SAFBIAN Ch 25

Chapter 25

 

Bisol, who had come down the mountain with them, hurried ahead. Watching him naturally join the group, Wonwoo also turned his steps toward the elder’s residence.

A large annex separated from the main building by a low wall.

Wonwoo headed there.

When he arrived, the house was empty. As soon as the merchant group arrived, Hori had rushed out to get the best goods, leaving no one behind.

After marrying Hori, Wonwoo gave the newlywed home to another fox and moved into the annex of the mansion. It was at the elder’s request, who wanted to keep close to his only family.

“Only, huh.”

It wasn’t like Dori was dead.

Wonwoo scoffed softly as he unbuttoned his clothes.

Even if they had grown apart, it was only a few fences away, and still within the same red fox village. He couldn’t believe he felt bitter about even that. Was it because the elder cherished Hori so much?

Throwing off his top, Wonwoo flopped onto the bedding. As he used one arm as a pillow, his broad, muscular chest rose and fell.

“Where could Dori have gone? It must be his first time leaving the village, with nothing on him.”

If he’d known it would come to this, he should’ve at least slipped a ring on his finger or left him a gold toad. He worried that Dori might be suffering misfortune somewhere, having been discovered as a half-beast.

“I’d find him faster if I just went myself.”

But as with the red foxes’ monogamous customs, where they devoted themselves only to their mates, it was impossible for someone newly married to leave the village alone.

“How can I make it look natural…?”

Leaving the village, finding Dori—

As Wonwoo stared up at the ceiling, a shadow passed over his eyes.

“What?”

Haewon, who had been stuffing herbs into a fox’s cushion, turned around sharply. It was already filled with enough cotton to be bursting, but it had puffed up as if about to explode.

It was supposed to help one relax and fall asleep easily.

“Why would I need that?”

For Dori, who would fall into a deep sleep as soon as he lay on the cushion, it made no sense.

Still, it was better than the bitter herbal decoctions. They fought daily over those, so this was a temporary compromise.

“…Hrrng.”

Dori looked down at his paws, then lifted his head again. A leash was tied to a pillar, long enough to trail across the floor. The knot wrapped tightly around the thick post looked incredibly secure.

“Yip!”

They had taken off his muzzle but left the leash on. Dori scrunched the slack leash with his front paw and yipped in protest.

“Shhh. Quiet, fox. His Majesty is in the next room, you know? If you keep this up and he gets angry, they might have to muzzle you again.”

Haewon crouched down and whispered anxiously.

He hadn’t known until now, but beyond that door was Haban’s room. So that’s why there had always been signs of someone moving at night. He had assumed the round window facing outside was the only exit.

Still, he hadn’t peeked even once for several days. Dori felt bitter. He didn’t know why, but he did.

Haewon pushed the cushion into the pen and sat down in front of the fox. Taking one of his front paws and turning it over, he found a fresh wound — a vertical cut, likely from stepping on something sharp again, despite all the soft silk laid out.

“How did this happen again? Honestly. You keep injuring yourself in a place this cushy. I swear. Can you even go outside with your feet like this?”

“…!”

“Remember the long rain we had a while ago? Well, the weather’s nice today, so we’re taking you outside. You’ll be fed out there, too.”

Haewon poured clean water over the soft paw pads and explained while disinfecting the wound.

“Outside? Really?”

Dori forgot all about his earlier bitterness and wagged his tail wildly.

How long had it been since he’d gone outside? He wouldn’t be able to roam freely around the palace, but at least he might figure out the way out of this building.

More than anything, he just wanted to sightsee. No matter how much better it was than a semi-basement room or a rooftop shack, being surrounded by the same walls all day was getting old.

He cast a glance at the tightly shut door, then looked back at Haewon, who was still muttering while holding his front paw.

“Shouldn’t foxes be raised outdoors anyway? Seriously. Every time I come into this room, they search me. You have no idea how nervous that makes me.”

Apparently, today had been especially bad, with the herbal basket he carried being poked through in front of his eyes.

Come to think of it, it would feel violating to be groped all over by burly soldiers, even without any ill intent.

Dori rubbed his nose with his paw. What happened next occurred in the blink of an eye—just as Haewon was about to wrap up the bandage.

“You little! I just put medicine on that!”

Sticky ointment, meant to prevent infection and keep the wound from drying, now clung to Dori’s black nose like a tiny horn.

“Yip!”

Startled by the sudden sharp herbal smell, Dori shook his head rapidly.

“Of course it stings! I added mint on purpose!”

Haewon grabbed a clean cloth and urgently wiped the fox’s nose. But Dori’s eyes welled up with tears from the stinging pain instead of the cool sensation.

“Is he ready?”

Just then, Haban entered and caught sight of the fox, who was now whimpering and rubbing his face frantically. His body trembled, and he spun in circles like he’d gone mad.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

Haewon scrambled to his feet from where he’d fallen onto the floor. But the emperor’s gaze remained fixed on the fox, who was still bouncing around wildly.

“What’s wrong with him now? Looks like he ate something bad.”

“Ah, well… Hey! Don’t rub that into your eyes!”

“Yelp!”

“Come here, quickly! Hurry!”

“Yip! Yip!”

As Haewon clutched the fox to stop him from making it worse, he fumbled around for something to help. He needed water, but leaving the room wasn’t an option right now.

While he searched with the fox under one arm, Dori suddenly slipped through like a slick fish, from head to tail.

“…Huh?”

And ended up in Haban’s hands. Though it was all his own doing, Dori looked utterly pitiful, sniffling and weeping without pause.

“Move.”

“Pardon?”

“I said move. Can you not hear?”

With a cold glare, Haban dismissed Haewon.

As if he’d found an ally at last, Dori clung to the emperor’s chest, sobbing, with his paw (the one with ointment) stretched as far away as he could.

A fox rubbing his head against the precious robes of the emperor… Haewon’s jaw dropped at the sight.

Dori’s outing was canceled.

His usually clear golden eyes were bloodshot, and he kept sniffling. Far from showing the mysterious dignity of a white fox, he’d be looked down on by the court servants.

Haban carried the whimpering fox to his sleeping quarters and set him on a small round table. Sitting across from him, he stared at the fox while Haewon returned and cleaned Dori’s eyes and nose.

“…Yip.”

Dori looked back at Haewon as he carried out the basin.

“Trying to follow him?”

Haban’s voice sharpened. The fox was creeping to the edge of the desk.

“Jump down from there and you won’t get any dinner.”

A fox behaving like a dog, trailing after Haewon, irked him to no end.

Even though he couldn’t possibly understand the words, the moment Haban threatened to skip dinner, Dori froze at the edge and sat straight up. His back was stiff with tension.

“Reflect on your actions.”

Dori flattened his ears and drooped his tail. He scratched at the desk with his paw, as if to say he felt wronged.

Haban left him there and began grinding ink on the inkstone.

He had to write a sensitive letter. Unrolling a small sheet and picking up a fine brush, he sensed a stare and glanced to the side—only to find the fox flinch and look away.

What was he curious about, when he couldn’t even read?

Just as their eyes met, Dori’s mouth fell open, and his tongue lolled out as he panted. Haban gave a small chuckle and dabbed ink onto the fox’s black nose.

“Yip!”

Startled, Dori rubbed furiously at his nose with his paw, smudging ink onto his once-white fur.

As Haban watched him, his smile faded. He quickly resumed writing.

A while later, when he finished tying the rolled letter with string, he pressed his fingers to his brow.

“Such a useless creature.”

While he’d been concentrating, the fox had begun dozing off at the edge of the desk. Supposedly being punished, yet more carefree than any person.

Where was the fierceness and majesty of a predator? Was he really even a fox? A wild animal raised in the forest should have been wary of humans—but this one craved human food.

And after making a fuss over a little mint ointment, he still reached out eagerly for food that was much spicier.

Haban’s gaze fell on the fox’s triangular ears, then to the fluffy chest and legs, and finally the tail that twitched like a dream. His expression grew darker with every detail he observed.