248 Test of Strength (20)

Iris watched Kyro stalk over when there was loud noise in the corridor. Lucy meowed while scratching at the door. Iris looked at Kyro, and he looked back at her, and they burst out laughing at the same time. Lucy, that cat just knew when to interrupt.

While Kyro was giving the door a pondering look, Iris noticed a spark within herself. It was even more faint than usual, and it was barely there under normal circumstances, but she still had recognized it. With eagerness, she grabbed it, and the next moment she had to push her head out of a pile of clothes.

When Kyro turned back to her, there was disbelief on his face. "You learned how to change at will?" he asked while coming closer. On his way though, he sighed and stopped, then went to open the door.

Lucy barged in like a king who'd been refused entry to his own bedroom. His cold glare first went to Kyro, then Iris. It didn't seem like he cared whether she was a fox or a human. Whatever her shape, she was still at fault.

Kyro sat down on the bed and pulled Lucy up. The cat watched him coldly for a moment, then sauntered away to take a nap on the pillow.

'Certainly a proud king,' Iris thought while jumping on the bed herself and coming to rest by Kyro's side. When he looked at her, she nodded, answering his earlier question.

She wasn't certain that she could change at any moment, but it was getting easier with each change. This time she didn't even need any kind of fear to jump start it.

"So you're really going to be okay?" he asked, caressing her small head.

'Mhm'. Iris nodded again while enjoying the familiar action.

For the rest of the evening, she didn't turn back in case Kyro's parents showed up. They slept downstairs and were still not on speaking terms with their son, but it was better not to tempt fate.

The next day Iris had wandered to the ground floor when she heard the parents get ready to leave. They were already dressed, just waiting a few minutes before their driver would get the car in front of the house.

"Don't you find it strange?" mother suddenly asked. "Yesterday our house was searched, and today Grazina called us over, saying that both of us must come immediately. And we never talk to her!"

Father shifted in his jacket, pulling at its sleeves to make it fall on him more comfortably. "It's probably just a coincidence."

"Is it?" Mother gave him a disbelieving look. "A day before that, Kyro returned despite swearing not to talk to us again. How can you just dismiss all of this!"

"Don't start again. If there was something we could help him with, he'd tell us. Now let's just go to see what Grazina wants and return home. I'm already tired, and we haven't even left the house."

Mother shook her head at him, then rearranged his jacket and cap before leading him out of the house. The driver came in at that moment, and all of them left right away. Once again, Iris was home alone.

With a loud scream, she expressed her disapproval, then thought to go upstairs to change. If she was alone, might as well use that time for something productive. Or at least something that would save her from being bored to death.

But there was a sound from the back of the house. The creak was like that of a door being opened and closed. 'What in the world…' Puzzled, Iris carefully made her way over.

Her jaw almost dropped when she saw the perpetrator. Jane stood in the middle of the unused gallery with numerous tables and chairs. She was dressed casually, not like a burglar that she was impersonating at that moment.

Her presence puzzled Iris, so she decided to follow. She was interested to find out what could have possibly brought this proud I-like-you-so-you-must-love-me princess to Kyro's home when he wasn't present.

When she phrased it like that, it sounded oddly familiar. Iris glanced down at her body, wondering if her guess had been correct. Could Jane have come to find her? But no one knew that she was here...

'Wait, the people yesterday!' Her mind made a quick jump, and she remembered the officers from yesterday. For some reason, they had also been certain that Iris would be found in Kyro's parents' house. That was a bit too much of a coincidence even for Iris.

And Jane didn't seem to have any clear goal in mind. She was simply wandering through the rooms as quiet as she could manage, poking her head into each one to make sure that they were empty. It was obvious that she knew what she was looking for, but not where it was.

Finding it ridiculous, Iris left her cover and went straight for Jane. The woman jumped at the click of the nails on the floor and whirled around, her eyes wild. She looked left and right, not seeing anything, and Iris rolled her eyes.

'Look down!' she ordered in a scream, and Jane finally realized to lower her gaze. Upon noticing Kyro's pet, she exhaled loudly, her right hand unconsciously raising to her heart.

"Shoo!" she shouted in a whisper the next moment, waving for Iris to leave. "Shoo! Shoo! I don't need some stupid animal making noise."

A bit pissed, Iris ventured even closer and screamed at the top of her lungs. As a fennec, she had a high-pitched, ear-piercing voice, so when she tried to be purposefully annoying, the screech she produced was award winning.

Jane covered her ears and took a few steps back. Her expression was one of horror, and she swiftly ducked into the first room next to her to hide. The door was thrown closed right in front of Iris' nose, but she didn't mind—she was already rolling on the floor in laughter.

Maybe those movies about being by oneself at home and defending against robbers did have something to them. It was certainly fun to startle burglars into scurrying away in a hurry.

In a little while, an idea flashed through Iris' mind and she froze, returning to her feet. A grin spread across her face. Hadn't Jane just delivered herself for a beating? Wouldn't Iris be wasting a golden opportunity if she just let that woman explore as she wished?

Without wasting another second, she ran upstairs and changed. In one of the drawers, there were a few old phones. They had no cards, but their cameras still worked. Iris grabbed one of them and turned it on. To her surprise, it still had twenty percent of battery life.

That was going to be more than enough for her. She quickly put on a shirt to cover herself, then sneaked downstairs. Unlike Jane, she had explored the mansion for the last couple days, so she knew its every nook and cranny.

She circled her rival's position with a grin on her face. With a phone in hand, she was ready to imitate a journalist. If anything happened she could just change, and if she got some photos, Kyro would certainly know what to do with them. After all, it would be interesting to see how the masses would react to learning that the dainty lady was actually trespassing into the home of someone who had refused her marriage offer.