The Grand Duke’s Fox Princess

Episode 45: When the Princess is Away, the Bad Guys Come Out to Play (II)

After Eristella disappeared, the young lady of the Marquis of Lateran committed quite a lot of wrongdoing.

Specifically, taking advantage of Eristella’s absence.

She was doing things to her heart’s content that she wouldn’t have dared to do.

‘This is my fault too.’

Eristella thought that she would always be there. Therefore, she was not prepared at all when she disappeared.

Sudden situations. Other things that had changed in 6 months.

Clearly, she was responsible for the side effects that occurred during that time.

Furthermore… 

‘If I can’t protect my own people, I’m disqualified as a princess.’

‘Sonia, just trust me and wait. I will restore your lost privileges no matter what.’

[Charlotte.]

“You don’t even have to tell me. You want me to keep an eye on Lady Lateran, right?”

[Yes. Since you’re not around, she will act without caution.]

Before her disappearance, Eristella had already warned Greta.

But for now, there was no one to prove what Eristella had left behind.  Hence, she had to find another way.

Eristella, Sonia, and Charlotte talked for a long time about what to do next.

*******

Meanwhile, for the past few days after returning from the imperial palace meeting, Heinricion had been taking measures to prevent the wizards from spouting nonsense.

While he was discussing with Rowen, Eristella approached and attempted to intervene.

“Are you going to interrupt me all the time? No matter how much you are a fox…”

He didn’t want to reveal what happened in the meeting room, so he deliberately tried to kick her out coldly.

‘I’m part of it.’

However, Eristella insisted firmly without moving a muscle.

‘What did they say?’

Eristella couldn’t speak because of Rowen, but she stared at Heinricion and conveyed her questions about the current situation. However, Heinricion did not speak easily.

‘Did they curse me?’

Eristella’s eyes narrowed.

‘It’s okay. It’s not a day or two. So what exactly did they say?’

Eristella’s persistent gaze eventually led Heinricion to send Rowen out. Then he explained what happened at the meeting.

[Hmm. That’s right. That’s what they would say. It sort of bothers me.]

She wondered if it had anything to do with black magic.

It was when Eristella was seriously thinking about it.

[If my prediction is correct… Using this event as an opportunity, they will be even more daring.]

Then more ridiculous things would happen.

Eristella turned around after talking to him. She then looked at herself in front of the mirror.

A little fox that barely occupied a corner of the full-length mirror.

A powerless existence with restrictions on the range of action.

She was Eristella, but she could not be called ‘Princess’ Eristella.

For a while, she enjoyed being a fox. She might have gotten a little lazy. But no more.

‘Princess Eristella is needed right now.’

The black wizards were already moving aggressively. But currently, Eristella was nothing more than a burden, not an asset.

Therefore, from now on, she had to hurry to discover a way to return to her original form.

She hadn’t been able to find any clues from any of the places she had looked into so far. 

‘I’ll have to find a way to change back to my original form somehow before the black wizards can go on a rampage.’

Heinricion watched as Eristella paced around…

He had not yet brought up the clue he had found. He couldn’t speak yet because there were still parts that needed to be explored more.

[What? What’s the matter?]

Unable to ignore Heinricion’s stinging gaze, Eristella awkwardly turned her head.

She often stared at him in a burdensome way. However, on the contrary, this was the first time he looked at her like this.

‘What’s wrong with him? It makes me want to run away.’

‘I’m getting nervous for no reason.’ Heinrichion slowly opened his mouth as he watched Eristella fidget uneasily.

“What will you do if you return to your original form?”

Actually, he had been curious about this for a while. 

[What do you mean?]

Eristella tried to answer right away, but she soon fell back into silence.

[Well…]

Why couldn’t she think of anything?

She thought she wouldn’t have to think about anything as long as things went back to the way they were. When she was asked the question, she couldn’t come up with anything she really wanted to do.

Eristella agonized hard. Then she widened her eyes, staring at the soles of the feet in front of her.

[Shall I part with you first?]

“…Is that the first thing you’ll do?”

[You helped me a lot, so I have to repay you for that.]

When the fox expressed its determination to repay the grace, the bewildered Heinricion parted his lips to respond…

Tok, tok.

As Rowen came in after the knock, Heinricion and Eristella naturally looked away as if they weren’t talking.

However, Rowen came in without even paying attention to the awkward behavior of the two.

“Your Excellency. Urgent news has arrived. It’s said that new evidence has appeared in the Prouthu territory.”

“New evidence?”

‘Evidence?’

Heinricion and Eristella reacted simultaneously.

“During an investigation into black magic in the Prouthu territory, a note the group of black magicians wrote to the princess was found.”

“Note?”

‘What kind of bullshit is this now?’

“Yes. It has been protected by magic; that’s how it’s preserved to this day. But the content…”

He seemed to know what it was about.

“Was it fabricated?”

“We’ll have to check it out, but it seems unlikely.”

“What?”

Heinricion’s head automatically turned toward Eristella.

“Is there such a thing?”

‘No.’

Eristella shook her head violently. ‘Those guys and I had never passed notes.’

Heinricion turned his head back like he had never believed it from the beginning.

The first thing that came to mind were the words from the last meeting.

He thought it was just a suspicion that came out of a childish sense of inferiority, but was there really something?

“So what is the situation now?”

“I can’t say anything for sure yet, but word that a note has been found is spreading.”

“As if on purpose?”

“…Perhaps so.”

It wasn’t long before the rumors that the princess seemed to have been involved with black magic began to spread secretly.

In addition to the other doubts at the time when the princess first went missing, the idea that the disappearance of the princess was not an accident but a self-made play was added.

Gossip grew to the point that it was even said the princess had been associated with black magic for a long time and completely immersed herself, disguising it as a disappearance.

On top of that, there were testimonies that added weight to the rumors, as if someone was manipulating the news.

Eristella realized as she watched what was happening.

From the moment the black wizards took the initiative and caused a commotion, she had expected that they would work to create a rift between the nobles.

However, she thought that the target was Heinricion.

Adelasia’s position was enough to shake up an empire. So she searched around Heinricion and tried to keep him from being rattled.

‘But it was me.’

A person who was externally dead…

…Couldn’t even make an excuse. That was why they made up a story about her.

‘It came down to this.’

Eristella’s thin eyes fell coldly.

*******

After figuring out how things were going, Eristella burst into laughter.

She seemed to know who made this kind of game.

‘Besides, it’s pretty good too.’

After all, Eristella never spoke to anyone and moved.

So there were no circumstances or evidence.

As she always acted arbitrarily, it could be the subject of misunderstandings.

‘You made good use of it.’

‘Shit. I think I can hear a lot of disgusting sneers.’

Eristella, who recalled what the irritating man had said, frowned slightly and contemplated the memory of that day.

*******

“Why do you have to do this, Your Highness? Do you think there will be people who recognize Your Highness just because of this?”

He did not hide his smile as she vomited blood.

Eristella, fully drugged, frowned when she caught sight of that grin that scratched at her temper.

“If they think it’s to their advantage, they will betray Your Highness at any time.”

What did she say back then?

Anyway, she was annoyed that he was right.

“Your Highness the Princess and justice: is there any combination that suits you better than that?”

“Who is justice? I’m just dealing with people I don’t like.”

“Honestly, aren’t you frustrated? It’s pretty good to live your life the way you want.”

Then the guy reached out his hand.

Of course, Eristella kicked that hand.

Even so, the brazen smile of the man who held out his other hand grew even more irritating.

“Your Highness. Remember. You are welcome to visit me any time on the day my words come true.”

“Get lost.”