Episode 2
Laria remembered what happened a few years ago.
“I really did get kidnapped and lived with him for half a year…”
That memory remained one of the most intense moments of her life.
Luckily, the man in front of her didn’t seem to realize that she was the baby fox from back then.
It made sense.
No one in this era could fully transform into an animal like that.
Not even her own parents knew — it was her secret alone.
“I didn’t expect to meet him again… as my blind date.”
She was so shocked that she just froze.
Then, she felt his sharp gaze on her.
Snapping out of it, Laria quickly sat across from him.
Even though she knew his name — and had even lived with him — she had to pretend like they were total strangers. It was nerve-wracking.
She did her best to act natural and spoke as if she was meeting him for the first time.
“Um… are you here for the blind date?”
The man slowly nodded.
Now that she was sitting closer, she could see he had lost weight.
He was still handsome, but he looked thinner.
His face was pale too, like someone who had been sick or stressed.
Laria calmed her nervous heart and kept up her act.
“I rushed out and didn’t catch your name earlier. Could you tell me?”
He was sitting lazily but finally spoke.
“Zenox Crassium.”
His voice was deep and low — almost like it could shake the floor.
It sounded very different from what she remembered.
Laria was distracted by the sound of his voice and reacted a little late, pretending to be surprised.
There was only one noble family in the empire with the name “Crassium.”
They had the rare blood of the black wolf and were the only ones to inherit the title of Grand Duke.
And their head was Zenox Crassium.
He was so famous that anyone would have heard rumors about him.
Unfortunately, most of those rumors were bad.
Laria thought about some of the things she’d heard:
- “He eats beast-men.”
- “He can’t control his urge to kill, so he wanders war zones.”
- “He has a nasty temper and kills anyone who annoys him.”
Wolves were among the strongest predators, and many of them were born with great strength.
Zenox, in particular, was said to have inherited the strongest wolf traits of anyone in the current generation.
Laria thought some of those rumors were nonsense.
“I saw him up close myself, after all.”
When she had been forced to live with him for half a year, he had been quite different from the scary stories.
But right now, she had to pretend she didn’t know the real him.
How was she supposed to act normal on a blind date with Zenox Crassium?
If she acted too casual, he might get suspicious.
After thinking carefully, Laria decided to act a little scared.
She shrugged her shoulders and quietly said,
“…I’m Laria Rohan.”
After her introduction, silence filled the space between them.
“How should I reject this?”
She wanted to leave before anything weird happened.
Maybe he felt the same, because Zenox spoke.
“I’m not interested in getting married yet.”
He frowned in annoyance, making his face look cold and fierce.
He looked just like the Zenox she’d met in the forest years ago.
Laria quietly stared at him and nodded.
“That’s a relief. I’m not looking to marry either.”
She glanced at the clock on the wall.
Not even ten minutes had passed since she came in.
“But since this was an order from the Crown Prince, should we just have some tea and then leave?”
At the mention of the Crown Prince, Zenox frowned again, but then gave a slight nod.
Laria raised her hand and called over a server.
“One black tea and one milk tea, please.”
“What kind of tea leaves would you like?”
“Earl Grey for both. And extra milk in the milk tea.”
A short time later, the server brought their drinks.
Laria took a sip of the milk tea and nearly screamed inside.
It was way too hot — her tongue almost burned.
She set the cup down quickly and decided to let it cool.
Laria didn’t do well with hot drinks.
“Zenox used to get the milk temperature just right before…”
While lost in thought, Zenox suddenly opened a large bag.
Then he pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to her.
Laria’s hand trembled when she saw what it was.
A drop of milk tea fell from her cup onto the table.
[Y-1]
He was giving her a missing poster — about herself.
“This flyer… We get it mailed to our house once a month.”
Zenox had been sending the flyer to every household in the capital regularly.
They were even posted on the streets.
Everyone in the empire knew that Zenox’s pet white fox had run away.
Of course, no one actually believed the fox was just a pet.
Most people thought he was searching so hard because white foxes were known to have strong healing powers.
People believed that because they didn’t think well of Zenox.
Laria looked down at the flyer and nearly fell out of her chair when she saw the reward amount:
[Reward: 10 billion pesos.]
“It went up again?!”
The reward Zenox offered could buy several mansions in the capital.
And the amount kept increasing every year to match inflation.
“I wonder how much he’s spent already. If I walked back to him on my own, would he actually give me the money?”
As tempting as it was, no amount of money was worth risking her life.
Thankfully, Zenox had no idea that the very fox he was looking for was sitting right in front of him.
Laria looked away from the flyer, trying to act calm, and just said something random.
“Um… You had a fox as a pet?”
Zenox’s frown eased slightly. His expression softened.
He finally opened his mouth again.
“I heard you’re from the white fox tribe.”
So that’s why he gave her the flyer — because she was a fox-person.
When Laria casually replied, “That’s right,” Zenox muttered to himself,
“…Just like Hayangi.”
“Ugh. I haven’t heard that name in forever.”
Zenox had called her Hayangi (which means “Whitey”) for the whole six months.
All his fault.
Zenox didn’t notice her awkward expression and kept talking.
“If you ever see Hayangi, please let me know.”
His sharp golden eyes looked intense, and Laria got chills down her arm.
It had been three years — anyone else would’ve given up by now.
But he was still looking for her, so there had to be a reason.
If he ever found out her true identity, he would never let her go.
“I have to keep this secret forever.”
Laria calmly put her cup down and nodded.
“You’re working so hard, I’m sure you’ll find her soon.”
Trying to sound supportive, she gave a typical answer.
Zenox murmured in a low voice,
“…I must.”
His voice made it sound like he’d do anything if he didn’t find her.
Laria touched the outside of her cup.
It had cooled a bit — she’d drink it quickly and leave.
She reached for her cup, but then—
The teahouse door suddenly opened, and someone rushed inside.
At first, Laria thought it was just another customer.
But the man walked straight toward them and shouted, unable to hide his excitement:
“Your Grace! They say they found Hayangi!!”
Laria blinked.
…But I’m right here?!
