Chapter 1

“…….”

“Exactly why is the beast-kin contractor who arrived here a fox cub that can’t even speak?”

His freezing voice echoed through the empty space.

Meeting the sharp, edged gaze of the man, I couldn’t help but think that being the sole Grand Duke of the Idelio Empire was certainly not a title held by just anyone.

“M-my apologies, Your Grace. I believe the contract only specified that ‘the contractor shall be a direct descendant of the Fennec family,’ which is likely how this came to be.”

At the words of Rendel, whose hair was streaked with gray, the Grand Duke’s lips twisted.

“So that means that fox cub is indeed a direct descendant.”

“Yes. She is the second daughter of the Fennec family, named Poblian Fennec.”

The Grand Duke’s anger seemed to subside slightly, perhaps realizing that the Fennecs hadn’t completely ignored the contract.

‘To be honest, I came here prepared to be thrown out the window, so this is actually a pretty good start.’

Watching me as I sat below the dais, my tail wagging slightly, the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes and asked, “Age.”

“She is said to be thirteen this year.”

At Rendel’s words, the face of Grand Duke Hardium Winchester—the head of the family—crumpled instantly.

A voice filled with renewed fury erupted from his lips.

“Thirteen? You mean she’s the same age as Esteban?”

“Yes, th-that is correc—”

“The Fennecs have sent me a half-wit. A fox cub who’s thirteen and still can’t even polymorph into a human at will.”

‘Hey, a half-wit? Even a fox who hasn’t transformed yet has ears that can hear!’

But as long as I was in my animal form, it was clear that no matter how much I shouted at them, only “pya-pya-pyat” sounds would come out.

I had no choice but to prick my large ears, trying to convey the fact that I understood everything he was saying.

However, seeing my efforts only caused Hardium to let out a scoff of ridicule.

“Hmph, it seems she understands when she’s being insulted.”

Emotions flared up inside me, but I forced myself to endure it.

Honestly, I was angry at his rude remarks, but it wasn’t like I didn’t understand his distrust.

If I were in his shoes, and the contractor who appeared for the critical mission of stopping the heir’s rampage was a tiny fennec fox who looked like she had zero abilities, I’d probably be clutching the back of my neck in frustration too.

‘But if Ariel had come here like in the original story, your son would have gone berserk and my family would have been annihilated because of him!’

That was the problem.

Apart from the fatal flaw of being slower than other beast-kin to transform into a human, I had been living relatively normal and peaceful days. It was only a few weeks ago that I succeeded in my first human transformation, and with it, my lost memories came flooding back.

I had died in a truck accident while heading home from overtime, and I had been reincarnated into the world of a beast-kin romance fantasy novel I had been reading before I died, titled <Watch Out for That Rampage!>.

‘Of all things to be reincarnated into, why a beast-kin novel…’

Suddenly, a memory from after my past life’s recollections returned came to mind—the time I vomited up the insects I had eaten the day before. My stomach, which had finally settled, began to churn again.

“Pya-pyat… hic.”

Anyway, even after my stomach settled, I didn’t have time for the “denial phase” that so many possessors supposedly go through.

That was because if this world really was <Watch Out for That Rampage!>, also known as <Rampage-Watch>, there wasn’t much time left before the male lead’s corruption would lead to the destruction of the Fennec family and my own death.

Recalling the original plot for a moment, I shook my head vigorously.

‘It’s okay, don’t think about it. At any rate, my memories returned before Ariel could go to Winchester, and the one here now is me, not Ariel.’

What a shoddy original work.

I get that it was a setting created to show off the male lead’s character, but exterminating an entire family is going way too far!

Just you wait. You think I’ll die easily? I’m going to survive no matter what.

My eyes sparkling with determination, I looked back at the Grand Duke.

Since I couldn’t communicate with him as a human while in my animal form, I had no other choice.

‘If words won’t work, I’ll just have to build trust through my gaze!’

I looked at him with a desperate heart, hoping he would give me a chance since things had already turned out this way…

“Now she’s even glaring at me.”

“…….”

“Quite the bold one.”

It was a miserable failure.

‘Sigh, should I have practiced transforming into a human first after all?’

Belated regret washed over me, but it wasn’t like there was a solution right now.

To be honest, my parents were also of the position that they couldn’t send me to Winchester when I wasn’t yet used to human transformation, but…

‘If Ariel goes to Winchester, both I and the Fennecs are dead. Is human transformation really the issue right now?!’

Since I couldn’t say that out loud, I had to spend three long weeks persuading my parents, who kept asking why on earth I wanted to go to Winchester.

“I want to go, Father. In any case, if Sister spends five years at Winchester, she’ll pass the marriageable age. Surely you don’t want that either.”

“But Poblian, you are still too young. Your abilities are still unstable.”

“You’re suddenly going to Winchester because you’re worried about my marriage?”

“You didn’t want to go to Winchester anyway, Sister.”

“That’s true, but honestly, I’m curious why a half-wit who couldn’t even transform when everyone else did is suddenly heading to a Grand Duchy. You don’t want to become those humans’ pet fox, do you?”

‘How on earth did parents like mine produce someone like Ariel? Was she raised too indulgently?’

Recalling Ariel’s words, which were full of mockery, made my blood boil again, but I calmly brushed it aside.

‘No, it’s fine. This isn’t for Ariel anyway. It’s for my kind parents and the poor servants of the Fennec house.’

Just because my past life memories returned didn’t mean the memories of the people who treated me more warmly than anyone else had vanished.

Even when I heard whispers because my human transformation was slow, my parents and the servants of House Fennec supported me without fail.

“Bli, everyone in this world has their own starting line. Just because you start late, or someone else starts early, doesn’t mean you’ll be late or they’ll be fast forever.”

“It’s alright, Milady! What does it matter if your transformation is a bit late? You are so lovely just like this in your fennec fox form!”

Thinking of home made my nose scrunch as if I might cry, but I raised my head at a stinging gaze felt from atop my crown.

The Grand Duke, who was watching me silently with his chin resting on his hand, let out a smirk and spoke.

“Well, at least it should be entertaining to watch.”

‘Entertaining…?’

“If he focuses his attention elsewhere, the probability of him being swallowed by his emotions might decrease, if only by a little.”

I wore a disgruntled expression, wondering if he thought of me as some desert fox in a zoo.

The Grand Duke, unbothered by my expression, took his hand off his chin and leaned toward me.

“Since you say you’ve come to represent the Fennec family, I shall observe for now. However, you must transform into a human again by any means necessary.”

“…….”

“I have no intention of sending the Bluebells just to keep a promise with a talentless beast-kin who can’t even transform.”

‘And here I was thinking it was easier than expected, and he immediately goes for a death threat.’

I nodded at the Grand Duke’s firm words.

Whether he was threatening me or not, the fact that he hadn’t sent me back and had accepted me was a remarkable achievement.

***

“In Winchester, we will spare no support for anything Lady Poblian desires. Therefore, Milady, please help ensure that Young Master Esteban does not lose control.”

Following behind Rendel, the head butler of the Winchester Grand Duchy, I nodded vigorously.

Seeing this, he smiled faintly, looking somewhat relieved, and continued.

“As you may know, swift action is more important than anything else in the case of a rampage, so your room has been assigned right next to Young Master Esteban’s. It may be inconvenient, but we ask for your understanding.”

At Rendel’s words, I nodded as if to say it was actually better that way.

According to the original story, Esteban’s first rampage occurred not long after Ariel arrived at the mansion.

Of course, the novel didn’t specify exactly when, so the exact date was unknown.

‘What’s certain is that it happened at a meal where the Grand Duke was absent.’

To prevent the disaster of a rampage happening before I even entered Winchester, I had pushed myself to arrive on the same date Ariel was originally supposed to come.

So from now on, I planned to stick close to Esteban’s side and watch to see if a similar situation developed.

Organizing the tasks I needed to do in my head, I looked at Rendel, who had stopped in front of a door.

Rendel, looking at the firmly closed door with a troubled expression, spoke cautiously.

“Ah, and since we had not heard that someone unaccustomed to human transformation was coming, we have not yet prepared a secondary entrance for Milady to use.”

At his words, I looked at the doorknob, which was positioned much higher than my height.

Certainly, in this form, it seemed impossible to reach that knob and open the door.

As if sensing my thoughts, Rendel added quickly.

“The maid assigned to you will serve you without fail, but… for now, we will have a secondary door made by tomorrow so you won’t be inconvenienced when moving about.”

Seeing me nod, Rendel thanked me for understanding and offered a greeting. Just as I was about to follow him into the room, I froze at the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.

“Lady Poblian?”

Between Rendel’s voice calling me, the steady clack-clack of boots could be heard.

A citrus scent carrying notes of mandarin was strangely mixed with the smell of earth.

My gaze moved instinctively toward the unfamiliar scent.

Confirming the face that rounded the corner and approached us, I knew instinctively.

Silver hair that shimmered as if sprinkled with stars, and eyes as red as blood.

“You’ve arrived, Young Master Esteban.”

Esteban Hardel Winchester.

That young boy, still with a youthful face, was the male lead of the novel <Watch Out for That Rampage!> and my contractor, who held the lives of my family and myself in his hands.