Baby Squirrel Is Good at Everything

Hmm?

Startled by the unexpected words, Beatty looked up.

The butler’s face was filled with an expression as if he had just witnessed the despair of the world.

What on earth did those fools in the capital do to our Lady?

For a brief moment, the butler turned his face away from Beatty so she couldn’t see his lips, muttering under his breath about how those in the capital had failed to stop her from running away on her own.

"Ugh."

As he looked back at Beatty, he noticed her pale, sunken cheeks, her face visibly thinner than it should have been—an exaggerated distortion of his view—and felt his heart ache.

It's been fifteen days since we got news from the capital. How could they have let her go without taking care of her properly...!

Right now, what mattered to the butler wasn't Beatty’s unexpected appearance in the north or even the incompetence of the capital’s people who allowed the Lady to travel without an escort. This would definitely be reported to the master later.@@novelbin@@

But letting our Lady go hungry? That is unforgivable!

With the seriousness of someone facing a family crisis, the butler quickly gave orders.

"Reese, go to the kitchen right away!"

"Yes, sir."

"Get the thickest blanket! And that bear pelt that young master caught—go to storage room two and bring it here."

"Understood."

"You need to rush to the bakery as well."

"Yes, sir!"

The people moved quickly, as if on an urgent mission, faces full of determination.

"Choo?"

What’s going on?

Beatty could only look around with a confused expression as a storm of activity swept through the mansion.

After the commotion, Beatty was seated at a dining table in her human form, wrapped in a thick fur blanket, holding a warm cup of milk in her hands, and surrounded by a lavish banquet.

Under the butler’s intense gaze, Beatty hesitantly opened her mouth.

"Um..."

"Please, eat up, Lady!"

"Well..."

"Sniff... How could your beautiful, round cheeks be this gaunt...?"

"..."

The atmosphere was so tense that she couldn’t speak until she ate something, so reluctantly, Beatty picked up a fork.

Well, I am hungry.

In truth, her hunger had only been alleviated by fruit on the journey, so she was absolutely famished.

After emptying a few plates, Beatty felt a comfortable fullness settle in.

...Did I eat too much?

She glanced at the empty plates with some concern. It had been so long since she had eaten proper human food that she might have overdone it.

I hope I didn’t seem too greedy...

Just as she was about to set down her fork, a loud sob interrupted her.

"Huh?!"

The sudden crying startled Beatty, and her tail nearly popped out.

"How could you eat so little after all that time being hungry...?!"

So little...? But I feel like I ate a lot...

"Sniff... It's my fault, Lady. I should have made sure you had a proper meal, even though we were apart... How can I face the late Duke...sniff..."

"Er...?"

Was it really that bad?

"This foolish butler will never be able to hold my head high again, even after I’m dead..."

"..."

Beatty silently picked up her fork again.

"That's right, that's right! Here, eat more, Lady!"

With her cheeks packed full of food, Beatty felt her stomach swell to the point where she couldn’t eat any more.

I can't eat anymore...!

After finishing at least twenty plates, she was finally allowed to leave the dining hall.

***

In the hallway of the mansion, as they made their way to the parlor, Beatty was able to observe several statues that decorated the corridor.

As the guardians of the north, there were statues representing various weapons and an imposing lion statue that symbolized the family. And then, a cute little squirrel statue...

Hmm?

For a moment, Beatty felt like she had seen something strange.

...Did I see that correctly?

She rubbed her eyes and looked again.

"Here we are, Lady."

By then, they had arrived at the parlor door, which the butler opened for her.

Click.

As Beatty stepped inside the room, the people in the hallway who had been quietly standing, each with an expression as if they were simply carrying out their own duties, suddenly erupted in excitement.

"Hoo-hoo...!"

It was as though the silence had been broken with a loud clang, and everyone’s expressions melted into joy.

"Did you see that?"

"Her tiny little feet! She even walked with those tiny paws!"

"The one who was just the size of my finger... how did she grow up so fast? Sniff sniff."

People were so excited they couldn’t contain their happiness, some even crying out in joy.

Amidst the excited atmosphere, one person raised their voice.

"To think we’d see a child walking around this castle! It's the first time!"

"Huh? That’s not true."

Another person quickly corrected them.

"What do you mean not true?"

"Well, young master was a child too, wasn’t he?"

"Ah..."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, then a few voices murmured quietly.

"That's right. ‘That’ young master... was a child once."

"Young master... Young master..."

"..."

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind them.

Some of the people turned their heads, eyes lighting up as they saw a trolley covered with a white cloth.

"Is that Lady's snack?"

At those words, everyone turned their heads like meerkats.

"Ah! I’ll take it to her!"

"Hey! No, I will!"

"Not you! You can't get any closer to the Lady!"

"Move aside! I'm taking it in! I'll feed her myself!"

For a while, the hallway became a chaotic scene once again.

***

“I’ve brought the tea and snacks, Lady.”

The maid entered the parlor, disheveled as though she had just escaped a brawl, pulling a trolley filled with plates of snacks.

"Today's snack is a gingerbread house."

Clink.

Various gingerbread pieces, colorful icing, and intricately decorated sugar ornaments—the materials for a gingerbread house were placed in front of Beatty, one by one.

"Wow—"

Beatty’s eyes widened with every new sweet that appeared. These tiny, delicate cookies were unlike anything she had ever seen.

So it’s true. I heard aristocratic children are really into decorating their own gingerbread houses these days.

The maid, watching Beatty’s sparkling eyes with a satisfied smile, spoke proudly.

"If you need more, just let me know. I’ll bring as much as you want."

For our precious young lady!

Hans, the dessert guy, might complain about his arms falling off from carrying these, but I couldn’t care less.

With a final, lingering gaze full of personal affection, the maid left the room.

Clink.

Wait!

As Beatty absentmindedly gazed at the animal-shaped biscuits, she suddenly snapped back to reality.

Why are they...

The warmth of the food and the soft clothing momentarily relaxed her, but a wave of tension returned to her mind.

Why are they being so kind?

It was strange.

"Lady?"

As Beatty froze, staring at the cookies with wide eyes, the butler called out in confusion.

“Ah, could this be the first time you've made a gingerbread house? Do you see these square pieces? They will form the walls of the house. And..."

The kindly, patient tone of the butler was something Beatty had never experienced before.

Wait! No, focus!

For a moment, Beatty almost got lost in the gingerbread house construction as the butler pointed at each piece, but she quickly shook her head.

There’s no such thing as kindness without reason.

The only person who had ever shown her kindness in her life was the one who had betrayed her the hardest.

A friend who hid the deadliest poison under the guise of sweet friendship.

If it seems like kindness... it’s just hiding a reason.

Looking down at the sweet cookies, Beatty steadied her resolve.

I won’t fall for that kind of lie again.

She wouldn’t be fooled again, like the naive fool she once was.

What she could trust was only a transaction where both sides had something to gain!

She would secure a safe place to stay until her coming-of-age ceremony in exchange for the information she had.

Once I have a safe place, I’ll finally be able to live as a free merchant...!

As she imagined a happy future traveling across the continent, Beatty snapped out of her daydream with a sharp shake of her head and refocused on her original purpose.

"I have something to discuss, butler."

"Lady, please feel free to speak. You can just call me Johanna."

Surprised by the unfamiliar treatment, Beatty blinked for a moment but then awkwardly continued.

"Um... Johanna."

"Yes, Lady."

Swallow.

“I’d like to make a deal.”

"Deal...?"

Johanna looked confused for a moment, unsure if Beatty was referring to some sort of childish game that was popular in the capital these days, but she patiently listened.

"What I mean is, I have a really good proposal for the Duke's family."

“I see.”

"And I would like to speak to the head of the family."

"The head of the family...?"

Johanna was puzzled by Beatty’s title for the Duke but quickly softened with a sympathetic expression.

I see... Lady must have missed her father terribly.

It must have been so lonely for Beatty, not having seen her family in years, even if the Duke sent plenty of letters, allowances, and expensive gifts.

No material possession could replace seeing her father, though.

Johanna's heart ached as she imagined Beatty waiting in loneliness for her family, only receiving excuses from adults.

"Lady..."

Wiping away the tears that welled up, Johanna spoke with sincere pity.

"Your father is currently away, punishing some bad men."

Huh? He’s not here?

Beatty, having only seen news in the paper, didn’t know the specific movements of the Duke’s family during this time.

She had assumed he would be at the estate, and now she found herself flustered.

"Then, can I speak with the highest-ranking person here in place of the Duke?"

"Well, in that case, the Duke’s representative, who handles urgent matters when the master is away—"

Before Johanna could finish her sentence—

Bang!

Without warning, the door swung open.

Standing in the doorway was a young boy.

With his disheveled black hair and a handsome face that would turn heads anywhere, what caught Beatty’s attention most was the boy’s gleaming golden eyes.

That person is...!

Their eyes met for a split second.

The boy, casually pushing his dark hair aside, opened his mouth.

"Hello, runaway squirrel."