🦊 🦊 🦊
AFTER breakfast the next morning, I wandered the castle by myself again. Evidently, I hadn’t learned my lesson. Still, I had nothing but free time until the afternoon. Julietta’s older brother, Prince Giusto, would be holding a tea party around then. I hadn’t seen Embert or Janus since this morning either, as they both had work.
Speaking of which, should I even attend a tea party in this form? I won’t be able to communicate without Custode to interpret. And won’t everyone wonder why there’s a fox around in the first place?
As I wandered to and fro, lost in thought, I eventually reached the garden.
The breeze feels nice.
When I spotted a greenhouse up ahead, my curiosity demanded I explore it. Flowers bloomed all over, and it was cooler than expected. Some of the flowers were unfamiliar, causing my chest to swell with excitement. Upon reaching the middle of the greenhouse, I found cacti planted in a sandy area.
Wow, it feels like I just wandered into a desert.
The sand in this section was so smooth that it must have been imported from an actual desert. Suddenly, an inexplicable urge to dive into the sand overcame me.
Um, are these my instincts as a desert-dwelling fox? No, no, that can’t be right. I’m still human!
No matter how much I resembled a fennec fox, I wouldn’t act like one.
Must. Resist. Vulpine. Instincts. I am a HUMAN BEING!
Why? Why was my tail wagging so giddily despite my efforts to the contrary?
Get a grip on yourself, Alexandra! Resisting impulse through reason is what it means to be human! Show some self-restraint!
Alas, even humans gave into their impulses sometimes.
Yahoo! Time to let loose!
I dove into the sand, rolled around, and dug holes like there was no tomorrow. It was so much fun that I wanted to kick myself for not doing it earlier.
At that moment, a stifled laugh reached my ears. Startled, I turned around to find a man with a gentle smile standing there. He had silky, strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes reminiscent of lapis lazuli. If I had to guess, he looked somewhere between my age and Embert’s.
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What a beautiful man, I thought while staring at him. And he looks familiar, too.
The young man knelt in front of me. “Did I interrupt your playtime?” he asked with another chuckle. “Sorry about that. You were having so much fun that I couldn’t help but stare.”
Strangely, I didn’t feel uncomfortable, even though he was laughing at me.
“What an adorable little creature,” he continued. “Are you Prince Embert’s fox, by any chance?”
“Kyun,” I yipped in confirmation.
This time, the young man laughed out loud. “Oh, do you understand what I’m saying?” he asked, extending a hand towards me. “You must be quite clever.”
I moved closer to his hand since he seemed like a decent enough fellow. However, I remembered the sand stuck to my fur. Thus, I shook it all off my coat. After a moment’s surprise, the young man burst out laughing. To my dismay, I’d sprayed the sand all over him. My ears and tail drooped as a sense of guilt overcame me.
After brushing the sand off his clothes, the young man patted my lowered head. “Wow, your coat is so fluffy,” he said in a tone of admiration. “You really are adorable.”
What a sweet guy, I thought, allowing him to pet me for a while.
“I wonder if I could pick her up,” the young man mumbled.
“Kyun,” I yipped again in confirmation.
“Really?” he asked, appearing hesitant. “You’d be okay with that?”
I placed my forepaws on his knees as he was still kneeling in front of me.
“Thanks,” he said while scooping me into his arms. “You’re so light… and even fluffier than I expected.”
He petted me as I nestled into the crook of his arm. Yeah, he’s a sweet guy, I thought again, practically purring with delight.
At that moment, I heard a voice from the entrance of the greenhouse.
“Oh, I have to go now,” the young man said, lowering me back onto the sand. He waved goodbye while walking away. “Thank you. I hope to see you again.”
He reminds me of someone, I thought while watching him leave.
A moment later, I dove back into the sand, unable to resist its call.
After having the time of my life in the miniature desert, I returned to my room. Without a word, Mary grabbed me and placed me in the bath. Once squeaky clean, I curled into bed with the dull gray sphere, exhausted.
A little while later, Custode returned.
“Still a fox, eh?” he asked while setting down a fist-sized stone in front of me.
“What’s that?” I responded.
It looked like an ore of some kind, but I couldn’t identify what type.
“This is an adamantine ore,” Custode replied. “I brought it for that sphere.”
The dull gray sphere nestled next to me remained silent. When I poked it with my forepaws, the sphere rolled around the bed, but it didn’t react to the ore.
“Perhaps it won’t work until you return to normal,” Custode mumbled.
He placed the orb on top of the side chest.
“What in the world is this little sphere?” I asked.
“I have an idea, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. We’ll probably know for certain when you return to normal. What I can say is that it’s recognized you as its master.”
Apparently, I’d gotten my hands on something quite enigmatic.
“Well, anyway, returning to normal is my top priority,” I said. “If I stay a fox much longer, I’m gonna go bald from all the friction.”
“You should return to normal soon enough,” Custode replied.
“Really? What a relief. For now, I’ll get a little shuteye before the tea party.”
We all—fennec fox, miniature dragon, and dull gray sphere—nestled together on the large bed. Before long, we drifted off to sleep.
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🦊 🦊 🦊
☆☆ Embert’s Point of View☆☆
JANUS and I had been swamped with work since finishing breakfast. A prince rarely had any time off, even when visiting a foreign country. That said, I’d been invited to an afternoon tea party. I couldn’t wait to bring my adorable, vulpine Ally with me. When I imagined her as a fennec fox, a heavy sigh escaped my lips.
“Are you thinking about Ally, by any chance?” Janus asked.
I narrowed my eyes at him. How had a single sigh given away my thoughts?
“She should be arrested for being so cute,” I said, unable to suppress another sigh. “Do you think there’s any way for her to remain a fox? Had I known this would happen, I would’ve brought that image-recording crystal ball.”
Unfortunately, the crystal ball had been placed in the mage’s headquarters for safekeeping. If only I had it, I could preserve Ally’s vulpine form forever. When I considered that unattainable wish, yet another sigh escaped my lips.
Janus chuckled at my wistful expression. “Yes, she certainly is adorable.”
I glared at him again. “Speaking of which, didn’t you bar me from touching her?” I asked, resentment dripping from my words. “Even though you ruffled her fur like a madman?”
“How could I resist?” Janus asked, his smile widening even further. “Remember when she tried to hide inside my jacket? I’ve never seen anything so adorable.”
Was that when she tried to run away from me?
Despite the bitter thought, I had only praise for Ally’s vulpine form.
“Truly!” I exclaimed. “Her fluffy tail! Her beautiful, sparkling coat! Her adorable, twitching ears! And her round eyes, which shine like purple stars! Everything about her is so wonderful! Ah, what am I to do? Not to mention her yipping! That was cute enough to stop my heart!”
The mere thought of Ally nearly made me swoon. Eventually, I grew so frenzied that I pounded my fists against the table. Chuckling at my antics, Janus poured me a glass of lemon water. I gulped down the beverage, fully aware of my own delirious excitement.
“Have you calmed down, Your Highness?” Janus asked, his shoulders trembling with suppressed laughter. “Let’s wrap up work as fast as possible. Otherwise, you won’t be able to take your adorable little fox to the tea party.”
I glowered at Janus for a third time. Nevertheless, I followed his advice and refocused on work.