Chapter 6 – Mio, the Arctic Fox’s Circumstances
‘Ugh, thinking about that guy again…’
Mio quickly shook her head, trying to erase Geoffrey’s face from her mind.
‘Anyway, I really don’t want to bathe.’
Foxes became clean by grooming themselves—there was no need for things like baths. If only she didn’t smell a little strange, she would’ve resisted to the end.
“Once you sweat it out in the hot water, the chills will go away. I’ll go downstairs and warm up a cup of mulled wine. Nothing beats that when you’re coming down with a cold.”
When Loren left the room, Mio let out a long sigh. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had taken a proper bath.
“…Was it New Year’s?”
Back then, she had watched the New Year’s Eve bell toll on a tiny screen in her one-room apartment.
‘They said if you fall asleep, your eyebrows turn white from the cold.’
Remembering something she had heard as a child, she tossed and turned all night. When the bells stopped, the broadcast showed the crowds that had gone out to see the sunrise. People from all over the country filled the screen with bright energy. Someone cheerfully answered a reporter’s question:
‘My wish is for my whole family to be happy!’
‘I want to become rich!’
‘I hope I get a boyfriend this year!’
They were all so full of hope that just watching them made her feel better. Feeling oddly motivated, Mio had gone to a 24-hour sauna. She thought maybe washing up on the first day of the new year would bring good luck.
‘Huh, so I’m not the only one thinking that.’
The sauna was packed with customers chatting everywhere. Mio wrapped a towel around her head and sat down nearby, pretending she was part of a group.
‘So, I was about to kiss this guy, and then someone shines a flashlight into the car!’
There were people talking about romance—
‘My mom’s boiler in the countryside broke again, so I have to go fix it tomorrow.’
—and people talking about family, too.
As her loneliness began to fade, she opened her phone and continued reading the book she’d been on. The character inside was lonelier than she was.
“Ugh, why did I remember all that now…”
Tears welled in her eyes. Mio rubbed them away roughly with the back of her hand. Maybe this luxurious bath filled with flower petals—something she’d never experienced before—was making her sentimental.
‘Don’t forget where you are.’
She straightened her back, trying to steady her heart, but the warmth wrapping around her body made her eyes flutter shut.
“I shouldn’t fall asleep…”
“Oh my goodness! Miss, the water’s gone cold already.”
Loren’s voice, bringing more warm water, sounded like a lullaby. Then she began washing Mio’s hair—and Mio couldn’t fight it any longer. She drifted into deep sleep.
Growl.
A loud rumble echoed through the wide bedroom. Startled, Mio’s eyes flew open.
‘What the—!’
She looked around in alarm, but no one was there. The culprit was her own empty stomach.
‘No one saw me. It’s fine, right?’
The moon shone outside the window, lighting the room as bright as day. Only then did Mio notice her front paws—fluffy and white like rabbit feet.
‘Damn it! I turned back into a fox again.’
Just earlier, while bathing, she’d been thinking about eating dinner and going straight to Geoffrey’s room…
Apparently, she had fallen asleep instead. Grumbling, Mio wriggled her way out of the loose pajamas.
‘Guess Loren changed me into these.’
Feeling pathetic, she tapped her forehead with her paw and stood up. After escaping the soft blankets, she stood tall on the bed. Her amber eyes gleamed as she twitched her nose. On the table beside her sat milk and bread, which Loren had prepared—but she wasn’t interested.
‘I need real nutrition right now.’
That meager bread wasn’t going to cut it. Just thinking about the duck and fish she’d missed earlier made her mouth water. Even Mount Geumgang can wait until after a good meal.
‘Alright! Straight to the first-floor kitchen—charge!’
Determined, Mio leapt off the tall bed. But the landing was higher than expected, and she bumped her head. Shaking it off, she crept toward the bedroom door.
‘I’m starving to death, why does nothing go smoothly!’
She had to jump countless times to reach the doorknob. By the time she made it out, she was exhausted. The hallway felt eerily empty, like an abandoned house.
‘What is this, a haunted mansion?’
She had heard there were several servants in addition to the butler, but she’d only ever seen Loren. The corridor was dark, not even a candle lit. A chill ran down her back.
‘Okay, time to go downstairs.’
Keeping her body low, Mio carefully descended the stairs, but still sensed no one around.
‘The smell’s coming from the corner of the first floor.’
Moving with the stealth of a hunter, she pressed herself against the wall and peeked inside her target room. A fireplace glowed warmly, and the air was thick with the savory scent of porridge.
‘No one’s here… Lady Luck is with me tonight.’
She slipped into the kitchen. Ignoring the pot of soup simmering on the stove, she stopped suddenly—there was a strong, smoky scent coming from a shelf.
‘That’s meat, no doubt about it!’
But there was a small problem. The shelf was above the counter—far too high to reach no matter how much she jumped.
Grrr… (I’m getting that meat no matter what.)
Mio climbed onto a chair in the corner, then onto the table. She measured the distance to the counter and launched herself.
Crash!
Her first attempt ended with several broken plates. But nothing could stop Mio now. Her eyes gleamed with feral determination, small fangs flashing.
Grrr… (Failure is the mother of success!)
She jumped again—and this time, managed to hook her claws on the counter’s edge. With effort, she pulled herself up and triumphantly snagged a piece of smoked meat from a basket.
Biting into it, she shivered with joy.
Meat! For the first time in so long!
She buried her snout in it, tail wagging furiously as she devoured the tender, smoky flesh. It melted on her tongue like cotton candy. Tears of bliss welled in her eyes as she filled her belly.
After her hunger subsided, she caught sight of her reflection in a pan hanging on the wall. The image of a fox moved to tears by human-made smoked meat made her cringe.
‘Ugh, what a sight.’
Self-loathing surged, but she justified herself anyway.
‘Well, it’s not like I’m feeling great right now…’
Wiping her mouth with her paw, Mio perked up again—her mind suddenly sharp now that she had energy.
‘First things first: I need to turn human again.’
In this form, she was far too limited.
‘But how long will it take to find another partner?’
That thought made her chest tighten.
The only “games” she’d ever played were farming simulators—planting potatoes and raising cookie characters. What kind of survival game was this?!
‘No weak thoughts! Instead of worrying, I should find Geoffrey’s room right now.’
Mio crouched, preparing to leap off the counter—but before she could move, a hand grabbed the back of her neck.
“…What’s this?”
A large shadow loomed in the dim firelight. The man grinned darkly at her, and Mio growled.
Grrr! (Let me go!)
A low, unpleasantly familiar voice responded.
“Surely not…?”
Geoffrey lifted her up to eye level, examining her unusual-colored eyes.
Grrr! (Not what! Put me down before I bite you!)
Mio bared her teeth, snarling fiercely. But Geoffrey, utterly unafraid, narrowed his eyes.
“You’re not a wild fox, are you?”
He carried her out of the kitchen.
Grrr! (You’d better let me go!)
She struggled, but his grip was too strong. Climbing the stairs, he strode straight to the farthest bedroom and threw open the door.
“Just as I thought.”
It was the guest room where Mio had slept earlier. The bed was a mess, but there was no trace of the woman who had been there.
“Still think this isn’t suspicious?”
His hand tightened on the back of her neck.
Yip! (It hurts! I can’t breathe!)
Hearing her cry, Geoffrey loosened his grip slightly, though his tone stayed sharp.
“Until your master returns, you’re not going anywhere.”
Grrr! (What do you mean by that?!)
Mio’s heart sank.
‘Don’t tell me… he suspects something?’
How could he possibly connect her to Mio?
Her body dangled helplessly while her mind raced. Geoffrey opened the door to his own bedroom across the hall and set her down on the nightstand beside the bed.
‘What the—why did he bring me to his room?!’
The air was thick with his scent—cool, yet strangely enticing. Mio’s sensitive nose tingled, her body heating up, her mind fogging.
‘Damn it! This is all because of the mark.’
To resist, she pressed her nose shut and curled into a ball. It was so strange—she’d encountered plenty of animals since arriving here: polar bears, deer, squirrels…
But her heart never reacted to them.
‘It’s always only Geoffrey.’
No matter how many times, it was only him. Mio sighed deeply, her tiny mouth twitching. Despite the situation, the lingering taste of smoked meat made her grin.
‘Alright. I’ll just play nice for now.’
If she pretended to behave, that fool Geoffrey would let his guard down and fall asleep. Then she could turn human and escape. There was no way Geoffrey was the only possible mark-bonded partner in this wide world.
Just then, something fell to the floor with a soft thud.
‘What the—why is he taking his clothes off again?!’
Mio’s round eyes widened in shock.
