The White Stoat Princess - Chapter 15

I diligently used my short tail to dust off the surroundings of Hadel’s desk and drawers, as well as the armrests of the chair.

Naturally, I eventually arrived at the ink bottle and the pens hanging on the pen holder.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen a pen like this. They’ve wrapped the pen body with iron. I guess it’s to prevent it from catching fire?’

It was both pitiful and complicated. I looked at the iron-wrapped pen with sorrowful eyes, then shifted my gaze to the documents underneath the pen. I saw a document that had just been written halfway. I frowned.

‘But the addition is wrong here. Should I fix it for them?’

To think they made a mistake on such a basic thing. I pursed my lips and picked up the pen. However, there was a problem.

‘Ugh, the pen is heavy.’

The iron-wrapped pen was much heavier than a regular pen.

“Oof!”

I tried to lift the pen with all my strength to write, but I stumbled and fell over.

Clunk!

“Eek!”

In the process, my bottom bumped into the ink bottle on the desk with a thud.

‘I caused an accident.’

Fortunately, the ink bottle didn’t spill, but the ink splattered and made a bunch of dots on the document I was trying to fix. I clicked my tongue and pulled out a blank sheet of paper.

‘For now, I can copy the ink-soaked document exactly as it is. And while I’m at it, I’ll also fix the wrong numbers.’

I dragged the pen with a grunt and diligently wrote on the paper. It was difficult at first, but once I started moving the pen, even the heavy pen gained momentum and moved more easily.

‘Oh, it seems I write better than them.’

I was glad the spelling was the same. After diligently copying it, I hung the pen back on the pen holder.

‘Ugh, but I don’t see any cloth to wipe the ink.’

Now I needed to wipe the ink splattered on places other than the document, but I couldn’t find any suitable tools.

“Hmph.”

It can’t be helped.

I let out a huge sigh. Then, I used my tail, which had been suffering all day, to wipe the ink-splattered areas.

‘Phew, I think I’ve finished cleaning up. Should I go out now?’

I was about to go outside but paused for a moment. Then, I crawled towards the open window.

‘Ugh, it’s cold.’

A cold wind blew, making my teeth chatter right away. But I had no choice because I had a goal.

‘Ugh, Hadel should appreciate how much I’m suffering.’

I crawled out the window, obtained my original goal of “that thing,” and quickly returned inside the office.

‘Sigh, I definitely can’t go outside. It’s already this cold when it doesn’t even seem like winter yet, so how cold would it be when it starts snowing in earnest?’

I want a warm southern country! Please send me there.

Having finished all my remaining errands, I stepped out of the office with a refreshed heart. Thankfully, the door was slightly open as if considering me.

Once outside, I looked around.

‘The office is here, so where is the library?’

My goal was not the office but the library! My objective was to read books there and accumulate knowledge about the world to survive.

‘At the very least, I should find out about the climate of this neighborhood, whether this freezing weather that could kill me is always maintained or not.’

Weather was especially important to me. If it remained cold all year round, I wouldn’t be able to live here even after gaining independence from Hadel.

‘Why is Hadel so obsessed with my fur! Please stop being interested! Love me as a companion animal!’

As I ran down the hallway, crying in sorrow, I encountered another person. This time, it was the maids dusting.

“Eek! It’s a weasel!”

“It’s really white? But it seems a bit different from what I heard.”

“Shh, be quiet. We’re supposed to ignore it.”

I thought I could gain some information, but it seemed an order had been given here as well to ignore me.

‘No, if you see me, you should give me food or carry me around, not ignore me.’

I didn’t know what Hadel was thinking when giving that order, but it was still sorrowful. I let out a deep sigh and trudged along. After walking for a while, I heard a small murmur behind my back.

“…Cute.”

‘Huh?’

I looked back. The maids scattered in a hurry to avoid my gaze, but they couldn’t completely hide their sparkling eyes directed at me.

So, the cute one they were referring to was indeed me.

‘Well, I am cute after all.’

I shrugged my shoulders but soon realized it was meaningless and shrank back again.

‘What’s the point of being cute? Everyone treats me like a ghost weasel.’

Boo hoo, the weasel is too sad.

‘I worked hard cleaning and this is too much, isn’t it? I deserve a reward.’

As I walked, grumbling, I sniffed the air. An extremely sweet and fragrant scent was tempting my nose.

‘Ah, a sweet smell. Could this be cake?’

The taste I had experienced before was this scary. The scents I used to pass by without much thought now had meaning and came to me vividly. I perked up my ears and tail.

‘Cake!’

Where’s my cake! I worked really hard today. I even corrected the wrong addition.

So, the cake is mine!

As I chased the scent, I saw a familiar cart in the middle of the hallway.

‘That’s the butler’s cart!’

It was the very cart that always carried my meals.

It was indeed my cake!

‘I’ll eat it deliciously!’

Just as I excitedly leaped forward, it happened.

“Caught you.”

“Eek!”

As I was running towards the cake scent, my body suddenly dangled in midair.

Of course, it wasn’t because I had suddenly learned how to fly. Someone had grabbed the scruff of my neck as I was charging toward the cart.

And that person was none other than Hadel.

‘Wait, how did you know I was here?’

I rolled my eyes and made eye contact with Hadel, who was holding me. Hadel’s red eyes furrowed.

“How long has it been since you ate, and you’re here to eat again? And I told you cake is forbidden, didn’t I?”

“Squeak squeak.”

I just came to take a look.

I whistled and played dumb. No, but if the goal is to fatten me up, why won’t you let me eat cake?

As I puffed out my cheeks, Hadel tapped my cheek with his index finger.

“You little troublemaker.”

“Squeak?”

I did cause trouble, but I cleaned it all up?

It seemed the cake ban was no joke. Hadel began striding in the opposite direction of the cart, carrying me. I cried pitifully and bid farewell to the cake.

‘My cake~’

I should have run faster to take at least one bite. What a shame.

And so, I was carried by Hadel and returned to his room. Then, looking at the bathroom mirror, I realized why Hadel had called me a troublemaker.

‘Gasp.’

My body was a total mess. My four paws were covered in dust and ink, and my tail had turned black instead of pink.

‘Ah, so this is why they said I looked different from what they heard.’

Hadel must have said I was a white weasel with pink patterns, but what they saw was a white weasel with black patterns, so they had no choice but to say I was different.

“Getting this dirty. I can’t take my eyes off you.”

“Squeak.”

That was my fault.

‘Surely he won’t tell me not to go outside?’

If he issued an outdoor ban on the first day just because I got dirty, I wouldn’t stay still. I’d make a mess and disrupt this room.

“For now…”

For now?

Hadel put me down in the sink without water. Then, he spoke in a neat tone.

“Let’s wash up.”

“Squeak squeak!”

Look at that crazy drive. Seeing Hadel take off his clothes and throw them aside as he spoke, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Tell me before undressing!

The reason Hadel suddenly had to leave the office was that he received news of the annex of the castle freezing over.

He left with a serious expression, wondering if monsters had infiltrated, but fortunately, it was nothing serious. It was just that rainwater had leaked into an unused building and frozen.

‘That startled me.’

The monsters had been unusually quiet this year, so it indeed felt ominous like the calm before the storm. It seemed not only Hadel but others also felt that way.

‘It’s unsettling even when monsters don’t appear.’

How long do we have to live with this uneasiness? Hadel felt a surge of fatigue and pressed his fingers against his eyelids.

Walking beside him, the secretary let out a sigh of relief.

“But it’s fortunate that it was just a trivial happening.”

“Indeed.”

The conversation ended there. Feeling uncomfortable with the awkward silence, the secretary hurriedly walked and opened the door to the office. Then, he immediately inhaled.

“Huh!”

Hadel, who tensely and swiftly entered the office wondering what had happened this time, ended up letting out a hollow laugh upon seeing the state of the office.

Small weasel footprints were messily left all over Hadel’s office.

‘What kind of mischief is this now?’

The small footprints continued outside through the door.

The hallway had a plush carpet, so the footprints soon disappeared somewhere. Hadel raised his head again and looked at the desk.

‘I thought it would be a mess with spilled ink, but the desk is spotless.’

Did it only dip its paws into the ink bottle to get ink on its paws? He thought it could be possible since it was a clever creature.

The secretary, who had examined various parts of the office, let out a sigh.

“It’s tiny, but it diligently ran around everywhere.”

It was just as he said. The small footprints were messily left in every nook and cranny. On the windowsill, on the desk, and on the floor.

Especially the floor and window frame were a problem. They were made of marble.

‘Cleaning will be a chore.’

Just as the secretary was about to leave the office to find a mop with that thought, Hadel ordered in a blunt voice.

“Leave these footprints as they are.”

“Pardon?”

Why leave them?