SAFBIAN Ch 42

Chapter 42

At an early hour, Haban stepped out of his bedchamber, dressed neatly in formal robes.

Normally, he would have stopped by the imperial office first to review the memorials that Geumhu had sorted in advance. But today, there was something he wanted to confirm before that.

His steps naturally led him to the fox’s room.

Yesterday, Haban had sent rare ornaments to the fox through palace attendants.

It was because, some time ago, when a bracelet slipped off Haban’s wrist, the fox had stubbornly held it in its mouth, refusing to let go.

‘…Even though it probably doesn’t even know the value of it.’

Tired of the fuss, he had just handed it over, and since being brought into the palace, it was the first time the fox had leapt about so energetically.

How delighted it must have been—so much that the gluttonous little thing refused to eat just to keep it in its mouth.

Even as it gazed longingly at the food bowl, it clung desperately to the bracelet as if someone might try to take it away. At night, it even slept atop the cushion where it had hidden the ornament.

Until it received the bracelet, the fox had maintained a guarded attitude, but it quickly changed—now it subtly lingered near Haban. That one bracelet had completely melted the creature’s heart.

As if it had set its sights on a new target, it now eagerly eyed the ring on Haban’s finger.

‘What an insolent little thing.’

Haban’s lips loosened slightly as he recalled the fox thumping its large tail in dissatisfaction when he refused to give it the ring, worried it might swallow it. But soon his expression stiffened again.

‘Is this just my delusion?’

The way it obsessed over necklaces, bracelets, pendants, and hairpins—items completely useless to a beast—seemed suspicious.

He had expected too much before, only to be endlessly disappointed. But even after trying to let go, the thought of that person would spark similar feelings again.

‘…It looks so much like him.’

Hope bloomed into a dark, obsessive flower. In truth, the reason he sent the jewelry to the fox was because it reminded him of his own—the one to whom he had once given such trinkets.

‘Useless thoughts again.’

Haban let out a slow sigh.

Even crows are drawn to shiny things. The fox likely only had a simple curiosity for glittering objects.

Or perhaps, being a white fox, it was just unusually intelligent.

‘Even beasts know how to recognize what is valuable.’

Haban steadied himself, determined not to fall into delusion. Now was the time to focus on his duties as emperor—ones he had neglected in his past life.

Less than a year remained. That was when he had once been stabbed and killed.

He still didn’t know why his life had been restored, but if it truly was because of the fox’s orb as he suspected, then the voice he had heard before awakening wasn’t a hallucination either.

To avoid repeating past mistakes, Haban had placed the chancellor, Geumhu, at the forefront and dispatched shadow assassins behind the scenes to observe the state of the people.

Of course, a human’s life ultimately lies in the hands of Heaven. Changing the situation wouldn’t necessarily extend one’s fate.

Yet he felt no fear.

Rather, deep down, he might even be waiting for that moment to come.

‘I must finally let go of these vain hopes. There isn’t much time left. …And before that, I should release that creature from the palace.’

Haban instructed the eunuch quietly trailing him to prepare a snack for the fox.

The fox, already known for its large appetite, had recently become obsessed with sugared fruits coated evenly with syrup.

It was slightly different from traditional jeonggwa—after boiling the fruit in sugar or honey once, it was coated again with sugar. But Haewon had advised that the sweetness was too excessive for a small fox to consume.

Even so, when herbs like bellflower root or codonopsis were deliberately shaped and colored to mimic the treats for the sake of health, the fox would stubbornly spit them out. It was so typical of the creature.

‘In any case, it should still be asleep at this hour, so I’ll wait a little.’

Haban stopped in front of the fox’s room.

Then, the sliding door softly opened, and an unexpected sight met his eyes.

“You’re not asleep?”

The fox’s eyes, staring blankly back at him, were clear without the slightest trace of drowsiness.

Haban wore a distinctly displeased expression.

“How strange.”

Usually, when told it was time for breakfast, the fox would wake up, fill its belly, then doze off again—only to wake once more when the sun was high in the sky. Eat, sleep, wake, repeat. Its routine was simple and slothful beyond words.

At this time of day, it should be lying belly-up on the bed, fast asleep. Yet now the sleepy creature was perched on the narrow windowsill.

It seemed to be watching the outside, its front paw resting on the window frame as it twisted its body halfway, its plump tail drooping down to slap the wall below.

“I told you not to go up there.”

“Kyangg!”

“If you understand, come down.”

Judging the height from the sill to the floor, Haban flicked his hand irritably.

Although the fox liked high places and climbed freely, it was, for a fox, somewhat lacking. He could never feel at ease.

‘The kind of idiot that shuts its eyes tightly the moment it starts to fall…’

He almost snorted.

“Kyahng?”

The fox tilted its head with round, blinking eyes. Pretending not to understand a gesture it had always responded to before.

“I said, come down.”

“Kuuuung.”

On top of that, for whatever reason, it stubbornly wagged its plump tail in defiance. Ears pricked sharply, tail fur puffed up.

Today, the fox was especially wary.

‘This goes beyond just being sensitive.’

As Haban moved forward, intent on dragging it down himself, the fox’s round golden eyes widened in alarm. In the end, he stopped in place and clicked his tongue slowly.

“Did you hurt yourself somewhere?”

Even small wounds make animals edgy and aggressive. It’s only natural—they can’t afford to get injured when hunting or facing predators.

That creature, especially clumsy and slow, always seemed to end up hurt somewhere. Haban scanned the white fur for any bloodstains.

Outwardly, the fox appeared uninjured. He would have Haewon examine it later, but for now, there seemed to be no visible wounds.

Then what was this sudden change in behavior?

Until recently, the fox would sneak up to rub against his hem, covering his robes in fur. But now, reverting to a defensive stance made Haban flare with anger.

“Fine then, stay there all day.”

He hadn’t come to quarrel with the creature.

‘Alright. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.’

Haban passed coldly by the fox.

As he approached the bed and pulled back the canopy, he found it in utter disarray—as though someone had violently thrashed about in their sleep.

‘Even if someone tried, they couldn’t make it look this bad.’

With a scornful glance, Haban turned to look at the fox, still clinging to the windowsill and watching him.

Dori cautiously rose as Haban leisurely sat at the edge of the bed. Then the fox rolled its eyes, looking for the farthest possible spot away from Haban.

‘Preferably somewhere completely out of sight.’

The cabinet was too short to hide under, the desk too close—disqualified. The folding screen was better, but he’d have to pass by Haban, rendering it pointless.

Meanwhile, Haban, checking the disheveled pillows, blankets, and the mound of cushions piled near the wall, turned his gaze again.

“I told you not to crawl back in there again.”

Having caught Dori glancing at the cabinet, Haban warned in a chilling voice. The fox had been dragged out of that dusty spot not long ago.

‘So just leave the room already. I’m scared as it is—why show up this early to intimidate me?’

With no choice, Dori leapt down from the windowsill and kept a distance.

He didn’t want to obey, but after dreaming of the original Haban, even the current one filled him with fear.

“…Are you still half-asleep, or have you lost your sense of fear?”

Muttering in disbelief, Haban tapped the spot beside him lightly. A signal to come sit next to him.

Dori stared at him blankly, then pretended not to notice, scratching his ear with a hind leg. He didn’t need to see it to know Haban’s eyes must have twitched.

‘I’m in just as bad a mood too, you know.’

He’d had a terrifying nightmare, and now its very subject was standing right before him.

On top of that, the wounds scattered across Dori’s small, delicate body—

Just imagining that Haban had caused them made it impossible to approach him as he once had.

‘How could someone do that? Huh? To such a small, fragile body. I don’t want to see Haban right now. Not even a little.’

Soon enough, Geumhu would call out from outside with “Your Majesty,” and chase him off. Of course the emperor had more important things to do.

Dori rubbed his nose with his paw.

Haban left the fox alone as it moved about the room in small, cautious steps. When he saw the limp tail and dejected demeanor, his earlier irritation faded.

Eventually, the fox would get tired of prowling and crawl onto a soft surface.

‘This is the creature that would rather borrow the emperor’s leg than lie on the bare floor.’

“Kyep!”

At that moment, too focused on gauging Haban’s mood, the fox bumped its head into the leg of a chair. With a squeak, it recoiled and shook its head vigorously.

“That’s what you get for not watching where you’re going. Why must you always do the most dangerous thing possible?”

Haban rose instinctively, then sat again, grumbling with irritation.

“Keng.”

Startled by the sudden voice, the fox flinched.

Clearly, its fear had gone too far.

After a long hesitation, the fox slowly spun in circles on the spot before cautiously creeping toward the folding screen. Flattening itself to the floor, it gently placed its front paws down, pulling its hind legs along.

Its drooping, fluffy tail dragged behind, sweeping the floor. It was obvious how tense it was—it didn’t even care about dirtying its prized tail.

Its fuzzy ears twitched rapidly. The sound of its tongue flicking nervously and eyes rolling seemed almost audible.

Sticking its head behind the screen, the fox hid its plump rump and thick tail too.

Then, peeking its head out, it opened its mouth and poked out its tongue to check on Haban before disappearing completely.

And at that moment—

“…”

Just as Haban was about to reach out and sweep the spot where the fox hid its bracelet, he froze. His jet-black eyes darkened further.

‘Why is this here…?’

The fox had very white, fine fur. Groomed daily, its coat was so smooth and light it could fly away with a single breath.

But the strand he found was long—far longer than a finger.

There, on the cushion the fox always slept on, lay what looked unmistakably like a human hair.

Haban’s gaze slowly turned to the mess of a bed.

Upon closer inspection, there was another on the small pillow the fox rested its head on. Several more clung to the tiny blanket it used. Covered in fur as everything was, he hadn’t noticed them before.

The corners of Haban’s eyes trembled faintly.