CBDBS l CH 11

Chapter 11

Tap, tap, tap—only steady footsteps echoed down the hall.

Gerard finally broke the silence, still sounding dissatisfied.

“My lord… are you truly planning to keep it by your side?”

“What?”

“That thieving squirrel, my lord.”

The words sounded absurd even to him—calling a mere squirrel with honorifics—but he couldn’t exactly speak down to it either.

After all, that squirrel was no ordinary creature. It had been personally brought in by Duke Kreutz himself.

So Gerard and the household had no choice but to treat it not as a criminal but as a proper guest.

…Even if it was locked in a cage.

What on earth are you thinking, my lord…?

Gerard frowned, unable to hide his disapproval.

He had served Kain for more than ten years, yet lately, his master was becoming unreadable.

He hid things, acted differently than before… and now, paranoid as ever, he had brought home a squirrel.

Not just any squirrel—an obviously unusual one.

“It must be a spy sent by a rival house,” Gerard pressed.

At first, he’d been sure it was a beastman in disguise.

It understood speech too easily, acted far too cunning for a mere animal, and even deceived him more than once.

But every inspection came back the same:

“There is no mana whatsoever. If it were a beastman, there would be traces.”

The physician repeated this verdict every time.

And every time, Kain only muttered, “I see,” with a look Gerard couldn’t read.

Clearly, he knew more about this squirrel than he was saying.

“It must have been raised for some special purpose.”

“Special purpose?”

Kain suddenly halted.

“Think about it. Its fur is as soft as a luxury rug, its appearance… unnaturally cute.”

Gerard spoke with utter seriousness.

“There is no way such a creature survived in the wild. All the more reason to send it out of the castle before it causes trouble.”

That was why he had dragged the subject out.

But his master had no such intentions.

“The castle is already crawling with spies. One more acorn-sized one won’t change anything.”

“….”

Gerard fell silent, stung. He couldn’t deny it.

Kain had inherited the title the moment he came of age, and the world had been circling like vultures ever since—waiting for the last black dragon of House Kreutz to fall.

As long as he lived, their ambitions were restrained. If he fell, wealth and power would flood into their hands.

Assassins come almost every night now. Sleeplessness had become a constant companion.

“Still, I must object. Lord Ferdinand is here, and the Imperial Court will—”

“Enough.”

A small gesture cut him off.

They had reached the duke’s bedchamber.

Beyond this door waited the squirrel.

Locked up, no doubt bristling with indignation.

He imagined it glaring at him, chattering away in its ridiculous squeaks.

And strangely, he smiled.

It was oddly… thrilling, knowing someone was waiting for him.

‘When I hold it, I feel at ease somehow,’ he admitted inwardly.

In the forest, last night in his room… each time, that calm had led him to real sleep.

Was it the squirrel’s ability? Or something else entirely?

He intended to find out.

But more than that—

‘It’s entertaining.’

Its frightened little face, its nervous chattering… and those cherry-red eyes that revealed its every thought.

“Nothing unusual to report, my lord,” the guards saluted.

Kain pushed open the heavy door.

And then—

“….”

“Wh-what… is the meaning of this?”

The cage was empty.

Snacks gone, squirrels gone.

The room erupted into chaos.

“Search the castle! It couldn’t have gone far!”

Gerard quickly barked orders while Kain stood frozen, jaw clenched.

Gerard glanced nervously about, when—

Chirp!

From between the cushions of the sofa popped a fluffy white bundle.

It flicked its tail arrogantly, as if mocking them outright.

“There! The repeat escapee!”

***

“Defiance, then.”

“Without question. It’s declaring, ‘Such a pathetic cage can’t hold me!’”

Kain and Gerard stared down at me grimly.

As for me…

Yes, I was imprisoned.

In this cursed pouch that had become my second skin.

Whew, that was close.

I’d overheard word of Kain heading my way and had sprinted for my life across the ceiling beams.

If not for Sebi guiding me through shortcuts, I’d be mounted on the wall as a trophy by now.

“Master Squirrel, you are the Duke’s guest—but also under protective custody. Leaving your assigned area constitutes escape.”

“In Kreutz lands, escape is punishable by execution.”

…Since when did master and servant banter so perfectly in sync?

I had a lot to say about that, but for now, I kept quiet.

If scolding was the worst of it, I’d endure an hour of nagging gladly.

Besides, I had more pressing concerns.

Any moment now…

I glanced at the door—just as a knock sounded.

Lunch had arrived.

Not the formal dining hall meal, but a lighter spread: simple dishes on a single tray.

There it is!

My eyes locked onto the soup sprinkled with parsley.

The very same soup I’d seen in the kitchen—where the maid Redcarrot had slipped strange powder into it.

‘The other dishes might be safe… but I can’t risk it.’

There was only one solution.

Flip the whole table.

I was already poised, hidden in the pouch, ready to spring.

Gerard’s eyes lingered on me like a hawk, but when one of the servants raised the silver spoon for poison testing, his gaze shifted.

Perfect.

I held my breath, waiting.

But then—

‘…Huh?’

I froze.

The silver didn’t change color. Not at all.

“It is safe to eat, my lord.”

Safe?

Impossible.

I had seen Redcarrot sprinkle powder into that soup.

I had heard her curse Kreutz under her breath.

And yet…

No time to hesitate.

Kain lifted his spoon, ready to take the first sip.

If I was wrong, I’d be punished harshly. But if I stayed silent and it was poisoned—

“Th-the squirrel! It’s escaping again!”

I shot out of the pouch like an arrow—

Straight at Kain Kreutz.

Thud! Clatter!

I crashed into his hand just as he lifted the spoon. The utensil flew from his grip, spun through the air, and landed with a splash on the luxurious carpet.

Soup spilled everywhere.

Chaos.

Success!

The soup lay overturned on the floor—mission accomplished.

But the silence that followed was deafening.

Gerard’s face had gone pale as chalk.

And Kain…

Kain’s face twisted, his expression the very picture of wrath.

“You…”

His hand reached for me, and instinctively, I flinched.

That reflex—an old scar I couldn’t erase.

My father, the Marquis, had always called his beatings “discipline.”