SAFBIAN Ch 148

Chapter 148

After the meeting ended, Jipyeong went outside. He was going to split up the Imperial soldiers hidden toward the mountains and send them off.

When Court Lady Jang entered shortly after, Haban asked the question that had been bothering him all along.

“Is Dori doing well?”

“Yes. He’s working very hard.”

Working hard, huh.

After hearing Court Lady Jang’s reply, Haban slowly rubbed his chin. Just from the ridiculous battle cries he’d been hearing earlier, it didn’t seem like Dori had any talent at all.

He hadn’t liked it from the start—ever since Dori said he didn’t want to learn from him and insisted on learning from the guards instead. With an irritated expression, Haban rose from his seat.

One of the guards raised an arm high. In his hand was a thin tree branch, snapped to a suitable length with the side twigs trimmed off so it resembled an arrow shaft.

The tip had been blunted, wrapped with cotton, and even covered with silk. It wouldn’t injure anyone—but once thrown with speed, the impact would still be considerable. Since the Emperor treasured Dori so dearly, the guard was extremely cautious about throwing something that was, for all intents and purposes, an arrow.

Above all else—make sure the other person doesn’t get hurt.

Aiming for an empty space, the guard took a step forward. It was the signal that he was about to begin.

“Your Highness, here I go again!”

Facing him, Dori wore a serious expression, focusing intently. He nodded. The guard moved and hurled the long object.

‘I did it! I dodged it!’

Rolling across the ground, Dori sprang back up immediately.

He quickly corrected his stance, raising both fists to chest level. Since he’d only learned the movements in a crash course, his attempt to defend and attack at the same time was clumsy beyond measure—but still.

“Ooooh!”

The guards sitting in a circle around them burst into loud cheers.

“Amazing, Your Highness. You’ve already dodged three times.”

“That’s right! For your first time, this isn’t easy at all—hey! You think you can beat our Highness like that?”

“Oh come on, this is embarrassing. Don’t go around saying you’re His Majesty’s guard.”

“Exactly. Why insist on doing it when you don’t even have confidence?”

The guards chimed in one after another.

Even empty praise would have been fine. Dori puffed out his chest proudly.

His skill was inferior to theirs, but this training was meant to take advantage of a beastkin’s natural agility. With his sharp hearing and quick movements, Dori had already dodged the guard’s attack three times. Of course, it was only possible because his opponent wasn’t being serious.

Haban came outside just as Dori was riding high on his success.

‘Tsk. I was going to make them stop and tell him to come eat lunch.’

How could he stop them when they were having so much fun?

Clicking his tongue, Haban leaned crookedly against the doorframe. Before coming out, he’d heard a loud uproar—apparently something entertaining had happened. The atmosphere between Dori and the guards was so heated that they hadn’t even noticed Haban watching.

Judging by Dori’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, he didn’t look like he’d change his mind easily. When things pleased him, he wagged his tail sweetly and acted like a fox—but when he didn’t like something, he was tougher than steel sinew.

‘Well… he is a fox.’

Haban smiled faintly, recalling the plump white fox who would express displeasure by thumping the ground with its luscious tail.

“Whew.”

Dori wiped the sweat dripping down with the back of his hand. Even though autumn was nearing winter and the wind was cold, he’d been running around so much that the sweat couldn’t cool off completely.

Then again, the guards trained shirtless even in midwinter, sweating buckets, white steam rising from their bodies.

Compared to that, what Dori was doing was child’s play. Still, when Dori—his once-pale cheeks flushed red—stuck out his red tongue and panted, Haban’s expression sharply darkened.

It was obscene.

Far too obscene.

Pure, innocent Dori looked far too dangerous standing among these burly, hot-blooded men.

How should he persuade Dori? Since he’d never even held a sword before and couldn’t lift a wooden one, this was closer to play than actual training.

Haban’s gaze, fixed on Dori, deepened.

“Ah—Your Ma—!”

At that moment, a guard who’d been watching from afar instead of sitting with the others finally noticed Haban.

Haban merely gestured for him to stay quiet so as not to ruin the mood, but the man stiffened. He shot frantic looks at the others who still hadn’t noticed Haban, which made him look suspicious.

“What are you all doing?!”

Meanwhile, the guard teaching Dori flared up and shouted.

“If you’re so upset, then you come out here!”

“Yeah, everyone’s lined up because they want to teach His Highness!”

“I earned this spot fairly—why should I!”

That “fair” method had been decided through a sparring match behind Haban’s back the moment Dori asked for help, but since their skills were similar, it was more luck than ability anyway. The cheering was clearly biased.

But they were all on the same side. Booing erupted as the guards who had been sitting got up to retrieve the thrown branches, forcing a shift in positions.

“Fine, then… I won’t go easy on the fourth one.”

After being teased three times in a row, the guard spread his legs wide.

The atmosphere changed instantly. As expected of the Emperor’s guard—his gaze and presence were different. A sharp tension wrapped around his entire body, as if everything before had been mere play.

Dori swallowed nervously. A real situation would be even worse than this—he wanted to succeed no matter what.

Just as the guard was about to throw the branch again—

“What do you think you’re doing right now?!”

An enraged voice exploded from somewhere.

Startled, the guard lowered his arm at once. Dori turned around.

Haban rushed forward so fast that his robes fluttered, snatched the branch from the guard’s hand, and snapped it cleanly in half.

“H-Haban!”

Dori panicked, not knowing what to do.

“How dare you point something like this at him! Have you all lost your minds?!”

The guards immediately jumped to their feet and lined up. Jipyeong, who had been returning after delivering the Emperor’s orders, hurried over at Haban’s alarming voice—and, grasping the situation, squeezed his eyes shut.

Dori, now anxious, fidgeted in place.

‘Why is he so angry? He definitely gave permission…’

Liri, who had been wandering around alone, climbed onto Dori’s shoe without understanding anything and pressed close to his ankle. There was no chirping sound. Instinctively, it sensed danger.

“…Haban.”

Unable to stomp his feet because of Liri, Dori quietly grabbed Haban’s sleeve. His voice trembled with tears.

When Dori called him again, Haban swallowed a rough breath.

Was it because this was this place?

For a moment, the thing in the guard’s hand looked like an arrow. Even though he had clearly seen it was just a branch, it felt as though he were hallucinating.

The image of Dori from the past—collapsing before his eyes after being struck by an arrow that came out of nowhere. Blood gushed out, soaking the ground. His vision turned crimson, his heart dropping with a heavy thud. The fear that surged through him was chilling.

Knowing that Dori was afraid of him, Haban still couldn’t easily calm his emotions. He should comfort him, soothe him so he wouldn’t cry—but Haban himself was no calmer.

“Your hand…”

Haban held out one palm. After hesitating, Dori placed his hand on it. Haban closed his fingers around it, almost crushing it protectively.

You’re here.

His heart, which had been pounding wildly, gradually returned to a steady rhythm. Haban briefly pressed his face into Dori’s precious palm.

“I-I’m sorry.”

Flustered, Dori apologized haltingly.

He’d only thought—just in case—that learning how to dodge arrows might help. He never imagined it would turn into this.

Now that he thought about it, the guards had kept refusing awkwardly. They hadn’t quite believed him when he said Haban had given permission. Only after Dori personally prepared the branches and offered them did they reluctantly agree.

His heart felt heavy.

“…I asked them to help me. I wanted to practice dodging, so I could avoid danger if something happened. So please… don’t scold them.”

Haban’s shoulders twitched, but he kept his head lowered, his face hidden. Perhaps because he didn’t have to meet those sunken black eyes, Dori found a sliver more courage.

“If I’d known Haban would get this angry… I wouldn’t have done it.”

Dori sniffed, his nose aching as if tears might spill. The bitterness crept in halfway through, but he was glad he’d said everything.

Haban slowly steadied his breathing.

“…Aren’t you hungry?”

His voice was gentler now. As Haban returned to normal, the sting at Dori’s nose intensified.

Why do you always get angry without explaining why? We don’t even know how much time we have left together.

But Dori couldn’t say any of that. Whether he realized it or not, Haban’s hand was trembling.

“I’m sorry for frightening you. Let’s stop now and go inside.”

Looking up at him in silence, Dori nodded.

Thus, in a heavy atmosphere, the meal was prepared. Despite his dampened mood, Dori was extremely hungry—he’d been moving nonstop, after all.

“……”

Without saying a word, Haban served him extra portions, carefully shredding a large chunk of meat and placing it onto Dori’s plate.

It wasn’t just his imagination.

Dori’s memories were definitely beginning to return, little by little.

‘…It’s time to tell him.’

Haban’s heart was tangled.

If Dori remembered everything and tried to leave, could he really let him go? Probably not. He truly wanted Dori to be happy—but only by his side.

Then perhaps he should confess everything himself and beg for forgiveness. He could wait by Dori’s side for the rest of his life, until forgiven.

However, Haban’s resolve never came to fruition.