Chapter 140

As if trying to distract him, Haban placed a piece of fruit into his mouth. Drawn in by the refreshing aroma, Dori accepted it without much thought, but the more he chewed, the deeper his thoughts became.

The reason Dori was so worried was because, in the original story, all three of them had suffered severe punishments.

The royal physician Haewon, while treating “Dori,” had let him escape through a doghole, which incurred Haban’s wrath and resulted in him being taken away. Cheong-i and Hong-i, unable to bring themselves to serve Dori spoiled food, had replaced it with something else and were caught, ending up accused of stealing imperial palace provisions.

They were all people he was grateful to…

Naturally, both cases were considered grave offenses. While the novel never explicitly depicted what happened to them, it was obvious that their punishment had been severe. So he couldn’t help but remain uneasy.

Earlier, while enduring Lady Jang the court lady’s watchful eyes and roasting chestnuts to snack on, he had overheard from a guard that only those directly involved had been punished, while those unrelated continued living as before.

There’s no way Haewon, or Cheong-i and Hong-i, would have tried to kidnap me.

In the original, they had helped “Dori,” and even after his possession^1, they had looked after him without conditions.

Haban must just be throwing another unnecessary tantrum.

It was strange that he had let things slide so easily. Maybe the reason Haban refused to tell him about the three’s whereabouts was to make him feel what he had felt before?

When he had been kidnapped, he had been anxious to the point of desperation, unable to learn any news. And when they finally met again in his fox form, he had immediately run away. Perhaps Haban just wanted him to experience that same frustration.

Haban… so you’ve been holding on to that in your heart.

“You’re so petty.”

Mumble.

“Speaking wicked words again, are you.”

The moment Haban whispered low into his ear, Dori startled, his shoulders giving a small jolt. At the same time, he felt a pang of guilt. He wasn’t even in fox form—how could his human hearing have picked that up? His heart thudded rapidly in his chest.

“M–Me? Ah, no, that’s not true.”

“How long has it even been since you swore not to lie to me, and you’re already going back on your word?”

Since he had not stepped outside all day, he was dressed only in a thin undergarment beneath his robe. The tightly fastened knot at his chest loosened with a soft srrk.

Haban slipped inside the single layer of his robe and gently stroked the surface of the undergarment with his palm. Shudder—his body tensed sharply at the touch.

“H–Haban, aren’t you busy?”

He was. If Dori hadn’t earnestly begged to stay here, even for a short while, he would have had to return to the imperial palace immediately.

In truth, Haban had been pushing himself quite a bit. It wasn’t just him—those guarding outside were as well. Even though it was a small, remote house, the Emperor was staying there, so of course they had to maintain absolute vigilance.

Moreover, those waiting in the imperial palace had been working day and night without rest. All of this was so they could grant the Emperor’s only white fox, Dori, his humble wish.

Yet Dori didn’t appreciate these efforts and was instead trying to divert his attention elsewhere, which Haban found galling.

“You take it for granted just because I’ve let things slide every time.”

He had already given the orders necessary for their return to the palace, so all that remained was for Jipyeong and the guards to handle the rest. Haban pulled the seated Dori to his feet and in one swift motion hoisted him over his shoulder.

“W–Whoa!”

The view of the room spun upside down in an instant. Haban, still carrying Dori, strode forward in long steps.

Whoosh—the scene flipped again in a heartbeat. He briefly sat Dori down on the bed, only for him to be pushed back until he was lying flat, staring up at the ceiling. Panic set in.

It’s still daytime!

If this kept up, he’d be tormented until nightfall and then drift into unconscious sleep.

“Dori.”

Hhht!

But when Haban’s lips touched his nape, his thoughts went completely blank. Every nerve in his body stood on end. Just a single bite with his teeth sent a tingling rush of pleasure through him.

Then came the familiar hands and the languid heat.

Nngh.

Dori let out a throaty moan before snapping back to his senses. Before the swelling tension within him could reach its breaking point—

Pop!

Dori transformed into a white fox, his round golden eyes blinking.

“…Ha.”

Where moments ago Haban had his lips buried in soft skin and his hand slipping under the undergarment to roam from side to side, there now lay a bold little white fox with plush fur, wagging his tail lazily.

The smooth skin that had fit perfectly into his hand was now covered in snowy fur, and the flushed ears had become sharp, triangular points.

With a helpless chuckle, Haban half-lifted himself off the fox he had been hovering over.

“So that’s how you’re going to play it?”

“Kyaang?”

Dori licked his front paws.

“Change back, now.”

“…Kkiing.”

His glossy eyes shimmered as if about to cry. He wasn’t actually crying, but that translucent animal gaze made it feel like he was.

Haban let out a short laugh and gave the tip of Dori’s fluffy tail a playful tug.

“Ka–Kyaang!”

Dori jumped up, grabbed his tail tightly, and batted at the blanket with his front paws, going ka-ung, ka-aang.

It seemed he intended to stay in fox form all the way until dinner.

After meeting Yungak, Wonwoo did not immediately return to the village. Instead, he headed for the fox den where Dori had always hidden whenever he was chased by the village foxes.

He had stumbled upon it purely by accident while running frantically through the mountains in pain from his mate’s seal, but the faint traces of Dori lingering there still brought him comfort.

Before squeezing his body into the narrow burrow, Wonwoo leapt into the air and transformed into a fox. Holding his discarded clothes in his mouth, he slipped into the tight space and curled up in one corner.

…Tired.

Just moving around a little left him drained. At this rate, how was he supposed to recover?

If he stayed in the village, the other foxes would constantly come and pester him, leaving him no time to rest. With the sun still up, going back now would only invite more annoyance.

Whether it was simply the passage of time, or because of the poison he had swallowed after collapsing when the sacred relic was lost, the Elder had never regained his former vigor despite the years that had passed.

So naturally, the village foxes sought out Wonwoo. Back when he was aiming for the position of the next Elder, he had welcomed that attention. But now, sick and irritable, everything just felt bothersome.

He decided to rest here until nightfall, then quietly return.

That arrogant human bastard.

Just remembering him made his teeth grind.

One week. I’ll give you time to think.

Yungak, claiming he already knew of the beastfolk’s existence, had demanded: Hand over the white fox if you don’t want to put the entire village at risk.

Wonwoo slowly opened and closed his eyes.

Truthfully, he didn’t care if the red fox village, where he could no longer be with Dori anyway, went to ruin. That was what a mate meant to foxes.

And yet—Give up the white fox, your mate, with your own hands?

He had never intended to agree to Yungak’s demand. Instead, since he no longer had Dori with him either, he was racking his brain for ways to use Yungak.

When he awoke from a light doze, the outside was already pitch dark. Autumn nights fell quickly. The deep shadows would hide him as he returned to the village in human form and entered his home.

But there was no avoiding Hori, who sat in the bedroom with arms crossed, waiting.

“What have you been doing all day?!”

The moment he saw him, Wonwoo’s eyes narrowed faintly. That was all.

They only shared the same house and bed because of the village foxes’ eyes on them—there was not a trace of affection left between them.

Ignoring Hori, Wonwoo flopped onto the bed. The ornate ceiling, entirely to Hori’s taste, filled his view.

“Are you deaf?”

“Shut your mouth. You’re noisy.”

“…What, what did you just say?”

Though there had been moments of dissatisfaction with Wonwoo’s actions before, he had never taken such an attitude. Hori was startled, indignant, his face flushing crimson with rage. He felt the urge to rake deep claw marks straight down that arrogant face.

But to him now, Wonwoo wasn’t even worth calling a mate, much less a partner. Besides, he already had another red fox from the next house over waiting for him tonight.

Naturally, the village foxes knew nothing. Red foxes spent their whole lives devoted to a single mate, so they would never understand. And telling the truth would mean admitting he and Wonwoo were not truly mates in the first place.

The young, firm-bodied red fox waiting for him had only agreed to lie with him after learning that fact. He might not have been that well-endowed—certainly no “laundry bat”^3—but still, better than a useless one who couldn’t even stand properly.

To meet him, he needed new ornaments.

“What about what you promised me?”

“Just stay here a few more days.”

“And why should I?!”

“Listen to me. If you want to protect even a shred of your pride.”

Hori’s breath came fast and rough. Unable to speak even to his father, the Elder, about their marital situation, his insides festered. The village foxes, oblivious, made carefree remarks like, How lucky you are to have someone like Wonwoo, or, It’s a blessing to have him in the village.

“Aaaargh!”

Clutching at his skirt, Hori finally lost his temper and ripped the fabric to shreds before storming out of the room. At last, there was quiet.

He had likely gone to that fox.

Wonwoo knew the identity of the fox Hori was seeing because Bisol had told him.

Hori, coddled by the old vixens^4 until he was spoiled and oblivious, had no idea, but every young fox in the village hated him. With his temper openly on display instead of hidden behind a facade, how could they see him in a good light?

And now that the Elder who had supported him was weakened, the foxes thought Wonwoo had taken a mate and gone off to retrieve the sacred relic for the sake of the village, while Hori was shamelessly flirting with every halfway-attractive fox around. One of them had been slowly wheedling ornaments out of him—and Bisol had quietly told Wonwoo this.

But as far as he was concerned, that was none of his business. Wonwoo turned over to face the wall.

^1 Possession: Refers to the protagonist’s soul inhabiting another’s body, a common trope in Korean fantasy/romance novels.

^3 Laundry bat: A colloquial metaphor comparing male genital size to the traditional wooden bat used for beating laundry—implying very large size.

^4 Old vixens: In fox society here, refers to elder female foxes who helped raise younger members.