SAFBIAN Ch 102

Chapter 102

It all began with a very small misunderstanding.

In the lazy afternoon after lunch, with Haban having left the room, Dori—now in his fox form—was sleeping quietly alone on the bed.

“……”

Trembling slightly, Dori’s eyebrows twitched as he woke and sluggishly pushed himself up to sit. Blink, blink. Every time he slowly opened and closed his eyes, tears clinging to his eyelashes silently slid down his cheeks.

‘What was that?’

His chest felt heavy and ached, but what kind of dream had he just had?

This had been happening often lately. It always felt as if he’d dreamt something incredibly sorrowful and painful, yet as soon as he awoke, he couldn’t remember a single detail.

Frustrated, Dori pressed his front paw firmly against his chest. Instantly, a wave of sorrow surged up, and tears began to fall once again. It felt strange.

‘I must’ve been cooped up in this room for too long.’

This wouldn’t do. Today, he needed to get some sunlight.

It seemed the others had vacated the area so as not to disturb his nap. Though, at most, they were likely just outside the door or somewhere else in the residence.

Dori rubbed his damp eyes against the pillow, stretched long with a yawn, and then kicked at the curtains with his front paw, leaping out through the fluttering gap.

Tap—. In one bound, he landed on the chair and then climbed up onto the window sill, peeking through the wide-open window.

‘Oh.’

Everyone looked very busy. A grand banquet was said to be held in a few days, and it must’ve been due to that. The curious fox’s tail swished vigorously from side to side.

From night to morning, or when Haban was around, it was perfectly fine for him to be in human form. But during the day, since the windows were often open like this, Dori chose to remain as a fox just to be cautious.

Twitching his black nose, Dori was about to jump down when he suddenly reconsidered and stepped back. He remembered the last time he’d tried sneaking out and had been caught by Haewon, which led to quite a harsh punishment.

What he’d hated the most was that awfully bitter black decoction! It was boiled down so long it had become thick like syrup.

‘Ughhh…’

Shivering and shaking his head at the memory, Dori gave up on going out alone and instead pattered over to the door. He knocked with his front paw, and the moment he did, the door opened as if someone had been waiting. Cheong-i bent down to meet his gaze.

“Fox-nim, you’re awake?”

“Kang! Kaang!”

‘Let’s go for a walk!’

“…Pardon?”

Naturally, Cheong-i didn’t understand him immediately. So Dori stepped out into the corridor and tugged at the hem of her skirt with his teeth.

“Ah! You want to go outside, right?”

Dori nodded while still holding the fabric in his mouth.

Perhaps because she’d accompanied him on walks before, Cheong-i quickly understood his intention and glanced around thoughtfully.

“Then, just a moment. Let’s not go alone. Let’s bring Hong-i along too.”

If anything were to happen, someone would need to report to the emperor, so going with at least one other person was essential.

As Dori yawned and sat down as if to say “I’ll wait,” Cheong-i repeatedly confirmed that he would stay put and quickly dashed off.

Soon after, Hong-i arrived, panting heavily, alongside Cheong-i.

‘No need to rush that much…’

Shaking his tail with a flick, Dori lazily took the lead. As he walked, his ears twitching, he soon found himself in front of an unfamiliar door.

‘This place…’

Wasn’t this where Haban had told him not to go?

The white fox’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

“Um, Fox-nim, how about going over that way instead?”

“Yes! It smells like they’re frying jeon over there!”

Seeing the two trying so hard to divert his attention only made Dori even more curious.

What exactly was behind this door?

And then—

“Oh my.”

A familiar voice rang out.

Turning around, Dori saw Yungak, dressed in elegant robes and lightly fanning himself, looking at him.

“What is my brother’s fox doing here?”

“…Kaang?”

“You didn’t know? This is my residence.”

With his free hand, he pointed at the very door Dori had been peering at. As if to say “So what?” Dori flicked his hind paw and shook his ears indifferently.

“Want to come in for a bit?”

“I’m sorry. Fox-nim is currently…”

Just then, Hong-i politely bowed and stepped forward, standing in front of Dori as if to shield him from view. Noticing this, Yungak abruptly snapped his fan shut.

“How insolent.”

The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a chill.

“How dare you block my way.”

“N-no, I didn’t mean to…”

“Step asi—”

Yungak didn’t finish. He looked down.

The fox had clamped his teeth onto Yungak’s hem, glaring up at him fiercely.

Could it be that even a speechless beast possessed a heart noble enough to protect the one who cared for him? The more he saw, the more he liked him.

“Very well. Let go now. You might hurt your jaw.”

Yungak softened his expression and slowly stepped back. Only then did the fox release his grip and sit down, yawning with a stretch of his tongue.

“Come to think of it, I gave my brother a piece of jewelry for you. Did you receive it?”

“Kang?”

What? What jewelry? I didn’t get anything.

Dori had once thought Yungak was a decent person with little relevance in the original novel, but seeing how he treated Hong-i now, his impression soured. With a dull heart, he slapped his tail against the ground in annoyance—but then froze.

Haban had asked if he wanted anything, but never mentioned receiving a gift from Yungak.

‘Could it be… he received it but forgot to say who it was from?’

That guess was instantly shattered by Yungak’s next words.

“The moment I saw the red, I immediately thought of you. It’s a necklace, so you won’t lose it easily.”

‘I knew it! I never got it! Mine were blue and green! What the—! Did Haban intercept it?!’

And he’s the emperor no less! So greedy!

“Kuuu!”

“So you did receive it?”

“Kang! Kang!”

“No need to thank me. But I say this every time—you really do seem to understand human speech.”

“…K-kang?”

Startled by those words, Dori’s ears twitched nervously as he pounded the floor in frustration. Perhaps because he’d recently revealed his identity to a few people, he’d become careless. His tail bristled stiffly.

“In any case, come on in. I’m in a good mood since something delightful came in from the merchant guild today. You should see it.”

Fortunately, it seemed Yungak had just been speaking casually. He turned and strode ahead.

Whew. Dori exhaled in relief and glanced back. At some point, Cheong-i had disappeared, and only Hong-i remained, biting her lip in distress.

‘If I don’t go… will Hong-i get in trouble again?’

After all, even though it was a novel, this world still operated under a rigid hierarchy.

In the original story, whenever Haban was angry, heads would fly—literally. Of course, those were all villains, but it still showed how easily the lives of the lower class could be discarded.

Not to mention, Yungak was Haban’s brother—the only remaining royal bloodline of the empire.

‘Ugh…’

Dori dug at the ground with his front paw, deep in thought.

He didn’t want to do something Haban would disapprove of, but he also didn’t want Hong-i to get in trouble because of him. After a brief internal struggle, Dori decided Haban would understand if he explained.

‘Why, though?’

Oddly, the deeper he followed Yungak into the palace, the more ashen Hong-i’s expression became. Tilting his head in confusion, Dori swished his tail and looked ahead again. Palace staff bustled about, busy as ever.

‘Nothing strange so far?’

The large building with tiled roofs was likely where Yungak resided, with equally sized wings on either side. Smaller annexes dotted the area. As expected of the sole remaining imperial bloodline, the palace was grand.

Dori’s tiny paw crossed the final threshold. Hong-i stayed close behind.

“On another day, I would’ve shown you much more. But today’s not ideal. Things are chaotic because I’m preparing for a brief trip outside the palace.”

Yungak spoke kindly.

Only half-listening, Dori walked a few more steps before stopping in his tracks.

‘Those people…’

Among the busy court attendants packing items were others in different clothing.

Sensing his gaze, Yungak explained.

“Ah. Don’t mind them. They’re from the merchant guild. I mentioned something I wanted to show you, didn’t I?”

They were red foxes. Not one, but many.

‘So that’s the Ho (狐) merchant guild?’

Then there was no need to confirm further. Dori immediately turned and dashed out of Yungak’s palace.

“Leaving already? I thought we’d enjoy something entertaining… What a shame.”

Still, Yungak followed him out, fanning himself and saying something cryptic.

‘Entertaining?’

“They say even beasts never forget their first master.”

He probably meant for Dori to hear that.

“You were told not to come this far.”

But then, the moment Haban appeared, all other thoughts vanished.

Dori sprinted to his feet and ran straight to Haban, who effortlessly lifted the fox into his arms. He didn’t even care that dirt from the fox’s paws stained his fine robes.

Yungak beamed so brightly that even his pupils disappeared.

“You really do cherish that fox, brother. I’m envious.”

“Have you packed everything?”

“Yes. I plan to depart early tomorrow morning, so I was going to pay my respects in advance.”

“Now that I’ve seen you, there’s no need.”

“Thank you. Then, Fox, it’ll be quite a while before we meet again. Until next time.”

Before Yungak could finish his farewell, Haban was already walking away.

After hearing from Cheong-i, he had come straight here—only to see the white fox emerging from Yungak’s residence.

Even though he had assigned a shadow to follow Dori discreetly, thinking it would ease Dori’s anxieties, this was problematic.

“You came all the way to the forbidden area… I suppose tonight, I’ll have to wear you out so thoroughly you won’t have strength left to wander during the day.”

“…Kiing.”

“Now you feign weakness?”

Dori wrapped his limp tail around his legs. It had only been a brief outing… but the price was too high.

“Kang.”

Subtly, Dori hooked his claw into Haban’s robe and nuzzled his head against his shoulder.

“Trying to slip past with affection again?”

A faint smile of relief played at Haban’s lips as he whispered so only Dori could hear. Hong-i and Cheong-i, exchanging glances, hurried to follow behind him.

‘The more precious something is, the more devastating it is when lost.’

After Haban left, Yungak smiled meaningfully and ordered the door to be shut.

Creeeeak—

As the door slowly closed, a figure with dyed hair watched his retreating partner silently—Wonwoo, hiding his identity.