SAFBIAN Ch 27

Chapter 27

 

“Anyway, His Majesty told me to choose a suitable place and take care of it, and I’ve passed that on to you, so now it’s out of my hands!”

Chief Eunuch Kim quickly ran off like someone trying to avoid getting involved.

Court Lady Jang fell into deep contemplation, her expression serious. It wasn’t unheard of for emperors to have kept animals. Not only cats and dogs, but also birds, mounts, and even large wild beasts had been kept before.

So, surely there must be somewhere within this vast palace grounds to keep a single fox.

‘But of all the places… to set up a den for a fox in the Emperor’s residence!’

The Emperor’s quarters were a place even the Empress could not step foot in without his permission. Animals had always been kept elsewhere within the palace, and caretakers were separately appointed to look after them. There had never been a case where an animal was kept in such close proximity.

‘And of all people, His Majesty…’

He’s the kind of person who would trample a beautiful flower beneath his feet without a second glance, and cut down a cute creature that dared block his path.

‘Could it be… he feels lonely?’

Yes, that must be it.

From the moment he was born, he was forced into the role of Crown Prince, burdened with duties and responsibilities. The Emperor, who never seemed to form any attachments anywhere within the palace, must have grown fond of a beast.

Court Lady Jang’s worry deepened.

A mountain so high and steep it seemed to reach the sky.

At the summit, covered in perpetual white snow, and the majestic forest in the mid-slopes, puffy clouds lingered between. From below, it looked like nothing more than a peaceful mountain scene.

But hidden within was the Red Fox Village, and it was anything but peaceful.

The sacred relic had gone missing!

At the entrance to the Red Fox Village, next to a guardian totem, stood a low stone pagoda that housed the sacred relic, designed openly so anyone could view it.

But the relic inside that pagoda had vanished.

“Who was it! Who’s the fox that dared lay a paw on the sacred relic?!”

The ones who discovered it were foxes from the merchant caravan, who happened to be returning from outside the village.

“T-The sacred relic…”

“I-It’s gone?”

They had clasped their paws reverently in front of the pagoda to give thanks to the Fox God for their safe return, only to find the interior empty and were thrown into confusion.

No matter how they looked, what should have been there was gone.

“Who was it!”

As they stared in stunned silence, someone suddenly shouted.

“Who’s the fox that dared touch the sacred relic?!”

The fox’s ears twitched with fury, and their thick tail trembled in anger as they stamped their feet.

The shout came from a large red fox, just arriving with a cart, whose voice was as loud as their size. The foxes living near the village entrance rushed out in alarm.

“What? The sacred relic?”

“What’s all this noise?!”

Everyone surrounded the pagoda.

At first their faces were blank with confusion, then slowly shifted to ones stricken with horror and fear. A swift-footed fox confirmed the situation and sprinted toward the Elder’s home.

“Elder! Are you alright?!”

The elder, upon hearing the news, collapsed, clutching the back of his neck in shock. The surprise was so great that he lost consciousness.

Soon, word spread to every corner of the village.

The village was in an uproar.

“What do we do! The Elder’s collapsed! What happens to us now?!”

“Exactly! We were just about to start repairs on the village fence that got damaged over the winter!”

“And what about the farming? We were going to reroute the water—will that construction be halted now?”

“Oh you foxes! Didn’t the Elder appoint Wonwoo? What are you all worried for? Won’t he handle everything just fine?”

“That’s right! We have Wonwoo! We completely forgot about that.”

With unanimous agreement, the village foxes decided to entrust urgent matters to Wonwoo, acting in the Elder’s stead.

This year, they had plans to expand the village and start farming on newly cultivated land from the previous year. Among them, the water shortage issue was critical. With the farming season already upon them and the Elder bedridden, the senior foxes gathered at his home.

“First, I think we should draw water from the valley for this field. It’ll be troublesome to haul it every time, but please bear with it.”

“That won’t be enough, will it? Wouldn’t it be faster to reroute the water altogether?”

One elder questioned Wonwoo’s proposal. He had a point. Hauling water every morning to irrigate such vast land would be too much.

“I know, but it’s difficult to start a big project right now.”

Wonwoo smiled wryly.

Matters that required the Elder’s approval were not within his power to decide. The foxes nodded in understanding but still asked again.

“Isn’t it obvious you’re the next Elder anyway?”

“We’ve already heard as much.”

Everyone in the village knew who the Elder had in mind for succession. Under the many brown eyes that naturally gathered on him, Wonwoo answered firmly.

“I plan to follow my parents and run the merchant caravan outside the village.”

Surprise spread across the elders’ faces. With a calm expression, Wonwoo wrapped up the meeting and sent them on their way.

Left alone in the Elder’s room, a heavy silence lingering, Wonwoo pressed his chest where pain surged and swallowed a groan. His heartbeat echoed like a tremor, searching for Dori.

“The Elder, huh…”

Wonwoo let out a short, bitter laugh.

Once, he too had dreamed of becoming the Elder. The Red Fox Village, deep in the high mountains, needed supplies that couldn’t be obtained within. Those supplies were brought in by Wonwoo’s father, who ran the merchant caravan.

Wonwoo’s mother had followed her husband outside the village and given birth to Wonwoo there. Because of that, Wonwoo had to live in hiding until he became used to his human form.

Once a month, or every quarter, he’d watch his father leave for the Red Fox Village from inside his room, hidden.

A village where foxes lived together.

A place where he didn’t have to hide.

To young Wonwoo, the Red Fox Village was both a dream and a paradise.

And now, when he had finally gained the respect of the foxes here, he had refused the Elder’s offer without hesitation.

Originally, he had planned to form a bond with Hori inside the village and hide Dori in the outside caravan. But since Dori’s disappearance, everything had lost its meaning.

Wonwoo clenched his teeth.

Bang!

At that moment, the door burst open violently. The fox standing in the doorway was Hori.

“What’s going on.”

Wonwoo rubbed his face wearily.

“I need new accessories. And clothes. Contact my father and ask him to bring some when he comes to the village.”

“Hori, now’s not the time for that.”

“He always gets me something every spring! Why should I endure it because of that damned fox?!”

Hori snapped, her temper flaring.

It was also due to her frustration that Wonwoo hadn’t held her even once at night. On the surface, they seemed like a flawless couple, but inside, the relationship was rotting.

“…Sigh. Fine, I’ll tell Father myself. Just go. I’ve got to head out soon—village matters keep me busy.”

Bang! The door shut as violently as it had opened.

“To think I once considered her as my mate.”

Wonwoo pressed his fingers to his furrowed brow in exhaustion. Perhaps the reason he hadn’t bonded with Hori was thanks to divine intervention from the Fox God.

Dori now had a very large and lavish room within the Emperor’s quarters. To be precise, a very large and lavish enclosure.

Naturally, the door was guarded by palace attendants, and beyond the window stood soldiers armed with weapons. The bars were so tightly spaced that even a fox couldn’t slip through, and even if he tried, sharp spears awaited beyond.

Peeking out in secret, Dori flinched and closed his eyes in fear.

‘No way out at all. Still, this is better than that tiny cage I was stuck in before.’

Dori lowered his front paw from the window frame and turned around. The polished golden eyes reflected the entire room.

Not only was there a desk and chair, but the bed was so massive that even if he rolled around several times in fox form, he wouldn’t fall off. The shelves were filled with crafts of incalculable value.

‘There are some perks to having the Emperor as a housekeeper.’

Who else would go this far just to build a room for a fox? Only an emperor could.

‘And the perfect meals, three times a day!’

For days now, no one had entered the room, but meals featuring balanced combinations of meat, fish, and poultry were brought in through the door.

They used to scold him that foxes couldn’t eat seasoned food. But one day, the meals began to include small amounts of salt and spices.

‘I want bibimbap. With a ton of gochujang. And bulgogi! The sweet kind with glass noodles—so good together.’

Honestly, Dori preferred food that was a bit saltier and spicier, but he was grateful regardless.

‘Let’s just call it health food. Eating bland is good for you and helps you live longer.’

Even if it felt more like hospital food than health food, what could he do?

Thanks to that, Dori was eating well, sleeping well, and resting well—his fur gleamed. The only downside was that he still wasn’t allowed to go outside.

‘Still, I’ve got no muzzle, no leash, and I can run around freely inside the room. That’s good enough.’

Opportunities would come again, eventually. After licking his front paws clean, Dori scratched his ear with his hind leg.

‘Time for some post-meal exercise.’

He needed to build strength and improve his speed to be ready when the next chance came.

Stretching out his body with a loooong yawn, Dori began to run—pad pad pad—back and forth.

His lithe body moved with agility as he darted from one wall to the other.

As he followed the corners at full speed, lost in the moment, Dori failed to notice something.

Clack.