Chapter 53 – Dawn Settles in the Cave (2)
“What the… put me down!”
Geoffrey had half-asleeply grabbed her and placed her on his thigh. Mio, sitting cross-legged on him, tried to get down in surprise.
“…It’s warm.”
But his satisfied voice froze her in place. Her warmth slowly seeped into Geoffrey’s fingertips, which had felt like ice. His breathing, once tense, had become slightly easier.
‘Should I let him slide this once, since he’s in pain?’
It irritated her that Geoffrey had treated her like a pet cat, but the combination of the medicine and the warmth seemed to lull him into a deep sleep. The sound of raindrops hitting the waterfall blended with their breathing, merging into one.
Geoffrey couldn’t get up for three full days. During that time, Mio stayed alert day and night, keeping watch over their surroundings, and her eyes turned red from lack of sleep. She had planned to inform Samuel or Duke Urcheka if they appeared, but neither of them showed any sign of coming.
‘I’ve only seen a couple of the prince’s men.’
It seemed they hadn’t given up on killing Geoffrey—they were heavily armed and prowling the area stealthily.
‘Ruthless bastards.’
There were plenty in the world crueler than Geoffrey.
‘I really was a frog in a well.’
Because in her world, only Geoffrey had existed.
As she licked her wet paws, her seated body slowly shifted. Finally, the herbs she had been feeding him for three days began to take effect. Mio quickly jumped off his body and sat facing him.
“…It’s you.”
His sunken eyes were darker and more intense than before, staring at her sharply. Geoffrey had an incredibly strong will—he hadn’t let go of his sword even once during the past three days. Mio nudged the sword gently with her head.
“…Ah.”
Only then did Geoffrey release the sword, wincing in immense pain. He must have been stiff all over from remaining motionless for three days. Mio chewed some pain-relieving herbs in her mouth and placed them on his legs. For the first time, Geoffrey’s eyes, now scanning the cave, widened in surprise.
“You’re not an ordinary fox.”
Herbs, seemingly medicinal, were piled around him. And the silver fur of the fox shimmered, now tinged with green from the herbs.
“You’ve been protecting me. Haven’t you?”
Mio tilted her chin at him, speaking the obvious truth that almost made her lips ache—she wasn’t just returning a favor now; she had saved the life of the man in front of her.
‘Was it right to save a man who might have killed me?’
She couldn’t shake the thought, but she couldn’t ignore Geoffrey as he teetered on the brink of death. He picked up the herb she had given him and chewed it carefully. Judging from the familiar taste, she realized he must have been fed the same by the fox during his illness.
‘Good boy.’
Though he had suffered painfully for several days, he slept as if fainting. For someone always plagued by insomnia, it was a kind of rest. After sleeping fully, his mind was clearer than ever. Geoffrey remembered the first time he met the fox.
‘I thought it was just a lost dog.’
The fox had appeared at Caspian Duke’s castle. Even after a long time, recognizing a beast with such distinctive fur wasn’t difficult.
But this fox was hiding even more secrets. Geoffrey gathered the faintly remembered smile in his mind and finally spoke.
“Where is your master?”
Mio was startled by his question.
‘Master?! Has Geoffrey figured something out?’
It was her, Mio herself, but she couldn’t prove it—not now, at least.
‘And I mustn’t prove it…’
She had already heard terrifying tales from the hunting grounds. Most foxes in the forest were red, but occasionally, one would have a different color of fur—such a creature was considered sacred and had to be captured alive.
‘Because they say beast-people still exist.’
The term ‘beast-people’ stiffened Mio’s back as she rode. According to the stories, the Ekarao, Dorf, Kiett, and Caspian empires were originally founded by beast-people. That’s why wolves appear in Caspian legends. But as humans gained strength, many beast-people were killed or driven out of the empires.
‘Those that survived are said to be especially fierce.’
The remaining ones were strong or could wield mysterious magic, so they had to be handled with extreme caution.
‘Capturing and displaying them would probably rival a gold mine.’
‘Just the thought is thrilling.’
So Geoffrey must never discover that she was a fox beast-person. Otherwise, she could end up imprisoned underground—or worse, buried near a pond.
“Come here.”
Geoffrey weakly extended his hand, and Mio slowly approached.
“I don’t really like beasts.”
She snorted at something Geoffrey had said long ago.
‘Funny… he says he doesn’t like them, but he keeps bringing food and tossing branches to a calf-sized animal.’
Geoffrey naturally scratched behind her ear, and Mio closed her eyes at the familiar touch.
‘No, I can’t relax like this now.’
She looked just like the big dog at Caspian Duke’s castle.
Snapping out of it, Mio opened her eyes sharply, scowling internally.
‘Don’t lump me together with that dumb dog! I’m a predator! A predator!’
She wanted to bite his hand right then, but she had no strength. After spending days nursing Geoffrey and staying alert, Mio had begun to doze off in his lap.
Geoffrey was a strong man. Even after three days of consuming only the herb juice she gave him, he regained energy quickly. But his external wounds were another matter. Despite applying crushed herbs to them, the deep sword cuts wouldn’t heal easily.
‘No wonder the wounds won’t heal in this dampness.’
For now, with no better option, they had to stay here.
“Carelessness is dangerous, you know.”
Geoffrey muttered as he lit a branch Mio had brought from outside. He brushed the gauntness from his cheeks and chuckled bitterly. His sharply glowing eyes remained piercing even in the dim light.
‘I knew the fox hunt was a trap…’
There was no way to avoid it.
Trying to follow the empress’s whims had become a bit complicated.
‘I thought the timing wasn’t right… was I wrong?’
He intended to punish those who had wronged his mother and the Caspian Empire itself. He had survived until this day for revenge. He had no plans for after the vengeance was complete.
‘I can’t forgive myself for being too weak to protect my people.’
His weakness would never be forgiven, no matter a lifetime of atonement.
‘…But why?’
Even a resolute man like him had begun to harbor doubts recently. Seeing Loren’s wrinkled face or Alfred’s stooped back shook his heart. And the woman who loudly declared her love for him was equally distracting.
‘I thought it wouldn’t matter if I completely broke…’
After all that, the fact he was still confused made her wonder if he had seriously injured his head.
“I wonder if Samuel and Mio are okay.”
Lost in thought, Geoffrey murmured her name again. Mio perked up her ears in surprise, then pretended not to notice.
‘Does he usually talk to himself this much?’
She didn’t understand why he was worrying about her unnecessarily. Even if badly injured, she was a brave beast-person, very different from Geoffrey.
‘You really see all kinds of crazy things in life.’
Curling herself into a ball with her snout on the ground, Mio was suddenly scooped up by Geoffrey.
“The floor is cold. Rest here.”
Once again, she curled up on his thigh, which was far from comfortable.
—Squeak squeak. (Leave me here to sleep.)
Mio complained with moist eyes, but he only ran his thick hand along her fur once.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
‘What on earth… I said leave me alone.’
Just when she thought they were communicating, he started going off-track again. Geoffrey’s firm thighs were good to lie on, but the closeness made her dizzy from his strong body odor.
‘If I get down, he’ll just grab me again.’
Several times she had tried to escape, but each time, Geoffrey caught her in a hug. The coolness of his body, combined with the warmth of the nearby fire, made her drift off again. Exhaustion from the past days kept lulling her to sleep like this.
Some time passed.
The smoke in the cave made Mio’s nose sting.
‘What’s going on?’
If there was a fire, she needed to evacuate immediately. Widening her eyes in alarm, she saw Geoffrey presenting a roasted sparrow in front of her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the glistening meat.
“Get up and eat this.”
Still half-asleep, Mio carefully held the meat with her paws. She hadn’t eaten raw birds for several days. She tore into it recklessly, and it tasted like a dish made by a top chef. Only after finishing it did the question strike her.
‘How did Geoffrey, barely able to move, manage to catch a sparrow?’
Their eyes met—Mio, paws blackened with soot and grease, and Geoffrey.
