I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 51

If anyone asked Jayden about Artificial leather goods, I even asked him to sell some of them cheaply.

 

I also asked him to add, “Since it looks like real leather, the Medest family, who love animals, might misunderstand.”

 

If this continues for just a few days, luxury leather goods wouldn’t become a trend, and Rivena would have no choice but to sell off the large stockpile of leather goods at a low price.

 

‘This will hit them hard.’

 

There are probably three main goals that Rivena has set for this banquet.

 

First, harming me directly. This was an absolute failure, as I would be extremely cautious and careful.

 

And secondly, if she can’t harm me directly, she’ll establish herself in the social circles so that she can harm me indirectly.

 

For that purpose, she’ll even go as far as getting engaged to the prince.

 

And third, they wanted to take advantage of the emerging social trends and make a big profit.

 

‘In the end, they couldn’t accomplish any of the three because of me!’

 

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

 

Of course, I had to watch my reputation get ruined to ruin her plans.

 

“By the way, Yurika.”

 

Jayden spoke slowly, as if he knew about the rumors surrounding me.

 

“Don’t worry too much about what other people think. They’re just people who don’t know you. In the end, it’s all just jealousy.”

 

I knew that this was all Rivena’s doing, but Jayden didn’t seem to think that there was a deeper scheme behind these rumors.

 

In truth, I didn’t place much significance on such artificially created reputations.

 

Baseless rumors like this were something I could overturn easily if I really wanted to.

 

But Jayden continued to talk helplessly, as if he was hurt by my silence about such rumors.

 

“If you slowly prove your worth, everyone will realize that it was all just a rumor. It’s just that you haven’t stepped forward actively until now.”

 

The natural response in this conversation would be something like, “Thank you, Uncle,” or “Don’t worry too much.”

 

Something matures like that.

 

But instead, something completely different slipped out of my mouth.

 

“Well, it’s not all wrong.….”

 

Jayden’s eyes widened.

 

I also didn’t mean to, but I was surprised that my voice came out sounding slightly bitter.

 

Maybe because his clumsy attempt at comforting me actually touched my heart a little, the words kept spilling out.

 

“It’s true that I’m lucky… It’s a bit unfair calling me a fake, but it’s true that I’m taking someone’s place.”

 

At that moment, my heart sank.

 

Maybe, instead of the calculated response—‘I knew this would happen, and I don’t care’—this was my true feelings.

 

A complaint, entirely uncalculated, straight from my heart…

 

“……”

 

Jayden was about to call my name, but then hesitated.

 

It seemed like my words—‘someone else’s place’—had made him think.

 

‘Well, my name was Yurika, after all…’

 

Honestly, if I had just been adopted as an ordinary foster child, as people rumored, I wouldn’t have felt this way.

 

But filling an empty space just because I ‘looked similar’ made me feel like this wasn’t really my place.

 

Of course, I was a divine beast, a rare and powerful being, and I was already grateful just to have become human. There was no reason for me to feel sad about it.

 

In fact, it wasn’t me who benefited from the Medest family—it was the Medest family that benefited from me, and they all knew it.

 

That’s why I had nothing to be ashamed of.

 

‘And yet, even I… I couldn’t help but occasionally think that if the real Yurika ever returned, I should gracefully step aside.’

 

Because Mariel, Jayden, and even Sienna were such genuinely good people.

 

The sad part was, I had never once thought of “Yurika Medes” as truly mine… but by now, I had gotten a little too used to it.

 

Especially, right before coming to the banquet today, Sienna personally selected my accessories despite her sick body.

 

“Yurika, your pink eyes are really pretty. How about putting this pink ribbon on here?”

 

At times like that, I felt like she was really my mother and strangely I felt sad.

 

“Have fun, Yurika. I really like your partner. He’s polite and well-mannered. Though his eyes look a little… unhinged, he’s still very handsome. And that’s what matters most.”

 

Sienna even reminisced as she looked into my eyes.

 

“I knew something was bound to happen to that household. When I visited the Duke of Hyrad’s estate, that boy was terribly sick, but they still dragged him to the dinner table…”

 

The funny thing was, the squirrel at that dinner table had been me.

 

Of course, I couldn’t say that, so I just smiled.

 

“But…”

 

Noticing my gloomy expression, Jayden spoke up again, choosing his words carefully.

 

“Yurika, listen. I’m not great with words, but there’s something I really want to tell you.”

 

“To me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

His voice was very serious.

 

“Even if Yurika really does return one day, you will always be our family. Honestly, I only call you ‘Yurika’ out of convenience for my sister, but I’ve never once thought of you as someone who’s replacing another person.”

 

I felt strangely moved.

 

Jayden continued speaking.

 

“I know these rumors must be upsetting, but I hope you won’t let yourself be swayed by talk of ‘real’ and ‘fake.’ We like you just as you are.”

 

He smiled affectionately and asked cautiously.

 

“Do you want to use a different name…?”

 

“Uh… hmm….”

 

Actually, it was a topic I hadn’t really thought about before.

 

As long as my name wasn’t something that sounded like a pet’s—like ‘Blackie’ or ‘Momo’—I didn’t really care.

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

But hearing people directly call me a fake did make me feel unsettled, so I answered slowly.

 

That doesn’t mean I can’t think of any other suitable name though.

 

I suddenly realized that I quite liked the name Yurika.

 

At that moment, I caught an interesting sight.

 

The banquet had barely started, but Rivena and Theodore were already heading toward the balcony.

 

‘Wait, at this time?’

 

I knew they would have a mid-banquet strategy meeting, but this was sooner than expected.

 

‘It was only the second dance, and they were already disappearing in the middle of it…’

 

And since the balcony is such a private space, no one else can enter.

 

This meant that it was the perfect environment for sharing secret stories.

 

‘Did something urgent happen?’

 

Feeling a strange premonition, I quickly turned to look at Yohan, who had been keeping a close eye on them.

 

Yohan met my gaze and mouthed, ‘Something’s suspicious.’

 

“Uncle.”

 

I had a strict rule—whenever something seemed suspicious, I had to check it out.

 

“I need to use the bathroom for a moment.”

 

If the balcony was locked, no one could enter.

 

Especially if an official couple is heading to the balcony, it is considered quite rude to disturb them.

 

In this situation, it was considered impossible to eavesdrop on the conversation.

 

‘That is, for a human.’

 

The temple had no idea that I had received a special drug from Runart, allowing me to freely transform into a squirrel.

 

So, transforming back into a divine beast again was like having a secret weapon.

 

‘I have to turn into a squirrel and somehow eavesdrop on the conversation.’

 

Of course, I couldn’t stay a squirrel forever, so I needed to coordinate with Yohan, who could turn me back into a human.

 

“I’ll inform Yohan first.”

 

It might have sounded odd that I would stop by Yohan before going to the bathroom, but Jayden nodded coolly.

 

“…Yeah. That crazy war hero gets restless just from not seeing you.”

 

‘He still called Yohan ‘the crazy war hero’?’

 

Curious, I tilted my head and asked,

 

“Hmm… but I thought you liked Yohan? You seemed to get along well last time.”

 

“A merchant must always know how to wear a mask.”

 

Jayden answered with a cold face.

 

“I only smile because he’s too powerful. But I could never like a madman who’s after my niece.”

 

If that’s true, it was amazing acting, and very rational judgment of the situation.

 

“The moment he shows weakness, I’ll make sure he can never cling to you again.”

 

Jayden added darkly, then looked at me vaguely, as if he had misunderstood something strange.

 

“But still… try not to cry too much. It hurts my heart.”

 

Then, he took me to Yohan before I went to the bathroom.

 

* * *