CH 4

Surprised by the unexpected situation, Eristella hurriedly tried to back away, but the maid’s hand was a little faster.

Eristella was perplexed. Even though she was like this now, she was still a princess.

No one dared to touch the princess’ body at will. At best, it was just minor contact with her maid.

‘But I can’t believe other people are petting and messing with me without my permission! This could never have happened!’

‘Don’t…….! Do not touch…….!’

It was time for the fox to put up her claws.

‘Uh…….?’

She didn’t know it because she’s had such a rough time over the past six months.

Perhaps it was a fox’s instinct, but the caressing wasn’t bad. No, she would rather they pet a little more…….

Slowly, without realizing it, Eristella’s head tilted slightly toward the maid’s hand.

‘Why does this touch feel so familiar? There was a time like this before.’

The fox’s eyes were half closed. And as she felt the touches, she fell into a thought that came naturally to mind.

The memories of Eristella’s childhood, when the emperor and empress, who were her parents, were still alive; she remembered how much they loved her. Although they were a stern emperor and empress respected by everyone, in front of Eristella, they were nothing but parents who could not control their affection for their daughter.

“Lala! Shall we hug you to see how big you are today?”

“I think our Lala has gotten quite heavy now?”

“Haha. Our Lala is grumpy. Our Lala is as light as a feather! By the way, how can our Lala be so pretty? I’m in trouble because I want to hug you all day.”

“Lala, come here. Come sleep with Mom and Dad.”

“Why is Lala’s stomach hurting? Mommy will have to take care of Lala until you are all right.”

It was Eristella’s daily routine to be hugged by the two of them every day. They held their little daughter in their arms and poured out their love with all kinds of sweet words.

However, after the two of them passed away, the number of people who could touch Eristella’s body was reduced to a very small number. Even more so because Eristella refused to touch other people.

So this kind of skinship wasn’t around for a very long time. If it was like before, she would have expressed displeasure as soon as someone touched her…….

It was when her heart was shaken—

Eristella, who was in the maid’s arms, was taken away as if someone had snatched her.

“This is the fox I will raise in the future.”

Heinricion, who had returned to the room before anyone realized it, held the fox firmly in one arm and declared.

The appearance was so imposing that the maids shut their mouths.

This elated attitude was quite different from his usual one.

At that moment, Heinricion turned his head abruptly and stared at Eristella.

“You were happy just now, right?”

Heinricion looked at her with narrowed eyes and spoke as if he was interrogating her.

He could see her enjoying herself as she stretched out at the hands of the maids.

Eristella was embarrassed by the fact that Heinricion, not anyone else, saw it. Both cheeks were hot.

‘Oh, no?’

Eristella shifted her eyes and tried to deny it. The more she did, the more Heinricion’s narrowed eyes followed.

“You entrusted your body to their hands? The corners of your mouth went up?”

‘Did you mistake it?’

Even though Heinricion couldn’t understand, she was sweating profusely while making excuses.

The maids who watched the scene from the side were equally anxious. It was time to be careful as Heinricion seemed unusual.

“Your Highness……. are you talking directly to the fox?”

One of the maids stepped forward and asked cautiously. She just saw something that could never have happened, so she needed to double check.

“Yes.”

“…….”

It was when a strange current was flowing among the maids in response to Heinricion’s calm but determined answer.

Eristella, from her past experiences, had noticed that now, this moment was important.

Depending on how she was perceived by the maids here and now, her life in the future would be different like heaven and earth.

Would she be just a fox?

Or would she become a precious fox?

‘Of course I have to be that kind of fox!’

‘I’m not a real fox, I’m a princess!’

Eristella’s body was faster than her head. That tendency had been applied to this situation as well.

Polk.

The fox moved quickly and tried to climb up. Then Heinricion stretched his hand out to become a pedestal so that the fox could climb comfortably, and the fox jumped and settled on his shoulder.

(TL/N: as depicted in the cover!)

‘Introduce me well to your employees. I’m a spirit creature, a very, very, very, very precious fox.’

As the fox looked at him with its eyes shining, Henricion raised the corners of his lips meaningfully. And said in a stern voice to the maids.

“It’s a very troublesome and bad-natured fox, so everyone should be careful.”

‘What are you saying now! That’s not it!’

It was a cry that could not reach Heinricion. Nevertheless, Heinricion continued with a wider smirk.

“If you make a mistake, you might be bitten.”

“Yes???”

The maids widened their eyes in surprise. The instance when they thought that the grand duke must be joking—

Eristella, who was sitting on Heinricion’s shoulder, began to bite his hair.

‘You, really! Say that I’m a very, very, very, very precious fox. Look at me?!’

She insisted with great vexation.

‘Hurry up and correct it! Say it!’

As if Heinrichion understood, he looked at Eristella and grinned.

“But it is a fox that I cherish very much. It should never be ignored.”

“Yes. I will never do that!”

The maids answered with a lot of discipline.

They had no choice but to do so. Even while Heinricion was talking, the fox was biting his hair randomly.

When they saw it, they couldn’t have dared to think of treating the fox with disrespect.

Eristtella was terribly dissatisfied, but she relaxed by tugging at his hair.

As a result, she ended up becoming the ‘precious fox’ as she wanted.

“Don’t worry. We will take good care of you while His Highness is away.”

It was spoken by the maid who was petting the fox with an enamored face a while ago.

Eristella was also satisfied with her remarks and tried to come down from Heinricion’s shoulders. She had faith that the maid would do well even without him.

The maid entered Eristella’s field of vision. It was the maid who showed interest in her a while ago and was stroking her.

She now needed her own side inside the mansion. Only then would she be able to secure as much information as possible and a wide field of activity in the form of a fox.

‘Let’s try to seduce that maid first.’

The predator, who was after the prey, directed its adorable eyes at the maid.

Eristella, whose eyes met the maid’s, tilted her head, and was about to jump off Heinricion’s shoulder—

The guy reached out and fixed her back onto his shoulder.

Heinricion, who looked at the fox, had wrinkles on his forehead.

“I’m going to take you now, so don’t worry.”

He walked off with her still on his shoulders.

Eristella looked at Heinricion in bewilderment, but there was nothing that could be seen from his face except some grumpiness.

*******

The aides who had already heard about the fox glanced at it as soon as Heinricion entered.

Interested and curious gazes were felt here and there.

But Heinricion didn’t say much about the fox, and Eristella, too, was quick to scan the surroundings for her own purpose rather than be bothered by the eyes of the aides.

‘It’d be nice here.’

Eristella took a seat on the shelf next to her as soon as Heinricion sat down at his desk. It was a great place where she could see the entire office as well as Heinricion.

She maintained the same habit as when she was Princess Eristella — to always look for the most comfortable place for herself at once.

Besides, she was not ignorant. The office was a space where important things come and go in the grand duke family. There could be the information she was looking for here. Or even a little clue.

In particular, her eyes turned to the books that filled the walls of the office. There must be at least one magic book among them, so she looked around with keen eyes.

“I really don’t know what you’re thinking with that little head.”

Heinricion, who watched the brazen yet dignified figure of the fox take a seat without hesitation as soon as it entered the office, burst into laughter.

However, Heinricion’s closest aide, Rowen, could not look at such a fox with ease.

“Your Highness, is that the fox that you said you would raise?”

Rowen suddenly approached Heinricion and asked while glaring at Eristella fiercely. Only one day after bringing back the fox, Heinricion’s body had wounds.

“It is best not to get close to animals that you do not know where they came from, much less the owner. Instead of that fox, I will choose another fox.”

—Don’t know where they came from.

‘How dare you treat me like a street fox!’

‘And where it comes from doesn’t matter. It’s very bad to discriminate like that.’

‘Heinricion, what are you doing? You should point it out to Rowen straight away.’

Eristella, who had been listening to Rowen in the form of a fox, urged.