SAFBIAN Ch 49

Chapter 49

Carriages and horses passed one after another along the wide road leading from the imperial palace. Even without extravagant and luxurious decorations, the adornments on the roofs and even a single wheel of the carriages exuded sophistication.

If one were to block the path of such esteemed individuals, there would be nowhere to appeal even if a limb were broken. The onlookers clung to the roadside, watching the procession with curious eyes.

“What was that just now?”

“The white thing riding in the carriage?”

“Yeah, that one! Didn’t it move around like a little cotton ball?”

“Looked like a tail to me. Maybe it’s a dog raised by some high-ranking person.”

The carriage had only half its curtain drawn, so the owner’s face remained hidden.

Instead, what could be seen was a white, fluffy beast sitting calmly, looking around outside. It was curious to see how still and obedient it appeared, as though being embraced or covered by a cloak.

Just then, a red-haired man who had come out late to spectate overheard their conversation and stared at the back of the carriage. He was a fox of the Ho merchant group, gathering information on Dori at Wonwoo’s request.

“Well, you see. I’m not certain either, but to my eyes it looked just like a fox.”

“You too? Where would you even find a pure white fox like that? No way.”

“True, I guess.”

While they tilted their heads in doubt, the carriage and its party exited the city gates. The dust that had risen began to settle, and people’s attention returned to their daily routines.

“By the way, I kept wondering why potatoes kept disappearing from home, and it turns out my daughter was secretly giving them to the neighbor’s kid! And then she got harshly rejected and locked herself in her room saying she wouldn’t eat!”

“Aigo, sounds like a son-in-law’s on the way.”

“What are you saying! Even if gravel gets in my eyes, I’ll never approve of that fox-like rascal!”

The people who had gathered in a small group soon dispersed. Only the red-haired man remained alone on the now quiet street, deep in thought.

‘…A white fox?’

That passing comment wasn’t baseless. They must have seen something unusual—either in its appearance or fur color—for such words to be said.

For some reason, Wonwoo had been convinced from the beginning that Dori would be in the imperial palace.

He had taken on a delivery to the palace, thinking it was worth trying even if it amounted to nothing, but had returned empty-handed and dejected. He never expected to hear such information in an unexpected place.

‘Should I report this first?’

Clicking his tongue, the man turned toward the merchant group’s headquarters.

As soon as he arrived at the Ho merchant group’s building, he headed straight to the successor’s room—Wonwoo’s.

“How did it go? Dori—did you find him?”

Even before he could sit down, Wonwoo asked abruptly. Though he tried to hide it, his face was filled with barely concealed anxiety.

The man delayed his answer and closely observed Wonwoo.

‘Strange. I’ve watched him for several days, but there’s been no sign of anything odd. Even though he left his mate Hori in the village and came alone, he’s completely fine?’

Foxes who’ve marked their mates feel extreme anxiety when separated from them. Mental affliction turning into physical symptoms was expected. It could start with insomnia and escalate to severe, full-body pain.

Yet Wonwoo showed no such signs. In fact, his complexion looked better than before he returned to the merchant group.

‘So they never marked each other. Well, it’s not my business anyway.’

While the man reached this conclusion, Wonwoo urged him again.

“So, what did you see when you got there?”

“Of course, I didn’t see anything. You think the imperial palace is some place you can just wander around?”

“Damn it! That’s why I wanted to go myself!”

“There were more guards than before. They searched everyone at the gates and kept watch until you left—what good would it have done if you went?”

Wonwoo opened his mouth as if to say something but shut it again. Then he seemed lost in thought, calculating something.

When the silence dragged on, Wonwoo finally spoke.

“That idiot hasn’t been caught yet, it seems.”

He looked irritated, but at the same time, there was relief in his expression. The man hesitated briefly before continuing his report.

“…Well, maybe that’s not true.”

“What?”

“On the way back, I heard something interesting. People had gathered to watch a fancy carriage pass by, and they were saying a pure white fox seemed to be riding in it.”

“You saw it? Are you sure?”

“I missed it. The carriage was heading out of the city. But you said Dori would be in the imperial palace.”

“…”

Wonwoo abruptly shot up from his seat, his fingers trembling as if in panic.

“Damn it!”

“What’s wrong?”

“It was that carriage!”

“…What? Seriously?”

Leaving the stunned man behind, Wonwoo roughly flung open the door.

How could he have not realized? It was so clear.

As Dori’s presence gradually faded, his body began to react. His heart pounded wildly, his veins visibly swelling with the rush of blood.

He wanted to transform into his true form and run immediately, but he was still inside the city and couldn’t.

Wonwoo grabbed one of the merchant group’s horses, mounted it, and immediately whipped the reins. With a sharp command, the horse galloped out of the stable like an arrow.

He reached the city gates in an instant.

There were fresh wheel marks and hoofprints left not long ago.

Once outside the gates and away from prying eyes, Wonwoo dismounted and transformed into a fox, taking off at full speed.

He could get Dori back!

That thought alone eclipsed everything else. It wasn’t the time to consider the basics—like avoiding human eyes.

…Huff, huff.

His fiery red fur flew wildly in the wind as he raced. Finally, in the distance, Wonwoo caught sight of them.

The carriage was near the center of a slow-moving procession. He couldn’t see it clearly from behind due to people and horses in the way.

With no other choice, Wonwoo confirmed their direction and ran up a slope off the road.

From a high vantage point, he could see a tail poking out beside the carriage roof. It was the closest he’d been to Dori since he’d escaped from the red fox village.

‘Damn it! Are they really raising him in human hands?’

How dangerous.

He had guessed Dori might be hiding in his fox form due to his clumsiness at human transformation. But being raised like livestock among humans was a different story.

Images of Dori—barely able to stand in a small cage, bound with a collar and muzzle—flashed before Wonwoo’s eyes.

Wonwoo bit down hard on his jaw and scraped the ground with his forepaw. The clumped, dry dirt crumbled under his sharp claws.

The distance between them was short.

But facing that many humans alone was impossible, even for the most exceptional fox of the red fox village.

Wonwoo hesitated, watching the carriage drift farther away.

‘What do I do? I can’t just chase after it recklessly. If I get caught, I won’t make it out either…’

Rationality made the judgment clear.

Go back. First, gather information on the owner of that carriage.

After all, the mark of the mate engraved on his body had led him to Dori. Missing the carriage now didn’t mean losing everything. With this clue, the Ho (狐) merchant group would surely find him.

Still, being separated again from the mate he had just found felt unbearable.

‘…This will be the last time.’

Next time, he would return with Dori, no matter what.

Now, even the roof of the carriage was barely visible. Wonwoo’s brown eyes narrowed sharply.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The emperor’s guards flanked the front and rear of the carriage. The horses walked slowly, matching the pace of the carriage, out of consideration for the small fox that had boldly boarded.

Completely unaware, the fox sat upright, keeping alert. Whenever beautiful scenery appeared, his mouth dropped open in awe with a little gasp. His golden eyes sparkled.

Meanwhile, Haban leaned back lazily, watching the fox’s expressions.

‘Is it just that it’s spring now? It feels so different from the winter mountains.’

Unaware of this, Dori looked around with eyes full of curiosity.

The sky was blue, the mountains green, the flowers beautiful. It wasn’t just a mundane appreciation.

When he first entered the novel, it had been winter. Everything was covered in snow, and the confusion of that time still felt recent—but now the seasons had clearly changed.

Time had passed in a blur. He had looked out the window and taken strolls in the garden pulled by Haban’s leash, but he hadn’t felt this way back then.

Now, looking out at the grand nature teeming with life, he finally felt like he had become a character in a novel.

‘Ugh, this is driving me crazy!’

Dori retracted his claws. His paws itched with the instinct to dash out like a real fox.

He wanted to roll around on that lively grass. He wanted to dig up that fluffy-looking, soft earth to his heart’s content.

But realizing how strange these desires were made him sullen.

‘This is bad. I think I’ve really turned into a fox.’

Having spent so long in fox form, his natural instincts had started to surpass his human ones. He worried that, at this rate, he might become more accustomed to being a fox than a human.

‘I can’t let that happen. As soon as I save Haban, I’m running away without looking back.’

Just because he pretended to be a fox didn’t mean he truly was one.