CH 106

The very next time when the fox appeared.

…There was some commotion.

The grand duke’s aides and employees all gathered at the front door.

It was inevitable. There was no fox for over a week!

As it would be suspicious if the fox suddenly disappeared, Heinricion made an excuse that he had left it with an expert for a while because its health was deteriorating.

That’s why the worried employees reacted frantically upon seeing the fox.

“Fox. You are here! I missed you so much. Are you okay?”

“Anessa. Step back. I want to see it up close too.”

“I’ve waited here for a few hours to get this spot. I can’t yield. Right, fox?”

Anessa’s mouth was pulled into a wide grin as she stared at the fox.

‘Thank you all for your concern… Thank you, but is it a bit burdensome? Hahaha…’

The problem was that Eristella was infinitely weak towards the affection of the employees of the grand duchy.

It was a time when she couldn’t move, unable to shake off the worrying concern.

“It’s better to rest, so I’ll take you.”

Fortunately, thanks to Heinricion’s rescue, she was able to escape.

In the days that followed, there was a commotion due to Princess Eristella’s actions. Indeed, thanks to her return to the grand duchy as a fox, she was able to live without going back to her original form.

‘Ah. It’s a bit more comfortable now.’

*******

However, the aftermath of Eristella’s return was not yet over.

It was midday, but Eristella was back in her princess form.

“Let’s go out.”

It would be strange if she ‘disappeared’ again as soon as she went to the grand duchy.

She still needed to show herself a few more times. Which was why she was now leaving the mansion in a carriage with Heinricion. But then…

There seemed to be a commotion in front of the mansion. 

Right when she was about to open the window to check…

“It’s because all kinds of people have been visiting since the day you came. If you show your face for no reason, more people will gather, so stay still.”

At Heinricion’s warning, Eristella released her grip on the knob she was holding.

The carriage began to move.

“We really know Her Highness the Princess! Oh, please pass it on! She will definitely come running to meet us!”

“I’m going crazy. As soon as I meet Her Highness, I’m going to ask about all this.”

A voice from outside caught Eristella’s ear.

She listened intently.

‘The way he speaks is familiar?’

It bothered her too much, she couldn’t just ignore it and move on.

‘Shall I open it just a little bit?’

The instant she examined the situation outside through the cracks.

“Huh…?”

Surprised, Eristella couldn’t take her eyes off the front of the mansion, which was moving further and further away from her by the second.

“This is trouble.”

She couldn’t go out today. Rather, she should turn back immediately.

*******

An unexpected luncheon was prepared at the Grand Duchy of Adelasia.

Heinricion, Princess Eristella, Sonia, and even Charlotte, who had received the news belatedly, were there.

And across from them were two men, one woman, and one androgynous-looking person. All had been rioting in front of the mansion.

The atmosphere at the luncheon was brutal even at a glance due to the anger of the four visitors with strong personalities.

“You must have been comfortable here while we couldn’t even step past the mansion’s door for several days and came back every day.”

Contrary to his large size, the man who expressed his disappointment to Eristella shook his head in a calm manner.

“I had no idea. If I had known, I would have gone out to meet you right away.”

Eristella explained, trying to appease him. 

This was a very rare sight. Before Heinricion knew it, he was watching the scene with rapt interest.

“How could you do this to us!”

They expressed their resentment as if they had no intention of moving on with just a few words of explanation.

“Then why haven’t you been looking for us? Have you completely forgotten about us?”

“To think that we are only this much to you. That fact makes me even more sad!”

They burst into rage, hitting their chests with their fists.

“It’s because I have a lot of things to deal with right now, I really wanted to contact you guys soon.”

Eristella tried hard to explain to the four of them, but it didn’t work.

These guys were like peas in a pod, they were easily upset and had a hard time letting go.

‘Well, this time it was something worth sulking over, but…’

‘Anyway, unconditionally! Doing the best! Sincerely! I should get it right this time.’

With a burning will, Eristella was about to express her sincerity.

“How about a little introduction?”

Heinricion unknowingly cut in as he asked.

Right. They were sitting facing each other without even knowing who they were.

“Then, shall we introduce ourselves?”

The four of them exchanged glances and nodded. They were embarrassed that they were being so rowdy in front of strangers.

Eristella introduced them to Heinricion, Sonia, and Charlotte.

“This is Brick. He’s big and strong. But still nimble and…”

—So, like a captain, he took the lead in risky work.

Eristella glanced at Brick, and in a low voice she whispered,

“He gets upset easily.”

“What are you talking about? I am resourceful and speedy!”

Brick immediately protested, but those who saw him thoroughly express his disappointment to Eristella earlier were quietly convinced.

“And this is Jake. He is friendly and has a good sense of humor, so he’s especially quick with rumors.”

He was often the first to notice the various kinds of rumors going on in the empire.

“Kaley. Contrary to her appearance, this person is older, so you shouldn’t look down on her. And her hands are very cold, so you better be careful.”

Her wrinkle-free, girlish face makes her appear to be about the same age as Eristella, but she was actually the same age as her parents.

“Finally, Eugene. It changes every time, so be careful.”

It was a daily routine for Eugene to disguise themselves as needed.

“By the way, I don’t know if Eugene is a man or a woman.”

Even now, it was difficult to be sure of the gender because of the short hair and fair, slim face.

Eristella glanced at the four of them and said with a grateful smile.

“These are the people who helped me chase black magic.”

They were also the reason why Eristella, who lived in the Imperial Palace, was able to find out about the commotions going on throughout the empire.

“Everyone has a different story. It’s been a long time since they started helping me.”

At that, the four of them jumped up and greeted in their own way.

One shouted with a loud voice, another was suddenly timid, and the other two stuttered while saying hello.

‘Phew. Will they now calm down a bit?’

As soon as Eristella started to feel relieved, the accusations continued.

“Without realizing this, we continued to carry out our mission even though Your Highness was not around.”

“Really?”

For a moment, Eristella’s eyes twinkled. What an unexpected harvest?

“What’s with that face? We have nothing to offer to the princess who betrayed us.”

‘Oho. They’re still sulking.’

‘Ah. Don’t do that.’ 

Once again, Eristella began to soothe them. But this time, in a sly manner.

“Are you really not going to tell me?”

“Yes. As soon as we go back, we will incinerate all the data.”

Wow. When did they learn to be so intimidating?

‘It’s true my time away wasn’t short.’

‘Well, I didn’t mean for it to be like this.’

Regardless of their social status, they were the ones who had helped Eristella a lot from the time she was at a loss.

So it was always her intention to tell them.

“I have a secret to tell you guys.”

Eristella spoke solemnly. Resolution was evident on her face.

“You’re trying to coddle us again with some secret.”

“No more secrets.”

This time, she came with a firm heart. Still, they flatly refused.

“Really?”

—I’m not asking twice.

Squinting one of her eyes, Eristella shot back. Then there was a stir between them that seemed to never waver.

“Uh well… Shall we listen to it for a moment? We can later pretend we didn’t hear and forget about it.”

It was an absurd logic, but the other three nodded seriously and agreed.

“You can do that.”

—So please tell us soon. Eight curious eyes turned to Eristella.

“I will show you.”

And in an instant, Eristella turned into a fox.

“What is this…? Is there a problem? Why did Her Highness disappear?”

“We were wrong. So please come back. You can’t go away like this…”

Seeing how they were about to shed tears at any moment, Eristella hurriedly returned to her original form.

“I have some autonomy now, but I was trapped in the body of a fox because of black magic. That’s why I wasn’t around and haven’t been able to inform you guys.”

Based on the conversation thus far, it seemed like they wouldn’t accept every and any reason, not even a needle-like gap. But surprisingly, the information went into their heads at once.