Chapter 46
It had always been Leonhardt who touched her first.
This was the first time Kali had reached out to him — and it felt surprisingly new.
Because this time, he flinched in response.
Kali lowered her gaze for a moment, then met Leonhardt’s eyes.
“W-we should… go say hello to everyone in the mansion first. After all, they’ve all been so kind to me while I was stuck as a squirrel…”
“Do we really have to do that?”
Just then, Leonhardt’s aide, Ains, appeared.
“Good day, Duchess.”
“Oh, hello. This is actually the first time I’m greeting you properly.”
“I’m very glad the curse has finally been broken.”
“Hey, Ains. Why are you glad, huh?”
Leonhardt’s lips curled faintly into what might’ve been a smile, but his eyes turned cold. He pulled Kali behind him, shielding her.
“Your Grace, now that the Duchess has returned, she must appear before the servants as the lady of the house,” Ains reminded him calmly.
“Leon, Sir Arendell is right. I can’t just keep seeing only you, can I?”
Leonhardt’s eyebrow twitched.
She was right. And so was Ains.
He barely managed to suppress the possessiveness and jealousy stirring in his chest.
“…Alright. Shall we go, Kali?”
Leonhardt reached out his hand.
After a moment’s hesitation, she placed hers in his. His fingers immediately intertwined with hers, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
As he led her down the corridor, Kali glanced down at their joined hands.
“This feels… embarrassingly intimate.”
Her heart fluttered uncontrollably. The feeling was unfamiliar — and disorienting — but not unpleasant.
“So this is what starting a relationship feels like.”
After all, Kali had never dated anyone before. Not once in her twenty years.
Not even in high school.
She was one of those people who could honestly say, ‘I learned about romance from books.’
“Hey, Leon.”
“Mm? What is it?”
Are we… dating?
She barely swallowed the question before it escaped.
“Yeah… I guess we are.”
Kali squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
“Kali? Why’d you stop talking mid-sentence?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing…”
“Now that just makes me more curious. What is it?”
“Well…”
She stared at the floor for a long moment before whispering,
“Are we, maybe…”
“Mm?”
“Ma’am! Good day!”
Just then, a group of servants passed by, greeting them cheerfully. Kali quickly lifted her head, smiling brightly and waving back.
She used to always ride on someone’s shoulder or head — but now, she could walk on her own two feet. Everything around her was no longer looming over her.
The joy of that realization made her forget what she’d been about to ask.
“Leon, Leon!”
She tugged lightly on his hand.
“Everything looks so tall — no, normal! The world looks normal again!”
“You like it that much?”
“Of course! Everything’s back to normal. It’s wonderful!”
“Then like it even more.”
“Oh, I do! I can finally do all the things I couldn’t as a 15-centimeter squirrel!”
She was so excited she didn’t notice the heat in Leonhardt’s gaze.
Every time she spotted a servant, she stopped to greet them. The flowerpots in the hallway that had once looked enormous now seemed perfectly average-sized.
She was finally back in a world where everything was to scale.
“Ah… sorry. I got too carried away.”
“No. It looks good on you. You can be as happy as you want.”
“Heh, haha…”
“Because you’re cute.”
“Urgh…”
How could he say things like that so easily?
Kali turned her head the other way, her cheeks burning. He, meanwhile, smiled softly and kept his eyes fixed on her.
“Um… Leon.”
“Why? You don’t want me to look at you? Too bad.”
His voice carried a teasing laugh as he led her forward again. She shook her head.
“No, I just wanted to ask something.”
“Go ahead.”
“Well… are we…”
Kali squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
“Are we… dating?”
Leonhardt stopped walking.
Kali’s eyes fluttered open. From behind, she saw his dark hair — black as her own eyes — swaying gently.
“Dating, huh.”
“……”
“That’s an adorable way to put it, Kali.”
His low voice brushed against her skin. Slowly, he turned around, his gaze deep and heavy.
“Yes. We’re dating.”
“……”
“Let’s start from there.”
Phew… I’m exhausted. Guess I got a bit too excited after the curse was lifted.
Kali flopped face-down on the bed.
Come to think of it… Leon’s a duke.
And since she’d married him, she was now a duchess.
Which meant — there were a lot more things to worry about.
Maybe being a squirrel had been easier after all.
Tiny and insignificant meant no responsibilities.
“Haa…”
And on top of that, she’d said something unnecessary earlier — that bit about starting from “dating.”
She turned her head to the side. The sky outside had already gone dark.
From morning till evening, she’d been trying on dresses and jewels, talking about feelings, having a grand luncheon — though technically married, they’d decided to “start from dating.”
Then came the lavish meal.
There were so many foods I’d never even seen before… and all of them were delicious.
Back when she was a squirrel, her meals barely filled two tiny saucers.
Now she could finally eat properly, using real spoons and forks.
That part’s nice. Everything feels… free again.
She wriggled on the bed and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. The elegant dress Leonhardt had picked out was getting wrinkled, but she couldn’t care less.
Her legs dangled off the bed as she kicked them absently.
So what am I supposed to do now?
After the meal, Lady Femming, her tutor, had arrived.
Apparently, the duchess of such a grand household must learn proper etiquette.
Lessons began today.
Lady Femming looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties — a woman said to have served the Spencer family for generations.
“You’ve just returned to being human? So what?”
She was terrifying. Like a woman forged from iron — passionate and relentless, leaving no time to breathe.
For two whole hours, Kali endured her thunderous voice echoing through the room.
“Don’t you dare forget a single thing by next time! Review, review, and review again!”
Even now, Kali could practically hear her shouting.
“Ugh… uuuugh…”
Can’t I just… not be a duchess?
She’d never liked studying, but she was too stubborn to give up once she started.
That same stubbornness had gotten her into a good university once upon a time.
Thanks to that brain of hers, she picked up Lady Femming’s lessons quickly.
If she was lucky, maybe she could learn everything fast and never have to see that woman again.
“I don’t wanna do anything…”
Groaning, she rolled toward the door. Just then — without so much as a knock — it burst open.
Only one person in this whole mansion would enter like that…
Sure enough, a man with hair the color of the night sky stepped in.
“Kali. You’re not dead, right?”
His teasing tone made her roll her eyes. She didn’t reply — just stared at him from where she lay.
Leonhardt closed the door behind him and came closer. The room was still dark.
When he sat down on the bed beside her, the frame creaked softly.
“Tired?”
A faint chuckle echoed in the dim room.
“Do you even have to ask?”
“But it’s all for your sake, Kali.”
“I know. That’s the problem.”
Leonhardt reached out and ran his fingers through her rich red hair, slowly combing through it.
Back when she was a squirrel, he’d often stroked her fur — it had been soft then, and now her hair was just as silky.
“Good girl.”
“I’m not a child.”
“Then let’s call it me being affectionate, alright?”
He chuckled quietly, lifting a lock of her hair to his lips and brushing a kiss along its length before letting it fall.
Kali’s heart fluttered wildly. She could only twitch her fingers — until his much larger hand covered hers.
“Um…”
“Kali. You’d better get used to this.”
“That’ll… take some time.”
“Then work on it. Because I don’t plan on stopping.”
It sounded like a warning, though his face was soft, almost tender. She blinked rapidly.
“Come on, get up. It’s time for dinner.”
“Can’t I rest a bit longer…?”
“Oh? Do you want me to carry you?”
“I never said that!”
She shot up immediately, and Leonhardt laughed lowly, clearly amused.
He opened the door and slipped an arm around her waist, gently steering her outside.
“Shame. Maybe next time, you’ll ask me to.”
“Never!”
He smiled, delighted.
That night, she dreamed a long, dark dream.
A nightmare where she couldn’t tell whether she was the squirrel or the squirrel was her.
Those helpless days, when her tiny arms and legs could do nothing.
But that’s over now. Goodbye, miserable days.
Kali slept deeply — perhaps for the first time in a long while.
When she’d been trapped in a squirrel’s body, her mind and body had always been restless.
She hadn’t slept well once.
Now, she finally could.
This is life. Goodbye, unhappiness.
Feeling thirsty, she decided to get up for some water.
Stretching her arms with a yawn, she froze.
Something heavy was beside her — something that definitely shouldn’t be there.
It wasn’t soft enough to be a pillow, nor light enough to be a stuffed toy.
It was big. Solid.
Back when she was a squirrel, this “something” had been enormous — so she’d assumed it wouldn’t feel as overwhelming now that she was human again.
But she’d been wrong.
“Why is he here…?”
He was still big to her.
Broad shoulders, firm chest, long limbs — Leonhardt hadn’t changed one bit.
“…Go back to sleep,” he murmured.
