What a Terminally Ill Villain Needs Is an Arctic Fox Ch 04

 

Chapter 04

       As I was looking around the room, which I had not been able to see because I was so distracted by the fox, I sensed a presence getting closer beyond the door.

A steady yet restrained sound of footsteps.

It was the sound of Gray’s footsteps that had guided him here just yesterday.

Dripping.

“Come in.”

After Kyle finished speaking, a few seconds later, Gray opened the door and appeared. Gray looked a little surprised to find Kyle holding a fox on the bed. His eyes lingered on Kyle’s curse mark. However, he quickly calmed down and approached Kyle.

“I thought you might be hungry when you wake up, so I prepared a meal.”

Gray didn’t wake Kyle up in the morning, considering his hard day last night. However, thinking of Kyle who had washed up and gone straight to bed last night, he asked Chef Jack to prepare some easy food for him. Mashed potatoes, salad, salmon puree, white bread, etc. It was a shabby meal for an archduke, but it was a luxurious meal that only nobles could eat in the harsh northern lands.

“Thank you.”

Gray nodded, placed the tray on the table, and brought a robe for Kyle. He tried to help him with his clothes, but Kyle refused. Even after three years in this world, it was still too embarrassing to be served by someone older than him.

Kyle put the fox down on the bed, quickly wrapped his robe around his body, and put on the slippers on the floor.

The fox, who had been watching Kyle get up and get dressed, jumped down when he saw the sight.

“Kkiung.”

It seemed like he would follow Kyle wherever he went.

“Gray.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Do you know what foxes eat?”

How can I eat alone in this situation?

At Kyle’s question, Gray looked down at the fox, its tail wagging. Its nose was twitching as if it had smelled food, and its eyes were sparkling. He couldn’t bear to look at it and say, “You don’t have any.”

“Please wait a moment, I will bring it right away.”

And a little later, Gray brought in a bowl full of raw meat.

“It’s bigger than a normal fox, so I asked for a little more.”

Kyle thought of Jack, the chef who prepared the fox’s food in the kitchen. He felt a little sorry that he was the chef in charge of the Duke’s meals, and that he was asked to prepare the fox’s food.

But the conscience that was as small as an ant’s eye disappeared without a trace the moment he sat down on the table. The fox that had followed Kyle without being called naturally sat down in front of the bowl on the floor and started eating meat.

The sight of him munching on meat with his front paws made Kyle’s heart race.

“Eat a lot.”

Kyle stroked the fox’s head. For a moment, he forgot that the fox was a wild animal, and it was an action that came out without thinking. The moment he belatedly realized that he had done something wrong and was about to pull his hand away, the fox raised its head and rubbed its head against Kyle’s hand.

Kyle’s heart sank.

“Ugh.”

It was a pressure in my chest that came from excessive happiness, different from the pain that came from being cursed.

And Gray, who saw that sight, also felt a strong urge to touch the fox. It was the crisis of his life. Gray, who had lived for half a century and had been perfectly supporting the Grand Duke, clenched his fists as he repeatedly remembered his position.

“The fox is cute.”

Gray immediately shut his mouth, feeling unfamiliar with the word ‘cute’ coming out of his own mouth. Breaking the short silence, Kyle spoke.

“Eat plenty. You need to fill your stomach so that you have the strength to go back to your family.”

Kyle’s rescue of the arctic fox was impulsive, but he had no intention of keeping it forever. He planned to return it home once it was healthy again.

But those words must have been a bolt from the blue to the fox, because the guy who had been acting docile and closing his eyes at Kyle’s touch suddenly opened his eyes wide. Then he glared at the meat in front of him and curled up into a ball, turning his back to the food bowl. He buried his face in his tail fur and didn’t move.

“The fox seems to be offended by my words. Is it my eyes that are strange?”

“I see it that way too, so I think you saw it correctly.”

Kyle glanced back at the fox every now and then while eating, wondering if he would start eating again if he waited, but he didn’t see any movement.

“Fox.”

Finally, Kyle put down his spoon and called to the fox. Its round ears perked up, but it didn’t raise its head.

“I need to eat.”

As if aware of Kyle’s voice, his ears perked up again. But this time, he remained motionless. Gray, who was next to Kyle, watched the scene and whispered to Kyle.

“Can I say something?”

“Something.”

“It seems like I don’t have a family to return to.”

Kyle frowned at the words that were cut off from the beginning and end, then remembered what he had said to the fox earlier when they were eating.

“……You understand that?”

Kyle’s eyebrows shot up. No matter how smart it was, the arctic fox was still a wild animal, and there was no way an untouched animal could understand human speech.

Even if he gave in a little more, he could sense the mood and emotions from the expression or tone of voice of the person speaking. However, Kyle thought it was impossible to fully understand the meaning of those words and act in this way.

Even though he was looking at Kyle who was doubtful, Gray also thought that his thoughts were not wrong and spoke once more.

“That’s what I thought.”

At this point, Kyle also started to think that he had nothing to lose.

“After eating, shall we go for a walk?”

I’ve never raised a dog, but I said it so the fox could hear it, thinking it might get eaten since it’s a canine mammal.

“It would be really fun to run around here and there with so much snow piled up.”

Although I don’t know much about Arctic foxes, I knew that polar bears like to roll around in the snow and play when the temperature drops. Kyle added that he thought Arctic foxes might do the same thing, and the response was immediate.

The fox raised its head, which had been stuck on its tail.

It was a gaze that seemed to say, ‘Are you really excited?’ with purple eyes that looked somewhat sad.

Kyle got down from his chair and tapped the spot where the fox had been sitting and eating.

“Then you need to eat a hearty meal first.”

But he just raises his head and doesn’t move from his seat.

“Your Highness, let me tell you about your family.”

Gray nudged me from the side.

“Well, I’m just going to eat and take a walk. I’m not going back to my family.”

At Kyle’s words, the fox returned to its original spot, wagging its plump tail as if it had never been so upset. Gray’s vision was correct.

Only then did Kyle feel comfortable eating, and the fox emptied his plate as well.

***********

“There is a lot of snow, so don’t go too far and be back before the sun sets.”

After dinner, Gray helped Kyle with his bath, packed his clothes, and repeatedly urged him. The reason Gray suddenly became worried was because he saw the cursed mark on Kyle’s body.

Gray knew about the curse mark, and Kyle answered Gray’s questions obediently. Kyle, who now had little time left to live, felt that he did not need to lie to Gray, who would become his confidant.

“Don’t worry too much, Gray. I slept well, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good since I was cursed.”

Gray couldn’t help but worry when Kyle said that. Instead, he quietly straightened Kyle’s disheveled clothes and asked Jack to hand him a bag filled with cheap snacks.

“Then, take care on your way.”

“Okay. I’ll be back.”

Kyle and Fox left the door, escorted by Gray. Kyle opened his mouth without realizing it as he felt the cold winter wind blowing against his face and saw the world covered in pure white. An exclamation burst out along with his white breath.

“Shall we have a competition to see who can run faster?”

As Kyle took the lead, the fox followed right behind. The fox quickly moved its legs and easily overtook Kyle, turning around every now and then to make sure Kyle was following along.

Kyle felt alive as his whole body became more aware and his heart pounded, blood flowing through his body.

Because of the curse, I’ve been trembling in pain even with the slightest movement, but I can’t remember the last time I ran with all my might like this.