SAFBIAN Ch 104

Chapter 104

 “Ugh……”

Dori flinched reflexively as his elbow was suddenly gripped tightly. Haban’s grip on Dori’s arm was so forceful that the veins bulged on the back of his hand.

It wasn’t just the pain—it was also the shock that made Dori’s eyes dart nervously.

Why is he so angry?

When he looked up at Haban, fury swirled in those eyes, dark and sunken. The glare he gave was piercingly cold.

Suddenly, the image of the towering man from his dream came to mind—Haban, cloaked from head to toe in a crimson shadow, setting everything ablaze.

Dori’s heart, which had barely calmed after the nightmare, began to pound once more.

He couldn’t speak, as if something had lodged in his throat. As he watched Dori’s lips silently parting, Haban cupped his cheek with the other hand.

“Where do you think you’re going to disappear to?”

The moment the large palm touched his face, Dori instinctively held his breath, expecting a strike, and only then did he realize his mistake.

‘I brought this up far too abruptly. I should’ve explained it slowly… What do I do now?’

He regretted not thinking it through before speaking.

But it was too late—Haban’s expression had already hardened, not a hint of a smile left.

Dori trembled. The embrace that once felt so reassuring was now cold, and the firm thighs that had given him a sense of stability now felt suffocating—he wanted nothing more than to get away.

“So all that time behaving obediently… it was just to put me at ease.”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant—”

Dori hurriedly tried to explain, but Haban cut him off.

“So you planned this from the beginning? You were waiting for the right moment to escape?”

“I said that’s not it! I just meant, what if I was taken out of the palace without my consent!”

“That would never happen unless you walked out on your own two feet!”

There was no reasoning with him. Haban, who seemed to have shut his ears, pressed on with terrifying intensity, and Dori’s feelings of hurt began to overtake him.

Shouldn’t we be trying to talk things out and clear up misunderstandings? Why is he just yelling and getting mad?

“Fine then! Think whatever you want, Haban! I’m leaving!”

“So, your ankle is the problem, huh.”

As Dori tried to stand, Haban roughly pushed him back down into place. Then he pressed down on his shoulder to stop him from moving and stared down at his pale ankle with a shadowed gaze.

Dori’s heart sank as his wrist was caught. He instinctively tried to bend forward and protect his ankle, but Haban grabbed his shoulder faster, seemingly thinking he was trying to escape.

“Ahh!”

It hurt like a bone had shattered. The pain ran not just through his shoulder, but through his chest, as if his sternum had cracked.

As his breath hitched, Dori felt a wave of injustice and sorrow. The pain welled up into tears that spilled over without his realizing it.

Droplets of tears welled up silently and fell onto Haban’s hand, loosening the grip on his wrist ever so slightly.

“Hng… Hic.”

Dori stifled his sobs.

As Haban watched Dori wiping away tears with his free hand, a sharp pain like an ice pick jabbed through his skull. His vision briefly turned white, and when it returned, the present Dori overlapped with the Dori of the past.

Suddenly, Dori had started rejecting him without reason. Then one day, after Dori had kissed him first, they had shared flesh. Caught up in the moment, Haban had missed the small whisper mixed with Dori’s moans.

‘Haban, if I ever disappear…’

The same resentful eyes from back then now looked at him again.

Struggling to suppress his anger, Haban gave Dori a command.

“Return to your room.”

“No.”

“Now.”

With a shove, Dori fell to the floor. Haban’s eyes, cold and hardened, glared down at him.

Ugh! Dori bit down hard on the inside of his cheek.

Ever since Haban discovered Dori’s true form, he had never gotten this angry or shouted at him like this. The tense jawline suggested he was still trying to hold back.

“I don’t want to see you right now, so don’t take a single step out of your room and wait there.”

“Haban!”

Dori opened his trembling, tear-soaked lips, forgetting what he even meant to say.

Then, he turned abruptly and ran toward the door. He passed through the door he once crossed to see Haban, now to flee from him.

Bang!

Haban stared at the loudly slammed door, then turned his gaze to the desk.

First, he had to get through the upcoming banquet safely. Before he found Dori, he had approached everything with only Geumhu in mind, like a man with nothing left to lose. But now, things were different.

He would never again allow Dori to fall into danger, nor would he repeat the past—where he died because of it. He would talk to Dori afterward. He might’ve unknowingly hurt him like in their previous life.

It was already bright outside. Soon, the day would begin with court. But as rage surged again, Haban kicked the desk to cool his head.

Lately, whenever the palace attendants gathered, they would whisper to each other in hushed voices—His Majesty had not stayed in the Fox Palace for several days now.

One flustered court lady defended that His Majesty was simply busy, but a eunuch, cleaning his ears, scoffed that this was proof of having fallen from favor.

A group of Fox Palace attendants and those who had once been gifted a lucky tail hair by the white fox banded together. On the other side were those entrusted by ministers to care for their daughters—they flung themselves into the fray as well.

In the end, all of them were caught by a high-ranking court lady and punished equally, but despite the commotion, the Fox Palace remained eerily quiet.

The imperial palace was abuzz with preparations for the grand banquet. It was a rare occasion—lavish and vibrant. The weather had cooled slightly too.

A group of dancers in splendid costumes passed by, and the lively atmosphere was mirrored by the bright faces of the servants.

Yet, despite the midday sun, the windows of Dori’s chamber remained tightly shut.

“F-Fox Lord…”

Hong-i hovered anxiously nearby. Dori remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as if he couldn’t hear a thing.

Then, he murmured softly.

“…I want to be alone.”

“Please don’t worry too much. His Majesty didn’t mean to—he’ll surely calm down soon.”

“……”

Sitting curled up in a chair, knees pulled to his chest, Dori grew even more sullen at those words.

“I want to sleep. Please leave.”

He unwrapped his arms and rose, walking to the bed. Crawling under the blanket, he turned to face the wall. After some hesitation, Hong-i’s footsteps could be heard leaving the room.

‘What did you just say…’

The image of Haban’s cold eyes came back to him, followed by the memory of being yelled at, scolded, and finally cast aside.

“Sigh.”

Dori turned restlessly and lay on his back, missing the thin wisp of smoke that drifted in through the window crack.

Soon, a red fox appeared at the window of the white fox’s chamber.

Its long ears and paws were black, with snowy white fur from its snout down to its belly. It was Wonwoo, transformed into his fox form, peeking into the room.

‘Can’t see well because of the sunlight.’

He worried briefly that the window might be locked, but when he tugged lightly with a forepaw, it slid open easily. Of course, the human emperor must’ve believed Dori to be a real fox—just with slightly different fur.

He likely wanted the window accessible in case Dori, in his fox form, needed to go in and out. Thanks to that, Wonwoo was able to open the window easily. But the downside was that the unlit room was too dark to see clearly from outside.

‘No helping it.’

He had only come to scout the situation before carrying out his plan.

But knowing that his mate was inside, he couldn’t just leave. Glancing around, the red fox slipped fully through the window.

Tap.

Landing lightly on the floor, he froze for a moment. There were several presences outside the door, but fortunately, no one else was in the room.

Wonwoo’s greedy eyes focused on the bulge under the blanket—presumably Dori.

‘That can’t be…’

The blanket was puffed up far larger than the size of any fox he knew. Even in the village, Dori had often failed to maintain his disguise. What if he got discovered by a human like this?

Wonwoo approached the bed and silently transformed back. Bracing himself on the headboard, he gently tugged down the blanket. A smooth forehead, pale cheeks, softly breathing lips, and curled-up neck were revealed in turn.

Wonwoo gazed down quietly at his mate’s face. Thanks to the subtle sleeping incense slipped in through the window crack, Dori was in a deep sleep.

How long he had waited for this moment.

But the joy of finding his long-sought mate was fleeting.

“…!”

His hand holding the blanket trembled violently. It felt like the blood in his body reversed course and then evaporated in an instant.

This wasn’t a transformation in sleep. The mark left on Dori’s neck—though faint—was unmistakably a bruise.

A human. The emperor… had taken his mate.

His vision turned a bloody red. The world spun, dizziness crashing over him.

“Ghh…”

Staggering from the shock, Wonwoo groaned in pain, still gripping the blanket. His pupils narrowed to slits, gleaming, while his sharpened fangs pierced the inside of his mouth.

His fingernails grew and retracted erratically. Just seeing those marks on his mate’s body felt like someone was ripping his heart out.

“Huff… Huff…”

Wonwoo forced himself to calm down.

Now wasn’t the time to lose it. Even if he couldn’t complete the bond just yet, he could still use a temporary measure.

With sharpened fangs, he bit into one finger and drew blood. Using his other hand, he pried Dori’s lips open and let the blood drip inside. When enough had pooled, he closed the jaw and tilted the head back to help him swallow.

As Dori’s throat instinctively swallowed, Wonwoo pressed his lips to it. He licked the blood lingering on Dori’s lips.

“Haa…”

Even the briefest contact sent a surge of energy rushing through his body.

Finally, he bit down hard on Dori’s neck.

Flash.

Dori’s eyes snapped open from the effects of the incense, only to glaze over moments later. At the place where the fangs had sunk in, an unfinished round sigil appeared.

As Dori’s blood entered Wonwoo’s mouth, his entire body ignited, blood rushing downward in an instant, his cock swelling with arousal.

If he penetrated Dori now and carved the sigil fully, he would become his complete mate.

‘…Damn it.’

Unable to bear it, Wonwoo bit down on Dori’s soft lips, slipping his tongue inside.