Chapter 6
Just then, the door burst open and Levi came in.
“Waaah! No! Why are you coming in?!”
Thud—
Callie slammed her belly right into Levi’s face.
“Ughp… A-Ah, my lady…?”
“Ugh! N-no, I’m slipping! Grab me, quick! What are you doing?!”
“Ah, y-yes, yes!”
His arms were too short to reach Callie’s ears. As she was about to slide straight down, Levi stretched out his hand.
Unfortunately, it landed right on her bottom. Both Callie and Levi froze at that moment.
Smack—
Callie moved first, slapping his broad forehead.
“It’s rude to touch a lady’s bottom, Levi.”
“S-sorry! But you’re a squirrel…”
“Even if I’m a squirrel, I’m still a lady. And I used to be human! Don’t you ever forget that.”
“Y-yes, I won’t. But… your fur is so soft, my lady.”
Levi naturally set Callie on top of his head. She squirmed around and sprawled on her back, staring up at the sky.
“Levi, I want to ask you something.”
“Y-yes, go ahead.”
“Do you know when His Grace will be coming to the estate?”
“Ah, that….”
The boy, who had confidently said he would show her the grand duke’s famous library today, suddenly froze. He was definitely wearing a troubled expression.
Callie wriggled on his head, pressing her belly against his crown, then crawled forward until her whiskers dangled over his forehead. Levi forced a smile.
“They say there are too many monsters right now… That’s why he’s delayed…”
“I see.”
“D-don’t worry! He said he’ll definitely be here on the wedding day.”
“From what I see, he might even be late for that…”
“No, really! Both Lady Jane and the others said so. His Grace always takes weeks when he goes out on monster subjugations…”
“Hm…”
“I’m telling the truth…”
“I know. Did I say otherwise?”
That part was written in the original novel. Not in detail, but still mentioned.
To conquer Credenxia, the northern fortress had to be destroyed. That was essential, so monsters always appeared throughout the northern lands.
‘Of course, in Leonhardt’s case, he goes there on purpose to calm his madness by shedding blood.’
She understood, but at this rate, he might not even make it to the wedding.
Not that it really mattered. This wedding wasn’t a normal wedding.
In this empire, a marriage was only recognized if the couple made a sacred vow before the imperial family and the papacy. Any other kind of marriage was invalid.
But the Spencer family was an exception. Because of the curse, even a simplified wedding was acknowledged.
‘Normally, for a grand duke, the wedding would be extravagant. But since this is because of the curse, they’ll just do it half-heartedly.’
The word “wedding” brushed through her mind again. Callie sat up and touched her belly.
“Hmm… did I gain weight?”
Since becoming a squirrel, she had lived a lazy life of eating, sleeping, and playing. Even in a squirrel’s body, it was only natural to get chubby.
Tilting her head, she sensed Levi chuckling.
“What are you laughing at, kid?”
“You feel heavier than before. I think you did gain a little.”
“What? Really? No way.”
She jumped up and inspected herself, but with all the fur, it was impossible to tell.
Looking flustered, she just kneaded her belly and plopped back down.
‘Of course, there’s no way a squirrel would ever wear a wedding dress.’
How could a squirrel wear such a thing anyway?
But inside, she was still a woman, sensitive about weight. Yet this damned squirrel body made it hard to tell skin from hide.
“By the way, my lady, you’ve never properly met His Grace, have you?”
“Nope. This will be the first time.”
Slender frame, but with hidden lean muscles. Long arms and legs, jet-black hair like the night, eyes said to shine like gold, and delicate features arranged neatly on his face.
She could picture what kind of man he was.
‘So basically, he looks fragile, but he’s actually tough. Plus, he’s handsome.’
Still, she thought of him as nothing more than a “picture-perfect man.” And apparently, he had a bit of a sadistic streak.
‘Not my type. Absolutely not.’
Maybe that’s why she wasn’t looking forward to meeting him at all.
Honestly, it would be better if he never showed up.
The day of the wedding.
Callie stared blankly at the outfit Jane held out.
“How is it, my lady? Do you like it?”
“Wait… this is…?”
“Yes. I made it myself. I stayed up several nights just for you.”
“Wow. That’s incredible skill…”
Amazing. The pure white dress-like outfit was small enough for a squirrel to wear.
Callie clapped her tiny paws in awe. She had thought squirrels couldn’t possibly wear clothes.
Overwhelmed, she let Jane help her put it on. It was adorned with cute frills to mimic a wedding dress.
“Thank you so much. Jane, you’re really talented.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just glad you’re pleased.”
“But what about Leon—um, His Grace? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”
Jane’s face instantly turned awkward. Callie realized she’d asked the wrong thing. But just from her expression, the situation was clear.
“He still hasn’t come, huh. Well, that’s fine. I expected it.”
“M-my lady… the thing is…”
“It’s okay. I don’t really mind.”
It wasn’t like this was going to be a real wedding with guests, gifts, and greetings anyway.
The ceremony was to take place in the forest within the grand duke’s estate. Past a large pond stood a pavilion flanked by statues of a beautiful goddess.
That was where the simple wedding would be held.
‘That’s hardly a wedding. More like an engagement.’
Attendees included only the officiant, bride and groom, the butler and head maid, and a few of Leonhardt’s subordinates.
Though he was a grand duke, strong enough to rival the emperor, his cursed wedding would be a pitifully small affair.
“But I’m so small, no one will see me. What do we do about that?”
“Ah.”
Jane fetched a cushion from the drawer. It was made of velvet and looked quite luxurious, with golden tassels on the corners.
She carefully placed Callie inside.
“I’ll hold this during the ceremony.”
“Oh, Jane, you will?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Still, if it was going to be this simple, was a ceremony even necessary?
‘Wouldn’t signing a contract be easier?’
She tilted her head.
Just then, a knock sounded. Levi peeked in.
“Hello, my lady.”
“Oh, Levi. Hi.”
“Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Oh… thanks.”
It wasn’t something she wanted to hear, but she nodded politely.
“I just came to tell you… I can’t attend.”
“Why not?”
“They said I’m not a full employee yet.”
His face was full of regret. Callie thought for a moment, then grinned.
“Jane. From today, make Levi my personal attendant.”
“P-pardon…?”
“I’m going to be the grand duchess today. Surely I can at least do that much.”
“My lady, but…”
“That way, Levi can attend too, right?”
“M-my lady…!”
Jane was flustered, but Callie was firm. It wasn’t impossible, so Jane gave a helpless smile.
She handed the cushion over to Levi.
“My lady, it seems you’ve grown attached to him already.”
“Yes, he’s cute. And obedient…”
Like a puppy, really.
Oops. Not an insult—he was only seven, so maybe more like a little pup?
He always wagged his invisible tail whenever he saw her. Enough to make her want to “take him in.”
Levi carefully carried Callie as he and Jane headed toward the pavilion.
“Still, it really seems His Grace won’t be coming…”
“Levi, don’t say—”
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Callie sat comfortably, watching the passing scenery. Thanks to Levi, she had seen it once before.
It didn’t feel like a real wedding anyway. Whether he came or not didn’t matter.
What mattered was meeting Leonhardt and convincing him to lift the curse.
“My lady, aren’t you nervous?”
“Hmm. Not at all.”
The pavilion drew closer. As expected, Leonhardt wasn’t there.
The officiant blinked in surprise at Callie but cleared his throat and began.
“Bride, enter.”
Levi concentrated hard not to make a mistake, which made Callie chuckle.
Maybe this whole wedding was just a ploy to fool the witch? She had said the curse would break once the grand duke married the cursed bride.
‘If so, then later he could marry someone else properly before the emperor and pope, right?’
But thinking about it more, the witch’s curse was no simple thing. Surely she had foreseen that.
“Groom, enter.”
“….”
“Ahem. Groom, enter…”
Sweat trickled down the officiant’s forehead. No groom was in sight.
Callie sighed and spoke up.
“Just go on without him.”
“But…”
“He’s too busy to attend. Please, continue.”
It didn’t matter anyway.
The officiant reluctantly raised his hand to continue—when suddenly, the doors of the pavilion swung open.
“Groom, enter.”
That deep, resonant voice tugged at her heart. She turned her head.
There stood a man in full wedding attire.
“Well now. Hasn’t the wedding started yet?”
