I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 57

“If it’s a surprise gift…”

 

“Mariel, with her ears perked up, asked, and Roymond answered with a grin.

 

“The problem right now is that everyone is talking about Lady Yurika being a fake adopted child or something. At times like this, we need to show that the Medes family cherishes Lady Yurika.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“People probably didn’t realize it because there hasn’t been much interaction in social circles so far. So how about making a big, flashy show of it now?”

 

“I love it!”

 

Mariel exclaimed right away, clearly loving the idea.

 

“That’s perfect! We’ll show everyone that attacking Yurika is something the Medes family won’t tolerate!”

 

Jayden also clenched his fists in agreement.

 

“That’s right, Your Highness! Thank you for the great suggestion.”

 

“But… how should we show it?”

 

“Don’t worry, Mariel. This kind of thing….”

 

Jayden said with a confident grin, like the leader of a trade group that he was.

 

“The more money you pour into it, the better the results. Add a bit of sincerity, and the effects are phenomenal.”

 

“Yes! Then let’s start right after the banquet ends!”

 

“Good! We’ll start the operation tonight!”

 

Roymond thought to himself, ‘Th-that soon?’ but he couldn’t show it on his face.

 

Mariel and Jayden were burning with enthusiasm.

 

Instead, Roymond carefully offered a suggestion.

 

“Come to think of it, the Medes ancestors were a beast, right? What if we gave Yurika an item with symbolic meaning? Something that would make her feel more connected to the Medes family. I noticed before that she seems to like leather goods.”

 

“Ah….”

 

Mariel rolled her eyes and tilted her head.

 

“Hmm… I’m not really sure. I don’t know much about it, and our family doesn’t really have any books on that subject…”

 

She looked intrigued, though, her eyes sparkling.

 

“But I know that Yurika is secretly interested in the Medes family!”

 

Roymond, excited by the thought of being helpful, quickly replied,

 

“Hmm, I once glanced over a book about it….. What about something like a squirrel?”

 

Anyway, since Mariel showed her motivation, he wanted to help her in some way.

 

A squirrel – just thinking about it made it sound cute.

 

Mariel was even very fond of small animals. She couldn’t take her eyes off even a single bird flying by.

 

It was an idea that Roymond thought Mariel would really like.

 

But at the word ‘squirrel’, Mariel’s expression hardened for a moment.

 

“A squirrel? Why would you think of that….?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Oh, no, it’s just… Why a squirrel of all things….”

 

Seeing the smile disappear from Mariel’s face, Roymond panicked and quickly tried to explain.

 

“Did you hate squirrels? I just…. I once saw an illustration of a squirrel drawn in the <Medes> section of a book I had seen briefly while following His Majesty the Emperor.…”

 

“What?”

 

Mariel’s eyes grew even wider at Roymond’s words.

 

“There was such a book? Why don’t I know anything about it when it’s related to my own family?”

 

“Ah, that.…”

 

When Mariel showed a serious expression, Roymond sighed awkwardly.

 

“It’s a book that can’t be taken out of His Majesty’s private library….”

 

Even as the Crown Prince, Roymond couldn’t access it alone.

 

Because that private library was filled with books that could be a weakness for the nobles.

 

So any royal in their right mind wouldn’t even let others know that such a place existed.

 

“What was the title of that book, Your Highness?”

 

Of course, Roymond was blinded by love and not in his right mind.

 

So in his not-so-sane state, he answered without hesitation,

 

“I don’t know much about it because I only saw it briefly once when I was very young. The title is <The Curse on a Noble Family>.”

 

Mariel wasn’t the type of person to think or act in large numbers.

 

But she wasn’t stupid either – she could tell this was something very important.

 

A curse, squirrels, and Yurika – all things unknown even to the Medes family itself.

 

“Lady Mariel, you had an incredible amount of magical energy. So I… I steadily absorbed it. Enough to become a human.”

 

“I have magic? But I can’t use any magic.”

 

“I don’t know the details either. But you just had a lot of magical power. I knew it the day you came to the Duke of Hyrad’s house for dinner.”

 

All the clues she hadn’t thought to question before came crashing down.

 

Her heart pounded with a hope she never dared imagine.

 

She had a feeling that if she sat down and talked things through with Yurika, she might uncover truths she’d never known.

 

“Squirrel or not, let’s start planning an event for Yurika first.”

 

And Jayden, who had been left out of the conversation, spoke resolutely.

 

“Starting tonight. So Yurika can wake up tomorrow morning with a smile.”

 

* * *

 

The sound of birds woke me. It was morning.

 

“Mmm….”

 

“You’re awake, Yurika.”

 

It wasn’t my bed. As I sat up with a sullen face, Sienna smiled brightly and hugged me.

 

“Did you have a good dream?”

 

Only then did the memories come flooding back.

 

After returning from the banquet yesterday, I went into Sienna’s room and fell asleep with her.

 

Yohan had escorted us to the door, politely bid us goodnight, and left.

 

It seemed he had realized this wasn’t the moment for him to be involved.

 

I had nothing but gratitude and embarrassment toward Yohan for what happened yesterday.

 

And though it wasn’t even that late, so much had happened that I fell asleep quickly.

 

And I even whined to Sienna that I wanted to sleep with her that night.

 

“I was so happy, Yurika.”

 

Sienna smiled and patted my head.

 

“Because… it felt like you finally accepted me as your mother.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I felt a strange distance between you and me.… I was anxious that one day you would leave me again.”

 

“What do you mean…?”

 

“I thought it was because I couldn’t protect you… but yesterday, it didn’t feel like that anymore.”

 

Suddenly, my heart ached again.

 

I always liked Sienna, but deep down I thought, ‘She’s not my real mother.’

 

It wasn’t because I missed my real mother, but because I believed Sienna didn’t truly love me—that what she wanted to say, she meant for the real Yurika.

 

So I tried to stay composed, thinking it wasn’t really about me.

 

Realizing that, I regretted all the time I had unconsciously kept my distance.

 

Sienna gave me a big hug and then pulled the rope.

 

“You must be hungry. It’s getting late. It’s time for lunch.”

 

“Oh… I overslept!”

 

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, trying to plan everything before the banquet.

 

Judging by the bright light coming in through the window, it seemed to be broad daylight already.

 

“Have my sister and uncle returned? I want to see them!”

 

Come to think of it, I had to meet Mariel and Jayden soon too.

 

As I was getting up, wondering how on earth I should explain these things, I suddenly heard a loud noise from outside.

 

Unlike usual, the maids were moving busily and noisily. Their urgent footsteps were louder than usual.

 

‘What’s going on? Are they preparing something grand for my lunch….’

 

“Um… I’ll be back in a moment. I should get changed first.”

 

Since I couldn’t eat in pajamas, I got up to change and maybe check out what was happening.

 

After leaving Sienna’s room, I peeked down into the central hall from the spiral staircase on the way to my own room.

 

And I couldn’t help but be amazed at the sight that unfolded before my eyes.

 

“Uh… hello.”

 

A guest had just entered the central hall connected directly to the estate’s main entrance.

 

As far as I know, there were no guests visiting this morning.

 

But even more surprising was the guest’s appearance.

 

“Is this the Duke of Medes’s house?”

 

A woman with the same light brown hair and pink eyes as mine stood there, wearing shabby clothes.

 

And she smiled bashfully at Mariel, who was standing right in front of her.

 

“I heard you’re looking for the lost daughter…..”

 

I laughed inwardly.

 

Because there was something that immediately came to mind.

 

“Now that we are convinced that Yurika Medes is real, we will move more actively. We will try various short-term methods.”

 

That’s what Rivena had said from the balcony at the banquet.

 

‘I had wondered what those “short-term methods” were supposed to be…’

 

‘So this is what she planned after leaving the banquet early last night?’

 

The maids who had gathered around me opened their eyes wide in surprise.

 

‘What a joke,’ I thought, clicking my tongue and smirking inwardly.

 

‘Too bad—I already know the whole truth.’

 

* * *