SAFBIAN Ch 61

Chapter 61

Lady Jang, who had been standing guard with her back to the door behind Haban, stepped aside. Soon, the closed door quietly slid open, followed by the rustling sound of garments brushing against each other.

‘Huh, huh?’

Dori, who had been glaring sharply at Haban, was confused when the palace maids entered again. However, the aroma of food quickly spreading throughout the room made his mouth water.

‘Right! Come to think of it, I haven’t eaten anything since dinner yesterday and have been sleeping all this time.’

No wonder he felt hungry the moment he woke up.

He had been so exhausted yesterday that he had nodded off from midday, and ended up falling asleep before dinner as if collapsing. In other words, he had basically fasted for half a day straight.

Dori absentmindedly rubbed his belly with his front paw. Haban’s gaze, upon noticing this, turned icy.

‘I’d better warn him about that.’

If he were a real fox, it wouldn’t matter, but his “possession” was a person, wasn’t it? Moreover, Haban knew well—there wasn’t a single thread of clothing actually on that body.

So realizing that touching the fur was essentially the same as touching that soft skin, Haban wanted to wrap the fox’s body completely, from head to tail, so no one else could see it.

Hmph!

‘Where are you looking!’

Misunderstanding Haban’s gaze, Dori leapt up in alarm.

Fearing he might again hear words about skinning him and peeling off his hide, he tried to burrow under the blanket. However, just as he was crawling in headfirst, his long tail was suddenly grabbed.

“Kyain!”

‘My tail!’

Though it didn’t actually hurt, he let out a sharp cry from sheer surprise.

“After sleeping so long, are you going back to sleep again?”

“Ka—kaang! Kaang!”

Haban released the tail and grabbed him by the scruff. Dori flailed his dangling legs in the air, not realizing that even in this, he kept his claws sheathed out of concern he might hurt Haban.

Tap.

After setting his paw on the table, Dori finally calmed down and curled up with a soft kyaung.

The table was filled with a sumptuous feast.

…Gulp.

Dori swallowed his saliva.

‘Wh-why though?’

However, as Haban sat down right next to him, he straightened up stiffly in tension. After washing his hands in clean water and drying them, Haban spoke.

“It’s a kind of talent to create extra trouble when it could’ve been done with just one hand.”

‘That’s because of you, Haban…!’

Unable to hold back the injustice, Dori bristled.

Every time Haban threatened him with punishment, flaying, and all those nasty things he said, it was natural for Dori to be wary.

From Dori’s perspective, he thought they had grown somewhat close during their trip to the altar. But just yesterday, upon arriving at the palace, Haban had suddenly threatened punishment again.

He just couldn’t keep up with Haban’s mood swings. One day hot, the next day cold—like a hot spring and an ice bath.

‘Sigh. Whatever. It’s enough that he cooled off.’

Dori shook his head weakly.

“You must have been greatly drained from the long journey to the altar. According to the physician, they even applied acupuncture while you were sleeping, but you didn’t wake up. For now, eat whatever is given to you.”

Haban casually scooped some soft porridge into a pristine white dish.

As Dori simply stared at it, Haban’s thick brows twitched.

“What are you doing? Eat.”

Watching carefully, Dori tentatively extended his tongue and licked a bit of the millet porridge.

The porridge, made to be very gentle on the stomach, was incredibly mild and nutty. The small amount he managed to lap up vanished in an instant.

“Try this one too.”

Haban tore off a large chunk of meat from a fish as big as a platter. Dori flinched slightly at the sight of the fish’s belly splitting open, but his twitching nose confirmed the enticing scent.

Chomp.

Dori eagerly accepted the golden-browned fish meat.

‘Ooooh!’

Not only was the thickness satisfying, but the flesh didn’t fall apart—yet it was soft and melted on the tongue after just a few chews.

Dori licked his lips with regret. Haban, waiting until he swallowed, then cut a piece from a skewer of meat and handed it over.

Sitting with his hind legs folded, his fur shimmering with gloss from the fragrant oil brushed over it, Dori eagerly bit into the skewer again. Whether it had been marinated in salty soy sauce or something else, it was absolutely delicious.

“Kuukuuu…”

Dori wagged his tail, asking for more.

This time, Haban offered a bright red chunk dipped in sesame oil. Sensing something suspicious, Dori only sniffed it, and Haban explained it was fresh liver.

‘Ugh!’

Dori shuddered and recoiled. The sight of bloody meat from before flashed through his mind—he still couldn’t stomach raw food.

“Your Majesty…”

Meanwhile, Haewon was nervously shifting his feet beside them. He was worried sick seeing the fox being fed such strong-flavored foods like a human.

“There’s no need to worry.”

Haban didn’t care and continued offering various foods to the fox. Not knowing what it would like, he was testing each one to observe its reaction.

The fox had always had a taste for bold flavors and enjoyed sweet treats served as snacks.

Even now, after tasting the spicy stir-fried meat and savory braised dishes, his eyes widened. His ears fluttered continuously, and his tail arched high in satisfaction.

‘Its taste must have changed completely.’

Haban’s gaze narrowed as he watched the fox.

The one he called “mine” in its previous life had preferred the original flavors of ingredients. Whether it was fruit or vegetables, he always sought fresh, crisp ones.

‘Still hates raw food.’

Though oddly, he never ate raw meat. Just like the fox in front of him now.

The fox licked his now-empty dish.

With a faint smile, Haban offered a spoonful of softly steamed egg. But as the fox eagerly buried his nose into it, the image of his gaunt “possession” overlapped in his mind, and his smile slowly faded.

Why had it been like that back then?

When “his” couldn’t swallow food, Haban punished him, thinking it was defiance.

When “his” vomited food, he beat him harshly for wasting such precious fare.

He could’ve just stayed beside him and given food he could eat.

If he’d fed him like this by hand, he might’ve swallowed it.

It felt hard to breathe. Haban’s throat bobbed as he swallowed dryly. At that moment, the fox pushed a dish full of food toward him with its paw.

‘You eat too, Haban.’

Dori tilted his head, wondering why Haban just sat there staring at the food.

‘Did he already eat before coming?’

Then why come here at all? Surely not just to watch someone else eat.

As Dori nudged the dish again with his nose, Haban let out a shallow breath and asked,

“So, this is what you want?”

Dori shook his head.

There were so many dishes prepared with various ingredients. Whatever mood had taken Haban, Dori had stuffed himself, thinking he had to eat as much as possible while he had the chance. His belly was round and full.

“If not, then… is it for me?”

Dori looked at the stir-fried eggplant on the plate and nodded enthusiastically. The mushy texture of eggplant was something he particularly hated, though Haban wouldn’t know that.

“How sweet of you. Thinking of your master.”

‘Ah, why is he happy about that!’

But seeing Haban looking genuinely pleased made Dori feel a pang of guilt, as though his conscience had been pricked.

“Since you offered it, I’ll share it with you.”

‘No, I don’t want to eat anymore.’

Dori wrapped his belly, feeling too full to take another bite. It wasn’t that he hated eggplant, but he’d simply eaten too much already.

At that, Haban, who hadn’t eaten much either, set down his chopsticks and pushed the table away.

His stomach now round and firm, Dori glanced at Haban to gauge his mood.

‘Is he not in a bad mood today? What are all these dishes for? I thought after storming out yesterday, he wouldn’t show up again for a while.’

Though he had a nasty personality, Haban was like a picture even from up close. His eyes were deep and mellow, with a sharp nose and strong jawline—everything about him was flawless.

Contrary to the firmness of his mouth, his lips looked surprisingly soft, and Dori, absentmindedly staring at them, suddenly felt a wave of nausea. It wasn’t the food filling his throat, but a whirlpool of emotion churning in his gut.

He’d endured all this by clinging to the single goal of escaping the palace—but now everything he’d suppressed was rising all at once, as if it would burst out of his mouth.

Dori gulped down his words.

When it came to Haban, a mix of conflicting feelings always surfaced.

He felt joy, then sadness.

Fear, then kindness.

Fondness, then hatred.

Were these emotions truly his own, or were they what “Dori” felt?

‘I just want to leave the palace as soon as possible…’

If he did, he wouldn’t have to feel these complicated, difficult emotions anymore.

Dori thought maybe he was just worn out.

Misery eats away at a person easily. When left too long in poverty without parents, one would constantly feel like giving up. Falling into negative thoughts led to being trapped in them, eventually leading to self-harm.

‘I don’t want that!’

Dori quickly banished the thought.

‘I’m fine. I’ll be out of this palace soon, and I’ll live a peaceful, quiet life with the treasures I take with me and make Dori happy.’

Though that was himself too.

Whatever happens, pretend it’s nothing. Dori repeated this like a spell. It was a rule he had made to protect himself ever since he was growing up in the orphanage.

Haban quietly observed the fox, whose golden eyes had grown dull. His mouth was still chewing, and his little paws kept wriggling. In the past, when “his” looked like that, it always ended badly.

Tsk. “I told you to show your true self, and now you’re getting lost in thoughts again.”

At that moment, a palace maid brought in a teapot and cups shaped like lotus flowers and steeped a reddish liquid. She poured some into a flat dish placed before Dori.

Dori stepped on the table with both paws and sniffed. Sniff sniff. The aroma was cool, as if it cleared his mind.

‘…Peppermint?’

Not exactly, but the spicy scent was similar.

Dori barely touched it with the tip of his tongue.

‘Gah!’

What is this taste?!

“Kaak! Ka—kyaak!”

He thrashed so hard his tail whipped around. The taste was so strong, it was hard to believe anyone drank it for pleasure. Haban seemed downright bizarre.

“I told you to fix that impatient nature, but you never listen.”

Haban clicked his tongue.

The palace maid hastily mixed honey into the tea on Dori’s dish. After adding warm water, she sprinkled some unknown powder on top.

Only then did the tea find a balance—sweet with a slight bitterness. But unlike Dori, Haban continued drinking the original brew as it was. Just as expected, he was extreme.