Baby Squirrel Is Good at Everything

Even during wartime, Carl, who vividly remembered the chaos that unfolded in field camps, spoke coolly.

“Wow, that’s harsh.”

Aether, who had been feigning distress, glanced at Beatty, who was watching their conversation with a blank expression, and winked.

“To think such an adorable lady is your little sister. Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Cut the nonsense.”

“Come on, if she’s your sister, she’s practically like a little sister to me too.”

Carl’s reaction was one of pure disbelief, but Aether paid no heed and instead turned fully toward Beatty, flashing a smile.

“I’ve always wished I had a younger sibling to dote on.”

There was a hint of bitterness in his voice, making Beatty tilt her head.

‘Doesn’t he already have a younger sibling? Oh. Right. But his little brother is that bastard Ritter.’

That guy, who used to sweet-talk me with sugar-coated words about being my only friend, only to stab me in the back—there’s no way he hasn’t pulled the same trick on his half-brother.

As she was silently roasting Ritter in her mind, Beatty belatedly realized Aether was addressing her and hurriedly looked up.

“I was late in greeting you, but thank you for accepting my invitation, my lady.”

“Huh? Oh, um, yes.”

Carl spoke up with clear dissatisfaction.

“I told you to just ignore this guy.”

“But… he is a royal prince, after all.”

Beatty spoke like a dutiful subject of the kingdom, but in truth, she had her own motives.

‘He might turn out to be an ally in screwing over that bastard Ritter.’

If she succeeded in her immediate goal—settling down in the ducal house—she’d be able to spend her time safely until adulthood. However, affecting the royal palace, where Ritter resided, would be another matter entirely.

‘The First Prince doesn’t seem to have a favorable impression of Ritter either, so there’s a chance!’

Now recruiting: Someone to take revenge on my behalf.

Special offer: Exclusive regression knowledge. Rare weaknesses guaranteed to drive the Second Prince up the wall. Limited stock available!

Beatty, her eyes sparkling, turned to Aether and spoke with deliberate politeness.

“I could never be so disrespectful to Your Highness.”

“You can, though.”

‘…Huh?’

Her attempt at playing the loyal citizen was immediately foiled by Carl.

“That’s right. Aslan’s little princess can do whatever she wants.”

Even the royal himself agreed, proving once again the status of the Aslan family.

Truly, the House of Aslan. Even royalty had to yield!

Just as Beatty was marveling at her family’s influence, Aether, who had been watching her shifting expressions with amusement, smiled brightly and addressed her.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we, my lady?”

“…Pardon?”

Beatty’s eyes widened at the sudden change in topic, while Carl muttered from beside her.

“No wonder I felt so annoyed last night.”

Schwing.

Before she could react, her brother had already unsheathed his sword.

“You were the one who went to Tailfur’s room? When and how did you get there?”

“Carl, brother! You can’t use your sword!”

‘If you attempt regicide, you’ll be arrested on the spot!’

And the evidence would be too obvious.

Desperate to prevent her brother from ending up in prison, Beatty threw herself into stopping him. Carl hesitated.

‘She’s the kind of person who flinches even when hit by a drop of water. If she sees blood, she’ll probably faint.’

For the first time in his life, he was learning restraint—for Tailfur’s sake.

Meanwhile, Aether feigned ignorance and responded smoothly.

“What are you talking about?”

“You… I distinctly told you to stay away from Tailfur’s floor.”

“That’s not what I meant. I was talking about when I met the lady in the forest.”

“…The forest?”

What was he talking about now?

Unlike Carl, who raised a single eyebrow, Aether put on an expression of nostalgia and sighed.

“The lady was the first to ever poison me.”

“What are you talking about?!”

Beatty, utterly appalled, jumped in.

“I explained everything back then! You even tested it yourself!”

‘How could you say something so misleading?!’

After all the effort she put into proving that tuberosum wasn’t actually poisonous, she felt incredibly wronged.

As Beatty flailed her hands in frustration, Aether simply observed her with a playful smile before turning to Carl, who stood stiffly beside them.

“Aren’t you at all surprised that your dear friend was nearly poisoned?”

Beatty ground her teeth and corrected him.

“It wasn’t poison.”

“Of course, of course. I wouldn’t dare misunderstand.”

Aether chuckled as he deflected her glare with ease.

Carl, evidently unimpressed, cut in between them and spoke flatly.

“Misunderstanding or not, you must have done something to deserve it.”

“That’s too cruel.”

Aether dramatically lamented his fate, but Carl ignored him entirely and turned to Beatty with a serious warning.

“If he tries anything, don’t poison him—just stab him instead.”

“…That’s a bit much.”

Carl even considered teaching her dagger techniques in advance, but Beatty quickly shook her head.

‘Wouldn’t that count as conspiracy to commit assassination? He won’t be charged with lèse-majesté, will he?’

Feeling slightly uneasy, she glanced over at the First Prince—only to be met with a smiling pair of eyes.

“?”

Why is that prince acting like that?

Beatty blinked in confusion, staring blankly at him, while Aether let out a chuckle and stretched his lips into a grin.

“You have an unexpectedly adorable little sister.”

Ignoring Carl’s scoffing expression, Aether stepped forward, stopping in front of Beatty. With a graceful bow, he extended his hand.

“My lady, would you grant me the honor of kissing the back of your hand?”

“…Huh?”

Beatty, never having received such an introduction before, froze in place, her cheeks burning red at the chivalrous gesture.

Carl, on the other hand, looked absolutely livid.

“You dare wag your tail at her right in front of me?”

“Oh, come on. At least let me introduce myself properly.”

Carl, fuming, yanked his sword—scabbard and all—from his waist and swatted the air, as if shooing away a pest.

“Scram.”

Though his swings seemed random, each strike was actually targeting a vital point with precision. It was an excessive preemptive measure to prevent any flirting with his little sister.

“We’ve run into each other several times already, and we still haven’t even exchanged names. Does that make sense?”

But this pest wasn’t an easy one to squash.

Aether effortlessly evaded Carl’s swordplay with a few light movements, all while smoothly reaching for Beatty’s hand and placing it in his palm. Flashing a charming smile, he spoke.

“My name is Aether.”

‘Aether? That name sounds a lot like Atel.’

Were names like that common in the Eastern Continent?

‘The First Prince’s mother is said to be of Eastern imperial lineage… Maybe he brought his retainers from there, too.’

As she tilted her head in thought, recalling the First Prince’s background, Beatty naturally accepted the explanation.

“Would you mind calling me ‘Brother Aether’?”

His words were polite, but the way he winked while saying them made him seem shamelessly playful.

Beatty, unfamiliar with such a character, found herself at a loss.

Whoosh.

Before she could process what was happening, Carl swiftly knocked Aether’s hand away from hers. His voice was sharp with irritation.

“Why would she?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“I’m the only one she calls ‘brother.’”

“Oh, come on. A big brother doesn’t have to be a blood sibling.”

At Aether’s teasing remark, Carl responded the only way he knew how—with his sword.

“Haha. No need to be so sensitive.”

Aether dodged Carl’s strike with ease and smirked.

“If you keep acting so stiflingly overprotective, your sister might start finding you annoying.”

“…!”@@novelbin@@

Carl, who had never once considered such a possibility, was momentarily stunned.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Aether slipped past his guard and approached Beatty again.

“Why don’t you leave your overbearing brother behind and spend some time with me, my lady?”

“……”

Watching Aether maintain his unshakable smile, Beatty thought to herself.

What kind of frivolous person is this…?

In both her past and current life, she had never met anyone quite like him. She was utterly speechless.

Meanwhile, at the Ducal Estate

Duke Aslan sat in his office, his gaze dark and unreadable as he regarded the uninvited guest before him.

“Duke! I knew you’d call me eventually! This must mean all misunderstandings have been resolved, right?”

Pirina fanned herself with excitement, making no effort to hide her elation.

The grating sound of her voice irritated the duke, and his expression turned colder.

“You claim to have medicine to cure the child’s illness.”

“…Yes. In fact, that’s precisely why I came—to deliver this to my dear niece.”

Clack.

Pirina placed a small vial on the table.

“I’ve spent years watching my poor niece grow weak every winter… My heart ached for her. I searched everywhere for a cure, and I finally found one.”

She wiped at nonexistent tears, emphasizing the effort she had gone through as she gestured toward the vial.

“This is the ‘elixir’ bestowed by His Highness, the Second Prince.”

At the mention of that word, the duke’s brow twitched slightly.

“As you know, the noble Serpent of Wisdom possesses the power to either bestow a venom of punishment or a remedy of healing.”

It was already common knowledge that, just as the Aslan family inherited superhuman physical abilities, the Astrum royal lineage had the potential to awaken a unique power—either a deadly poison or a miraculous elixir.

“Fortunately, I have close ties with Her Majesty, the Second Queen, and was able to obtain this with great difficulty.”

“…And the price?”

“Well… about the marriage proposal that unfortunately fell through before—”

Flinch.

Before she could even finish, an almost primal killing intent radiated from the duke.

Pirina’s breath hitched, and she hurriedly backtracked.

“…N-not that that was my main intention! This is just a token of appreciation from the devoted guardians of the North!”

For the first time, she had caught a glimpse of the duke’s raw, unfiltered wrath. Her heart pounded violently as she instinctively shrank back.

“You claim you were concerned for the child’s health.”

“O-of course! Would I have gone through all this trouble to obtain such a rare medicine otherwise?”

“Then why wait until now—after you were exiled from the estate—to bring it forward?”

At his sharp observation, Pirina’s shoulders tensed.

“…What exactly is your true intent?”