I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 105

“Roymond should go out as the representative of the royal family.”

 

The emperor smiled pleasantly and said.

 

“There is good news today, so please give the winning crown to your fiancée.”

 

Roymond, a warrior recognized by everyone, was the strongest candidate to win this tournament.

 

Of course, it wasn’t as if the Emperor was sending him purely out of goodwill.

 

Now, Yohan was in a position where he couldn’t stand out because of the rule that he couldn’t use magic.

 

No matter how much of a war hero he was, the war had ended—and once it’s over, people soon forget.

 

The Emperor was now setting the stage so that Roymond could outshine Yohan.

 

And so, five people remained in the imperial tent:

 

The Emperor, the Empress, Mariel, Theodor, and Rivena.

 

Rivena sat between Mariel and Theodore, gracefully and casually participating in the conversation.

 

“Oh, I see, Mariel. I had no idea you two had known each other for so long.”

 

“Actually, I had no choice but to hide it due to circumstances.… Thank you for your understanding.”

 

“Had I known earlier, I would have done everything I could to help.”

 

Mariel and the Empress had already become close friends and were very friendly with each other.

 

Just sitting there was exhausting enough—but what Rivena truly feared lay elsewhere.

 

Every time she thought about the tiger that had appeared with Yurika, a chill ran down her spine.

 

And to think they were now living together at the Medes estate.

 

‘How… how did she even find out?’

 

Since she could no longer enter the temple, it had taken her longer to notice.

 

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like everything had been part of Yurika’s scheme.

 

Her laboratory was one that very few people even knew about within the temple.

 

It was in such a secluded place that Rivena felt as if she’d been struck in the back realizing Yurika had somehow found it.

 

‘It must have been during the temple ceremony. That’s the only time Yohan Hyrad has ever been in or out.…’

 

Then the timing matched perfectly—Roymond had stationed the knights right after that ceremony.

 

‘So… how much do they know?’

 

Although Rivena was smiling the whole time while facing the emperor, she was feeling complicated.

 

Even though she knew that being emotionally cornered was dangerous in times like this, she couldn’t suppress her unease.

 

In the end, there was only one conclusion.

 

‘Today is the day that Theodore’s ban must be lifted.’

 

Because Rivena had only been conducting research, there were limitations to what she could do outside.

 

To truly bind Yurika’s movements, she needed more power.

 

And one more thing.

 

‘I need to lift Theodore’s ban to sow distrust between Yohan Hyrad and Yurika Medes.’

 

In the end, everything came down to Yohan Hyrad again.

 

If not for him, Yurika would never be capable of such large-scale actions— just as Rivena herself was now severely constrained without Theodore’s freedom.

 

And then the real hunting competition began.

 

The participants all scattered into the forest, each holding their own weapon.

 

“The winner is obviously Roymond, right?”

 

The Empress smiled at the Emperor and asked.

 

“That child is actually a warrior who would have gone to the most dangerous battlefield and taken the lead if he hadn’t been the crown prince.”

 

It was clearly a jab at Theodore, who was present here.

 

It was also a mockery of him for hiding the fact that he was a wizard because he didn’t want to go to war.

 

Theodore was an illegitimate child, not the Empress’s, so it was natural that the Empress hated him.

 

“I know,”

 

The emperor laughed heartily, following the Empress’s words.

 

“If that had been the case, the war might have ended sooner.”

 

Rivena raised her champagne glass and smiled back—though inwardly, she scoffed.

 

‘They talk so lightly about a war that’s already over.’

 

It was so obvious that they were trying to highlight Roymond in that hunting contest.

 

Seeing Mariel smiling prettily in her seat as Roymond’s fiancée made Rivena laugh even more.

 

In the end, the reward promised to the war hero was also taken by Roymond.

 

‘In a way, it’s like everything was taken away.’

 

From what she could tell, Yohan wasn’t even trying any political movement, so it seemed like the war hero’s influence would soon fade away.

 

‘Not that he’d notice, being so blinded by Yurika.’

 

Rivena looked around while drinking champagne.

 

She spotted Yurika heading into the eastern forest with a tiger whose tail was tied with a pink ribbon.

 

“Okay, the event is about to begin.”

 

The Emperor said cheerfully, taking a drink.

 

“Young ones, scatter and have some fun. It’ll take quite a while before the game’s all caught—why sit here idly?”

 

The awards ceremony for the hunting competition was a long time away, so there wasn’t much for those waiting to do.

 

In other words, it was time to mingle with the nobles gathered at the main camp.

 

“Yes, then I will go.”

 

And Rivena got up faster than anyone else.

 

Of course, she didn’t forget to give Theodore a subtle signal as she did.

 

* * *

 

“Then I’ll go.”

 

Inside the Medes’ tent—now that Paul had left—only Yohan and Yurika remained.

 

Yurika smiled brightly as she spoke, while the tiger, excited to head into the forest, bounded out ahead.

 

Yohan said, gently stroking Yurika’s hair.

 

“I’ll miss you so much, what should I do?”

 

“Well, I’ll be back soon.”

 

Yurika, who had no intention of hunting seriously anyway, said with a smile.

 

As if finding her smile pretty, Yohan lightly kissed her cheek.

 

Then, unable to bear it any longer, he hugged Yurika’s waist.

 

Looking at Yurika’s surprised face, Yohan smiled brightly and whispered.

 

“This is the first time the Duke isn’t here.”

 

Well, true — the tiger had been sticking by Yurika’s side all day, so Yohan hadn’t been able to shower her with much affection.

 

Yurika chuckled and leaned closer to him.

 

Yohan sighed faintly and kissed her cheek and lips again.

 

Her skin was smooth — and whenever he held her like that, it felt like he was dreaming.

 

“Being real lovers is nice, isn’t it?”

 

Outside, a full-scale hunting competition had begun, and people were cheering.

 

Amid that noise, Yohan whispered in a heated voice,

 

“We can do things like this when no one’s around…”

 

Yurika’s eyes flushed red, and she pouted as if trying to hide her shyness.

 

“Then you didn’t like it when we had to act close in front of others as fake lovers?”

 

“Of course, I liked that too.”

 

Yohan grinned and pulled her into his arms again, pressing his lips to her neck.

 

“But still… I like this better.”

 

For a while, they stayed like that, sharing each other’s warmth.

 

And only when she heard the low growl of a tiger outside, as if it had noticed the situation, did Yurika open her eyes wide as if she had suddenly come to her senses.

 

“Um… I should go now, Yohan.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Yohan smiled regretfully and slowly let her go— though letting go didn’t mean he was truly fine with it.

 

In truth, the hunting competition, Medes’s secrets — all of that felt meaningless compared to the desire to just keep her in his arms.

 

No matter how gentle or affectionate he acted, the obsessive pull he felt toward her never stopped.

 

If anything, being in an officially permitted relationship only made him cling harder.

 

He thought everything would be complete once they became lovers — but even now, every time she left his side, a sense of emptiness crept in.

 

‘We should get married soon.’

 

Ella’s curse still lingered in his heart like a restless shadow, but whenever he looked at Yurika squirming softly in his arms, all he could think about was—

 

‘We’ll fix everything… go on a honeymoon together…’

 

Yurika had many things that mattered to her — her family, for example.

 

Yohan understood that, and yet, sometimes it stung.

 

He knew their hearts didn’t weigh the same — not because she loved him less, but because she loved many things deeply.

 

Even now, his mind told him he should let her go — but his heart only wanted to keep her close.

 

He wanted to throw everything away, tear down the world if he had to, just to hold her.

 

But love couldn’t be forced just because one side burned hotter.

 

Maybe that was simply the limit of a human heart.

 

Or maybe, because he was a magician, he was cursed to want more than most.

 

“Hey, you know what?”

 

While Yohan was lost in thought, Yurika straightened her disheveled clothes and spoke lightly.

 

“I think I’ll miss you too.”

 

For a moment, Yohan blinked in surprise.

 

Didn’t she already dismiss it when he said he would miss her?

 

Yurika blinked and smiled.

 

“It’s only natural, right? Wanting to be near the person you love.”

 

“Uh… yeah…”

 

“Of course, I love my family too — but it’s different from how I feel about you.”

 

And then she grabbed his face and whispered in his ear.

 

“If it weren’t for my father, I don’t think I’d have come to my senses. Why are you so good at this?”

 

Now it was Yohan’s turn for his ears to burn bright red.

 

* * *