Baby Squirrel Is Good at Everything

“Huff… Huff.”

Pirina was seething, huffing in frustration, her face twisted in barely contained anger.

‘What does she think she’s complaining about?’

Was she trying to cover herself before anyone could scold her?

“This ungrateful little—! Once she’s caught, I’ll make sure she’s properly disciplined—”

“Viscountess.”

Grinding his teeth, Ritter cut off Pirina’s muttering with a sharp gaze.

“You said you were introducing me to your niece.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

“That was quite… an unexpected introduction.”

Moments ago, she had been screaming at Beatty, but now, in front of the prince, Pirina shrank like a frog before a snake.

“I-I have no idea why she suddenly lost her mind and started behaving like that, Your Highness…!”

“Hm.”

“I will make sure she’s properly trained next time, Your Highness.”

“We’ll see.”

Tilting his head, Ritter smirked.

“Unless you already told her something beforehand?”

“…Pardon?”

“This is a rare opportunity, isn’t it? A young prince outside the palace. Perhaps… you wanted to use this chance to impress my elder brother and secure a connection?”

“W-What are you saying?! You know I have always been loyal to Your Highness and Her Majesty!”

Pirina practically shrieked in protest.

“If you don’t want such suspicions, then handle things properly. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“A-Ah, I understand! I will take care of this… Please, Your Highness, do not tell Her Majesty…”

“Fine.”

Ritter stared down at Pirina, who was trembling as she bowed even lower.

“You won’t get many more chances.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Sweat trickled down Pirina’s forehead as she bowed even deeper.

“If… if it takes time to find her, I will make sure nothing reaches the Duke’s family.”

“Oh?”

“We’ll just say the girl ran away on her own. That way, no suspicions will be placed on this side.”

Even as she dripped with sweat, Pirina was already scheming, shifting all blame onto Beatty.

At that, Ritter finally smiled.

“Good. If needed, I’ll allow you access to a royal communication crystal.”

***

Clatter, clatter.

Neigh!

“North! Heading to the northern Aslan territory! Anyone going to Aslan, hop on now!”

Beatty, still in her small squirrel form, had hidden herself in one of the carriages that roamed across the kingdom.

‘Haa…’

Once she managed to evade people and climb onto the roof of the carriage, the sight of the capital spread before her.

The grand fountain in the square. The bustling guild streets filled with craftsmen. And in the distance, the noble estates.

Not too far from here was the mansion with the blue roof—the place she had spent over ten years of her life.

The place where she had grown up.

‘…The place where my neck was bitten.’

The place where she had died once before.

Watching the blue-roofed mansion grow smaller and smaller, Beatty fell deep into thought.

‘I thought just escaping that place would make me happy.’

Her entire life had been spent trapped in that suffocating annex. She had only wished to escape.

Even if she had died once, she had finally succeeded in running away, just as she had dreamed. She should have been overjoyed.

But instead, there was an emptiness in her chest.

‘Why does it feel like this?’

Her small fists, which had landed punches earlier, stung—her skin must have scraped against his sharp fangs.

Slowly, her fluffy squirrel tail drooped.

The carriage rumbled along the road, passing through the city gates.

The capital was now behind her.

She was leaving.

The place where she had spent all her time.

The place where she had thought she had a friend.

‘Goodbye.’

Not knowing who she was saying it to, she let out a quiet farewell.

Little droplets, no bigger than a squirrel’s paw, dotted the roof of the carriage.

***

The carriage rattled as it traveled down the road.

Inside, in her small squirrel form, Beatty calmly licked her paw.

When she had first left the capital, the sting of betrayal had still been fresh, and she had even shed tears.

It was my fault for believing in him.

Thinking it over, she realized that the real problem was expecting kindness without a price just because they were "friends."

From the very start, she should have been wary when Ritter approached her, saying he wanted to be friends because he had never met another beastkin his age.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re just a worthless squirrel beastkin. I consider you my friend."

No one else had ever said that to her. That was why she had been so happy.

But now that she looked back on it…

That was a textbook scam.

Why would someone say such outlandish things, different from everyone else?

"Friendship," "You’re special"—all those sweet words were just a disguise to hide poison.

Beatty shuddered and clenched her tiny paws.

Never trust anyone who talks about kindness without expecting something in return!

From now on, she would never believe in people.

To calm herself, she recalled the words from her most beloved book, the one she had memorized by heart.

[From the Memoirs of a Merchant Lord: On Handling People

“…As someone who built the greatest trading company on the continent with my own hands, I say this—‘Only fools expect anything from fools.’”]

That’s right!

The small squirrel nodded vigorously, her heart aching as she accepted this truth.

I still had foolish expectations about human relationships.

That was why she had been so easily deceived by nonsense like "I’ll save you because we’re friends."

Helping someone without expecting anything in return?

That only happens in novels.

Even if all her knowledge came from books, Beatty had read every single text she could find in the storage room to prepare for her future as a merchant.

Unlike business books, geography books, or history records—all of which were based on reality—novels were just made-up stories.

Stories where families cared for each other. Where friends shared warm bonds. Where lovers were devoted to one another.

Friendship, love—those glittering ideals were no different from fairies in children’s tales.

In other words, they were illusions that didn’t exist in real life.

No matter how sweet or dreamy a fictional story might be, one had to distinguish reality from fantasy.

Novels and reality are different.

She had been fooled because she let herself get swept up in foolish stories about “friends who help each other without asking for anything in return.”@@novelbin@@

Crossing her tiny squirrel arms, Beatty firmly decided:

All kindness is an illusion!

Everything in this world is an exchange of equivalent value!

I just have to make sure I never get cheated in any deal!

Ah!

As she thought about trade balance, Beatty quickly straightened her fur and sat up properly.

Then, she raised both hands to her head… but her short arms couldn't quite reach. Instead, she settled for patting her cheeks, opening the notebook in her mind.

Erase his name from the "People I Owe" list. Move it to the "People I Need to Pay Back" list… Ritter Dux Astrum.

She carefully crossed out his name from one list and wrote it down in bold letters on another.

Feeling sad about his betrayal had been foolish. She had decided to forget it and move on.

But that was one thing.

And this is another.

He hit me first, so I’ll hit him back.

That was fair compensation.

According to her treasured Merchant Lord’s Memoirs, balance was the most important principle in any exchange.

And that didn’t just apply to trade—it included debts and grudges between people as well.

Ritter. He was always so conscious of the First Prince…

Usually, he spoke in a relaxed and indifferent tone, as if nothing ever affected him.

But whenever his half-brother, the First Prince, was mentioned, that cool composure would crack.

If the First Prince were still alive, I could use him to hit Ritter where it hurts…

What a shame.

With a heavy sigh, Beatty’s striped tail drooped as she mourned the wasted opportunity.

But then, suddenly, her tail perked up again.

Wait! I’m eight years old right now, aren’t I? That means… the First Prince is still alive!

But just as quickly, she deflated again.

…But there’s no way for me to meet him. He’s been traveling between battlefields and foreign lands since childhood. How would I even reach him…?

Right. She didn’t even have a place to stay right now—how could she possibly search for the First Prince?

Her tail bounced up and down as she wrestled with her thoughts.

Then—thunk.

Something round dropped in front of her.

Oh! A sunflower seed!

Without thinking, Beatty grabbed it immediately.

She stored it safely in her cheek pouch before brushing her fur clean.

With her pouch filled, she felt just a little calmer.

Placing a tiny paw over her chest, she took a slow breath, regaining her composure.

All right. Stay calm. Think things through properly.

Stay calm. Make a plan for the future.

“Here, have another one.”

Stay calm. Accept snacks when offered.

“Oh, look at those squirrel cheeks! So cute!”

Ah! Damn it!

Before she even realized it, Beatty had been stuffing the sunflower seed into her cheek pouch, completely entranced.

Scurry, scurry!

“Oh no, she ran away.”

Dodging another sunflower seed being held out by a passenger, Beatty scrambled back onto the roof of the carriage.

Haa…

She took out the seeds from her cheek pouch and carefully arranged them in a neat row on the roof.

I need to be careful. This child’s body gets carried away by instincts too easily.

Even if she was pretending to be a regular animal right now, she was still a beastkin.

I have to maintain my dignity as a beastkin.

Just in case there were any crumbs on her white fur, she vigorously rubbed her cheeks.

The ability to fully transform into an animal was rare, even among beastkin families.

In the Astrum Kingdom, only the Aslan family and the royal family had the bloodline capable of full beast transformations.

Beastkin.

Their very existence was proof of noble, unmatched lineage.

Reading about the great ancient beastkin who had sacrificed themselves to drive chaos from the continent, Beatty couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of pride.

And so, she resolved to carry herself with the dignity befitting her bloodline.