SAFBIAN Ch 71

Chapter 71

Fluffy ears and a plump tail.

Soft white fur and golden eyes resembling the moon.

Startled by its own reflection, the fox hurriedly hid itself. The moonlight shining down on it was simply too bright.

In the silence that followed, the clouds once again veiled the moon. Only then did the fox slowly creep out from the darkness and gaze up at the night sky. Then, it cautiously stepped forward. Its steps were firm and unwavering, as if it knew exactly where it was going.

The fox stopped at a certain spot, spat out the cherished bracelet it had been carrying, and pressed the ground here and there to find a suitably soft area.

Eventually, its front paw sank into one particular spot.

‘Here!’

It was the same place it had once dug a hole and covered back up, so the earth was already loose.

Rustle. Dori, who had been digging without hesitation, suddenly paused and glanced around.

…Come to think of it, something was odd.

‘Why is the imperial palace so quiet tonight? Surely, at least one or two guards should’ve passed by.’

It had happened in the original work too, and in reality, every time Dori had come out to bury trinkets or clothes, he’d always had to hide from the soldiers. He glanced around quickly.

As expected, there was no one.

‘Is it just luck?’

But for it to be just luck felt unsettling. Still, he had already made all the preparations and resolved to escape tonight, so he couldn’t delay his departure any further.

Tilting his head, Dori resumed digging with his front paws. As he brushed aside the soft soil, a gold cloth bundle wrapped thickly gleamed under the moonlight.

Dori took one end in his mouth and unfolded the cloth.

‘Thank goodness. It hasn’t been discovered.’

He had worried that someone might have found it, but the clothing and accessories hidden inside were still intact.

Dori glanced between the garments and the hole, hesitating briefly. If he transformed into a human, it would be easier to carry the bundle, but there was the risk of getting stuck in the hole.

On the other hand, if he remained in fox form, slipping through the hole would be easy, but he’d have to carry everything in his mouth. What if someone stole what he left behind while he went back for the rest?

There was also the risk of encountering people outside the palace. In many ways, being human would be more advantageous.

‘I’ll try as a human first. If I get stuck, I’ll just turn back into a fox then.’

Having made up his mind, Dori swiftly transformed into a human, wary of being seen.

‘Ah, it’s cold…’

He had thought the weather was warming up, but perhaps because it was night, a cool breeze brushed against the bare skin of his back. Without the fox’s thick fur, his smooth human skin shivered from the chill.

Dori rubbed his arms briskly and hurried to get dressed. In his haste, he decided to use his last blue outer robe as a bundle instead of wearing it…

He hung as many of the accessories as he could on himself. Though a bit clumsy, he managed to twist up his hair and decorated it with pins and hair ornaments more deftly than before.

He also stacked several bracelets on each wrist and put rings on his fingers. Once he cut the quantity in half, he was finally able to gather everything into one bundle.

‘Why does this keep slipping out?’

As a long sash slipped from the wrapped bundle, Dori hastily stuffed it back in. The resulting bundle looked just right to carry in his arms.

‘Alright, perfect!’

But perhaps because he had spent so much time as a fox, the cold metal of the accessories against his bare skin felt unfamiliar. The spot where the hairpin sat tingled, and the fine hairs beneath the bracelets stood on end.

No—maybe it wasn’t just that.

Dori sensed a sharp gaze piercing through him from somewhere. It was a chilling sensation, like a predator sinking its teeth into the back of his neck.

…No way.

Still holding the bundle, Dori slowly turned around. He thought he could make out a silhouette in the dark shadow of a building.

A ghost?

No… a person?

Who would be awake at this hour…?

Dori stumbled backward. In this solemn imperial palace, only one person could move freely regardless of the hour.

He already knew who it was but shook his head slowly in denial.

Clatter, clink!

As a result, the loosely placed hairpins fell one by one. Unfortunately, just at that moment, the annoying clouds released the moonlight they had been hiding.

‘…!’

Standing still in the moonlight, with eyes dark as the night, was none other than Haban—who should have been asleep.

Dori was so shocked that the bundle slipped from his hands.

“H-Haban…”

He unconsciously murmured the name.

At the sound of his name, Haban tilted his head slightly. Who, in this palace, would dare speak the emperor’s name aloud?

Only then did Dori realize his mistake and bit down on his tongue. Luckily, Haban didn’t seem concerned with that. Instead, he pointed at the ground with his chin.

“Did you steal it?”

The blue silk robe, which matched Dori’s pale skin, lay slightly over his feet where Haban had pointed.

“No!”

Dori instinctively yelled, then quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

…You fool!

Reflexively answering out of fear of being mistaken for a thief had only made things worse. His toes twitched with anxiety.

“That robe is made of silk reserved for the emperor. The bracelet at your feet is also imperial property. All of it—I gave to my fox. …So now, it’s your turn to answer.”

As Haban’s gaze slowly rose from Dori’s dirt-covered feet, it became hard to breathe. Though he was asking questions, his deadly eyes already knew the truth.

How long had he been watching?

When had he been discovered?

He didn’t want to be dragged off as a suspicious intruder, tortured, or—worse—beheaded. Yet he couldn’t think of a single excuse or lie to get out of this. It was frustrating.

In the end—

Poof!

Dori transformed back into a white fox, clutching just one bracelet in his mouth, and dashed toward the escape hole. Twitch. On the opposite side, from where he needed to exit, he sensed someone’s presence. A sharp clinking sound of metal reached his ears.

…There’s a soldier stationed on the other side.

After all the trouble he went through to avoid being caught. Tears of sorrow began to stream down Dori’s cheeks. Haban, who had silently watched him from the moment he transformed, extended a hand.

“You’ve done a good job pretending to be a fox all this time.”

Dori flinched and shrank back quickly. Haban looked so exactly like a scene from the novel.

“There’s plenty of time tonight. I want to hear everything—from your own mouth.”

At those words, Dori’s golden eyes trembled in fear.

He knew what it meant in the original novel—to spend the night with Haban.

[He pried open what was tightly shut and thrust himself in mercilessly. Every place he stirred felt like being punched in the gut. Dori couldn’t even breathe, writhing in agony. The way he was ravaged over and over again, he wished he could just lose consciousness. But as if enjoying even his scream-like sobs, a cold smile only deepened at Haban’s lips.]

‘I should’ve escaped sooner…’

Just recalling the original scene made every hair on Dori’s body stand on end.

Before long, the sound of Haban’s footsteps grew closer—Dori squeezed his eyes shut in terror.

The fox had been brought back once again, dangling in someone’s arms.

When word spread that the fox had snuck out the window while everyone was asleep, the palace servants were horrified. Especially the attendants of the Fox Palace, who were responsible for caring for the fox, looked pale as if they were about to faint.

By the time the emperor returned to the palace with the fox in his arms, all the servants had rushed out and were lying flat on the ground. Seeing them trembling and pressing their foreheads to the floor, the fox nervously craned its neck.

Haban turned the fox’s head gently to face forward, then passed silently before them.

He had ordered that no one approach the fox’s resting place at night. And yet, not one of them had noticed that the fox had gone missing for quite some time—that was clearly a problem.

One of them should’ve come to him. They had slacked off just because it was ‘only a fox.’

But if he were to reprimand them now, the one to suffer wouldn’t be the servants—it would be the timid fox, who’d surely become distressed and fall ill again.

“What do you think I should do with them?”

Seated at his desk, Haban leaned back lazily while the fox sat atop the table.

From the teary eyes to the dirt-streaked feet, there wasn’t a single part of him that wasn’t adorable. And yet, Haban deliberately kept a stern demeanor.

“…Kang.”

Dori lowered his head gloomily.

Afraid to meet Haban’s eyes, he scratched at the surface of the table with his claws. Then, thinking Haewon would scold him if he saw, Dori quickly hid his paws. Even though he knew it was just the two of them, old habits were hard to break—and scary.

“Just earlier, I clearly saw you as a human, and now you’re pretending to be a fox.”

“…Huff, huuung.”

“It’s alright. Go ahead and change back.”

“…”

Haban’s tone softened as he tried to coax him. He added with subtle pressure, saying that deceiving the emperor came with severe punishment.

But recalling the original novel, Dori had absolutely no intention of complying.

‘The moment Haban saw me as a human, he became cruel. I survived only by pretending to be a fox—if things go back to how they were in the novel, what will I do!’

Of course, even now, he was absolutely terrified!

Tears poured down again from Dori’s eyes. Haban emerging from the shadows earlier had been more terrifying than a ghost. It felt like a cold aura was radiating from his entire being.

Sniffling, Dori pulled his tail into his embrace. Flattening his ears, he curled his body tightly. Seeing this, Haban clicked his tongue briefly.

“Attendant Kim.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Bring it in.”

Dori, who had been wiping his eyes with his front paw, peeked to the side. Eunuch Kim entered quietly—Dori hadn’t even noticed he’d been waiting outside.

People used to say that once the sun set, the emperor carried a fur cloak to ward off the cold. But ever since the fox came to the palace, that had changed. Kim was holding a thick, soft blanket.

“Give it here.”

Haban took the blanket and wrapped it around Dori’s body. Only then did Dori realize he had been shivering like a leaf. His eyes darted restlessly.

“Go prepare bathwater,” Haban ordered finally.

And with that one last sentence, Dori’s heart sank to the floor.