I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain Chapter 82

The underground corridor of Duke Medes’s house.

 

Wearing a simple dress, Mariel stood motionless in front of a portrait, as if nailed to the spot.

 

“There you are.”

 

And Jayden had just come down to the underground corridor to find Mariel.

 

“Why on earth are you here…?”

 

“Oh,”

 

Mariel replied with a gentle smile.

 

“I just… thought of my father.”

 

The spot where she stood was none other than in front of the portrait of Duke Medes—Oscar Medes.

 

Since Mariel had not yet officially inherited the title, and her father had not been declared dead due to being listed as missing, Oscar was still formally the Duke of Medes.

 

Mariel glanced at the painting of the tiger beside the portrait. Her expression darkened.

 

She fiddled with her dress hem and murmured,

 

“Yurika was alive, so I had an expectation that my father might be alive too.….”

 

Jayden opened his mouth, but no words came out. He just let out a heavy sigh.

 

He had once declared, in front of Yurika, that he would give up that hopeful thought—and now it felt like a cruel twist of fate.

 

In truth, unlike Mariel, Jayden had lingering doubts about whether Yurika was really his niece.

 

It wasn’t because he didn’t care about Yurika.

 

But it was a fact that there was no clear evidence.

 

If one looked at Mariel’s claims objectively, they were based on assumptions.

 

Mariel had kept the fact that Yurika was a divine beast hidden from Jayden, just as she and Yurika had agreed.

 

Which meant she couldn’t reveal Yurika had secretly overheard Theodore and Rivena’s conversation either.

 

So, Jayden was in a situation where he was anxious and uneasy, not knowing the exact situation.

 

“What kind of person was my father?”

 

Just like Yurika, Mariel also had no memories of her father.

 

“Uncle always told me he was this amazing person… and that’s always been a bit of a burden to me. I know myself that I’m not fulfilling the duties of the family head properly.”

 

Jayden was startled.

 

It was true—he had always sincerely admired and respected Oscar.

 

But now he realized that it was quite a burden for Mariel.

 

“O-Of course…”

 

Jayden answered with a sad smile.

 

“He was similar to Yurika. Cold-headed, calculating, and sharp since childhood. And honestly—he was like a beast.”

 

“Yes…?”

 

“His instincts were insanely sharp, his body quick—he was amazing with a spear. Never missed. They didn’t call him the ace of the battlefield for nothing.”

 

“Uncle… I didn’t bring this up just to hear that same story for the hundredth time.”

 

“Mariel, you’ve changed a bit. You’re starting to sound like Yurika,” Jayden chuckled, scratching his chin.

 

“Ahem… but listen.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“He wasn’t all good. Just like anyone else.”

 

Mariel’s eyes grew wide. That’s because Jayden, who has always praised Oscar, said something completely different.

 

Feeling a tinge of guilt, Jayden began speaking of Oscar’s flaws—something he’d never done before.

 

“I always told you: if your father had returned, you two girls would never have gotten married. He’d have scared off any suitor who came near.”

 

“Oh, Uncle. Come on, that’s just…”

 

“Sounds like a joke, right?”

 

Jayden gave a dry laugh.

 

“Your father’s nickname was Tiger. He used to lunge at people he didn’t like. Fierce as hell.”

 

Even while criticizing, a deep longing filled his eyes.

 

“But in front of your mother, he was like a puppy. Probably would’ve been the same with you two.”

 

The tiger and the puppy were so different. Mariel couldn’t help but smile.

 

“By the way…. Yurika…”

 

Jayden gazed at Oscar’s portrait and suddenly spoke.

 

“She’s coming back after the temple celebration event, right? It’s frustrating not being able to see her right away after all that happened.”

 

“She’ll be back soon,” Mariel answered with a blink.

 

“She’s been determined all along—I have a feeling she’ll bring back something big.”

 

“Well, that’s true, but…”

 

Jayden sighed.

 

“But I’m still worried that it might be dangerous. I feel even more uneasy because she’s stuck next to that damn wizard.”

 

Though he acted politely in front of Yohan, Jayden never forgot to curse him behind his back.

 

To him, Yohan was like a beast, eyeing Yurika with interest.

 

“That’s why I think I’ll try to do something that I can do. It doesn’t feel right to let her fight alone.”

 

Mariel turned to look at the portraits of the past Dukes of Medes lined up in the corridor. She quietly added:

 

“There is definitely some secret in our family. We have to find out.”

 

* * *

 

The day of the temple celebration event finally arrived.

 

As promised, Yohan skipped the visit to Daisy Village and headed straight to the temple.

 

Of course, I was hiding quietly in his pocket.

 

Rivena and Theodore already knew I could turn into a squirrel, but they hadn’t spilled the secret.

 

Which meant the rest of the temple likely had no idea.

 

‘Even if they did suspect… no one would dare search Yohan’s body.’

 

Anyway, this time too, I was feeling comfortable riding with Yohan.

 

‘Honestly… I think I’m starting to prefer being a squirrel now.’

 

Though, that was mostly Yohan’s fault.

 

‘Sure, I was the one who suggested the kiss, so I can’t really complain…’

 

Back when we went shopping on Olred Street, I had suggested a light kiss, and things quickly got weird.

 

Of course, I managed to pull myself together mid-way and blurted, “A-Alright, you are calm now, right? I think that’s enough!” in a panic

 

Afterward, Yohan returned to treating me normally.

 

Naturally, we didn’t have time to talk about that awkward moment again.

 

After all, searching the temple myself is something I have been looking forward to and planning for a very long time.

 

Besides, Yohan was very busy interrogating the assassin who attacked me.

 

Still, the memory lingered, making me feel awkward.

 

Not unpleasant—but tingly, in a weird way.

 

It was definitely a different feeling from just reaching out a tiny paw as a squirrel.

 

‘I don’t know. I just need to finish this mission and get back to the Medes estate.’

 

I definitely needed to keep some distance from Yohan for a while.

 

‘The past few days at the Duke of Hyrad’s estate had made our relationship feel… more complicated.’

 

Anyway, today is the day of the final battle.

 

I stuck my head out of Yohan’s pocket and confirmed that I was in front of the temple, and I felt my enthusiasm burning inside me.

 

“Oh, Duke Hyrad!”

 

Roymond, who had arrived first, smiled brightly and waved.

 

Yohan responded with a brief but polite nod.

 

“Thank you for coming.”

 

The temple had insisted that a royal family member attend the event, and Yohan had asked Roymond.

 

Roymond had immediately sent back a letter of acceptance.

 

“Of course he accepted. You’re a war hero. Honestly, the empire owes its peace to you.”

 

When I proudly tapped Yohan on the shoulder after seeing the letter, Yohan shook his head and replied,

 

“I’m not so sure. He probably has other reasons.”

 

And now, I could see exactly what those “other reasons” were.

 

“What are you thankful for?”

 

This is because Roymond winked and pretended to be friendly with Yohan.

 

“We’re going to be a family soon. I really want to be close with the Duke. This time, please tell Lady Yurika well.”

 

‘Hmm. So… he’s just a hopeless romantic, and that’s why he’s being friendly with Yohan.’

 

Roymond continued speaking, patting Yohan on the back.

 

“From my perspective, I am always grateful to you for giving up on marrying Mariel.”

 

While Yohan remained silent, offering no particular response, Roymond widened his eyes and added,

 

“But why did you break off the engagement with her, saying you’d never marry her—only to go after Lady Yurika instead?”

 

“.….”

 

“Well, I guess you wanted it to be a relationship built on pure love. I don’t think I could’ve done that myself—what a noble decision. Thanks to you, I’ve completely let go of my prejudice against wizards.”

 

I couldn’t see Yohan’s expression because I was in his pocket, but for some reason, unlike Roymond, Yohan didn’t look too happy.

 

‘These two… don’t seem to get along too well.’

 

Contrary to Roymond’s wishes, it seemed difficult for him and Yohan to become close friends.

 

“You two have arrived.”

 

At that moment, an unfamiliar voice was heard. It was a voice that seemed to have lost some strength.

 

The temple is a bit chaotic right now, so I’m not sure if everything meets your expectations… but we sincerely welcome you.”

 

It doesn’t sound sincere at all.

 

Anyway, it seemed to be the voice of the ‘temporary representative of the temple’ who was in charge of the event.

 

“Please come in.”

 

Then, Yohan’s body began to move forward.

 

* * *