The Grand Duke’s Fox Princess

Episode 6: Does He Know, Or Does He Not Know? (I)

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“His Highness finished his meal today.”

“I was surprised too.
I’m going to report it to the housekeeper as soon as I get some things sorted out.”

“Will the butler cry?”

“…….Maybe?”

After that, the employees moved on to another topic.

Eristella lowered her perked ears and laid on her back, recalling the conversation the employees had just had.

Was it surprising that Heinricion ate all of his food? He used to eat everything well.

Compared to Eristella, who was a glutton, Heinricion ate relatively less, but he never fell behind in terms of food.

‘I’m surprised that he only ate breakfast.
That’s weird.’

Confused, Eristella looked at Heinricion.

At the same time, William, the old butler who came in to attend to Heinricion, saw the empty plate and was so thrilled that it was as if he would shed tears at any moment.

But the butler quickly regained his composure and examined closely.
Next to the plate Heinricion ate was the plate that the fox probably ate from.

‘Thanks to the fox, His Highness finished his meal.’

The old butler, who was looking at Eristella with kind eyes, turned to Heinricion as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, have you decided on a name for the fox?”

“Name?”

One of Heinricion’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yes.
You can’t keep calling it ‘Fox’.
We need a name.”

“……..Is that so.”

It was an issue he hadn’t considered at all.

“Well, I know.
It needs a name.
What should I name it?”

Heinricion’s worried voice seemed to be tinged with excitement and anticipation.

“Your Highness has decided to raise it yourself, so it would be good to give it a good name.”

“A good name.”

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Heinricion approached the fox and muttered in a troubled voice.

Then one of the employees, who had not yet stepped down, added a word with shining eyes.

“Come to think of it, it’s said that animals even make it obvious if they like their names.”

“Really?”

Heinricion turned his head and responded to the servant.

“Sure.
Besides, its personality changes depending on its name.
Believe it or not, it’s the same.”

The employee also said that when his friend didn’t name his dog, it was unruly.

The old butler and the other employees who were listening to the story next to them thought it was a joke.
Except for one person; Heinricion was listening very seriously.

And at the side was a fox who felt a sense of dread, with the fur all over its body standing up.

“I have to choose well.”

Heinricion spoke, curving his eyes with a meaningful yet very pleasant expression.

The employees who had seen the smiling face of their master after a long time were also delighted.

These days, their master, Heinricion, seldom smiles.
Every time they saw his blank face that was as if he had lost his expression, their hearts could not help but to not feel good either.

No matter how bad the fiancée was, the person who he almost got married to was missing.
He couldn’t help but be worried, and from then on, there was a gloomy and heavy atmosphere in the grand ducal residence.

So, this change of Heinricion was good for Rowen and all of the employees.

And it seemed that it was the fox who caused the change.
Of course, Eristella didn’t know that.

“I hope you get a good name, Fox.”

“Then we will leave.”

All of a sudden, the old butler and the employees all withdrew, leaving Heinricion alone with the fox.

A delicate air current flowed between the man and the animal.
Heinricion’s gaze was relaxed, while Eristella was very wary.

‘That face right now, he has a bad idea, right?’

It was obvious what he was thinking.

Since the old butler said that it would be good to name the fox, he had a nasty expression on his face.

‘You have to think carefully.’

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Eristella warned.
‘Don’t play around with my name.’

‘If you name me something weird! I will never stand still!’

“Don’t worry.
I’ll do my best to come up with something.”

Heinricion crossed his arms and seriously contemplated potential names for a fox.

At that moment, because Heinricion seemed to have answered, Eristella was seriously concerned that he might understand what she was saying.

“How about Soonsoon?”

As expected, the name that came out of Heinricion’s mouth was totally tacky, ridiculous, and strange.

“Then won’t you be a little more gentle?”
(TL/N: ‘순순/Soonsoon’ means obedient or plain.)

Contrary to his expectations, the potential name resulted in him receiving one more bite from the fox.

“Or Big?”

Eristella frowned.
‘What’s with Big?’

“I think you’re too small now.
I wish it was a little bigger.”

She couldn’t get bigger though.
Besides, she was just the right size for a fox.

After that, various possible names came out of Heinricion’s mouth.
But Eristella’s reaction was consistent.

‘No! I don’t like it!”

Another bite. Ssik.

Each time she didn’t like it, she would bite him hard, and in half a day, Heinricion’s arms were full of the marks of a fox’s teeth.

“If not…”

Heinricion’s head tilted slightly to the side.
He glanced at the fox and opened his mouth slightly.

“Lala?”

‘…….’

Eristella, who had reacted violently until now, was quiet this time.

‘Is it just a coincidence?’

‘Don’t tell me you know who I am…….’

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There was a reason why Eristella’s heart was pounding.

‘Lala’ was not a name Heinricion coined.

It was the nickname of Princess Eristella.

Only her family called her that when she was a child.

However, Heinricion was an exception.
He had also called her ‘Lala’ in her childhood.

He would often follow her while calling her ‘Lala’, but at some point, he no longer did so.

Eristella hadn’t been called that for a long time, and her heart even pounded upon hearing the name.

Heinricion shook his head slightly, and was troubled again.

Heinricion tilted his head left and right several times, then slowly parted his mouth.
Eristella no longer wanted to hear another dreadful name, so she reached out with her paws and tried to cover his mouth.

Tak.

Just before it touched his lips, he grabbed her front paw.
The moment her face was about to crumple into a frown, his eyes lit up.

“I just thought of a good name.”

At Heinricion’s confident gaze, Eristella’s spine became cold.
It didn’t seem that a satisfactory name would come out of his mouth.

“It’s real this time.”

Heinricion lifted the fox up and slowly uttered.

“Eristella.”

His soft, clear voice stuck in her ears.

‘…….Uh?’

Her golden eyes reflected transparently in Heinricion’s smiling eyes.
His eyes were gently curved.

It wasn’t something like a guess.
A very convinced voice was calling her name.

“I should call you by a proper name, right?”

Eristella blinked slowly.
His gaze was as dense and firm as a net, and she could not escape.

‘Since when did he know?’

Eristella’s eyes flickered with tension.

She was distracted by the sudden situation she had encountered.
Instinctively, she pulled back her body to guard against Heinricion.

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“Why are you here like that?”

‘…….’

Heinricion was terribly calm.
Hence, Eristella couldn’t help but be even more nervous.

‘I think this is dangerous.’

‘How to get out…….’

It wasn’t in her plans to get caught so quickly.
Around this time, she had only started to get closer to the employees, and was trying to learn more about black magic.

Heinricion would surely drive her out.
Or she would be sent to the Imperial Palace.

‘No.
I have to stay here at any cost!’

She was in a dilemma, and turned to get out of this sticky spot.

Alas, in a flash, she was caught by the scruff of her neck.
She tried to run, but ended up in the palms of Heinricion.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

‘How did I get caught?’

Eristella’s tail drooped downwards in discouragement.

However, Heinricion was not one whose heart would be weakened by that appearance.

“What was the purpose of sneaking like this?”

Heinricion’s relaxed yet sharp eyes directed to the fox.

The fox felt it.
There was no way out of this.

‘I’m in trouble.
What should I do?’ The fox, who was shifting its eyes around, glanced at Heinricion.

“Are you wondering when I found out?”

Heinricion’s eyes curved slyly.

‘Ugh.’

Eristella was angry and annoyed, but honestly, she was curious too.
She was sure she didn’t make a mistake that would reveal her identity.

‘What the hell was the problem?’

She was so confused that she did not notice Heinricion’s snake-like gaze.

He was watching every single movement of her eyes that wavered in bewilderment.