I told you this would work.
“Let’s be friends.”
“Friends?”
“Yes. Any other kind of relationship would be difficult, but being friends should be possible, right?”
Leaning comfortably against his chair, Leonhardt tilted his head as he looked at her.
“You want to break the curse?”
“What kind of obvious question is that? Who would want to stay trapped in a squirrel’s body forever?”
Her arms and legs were short, and she was barely fifteen centimeters tall.
Someone could step on her, and she’d die without making a sound.
With a body this small, she couldn’t even open a door.
There was almost nothing she could do.
“Why? If you stay like this, I was planning to spoil you.”
“…Absolutely not. No thank you. Never. I refuse.”
“I think it sounds nice.”
He reached out his hand.
Before Kali could dodge, Leonhardt had already caught her.
Held perfectly in his left hand, Kali found herself staring directly into his handsome face.
“I can cherish the things I like until the day they die.”
“Well, that’s…”
Kali glanced sideways at the index finger of his right hand as it approached.
Poke.
It pressed into her right cheek.
“That’s a terrifying thing to say.”
“I like you, Kali.”
His golden eyes gleamed.
For some reason, alarm bells started ringing in Kali’s head.
Wait… did I end up in the hands of someone seriously dangerous?
His right hand was now kneading one of her cheeks.
“L-Let me go.”
“Why?”
“Ah! What exactly is it that you like about me?!”
She hadn’t done a single cute thing.
All she’d done was complain and argue back.
She had never acted adorable.
She’d simply spoken and acted honestly.
Everything had been completely genuine.
Don’t tell me it’s one of those cliché lines like, “You’re the first person who’s ever treated me like this!”
She shook her head furiously.
No way.
“Because you’re like a squeaky toy.”
…Of course.
As expected, it wasn’t a normal answer.
It sounded exactly like a child who had just gotten their hands on a fascinating new toy.
Kali bit the finger that came toward her again.
But Leonhardt casually pulled his finger free and quietly stared at the bite marks left behind.
“Fine. I’ll cooperate.”
He was still smiling.
“But I don’t like the idea of being friends.”
Kali blinked slowly.
Is this another one of his mood swings?
She seriously considered it.
“Huh?”
“I said I don’t want to be friends. Are you bad at understanding people?”
“Who are you calling an idiot? I understood you perfectly!”
“Then what’s the problem?”
He merely shrugged, looking completely unable to understand her reaction.
Kali wanted to punch that man.
Where would it actually hurt with these tiny squirrel fists?
She glanced toward the man’s crotch.
…No. That’s way too perverted.
If she hit him there, he’d definitely feel it.
Or maybe she should just rip out that nice-looking hair of his.
“Let’s make it a pet and owner relationship. Otherwise, I can’t cooperate.”
“…Were you serious? You actually meant that?”
“I never lie.”
He sounded completely firm.
Completely bewildered, Kali grabbed her head—
Or rather, her fur.
“Aagh! Ugh… agh!”
“Go ahead and think until your head explodes. Kali, I never take part in anything that puts me at a disadvantage.”
“H-How is this a disadvantage? I said let’s be friends!”
“Because friends are boring.”
“Grr…!”
No.
Stay calm.
Calm down.
Kali took a deep breath.
I never imagined this man would be such an expert at getting under people’s skin.
In the original novel, he had simply been portrayed as a sensitive, irritable man who enjoyed tormenting others.
Did the story change because I kept struggling to survive instead of quietly following the original plot?
No, that’s not what’s important right now. What am I supposed to do?!
The squirrel was in agony.
She clutched her head and lowered it.
Only her miserable groans echoed through the office.
“What if I refuse?”
“Then it’s over.”
“…What if I accept? Do I have to call you ‘Master’?”
That would be absolutely horrifying.
Leonhardt chuckled.
As though he had been waiting for that question, his crimson lips curved into a grin.
“That would sound nice too. Why? Don’t like it?”
“Of course I don’t.”
“I’ll let you skip the title. Out of the boundless generosity of my heart.”
Boundless generosity, my foot.
She couldn’t let herself lose like this.
Burning with determination, Kali continued.
“Then I should get something too! We’re doing this so both of us can break the curse and live happily!”
“Then tell me what you want. We’re negotiating, aren’t we?”
“Ugh…”
Groaning again, she thought it over.
Honestly, she could just accept it.
Pet and owner.
She didn’t like it, but still.
At least she wouldn’t have to call him Master.
If he’d forced that too, her pride would have been completely shattered.
What kind of negotiation is this? This is practically a declaration.
Kali tapped the table with her foot several times before finally lifting her head.
“F-Fine. Let’s do it. But then you have to sincerely love me with the heart of an owner, so it doesn’t violate the witch’s condition.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“I have one request too.”
“What is it?”
“The way I address you.”
“My title?”
Leonhardt tilted his head.
As if she’d been waiting for this moment, Kali pointed a finger at him.
“I’m going to call you by your name. Your actual name.”
“Well… sure.”
The answer came so easily that her eyes widened.
He was the Grand Duke.
The Grand Duke.
And yet he was saying it was perfectly fine for someone to casually call him by name.
“…Really?”
“I don’t really care. Kali, you’re terrible at negotiating.”
“Aagh…”
“Do you even know my name?”
“Ah. I do. Of course I do.”
How could I ever forget the pitiful supporting character who ends up consumed by madness and dies because of betrayal?
“Leonhardt. Leonhardt Spencer. That’s too long. I’ll just call you Leon.”
“So insolent.”
Press.
His index finger pressed down on Kali’s head.
She slapped at his finger repeatedly until he pulled it away.
“Do as you like.”
“No taking it back later.”
“If you’re that worried, should we write up a contract?”
Leonhardt stood and walked to his desk, returning with a blank sheet of paper and a pen.
Kali quietly stared at the blank paper.
“You need to bring two copies. A contract needs two.”
“Not bad.”
“You were just trying to scam me, weren’t you? Huh? Just because I’m a squirrel, you’re looking down on me?”
Still smiling silently, Leonhardt fetched another blank sheet.
He sat back down and picked up the pen.
“I’ll write it for you instead. Those tiny hands of yours don’t look capable of it.”
“…I’ll bite you. Better keep your hands to yourself.”
“It didn’t even hurt.”
He waved the finger Kali had bitten earlier.
She only glared at it.
“Well then. What should we write? Tell me everything you want included. Out of my great generosity, I’ll gladly write it in.”
“Wow, how unbelievably generous of you. Hmph!”
Kali turned her head away with a huff, then quietly looked back at the paper.
She climbed onto the table and gently placed her foot on the top of the page.
“To break the curse, the pet and the owner agree to become partners and cooperate with one another to the best of their abilities.”
