Chapter 8
“ It’s late today, so let’s stop here. I’ll prepare a temporary room in the castle for the thief. The real interrogation will start tomorrow.”
Gerard had preached at me for a full hour with no one listening. He reached out to grab me when—
“No need,” König said.
“…Pardon?”
“Leave it. I don’t really trust either of you.”
König looked from me to Gerard.
One was too quick and slippery (me), and the other was too slow and clumsy (Gerard).
‘Tch. This is why sharp-eyed beast-men are annoying.’
My second escape plan—ditching sloppy Gerard—crumbled on the spot.
Gerard looked as disappointed as I felt. He bowed his head, stayed quiet a moment, and sighed again and again.
“…You’re right. A slowpoke like me can’t keep watch on a thief who’s clever and uses dirty tricks.”
How many insults did he pack into one sentence?
So Gerard really does hold grudges—despite looking harmless.
After Gerard left, only König and I remained in the room.
For the first time in my life, I thought I might actually die under someone’s stare.
Because—
“Eyes on me. Where are you looking?”
On the wide bed, König—wearing only a loose, suspiciously casual robe—kept tugging me closer to him.
He called it a quick “pre-questioning” before the real interrogation.
The problem was his outfit: basically half-naked.
“Chuchu…”
Flustered, I kept turning my head away.
I might look like a fist-sized squirrel right now, but inside I’m still an 18-year-old with raging hormones. Keep provoking me and who knows what I’ll do!
“Chuu!”
“…Are you saying I’m frustrated?”
My wide-eyed warning didn’t get through. He stopped twirling my long ribbon tie and—once again—interpreted my “words” however he pleased.
Not that it was all bad.
He loosened the pouch strangling me, and my body felt freer. If I sucked in my belly, I could slip one arm out.
Then I could escape.
‘Heh. Once this lizard falls asleep…’
I buried my face in the pouch and grinned.
“Fair warning: give up on escaping,” König said, rolling to face me fully.
His eyes narrowed like he’d read my mind.
“I might forgive you once because you’re cute. There won’t be a second time.”
‘And if you don’t forgive me—what then?’
Eat me?
I stared up, round-eyed. He tilted his head again.
He never seems to get the important parts.
“Chuchu, chuu.”
Like this—are you going to eat me in one bite?
I snapped my teeth in the air to demonstrate. König finally let out a short laugh.
“Eat you?”
“Chuu—”
“What would I get from eating something that’s not even one bite? I’d just end up hungrier.”
Oh. So he won’t eat me.
Then why are you licking your lips?
Nervous, I scooted back—only for him to grab my scruff and pull me right back.
“I can’t eat a squirrel that’s so useful.”
He raised his eyebrows.
I had no idea what he meant.
‘A useful squirrel?’
Does this lizard know something?
I stared, waiting for an answer, but his lips didn’t open. Instead, he looked down at me for a long time.
His stare was relentless, like he could see right through to my core.
“I hear the imperial family is desperately searching for a squirrel beast-man. White fur, eyes red like cherries…”
He spoke flatly, as if talking to himself.
But to me, it felt like the strongest threat in the world.
When I saw myself reflected in his eyes, my heart thumped and dropped.
Maybe this crazy Black Dragon already knew who I was.
Maybe he brought me here knowing I’m Muriel Aymond.
Maybe tomorrow at dawn, he’d hand me over to the Empire—alive.
‘No. He can’t be certain.’
I forced myself to breathe and argued back in my head.
First, I’m not an albino squirrel right now.
My eyes are unusually red, yes, but I’m in the form of a normal brown squirrel.
Eye color alone isn’t proof.
Also, albino squirrels are rare, but not unheard of.
So König must be only suspicious, not sure.
‘Besides, he doesn’t know I’m a beast-man at all.’
If he did, like the physician and Gerard said, he would have thrown me into the dungeon already.
“They say the bounty for capturing that squirrel is enough to buy a townhouse in the capital.”
König kept talking, unaware of—or ignoring—my terror.
He squinted and smiled lazily, while I trembled so hard I burrowed deeper into the pouch.
“Scared?”
‘You call that a question?’
I poked my eyes out and nodded carefully.
Whatever happens, I cannot be taken to the Empire.
Even if my family is ruined now, Aymond is an old marquis house—one of the great herbivore-beast-man lines.
And yet we were branded traitors overnight—no proper investigation, no trial.
‘Only one power could pull that off…’
The Empire. No one else on the continent.
If they’re still hunting me after three years, their intentions are definitely bad.
Right now, powerless as I am, I have to stay hidden.
And ironically, the Kreutz fortress is the safest place—out of the emperor’s reach.
Even safer than Bear Mountain, where danger could come any time.
So even if it hurts my pride, I need to stay in this mad Black Dragon’s castle.
‘Actually… this might be my chance.’
A chance to settle into this fortress and make it my cozy nest.
To do that, I must conquer the heartless Black Dragon Duke first.
“Chu…”
I shuffled toward König inside the pouch and blinked up at him with the sweetest face I could make.
“…Do squirrels get pinkeye?”
“CHUUT!!”
Do I look sick to you, you clueless lizard?!
“Oh—seduction, then.”
“Chuu, chuu.”
I nodded hard. He let out a tiny laugh.
By the time I looked up, his face was back to its usual blank expression.
“I didn’t expect you to be this forward.”
“Chuchu…”
Then start expecting it—now.
He still looked like he couldn’t understand me. But he clearly didn’t hate it.
He carefully stroked the top of my head. It felt like he was playing with a toy doll, but—
Who cares, if this keeps me alive?
“Don’t worry. Our Kreutz house has terrible relations with the Empire. And there’s a lot I want to learn from you.”
I’m glad the Empire and Kreutz are enemies.
But… “learn from me”?
What could a duke—said to be as powerful as the emperor—want from me?
All I “know” is the location of my emergency food stash and my treasure cache.
Still, minutes passed with no further answer.
König just looked at me with a meaningful expression.
“I’m very rich. I won’t hand over something I already have for a bit of pocket change.”
Maybe it’s good that he’s crazy…
In any case, my immediate safety was secured.
But it was too early to relax.
Apparently, he thought the same.
“You’re not going to run away after I make you feel safe, right?”
He muttered it almost to himself.
His face turned serious—like he was weighing options.
Given I had already committed several crimes (theft, attempted escape), he clearly thought it was likely.
“It can’t be helped.”
‘Can’t be helped?’
I tilted my head. König pointed with a finger.
At the display cabinet where Gerard and I had our little chase.
“You broke one of my favorite ornaments while you were running. If you try to escape again and I catch you, I’ll replace it with you.”
R-replace… me?
“I’ll have you stuffed. You’re quite cute.”
You’re quite cute.
Quite cute.
Quite cute.
The sweet and merciless words echoed in my ears.
Mom… What should I do?
I think I’ve really gotten myself caught by a crazy man…
Duke she saved you!