SAFBIAN Ch 60

Chapter 60

tw(somno)

 

Twitch. The fox’s ears twitched as if reacting.

“For someone who is as timid as he is tearful, he was always so curious. He’d get caught doing unnecessary things and end up being scolded even more. Just like you.”

The fox fumbled with its mouth and lowered its gaze.

Perhaps it meant he was feeling wronged.

“And yet, without any sense of tact, he dared to lie to me. He cried so much from being punished that his tears barely had time to dry. He tried to deceive the emperor, so he should have been punished even more severely… Still, there were times when he was honest, so I chose not to hold him accountable.”

Haban gently rubbed beneath the snow-white fox’s eyes.

He stroked its neck and back, but the more he spoke, the more the fox averted its eyes, as if nervous, and flicked out its tongue to lick its nose.

Its reaction—leaping boldly onto the emperor’s lap only to curl up in fear—was so innocent it was almost endearing.

“Whimper, whine.”

The fox’s ears fluttered erratically. From its small rump, the bushy white tail swelled and fell repeatedly.

‘I should probably let the little thing rest for now.’

There were places to check in the palace before tending to ‘my own.’ Even if he had recalled memories from a past life through dreams, they weren’t perfect.

“I’ll be off now.”

As he began to rise, the fox on his lap darted off as if seizing the opportunity.

It was quick and agile. Haban calmly blocked the beast’s path with his leg as it scurried toward an exit, and reprimanded it evenly.

“Don’t make a fuss. Go quietly. If you keep disobeying, you’ll be punished again.”

The fox paused for a moment and opened its mouth.

Haban continued, speaking in a stern tone.

“As of today, I’ve withdrawn all the guards stationed around your quarters. You should have adjusted to the palace by now. From here on, you’re free to roam the inner court.”

“……”

“But the Eastern Palace is not a place you may enter, so it will be guarded. Also, be careful not to go beyond the outer walls. You understand me, don’t you?”

The Eastern Palace was Yungak’s residence. Ordinarily, as the child of the former emperor, he should have been living outside the palace, but since Haban had no heir and no other imperial bloodline remained, Yungak continued to reside within the imperial palace.

“Other than that, you may go wherever you please.”

“……”

The fox tilted its head as if pretending not to understand.

Then, it flapped its long ears and hid behind a folding screen. Even without seeing it, one could tell it had curled up with its large tail wrapped around itself.

Haban stared at the screen for a moment and frowned.

Once the two of them were alone, Haewon exhaled deeply in relief.

“You really have no fear. What were you thinking, jumping onto His Majesty’s lap out of nowhere? I was terrified he’d throw you straight to the floor.”

“…Kaang.”

Dori lowered his gaze. His once shiny eyes were now brimming with tears.

“N-no, I’m not scolding you…”

Flustered, Haewon quickly rubbed the fox’s eyes. Sniffle sniffle, the fox let out a sorrowful sob.

‘He said he gave it to me. It was mine. But when I asked for it back, he got angry…’

The comment about having punished someone similar to him before sounded like a warning.

That cold voice. That emotionless expression.

The oppressive weight of being looked down upon from above made his heart shrink. After that, he couldn’t even hear what Haban was saying clearly.

‘Did he think… Did he think I helped him just to be treated like this?’

Dori trembled with betrayal, his lips quivering.

“Stop crying. Here, want to eat this, little fox?”

Just then, Haewon hurriedly brought something and laid it out before Dori. He didn’t know what it was called, but it didn’t look like palace food.

“This one’s just baked with a bit of salt in a clay oven, so it’s safe to eat. It’s really common street food, but I bet it’s your first time seeing it, huh?”

…Street?

He might have caught a similar smell while passing a market earlier.

Dori wiped the tears from his puffy eyes with his front paw.

“This is a secret, okay? You have to keep it to yourself. You see…”

Seeing his interest, Haewon lowered his voice as much as possible.

“We’re practically property of the palace, so we can’t freely go outside. Only on rare, special occasions are we allowed out. It’s really suffocating. One day, I discovered something. A really small opening—if you contort your body just right, you can squeeze through!”

He was talking about a dog hole he had used to sneak out of the palace. It was likely the very same one Dori had used to escape in the original story.

[When night fell, as promised, Haewon came. He carefully slid open our door. Dori, who had been sleeping as if dead, slowly sat up.

Earlier that evening, Haban had come by and forced apart his resistant legs, shoving himself into an already swollen and torn hole.

Dori cried out with a hoarse voice, but that only inflamed Haban’s lust further.

Squish, squelch.

The ointment had made the inside sticky, and Haban ravaged the hole greedily, digging in deep before filling it with his seed. He then collapsed beside Dori and summoned a physician.

That was when Haewon, unable to bear watching Dori suffer any longer, decided to help him.

He handed over the physician’s robe he had prepared in advance, and Dori stared at it blankly. When Haewon urged him again, he took off the sheer garment that clung to his body.

His pale skin was marred with bruises and welts.

Watching Dori change, Haewon steeled his resolve.

Once Dori left the pen, Haewon softly closed the door behind him.

Each holding a basket of dried herbs, they cautiously walked in silence, fearing their voices might be overheard.

“Who’s there?”

“Gasp!”

A guard suddenly called out to them. Dori froze, but Haewon turned to respond.

“W-we’re physicians.”

“I see. And why are you out at this hour?”

The guard eyed Haewon suspiciously from head to toe.

“These herbs are most potent when dried under moonlight, so we were just finishing up.”

“As you know, even physicians aren’t exempt from rules in the palace. Return to your quarters at once.”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

Fortunately, the guard let them pass without further suspicion.

Haewon urged the stiffly frozen Dori onward. When they reached a certain point, he stopped.

“I’ll keep watch. Go hide behind that rock. Then crawl through the hole.”

Nod.

“And don’t get caught again.”

“Th-thank you.”

Dori clasped Haewon’s hands tightly, then let go.

As he looked back at the palace one last time, a flicker of regret crossed his eyes. Then, transforming back into a fox with a sniffle, Dori picked up the clothes in his mouth and slipped through the hole.]

Dori’s mouth opened slightly.

“It really was a coincidence.”

Haewon, unaware of the fox’s reaction, continued excitedly, sharing his daring tale. It was a secret he hadn’t told anyone in the palace. But it wasn’t like the fox would go blabbing about it anyway.

“There’s a small tree in front of the hole, and there are rocks this big on either side. If you crawl behind them and slip through, no one will notice.”

As Dori chewed on the chewy strip Haewon had torn and handed him, he nodded.

‘So that’s how. Find rocks that big and a tree in between them.’

But more importantly—why is this so tasty?

Haewon tore off another strip, dipped it in honey, and gave it to him. Dori licked the honey first with his tongue, then bit off the end and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, the gentle sweetness spread delightfully.

‘Wait a second. Even if I know where the hole is, it’s useless if I can’t leave my room!’

“I’ll show you next time when no one else is around.”

‘…Huh?’

“Why that surprised look? Didn’t His Majesty say you’re allowed to wander the inner court now?”

‘Then now! Let’s go now!’

Gulp.

Dori swallowed the contents in his mouth and shot to his feet, grabbing Haewon’s pant leg with his teeth.

“Nope. Don’t start begging to go. My master’s coming soon, and I have to go. I’ve got exams to prepare for. If I fail, I won’t get promoted.”

In the original, you felt so bad for Dori and helped him right away!

Yet now Haewon coldly shook the fox off.

Twitch.

The white fox’s legs, folded halfway to either side of his chest, trembled slightly in his sleep. His supple waist arched like a bow. His hind legs and tail lay sprawled carelessly.

The fox had fallen asleep on his back, ears flattened beneath his head, exposing his belly to the ceiling. A faint whimper leaked from his slightly parted muzzle, just enough to reveal his fangs.

Dori had completely passed out the night before.

With no carriage rocking or assassins firing arrows from the shadows, he slept straight through till afternoon without waking.

In fact, Haban had peeked into the room, displeased that the fox hadn’t awakened, and Haewon had even administered thin acupuncture needles. Still, the fox was so still it looked like he’d fainted.

As a result, when he finally awoke, his eyes were so swollen shut that his eyelids wouldn’t separate.

‘Ugh, I can’t see…!’

Dori furiously rubbed his eyes with his front paws. The maids ventilating the room had apparently been watching him the entire time—they turned away, stifling laughter.

‘When did they even come in…!’

To think he slept so deeply without realizing people had entered!

Dori stretched out with a big yawn, then licked his paw nonchalantly, pretending nothing had happened as if he’d been awake the whole time.

After the attendants finished cleaning and left, it wasn’t long before word that the fox was awake reached Haban—and he arrived.

“You slept all day. If you’re that lazy, someone could skin you and you wouldn’t even notice.”

“…!”

Th-that was a joke, right?

What kind of terrifying joke is that!?

And then—