Episode 1
Laria quietly looked up at the teahouse sign.
She had to go in, but she didn’t want to. So she stood around for a while.
She was on her way to meet a blind date — someone she had never seen before.
“Sigh…”
When she woke up this morning, she learned that her blind date had been decided.
And not just by anyone — it was the Crown Prince who ordered it.
“Why me?”
Laria’s family was very ordinary.
They didn’t have political power, and they weren’t rich either.
Even if the reason was because she’s a fox tribe, it still didn’t make sense.
“I don’t even know who the guy is.”
She didn’t know what kind of beast-man he was, his age, or his background.
This blind date was a complete mess.
“Please… let him be a decent man.”
Wishing that the Crown Prince had at least a little bit of conscience left, Laria checked the time.
Realizing she couldn’t delay any longer, she let out a sigh.
She quietly opened the door. Inside, the lighting was dim and gloomy.
“Why pick such a dark place for a blind date?”
It felt like she had stepped into a horror play as the lead actress.
A man with jet-black hair was sitting in the corner of the shop.
The room was so dark, she couldn’t see his face clearly.
What stood out was the strange armor he wore on only one hand.
The teahouse was completely empty and so quiet it felt disconnected from the outside world.
Her footsteps sounded way too loud and made her feel awkward.
The man must’ve noticed her, but he just kept staring out the window without moving.
It was like he didn’t want to be here.
“Same here,” Laria thought.
Maybe this was a good thing.
If neither of them was interested, they could just talk a bit and go home.
But… why does he feel so familiar?
Feeling puzzled, Laria greeted him first.
“Hello.”
The man, who hadn’t moved at all like a statue, slowly turned his head.
His face started to appear in the light coming through the window.
The sunlight hit only half of his face, creating a sharp contrast.
Under his jet-black hair were golden eyes that shined like the noonday sun.
His high nose, slightly full lips, and strong jawline all stood out.
He was unbelievably handsome—maybe the most handsome man she had ever seen.
“…!”
Laria was so shocked that the color drained from her face.
But it wasn’t because her blind date was too good-looking.
“It’s Zenox Crassium…!”
The man sitting there was the same person who kidnapped her three years ago.
***
Beast-men were beings with both human and animal blood.
They were once seen as cursed, but after many wars, they became accepted members of society.
Long ago, beast-men could fully turn into animals.
Now, they looked human most of the time and only showed small features like ears or tails.
But Laria had never shown ears or a tail.
“Why won’t they come out?” she muttered.
She sat in the grass without caring about her dress getting dirty.
“I’m upset…”
Her family, the Count Rohan family, came from the white fox tribe.
Every time there was a fox tribe event, people whispered about her.
She didn’t want much — even just ears or a tail would be enough.
As she sat there, a breeze blew in from far away.
The sound of leaves brushing together sounded like sweeping.
It felt like the wind would blow all her worries away.
She was glad she came out to the forest today.
Looking up at the sky, Laria stood up.
“Let’s try one more time.”
She took a deep breath and focused her mind.
The energy in her body gathered at her heart.
Then, like a rising tornado, the wind swirled around her.
The strong wind blew through her snowy-white hair.
She closed her eyes tight, then slowly opened them again after the wind calmed down.
“Huh?”
Her head felt a little itchy.
She quickly touched her head—
She felt soft, pointy, white fox ears!
“I did it…!”
She couldn’t help but smile.
“Kyun kyun!”
Kyun…?
Wait, what kind of animal sound was that?
Surprised, Laria blinked and looked around.
Her view had become much lower, and trees that were her height now looked super tall.
She looked down at her hands—
They were covered in white fur with pink paw pads.
“Did I fully transform into a beast?!”
“Ahhh!!”
She screamed.
No one in this generation could fully turn into an animal.
Even having just ears or a tail was rare.
Now she had completely transformed.
Laria panicked and touched her face.
She needed a mirror — maybe she could look at her reflection in a lake.
After running for a while, she got tired and started walking clumsily.
Her legs were short, so even walking was hard.
Eventually, she found a quiet lakeside area.
It was a perfect picnic spot with wide open space.
Laria stepped closer to the water and looked at her reflection.
Her mouth dropped open.
She thought she was small… but she looked like a baby fox!
Maybe only 3 months old, at most.
If her parents saw this, they’d probably laugh and say she looked adorable.
Her older brother would definitely tease her.
Was there a spell to turn into an adult beast instead of a baby one?
Laria was deep in thought when she realized time had passed.
She should go home before people started to worry.
“But… why am I not turning back?”
Even if full transformation was different, she should’ve changed back by now.
She tried saying the spell to return to human form.
But all that came out was a baby fox’s cry.
Laria covered her face with her tiny paws and let out a silent scream.
“Oh no… What do I do?”
She couldn’t go back to human form!
How could she return home?
It would take half a day just to get back to the carriage in this tiny body.
She sat down and groaned in frustration.
Then it happened.
The sunlight on her body suddenly disappeared — replaced by a shadow.
A hand suddenly grabbed the back of her neck.
“Kyun!”
She yelped, but the huge hand didn’t let go.
“…A baby fox,” the man said.
He picked her up and looked into her eyes.
His golden eyes were bright like the sun.
“Did you lose your mother?”
“My mom is fine, you crazy guy!” Laria glared at him with all her strength.
The man studied her, then opened his coat and tucked her inside.
“He’s a kidnapper!! Mom! Dad!”
No matter how hard she tried to yell, only baby fox cries came out.
And that’s how she ended up living with her kidnapper again.
She had no idea that he would become her blind date in the future.
