The Grand Duke’s Fox Princess

Episode 3: Cotton Candy Dreams

The moment the tension was relieved and laughter came out, Eristella’s senses flashed.

‘I can’t believe I forgot the humiliation I suffered a while ago, just because the warmth wrapped around my whole body and the texture of the fur that came back to life was good!’

She glared fiercely at Heinricion again.

‘I, me…… Treating me, the noblest princess in the Empire, like laundry. I’d never forget this enemy……’

‘I won’t forget this ‘grace’ later.’

Heinricion was obviously enjoying himself.

Eristella’s eyes widened and wandered. Eventually, with her ears drooping, she acknowledged that she desperately needed his help.

“Next time, I’ll be gentle. I couldn’t help it today because you’re so dirty.”

‘Dirty! you mean…!’

It was a word she had never heard in her life as Princess Eristella.

Of course, it was true that she couldn’t wash herself properly until gray dust settled on the white fur……!

Whether Eristella huffed or not, Heinricion only smiled with a twisted expression on his face.

“Just wait a little bit. I’m going to have a shower too.”

He also became wet and dirty while washing and drying Eristella.

Seeing this, Eristella, who had been stabbed in conscience, calmed down, and Heinricion got up, stroking her fur lightly as if praising her.

The fox, embarrassed by the surprise pats, blinked and realized something strange only when he completely disappeared from view.

‘Wait a minute. Don’t tell me that Heinricion will wash me himself again?’

An unfamiliar feeling of anxiety came over Eristella. Hopefully, he wouldn’t. She shook her body vigorously from side to side to shake off those thoughts.

Instead, she flopped around on her bed until he returned.

‘It’s typical.’

Eristella grew up unaware of the hardships of life.

Every night, she used precious perfumes in her bath water that were hard to find even for her other family members.

In a gorgeous dress made exclusively for her, the silver hair carefully managed by her maids shone more beautifully than any expensive jewels on her body.

Princess Eristella has always had the best, and it was only natural.

But she lost it all 6 months ago.

She, as a fox, was feeling the preciousness so much that she couldn’t get herself to sleep on the soft bed.

While immersed in the bed, Heinricion returned to the room, brushing his wet hair.

He said as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“You can sleep here.”

Heinricion patted the spot next to the bed with his hand as if it was natural.

It was right next to him. Eristella leapt backwards in horror. In an instant, she went off the bed and scampered far away.

Anyway, Heinricion’s room was spacious.

‘But no matter how wide it is, there is only one bed…….’

‘Well, I don’t have to sleep in bed because I’m a fox. Still…….’

Eristella faintly glanced at the bed. The dip of the bed on which she laid on after being washed was still clearly visible.

When Eristella looked at the bed, unable to let go of her lingering feelings, Heinricion spoke up.

“You can sleep on the desk or the floor if you don’t like it.”

While watching him sit by the bedside and lift the covers, Eristella was in serious trouble.

She had been wanting to sleep in a soft place for a long while. She couldn’t believe she felt so desperate over a bed. How did the dignity of Leonia’s one and only princess fall to the bottom?

As she lamented her own plight, she lifted her front feet to climb onto the bed.

‘…….Sleep together.’

The last six months of street life made it impossible to give up on a soft bed.

Contrary to the drooping ears due to the hurt of pride, the fluffy tail was waving gently, welcoming the bed.

Heinricion, who watched her pride and her instincts collide, laid down and tapped the space next to his pillow.

But there was a fatal problem.

‘I can’t go up……. Please lift me up…….’

The bed was too high for Eristella, who had become a fox. Even if she stretched out her tiny front paws, she couldn’t even reach the blanket.

Seeing her flailing towards the bed, Heinricion couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

The archmage, who had no match in the empire, couldn’t get up onto the bed alone, so she had to surrender herself to Heinricion.

Heinricion picked her up and put her on the bed. She curled up on the other side and settled down. In fact, she couldn’t give up the bed and tried to sleep in it, but it seemed like she couldn’t sleep at all.

‘It’s soft and it fits my body snugly.’

It was so cozy and comfortable that it felt as if a pillow was wrapped around her body. The fox dug deeper into the sheets.

‘Ah, it’s good. Warm, happy…….’

Despite her concerns, Eristella quickly fell into dreamland.

That day, she was very busy in her dream.

A gigantic cotton candy was floating up like a cloud.

‘What. To tempt me with something like this childish.’

Eristella sneered, but she was plunging towards the clouds of cotton candy without realizing it.

Pong. Pong. Pong.

She ran on the cotton candy clouds, and whenever she got tired, she ate the cotton candy.

‘Ah. I feel good. Fluffy, sweet and soft…….’

At that moment, an unusually sweet and delicious-looking cotton candy star appeared in front of her.

‘That must be very tasty!’

Eristella opened her mouth wide towards the stars, her eyes shining like she would never let it go by.

The cotton candy star she put in her mouth was truly very tasty. As soon as she thought, ‘I want to eat one more…’ another cotton candy star appeared before her eyes.

She became greedy and ate well whenever she saw a cotton candy star.

And she never knew that in her dreams, she had bitten the arm of Heinricion each time.

Heinricion’s forearm had tooth marks.

*******

It was when Eristella was sleeping well.

Hmm~ Mmm~

A warm and soft bed, a safe place to sleep with peace of mind.

As the tensions of the past were disarmed, the desire to continue to sleep, no matter how much she slept, rose.

She didn’t want to give up on oversleeping after a long time, but she could feel the hot gazes around her even though she was persistently closing her eyes.

“Wow, what is this fox?”

“Its fur is like white snow. Cool.”

Besides, she could even hear a voice talking about her.

‘I want to sleep more.’

To be clear, Princess Eristella was a person who did not know what was oversleeping.

She always got up early in the morning to start the day. Even though she was self-centered, she didn’t take it for granted and faithfully fulfilled her duties as a princess.

However, her life as a street fox had been very difficult.

So, she wanted to sleep in for today. She couldn’t help it.

Eventually, she opened her heavy eyes with difficulty.

Again, there were maids surrounding her. Looking around, Heinricion was nowhere to be seen.

Heinricion returned after midnight yesterday, so they didn’t seem to know why the fox was here.

“What should we do? The Grand Duke doesn’t like animals very much. In particular, he seems to shake at foxes.”

“Even when he went hunting, he didn’t even touch foxes, saying they were irritating.”

No way. Heinricion loved animals since he was a kid.

And, she’s saying Heinricion hates foxes? Come to think of it, Heinricion had never hunted a fox in official hunting competitions.

‘But yesterday, when he saw me, he seemed rather pleased.’ Eristella’s head tilted slightly.

“Won’t His Highness be angry if he finds out?”

Those who did not know that the cause of his dislike for foxes was right in front of them chattered eagerly.

“Should I take this one out too?”

Eristella’s eyes flashed as one of the maids murmured anxiously.

‘Don’t let me out! I am happy to be here! You guys should ask Heinricion!’

But Eristella’s cry was nothing but the cry of a fox to the maids. ‘You’re not really going to kick me out like this, are you? How hard was it to even meet Heinricion yesterday.’

“I think it would be better to ask before we decide.”

The silent cry from Eristella didn’t go through, but luckily, there was a like-minded maid.

“I think it would be better to report it to the butler first.”

“I think that would be good.”

“I will go.”

The youngest-looking maid among them stepped forward. Then the maids began to appreciate the fox in earnest, perhaps feeling more at ease.

“But isn’t it so pretty?”

One of the maids couldn’t hide her favor, her face was dyed red.

“Look at this white fur. It’s like snowballs. Fluffy.”

“I have never seen such a pretty fox. Cool.”

While the maids, who were thinking the same thing in their hearts, said a bit at a time, the corners of Eristella’s lips twitched quietly.

Her face, which seemed to have no intention of hiding her proud feelings, was filled with satisfaction.

‘That’s right. I’m a little too pretty.’

Eristella nodded her head in triumph.

When she was young, Heinricion was mesmerized the first time he saw her turned into a fox.

At that time, Heinricion, who did not know that the fox was Eristella, said that he wanted to raise it and carried it with him all day.

It was when Eristella, who felt better, let out a proud cry.

“I……. Can I touch it once?”

One of her maids reached out to touch the fox.