Chapter 49
Returning to his palace, Calix ignored Daisy, who had come out to greet him, asking if he’d returned, and walked straight in.
“Damn it!”
As soon as he entered his private receiving room, he kicked the sofa and began pacing in circles, muttering to himself.
“Why did I say I’d give it to her?”
He didn’t care whether or not Bianca got upset—he had planned to let it be. So why had he gone out of his way to offer the silver-furred fox to Lea just to witness that scene?
He dropped onto the sofa, folded his arms, and leaned his head back against the cushion. Replaying what had happened at the Empress’s palace, he muttered to himself again. Now that his head had cooled a bit, things he hadn’t noticed before came to mind.
“I’m sure she was subtly provoking the Empress… but then she goes and accepts the gift like some greedy social climber, so maybe not…”
It was the first time the woman—so blatantly simple before—had felt so difficult to read. The uncertainty of not knowing his enemy unsettled him.
It was already exhausting having to deal with the Empress, and now he had to keep his eye on her daughter too? The thought weighed heavily on him. His position was already fragile, and yet Lea seemed to be expanding her influence more and more. That anxious feeling ate at him.
He cursed himself for not even considering sending the silver-furred animal to the temple, even though he knew it was revered as sacred there.
Today, for some reason, he felt more isolated than ever. Maybe it was because of the seemingly warm bond between Bianca and Lea—however superficial—that he found himself missing his late mother terribly.
Despite being the Crown Prince, he had nothing to his name. That pitiful state of his lingered with him, and even as the sun set, he sat in the dark without lighting a single lamp.
When he felt so hollow it was as if he couldn’t breathe, a familiar cry rang out from the direction of the balcony.
“Luna?”
“Kyuung!”
“You!”
He quickly got up and rushed to the balcony. When he opened the closed door, the fox stepped gently inside.
“Where have you been all this time? You’re only just coming back now?”
“Kyang?”
“I gave you a name, didn’t I? That makes me your master… So how could you just disappear like that?”
Calix scooped the fox up and cradled it in his arms.
“Huh? What’s this?”
In the moonlight-filled space, he now noticed the wound he hadn’t seen when the fox was on the floor. He immediately lit a lamp and carefully examined the injury.
“So this is why you couldn’t come back right away. Who the hell did this to you?”
There was a wound near the upper part of the fox’s front paw—an old arrow wound. It was nearly healed, but still looked painful to move.
“You should’ve come straight here. You’re smarter than other foxes.”
“Kaaang…”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
Just like his mother had done for him when he was little, he formed his lips into an O and gently blew on the fox’s wound.
“Not that blowing on it will magically heal it, right?”
“Kang, kang.”
“Luna, every time you respond, it really feels like you understand what I’m saying. It’s kind of amazing.”
“Kaang?”
“Hold on… I should have some ointment.”
Finding the ointment tin Ilion had once given him, Calix scooped some out and applied it generously to the fox’s wound. Holding the trembling little body close, he gently patted her belly.
“Wait here. I’ll tell Daisy to bring some water and apples.”
He rang a small bell and instructed Daisy to bring food the fox could eat.
Seeing Calix—who had looked downcast all day—suddenly brightening, Daisy quickly sprang into action. She brought a plate with apples, carrots, and water, and set it on the table.
“Your Highness, you should eat as well. You haven’t had anything since lunch.”
“Hmm…”
At her words, the fox suddenly tugged on his sleeve. She nudged his hand toward the plate of apples and looked up at him, twitching her damp nose.
It looked as if she were saying, Go on, eat, and Daisy burst into laughter.
“This little fox seems to be worried about Your Highness. How amazing.”
“…Right? Luna really seems smart.”
“Shall I prepare your meal too?”
“Please.”
“I’ll be quick!”
Daisy disappeared with lively steps. Calix, watching the fox quietly nibble on an apple at the table, reached out to stroke her head.
“Take your time. Let’s eat together.”
“Kyang!”
He felt the bad mood from earlier slowly begin to lift.
“Yeah. There’s no need to rush. Things can’t get any worse. I’ll just start rebuilding everything, one step at a time. Right, Luna?”
“Kang!”
Soon, Daisy returned with a hot meal. Though it wasn’t proper etiquette, Calix began dining at the same table as the fox.
She wasn’t a person—just a single animal, but somehow, the once-empty palace now felt full.
As he cut his steak, popped a bite into his mouth, and watched the fox munch on her apple, she looked even more endearing than before—maybe because she was his fox now.
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