Baby Squirrel Is Good at Everything

The memory was still vivid.@@novelbin@@

That cold winter, when the Duke had helplessly watched as his daughter’s illness grew worse.

As the northern chill intensified, his daughter’s breath slowed.

‘My little one...’

Then she began to have trouble moving her hands and feet, and eventually, she lost consciousness altogether.

In time, it became rare for her to remain conscious for any length of time.

Tightening his jaw, the Duke frowned as he recalled the nightmare of those days.

"That’s why I sent her to the warmer capital."

He had heard of the most renowned doctors on the continent and, upon hearing the news, had immediately sent for them—kidnapped them, even.

Fortunately or unfortunately, reports from the messengers he had sent out from the battlefield had continued to come in.

‘They said the condition stopped worsening.’

Her illness hadn’t improved, but it hadn’t gotten worse either.

"Lady Aslan also couldn’t stop thinking about her until the very end..."

Johanna’s eyes welled up as she remembered the Duke’s wife, who had accompanied Beatty to the capital in hopes of better care.

"If she had been there..."

The Duke muttered with a hollow voice, recalling his wife, who had passed away too early.

Had he known she would pass away while he was at war, he would never have left, even if she had urged him to.

His wife had died in vain, and his sickly daughter—who had been raised alone without parents, even if she came from the maternal side—made his heart ache.

‘How lonely she must have been.’

His lips tightened with bitterness.

"Don’t worry. She’s my niece, and as a count, I’m sure she’s being taken care of properly."

Count Zelot, who had been silent until then, mentioned Beatty’s aunt, Pirina Siurus, who had been appointed as her protector in the capital.

"The capital, with relatives always nearby, would be much better than the northern lands, which are so close to the battlefield, don’t you think?"

Zelot continued, talking about the practicality of the situation, but the Duke didn’t listen to him.

"She came back because she missed her home. That little one..."

The room fell silent as the Duke spoke with a voice full of sorrow.

‘She ran away, all the way here to the far northern lands, carrying her little body...’

Thinking about the loneliness and pain Beatty must have suffered made the Duke’s chest tighten.

His daughter, whom he had to keep distant from, was so dear to him, and despite being so small, she had longed for her father and ran to him.

"..."

Unknowingly, the Duke gripped his chest tightly, and the thick fabric of his cloak crumpled in his hands.

‘The Duke is showing this expression?’

Meanwhile, the aide, who had never seen the Duke so sentimental, was taken aback.

The fearsome warrior of the battlefield—Golden Lion Duke—would have sent enemies shivering in their boots just at the sound of his name. If the enemies saw him like this, they would be completely dumbstruck.

The aide, shaken by the Duke’s emotional state, didn’t say anything further, but the Duke, ignoring the aide’s unease, spoke again with a solemn voice.

"Still, we must not waver. If we consider my daughter’s health..."

"Yes, Your Grace!"

"Hmm. But didn’t Miss Beatty seem quite determined?"

The Duke’s gaze shifted to the aide.

Flustered, the aide quickly explained, stammering.

"I have a niece around the same age, and at that age, kids are really stubborn."

"...So?"

"Well, it’s something my niece did once. She really wanted a particular doll."

Johanna nodded in agreement as the aide continued.

"Kids can be like that."

"Yes. She was so insistent. When her parents refused to get her the doll, saying it was already her birthday present, she went on a hunger strike until they bought it for her."

"What? The child didn’t eat?"

The Duke flinched.

‘She didn’t... eat?’

What if his little one, the one who had wanted something so much, went on a hunger strike just because he hadn’t given in to her?

The image of Beatty sitting at the table, her tiny hands covering her mouth and turning away, flashed in the Duke’s mind.

His body broke into a cold sweat, the kind that he hadn’t even experienced on the battlefield.

Even now, just thinking about her tiny body going without food—how much more would it weaken her?

The Duke couldn’t even begin to imagine.

‘She’s already so small.’

If she didn’t eat, her energy would dwindle, and her already fragile body would only get worse.

"Ugh."

The Duke’s lips trembled as he imagined his little girl fainting from exhaustion.

‘But I wanted to send her to the capital for her health.’

What if she had become so determined not to go that it harmed her health?

The Duke’s expression darkened.

‘...It’s not cold yet. I can decide the date to send her to the capital a little later.’

The Duke’s internal hesitation eased slightly.

So, he made a decision that was unlike him.

A decision that was in stark contrast to his usual steadfast, battlefield demeanor.

Of course, this rare, soft approach was directed only at Beatty.

The aide, knowing the Duke’s deep feelings for his daughter, spoke to ease the heavy atmosphere, mentioning Beatty’s remarkable qualities.

"By the way, Miss Beatty seems to really care about the territory, even while she’s in the capital."

"Mm?"

"How else would she know about the territory’s troubles, and how could she have devised countermeasures for them without paying attention?"

"That’s right."

"At such a young age, she’s truly impressive."

The Duke listened intently, proud of Beatty’s abilities.

The aide smiled, also pleased with Beatty’s accomplishments.

‘She didn’t just stumble upon the solution by accident. She thought it through, considering the impact and how to implement it. This is no small feat.’

Beatty was no ordinary genius.

‘Our little lady is a genius!’

A clear solution that could be applied to real-world problems.

For an 8-year-old to think this way—it was beyond just intelligence.

She was truly an unparalleled genius!

"Just imagining how much our territory could change with her plans is incredible!"

"Mm."

"It’s not just the solution, either. To think she came up with all this while considering the starving citizens...!"

The aide was genuinely moved by Beatty’s thoughtfulness.

‘I knew it from the beginning, even when she sent the rations to the battlefield. Our little lady is truly exceptional!’

Listening to the aide’s praise, the Duke nodded, his face proud.

"Yes. I never thought my daughter would have such talents."

Even if she could just breathe healthily, that alone would have been enough to make him grateful. But on top of that, she was not only cute but also clever!

"However..."

The Duke’s expression shifted abruptly, and his voice turned cold.

"Why didn’t you mention these qualities of my daughter before, Count?"

The Duke’s eyes became sharp.

"I told you to report everything about my daughter without leaving anything out."

In an instant, a fierce aura filled the room.

"Cough!"

The aide hastily tried to defend himself.

"Perhaps because your ladyship is so young, the concern was that praising her for being a genius from such an early age might overwhelm her."

"..."

"The count must have been deeply concerned about your niece’s education. And I know how much you’ve been looking out for her health, making sure reports about her health were sent almost daily."

The aide spoke up, defending the count based on the reports that had been sent.

After all, the count was the Duke’s late wife’s brother, and although he had sent substantial funds for Beatty’s upbringing, he was still part of the family that had been looking after her.

"When Miss Beatty ran away, the count was so shocked he even had the palace send a communication through the royal messenger."

"Well, I heard about that..."

It was still too soon to hold the count accountable for a single mistake, especially with Beatty likely to need further care when she returned to the capital.

The aide, who had been quietly mumbling to himself, spoke up again.

"Even so, we couldn’t stop Miss Beatty from making her way to the north on her own. That’s where we failed."

From the moment the news about Beatty running away reached the Duke, the aide had been troubled by it.

The Duke nodded thoughtfully and asked the aide.

"Where’s the unit I ordered?"

"I’ve brought the new roster."

The aide proudly pulled out the papers from his stack and handed them over.

"This includes not only the usual guards around Miss Beatty but also the personnel who will be assigned to increase security at the mansion in the capital."

"Will this be enough? Add more knights."

"Yes! I’ll make the changes right away!"

Dozens of patrolmen and fifteen regular knights, not to mention the close protection detail.

The security detail had been revised to an even tighter guard than that of any royal family.

Once the numbers were confirmed, the Duke nodded with satisfaction.

"Any other lists?"

"Yes! Here’s the one you ordered, sir."

The aide hurriedly presented the documents prepared for the personnel assigned to look after Beatty while she stayed in the capital, the servants in the mansion, and even the messengers who had been reporting back.

Those who would have to answer tough questions when they were confronted by the Duke's questions.

"I’ve already sent scouts on fast horses to gather information, so we should have results in a few days."

The Duke nodded, his gaze turning cold as he looked over the names on the list.