CH 18

*******

Time flew by until the National Foundation Day banquet.

The fox was excited, stomping its feet for several days, as its anticipation was uncontrollable.

‘It’s finally tomorrow.’

‘I should sleep well tonight.’ It was time for Eristella to get ready for bed. Heinricion stared at Eristella and opened his mouth.

“Are you going to just go like that?”

‘Then?’

Eristella tilted her head. What was the problem? All would be perfect if he just did what Serian had prepared for her tomorrow!

However, Heinricion’s narrowed eyes were staring intently at Eristella.

“Look at your fur now.”

‘……’

“Before you go, you should wash yourself.”

‘Ah… Right!’

Obviously her fur wasn’t in its best shape right now. She must go with a white and shiny look.

It was then. Eristella’s mind flashed.

‘Again?’

Eristella’s pupils trembled sharply. A ominous foreboding enveloped her.

‘Others… Are you going to call someone else?’

“I’ll do it.”

‘No. Someone else… You better tell Anessa to do it!’

‘No! This is really not it!’

The fox’s four limbs struggled violently. However, the fox’s body was too small compared to that of Heinricion.

“Let’s go.”

Heinricion lifted the fox and moved nimly.

From then on, it went the way it was supposed to.

Splash. Rub, dub, dub. Sha, sha, sha—

A series of sounds rang out loudly, not cheerfully.

Heuk.

Eristella shrugged her shoulders sadly.

Although her fur was clean. Although her body felt light after a long time.

‘Still, I’m sad!’

Eristella buried herself in the bed.

Traces of sadness from the fox’s eyes and nose moistened the sheet.

That night, three dots appeared on the fox’s bed, where it laid.

*******

It was the day of the National Foundation Day banquet.

As promised, Serian decorated Eristella to the fullest. She especially liked having Tiffany glitter over her fur.

‘I like it very much, Serian. When I’m back to my usual self, I’ll have to try suggesting he become the Princess’s exclusive designer.’

It’s such a waste for him to be next to Heinricion. Serian should be in a place where he can show his skills to the fullest.

Eristella looked in the mirror with excitement,  twirling and wagging her tail.

‘Good! Now we can leave anytime!’

Eristella hopped like a bunny, and she climbed onto the shoulder of Heinricion.

Unlike Eristella who was full of energy, Heinricion, who had been surrounded by employees preparing for the banquet from early morning, was already exhausted.

His steel-like stamina was strangely weak every time something like this happened.

Time and time again he said, ‘Do it in moderation and finish it fast’, but today was the only day that his employees, who always obeyed him, kept rebelling against him.

He was finally able to get out of the hands of his employees only after the preparations were complete.

However, Serian reacted as if something was missing even after all the preparation. Due to that, the departure was delayed more than expected. Then suddenly, Serian clapped his hands and declared with a flushed face.

“This is the best combination!”

Huh? What?

Heinricion and Eristella simultaneously looked at Serian with bewildered expressions.

“Yes. I didn’t even think of it, but it’s not bad.”

Rowen agreed with Serian.

Only Heinricion and Eristella couldn’t understand what the two were saying, but Serian soon gently guided him towards the mirror.

“See for yourself.”

Heinricion was dressed in a neat, yet not very suitable uniform for an imperial palace banquet.

Due to Heinricion’s dissuasion, he was spared from the splendid decorations, and there were no accessories on him.

However, with the fox around, everything changed.

It looked as if he intentionally didn’t have any other decorations so all the attention would be focused on the fox.

Like a thoroughly calculated combination, Heinricion and the fox were attracting attention with splendor and intensity.

“Your Excellency shines even more when you have the fox next to you. The fox also shines even more.”

Serian commented with great satisfaction.

Heinricion’s forehead seemed to narrow a little, but the corner of the fox’s mouth went up.

‘What do you think? This is all for you.’

The corners of Eristella’s eyes were bent. 

And Eristella, excited at the thought of finally going to the Imperial Palace, tapped him on the shoulder and signaled that they should depart.

‘Let’s go!’

*******

There was something special about the main hall used for important banquets in the Imperial Palace.

To be precise, it was the hallway leading to the banquet hall.

One wall of the hallway was filled with colorful murals depicting the founding tale of the Leonian Empire, which would catch anyone’s eye at a glance.

As a child, Eristella liked this place, so she would come and look around.

What she liked the most was the face of the founding emperor.

‘I insisted that he looks just like me.’

‘Huhuhu.’

Memories came to mind. Fortunately, the Imperial Palace, which had been around for a long time, didn’t seem to have changed much in the meantime.

‘Looking at it like this, I must have missed this place.’

Even things that she had not glanced at before entered her eyes one by one.

It was when Eristella was appreciating the inside of the banquet hall as if possessed.

“Stay by my side as much as possible. Don’t go around alone.”

Heinricion warned in a voice so low that only the fox could hear it.

“Even if you meet someone you know, act like you don’t know.”

Heinricion’s voice fell even lower.

“Especially.”

‘……?’

“Don’t cause trouble today.”

‘Hey, you’re making a fuss. Why would I have an accident? That’s impossible.’

Eristella smiled confidently.

Somehow, that appearance made Heinricion even more anxious, and he hoped that there would be no major trouble by any means.

And if something really happened, then… 

‘There’s nothing I can do.’

He had already been prepared to some extent when he decided to bring Eristella.

And as expected, Heinricion’s senses began to waver from the beginning of the banquet.

It was difficult to erase the fox’s presence at the banquet.

Even if it stood still, it drew everyone’s attention at once just because it was a fox on Heinricion’s shoulder.

In particular, most of the people here were paying attention to Heinricion — a person attending an official event after half a year, excluding the fact that it was the National Foundation Day.

It was only natural that the fox standing proudly on his shoulder stood out to those who wanted to say just a single word to him.

“Wait a minute, that brooch the fox is wearing, didn’t Master Daira release only one piece this year?”

“Oh. I think that’s right! I knew that the item belonged to the Grand Duchy of Adelasia, but I can’t believe it was given to a fox…”

“I heard that the Grand Duke recently started raising a fox, but I didn’t know that he would adore it that much.”

In addition, the existence of a fox adorned with jewels, which could not be easily obtained by any noble, was unique even in a large banquet hall.

Eristella, as a fox, was staring intently like she was analyzing and receiving envious gazes all at the same time.

‘It’s obvious that you’re enjoying it.’

Heinricion was convinced by looking at the tip of Eristella’s chin, which was proudly tilted upwards.

While everyone was watching and maintaining a certain distance, there was a person who actively made a move first.

“Is this the fox that Grand Duke Adelasia is raising?”

The fox was a good excuse and justification to talk to Heinricion naturally.

Heinricion turned to the other person and replied politely.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I didn’t know Your Excellency like foxes. It’s so cute.”

The young lady of the Marquisate of Francian showed interest in the fox and brought it up.

Eristella quickly looked at the surrounding people and thought, ‘You all are one step late’ with a smiling face.

‘I think everyone was trying to say the same thing.’

Eristella spread her tail wide open and wrapped it around the neck of Heinricion.

“I want to raise a fox too. Can I give it a hug?”

“That’s, the fox first…”

Heinricion glanced at Eristella. Of course, she was going to signal ‘No’.

But before Heinricion could finish speaking, the young lady of the Marquisate of Francian stretched out her hands towards the fox.

“Wait…”

At the same time as Heinricion tried to stop her and block, Eristella avoided the touch and widened her eyes with an ax-like glare.

‘How dare you touch me!’

Eristella opened her mouth wildly, warning that she would bite if she got any further than this.

“What a surprise! The fox is a bit… It’s fierce.”

The esteemed daughter of Marquis Francian acted like she had already been bitten.

She looked at Heinricion in tears, but he turned his attention to the fox, not even paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

As he put his finger into the fox’s mouth, which was still wide open, and teased it, he opened his mouth and spoke indifferently.

“If you don’t touch it first, it won’t bite.”

“…….”

“Because it’s a fox who is wary of anyone other than its owner.”

Heinricion implicitly pointed out that she tried to touch the fox first.

Lady Francian struggled to cool her hot face with a fan, then retreated as if running away.

Eristella was very pleased with the results, and smiled in satisfaction.

‘Well done!’

Eristella lifted her right front paw.

Heinricion high-fived his hand against hers, confirming the hand signal.