A secluded forest where people rarely wandered. This was the spot Luina and I had chosen to secretly cast magic. Tension flickered across Luina’s usually stoic face—unusual for her.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course. Hurry up and cast the spell on me.”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. No one could predict what might happen when I asked her to turn me into a flying squirrel. Luina had refused my outrageous request countless times.

“My magic isn’t accurate enough, okay? Plus, I’m just an apprentice mage!”

But I couldn’t give up over something like that. I only had one month left.

“Why not? I’ll deal with whatever happens, I promise! Do you know what my father said yesterday? If I don’t wrap up ‘that d*mn love nonsense’ within a month, he’ll marry me off to some old nobleman!”

“Clea, that’s truly unfortunate, but… no means no.”

“Don’t you feel sorry for me? I’ve had a crush on Schwein for four whole years. I haven’t been able to confess my feelings even once… It’s too unfair to end things like this.”

“Clea…”

“I’ll try it once, and if it doesn’t work, I’ll give up cleanly. Can’t you at least practice on me? Please?”

That’s right. All of this was my last desperate attempt after harboring a one-sided crush on Schwein for four years.

He couldn’t keep himself together around adorable animals—he loved them that much. I figured there was no better way to get close to Schwein. If I transformed into a cute, lovable flying squirrel and appeared before him, surely he couldn’t just ignore me.

The plan was simple and straightforward. First, I become a flying squirrel. Then I get close to him. 

In reality, whenever Schwein approached me, I’d get so nervous that I’d end up doing all sorts of off-putting things—like splashing tea in his face or tearing up the handkerchief he’d picked up for me right in front of him.

But if I befriended him while transformed into a flying squirrel, maybe I wouldn’t do those things anymore. I’d thoroughly analyze his preferences from his side, then appear before him in the form of his perfect ideal type and confess my feelings.

After hours of pleading, persuading, and threatening, I finally got Luina’s permission. Even then, she warned me repeatedly.

If we tried once and it didn’t work, I shouldn’t even think about being stubborn again. And since she was an apprentice mage, if anyone found out she’d recklessly used magic, she might lose her qualifications forever. 

On top of that, her magic accuracy was extremely low, so I might end up as a giant flying squirrel or transform into some disgusting bug.

I was prepared to drink poison right in front of me if she told me it was holy water. So what did warnings like that matter?

Besides, I preferred imagining a happy future where everything went successfully rather than worrying about potential misfortunes. Even as she spoke with concern, I was already picturing how many children I’d have after marrying Schwein once I successfully completed my plan.

‘If they look like Schwein, the more the better, right? I think a daughter should come first.’

I was grinning and letting my imagination run wild when I heard Luina begin chanting. My head spun for a moment. I felt like my body was floating in the air, then suddenly a scream rang out like thunder.

“Clea! Open your eyes!”

When I opened my eyes, the world had grown enormous without me. The clothes I’d been wearing had shed like a shell and lay on the ground, and the stone that hadn’t even reached my shin was now so huge I had to crane my neck to see the top.

I carefully clenched and unclenched my fist repeatedly, and my stubby little finger joints moved. Below them, fluffy white fur densely covered my belly.

Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it, so I examined my body from every angle—a tail that looked so soft I wanted to hug it, and wing membranes that appeared when I spread my arms. Whether I looked at it upside down or while doing a handstand, I was a perfect flying squirrel.

“I really became a flying squirrel! I can’t believe it! Luina, you’re the best!”

Luina looked dazed instead. She probably hadn’t expected the magic to actually succeed. When she extended her hand, I climbed onto it. The height of her hand gradually rose, and Luina’s face, which had seemed impossibly distant, approached like a massive boulder.

“How do you feel?”

“I don’t know. It’s strange that the world has grown huge without me…”

“So you don’t like it?”

“No, it’s amazing! I want to meet Schwein right away.”

Luina smiled with a look that said she couldn’t stop me. I found this situation amusing too, so I burst out laughing with her.

“This wasn’t the original plan, but… since the magic succeeded, I’ll take you to the mansion where Schwein lives.”

I sat on Luina’s hand and listened to what she had to say. The magic effect would probably last about four hours. After that, the spell would break, so no matter what happened, I had to leave the mansion before 6 PM, she warned me.

“But how do I get home? I’m not wearing anything right now.”

“I’ll pack your clothes and hide in front of the mansion. Look for someone wearing a red cloak. Then let’s go into the forest together and you can change.”

It wasn’t a bad plan. Of course, I’d already removed from my mind the premise that I might be hunted by beasts while searching for Schwein, or that I might get caught by a mansion employee and suffer a terrible fate.

What good would gloomy thoughts do? They’d just make my good mood feel unsettling.

Before long, we arrived in front of Schwein’s mansion. The grand mansion was dazzling at first glance. Plus, the security looked tight with people guarding the entrance.

“Now that I look at it, there seems to be a problem.”

“What problem?”

“How do I get in there? And I don’t know where Schwein’s room is.”

“I didn’t… think that far ahead either.”

I’d only thought about becoming a flying squirrel that would captivate Schwein immediately, but hadn’t planned the details of what came after. 

The fortunate thing was that I wasn’t just some four-legged beast, but a flying squirrel. Though it was questionable whether I, having just become a flying squirrel, could fly well.

“What should we do?”

Luina, who’d been pondering, sparkled her eyes with determination. Her clenched fist seemed to reveal her resolute will.

“Ugh. I’m not supposed to do this, but what can I do about spilled milk? I already used magic without permission from the guild, so what’s one more time?”

“Huh?”

“I’ll use magic to send you inside the mansion. But I don’t know where you’ll end up. You might open your eyes and find yourself on a cutting board in the kitchen.”

The story made all my fur stand on end. I could only hope the people working at Schwein’s mansion didn’t have a hobby of cooking adorable flying squirrels. If that situation arose, I thought I’d have to act as small and precious as possible, putting on a cute show.

“It’s fine. I’ve already decided to transform into a flying squirrel, so would something like that scare me?”

Luina nodded and quietly chanted a spell. Again, the nauseating feeling from before continued. 

A fierce wind swirled around me and turned into a small whirlwind. It surrounded me, and in the blink of an eye, I was inside the mansion.

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be on a cutting board.

It was a dim space with no light. At first, I thought it might be a storage room people rarely used. Or maybe I was trapped inside a box.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, blurry silhouettes gradually became visible. Large pieces of furniture lined the space, and far away I could see a streak of light seeping through a gap in the curtains. 

And from the intermittent sounds of tossing and turning and soft breathing, someone seemed to be sleeping in the room.

Could this be Schwein’s room?

It was still broad daylight. If they were employees working at the mansion, they’d be busy working right now. With that thought, I began to feel certain this might be his room. Of course, it might not be, but there was nothing to lose by checking.

I stretched my arms forward as much as possible and fumbled through the dim view as I moved. 

Whenever I grasped something, I struggled and climbed up. After battling like that for a while, I managed to reach the edge of the bed.

Let me just confirm if it’s Schwein.

If the person on the bed thrashed around and I got crushed, I could lose my life in an instant. So I moved my body as carefully as possible toward the edge. I took steps toward where the soft breathing sounds came from when suddenly something grabbed me.

“Ugh…!”

I was so startled I nearly stopped breathing. My heart pounded like it would burst out any moment when a low, deep voice spoke.

“What’s this now?”

Could this voice be…

I wanted to believe this wasn’t reality. But the voice was too familiar to deny any longer. Through the dark view, I caught a glimpse of sharp eyes. No matter how I looked at it, this dark silhouette was my childhood friend, Thadeus.

Why is he at Schwein’s house!

Of all people, it had to be Thadeus. He and I had no choice but to see each other frequently since childhood because our families interacted often. Of course, I would follow Thadeus around while he avoided me like I was annoying.

Thinking back, I think I admired Thadeus, who seemed more mature than me. Compared to small, petty me, he felt like a dependable older brother. But at some point, whenever I spoke to him, he’d frown and get angry without fail.

“Don’t talk to me, you ugly thing.”

“What…? Ugly?”

Ugly. Such a humiliating nickname was a first in my life. The shock was great, but I continued making every effort to get close to him. I tearfully gave him my most precious chocolate and found out about toys he liked to send as gifts.

“Ugh, chocolate? You don’t actually not know, do you? This is made with larva powder!”

“Hey, you think I like childish stuff like this? Get this garbage out of my sight right now!”

Each time, I felt hurt, but the more he pushed me away, the more stubborn I became. The only daughter of a count’s family, I, Clea Blanchet, wouldn’t be discouraged by something like this—I told myself that countless times.

As time passed, my feelings toward Thadeus had turned to hatred, and I desperately avoided getting involved in anything related to him. Sadly, what I’d overlooked was that Thadeus was vicious enough to make even Satan cry.

If we happened to run into each other on the street, he never failed to pick a fight, and if something went wrong on any given day, I’d have to endure being tormented for days on end.

‘And that Thadeus…!’

I knew Schwein and Thadeus boasted a deep friendship, but how could things go wrong from the very start? 

I already felt like so much had gotten tangled up. Then Thadeus, who’d been holding me in his hand, suddenly shot up from his spot. He strode somewhere with heavy steps and drew back the curtain.

Light instantly poured into the dark room. I kept blinking to adjust when I saw Thadeus’s face right in front of me. His disheveled violet hair and more relaxed gaze than usual felt unfamiliar.

His upper body was solid like a sculpted statue, and with each breath, the muscles in his abs moved up and down. Following that movement, I unconsciously lowered my gaze, and my mind went blank when I saw something massive and foreign attached there.

‘Why is he…! Why isn’t he wearing any clothes!’

I screamed inwardly where no one could hear. My heart pounded like I’d committed a crime. 

Heat spread across my face and I unconsciously looked down. It was my first time confirming a man’s symbol with my own two eyes, so I didn’t know what to do.

Then suddenly Thadeus began examining my body from every angle. Even though I was a flying squirrel, I was n*ked, so shame rose within me. Plus, if you thought of us as a n*ked man and woman, wouldn’t that paint a very strange picture?

I stayed frozen, unable to even breathe properly. Before long, Thadeus’s voice, full of suspicion, spoke.

“Why is there a rodent in the mansion? Don’t the servants clean?”