I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 104

Paul looked around once more.

 

Then he sighed and looked at my face again.

 

“Before that, I’d like to ask a few questions.”

 

His tone was extremely cautious.

 

Honestly, I had no idea what Paul was trying to get at, so I was just bewildered.

 

“There is something I found curious while staying at the Duke of Medes.”

 

Paul cleared his throat and asked cautiously.

 

“Everyone clearly said that Lady Yurika was adopted.… Why do the Duke’s people actually consider Lady Yurika to be the real second lady?”

 

Oh, it’s sharp.

 

I rolled my eyes and thought for a moment.

 

“Well, I suppose the Duchess could act that way. But Lady Mariel and Count Jayden behave exactly the same, too.”

 

To an outsider, it must indeed seem odd.

 

There are still things that need to be hidden, so I didn’t let anyone know that I was the real daughter.

 

But both Mariel and Jayden were treating me like the real Yurika.

 

I didn’t want to tell Paul the details, so I thought of an excuse.

 

Mariel—well, I could just say she was kind by nature.

 

Jayden—I could say he treated me that way out of guilt for the fake daughter incident.

 

“And above all,….”

 

Paul added, narrowing his eyes.

 

“You yourself seem to believe it.”

 

‘Wow.’

 

I almost clapped without realizing it.

 

I hadn’t thought about it that far.

 

‘The one who most firmly saw me as the real daughter… was me.’

 

“Are you really the missing daughter?”

 

It was the first time I’d heard someone say that to me so directly.

 

I was a bit flustered when Yohan intervened.

 

“I don’t know why you’re curious about that now.”

 

Yohan looked at Paul with eyes full of wariness.

 

“If it’s not urgent, why not leave it for later? A hunting competition is a dangerous enough situation already.”

 

He was right—it wasn’t the best timing for a conversation like this.

 

The hunting competitions carried plenty of risks on their own.

 

People could freely use force, and outside, Rivena was watching with hawk-like eyes.

 

“That’s why I’ve come now, after much thought.”

 

But Paul’s eyes widened as if he couldn’t back down.

 

“This is a dangerous situation. And this is a very important matter. If you really are Medes’s daughter, then give me proof. A worthy reward awaits.”

 

I folded my arms quietly and looked at Paul.

 

Beside me, the tiger only growled softly without showing much agitation.

 

Looking at the hood Paul wore, I could tell he was wary of Rivena as well.

 

He was not someone who thought all threats vanished just because Patre had died. After all, he himself had nearly died in the fire.

 

If he had come all the way here despite that, it must have been after a long inner conflict, and I had to respond just as seriously.

 

“There is no proof.”

 

“Yes…?”

 

“I said, I don’t have any solid proof to show you. But I am the real daughter. That’s for sure.”

 

The tiger rumbled happily and rubbed its head against my hand.

 

Paul scrubbed his face with both hands as if he were confused.

 

“This place… first the tiger is said to be the Duke, then an adopted child without evidence is declared the real daughter…”

 

Of course, he’d think that way.

 

Yohan narrowed his eyes at him, clearly annoyed, so I quickly continued,

 

“And I am trying to find definite proof. So that not only you, Paul, but anyone can see that I am truly the second daughter.”

 

At my firm words, Paul silently looked at me.

 

“I told you, didn’t I? I will recover the Medes family’s secrets… and I’ll take revenge for you as well.”

 

“.….”

 

There was silence for a moment.

 

Only Yohan was glaring at Paul as if he was going to kill him.

 

I waited patiently for Paul’s decision.

 

After all, he’d said he had something to give me.

 

And if he’d really brought it here, then the answer was already decided.

 

After enough time had passed, I was the first to speak.

 

“Should we wait any longer? We have work to do, too.”

 

“Ha…”

 

Paul pressed his hand to his forehead and muttered,

 

“I must be out of my mind, but…”

 

Then he closed his eyes tightly and continued speaking.

 

“Very well. Even without proof, I will believe you, Lady Yurika.”

 

“Hmm…, thank you.”

 

I answered halfheartedly, since it wouldn’t make much of a difference if he trusted me.

 

And Paul slowly put his hand inside the hood and took something out.

 

“Okay, then I’ll give you this.”

 

“Yes…?”

 

What Paul held out was an old necklace with a small pendant.

 

The pendant was a rather ordinary-looking ruby, but the craftsmanship was quite unique, perhaps because it was old.

 

It was an oddly asymmetrical pentagon—so strange that it seemed to have no aesthetic value at all.

 

I couldn’t even lie and say something like, ‘Oh my, it’s so pretty!’ and just quietly accepted it in my hand.

 

“It is a Medes heirloom.”

 

“What….?”

 

“A relic of Medest that was gifted to Viscount Olteva’s family. When the elders were dissolved, my father received it from the then-family head.”

 

I carefully turned the pendant over.

 

Indeed, the back of the pendant was engraved with the Medes seal in a very delicate manner.

 

‘How strange—if they could make the seal look this exquisite, why was the front crafted so poorly?’

 

“My father was the youngest among the elders. I think that’s why he received it.”

 

As I stared at the pendant in surprise, Paul rummaged in his clothes again.

 

“And this—this is a torn page from my father’s journal.”

 

He handed me a worn piece of parchment that looked like it had been ripped from a journal.

 

I quickly skimmed the words written there

 

[Having received this much, I can’t ask for anything more from the Medes family. Even so, the Elders must be disbanded.]

 

Paul muttered bitterly again that it was basically a bribe to silence them.

 

So it had been given out of guilt over the Elders’ dissolution.

 

[Someday, when this storm has passed, I must return it to the Medes family. This is an item that can save them from danger.]

 

‘Danger, huh…’

 

I frowned and looked at the necklace again as Paul spoke.

 

“I didn’t really intend to return it in the first place. That was just my father’s idea, after all.”

 

Paul looked at Yohan displeased, and added:

 

It was obviously his rebuttal to Yohan’s earlier question—why to bring this up during the hunting tournament competition?

 

“The hunting competition seems a bit dangerous.… and to think even Duke Medes himself is being dragged along to such a risky event… That’s why I brought it. I never thought I’d end up giving it to someone with no proof of bloodline.”

 

One thing was certain.

 

Paul no longer worshipped Yohan as he had before.

 

‘Well… I should’ve shown a bit more gratitude…’

 

Not that Yohan particularly cared about being worshipped like that anyway

 

“Thank you.”

 

Since the item did indeed belong to the Medes family, I smiled softly and expressed my thanks with proper courtesy.

 

“But if you are concerned that there is no proof that I am of Medes’s bloodline, you can give it to my older sister, the rightful head of the family.”

 

“That won’t be necessary.”

 

Paul said at once.

 

“She came looking for me only to drag me into danger and ruin my mood. And you expect me to hand her the necklace too? Absolutely not. Besides, head of the family? She’s about to become part of the imperial family, isn’t she?”

 

It was true that if Mariel married the crown prince, she would become a member of the imperial family.

 

Naturally, there was no way she could maintain her position as head of the Medes family.

 

In the original story, the Medes family had been ruined so badly that there was no need to even mention it… but now, the Duke family of Medes was flourishing.

 

‘Well, as long as Father returns, that’ll be enough. Mariel can just live like that.’

 

I smiled as I looked into the tiger’s innocent eyes.

 

Then, taking the worn page from the diary along with the necklace, I asked,

 

“However… how can this protect us from danger?”

 

“No idea. I’ve only read the same diary you did, Lady.”

 

Nor was he in a position to have had any proper conversation with Trevor.

 

In other words, I had received something—but how to use it was still completely unclear.

 

Well, it’s better than nothing.

 

I wrapped the necklace around my arm in gratitude, since I already had one on.

 

“I hope Medes’s family won’t fall into danger…”

 

Paul pulled his hood back on, as if he didn’t really want to stay here any longer.

 

“Because my father really likes mushroom soup.”

 

And with that, he left the tent without even a farewell.

 

I didn’t have a chance to stop him or ask anything further, because at that moment the sound of horns blared, followed by a loud announcement calling all participants of the hunting competition to gather quickly.

 

From now on, the real work began.

 

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