The butler, who usually doesn’t have even a mouse’s eye worth of perceptiveness, today frowned as if understanding my protest perfectly.

“His Highness is just being kind to you because he has such a gentle nature, but you are a beast. Not a human.”

“Kyu!”

Ugh, he’s talking again?

‘Who said I was human? Still, a leash is too much!’

I protested, waving my small fists. Then the butler snorted and said:

“Oh really? Then you’re saying it definitely wasn’t you who stole the chocolate and caramel?”

“Kyuu…”

As a ferret with a conscience, I couldn’t completely deny it when there was some truth to it. I hurriedly looked over my body.

‘I hope there’s no chocolate smeared anywhere?’

If evidence came out in this situation, I’d be done for. Fortunately, my fur was still white and beautiful as ever today. There weren’t even any dark chocolate-like stains.

‘Phew, what a relief.’

The butler smirked and mocked me as I let out a sigh of relief.

“Look at that. Even that ferret seems to know it’s dirty.”

“Kyu!”

This human, really!

‘I’ll bite you! Do you know how scary my teeth are?’

I’ve only used them to tear bread until now, but should I try using them to attack others now?

I clashed my teeth with that meaning, and when the butler flinched slightly at the sight.

In the middle of our staring contest, Hadel, who had been sitting there with little presence, rubbed his face and got up from his seat.

“Too provocative. Dismissed.”

“What?”

“Kyu?”

What’s provocative?

The butler and I looked at each other with blank faces, just like when Hadel had told us to leave earlier.

I was the first to come to my senses.

‘What are you thinking now!’

What could be provocative about putting a leash on a ferret? That meaning only made sense if he knew that I was originally ‘Marian’.

‘I thought it was just my misunderstanding!’

You’re totally aware, human!

If he had acted like it was nothing, I would have been fine too, but since he kept showing it, I felt a rush of shame. I protested to Hadel with all my might, stomping my hands and feet.

“Kyu kyu! Kyu kyu!”

“It’s not like that.”

“Kyu!”

“I’m telling you it’s not.”

What do you mean it’s not? Your face is extremely red!

“No, this darn ferret.”

Was it because I protested fiercely to Hadel with my fur standing on end? The butler suddenly grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and lifted me up. Then he glared at me and said:

“Why are you so red?”

Why am I red too?

Having started the day in chaos since morning, what energy could I have left? Feeling suddenly miserable, I cried kyu kyu and fell asleep on the bed.

Since Hadel had his own outside schedule, I stayed alone in the room for a while. Even when I woke up again, Hadel wasn’t in the room.

‘Sigh, I’m too scared to go out in case I run into Prince Saedel.’

My whole body felt stiff from being in the room all day. As I was rolling around on the bed, I suddenly got up and scratched at the blanket vigorously. It was because I remembered what happened today.

‘Hadel is a stupid idiot. What is he suddenly thinking?’

What would change if my past life was a woman around Hadel’s age? Right now I’m Hadel’s companion ferret.

‘No, Hadel isn’t the problem. If the butler hadn’t said such nonsense in the first place, Hadel wouldn’t have reacted either.’

After thoroughly cursing Hadel, my heart softened a bit. It was because Hadel’s personality that I had observed for months was so reliable.

‘Right. He might feel awkward for a day or two. It’ll pass.’

When my worries ended, I felt sleepy again.

I curled up on Hadel’s bed and fell asleep. I woke up again because of the sound of Hadel entering the room.

‘Ah, he’s back.’

When I raised my head, it was dark outside the window. It’s already night? As I was blinking in surprise, the butler who followed behind Hadel took his jacket and said:

“Just a moment. I’ll draw your bath water.”

But at the word ‘bath’, Hadel froze. Then he moved noticeably unnaturally and said:

“I’ll take care of it myself. Withdraw.”

“Pardon? Even the bath?”

“Yes.”

Not stopping there, Hadel pointed at me with his chin and said:

“Take that ferret out too.”

Why again!

I was irritated, but soon I blushed and became subdued.

Bath!

Our bath together.

‘I was embarrassed about that too.’

How much trouble did I go through to avert my eyes every time Hadel took off his clothes? And Hadel, not knowing my feelings, would offer to soap me up himself.

‘Right. Let’s separate our baths from now on. And honestly, I don’t think I need to bathe every day.’

Bathing is only necessary when going out, what could get dirty about me just rolling around inside the castle?

I nodded my head in agreement with Hadel’s words. The butler, who had been against my and Hadel’s baths together all along, tilted his head at Hadel’s order.

“You won’t bathe together today?”

“We won’t bathe together from now on.”

“What?”

What do you mean ‘what’. If he says we won’t, then we won’t, just understand.

I looked at the butler with disdainful eyes. The butler, who had expected to meet an incredulous expression like he had all day, met my incredulous gaze and frowned as if his pride was hurt. I pouted my lips.

‘What? You feel bad because it seems like I know Hadel better?’

Hadel waved his hand to tell us to get out quickly and said:

“And Kyu Kyu hasn’t eaten yet. Feed her dinner.”

“Yes, yes.”

The butler, who would roll on the floor at Hadel’s command, ended up picking me up with both hands and getting chased out of Hadel’s room.

The butler, who had been standing blankly in the hallway for a moment, looked down at me.

“Did you tear apart a live grasshopper in front of His Highness or something?”

“Kyu!”

What do you take me for!

‘A live grasshopper. It’s disgusting just to imagine.’

It seems my fortune has improved lately. The fact that I only now remembered that insects were what I had to eat proves it.

The butler held his chin and sighed, “Hmm,” and muttered:

“If it’s not a shock of that level, I don’t understand why he’s suddenly keeping his distance like this.”

Does Hadel seem that strange?

Just then, the sound of water running to fill the bath echoed from inside the room. At that sound, I naturally recalled the baths I had with Hadel.

The butler was startled looking at me.

“No, why are you bright red again? Are you sick somewhere? Did you catch a ferret cold or something?”

“Kyuu.”

What’s a ferret cold?

I shook my reddened face vigorously. There was no other way to cool down my fur-covered body except shaking it.

‘It’s because of Hadel.’

I bit my lip. I had almost gotten used to it. Bathing together, sleeping together.

‘Because he keeps being conscious of it, I end up being conscious of it too.’

But why is he making those actions embarrassing now?

‘Ugh, I’m going crazy. Really.’

Do we have to keep being uncomfortable like this? Just as I was scratching my head with my front paws in irritation.

An unwelcome voice echoed through the hallway.

“That ferret.”

I looked up and turned pale.

“Show it to me.”

Somehow having approached without notice, Saedel was holding out his hand towards the butler.

Of course, I resisted fiercely.

“Kyu! Kyu!”

Save me! You can’t hand me over, butler!

He may look calm and composed now, but I already knew how scary he could be when he lost his mind. Especially the pain and terror when he forcibly blew ice mana into my body, I couldn’t forget.

‘He’ll kill me. He’ll turn me into an ice cube.’

How could I, who can’t even stand the cold, endure ice mana? So I clung desperately to the butler. With Hadel unable to come out now, the butler was the only person I could cling to.

“Kyu kyu, kyu kyu kyu!”

Perhaps feeling my desperation, the butler faced Saedel with a hardened expression.

“This ferret is specially cherished by His Grace the Grand Duke.”

But the butler had no power.

“It’s an order, hand it over.”

“…Yes.”

When Saedel pulled rank as royalty, the butler could no longer resist and held me out to Saedel. As I was transferred to Saedel’s hands, I gave the butler the middle finger.

‘The butler is never any help!’

Always acting so fierce, but why do you become such a meek lamb at times like this! This is really too much. It’s not even ferret discrimination.

Saedel, who had taken me, entered his room. There was one subordinate in the room besides Saedel, but Saedel entered and sat at his desk as if he couldn’t see him.

And as soon as he sat down, he examined me this way and that while muttering:

“Hmm, I was sure it had absorbed flame mana…”

Yes, let’s admit what should be admitted. The fact that he sensed the aura of flames from me in that brief moment meant he was extremely sensitive.

But being sensitive is one thing.

‘Look all you want. You can’t sense any aura now, can you?’

It’s only natural that no matter how much he examines, he won’t find anything if there’s no flame inside me.

Thanks to Hadel making such a fuss and keeping his distance from me today, I hadn’t absorbed any flame mana at all right now.

‘Hadel’s fuss actually helped.’

Did he keep his distance anticipating this kind of situation? For a very brief moment, I had good thoughts about Hadel, but I quickly became fierce again and cried kyu kyu.

‘No! If he had anticipated this situation, he wouldn’t have left me alone with the butler in the first place!’

Hurry and tell Hadel about this situation, butler! And come rescue me, Hadel!