DCIBY 03

Chapter 3 – Duke, I’m Your Fan

Mio had only skimmed through the parts of the book that mentioned the fox beastman, so she barely knew the original story.

All she remembered was cursing every time Geoffrey did something insane.

‘I really went through hell and back because of him.’

Before she even had time to accept that she’d turned into a fox, she had already fallen in love—and then died endlessly. Through those repeated experiences, she learned a few things:

—If she kissed Geoffrey, she would turn into a human.
(The effect lasted roughly half a month.)

—If she didn’t find her “imprint partner” within a year, she might be stuck living as a fox forever.
(Of course, she never got that far. She always died at someone’s hands first…)

—The imprint partner was the one who could turn her human again.
(She hadn’t found anyone who fit that description besides Geoffrey.)

‘In the end, everything I learned was connected to that man.’

A bitter glint passed through Mio’s cool eyes. She clasped her front paws—shaped like tiny rabbit feet—and bowed her head. Though she wasn’t religious, in that moment, she wanted to grab onto any god that would listen.

‘I won’t question why I ended up in this damned book anymore. So please, just grant me this one wish.’

She wasn’t particularly attached to her life before the possession anyway, so maybe starting anew here wouldn’t be so bad.

‘Please, let me meet and fall in love with my ideal man—not that cold-blooded monster!’

With heartfelt determination, Mio clenched her little paws into fists.

‘Let’s go!’

Finishing her prayer, Mio silently darted across the carpet toward the sofa. For someone who once ruled the forest, this level of mission was child’s play. Yet her first obstacle appeared at the sofa’s footrest.

‘Damn it, I can’t reach.’

Scanning the room, she spotted a cushion on a nearby chair and dragged it over with her teeth. She was so careful not to make a sound that sweat gathered at the bridge of her nose.

‘There. Perfect.’

Using the cushion as a springboard, she leapt up onto the sofa. With her fangs peeking out slightly, Mio crept toward her target. Her sharp eyes landed on Geoffrey’s sculpted face. Even with one hand covering his eyes, his beauty radiated. The lips beneath his sharp nose were a soft, tempting red.

‘Ugh. Why does someone so hateful have such a pretty face?’

Carefully, she stepped onto his abdomen. His chiseled six-pack was so firm her paws kept slipping as if she were walking on ice.

‘What kind of human is this? Not an ounce of softness!’

A proper man’s stomach should have a bit of fat, after all…

Her gaze kept wandering over his bare torso until her mouth began to water.

‘Focus, Mio. Focus.’

Taking a breath, she crouched like a butterfly ready to take flight, then dove toward her target—his lips.

The moment her snout brushed them, her body transformed.

“……!”

Where a fluffy white fox had sat, now a woman in a soft lavender dress appeared.

“I did it! It worked on the first try!”

She rubbed her cheeks with both hands, nearly crying at the feeling of human skin after so long. She had grown used to her fox form, but being human was infinitely more comfortable.

‘Don’t get emotional! You’re human, Mio!’

She barely caught her breath before the sofa beneath her suddenly shifted like an earthquake. Startled, she froze as a low, cold voice reached her ears.

“…What is this?”

A chill pressed against the back of her neck—Geoffrey’s dagger. He had awakened and was now pointing the blade at her throat.

‘Idiot! You should’ve slipped away quietly after transforming!’

Had her brain gone numb from staying in a fox’s body for so long? The situation was so pathetic she couldn’t even cry.

‘Am I really going to die this quickly this time?’

His frosty voice came again.

“I asked you a question. Who are you, and how did you get in here?”

In the original story, Geoffrey only realized the fox’s identity much later. So right now, Mio knew him—but he didn’t know her. To him, some strange woman was straddling him out of nowhere.

‘What do I even say?’

Her mouth went dry. Looking straight into his pitch-black eyes was far scarier than she expected. Panic washed over her mind, leaving it blank.

“…I-I’m—”

Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes from the rush of emotion.

‘It took so much just to get here.’

At first, she didn’t even realize she was possessed—then she died. No matter what she tried, she always ended up loving him.

‘I tried so hard to avoid him…’

She had even boarded a ship to another country to escape him, even tried to kill him first once.

But all her efforts ended the same way—with her own death.

‘There’s only one thing I haven’t tried yet.’

To steal Geoffrey’s heart first.

But now that she had to actually do it, her face stiffened.

‘This is for survival. Nothing more.’

Forcing her lips into the most seductive smile she could muster, she placed her hands over her chest and spoke in the sweetest, most honeyed tone she could manage.

“I’m your fan, Duke Caspian.”

Geoffrey blinked and lowered his sword. But then his face twisted with annoyance, and he roughly shoved her waist away.

“…Are you insane? Get off me!”

“N-no, wait—!”

‘How could that not work?!’

Insisting her innocence, Mio hurriedly climbed off him—but her legs, unused to walking as a human, wobbled. Her body went limp from nerves, and dizziness hit her all at once.

“Uh… uh…”

“What on earth are you doing?”

She flailed to keep from falling to the floor. Geoffrey’s horrified expression met her glare.

‘It’s not like I want to look pathetic!’

She stumbled toward the armrest, only to hit her head with a thud and jolt backward. Geoffrey’s shouting rang loudly in her ears.

That night, Mio dreamed of eating meat until her stomach burst. She was so happy that she even made smacking noises in her sleep. For someone who usually had nightmares, it was bliss.

‘So good…’

She rolled around, but the ground didn’t crunch with fallen leaves, nor did sharp stones dig into her belly.

‘Heaven! Pure heaven!’

She pulled her knees close, tail wagging in delight—or at least, she tried to wag it. But nothing moved.

‘…My tail’s gone.’

A tailless arctic fox—what a nightmare.

Cold sweat ran down her back as her heart began to pound. Mio opened her eyes and sniffed. Instead of the dry scent of winter forest, she smelled something soft and sweet.

‘Where am I?’

When she looked down, she saw hands instead of paws. Memories came flooding back—headbutting Geoffrey’s lips, then fainting.

‘Oh no!’

She touched her lips in shock just as footsteps echoed down the hall.

‘Someone’s coming!’

Mio quickly pulled the blanket over her head and pretended to sleep. The footsteps grew louder, then the door burst open.

“Get up.”

A rough hand yanked the blanket away.

“…Gasp.”

In her pajamas, Mio scrambled upright and pressed her back against the headboard. Standing before her, glaring intensely, was none other than Geoffrey. She stammered, looking anywhere but at him.

“…G-Geoffrey.”

“Did I give you permission to call me by name?”

At her words, he unsheathed his sword.

Shing!

Mio paled and instinctively covered her neck. The tip of his blade hovered dangerously close as he spoke in a low, menacing tone.

“Start talking.”

“W-what should I confess?”

“How do you know my name?”

“Because… I’m your fan?”

She hated this excuse, yet her mouth moved on its own. Trembling, she forced her face into the most pitiful expression she could. But Geoffrey’s cold eyes didn’t soften at all.

“Enough nonsense!”

“I—I’m sorry. I just like you so much, Your Grace…”

“Explain yourself properly.”

His killing intent was so thick she felt her lips tremble. Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands to her chest again.

“I… I often play pretend as your bride. It became such a habit that I slipped up without realizing. Please forgive me, Duke Caspian.”

For something she made up on the spot, it was a flawless lie. Mio secretly smirked to herself.

‘He’ll melt any second now. Who could resist a beauty like me?’

After all, Geoffrey had been stuck in the frontier for three years. He rarely received attention from women, and certainly never from someone so forward.

‘He’s the beast who brings storms wherever he goes—Geoffrey Caspian.’

And to be fair, her looks were striking enough to make most men fall at first sight.

Expecting to see him flustered, Mio lifted her chin.

But instead of admiration, Geoffrey’s face was contorted in fury.

‘Wh-what’s with that expression?’

He had lowered his sword, but veins bulged on his clenched fists. His voice was a snarl.

“Who sent you? What’s your goal? Did you really think such a cheap trick would work on me?”

“…Cheap trick?”

No charm or coyness could pierce that icy heart.

Flustered, Mio coughed violently.

“Cough, cough!”

“Still pretending to be sick? You’re quite the actress.”

Geoffrey clicked his tongue as she struggled to breathe.

‘Cold-blooded brute! This isn’t an act!’

After sleeping out in the forest, her body was a mess. She looked up at him with tearful eyes.

‘I’m really sick… can’t this wait?’

“You’ll talk soon enough.”

He growled, ripping open his shirt collar.

‘Why am I even trying to reason with this maniac?’

But the way his hands moved so roughly made her fear she’d end up like one of those torn-off buttons.

‘If I were still a fox, I’d never let him treat me like this!’

Just then, the door burst open and a middle-aged woman stormed in, slapping Geoffrey hard on the back.

“My goodness, Your Grace! What kind of brute bullies a sick woman like this?”

Mio stiffened at the stranger’s sudden entrance. The woman picked up the fallen blanket, shaking it out before tucking it around her.

“If the late Madam saw this, she would be heartbroken.”

“But, Loren, this woman is suspicious—”

“She’s a guest of House Caspian,” the woman interrupted firmly, pushing him toward the door.

As he stepped out, Geoffrey shot Mio one last frigid glare—the kind that could kill a man.

‘He really looks like someone who could murder with his eyes alone.’

Pretending not to notice, Mio coughed pitifully into her blanket.