SAFBIAN Ch 30

Chapter 30

 

Haban scolding like he was talking to a person, and the fox mumbling as if it were wronged. Even without seeing it directly, the sounds coming from outside were enough to picture the scene.

Cheong-i chuckled as she transferred the jeon to a new plate.

The once-frightening Haban felt a little different since the fox had arrived. Just imagining the two together made Cheong-i forget about her aching legs.

Rumors spread throughout the palace that the Emperor was raising a fox.

“…Hmm. My brother?”

The rumor rode the spring breeze all the way to Yoon-gak’s ears.

Reclining with his head on a woman’s chest, sipping liquor poured by a man, he suddenly burst out laughing—Ha ha ha!

“No way. You all know what kind of person my brother is. That rumor must be wrong. Or you all heard it wrong.”

“Oh, come on! It’s true!”

The woman pushed away the hand that was climbing up her wrist. Her action conveyed her disappointment that he didn’t believe her.

Yoon-gak fumbled beside him for his fan, then began to wave it slowly.

“What’s the big fuss about a mere fox?”

It was only natural that the Emperor’s every move was the focus of public interest. And just as naturally, rumors abounded. Even the current story spreading through the Empire was like that.

“Enough of that. Just give me that.”

When Yoon-gak opened his mouth with a disinterested look, the woman pouted and fed him a piece of food. Rolling the sweet fruit around in his mouth, he bit down and swallowed, then wiped the juice from the corner of his lips with his thumb.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that I know my brother too well. He didn’t even bat an eye when the former Empress passed away. He’s not raising that fox—he probably kept it to skin it.”

“I don’t think that’s the case.”

The man who had been quietly pouring the drinks set the bottle down and replied gently.

“I had a hunch, so I gave the servant some jewelry to ask, and apparently His Majesty gave the fox a room in his own chambers.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. And apparently His Majesty cherishes the fox so much that even among the court ladies in his palace, only a few have seen it.”

“Is that so…”

Only then did his ears perk up. Yoon-gak snapped his slowly waving fan shut.

“I’ve been too indifferent to my brother lately even though we live in the same palace. I didn’t even know about this. If it’s something my brother cares about, then naturally I must see it myself. First…”

Yoon-gak’s eyes landed on the man. As if understanding the silent command, the man lowered his clothes with a long smirk.

Fine silk brushed against fair skin. Not to be outdone, the woman grabbed the hem of her skirt as well, and the room instantly heated up.

[“Strip him.”

Several court ladies rushed in and tore the fox’s clothes.

“Stop, stop it!”

Dori cried, tears streaming down his cheeks, ears and tail exposed, trembling all over, but in the end, he was left stark naked, not a single thread on his body.

They slowly circled the now-nude fox, inspecting his condition.

Jade-like skin, soft and smooth to the touch.

Sharp and scrutinizing eyes swept over Dori’s body. They groped his chest, touched his waist. One even slipped a hand between his thighs, causing the fox to recoil in surprise and cover himself with his bushy tail.

“Hmph. As if a mere animal understands shame.”

One court lady grabbed his tail with one hand and forced a finger into his hole with the other.

Kyaak, kyaak!

The fox cried out sharply, but before long, a milky, cloudy liquid spilled onto the floor. As the pale skin turned crimson, Dori could no longer think straight.

Finally, a woman shoved him into a water basin.

Splash.

His tail shot straight up in shock, and the court ladies smirked as they looked on.

“Look at that disgusting thing. How could His Majesty pick up something like that?”

Dori curled his matted tail and sniffled.

Splash!

Ice-cold water poured down on him from above.]

The humiliation Dori suffered in the original work was beyond words. The worst of it was the bath. Especially before or after spending the night with Haban, he was often stripped naked under the excuse of bathing and forced to stand while they admired him.

‘And Haban… how terrifying he was.’

The moment Dori was laid on the bed, Haban began to penetrate him without any foreplay, violently and brutally. Rather than soothing his stiffened body from the shock, Haban complained that the entrance was too tight and gripped his thighs tightly until he relaxed.

Dori screamed, his throat tearing from the pain of feeling his body split in half. He moaned from the overwhelming pleasure, and struggled, as if rubbing his heels against the sheets soaked with semen.

After those horrifying nights, Dori wasn’t even allowed to rest in bed the next day but was locked in a cage. For the fox that whimpered in pain, a physician, Haewon, was assigned.

Compared to that, look at how things are now.

There was no more being pushed into Haban’s bed, no more being stripped, and no more humiliating baths.

Well, he couldn’t escape being bathed by Haewon. When he had to entrust his body to his younger sibling, he was so embarrassed he covered his eyes with his front paws.

After much thought, Dori found a solution.

“What’s wrong with the fox today? You try stopping him, quickly.”

“Please let go, Fox. We have to finish and leave. If you keep clinging like this, we can’t work.”

Dori grabbed the handle of the water tub in his mouth and dragged it.

At certain times of the day, court ladies would come in to clean the room, and among the water tubs they brought, one had become Dori’s target.

Splash, splash.

Water spilled as he dragged it, flustering the court ladies. When they tried to take it back, he dug his claws into the wooden tub and growled, making them back away, stomping their feet in frustration.

“We have no choice. Let’s just leave it.”

“But His Majesty will…”

“It’s clean water, so it’ll be fine.”

Thus, every morning and evening, Dori secured one water tub.

He hid the tub behind a folding screen set up as a divider and carried a thin blanket from the bed to cover it and keep dust out.

Poof!

And at night, Dori secretly transformed into a human. He had once tried bathing as a fox and nearly fell into the tub.

‘Whew. I almost paved a flower path in my fox life only to end up seeing funeral flowers in the afterlife.’

He only wanted to wash his head first, as was his habit as a human, but when he gripped the edge of the tub with his front paws and pushed up with his hind legs, they slipped.

He flailed all four legs and toppled the tub with a crash, earning a harsh scolding from Haban who rushed in.

That was why he hid the water tub behind the screen.

Though it only had four panels, spreading it wide gave enough space to bathe behind. It was also tall enough to hide him even if someone suddenly opened the door from outside.

After a few such incidents, the court ladies began naturally bringing an extra tub and leaving it in the room. Usually, they’d place it near the door or window, and each time, the fox would hide under a chair and keep a wary eye, receiving no particular attention in return.

“He spilled it all on the floor again. What is he even doing to keep knocking it over? We have to clean it up every time—it’s exhausting.”

“He should at least use the water while we’re here. We get scolded so much by the head court lady.”

Yet every morning, when they saw the dried water trails leading from the door to behind the screen, the court ladies sighed.

“Give it here. I’ll just move it over there myself.”

Then one day, a court lady who had returned to fetch a forgotten basin saw the fox dragging the tub with its mouth and decided to just bring the tub directly behind the screen.

Dori didn’t let his guard down, watching the scene from afar.

‘In the novel, they were all very wicked people. Pretending to spill water, deliberately pouring dirty water. They’d do nasty things secretly so Haban wouldn’t find out. So be careful. Just say thank you and that’s it.’

Curled up in a corner of the room, Dori barked—Kyang, kyang—instead of offering thanks.

“Kyaah!”

But the court lady shrieked, kicked the tub in surprise, and fled.

They had unconsciously been ignoring the fact that the animal roaming freely in the room was a fox.

‘Ah! My bathwater!’

After that, strangely enough, the court ladies began placing the water tub behind the screen. As if calculating that he wouldn’t bite if full, they sometimes left small snacks beside it too.

To Dori, just not being ignored or tormented like in the original was already enough. His heart felt much more at ease.

‘Being a fox really was the right answer.’

He didn’t suffer rough treatment from Haban, and instead of a square cage, he now had a luxurious room.

Satisfied and full, Dori hopped onto the bed.

‘Let’s see. Was it here earlier?’

He plopped down on the warmest, fluffiest-looking spot, wiped his front paws clean, and even licked his tail fur into place before sprawling out on his back and showing his belly.

‘It’s heaven, this is heaven.’

Rolling left, then rolling right.

The snow-white fox’s belly was plump.

“I told you not to lie down right after eating.”

“Kkyung!”

Ugh, that nagging again!

Despite how things were going differently from the novel, there was one part that remained the same—Physician Haewon.

Just like in the original, he became Dori’s exclusive caretaker. But unlike before, it wasn’t to treat injuries from abuse—it was to stay by the fox’s side and monitor his health all day.

“You’ve got sauce all over your mouth.”

The wistful sentiment of “he was the one who died because of Dori in the original” had evaporated after just a few hours of nagging. Haewon really talked too much. It even made Dori wonder if maybe it was his mouth that got him killed.

Dori sprang up and backed all the way to the wall.