I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain

The butler answered Mariel’s command cautiously.

 

“Right now… Lady Yurika is meeting the Duchess together with Viscount Runart.”

 

Mariel put her hand to her forehead.

 

Today just so happened to be the day that Runart made his regular visit to examine Sienna.

 

And Yurika always accompanied Sienna’s checkups.

 

At some point, Sienna had insisted on having Yurika by her side during her treatments. 

 

That was how much she still firmly believed that Yurika was her lost second daughter.

 

Everyone else considered it a symptom of madness.

 

Although Sienna’s health had greatly improved under Runart’s care, her delusion of mistaking Yurika for her real daughter had never disappeared.

 

“The checkup… it must have just started.”

 

On top of that, Runart and Yurika were quite close friends, so they would undoubtedly have tea together afterward.

 

Mariel rolled her eyes in confusion, then quickly gave instructions to the butler.

 

“Then inform Yurika of this situation in secret and bring back her message. My mother will be worried if she finds out.”

 

These days, everyone in the duke’s mansion is being cautious as Runart is actively treating Sienna.

 

According to Runart, the most important thing for Sienna right now is to maintain peace of mind.

 

The butler swiftly carried out Mariel’s order and returned with Yurika’s message:

 

[It seems like he knew our true intentions and came to negotiate.

 

First, buy some time by making a fuss about the fact that there is no official document that says ‘Lady Medes’ is Mariel.

 

Make him as frustrated as possible. Once Mother’s checkup ends, I’ll handle the rest.

 

He’ll probably be really surprised when he sees me. Give us some time alone, and I’ll resolve this quickly.] 

 

In the end, Mariel’s role was to simply waste time by making a fuss.

 

‘So basically, just go all out and make a fuss? Can I even do that…?’

 

Mariel, who had never done anything wrong in her life, was not confident.

 

However, thinking about her beloved crown prince, she clenched her fists and nodded with determination.

 

‘Until Yurika arrives, I just have to delay things in this office no matter what!’

 

* * *

 

After secretly receiving Mariel’s message, I furrowed my brows in confusion.

 

‘What? What’s going on?’ 

 

I never thought Yohan would come to the Duke of Medes’s house.

 

This was really unexpected.

 

“Yurika? Is something wrong?”

 

After excusing myself under the pretense of going to the restroom to send a message to Mariel, I returned to Sienna’s side.

 

Whenever Runart examined Sienna, I would always be there, holding her hand

 

‘I may not be the real Yurika… but if this makes her happier, I’ll do my best.’

 

During that time, I also became very fond of Sienna.

 

At first, I felt a strange sense of guilt whenever she looked at me and called me her second daughter, but now, all I could do was hope she would live even one day longer.

 

In the original story, though the exact timing was unclear, Sienna was supposed to die soon.

 

Runart insisted that her condition had improved, but knowing the original story, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

 

No matter how much Runart was a genius doctor, and no matter how much Sienna’s condition improved because of him, she still considered me her real daughter.

 

So these days, Runart has declared that he would actively treat her delusions as well.

 

To be honest, I was afraid that she would kick me out if she came to her senses, but I nodded my head in hopes that Sienna would get better.

 

Sienna, not knowing what I was thinking, spoke cautiously.

 

“For some reason, your expression doesn’t look good right now…”

 

“Oh, no. It’s just that I’m worried about you, Mother.”

 

Honestly, I wanted to meet Johan right away and have a discussion, but I also wanted to stay with Sienna until her treatment was over.

 

‘I don’t think Mariel would be able to do anything because of her personality.…but still, she has to somehow annoy him, make him lose his composure, and then make him panic.’ 

 

From Yohan’s point of view, even if he had not fallen in love with Mariel, there was no reason to break off the engagement.

 

Of course, until he secured his position in the capital, he wouldn’t want to let go of Mariel, the head of Medes’s family.

 

But if I—his lifesaver—were to suddenly appear before him!

 

And if I pleaded with him, saying that for the sake of Mariel, who had protected me all this time, couldn’t he at least continue the engagement with me instead?

 

If I offered him the power of the Medes family as long as he gave up on Mariel, and even promised to quietly annul the engagement whenever he wanted!

 

‘Even if he was a ruthless warrior who had survived the battlefield, wouldn’t he at least consider a compromise when faced with me after all these years?’

 

Thinking of what I would say to Yohan, I waited for the treatment to finish.

 

Climbing the tower every night in the body of a tiny squirrel, knocking on the window with relentless determination, saving him with my legendary acorn-throwing combat skills, and even exposing Ella’s schemes.

 

‘I’m going to milk every single bit of credit I can get.’

 

If he says that I used him for my own humanization, I have nothing to say, but if I feigned innocence well enough, he wouldn’t be able to argue against me.

 

‘But….Yohan did erase my Hyrad crest, so I can’t say I was the only one being generous. Logically, I don’t have the upper hand here. He better be panicking when he sees me.’

 

Just as I was finishing my preparations, the treatment session ended.

 

“Okay, then take your medicine well.…You should never be stressed. So don’t forget to think only positive thoughts.”

 

Runart raised his glasses slightly and spoke kindly as usual, and Sienna soon fell asleep thanks to the sleeping pills he had prescribed.

 

“I’m sorry, Runart.”

 

Originally, I had planned to have tea with him after Sienna’s treatment, but now it was an emergency situation, so I didn’t have time for that.

 

“My sister is meeting a guest right now, and I think I need to be there too. Can we meet again next time? I will visit you at your place.”

 

“Is that so? Then I will escort you to Lady Mariel’s office.”

 

Runart smiled gently, his eyes widening.

 

After graduating from the medical academy early, he kept his promise to me and came to the Duke of Medes. He was even kind-hearted and easy to deal with.

 

He was a good young man in many ways, kind and affectionate, but also strong-willed. So now he is my best friend.

 

Even though we had once met as guardian and ward, we no longer treated each other as superiors and subordinates.

 

Even though Runart was from an orphanage, Runart was already widely praised as the best doctor in the empire, so there wasn’t much difference in our status.

 

Of course, because of my status, Runart used formal language toward me, but other than that, we just treated each other as friends.

 

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Lady Mariel, shouldn’t I at least say hello?”

 

“Is that so? Oh, that’s right.”

 

As I walked briskly down the hallway, chatting with Runart, I suddenly had an idea just before entering Mariel’s office. I grabbed Runart’s arm.

 

“Do you have any medicine that… makes someone look pale or sick? I need to appear pitiful to someone.”

 

“You need to look pitiful?”

 

Anyway, I was in the position of asking Yohan for something, so it didn’t seem bad to look a little pitiful.

 

‘If I looked too healthy after he had suffered so much on the battlefield, he might feel betrayed.’

 

“Then this would be good. It has the effect of reversing the flow of the body’s magical power, which temporarily makes your complexion worse. It’s not on the market yet, but since I developed it, I guarantee its safety and effectiveness.”

 

Runart searched through his bag and handed me a potion. 

 

I drank it in one gulp, following the dosage he had instructed me to take.

 

The taste wasn’t bad, but the smell was a bit harsh.

 

I frowned as I handed back the empty bottle.

 

“Oh, there’s a medicine like this? If it’s something that you made yourself, then of course I can trust it.”

 

“Yes. It only affects a person’s magical powers, so it has no real effect on your health. No need to worry.”

 

“But… why did you even develop something like this?”

 

“In case the academy tries to force me to stay, I plan to drink it and declare that I need medical leave.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“I had to keep my promise to you, Lady. That’s why I didn’t announce it to the public.”

 

Runart smiled comfortably.

 

I was once again touched that he went to such lengths to keep his promise to me.

 

“I even tested it on myself, so there’s no need to worry.”

 

“Well, if you made it, I believe you.”

 

And the effects of the drug were tremendous.

 

It was because as soon as I drank it, I started to feel slightly dizzy and lost my sense of balance. My stomach started to churn and I felt like I had been on a carriage for a very long time.

 

“Runart, hold on….I feel a little dizzy.”

 

As I began to stagger, Runart looked at me with surprise. Then he muttered with a very ominous expression.

 

“Huh? The effects are that strong already? That shouldn’t be…Oh—”

 

Runart gently caught me as I stumbled.

 

It was at that moment that I was leaning against him and hugging him. Without any warning, the office door burst open.

 

Yohan and Mariel appeared.

 

* * *