Chapter 125

Dori slowly rubbed his cheek against the broad shoulder.

From the luxurious fabric rose Haban’s unique, cool scent. Taking a deep breath, it felt as though the fragrance seeped all the way into the depths of his lungs.

The person who worried the most for my disappearance.

The only person who came to find me when I was gone.

A crooked smile tugged at his lips. His eyes began to sting, and his nose prickled strangely. Something within tickled and swelled, an impulse he could not suppress.

“Are you crying?”

“……No.”

Dori replied with a muffled, nasal voice. But soon, his vision blurred. He had endured even more frightening situations without breaking down… Was it because having someone to rely on nearby made his heart feel at ease?

Haban pulled the small body close, holding it tightly as tears silently streamed down without even the sound of sobbing. Soon, the back of his neck grew damp.

It was a mistake. Having no memory of his previous life, Dori had looked around the unfamiliar home with curious, sparkling eyes, or nodded off after a bath as the tension left him—Haban had assumed too quickly that he was fine.

But hiding his feelings didn’t mean he had truly been unaffected.

If, as Haban had wrung out from the palace servants’ confessions, Dori had been drugged with sleeping incense, stuffed into a sack, and kidnapped beyond the imperial palace walls, then waking in such a state must have been a shock. He must have been terrified.

Haban’s sigh fell upon the slight shoulders that trembled faintly.

He didn’t know how Dori had managed it in such a fragile body, but just escaping unharmed from those lawless hands was praiseworthy and remarkable. Seeing tears at last meant he must have been forcing himself to appear spirited until now.

So he should have comforted him first—but startled by the sight of him nearly slipping off a cliff, he had ended up scolding instead.

Haban slowly smoothed back Dori’s hair as he kept his head bowed. The night before, in a bath full of petals scattered over warm water, he had washed him until his pale skin glowed; now, a faint floral fragrance wafted from all over Dori’s body.

Instead of the long ears of his beast form, there was the smooth curve of a human ear, and cheeks tinged red with grief. Even the rounded shoulders that rose and fell more gently now—Haban’s hand passed over Dori’s body again and again.

“I am sorry for leaving you alone.”

It was the first thing he should have said upon getting Dori back. Haban regretted it sincerely.

Before he knew it, the sobbing had subsided.

It wasn’t even Haban’s fault.

Dori knew the weight of an emperor’s words; even a simple apology would not come easily.

With the hand not clasped together, Dori reached up to touch Haban’s cheek. His pinky brushed against the tall bridge of his straight nose, then, in a shy movement, his fingers gradually moved downward to feel his lips. Soft and warm.

Lifting his head, Dori blinked. The tears that had pooled and lingered now spilled over in drops, and Haban’s face became clearer.

His handsome features remained unchanged, but there were differences—his complexion was darker, and shadows lay deep under his eyes. Dori had thought he alone had suffered, but Haban’s face, too, had grown gaunt.

As the crying faded and the silent pats continued, Dori lowered his gaze slightly.

Why… isn’t he?

Usually, in times like this, wouldn’t one kiss to comfort the crying person? The warmth of another’s body was the greatest solace.

Besides, what Dori needed was warmth to erase the memory of hiding alone in a cold cave. In the past, by this point, Haban would have already laid him down—but now he merely watched, making Dori feel embarrassed.

Not that there was no reaction at all—when he glanced up, there was a heat smoldering in the black depths of Haban’s eyes.

Dori faintly understood his meaning.

We’ve shared far more intimate kisses than this.

A fleeting hesitation… Somehow, it was embarrassing.

Closing his eyes tightly and then opening them, Dori leaned in first to touch their lips together. Pulling away lightly, then pressing again—Haban’s firmly closed lips parted slightly, but Dori lacked the courage to slip past the gap.

He pressed their lips together in little pecks again and again. Smooch, smooch. The longer they stayed connected, the more moisture seeped into the sound.

Then suddenly, Haban, with lips locked, pushed his tongue in deep.

“Mmph!”

How had he endured until now? The urgency was as if he could barely breathe.

The thick, muscular flesh filled his mouth. When Dori instinctively tried to pull away, a strong hand soothed the back of his head. The touch was far gentler than when wielding a sword or drawing a bow.

Yet soon, fingers threaded through his hair pressed firmly against his nape, holding him in place.

“Hhmmph…”

The call for Haban’s name was swallowed in his mouth. The sudden intensity of the kiss was too much for his unpracticed breathing to match.

“W-Wa—!”

When Dori pushed against his chest to pull away, the invading tongue burrowed deeper, as if to block his throat entirely.

He gulped down the breath Haban gave him, but it wasn’t enough. Releasing his clasped hands, Dori clung to Haban’s forearm instead.

“Hhh… mm…”

Saliva pooled beneath his tongue; when he barely managed to swallow, Haban smeared their lips together again, wet and relentless, leaving no space to breathe.

“Haa… haa…”

In the end, Dori’s body went limp. In the absence of resistance, there was only Haban, openly devouring what was his.

The kiss was sweet—hotter and more desperate for the long time apart.

While Dori panted from the effort, Haban lightly nipped at his lower lip, waiting. The moment he finally caught his breath, a tongue pushed back into his mouth, rubbing eagerly against the tender flesh.

Even after repeated lessons, Dori’s clumsy kisses were more tempting than any other gesture. A stroke along the roof of his mouth drew a thin moan; a press beneath his tongue made him twist his waist as if it were too much.

Holding Dori in his arms, Haban shifted to sit on the bed. He kept Dori’s legs wrapped around his waist as he lowered him onto his back; the eyes looking up at him were still faintly red.

A moment ago, the sight of him crying had been painful to see—but now, the plumpness around those reddened eyes made him want to taste them.

Placing his palm against the bare chest revealed before him, Haban began to lean down—only for Dori to realize, just then, that he was naked.

Right, I was in my fox form when I fell asleep! Of course I wouldn’t be wearing clothes!

Earlier, waking to find Haban gone had startled him so much that he hadn’t noticed, and then the kiss had taken all his attention.

Now he saw that Haban’s knees were pushing his legs apart, and those large hands were about to slip inside.

U-ugh.

He hastily reached for the quilt pushed to the side, but the obstructing force was stronger.

“…Let me go!”

“It’s in the way. Remove it.”

Haban found it irritating that he kept trying to hide his lovely body. Even taking in every detail of the form he’d only seen in illusions before and cherishing each memory of it still felt insufficient.

“You’re still fully dressed, but I’m the only one naked!”

“If that’s the problem, you can undress me.”

As if they had never truly faced each other before, Haban tugged hard, and Dori couldn’t withstand the pull—he lost his grip on the quilt’s edge.

Opening and closing empty hands, Dori licked his lips as though some thought had struck him.

“W-why would it… turn out like that…”

Despite his hesitance, his reaching hand was bold. Just as he began to slip a hand toward Haban’s sash—

“Your Majesty. May I enter for a moment?”

At Jipyeong’s voice, Dori’s bare white shoulders flinched sharply.

As the small body tried to pull away quickly, Haban clicked his tongue in displeasure. Then he pulled the quilt over him, and Dori hid his whole body beneath it, even curling his toes inside.

“You should have told me if there was someone outside!”

Only his eyes and nose peeked out as he gave Haban a tearful, reproachful look.

Truly awful!

It was intentional—definitely intentional. The lingering gaze Haban cast over the body he’d just covered, as if licking it clean with his eyes, said so plainly. He didn’t care at all!

Then… during that kiss earlier too…!

The sounds must have been entirely audible outside.

“…Ahk!”

Dori let out a short cry. When Haban moved as if to check on him, he instinctively clutched the quilt to keep his bare skin hidden.

But he couldn’t stay like this forever. Pop! Dori transformed into a fox, planted his paws on Haban’s thick thigh, and scrambled into his arms.

Shameless!

Before Haban could even react to the sudden cry, the snowy fox began thumping his chest with his forepaws in wordless complaint.

“Your Majesty?”

“…Enter.”

Continuing anything now was impossible; the little fox’s head, firmly buried in his chest, was resolute. Even his tail was tightly curled around him.

Letting out a short sigh, Haban gave the order toward the door.

“Fortunately, I was able to obtain what you commanded, Your Majesty.”

When the door opened, Jipyeong entered, holding in his other hand a basket full of bright yellow fruit. Even though he had picked the firmest ones, they were overripe from being out of season, exuding a strong sweet scent.

“Good. Well done. Since you’ve brought it, you will have to trouble yourself a bit more.”

“…Pardon?”

Jipyeong froze mid-bow over the table where he had set the basket. Unfazed, Haban calmly chose one of the fruits with a thin-looking peel and began peeling it.

At that, the fox—who had seemed determined never to leave the safety of his arms—peeked his head out. His round golden eyes examined the fruit before his forepaw reached out to grab Haban’s hand.

“Kiing.”

Clinging like he was begging, the fox reminded Haban that he hadn’t eaten since morning.

“Oh dear. I forgot.”

Haban broke off a piece to a bite-sized portion and placed it in his palm. The fox licked it with his tongue, swallowed it quickly, then barked—Kang!—for more.

Watching this, Jipyeong left the room with slumped shoulders. Haban’s original command to fetch out-of-season summer fruit had already been a chore; now, to find winter fruit before its season had even arrived, he would have to rush out again.

“Kang, kang…”

Whether aware of this or not, the fox’s happy laughter rang behind him.