Chapter 2.
The cursed bride wasn’t necessarily human.
My grandfather’s cursed bride was, absurdly, a deer.
He killed it the day it came, thinking it prey. My grandfather could never marry. His grandmother could never become the grand duchess.
My father’s cursed bride was, fortunately, human. But she was so hideous that she wore a mask for the rest of her life.
“Um….”
The prospective grand duchess’s bedroom at the very end of the fifth-floor corridor of the mansion.
They had purposely put her room all the way at the top so no one would have to see her.
When Ains reached the fifth floor, she opened her mouth a few times but couldn’t get any words out. Leonhardt, arms folded and leaning against the wall, narrowed his eyes.
Then he bent his head and threw it back.
“Ha! Hahaha!”
“Your Grace— That is….”
He laughed like a madman, bending at the waist, then suddenly stopped laughing. Ains found that the scariest thing of all.
Leonhardt walked past his attendant without a word. When they reached the room he’d marked out—
“Wonderful. Amazing.”
No one was in the bedroom.
Leonhardt rummaged through the room and found a tuft of fur under the mirror.
At first he prodded it with the toe of his shoe. It didn’t move, so he squinted, thinking it might be dead.
‘Just die now. If you do, I’d be relieved too.’
But the tuft’s body twitched. To his annoyance, it was breathing.
He exhaled as if it were ridiculous, then picked up the squirrel’s tail by the tip with only his thumb and forefinger.
“This thing….”
His low voice growled like a beast.
“How dare this thing be my bride?”
Blood boiled in him.
—Kill it. Kill it. Kill it.
He closed his eyes, opened them, and took a deep breath against the constant whispering curse.
Before throwing the squirrel against the wall, Leonhardt tossed the tuft of fur onto the bed.
“I’m tired. I’m going back to my room.”
He’d get married in name only and then leave it neglected.
Leonhardt had no intention of taking a squirrel seriously as his bride. He didn’t want to be tied to it.
…But at the time, he had no idea what changes that squirrel would bring to him.
“Someone help me….”
Ouch, it hurts.
Somewhere a voice in pain begged for help. There were sobs, too.
Hearing it alone was agonizing. Someone needed help.
‘Who are you? Where does it hurt? What do you want me to do?’
The unknown speaker kept crying and begging for help.
I can’t do anything anymore. Help me instead. It hurts. I don’t want to hurt anymore. It’s unbearable.
‘Okay. Okay, I’ll help. Stop crying.’
Helping others wasn’t my hobby, but I couldn’t ignore someone in that much pain begging for help.
I told them I’d help and urged them to stop crying. The crying stopped.
“Really? Really… you’ll help me?”
Yes. I’ll help. So please, stop crying.
“Did you promise you’ll really help…?”
Yes, I said I would. I’m not the kind of woman who breaks a promise. Don’t doubt me.
“Thank you. Really… thank you.”
But what do you want me to do? Say that first.
The voice answered: Save him. Save him for me. Help him.
Who are you, and who is he, if I don’t know I can’t help. Tell me.
But the voice didn’t answer anymore. Instead, a ball of light slowly brightened.
The light grew huge and wrapped around Arin’s body. Before she was completely swallowed by it, a silver-haired girl smiled through tears.
—Thank you. Don’t forget your promise.
‘Wait! Hold on, what is this—!’
The light flickered two or three times and in an instant swallowed her.
“Hah— gasp…!”
She sat bolt upright, her whole body shaking.
‘What is this? What the hell was that dream?!’
She took a deep breath. Her heart beat like she’d run a sprint.
She squeezed her eyes shut to calm down, and a warm sunlight made her look up.
A lemon-colored curtain fluttered in the breeze. With a dazed expression she stared at the sea outside.
‘Where is this. Who am I….’
Who was I again?
She blinked and bowed her head, unable to speak for a while.
“Ha….”
A high-pitched sound escaped.
“Heh heh….”
Arin, laughing weakly, flopped back down. The ceiling looked impossibly high, unreachable even if she reached out.
It had to be a dream. How could a person turn into a squirrel?
She raised a leg slightly and burst into tears at how short it was.
Am I a squirrel, or is the squirrel me?
Her identity wavered.
‘It’s a dream. Dream… damn it!’
She jerked upright impatiently.
Anyone could see the white fur on her arms and legs was indistinguishable from an animal’s. And the awkward fluffy tail—what was that?
When she tightened her buttocks the tail swayed.
“Ugh! Gross!”
She jumped up, clenched her fists, and hit her head with all her strength.
Smack.
A painfully clear sound, and she tumbled backward.
“Haah, ha… I’m crazy.”
A curse almost slipped from her lips.
‘This is bad. I really am a squirrel.’
Her head was a mess. It felt like three missiles had hit her.
After shaking the dust out of her head, the inside of her mind was blank as a white canvas. She simply couldn’t think.
If it hurt when she hit herself, that proved this was reality.
‘Reality. What is reality?’
A deranged laugh bubbled out of her mouth.
‘So why did I become a squirrel?’
She had just been about to start her second life. A drunk driver came speeding at her. Swearing, she tried to dodge nimbly, but she wasn’t nimble enough.
‘And bang! We collided.’
She’d been thrown up and—
‘Thrown down hard to the ground.’
And then no more memories.
When she opened her eyes again, this was the situation.
Seo Arin, a college student with a bob cut and a fairly slim frame about 155cm tall, was nowhere to be found.
Left in her place was a 15-centimeter ball of white fur.
“No.”
She wrapped her short arms around her head and shook from side to side.
“That can’t be.”
No matter how much she denied reality, nothing changed. She knew, but denial kept spilling from her mouth.
She flopped onto the bed and thrashed the blanket, but sadly a squirrel’s tiny paws couldn’t even disturb a speck of dust.
“Wah….”
Arin had always been sad about being short. Every centimeter mattered; now she’d become an even smaller critter.
“Why, why am I a squirrel!”
She wailed, and at that moment a knock sounded at the door. She stopped her lament and sat up.
When the door opened, a maid whose hair was neatly tied entered. Her outfit screamed ‘I’m a maid.’
“Good day, miss.”
She bowed politely and approached Arin.
“I’m Jane, who will be serving you from today.”
“Uh… th-that…”
“Oh. Thank goodness you can speak.”
Jane smiled softly, genuinely relieved.
Of course—she’d expected the creature to be able to speak and assumed Arin would understand. If she couldn’t speak, how would they communicate?
‘Good. At least I can talk. Thank goodness.’
Relieved, Arin nodded.
“Um, I— I want to ask something.”
“Ah, yes. Anything.”
“Well… where is this place?”
Since they could communicate, Arin felt better too.
She didn’t know why she’d become a squirrel, so first she needed to figure out where she was. Staying put was the same as dying to her.
“This is the Grand Duke’s mansion. Perhaps… you know nothing?”
Jane looked flustered. She’d assumed Arin knew everything.
Seeing Jane’s expression, Arin thought that saying she knew nothing might make Jane suspicious.
‘I’m in a novel. And I’m a talking squirrel.’
A sudden thought left her stunned. Of course, her squirrel face didn’t show it.
“Miss, are you all right?”
“…Ah, yes. Yes, yes. Ahaha.”
Jane was kind. She even smiled at the talking squirrel.
Arin rummaged through her memory. She felt like she could remember this squirrel’s name.
‘This is the world of the novel <The Rose of Betrayal>. And the cursed man’s ill-fated cursed bride.’
‘…Ah. Right, I remember.’
Kalli Herace.
In the future, Kalli Herace would be abandoned in the forest by a supporting male character and eaten by wild beasts—an ill-fated squirrel bride.
‘Ah… I want to scream.’
Why of all things did I have to become such an insignificant creature?
“Kalli… I’m Kalli Herace.”
Even a squirrel has a name.
She almost added something more, then stopped. Jane said the name was pretty and laughed again. Jane was a kind maid. Kalli liked Jane.
“Miss, aren’t you hungry? I thought you might have gotten up by now.”
“Oh… then could you bring me something to drink?”
“Certainly. Would you like water?”
“Yes, yes. Anything is fine.”
She actually wanted alcohol, but it would look odd for a squirrel to drink liquor.
As soon as Jane closed the door quietly, Kalli pressed her head to the bed and let out a silent scream.
‘Gah! I’m possessed… and of all things, I’m a worthless squirrel!’
Misfortune breeds more misfortune.
Kalli squeezed her eyes shut.
‘Why is my life so unlucky. Ugh, this sucks.’
