The Squirrel Will Raise the Baby Tiger — Chapter 8

YOU...?!

OH NO, I'VE BEEN CAUGHT!

I AM SO DEAD...!!

WAIT, LADY DURHAMS!

NO MATTER HOW FREE-SPIRITED A LADY SHE MAY BE,

SHE WOULDN'T BOLDLY ENTER THE LORD'S BEDROOM IN THIS MANSION, SO WHAT-

WHY ON EARTH ARE YOU HERE?!

PARDON? ME?

...JAEL?

YES, IT'S ME, JAEL. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE WHEN I KNOCKED, SO I TRIED TO GO INTO THE BATHROOM, BUT...

WHY ARE YOU RUNNING OUT IN SUCH A HURRY?

SHE WAS SURELY RIGHT HERE...

IT DEFINITELY FELT LIKE LADY DURHAMS WAS HERE.

...SHE'S NOT HERE.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

COULD I HAVE BEEN HALLUCINATING JUST FROM THINKING ABOUT HER TOO MUCH?

I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE MYSELF.

...FORGET IT. IT SEEMS I MUST HAVE SEEN THINGS.

SO, JAEL. WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?

I MISSED A RAT EARLIER.

SO I CAME TO CHECK IN CASE IT GOT INTO THE COMMANDER'S ROOM.

YOU CAME FOR JUST SOMETHING LIKE THAT?

I CAN DEAL WITH ANY RATS MYSELF.

IS THAT SO? I WORRIED FOR NOTHING, THEN.

I'M SORRY FOR DISTURBING YOUR REST. I'LL TAKE MY LEAVE!

I-

I BARELY SURVIVED...!!

I ALMOST GOT CAUGHT, THANK GOODNESS THE AIDE WALKED IN RIGHT THEN!

MY LADY!

DUKE~ ARE YOU INSIDE~

THE AIDE IS HERE TOO?! THIS IS DRIVING ME NUTS. SERIOUSLY.

I WAS FLUSTERED AT FIRST, BUT...

THANKS TO THAT, THE DUKE LOOKED AWAY JUST IN TIME SO THAT I WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE SAFELY THROUGH THE WINDOW!

THIS IS TRULY A TIGER'S DEN.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN OR HOW YOUR LIFE WILL BE TAKEN.

OOOOF...

LET'S PULL OURSELVES TOGETHER.

UNTIL THE EXAM IS OVER, I HAVE TO BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL NOT TO GET ON THE DUKE'S BAD SIDE!

HANG IN THERE, LULUBELL...!!

THE NEXT DAY.

LADY DATERS IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.

SHE HASN'T RETURNED TO HER QUARTERS EVEN BY THIS MORNING...

DON'T TELL ME SHE'S D-D-DEAD...?!

ALMOST GETTING CAUGHT AFTER MAKING EYE CONTACT WITH THE DUKE YESTERDAY...

AT THIS RATE, AM I GOING TO THE OTHER WORLD TOO...?!

HE WOULDN'T BE THAT HEARTLESS TO A FRAGILE LADY WHO JUST CAME TO TAKE AN EXAM!

SHE MUST BE SAFE. LET'S BELIEVE THAT!

WHY ONLY ME~!!!

SENT HOME SAFELY.

NOW, TODAY YOU WILL TAKE BOTH THE SECOND AND THIRD EXAMS.

THE SECOND EXAM IS AN ACADEMIC AND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ.

YOUNG MASTER HOKAN IS SET TO ENTER THE ACADEMY NEXT YEAR.

THEREFORE, HIS TUTOR WILL ALSO BE INVOLVED IN ETIQUETTE AND LEARNING ACCORDINGLY FROM NOW ON,

AND THIS IS AN EXAM TO CHECK IF YOU POSSESS THE CORRESPONDING SKILLS.

THE TEST METHOD IS SIMPLE. WHEN I ASK A QUESTION, RAISE YOUR HAND AND ANSWER QUICKLY.

AN ACADEMIC QUIZ ALL OF A SUDDEN...

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACADEMY WON’T BE EASY.

AN ACADEMIC QUIZ, COULD IT BE...

TO THINK SUCH A PRICELESS OPPORTUNITY WOULD COME TO ME!

I'M AN ACADEMY TOP GRADUATE!

I DEFEATED ALL THOSE HIGH-RANKING NOBLES WHO ONLY TALKED BIG AND NEVER LOST THE TOP SPOT.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL GRADUATION CEREMONY~~

AN ACADEMIC QUIZ TO SOMEONE LIKE ME? IT'LL BE EASIER THAN CRACKING ACORNS!

BRING ON ALL THE QUESTIONS YOU WANT!

I'LL PROPERLY SHOW OFF MY SMART BRAIN AND A SQUIRREL'S PROUD LIGHTNING SPEED!

WELL THEN, EVERYONE MUST BE READY.

I WILL PRESENT THE FIRST QUESTION.

THERE'S A SAYING, 'A DAY-OLD PUPPY DOESN'T FEAR A TIGER.' HOW OLD IS THIS PUPPY?

A PUPPY BORN A DAY AGO!

NO! INCORRECT.

LULUBELL! A ONE-YEAR-OL D PUPPY!

CORRECT.

MOVING ON TO THE SECOND QUESTION...

ALL QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED.

WITH THIS, SECOND EXAM IS CONCLUDED.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK SOLVING THE PROBLEMS.

QUESTIONS MADE FROM A BEAST'S PERSPECTIVE ARE HARDER THAN I COULD EVER IMAGINE...

STILL, I'M GLAD I GOT SOME RIGHT. I MUST HAVE EARNED A PASSING GRADE.

THE THIRD AND FINAL EXAM WILL BE HELD OUTDOORS, BUT...

BEFORE THAT, LET'S TAKE A SHORT BREAK.

WE HAVE PREPARED REFRESHMENTS IN THE PARLOR, SO YOU CAN ENJOY TEA TIME OR

TAKE A PERSONAL REST.

TEA TIME? THAT'S WONDERFUL!

I WONDER HOW GOOD THE TEA PREPARED BY THE BLACK TIGER FAMILY WILL BE? I'M EXCITED~!

FRANKLY I'M CURIOUS TOO, BUT I'M A BIT TIRED RIGHT NOW AND WANT TO BE ALONE.

I SHOULD TAKE A SHORT WALK OUTSIDE.

Let's catch our breath~

HMM...

AS EXPECTED, THE GARDEN IS AS LARGE AND BEAUTIFUL AS THE MANSION.

THERE ARE ALSO SEVERAL RARE TREES THAT ARE HARD TO SEE.

To think I'd see a tree I only saw in picture books here~

THIS IS A FLOWER THAT BLOOMS A LOT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD! IT FEELS NICE TO SEE IT~!

OH MY, THIS LOOKS LIKE A SQUIRREL'S TAIL?

LOOKING AT THIS MAKES ME THINK OF MY CUTE YOUNGER SIBLINGS?

WHENEVER THEY PLAY HIDE-AND-SEEK, THEY ALWAYS LEAVE THEIR TAIL OUT LIKE THIS SO THEY GET COMPLETELY FOUND...

SISTER!

HUH?

THIS VOICE...

SISTER LULU! CHIRPIE IS HERE!

SISTER LULU'S CUTE YOUNGER BROTHER!

CH-CHIRPIE?!

IT'S REALLY MY LITTLE BROTHER, ISN'T IT?!

Why is he coming out from there...?!

Oh?!

IS IT REALLY YOU?! MY LITTLE BROTHER CHIRPIE?!

YUP! SISTER LULU'S LITTLE BROTHER CHIRPIE!

YOU SEE, I WANTED TO SEE SISTER LULU SO MUCH!

SO I CAME TO... MMPH!

SHH.

WAIT A MINUTE, CHIRPIE! CAN WE BE QUIET FOR JUST A MOMENT?

LET'S TALK SOMEWHERE ELSE!

THAAAT CORNER OVER THERE LOOKS GOOD! LET'S GO, CHIRPIE!

Huuuuh?

WHY ARE THERE SO MANY THINGS MAKING ME BREATHLESS YESTERDAY AND TODAY?

Y-YOU...! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!

HUH? CAN I TALK NOW?

WELL, Y'SEE~

I MISSED MY SISTER~

AND I MADE A FLOWER OUT OF COLORED PAPER AT HOME, SO I CAME TO GIVE IT TO YOU AS A GIFT!

CHIRPIE DURHAMS THE 12TH CHILD OF THE DURHAMS FAMILY.

SO CUTE! MY LITTLE BROTHER IS SO PRECIOUS!!

NO, THAT'S NOT IT! EVEN SO, YOU SHOULDN'T COME HERE! HOW DID YOU EVEN GET IN IN THE FIRST PLACE?!

I CAME ALL THE WAY TO THE FRONT OF THIS HOUSE WITH MY SECOND OLDER BROTHER!

BUT BROTHER WAS JUST GOING TO TURN BACK, SO~

I LEFT HIM BEHIND AND SNEAKED RIGHT IN, LIKE SWOOSH!

CHIRPIE?! HE WAS RIGHT HERE A MOMENT AGO, WHERE DID HE GO?!

Oh dear~

BY NOW HE MUST BE SEARCHING ALL OVER FOR CHIRPIE.

This little troublemaker...

SISTER LULU. DIDN'T YOU WANT TO SEE ME?

CHIRPIE WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE FLOWERS FOR SISTER, TOO....

NO WAY! I WANTED TO SEE LITTLE CHIRPIE SOOO MUCH TOO.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GIFT AND YOUR HEART. I'M SO HAPPY!

REALLY, TRULY?

OF COURSE. REALLY, TRULY!

BUT THIS IS A DANGEROUS PLACE, SO CHIRPIE SHOULDN'T JUST WANDER IN HERE.

SO CHIRPIE, LET'S HEAD HOME NOW. YOU KNOW THE WAY BACK, RIGHT?

HUH? JUST ME? WHAT ABOUT SISTER LULU?

SISTER WILL GO BACK SOON TOO.

SO I’LL GIVE CHIRPIE THIS COOKIE AND HE’LL BE NICE AND HEAD BACK NOW, RIGHT?

WOW, CUTE COOKIE!

WHAT IS IT? IT’S NOT A SQUIRREL?

IT’S A TIGER-SHAPED COOKIE. THEY HANDED THEM OUT AT MEALTIME.

IT’S ONE OF THE BEASTS, BUT OUR CHIRPIE HASN’T SEEN ONE IN PERSON, RIGHT?

A TIGER?

HM... NO? I’VE SEEN IT!

THERE’S NO WAY YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO SEE A TIGER IN YOUR 3 YEARS OF LIFE, WHERE DID YOU SEE ONE?

AH, YOU DON’T MEAN A FAIRY TALE BOOK, DO YOU?

Roaaar-" Eek, a tiger! The rabbit was surprised.

NOOO, NOT A STORYBOOK. I SAW IT FOR REAL!

NO WAY. WHEN WAS IT?

RIGHT NOW!

RIGHT NOW?

THAT LITTLE TIGER RIGHT OVER THERE, I SAW IT!

...WHAT?

LITTLE TIGER?