CH 13

Yeah. 

In the meantime, I’ve met Grand Duke Epher several times, but we met 80% of the time when I was all foxes. 

The Grand Duke found me whenever he had a chance.

Not Roselia, but Siena!

‘Ha… I’m going crazy.’

In addition, Epher, who was said to live a normal life and not come out very well very often, came out and called my name every two or three hours.

– “Did you see the fox I raised?”

Walks from place to place, pretending to be dignified when the servants are around, looking for me.

– “Siena, are you here?”

When no one is around, he obsesses over me like a kitten that lost its mother, and I thought it was crazy.

Even now, with his wife in front of him, he is still looking for the fox. It was ironic that he asked with an expression as if he was hunting a fox.

When this happened, I would answer with a forced smile to match his tone and keep the conversation going.

“Ah. I think I saw it pass under my window before the meal.”

“I see. Then I will leave.” 

After staying for just three more seconds, I looked at Epher’s back and clenched my teeth.

‘I’m behind you, you fool!’ 

Because of Sienna, I wanted to disappear now. But I couldn’t even do that.

If Epher has been looking for me for a long time and I don’t show up. 

– “Fior. It seems Sienna is gone again.”

– “No… Your Highness…” 

– “Prepare the horse.”

Because he will try to go out again like before.

It was obvious that he would spend the whole day searching for Mount Tiris and wasting his time. 

If Epher leaves the place because he is looking for me. There will be no more encounters with me, Roselia.

However, if I continue to meet Epher as a fox here, it will be difficult for me as a Roselia to meet Epher—.

It cannot disappear, nor can it continue to exist. It was like an infinitely repeating dilemma.

In the end, I had no choice but to look around, make sure no one was there, and then carefully turn into a fox.

‘Ack. After talking, I was going to have a leisurely tea time.’

The servants should be making tea and dessert by now. What can I do?

As I leisurely walked to my castle, I saw Epher wandering around my castle at a fast pace.

Did you compete in any races? Or maybe he has eyes in his back. Epher looked back and found me. 

“Sienna!” 

He walked slowly and looked around. As soon as he confirms there’s no one either, he runs to me at once.

“Were you here?”

He greeted me in a high-pitched voice.

Then he squatted down and stroked my head.

“What did you play with?”

His hands were gentle, but it started to move faster all of a sudden.

“Phew, you’re cute.” 

It wasn’t that I hated it when I saw him smiling brightly at me.

There’s no fox, no, there’s no person who hates it when someone says “cute” in a loving voice.

However, I was worried that the relationship between Roselia and the Grand Duke wouldn’t be close at all. 

‘I should meet you as a companion, not as a pet!’

Epher, who didn’t know what I was thinking, smiled happily and began to touch my chin. 

“But Sienna, why do you always walk around outside the barn?” 

Would I be there? 

Of course, it’s a pretty good house. But now that I’ve turned into a human, I don’t have to live there.

“My Sienna, do you hate the house?” 

Anyway, I wonder if this is the same person who answered with such a short answer earlier.

“Why didn’t you eat today? Is it not good?” 

He’s really such a talkative person. 

It is very embarrassing that his attitude is so different from the way he treats me.

Seeing a completely different look like Dr. Jekyll and Hyde.

‘…He looks a little crazy.’

That’s what I thought.

If it weren’t for the fox bead, if it weren’t for Roselia, if this was Korea, I would probably have stayed away.

But unlike my reason.

“Sienna. Are you in a good mood? Look at you wagging your tail. You look so cute.” 

My tail was too true to my instincts.

‘Why is this man’s touch so soft? He scratching my itchy spot badly.’

At that time, Fior, who always followed Epher, appeared from behind.

Perhaps feeling the presence, Epher suddenly stiffened his face and stood up.

‘It’s really Janus’s two faces.’

Then he turned around and relaxed his tense shoulders a little.

“So it’s you.” 

As soon as he checked Fior, he squatted down and stroked my back.

“…Your Highness, I’m a little disappointed?”

Epher glanced sideways at him and then furrowed his brow. 

“You and Sienna are not the same.”

“I moved away because you were with Her Highness the Grand Duchess, but I didn’t expect you to come here so soon.”

“The Grand Duchess and Sienna are not the same.”

We’re the same, you punk.

I tried to answer him by tapping my tail on the floor, but Epher just smiled and said I was cute.

“Sienna doesn’t seem to like the house. I guess I will build a new one.” 

“Do you have to send someone to the valley? I heard that everyone got a bone disease because they were building a barn.” 

“If Sienma doesn’t like it, we’ll have to rebuild it, well.”

What I don’t like is calling me all the time.

“Doesn’t it just want to go back to its house?”

At Fior’s words, the liveliness in Epher’s eyes disappeared. 

“…Is that so?” 

That’s right, now let me go.

“Your Highness. Are you going to stop going in? You have a mountain of work to do.”

Epher looked at his watch and said plainly.

“Hmm… I will just wait 30 minutes and go. I’ll get a reply in 30 minutes anyway, so after working for about 2 hours, I’ll be able to come to see Siena again.”

What else are you coming to see?

“I want to play with you all day, but I’m sorry.”

You don’t even ask my doctor!?

‘Stop! Stop looking for me!’

I was fed up with Epher who was obsessed with me.

I felt like throwing up, so I turned around and ran crying.

‘Now stop!’

Even now, there is cold tea and dessert on the table in my room.

It’s sad that we only meet as foxes, let alone become close friends.

Don’t call me out all the time without even giving me time to drink honey!

“Sienna! Where are you going!”

Don’t follow me! You punk!

I ran to my castle right next to it.

I thought that he wouldn’t chase me until Roselia’s castle, where he was so wary.

Furthermore, the attention of those around him will be focused on him, so he will not run unkemptly. 

“Kyaaak!”

As I hurriedly ran into the castle, the servants of my castle screamed here and there.

They wanted to catch me, but they couldn’t because I was a fox that the Grand Duke had brought, and I could see that they were getting restless.

Let’s go upstairs and look around.

“…Where did the fox go?”

I could see that Epher had chased me to the inside of this castle.

‘I can’t believe you’re following me this far!’

While he moved his step quickly, he followed me with the same seriousness as if he were catching criminals.

I headed where he could never come.

It’s my room!

I gave Roselia’s door a hard kick with my back foot and jumped, turning it to the front foot.

As soon as the door opened with a click, I went in and then pushed it with my head to close it.

‘You’ll never come here.’

I felt like I couldn’t even breathe.

[Knock, knock.]

I heard a knock on the door above my head.

“Grand Duchess. Are you inside?”

Oh my. Are you coming to find me?

It didn’t make sense that someone who had been practicing social distance with me would come here all at once to find a fox.

I looked around, then jumped again and turned into a human. 

Maybe I ran too hard because my hair was all messed up.

“What’s the matter?”

“Grand Duchess. It looks like the fox I raised went inside a while ago.”

“Ah… fox?”

“Please excuse me.”

I didn’t even tell him to come in, but Epher turned the handle.

He glanced at me and immediately looked around the room.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to come this far…”

“If it’s a fox, it just went out that window.”

When I pointed my hand at the window, Epher opened his eyes a little wide and strode to the window.

“It jumped…out of here?”

“Yes.”

As if it were revenge from earlier, I replied in a short answer.

“Did you see where it was going?”

“No.”

He sighed lightly, then looked at me and apologized politely.

“I’m sorry again. It hasn’t been tamed yet…”

“Foxes are not tamed by nature.”

With a frustrated heart, I appealed to Epher.

“You shouldn’t bring wild animals recklessly. There’s a place where it used to live.”

This was not as Roselia, but as Sienna.

“Fox is not very suitable as a companion animal. There are so many cases where people adopt and abandon them because they are just pretty.”

It’s a novel and it’s crazy. If this was Korean society, breeding was illegal, except for certain fox species. It’s because my fur is white, I mean, I’m a Korean native fox, an endangered species!

“It’s really tricky to raise, and it’s like a dog, but not like a dog…”

But Epher frowned as if my words were uncomfortable.

“Grand Duchess.”

His voice was as cold as thin ice.

“A little, you cross the line.”

“….”

“It’s a family to me.”

Take off your family relationship certificate, you punk! Do I come out!

“It was brought up through such a connection, so I hope you don’t say it carelessly.”

What connections? Is it because I just followed him in the beginning?

I couldn’t figure out why he was so obsessed with me.

‘Yeah. It’s good to give in a hundred times and pour your affection on me (Sienna) and raise it.’

But it’s not like separation anxiety. 

Isn’t he looking for me because he can’t see me and chasing me because I ran away?

It was the moment when I loaded a bullet into my throat to say one more thing even if we were growing apart.

‘Wait, separation anxiety?’

Did they say that foxes are cunning beasts?

A very good idea came to me.

‘Whether it’s a divorce or else, I have to kiss him somehow to get the fox beads.’

Has the Grand Duke ever faced Roselia for such a long time over the past few days?

In the meantime, he leaves the castle to find Sienna.

Since Sienna came, he only looked for Sienna, so there was nothing to talk about with me.

“I think you got me wrong, but I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…Then?”

“That’s how hard it is to raise.”

If he thinks of me as family, wouldn’t I rather take advantage of this?

“I’ve raised a fox before.”

Epher’s face didn’t change much, but his blue eyes glistened.

“May I give you some tips?”

“…..”

“What the fox likes. Do you want me to tell you?”

“…let’s hear it.”

I led him to the terrace with a smile.

“Then, would you like to listen to it over a cup of tea while you’re here?”

Since it happened like this, I should train him with Siena.