SAFBIAN Ch 26

Chapter 26

 

Haban swept his face as if wondering what he had been thinking.

“When was it that I caught that fox?”

More than enough time had passed for change, enough to change several times over. And yet, the only one who returned was him. What was “his” seemed to have vanished entirely, trapped in the past.

Haban let out a quiet sigh.

“Seohon.”

The flickering shadow behind him revealed itself. Black clothes and a black mask.

Seohon’s report was brief and to the point. It was the result of the information he had gathered and the execution of the emperor’s direct orders.

“You’re saying there was nothing.”

“Yes.”

“Any chance they escaped through another route?”

“None.”

As Haban fell silent, Seohon bowed his head as if apologetic.

Those who had been moving secretly had recently revealed themselves. They were reassured because the emperor seemed completely uninterested in state affairs, only going on hunts as if starved for them.

But the place they tracked down in pursuit of the trail was completely empty. Perhaps everything had already been taken — not a single trace remained. It meant they had to start from scratch again.

Seohon braced himself for the cold fury that would soon descend upon him as he reported they had let the spy escape. But Haban only looked down at the fox with a complicated expression.

“Withdraw all the soldiers I sent to the hunting grounds.”

‘…Could it be?’

A different thought suddenly crossed Seohon’s mind.

‘Was His Majesty not referring to the spy after all?’

Even after catching the white fox, Haban had searched the mountain several more times. He had left behind soldiers — a mix of the imperial guards and his shadow troops — in the hunting grounds with the absurd order not to return until they found the white fox.

By the emperor’s solemn command, the soldiers set up nets all around the hunting grounds and laid traps everywhere. Meanwhile, the shadows searched the mountain without rest.

They even dug multiple burrows, considering the fox’s habit of living underground. But despite all that effort, all they found were traces of wild boars or rabbits.

‘There’s no way His Majesty doesn’t know that. That must be why he’s keeping that white fox alive.’

Seohon quickly drew his conclusion. At a wave of dismissal, he silently withdrew.

Haban’s expression grew clouded as if lost in thought.

Tsk.

‘When did I fall asleep…?’

Dori rubbed his snout with a forepaw. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he had drooled disgracefully. Relieved, he lifted his head — and nearly rolled off in surprise.

“Ha.”

At that, Haban grabbed the scruff of his neck in disbelief.

“I set you up for punishment, and you fall asleep?”

‘It’s not like I slept that soundly. I just nodded off a bit…’

Startled, Dori flailed, but was effortlessly moved and placed on a large, round table. Beside him was a feast with steam still rising from the dishes.

“Sit.”

“Kang?”

‘Here?’

Dori tilted his head.

“I said sit.”

“Kaeng.”

As the voice gained force, Dori immediately folded his hind legs. Haban said nothing more.

Peeking up, Dori rolled his eyes to check Haban’s expression.

‘W-Wow!’

At the center of the table was a decorative bouquet of beautiful flowers, but Dori’s eyes were caught only by the food. On the largest plate sat a whole roast duck, perfectly crisped skin and all.

‘A-Amazing!’

There were also clear broth hotpot and a porridge with medicinal herbs, but the roast duck stood out as especially appetizing.

He had only ever seen celebrities eat such food on TV. Seeing it in person for the first time, its glistening, golden color and oily sheen made it look even more delicious.

‘What’s going on? He never lets me near human food.’

Once again, Dori glanced at Haban, sniffing cautiously.

‘Can I eat this?’

He smacked his lips. If only someone like Haewon were here to say, “It’s yours,” it’d be so much easier. But the indifferent Haban remained silent, making Dori increasingly self-conscious.

“Sigh…”

As Dori hesitated, scraping the table with his paw, Haban sighed in irritation.

“Kkaang?”

Worried he might lose his chance, Dori lunged to bite the roast duck — but Haban pulled the plate away. Dori tried to block it with his paw, but the duck vanished before his eyes.

‘…Of course.’

Dori sullenly licked his paw. It still had some duck grease from earlier when he touched the plate.

‘Delicious! So this is why people love it!’

His eyes widened at the sweet and savory flavor. He licked every trace off his paw with regret.

‘Hm?’

Just then, a small, flat dish was placed in front of him. It was piled high with duck skin and bits of meat.

Dori tilted his head and looked at Haban.

“What?”

Haban stirred the porridge with a ladle as he briefly met Dori’s eyes. Dori’s nose twitched as he caught the scent.

“Kang?”

‘Is this mine?’

Please say yes! Hurry!

Dori’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Having eaten only fresh fruits, vegetables, and a little boiled meat daily, the sight of a well-seasoned dish after so long made even duck bones seem mouthwatering.

“Kyeng!”

When he got no reply, he grew anxious.

“Kangkang!”

Don’t get my hopes up only to let me down — if it’s mine, just say it!

Dori nudged Haban’s arm with his snout. Haban frowned, put down the ladle, and dragged Dori closer.

“Come here.”

‘N-No!’

Dori resisted with his paws, but Haban grabbed the scruff of his neck and moved him anyway. Fixating on the duck, Dori felt a wave of dejection and tears welled up.

‘Then why put it in front of me… I got excited for nothing…’

Sniffling, Dori wiped his eyes with his paw. It was even more annoying that he was made to sit there just to watch Haban eat.

“Huuuung.”

The fox sat with his back turned, tail drooping limply.

‘Haa…’

Meanwhile, Haban was fuming.

He had shredded the meat to prevent Dori from trying to swallow the whole duck and wanted to feed him porridge first on his empty stomach. But in that brief moment, the fox had gotten stubborn and was now crying just from the wait.

‘Doesn’t even realize who’s serving him right now.’

He wanted to call someone — anyone — and order them to force the food down the fox’s throat, hot or not.

Grinding his teeth, Haban scooped a large spoonful of porridge, let it cool slightly, and turned Dori’s head. The fur beneath his eyes was damp from tears.

Haban pressed the fox’s head down toward the porridge bowl.

“Puhung, hung!”

Dori, snout plunged into the bowl, flailed. Eyes brimming with shock and tears, he licked around his mouth — and was stunned by the taste.

“Kking.”

He tugged on Haban’s arm with a paw, lowering his head again like he was asking for more.

“Do you even know what you’re doing right now?”

“Kang?”

Golden eyes rounded innocently, as if saying he had no idea. Haban’s face overlapped with “his” as the fox tilted his head to one side.

“…Sigh. Fine, eat.”

The fox buried his snout into the bowl, tail wagging rapidly in delight.

“…What did His Majesty ask us to prepare this time?”

Court Lady Jang asked again, doubting her own ears.

Last time, her eyesight had grown blurry. Lately, she had felt her age more keenly, and now she wondered if she was even hearing things right.

Otherwise, there was no way His Majesty would issue such a ridiculous order!

“Oh, come on! Why are you being so slow lately? I’m telling you, His Majesty ordered us to prepare a chamber for the fox to stay in the palace!”

A chamber for a fox to stay in? Not a woman, not even a man — a fox? In the emperor’s palace?

Court Lady Jang stood dazed for a moment, then realized — this old man was trying to prank her again! Old habits die hard, but if she’d known he’d stay this childish, she should’ve kicked that habit out of him ages ago!

She clicked her tongue.

“How old are you and you’re still playing such mean-spirited tricks? Haven’t you grown up yet?”

She was already busy to death and now had to waste time on nonsense. Waving her hand for him to leave, Court Lady Jang turned to the court maids.

“Who would joke about something like this! His Majesty gave the order himself!”

Clerk Kim stamped his foot in frustration. But Court Lady Jang didn’t even pretend to listen and began assigning the next tasks to the maids.

Some of the young maids looked at Clerk Kim curiously. One or two even blushed, placing a hand on their chest as if remembering what had happened last time.

“Ahem!”

Only after a stern clearing of the throat did the dawdling maids scatter.

Watching until the last of them was gone, Court Lady Jang finally relaxed her expression. Clerk Kim did talk nonsense often, but he wasn’t the kind of man who would risk his life to impersonate the emperor.

“Tell me straight. Is this really true?”

“I’m telling you it is! I couldn’t believe my ears either, but what can I do? It was His Majesty’s order. I couldn’t even ask questions — just ran straight here.”

“What were you doing that you couldn’t stop him!”

“I’ve only got one life! I’ve even bought a house outside the palace for retirement. Why would I risk His Majesty’s wrath now?”

“Oh, how proud you are of that!”

Thwack, thwack — Court Lady Jang’s fists landed hard on Clerk Kim’s back. You’d think her strength would have faded with age, but she was still tough as ever — proof of surviving the harsh palace all these years.

Clerk Kim coughed, choking as if he were spitting blood, and struggled to catch his breath.