Transmigrated To A Beastworld As The Lazy Wife Of The Fox Lord

After the storm of the crown and jewels passed, the family returned to the hall for the cake cutting ceremony. After all the shiny dresses Ali had worn tonight, nobody batted an eye at the latest one. In fact, some people were looking forward to seeing the last dress. After all, most people saved the best for the finale.

The grand cake was wheeled in. A towering confection of cream, fruits and sugar sculptures shaped like Elias’s fox form. Guests clapped and cheered, their earlier shock now replaced with anticipation.

Sienna stood beside Elias, her bejeweled white fur fox ear hair band gleaming under the chandeliers. Elias’s jaw was tight, his patience stretched thin, but he forced a smile for the crowd.

"This is the last time we are doing this," He whispered to Sienna. "The kids can have big parties, but not me."

Together, they took the ceremonial knife, slicing into the cake as applause thundered.

Then, Miro leaped over in one lunge, grabbed a bottle of sparkling wine and popped it with deliberate flair. The cork shot across the hall and the wine sprayed in a golden arc, drenching Elias and Sienna from head to toe.

Part of the liquid landed in Ali’s hair and the little one growled, before chasing her uncle into the crowd.

Half of the crowd gasped, and the other half erupted in laughter. Even the king and former king were laughing. The king was even clutching his stomach.

Elias huffed and looked at his wife. He had the kind of look that said, ’see what I was talking about?’

Sienna blinked helplessly. Loudly, she replied, "How was I supposed to know your youngest brother is a lunatic?"

Elias grabbed a glass of wine and raised it to the crowd in mock salute. Music resumed, and servers went through the crowd with silver platters of various cakes.

Dancers leapt to the stage, breaking into a new routine with renewed vigor, spinning and twirling. The chaos was officially complete--a scandal, laughter, music, one little girl’s outstanding shiny dresses and sugar.

Elias whispered to Mrs. Miller to take care of the children and he took Sienna’s hand. They slipped quietly from the hall, the sound of laughter and the clinking of glasses behind them. He did not let her hand go until they reached her private room.

"I am not returning to the party." He said flatly.

She laughed. "It’s over anyway. Take a bath and change, and then we can go for a private celebration. No noise, no people. Just us."

For a moment, he leaned into her and embraced her. "I like the sound of that."

He walked away, and she entered the room. Waiting inside, were three figures. Gene-Haven, Lord Grace and a middle-aged woman. The woman had sharp, shark-like eyes that seemed to pierce through skin and bone. Her face was angular and she watched the room as if it could swallow her at any moment.

"Leave us, Gene." Sienna ordered.

The giant woman didn’t ask any questions or express any worry. She stepped out and closed the door, but stood outside in case Sienna needed her.

"My granddaughter," Lord Grace said softly. "This is Arnie, the person who wanted to meet you. The one with a story to tell that you must hear."

Sienna settled into a single chair and took a deep breath. Her heart was uneasy, but she braved herself for what she had a feeling, was bad news.

Arnie wasted no time. "I won’t waste your time, I know the fox lord will be back at any time. I know your grandparents," she said. "Not as Thomas and Eliza or Richard and Clara or Samuel and Ruth or Edward....."

Lord Grace raised his hand. "Arnie, no need to mention all of the fake names they have used over the years."

Arnie nodded once. "When I met them, they were Pip and Bib Miller. Stupid names, easy to remember and very common because they are nicknames used by twenty percent of the cubs in the empire."

Sienna’s breath caught. If those two had been using aliases again, then they were up to no good.

"They had just pulled off a heist when they came to me," Arnie continued. "A hacking job, clever and ruthless because nothing ruins the lives of others like stealing their hard earned money. But Pip and Bib had a bad habit. They liked to steal from nobles and the rich. Usually, most families they stole from just let it go, but not this one." She leaned forward, "Have you ever heard of the House of Stormfeather?"

Sienna shook her head.

Arnie sighed. "It’s an ancient noble family of eagle beast men. Isolated, proud, very rich, very dangerous. Once upon a time, they ruled this continent. And even after their reign came to an end, they still rivaled the royal family in strength. I won’t go into details on the battles for power but the royals did whatever they could to turn the Stormfeather’s into declawed eagles. The family kept its wealth but held no power. The royals squeezed them out of various industries or found ways to tax and target them. Other families soon overtook it in terms of wealth." She tilted her head. "Like the Veythars, Twindell’s Bellamy’s, White-Fang’s..."

"Arnie." Lord Grace cut her off.

The woman nodded. "Well, you get it. That is the family your grandparents stole from. A whooping one hundred twenty six million."

Sienna’s mouth fell. "One hundred twenty six million!"

Arnie nodded. "They got greedy, and they got careless. Your father hacked one of their accounts, drained it and vanished into the night."

Sienna frowned. "And the Stormfeather’s went after them?"

"Of course," Arnie said, her voice sharp. "Your grandparents were not aware of how merciless the Stormfeather’s could be. They were the true architects of the rebellion. The masterminds behind the underground movement against the ruling family. Pip Miller had done some work for them as a secretary. She stole some account numbers and Bib Miller hacked into those accounts. There was a secret hunt for them and they were captured before they could even leave for St. Vitts."