I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain [EN]: Chapter 58

Became a Squirrel Saving the Villain (58)

Became a Squirrel Saving the Villain Episode 58

The woman with light brown hair continued, her voice sounding somewhat subdued.

“I didn’t really know much about noble families growing up… I found out yesterday when Baroness Verini, who attended the banquet, told me. I work at the Verini barony.”

Meriel stood quietly in front of her, her expression hidden from me as she faced away.

“The Baroness said that my appearance is very similar to that of Princess Medeste, and suggested I come to check it out, just in case…”

“Hmm.”

Meriel’s lips, which seemed somewhat stiff, carefully opened.

“First of all… um, what should I call you?”

“Yes, yes?”

“You must have a name you’ve been using. I’m asking what your name is.”

Oh.

I hadn’t yet told Meriel that I was the real Yurika. I hadn’t had a chance to meet her separately after the banquet.

So, I expected her to be overjoyed and say, ‘Please, come in,’ but Meriel’s voice was calmer than I anticipated.

Even the act of using honorifics with a woman in shabby clothes felt less like respect and more like drawing a line.

“For now… at the Verini barony, I’m called Lizzie.”

“I see, Miss Lizzie.”

I quietly put my index finger to my lips for the maids standing around me. It meant not to reveal that I was here for now.

Fortunately, I was wearing white pajamas that weren’t easily distinguishable from a maid’s uniform.

Surrounded by maids in this state, it was clear I wouldn’t be easily seen from below.

And just then, Jayden’s voice came from downstairs.

“What?”

Jayden, who rushed out in a fluster, asked in a hurried voice.

“Who’s here?”

At that moment, Lizzie rummaged through the cloth bag she was holding and took something out.

“I… I thought it might help…”

It was a very old baby outfit.

“I heard that when the Baroness took me in, this was the outfit I was wearing.”

As soon as he saw the baby clothes, Jayden began to tremble.

“Ah…”

Then, he took the baby clothes and couldn’t say anything.

“…Meriel doesn’t know this, but I was the one who escorted Yurika to the temple for her baptism.”

So, it was natural that Jayden remembered the clothes Yurika was wearing when she disappeared.

At this point, even the maids began to stir.

‘Libena is clever.’

I thought to myself, my eyes gleaming.

‘If I didn’t know I was the real Yurika, I would have been completely fooled.’

So, going back early yesterday to plan things out meant bringing in another fake instead of me.

I knew very well that I was quite clever myself. So, I had no doubt that I could survive well no matter where I was thrown.

In other words, I wasn’t the type to steal someone else’s place in such a complicated situation.

I was planning to leave without looking back when the real Yurika came back, without any regrets.

Of course, I would feel a little empty as a person, but I wouldn’t cling to the position of Medeste’s princess in an unsightly way.

But now that I knew all the truth, there was no way I could just play along.

“Uncle.”

But if there was a slightly unexpected reaction, it was Meriel.

I thought she would lose her mind and tear up more than Jayden, but she was surprisingly giving off a cold atmosphere.

“Baby clothes can be made to look similar. Nothing is certain yet.”

“Wh-what?”

“Besides, everyone knows that the second daughter of the Medeste family disappeared. The fact that she’s appearing now is a bit…”

Meriel muttered quietly, then stopped in surprise and apologized politely to Lizzie.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t say things like that in front of the person involved… I was too careless. Will you forgive me?”

Well, Lizzie had no choice. She stammered and said it was okay for now.

‘Honestly, it looks suspicious to anyone…’

As Meriel said, the disappearance of the Medeste family’s second daughter was a very old story.

A woman with a similar appearance suddenly appearing looked suspicious to anyone.

But as a proud person, I couldn’t bring myself to say it was suspicious, because it would look like I thought my position was being threatened.

‘They probably didn’t consider the kind Meriel, who is famous for being kind, as a variable. But it’s a bit surprising… I’ve never seen her so cold before.’

Anyway, I was really glad I knew all the truth.

It was a pretty nasty strategy that I couldn’t bring myself to step in and stop.

‘To use such a dangerous move. They must have been in a hurry.’

But this method obviously had many weaknesses.

The fewer people who knew about this, the better, but they had to win over the Verini barony, a noble family, anyway.

Even exposing my clothes that were kept in the temple could be used as evidence when revealing the truth later.

‘Evidence that the kidnapping was actually related to this fake.’

If there are baby clothes, even if it is revealed later that Lizzie is a fake, it won’t end with excuses like, ‘I just looked alike, and I was greedy because I wanted to live well!’

In that sense, Libena must have also made a strong move.

So, they hadn’t been using this method until now, but they must have gotten impatient and planned this after seeing me in person.

‘Then…’

But I already knew all the truth, and sending a fake like this was no different than giving me weapons one by one.

‘Singing fake, fake songs and putting me down…’

Watching all the situation from the spiral staircase, I smiled secretly.

‘Shall I use the fake a little well?’

There’s nothing left if I just chase this fake away.

A spy sent by them has come straight into my territory, so there’s no reason not to use her.

There was only a week left until the improvement event that Yohan had requested from the temple.

I was planning to get rid of the fake within that week, as well as extract as much information as possible.

* * *

As he headed to the drawing room with Meriel and Lizzie, Jayden fidgeted inwardly and moved his lips.

Light brown hair, pink eyes, and even the old baby clothes she was wearing when she disappeared…

‘Those baby clothes are definitely it. That’s definitely my sister’s handiwork.’

Meriel didn’t say anything because she spoke coldly, unlike her, but there was embroidery that Sienna had directly embroidered on the inside of the baby clothes.

And the embroidery was exactly the same as Jayden remembered. Because Sienna was terrible at embroidery.

It would be quite difficult to roughly forge something you’re not good at, let alone imitate something you’re good at…

Even if it was a fake, it was certain that they had copied it after seeing the real Yurika’s clothes. Usually, they don’t put such hideous embroidery on baby clothes.

‘But why is Meriel so calm? Is it because she’s worried about Yurika?’

That could be. He himself was convinced that Lizzie was the real Yurika, but in his heart, he kept thinking about Yurika, who he had thought of as his niece all along.

That’s when they arrived right in front of the drawing room.

“…Mother?”

Meriel, who encountered Sienna, was startled and widened her eyes.

I clearly knew that she was in the room with Yurika, but Sienna was already out in the hallway in front of the drawing room.

A look of embarrassment crossed Meriel’s face.

That’s because I knew better than anyone else how Sienna, who had rushed to Yurika and called her her lost daughter, would react if she saw Lizzie, who had a similar appearance…

Jayden was also very nervous because he knew better than anyone that Sienna was not normal right now.

Breaking everyone’s expectations, Sienna frowned and asked sullenly without any agitation.

“Who is that lady holding our Yurika’s clothes?”

“…Yes?”

Meriel asked back with a somewhat shocked face.

“Mother.”

Meriel blinked her eyes, took the baby clothes back from Lizzie, and asked.

“Do you perhaps… remember these clothes?”

“Of course. It’s the clothes our Yurika wore on the day she disappeared.”

Sienna said as she received the baby clothes.

“I embroidered the embroidery here myself.”

“Ah… then…”

Contrary to Lizzie, who was trembling and overwhelmed with shock, Sienna indifferently handed the baby clothes back to Meriel and continued.

“I guess she appeared from somewhere. But now that we’ve found our Yurika, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Oh, um…”

Lizzie, unable to bear Sienna’s calm words, took a step forward and said.

“Du, Duchess… These are the clothes I was wearing when I was young…”

It was Lizzie’s somewhat timid rebuttal, unable to say, ‘I’m the real Yurika.’

And while no one stopped Lizzie from saying that, Sienna glared at Lizzie coldly and said in a sharp voice.

“Really? Then you’re a thief.”