I Became A Squirrel Seeking For The Villain [EN]: Chapter 36

Becoming the Squirrel Who Saves the Villain – Episode 36

A few minutes ago.

Johann stormed into Meriel’s office with a terrifying look on his face.

Meriel muttered inwardly.

‘Act difficult, act difficult… Drag out the time as annoyingly as possible…’

Everything had gone well when she followed Yurika’s instructions.

Therefore, Meriel trusted her this time as well.

However, as soon as she saw Johann’s cold face, her body froze slightly in instinctive fear.

He was so different from the frail boy she had encountered at the Hাইলard estate five years ago.

For one thing, he was much taller than before, and his attire and hairstyle had completely changed.

In other words, he was a handsome war hero by anyone’s standards, but a scary person who couldn’t help but be intimidated by his cold and aloof expression.

“Ahem, I, I was a little surprised.”

Meriel said the nastiest thing she could think of to gain the upper hand.

She even added a direct accusation that she would never normally make.

“It’s quite rude of you not to reply to my letters and even visit without notice like this.”

“A very accurate assessment, Duchess Medest.”

Johann stood in front of her as if he had no intention of sitting down and spoke coldly.

His strategy was also to act difficult.

Johann, who judged that he should not do anything that would make Meriel even slightly like him in order to break off the engagement, continued to speak even more coldly.

“Of course, I was also a little surprised to see that letter. Did you want to finalize this marriage so quickly?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I understand your desire not to miss out on a war hero and the heir to the prestigious Hাইলard Dukedom, but…”

Meriel was dumbfounded and could only blink her eyes.

“I don’t think I have any obligation to grant that wish.”

Of course, Johann was now in a great position.

He was a great mage who had ended the war in an instant, and he was even young, handsome, and from a good family.

As Meriel, who had to marry whoever ended the war, had actually considered an old man’s concubine or a lowly slave as a marriage partner, she could not say that Johann’s words were wrong.

But…

Even if it was the right thing to say, Meriel thought he was too obnoxious.

Even though Meriel’s lover was the Crown Prince… Meriel narrowed her eyes and carefully broached the subject.

“Does that mean…”

“I don’t want to beat around the bush. Let’s break off the engagement.”

The words that came out of Johann’s mouth were firm and short.

Meriel was so surprised that her mouth dropped open.

Even Yurika had analyzed that he had no reason to break off the engagement with Meriel…

Because it was not a promise between families, but an imperial edict issued directly by the Emperor as a reward for the end of the war.

“Let’s quickly document it strongly before His Majesty says something ridiculous. It would be difficult to force us together if we both agreed.”

Johann’s cold words continued.

“That’s why I came so quickly before even entering the palace. I want to get rid of this unpleasant marriage as soon as possible.”

“Oh, um… Just a moment. Actually… um, we…”

Meriel panicked for a moment. Could things really be this easy?

Was there anything she hadn’t accounted for?

Was this marriage, which had been a burden on her mind for so long, really being resolved so quickly?

Was life this easy?

Meriel was a little unsure of herself since Yurika wasn’t by her side.

So, the kind and tender-hearted she eventually chose to tell the truth in this situation.

“We actually thought that we could keep the edict in another way, even if it wasn’t through marriage with me.”

Because the kinder she was, the more she thought she should treat the other person with the honest truth when the situation was complicated, so that she would have no regrets later.

“Because Duchess Medest has not only me, but also my sister Yurika…”

Meriel tried her best to explain to Johann, who didn’t know the situation in the capital well.

“Ah, of course, she’s an adopted daughter who came in five years ago, but she’s still a full member of our family… If you’re worried about breaking the edict, you could at least maintain an engagement with my sister…”

“I’m not interested in Medest’s long family history. I don’t want to hear a long story. I’m busy because I just arrived in the capital.”

Those words even broke Meriel’s patience.

“…Long?”

Of course, Johann was misunderstanding Meriel’s intentions.

He thought, ‘If you don’t like me, how about my sister?’

As he had been on the battlefield for a long time and had just arrived in the capital, he had almost no information about Yurika Medest.

All he remembered was that his adjutant had mentioned in passing that she had been adopted from an orphanage for Siena because she looked so much like his lost second daughter.

So he retorted coldly.

“Anyway, whether it’s you or your sister with a lot of stories, I absolutely don’t want to get involved with any Duchess with the Medest name.”

“No, you haven’t even met Yurika…”

“I don’t need to meet her. It’s obvious that she’ll be a terrible woman to me.”

Johann began to spout nonsense in order to finalize the annulment on the spot.

In fact, Johann wasn’t that bad of a person, but he was so desperate for the annulment right now.

“…Ha. Okay.”

Perhaps the strategy of appearing to be a jerk who absolutely didn’t want to be entangled with her family worked, Meriel took out a piece of paper as if she didn’t want to talk anymore.

“Let’s break off the engagement. Actually, that’s what I’ve been wanting too. We have the same goal.”

It was a truly strange experience to be so unpleasant despite being on the same page.

Meriel and Johann wrote a notarized document for the annulment.

Regardless of the Emperor’s position, the Duchess of Medest and Johann Hাইলard would never marry.

“Write ‘Duchess of Medest’ exactly as in the original edict.”

Johann spoke firmly to avoid being tricked by the trick Meriel had mentioned earlier. Of course, he didn’t want to get involved with her sister either.

“Anyway, I have no intention of marrying either of you.”

“I have no intention of marrying Yurika to you either.”

Meriel said in a very clear voice, unlike her usual self, on that matter.

“Yurika deserves a kind and gentle man. Yurika herself is weak to such people.”

“I told you I’m not interested in your sister. I don’t know why you’re bothering to give me useless information.”

Meriel and Johann didn’t trust each other, so they carefully added a clause that said, ‘Never go back on your word no matter what happens.’

“Really… You’re a very rude and mean person, but…”

Meriel said slowly as she stamped her seal and shared a copy of the notarized document.

“I hope you are a person who takes responsibility for your words and doesn’t lie. You must never say anything different later.”

In her heart, she was filled with joy at the thought of telling the Crown Prince this good news right away.

She could only hope that Johann would not go back on his word later.

Even she, who had no political sense, knew that Johann had nothing to gain from this annulment.

“I admit that I have many faces, but…”

Johann said coldly.

“Believe me, I don’t speak with two tongues.”

Thus, the annulment of the engagement between the war hero Johann Hাইলard and the Duchess of Medest was established.

“I will see His Majesty soon, and I will tell him about this annulment.”

That was the end.

Meriel and Johann were both satisfied with the easily achieved annulment.

“Then goodbye.”

Johann, who had not even sat down since visiting the Duke’s residence, left a perfunctory greeting and slammed open the office door.

And…

“…Momo?”

For a moment, Johann thought he was dreaming or hallucinating.

The girl he had dreamed of was now a beautiful woman before his eyes.

Light brown hair that fell to her shoulders, warm and beautiful pink eyes.

But next to Momo was a young man with a kind and gentle face, with his arm around her shoulder.

Johann had faced countless near-death crises on the battlefield, but he felt his heart drop more than in any other deadly situation.

“Ah, Yurika!”

Meriel, who found Yurika in the office, smiled brightly and shouted.

“You can just go have tea time with Baron Renat as is. Everything’s been resolved!”

Johann felt a chill run down his spine for the first time in his life.

Why are they calling Momo ‘Yurika’? Didn’t they say ‘Yurika’ is Meriel’s sister’s name?

So now, I don’t know the details, but the second daughter who was adopted into the Medest family five years ago… is Momo?

And why is she so close to that watery-looking, pale man?

“They said you don’t need to marry or even get engaged! They even wrote in the notarized document that there’s absolutely no going back!”

Meriel continued excitedly.

“Don’t worry, they said he’s a jerk with a terrible personality, but he doesn’t speak with two tongues!”

‘Do everything you can to make the other person difficult and throw them into a panic.’

Of course, Yurika was behind Meriel, but the two’s strategies were the same anyway.

So far, Johann was definitely much more of a jerk than Meriel.

However, when it came to throwing the other person into a panic, Meriel’s victory was overwhelming.