SAFBIAN Ch 14

Chapter 14

 

Long swords thrust in and out of the underbrush all around.

“Nothing here!”

“Nothing on this side either.”

As the soldiers continued reporting after checking their areas, Haban, who had been standing in one place observing, irritably jerked his chin in another direction.

With a loud shuffle, the soldiers rushed to the opposite side without delay. The sharp sounds of slashing through leaves and brushing aside grass echoed once again.

As if merely waiting was frustrating, Haban also personally drew his sword this time. With a heavy thrust, he jabbed it into the thickets—each time he pulled it out, dry stems and leaves crackled.

Having followed behind the emperor the whole time, Jipyeong could no longer hold back and spoke up.

“Your Majesty. If the Empress has done something wrong, perhaps now would be a good time to forgive her.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Haban looked back in disbelief. His sharply furrowed brows clearly showed his displeasure.

Even though he knew he wouldn’t be met with kind words for pleading at a time like this, still—what could he do about feelings that had turned affectionate? Jipyeong sighed as he recalled the pale face of his old friend and voiced his concern.

“I just don’t understand why Your Majesty is so determined to torment the Empress with such devotion.”

Indeed, the Prime Minister had been summoned to the palace before sunrise and made to sit at the desk in the imperial office. It was in case something happened during the emperor’s absence.

Jipyeong, who had gone to fetch the Empress at Haban’s command, could still feel the sting from where a handful of his hair had been yanked out.

“Got hit by the Prime Minister again, didn’t you.”

“……”

“What kind of emperor’s guard gets beat up every time, tsk.”

“There’s not much on that frail body to hit. He can’t even properly lift a wooden sword. Still, I believe he’s learned his lesson by now. It’s just an old habit from when you were crown prince and treated each other without formality. If Your Majesty could generously forgive him…”

“Don’t worry. After all, your head—more arrogant than his—is still attached.”

“If you keep saying things like that, it really sounds like you mean it!”

“I do mean it.”

Haban answered firmly and turned his head.

He had ordered a thorough search, yet after combing the entire mountain, not a single suspicious-looking person, fox, or even small animal had been found. In fact, the wild birds, startled by the human presence, flew off before anyone even approached, and the area had fallen eerily silent.

The search that had started at the mountain entrance continued until the midday sun had begun to set. Groups of soldiers returned from the farthest reaches of the forest to report one after another.

“Nothing!”

“Found nothing!”

Haban’s expression twisted into a menacing scowl.

In truth, even when he had taken the white fox back to the palace on horseback, he had left a sizable number of soldiers at the hunting grounds. The reports they had been sending daily from the palace all said the same thing:

『 No suspicious people. No suspicious animals. 』

Soon, winter would be over, and spring would arrive. And the time when he was supposed to have encountered “that one” would pass him by. Anxious, he had rushed here himself on horseback—but the result was disappointing.

Haban exited the forest with a hardened face. A wide plain stretched out before him.

“Ha.”

Suddenly, Haban came to an abrupt halt.

A white fox. He remembered the fox, fur billowing as it darted urgently across this very field.

Unless it was being driven or herded, most creatures on the run would instinctively head toward the mountain, where hiding was easier. Yet that fox had bolted straight across an open field, devoid of any obstacles, as if it didn’t know any better.

Why?

Was the fox just stupid?

That was when it happened.

“Uh, Captain. I picked this up earlier.”

One of the soldiers approached Jipyeong holding something. Up close, it turned out to be a small bundle wrapped in worn cloth.

“Let me see it.”

Jipyeong took it from the soldier and checked inside.

Worried that it might be something dangerous, he was relieved to find that, just like the shabby exterior, all it contained were some old clothes. When he unfolded them, they were a bit small to belong to a grown adult.

Exactly the right size for “that one.”

It was a ridiculous thought, but Haban instantly thought of the white fox.

“Where did you find this?”

“There’s a steep path near the big rock in the center of the forest, sir. It was lying just below that.”

When Jipyeong asked, the soldier pointed in that direction. Coincidentally, it was close to where the fox had emerged.

‘Too strange to be just coincidence.’

Especially since this mountain was far from any residential areas—there weren’t even any isolated houses. Anyone caught loitering in a place frequented by the emperor for hunting would risk losing their head. Naturally, that meant the bundle was either related to the fox held in the palace, or it belonged to “that one.”

When enough coincidences stack up, suspicion becomes conviction.

Haban silently glared at the neatly folded scrap of cloth. Jipyeong rewrapped the bundle and handed it back to the soldier in his stead. Haban’s eyes followed the worn parcel persistently.

“Jipyeong.”

“Yes?”

“To my office…”

Haban trailed off, frowning. Though he had allowed rumors of his madness to spread throughout the empire, he found it unpleasant to actually say something truly mad aloud.

However—

“Keep the fox locked in my office for now.”

He needed to erase this suspicion for certain.

The fox let out a small whimper. After curling up on the cushion for a long time, it now seemed even that had grown tiring. It crept closer to the bars of the cage and lifted its nose.

The stark black nose, contrasting with its glimmering golden eyes, sniffed at the long hem of a robe from barely a fist’s distance away. It looked almost comical, pushing its snout through the bars as if desperate to get closer.

Above the cage where the fox was confined, Haban continued reviewing documents as if nothing were unusual.

‘I really want to just bite that ankle once and be done with it.’

Meanwhile, Dori was thinking something entirely different.

A large space that looked like an office. The lavishness from ceiling to floor was one thing, but for some reason, at the moment, only Haban and himself were here.

Occasionally, Geumhu, carrying loads of scrolls, or Haewon, bringing meals, would come and go, but it never lasted long.

Being suddenly alone in the same space with Haban made Dori quite dissatisfied.

‘It’s one thing to sit around idly and blankly, but it’s been more than just a day or two!’

If he were a dog, maybe he’d at least be thrown a bone to stave off the boredom.

And yet, even while appearing uninterested and working, Haban’s gaze would suddenly bore down from above with an annoyed expression. Whenever that happened, Dori felt even more suffocated inside the already cramped cage.

With a resigned heart, Dori thumped his head against the bars of the cage. Hearing the sound, Haban glared menacingly. Surely he wasn’t angry because he thought the iron might break?

“Gkung!”

Because of the bit in his mouth, a strange noise came out.

Haban was scary due to the plot of the original story, but still, nothing had happened yet.

The speck of courage he had grew to the size of a thumb. If he didn’t try something, how would he be let out? Dori wagged his tail eagerly and even pretended to dig the ground like a real fox.

What Dori didn’t realize was that what caught Haban’s attention was not the fox being imprisoned, but the fact that it showed no signs of resistance despite being caged.

Just as Haban was narrowing his eyes as if checking the fox’s condition, from outside, Eunuch Kim’s thin voice announced that Jipyeong had arrived.

Thinking he was finally about to be free from boredom, Dori stretched his neck out.

His bright golden eyes turned toward the door, and Haban lightly kicked the cage with his foot. Even at that slight vibration, Dori jumped in surprise and scurried back onto the cushion, curling his body.

“Ggoong, gkung!”

‘You wicked man!’

He wanted to bark properly, but the sound was pathetic. Dori blamed the bit in his mouth and curled his tail tightly, burying his face.

“Come in.”

Haban’s voice sounded pleased.

As the emperor granted permission, the palace attendants slid open the doors on both sides. Jipyeong, stepping into the office, had a tuft of his hair sticking up.

“Looks like you got caught by Geumhu again on your way here.”

“No, I— I was sparring with him for training, that’s all.”

Afraid that the emperor’s anger might spill over onto his friend, Jipyeong hastily denied it.

Honestly, only that guy doesn’t realize how weak he is to the chancellor. Seeing his pitiful state, Haban clicked his tongue quietly.

When mealtime came, the royal physician arrived. It was Haewon. Dori wagged his tail far faster than he had for Haban and welcomed him.

Ha……

Haban looked dumbfounded, but after all, the one who brings food is always the most valuable. Moreover, when Haewon came, he would at least take off the bit for a moment — how grateful was that?

Dori poked Haewon’s arm with his nose as he unpacked various items.

‘Hurry, hurry!’

Haewon placed down a bowl of fresh meat chunks and a medicine bowl, and, glancing at Haban’s expression, prepared a few extra pieces of fruit.

Dori avoided the bitter herbal scent and the fishy smell of blood, and crunched only on the fruit.

‘Who knew apples could be this sweet and delicious!’

His favorite was strawberries, but they were always expensive since they spoiled easily, even in season. At least apples and pears could be bought in bulk at the market just before they went bad, and he used to eat them sparingly.

The taste was incomparable to those where he had to cut off the rotten parts.

“…Kaang.”

The small amount of fruit disappeared in no time, and Dori licked the empty bowl longingly. Even the leftover sweet juice on his tongue felt satisfying.

“Fox, you really should eat this.”

As the fox hesitated after finishing its meal, Haewon pushed the medicine bowl slightly forward. The bitter scent wafted up under the fox’s chin, and it thumped its tail in protest.

“Then at least try the meat. This part’s especially tender and soft.”

Wondering if a bit of sweetness might help, Haewon dipped a chunk of blood-soaked meat in sugar and offered it, but the fox simply turned its head sharply away.

“That’s so strange. I get the medicine, but why won’t a fox eat meat?”