Chapter 40
“…Seems like something’s happened.”
Ilion spoke as he watched Lea’s group, as if keeping track of their movements, but his words didn’t really register with Calix.
Lost in thoughts of the vanished fox, Calix merely glanced over with a disinterested expression.
“It’s a hunting tournament. What could really go wrong?”
“Well, that’s true.”
At worst, it might’ve been a wild boar. He had already taken care of the wolf pack himself.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Calix quietly returned to his palace. The fuss surrounding Lea had actually been something of a blessing for him. He was already annoyed by the constant stream of people asking to see the silver-furred fox.
He had no interest whatsoever in what happened to that woman.
Ilion followed behind him, muttering,
“By the way… when exactly did Luna disappear?”
They had known her for less than a day, yet the overly familiar tone grated on Calix’s nerves. He shot a look at Ilion.
“You were the one calling her suspicious earlier. And now you’re looking for her?”
“No, I’m just curious because she vanished so flawlessly. It’s not like I seriously thought she was suspicious, really.”
“Stop showing interest in my fox.”
Calix knew he was being petty, but he didn’t care enough to correct himself.
To him, Luna was no longer just an ordinary fox. She had gifted him the victory in the hunting tournament, something no one else had done.
As Calix drifted back into thoughts of the fox, Ilion asked in a serious tone,
“Who are you going to give the silver-furred fox to? If possible, wouldn’t it be better to gift it to the child of a noble who could be of use to you?”
Because of Bianca’s interference, Calix hadn’t been able to form his own faction. The silver-furred fox could become a valuable social tool.
But he hadn’t offered the fox to anyone yet.
That meant the nobles were on high alert, wondering to whom the silver fox would be given.
As expected, the nobles were already busy whispering that whoever received the silver-furred fox would surely become one of the Crown Prince’s people.
In response to Ilion’s question, Calix let out a dry chuckle and said,
“It might be best to give it to my dear sister. As a get-well gift, perhaps. Not that I actually want to give it to her, but if necessary.”
He spoke shamelessly, referring to Lea as ‘Sister’ even though he hadn’t so much as looked at her when she collapsed. His low, scoffing voice carried a distinctly sinister edge.
Thinking of Bianca, who had looked at the silver fox with greedy eyes, Calix sneered.
It wasn’t widely known, but the Empress’s indifference toward her daughter was a well-established fact to him.
The Empress didn’t just neglect Lea, she showed outright disinterest. No, it might be more accurate to say she found her daughter burdensome.
He recalled the first time he met the Empress and Lea, five years ago. Unlike the dazzlingly adorned Bianca, Lea had been thin and scruffy.
Despite being her biological daughter, Bianca hadn’t looked for Lea even after settling into the palace.
That’s why Calix had pitied her. He personally showed her around the palace, invited her to tea like a game of house, and even fed her by hand.
Perhaps he had felt a sense of kinship. After all, after his own mother died, he too had been neglected by the Emperor.
He had even taken the initiative to call her ‘Sister’ back then. At least until she changed her attitude toward him.
His crimson eyes, which had softened with the memory, gradually turned cold again.
After returning to his palace, Calix entrusted the captured silver-furred fox to Daisy and went straight into his bedchamber.
He thought there might be a chance that the clever Luna had already returned to his room.
He even checked under the bed, but when he didn’t see her anywhere, he felt an inexplicable pang of disappointment.
“…Should I make a collar or something?”
Since she still retained her wild instincts, it would take time, and tools—to properly tame her.
Sitting on the sofa, Calix found himself thinking of gemstones that matched the fox’s eyes.
“Amber would be better than yellow topaz, I think.”
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