Sensitive Ears

A few weeks passed, and being a baby was boring. I hadn't grasped anything about magic or mana, even after trying repeatedly. I didn't know where to start, but at least I figured out my full name. 

I had become the First Princess and heir, Enala von Arris. Everyone just called me En or Princess, though. When I say everyone, I mean the only three people I had met after coming to this world. My maid, Yumi, father, Night, and mother, Elise. 

I still hadn't been able to feel the heavenly fluff of Yumi, but on that day, I made it my goal! My father and mother were off doing whatever kings and queens do, and I was being tended to by Yumi. She learned her lesson last time about trying to explain complex subjects to me, and she was simply talking to me in baby talk. The baby speech had gotten pretty annoying, so I ignored it. It was merely Yumi and me in my parents' room as she prattled on in that infantile way of speaking.

Speaking of the room, it was extensive. Most things were decorated in red or black, and a large mirror sat in the corner with red trimming. There was also a decent-sized black wardrobe. I had seen myself in the mirror before when my mom picked me up, and I was a pretty cute baby. I had my mother's beautiful silver hair, which had yet to grow very much. I shared her soft features, but my eyes were the same stunning purple as my father's. 

I turned back to Yumi, remembering my task. Today would be the day I would feel those heavenly ears. 

"What is wrong, little princess?" She stared into my eyes, and I reached up as high as possible, stretching my tiny body. But my hands fell short, and they could only grasp her face. "Hehehe, does the little princess want to touch them?" She noticed I had been reaching for her ears this entire time. 

"Ugah!" I exclaimed in excitement like a baby. Finally, she noticed me! I had been reaching for cloud 9 for weeks, and now, I could almost cry tears of joy!

"Okay... I can't believe I'm about to do this," she said as she tilted her head to the side, allowing me to finally reach one of her fluffy ears. When the opportunity arose, I raised my hand barely faster than a newborn. The moment I got hold of the ears, I felt an instant sense of relief. It was as if I had finally found water after being stranded in a desert for days.

The sensation was unlike any I had felt in my past life, and the fluff was beyond measure as I started to rub away at her ears. I closed my eyes in ecstasy at what I was feeling before the fluff left me. Her head shot up as soon as I rubbed the inside of her ears. 

I opened my eyes to see Yumi, now redder than a tomato. Her breathing became irregular, and she tried to return it to normal. Oops, I think I just messed up big time…

Once she was finally calming down, the door to the room shot open, and my mother stood there staring at the bright red face of Yumi, whose tail and ears shot up. Yumi turned her head away from my mother. 

"What happened? Is everything alright, Yumi!?" My mother asked, trying to peer at Yumi's face.

Yumi flailed her arms, almost dropping me. She pushed me towards my mother, who took me in her arms before Yumi tried to run out of the room in shame. Mom shifted me to her left arm before using her other arm to grab hold of Yumi. "Yumi, what happened!? Did something happen to En!?"

"N-n-n-no, it's n-nothing!" Yumi said, attempting to free herself from my mother's grasp. My mother eventually released her, and as soon as she did, Yumi collapsed on the floor before standing up and sprinting out of the room.

Mom looked down at me, inspecting me. I turned my eyes away from her, and once she found nothing wrong with me, she let out a relieved sigh.

"I wonder what happened to her. That was so unlike her," Mom said, and I had no idea what was going on either. Yumi reacted way too strongly to me, grabbing her ear. Unless… Maybe she had susceptible ears? That had to be it. There was no other explanation for Yumi's actions, but why did she let me touch them to begin with? 

"I will have to question that girl later. For now, though… How is my little En?" She asked, looking down at me before nuzzling her face against mine. I let out a giggle as her hair tickled my cheeks. She giggled back at me in response before attacking me with tickles. 

It didn't take long for her to tire me out. She started singing a lullaby to me as my eyes struggled to open. I tried to think about Yumi. I wanted to apologize to her, but obviously, that was impossible. My baby mouth couldn't even form words yet. It simply wouldn't obey me. Eventually, though, I could think of nothing but sleep as I drifted off.

My dream was full of fluffy clouds, and all around me were heavenly orange foxes that danced. They would brush their fluffy tails against my face, and each would approach me, giving me a lick on the cheek. 

Eventually, the heaven had to end as my eyes opened and took in the sunlight filtering through the window. To my surprise, Yumi joined me at the side of my crib. 

"Good morning, little princess." She greeted me like nothing had happened as I gripped her finger, which was now poking my face.