Chapter 3 …

This was the greatest realization in a fox’s life.

Like seeing the top of a ship slowly sink below the horizon and realizing the earth is round, like seeing a falling apple and discovering gravity—

Once that truth came, it rushed over me in a flood of joy.

“What a lucky break!”

I wagged my tail left and right, unable to contain my excitement.

“Is it tasty? Want more?”

What a kind human! Yes! Give me more!

When I tapped my nose against the man’s palm, he gently stroked the bridge of my nose.

I flinched for a moment.

I hadn’t meant “pet me”—I meant “give me more jerky.”

As if he’d read my mind, the man handed me another piece of jerky with his other hand.

I snatched one bite at the delicious smell, and the man said,

“You must have been hungry.”

Now that I paid attention, his voice was rather sweet.

“Is it hard for you to live because you’re unusual, too?”

His soft, warm hand moved gently—across my nose to my forehead, and from my head down my back.

It was the first time someone had petted me since I became a fox.

The new sensation wasn’t bad at all.

On the contrary, the longer the touch lasted, the more I felt like I was floating on clouds.

My tongue was pleased, my belly full, my eyes ecstatic, my ears contented, and my whole body languid.

Ahh. Isn’t this the pleasure of being pampered?

While I was savoring heaven, the man behind said,

“Alright, let’s stop playing and get going.”

Good human—already leaving? I reluctantly lifted my head, still chewing the jerky.

“All right. Let’s go.”

Maybe it was my imagination, but the man too stood with an expression that looked a little regretful.

I wagged my tail in farewell.

“Goodbye. You almost found out. The people who didn’t even know what a gumiho was and so saved my life.”

I watched the two men’s backs as they grew more distant, took a deep breath, and exhaled.

“Phew. I almost had to start training again in some place that doesn’t even know where life energy flows.”

The third and final time I was discovered to be a gumiho, gathering my power and training again felt so exhausting.

Was that three hundred years ago already?

After two failures I prepared thoroughly and entered a village where forsythia bloomed outside each house every spring.

Luckily, the villagers were kind and accepted me, an outsider.

They became so close that they would suggest suitable husbands for me without my asking—“this man would suit her,” “that man would be good”—as if to help me find a lifelong partner.

Then one day a great fire broke out that covered the sky.

Everyone in the village worked together to fetch water to put it out, but perhaps because the autumn air was dry, the flames did not subside easily.

Watch­ing my precious friends’ houses burn, I used my fox bead and poured out my spirit power to help repay even a little of their kindness.

At that time I only thought I was doing what needed to be done.

But the result was nothing like I had expected.

Even though I’d saved the village from the flames, instead of gratitude people avoided me, calling me “inauspicious.”

Of course it was only a matter of time before they found out I was a gumiho.

“Good grief. How long does it take to gather spirit power with the fox bead again?”

When I failed the first and second times, I focused only on gathering my power again.

But after the third failure, it was hard to concentrate on training.

Whenever I closed my eyes I remembered the way those people had looked at me.

“Well, anyway, in this place that doesn’t even know what a gumiho is, I don’t have to worry about being found out anymore.”

I was relieved.

After all, this novel had magic in it; using spirit power wouldn’t make people think I was odd.

And since it was a novel, there seemed to be many unrealistically handsome and kind people.

“See? Every setting here makes it easy for me to become human.”

I felt good and lowered the tail that had been wagging.

But why—

Everything seemed to be going well, yet I felt an emptiness in my chest.

As if I’d forgotten something.

I had the sense that I was forgetting something very important. What was it?

Only a few seconds passed before every hair on my body stood on end and I felt chills.

“Oh, right! My fox bead!!!”

Even without the heavenly god, I heard the nagging voice of a deity in my head.

“No wonder it takes a thousand years!”

I must have lived too secludedly lately. I’d forgotten—how could I forget such a thing?

“Ugh. I’m a stupid fox.”

I scolded myself and hurried in the direction the men had gone.

Fortunately I soon caught up with the man.

Well—would a human be faster than a fox?

“Now I have to get the fox bead back… how do I take it?”

Killing him would be quickest, but I decided against it.

A handsome man like that should be kept alive—humanity might need him to progress.

“Could I seduce him?”

Even if I wasn’t discovered as a gumiho, I couldn’t just randomly kiss a man. Besides, another man kept trailing behind him, so now wasn’t the time.

“Let me wait for a chance then.”

Not knowing the local women’s clothing, I stayed in fox form and carefully followed behind him.

“Even his back looks handsome.”

His walk looked elegant.

He held himself very straight and composed.

Maybe it was the splendid uniform, but his dignified air was attractive.

With every step he took, he looked like he was scattering money—he had an abundance of “presence,” as they say.

“This man must be popular here.”

He didn’t just look good—he seemed like a good person, too.

He was kind even to animals.

From my experience, people who are gentle to animals aren’t usually bad people.

As I kept watching his back, a thought came to me.

If I’m going to fetch the fox bead, I’ll have to charm this man anyway.

“Why not just marry him then?”

It actually sounded pretty good.

My criteria for choosing a husband were simple: appearance first, character second, wealth third.

In reality, finding someone who met those three was hard.

Now that a man who met these conditions stood before me, why refuse?

After some time we reached the foot of the mountain and a grand city, previously hidden behind large trees, unveiled itself.

I stopped on all fours and stared dumbfounded at the magnificent city.

“Wow… that’s quite something.”

It looked very exotic.

No thatched roofs or tiled houses. No stifling skyscraper forests like I’d often seen.

A high clocktower loomed above the city walls, and behind it a towering castle dominated the view.

Mouth agape, I watched blankly, then vigorously shook my head and followed him as he moved toward what looked like the city gate.

“Get a grip. I didn’t come here to sightsee.”

I dashed to his side and heard their conversation clearly.

“May the blessings of Elisia be upon Duke Epher!”

“Are you going to recite that long greeting every time?”

“Oh, not at all.”

At the guard’s salute to the man, I stopped in my tracks.

“Is this man Duke Epher?”

The man who’d given me the jerky earlier.

‘That bastard?’ I thought.

The novel, with its somewhat embarrassing title—His Fiery Memories—was about the heroine Roselia eloping in the heat of passion with the hero.

And Duke Epher Elysia was Roselia’s arranged marriage partner. He was the type who, after the heroine fled before the wedding, blamed her for “insulting the royal family” and ransacked the empire like a madman.

He was cold and inscrutable; despite a naive face, he was sly and cruel. Truly a despicable villain.

Among villains, he was the worst—shameless, unrepentant, arrogant.

Gloomy, immoral, selfish.

I hated him so much I once commented, “Duke Epher, please die already.”

“Ugh… I don’t want to get involved with someone like that.”

As I hesitated, the castle gates opened and Epher took a step forward.

“My fox bead!”

Whether villain or not, the fox bead was more important, so I hurried to follow closely behind Epher.

But a guard shoved a long spear into the ground before me and blocked my way.

Startled, I lifted my head and the guard also looked surprised as he stared at me.

“Um… Your Grace. Is—this fox—also your possession?”

The duke turned at the sudden address with no expression.

“A fox?”

Surprise showed clearly on the duke’s face as he looked down at me.

“Your Grace, we cannot allow wild animals into the city…”

The guard said awkwardly, and the duke looked troubled too.

“Uh… this creature is—”

Wait. Are they discriminating against me because I’m a fox?

If I back off now, could I pass through the city walls in human form?

“No. It’s the duke; will I have another chance to meet him again?”

No matter how I thought about it, I felt it was right to stay on the duke’s heels.

I looked up at him with bright, shining eyes.

“Those who leave me will be so unlucky they’ll get foot problems within ten miles!” (i.e., he’ll regret leaving me)

Give me my fox bead right now! If you won’t, take me with you! But as the duke moved his lips, something felt off.

“…No choice then.”

I would have to use the secret technique I’d trained for this situation.

I slowly approached the duke and rubbed my head against his leg.

Rub rub.

I wagged my tail energetically and started my mind control.

“The human who gave me jerky—good, good.”

It was the so-called butler-selection technique.

A trick I’d seen a lot of on YouTube—like cats do.

After doing it a few times, the duke looked at me in a daze.

“Uh… um… this fox is…”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, so I decided to hammer it home.

I hated having to stoop so low!

I gathered the essence of a cuteness I’d never shown in a thousand years and cried out,

“Kkiyang!”

I flopped onto the ground and exposed my belly.

“Ah. How embarrassing.”

Then I immediately got up and walked back and forth around the duke’s leg, wagging my tail.

“Kkiyang!”

Take me with you, Duke Epher!

“Your fur is very thick. If you sold it you could make a nice pocket money.”

At the guard’s remark, I pressed my head even harder against the duke’s leg.

He’s selling me! Take me with you!

Finally, the words I wanted fell from the duke’s lips.

“…It’s a pet.”

Using the cats’ technique was a good call. I’d conquered the world with cuteness—truly a reliable strategy.