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chapter 48
A silent scream echoed through the quiet office.
“Chuut.”
Oh no, a mistake.
I placed my hand over my mouth as I stared at the stone-still Gerard.
“Miss Cherry, wh-what is… this…?”
“Chuut.”
What else could it be?
Unlike Gerard, who was tearing his hair out, I wore a carefree smile.
Exactly—
“How could you ruin the portrait of the Countess’s daughter…!”
I had completely ruined the portrait of Maria that came enclosed with the invitation.
The spilled ink from the bottle I had pretended to trip over had blackened Maria’s smiling face.
“…!”
Seeing Maria’s portrait now reduced to a shapeless mess, Gerard could only gape.
He kept glancing at Kenich repeatedly, probably wondering how to explain this situation.
“Chut chut.”
I felt a thrill of satisfaction spreading across my face, despite Gerard’s panic.
Compared to what Maria and her gang had done to me, this was nothing.
No, it was barely a drop in the bucket.
But this was the best revenge I could manage in my current form.
Because…
“When I graduate from the Academy, I’ll enter high society under everyone’s watchful eyes. I’ll marry an heir of a family as influential as mine, and live a life that no one can envy. Unlike you, Muriel.”
Marriage had always been a major goal for Maria, just as I had repeatedly said during our Academy days.
Her voice, which had once looked down on me, echoed in my ears like a phantom, but today it didn’t bother me.
“Chut chut…”
Even a slightly mischievous laugh slipped out.
A handsome face anyone would glance back at, a great physique, and wealth that grew to an unmanageable level if not spent daily.
Kenich Kreutz was the ideal man not just to Maria, but to all the young ladies of the Empire.
And now, he was facing her portrait, completely blackened with ink…
“Chut chut.”
Just thinking about it was immensely satisfying.
Try giving the Duke of Kreutz an unforgettable first impression like that.
As Gerard, confused, tried to stamp black mustaches on the faces of the other classmates, Kenich’s voice rang out above my head.
“What on earth are you two whispering about?”
“M-m-my lord, th-that is…”
Panicked, Gerard desperately shielded me and the ruined portrait with his body.
But timing is everything.
Our positions misaligned, and there I was, covered in ink, fully exposed.
“Chuu? Chuut.”
I tried subtly moving, but it was already too late.
“……”
Kenich’s lips pressed together, and silence fell over the office.
I rolled my eyes, looking first at Kenich, then at Gerard’s ruined desk.
‘Huh? When did it get this messy?!’
It looked like Gerard had tried to clean the desk right after the ink spilled.
But black ink stains were everywhere.
And with my paw prints!
“Chuu, chuut…”
This is bad.
I stared blankly into space, slowly backing up… right into Gerard’s jacket.
But, as expected.
“Cherry.”
I couldn’t lose him in this confined space.
A low, rumbling voice came from beyond the jacket.
‘Who’s Cherry? There’s no such squirrel.’
Huff.
I took a deep breath and made myself as thin as possible, but my escape ended like a midsummer night’s dream.
“Forgive this cowardly me, Miss Cherry.”
Gerard, whom I had trusted for a moment, revealed me to Kenich.
The dark view brightened, and a large shadow loomed above me.
“Cherry. Did you think you could run from me?”
“Chuu, chuut…”
No, that line is way too clingy male-lead-ish!
But before I could even panic, my body floated into the air.
“Cherry.”
Kenich’s stern face moved literally right in front of me.
Terrifyingly beautiful and imposing.
When my reflection caught in his golden eyes, I couldn’t help but look away.
“Chuu, chuut. Chuut, chuut.”
I had messed up the desk, but I had my reasons!
I rambled excuses without realizing it.
“All the ink got on my fur. Did you want me to be a sewer rat?”
Kenich gently rubbed my cheek.
Was there ink on my cheek too?
Then…
“Chuu, chuut? Chuutchutchut!!”
What? A sewer rat?
Saying that to a delicate young lady is rude!
I squeaked, but Kenich didn’t even react.
More accurately, he probably didn’t understand what I meant.
Instead, he flipped me upside down and gently wiped my back with a handkerchief.
“You could have just said you were jealous.”
“Chuu, chuut!”
Jealous?
Who does something like that, really?
Hmph. Ridiculous.
How dare he underestimate me, Miss Cherry!
Out of indignation, I flicked my tail sharply.
“You’re saying it’s not jealousy?”
‘Of course not!’
I’ve never experienced jealousy—I’m a magnanimous squirrel!
Just as I puffed up my fur and glared at Kenich—
“Ahem, hm.”
Gerard, quietly observing us, cleared his throat and caught our attention.
“My lord, I don’t think you’ll want to see this portrait. Perhaps it would be better to ask the Count of Lawrence’s family for a replacement?”
Gerard spoke carefully.
So quiet, and yet thinking such a trivial thing.
That foolish little snake.
Bring it here a hundred times—I’ll splash ink on it a hundred times over.
“Chut!”
I twisted the corner of my mouth, and a soft puff of air sounded above my head.
It was Kenich.
‘Did he just laugh?’
Could he possibly have understood what I said?
“Chuut?”
I lifted my head to look at Kenich.
His face was expressionless, as if he hadn’t laughed at all.
Then his usual calm voice followed.
“If you bring the portrait one more time, Gerard, I’ll soak you in snake oil.”
“Wh-what? Wh-who?”
“Who else?”
Kenich’s gaze fell on me.
“Miss Cherry, you said such cruel things with that cute little face?”
…Of course, I never actually said that.
Surely Kenich was just using me as an excuse to avoid a troublesome task.
‘Still… it doesn’t feel bad.’
Seeing Maria’s portrait ruined lifted my spirits like floating in the sky.
“Somehow I feel deceived… but fine. What should we do with this portrait?”
Gerard, guessing Kenich’s intention, no longer objected.
Instead, he carefully lifted the nearly torn portrait with his fingertips.
“Burn it.”
“Yes… what…?”
“Burn it.”
“Even so, it’s the portrait of a noblewoman…”
Gerard hesitated briefly, but the result didn’t change.
Snap!
With a snap of Kenich’s fingers, black flames erupted instantly.
The ink-soaked portrait of Maria, along with the letters piled on Gerard’s table, were gone in an instant.
It didn’t even take a second.
The flames had clearly sprung from Kenich’s mana.
“Chuu, chuu…”
I couldn’t even feel him using mana.
The black flames burned only the letters and then vanished.
Truly, this is Kenich Kreutz.
I stared at him with shining eyes for a rare moment.
‘Every time I think about it…’
I’m really glad Kenich is on our side.
