Prologue
“HUH?” I asked, my thoughts halting as I peered into the puddle. “Why? What’s going on here? Is this how treasure chests are supposed to work? They’re called treasure chests because treasure comes out of them, right? Not even Pandora would believe what came out of this box!”
My reflection startled me so much that I could only crack jokes.
Meanwhile, Custode attempted to placate me in a nonchalant voice. “Now, now. Let’s take a few deep breaths and relax.”
However, his words failed to calm me down.
“But this is a hidden room!” I cried. “That’s super rare, isn’t it?! So the treasure should be super rare, too, right?!”
“In a certain sense, this could be classified as rare, don’t you think?”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“Afraid not,” Custode replied.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned. “Transforming into this is supposed to be treasure?”
Custode shook his head. “Actually, the treasure is this right here.”
He held something in his arms while maintaining his miniature form. He’d taken the object from the treasure chest.
“What the heck is that?” I asked.
The glimmering silver sphere looked like a piece of solid metal. It was half the size of my current body. As I gazed at the novel object with wonder, I suddenly found myself floating in midair.
“How adorable!” Embert exclaimed.
The prince had been the one to scoop me into his arms. He had hearts in his eyes and vigorously nuzzled his cheek against mine.
Hey, stop that! You’re gonna make me go bald! I can feel steam rising from all the friction!
“This glossy, golden fur,” Embert cooed. “This cute nose and lovely, purple eyes. And finally, these large ears. Everything is perfectly adorable!”
That’s right. My name is Alexandra Vistriano, and I’d transformed into a small fox with a fluffy coat and large ears. Specifically, I was a fennec fox. So anyway, how did I end up here? Well, it all started when I received a letter of invitation from Princess Julietta.