“Why?”
“I told you. Your vessel is too small. So I need to visit from time to time and clean up the curse residue accumulated inside you before it fills up. Otherwise it will overflow.”
The words sounded plausible, but Theodor’s true intention was different. He planned to return the fox to the Emperor, and when the fox cured the Emperor’s insomnia, claim that achievement for himself.
The problem was that if the Emperor’s condition improved without Theodor doing anything, there was a high possibility the Emperor wouldn’t attribute that change to his divine power.
That was why. He intended to have the fox absorb the curse only on days when he used divine power, making it seem as if all the treatment was accomplished by his own hands.
“Yeah! Got it.”
This innocent fox merely nodded cheerfully, unaware of Theodor’s black intentions.
“Last, the third. You must absolutely keep secret from His Majesty the fact that you can absorb His Majesty’s curse, and the story about that bead.”
The fox’s eyes widened.
“Why?”
He didn’t understand. Wasn’t it a good thing that he was taking away Adrian’s pain? He wanted to boast that he was working so hard to help Adrian like this, that he could make him better.
“I want to tell him. That I can cure Adrian….”
“If you do that, His Majesty will distance himself from you.”
“Distance?”
He didn’t understand. Why would he distance himself when someone was offering to cure his illness? Wasn’t that a good thing?
“Think about it. His Majesty cherishes you. But how do you think he would feel if he learned that he was feeding you poison? If he learned that every time you’re by his side, his curse gnaws away at your life, His Majesty will feel guilty. To save you, he’ll lock the door and prevent you from coming near.”
“……!”
“He won’t pet you or hold you. He won’t even try to make eye contact with you. Because that will be His Majesty’s way of protecting you.”
In the fox’s imagination, Adrian turned his back. When he tried to approach, Adrian stepped back, and when he reached out his hand, Adrian pushed him away. It would have been better if he got angry. Indifference and turning away were the punishments the fox feared most.
The fox’s eyes trembled.
“No…. I don’t want him not to pet me. I don’t want him not to hold me either.”
“Then keep your mouth shut. Only by staying by his side pretending to know nothing, pretending to be just an ordinary fox, can His Majesty comfortably dote on you. I’ll take care of the curse myself, so you just remain as a beloved beast. That’s the path for all of us.”
A beloved beast. Those sweet words enchanted the fox’s ears.
“Okay. Won’t tell. Secret. Even if I die.”
Deceiving a simple beast was easier than offering false prayers to God. Theodor stood up from his seat.
“Then prepare yourself. His Majesty is waiting.”
Before his words could even finish falling, the fox’s body shrank. In the place where the human man had disappeared, only loose clothes remained forlornly. From the pile of clothes, a black ball of fur wriggled, then crawled out sniffing with a wet nose.
“Kking.”
A small black fox looked up at Theodor while wagging its tail. It was the perfect appearance of a beast, unbelievable that it had been speaking human words just moments ago.
Theodor roughly gathered the shirt and pants that had fallen to the floor and tossed them onto the chair. Then he skillfully lifted the fox by the scruff with one hand.
“You’re light.”
Even though he had fed him well, he could barely feel any weight. Before leaving the room with the fox in his arms, he let out an “Ah,” as if remembering something.
“There’s one more thing I need to tell you.”
Again? The fox tilted his head and looked up at Theodor.
“That stupid bead of yours has a tendency to mistake the curse for meat and gulp it down regardless of its master’s will. So avoid sleeping with the Emperor as much as possible.”
The fox’s eyes grew large. To think he couldn’t sleep with him even though Adrian would be right next to him. It was truly like a bolt from the blue. The fox whimpered, trying to say something, but Theodor lightly blocked the fox’s snout and continued.
“A little while is fine. There’s no problem during the day either. Just don’t stay attached to his side for too long at night when His Majesty is asleep. That’s when the curse is most rampant.”
“Kking….”
The fox whined softly in disappointment. However, Theodor’s expression was firm.
“If you’re awake it’s one thing, but if your bead absorbs too much curse at once while you’re unconscious during sleep, it could overflow and you could die.”
“Keuk.”
But it’s been fine until now?
Understanding the fox’s words immediately, Theodor answered.
“It may have been fine until now. But if the curse remaining inside you continues to accumulate without disappearing, it will surely become dangerous someday. If you die, forget sleeping with His Majesty—you won’t even be able to see him again. Is that okay with you?”
Shake shake. The fox shook his head fiercely.
He absolutely didn’t want that. Even if he had to stay far away, as long as he could be in the same space, it was fine. If he just had to stay apart at night, that much was okay. At least they could be together during the day.
“Good. Then let’s really go now, to the imperial palace.”
That voice was kind, but the eyes had cooled coldly.
***
The ink that had formed at the tip of the pen nib had dried up.
Adrian stared blankly down at the documents. The letters lost their meaning and scattered into black dots. His head throbbed. The dull pain pressing at his temples had now become a familiar part of daily life.
Theodor’s divine power certainly had an effect. But it was extremely minimal and didn’t last long. The treatment effect that had lasted anywhere from a week at shortest to a month at longest now couldn’t even last half a day.
“Your Majesty.”
At the cautious call, Adrian slowly raised his head. It felt like his neck was creaking. His vision was blurry before slowly coming into focus. Kael stood there with a worried face, holding a teacup.
“How about closing your eyes for a moment?”
“Take it away.”
Adrian’s voice was dry. His vocal cords, roughened as if rubbed with sandpaper, resonated.
“You know I can’t sleep.”
He couldn’t sleep. When he closed his eyes, darkness rushed in, and in that darkness, the afterimage of a small black beast bleeding and fleeing rose up. Had it been stabbed by a spear? Had it been dragged away by wolves? Or had it grown exhausted from starvation and grown cold somewhere? His imagination spiraled into the worst-case scenarios, one after another.
It didn’t matter that the book pages were torn or the honey jar was broken. What was all that worth? Even if the palace was destroyed, he could have laughed it off as long as it stayed by his side. But to think he made it frightened enough to run away over such trivial things. Sending soldiers to chase after it was his greatest mistake.
“Have you found it?”
Adrian asked. It was a question that didn’t expect an answer.
“…Not yet. We’ve mobilized the capital guard and search parties to comb through all the nearby forests, so we should hear news soon.”
Kael bowed his head. It was an obvious lie. Weeks had passed. In this vast capital, or in the perilous forest, the probability that a beast barely a span long was still alive was slim.
Adrian dry-washed his face. His palms swept over his roughened skin.
“Leave.”
“But Your Majesty, haven’t you also skipped your meal?”
“I want to be alone.”
It was an order to leave. Kael’s lips twitched before he finally set down the teacup and stepped backward. The sound of the door closing rang out particularly loudly.
Silence returned again. Adrian buried himself deep in the chair. In one corner of the office, the spot by the window where the fox sometimes sat was empty. That space where sunlight slanted in and only dust floated was unbearably hollow. The scenery outside the window was also colorless. The flowers in the garden were in full bloom, but to his eyes they only looked withered.
He closed his eyes.
It liked sweet things. The sight of it lapping up honey with its pink tongue every time he fed it was vivid in his mind. When he wiped the honey from around its mouth, it seemed like the image of it narrowing its eyes contentedly and wagging its tail remained behind his eyelids.
But the moment he opened his eyes, the fox disappeared. Whenever he realized he could no longer feel that warmth, insomnia returned with fierce momentum. It wasn’t simply a matter of not being able to sleep. It felt like his soul was drying up and shriveling.
At the moment when everything was as quiet as if holding its breath, what broke that silence was noise. A commotion could be heard from beyond the door.
Under normal circumstances, this would be impossible. Near the Emperor’s office was a place where even breathing had to be stifled. Especially when the Emperor’s nerves were as sharp as they were now, it was even more so. Yet someone was running in the corridor. Those urgent footsteps seemed to be getting closer, and then the Emperor’s office door burst open without even a knock.
Adrian’s brow furrowed deeply. When he turned his head, Kael was gasping for breath while gripping the door handle.
“I’m certain I said I wanted to be alone.”
Kael opened his mouth to answer, but couldn’t form words because of the bursting breaths. He clutched his chest and panted. It was the expression of someone who had seen something tremendous.
“Your Majesty, it’s… huk, outside, outside….”
“Catch your breath first. Speak so I can understand.”
“Priest Theodor… right now….”
Theodor? He thought he wouldn’t see him for a while since it hadn’t been long since his treatment. Why would he come now, at this hour, so suddenly that his aide was in such a panic?
“Why is he here?”
“He’s, in his arms… in his arms he’s holding something.”
“What.”
Kael swallowed dry saliva.
“A fox… he’s holding a fox.”
Adrian shot up from his seat. The chair scraped against the floor and fell over, but no one paid it any mind.
“What did you just say?”
“A black fox. The one Your Majesty has been looking for….”
It was before Kael’s words could even finish. Through the open door, white garments could be seen. Theodor entered leisurely. In contrast to Kael, his appearance had not a single thing out of place. On his lips hung that same gentle and courteous smile.
“Your Majesty, I apologize for visiting so suddenly without notice.”
Theodor said. But Adrian’s gaze didn’t linger on his face.
In his arms.
Contrasting with the white clothes, a black, small ball of fur.
