What a Terminally Ill Villain Needs Is an Arctic Fox Ch 03

 

Chapter 03

“…….”

Kyle swallowed a curse as he recalled the circumstances that had led him to travel all the way north alone through a blizzard.

The ancient curse marks written on his heart, wrists, and ankles, like bands, could not be removed by any means, and the intermittent pain that came after being cursed exhausted him. He achieved his original goal of saving the emperor and gaining everyone’s trust, but no one took responsibility for his important life.

‘I guess I was worried because my situation was no different.’

Kyle looked down at the fox in his arms and smiled bitterly.

The reason I was doing something useless like I had never done before was because my appearance on the verge of death overlapped with the appearance of the arctic fox, which would not be strange if it died soon. The only difference was that while Kyle was already hopeless, the arctic fox could be saved with just a little effort from Kyle.

‘I’m tired.’

Perhaps because he had carried a dying arctic fox on his back over a mountain that was difficult to climb alone, the water horse soon came rushing over him. Kyle fell into a deep sleep while holding the arctic fox tightly in his arms.

*****

Kyle opened his eyes again and felt strange about his body’s refreshing state. Due to the effects of the curse, he was unable to sleep deeply even on a regular basis, and even when he did sleep, he would often wake up with nightmares and seizures. Waking up normally was impossible for him. Even the headache that had been bothering him the whole time had somewhat subsided.

‘The curse hasn’t gone away.’

Kyle checked both wrists. The ancient curse marks were still there. Even if it was a temporary phenomenon, Kyle was quite surprised since this had never happened before.

“……!”

Kyle, who belatedly remembered the fox’s existence while examining his body, looked at his empty hands and got up from his chair. At the same time, something that had been covering him slid down. He caught it before it hit the floor and saw that it was the blanket that Kyle had wrapped the fox in.

‘Who took it?’

If the fox had woken up and escaped in the middle of the process, the blanket would have fallen to the ground. After all, an animal can’t cover a person with a blanket. It was a little unpleasant that the fox had been taken away without a word, but it made sense when he thought about the fact that he had been sleeping.

‘If you don’t even know who came and went while you were sleeping, it’s really serious.’

He put the blanket down on the chair, laughing at the situation where something that would have been impossible before the curse happened so easily. The reason Kyle survived so many assassinations was because he was one of the best swordsmen in the empire.

Even after the soul was changed, the body remembered, so it was impossible to come to him without making a sound unless you were a very skilled person.

‘Should I go back to sleep?’

I decided to blame myself for taking the fox away without saying anything later, and headed to bed, thinking that I would continue to enjoy this feeling of a good night’s sleep for the first time in a while. After all, everyone in this mansion would know my face, and there was no reason for me to harm the fox I had taken from my arms.

‘You should sleep when you can.’

The sweet break he had enjoyed after a month was more important to Kyle than anything else.

Outside, the sun had set and pitch darkness had descended, with only the light from the fireplace illuminating the darkness. Because of this, Kyle didn’t even bother to look inside the shaded bed before crawling under the covers.

In an instant, the line between dream and reality became blurred. Before consciousness completely sunk in, something soft and warm dug into his arms. Kyle felt the warmth and fell into sleep again.

A morning where the cloudy sky cleared up for the first time in a while.

Kyle stared at the purple cluster of stars that were watching him through sleepy eyes.

“Kkiung.”

The fox’s two eyes narrowed as if smiling and licked Kyle’s face. Kyle, who had lost all sleep because of that, jumped up from his seat. And his naked body was revealed. He instinctively grabbed the blanket that had fallen down and covered only his private parts. He was speechless as he looked at the underwear and undergarments that had fallen under the bed.

“…….”

Kyle had no sleeping habits. It was embarrassing that he had developed sleeping habits overnight, but he also had a habit of taking off his clothes and falling asleep. Kyle sat on the bed with a pale face and washed his face dry.

‘Is it not that I slept well, but that I am sleepwalking?’

The white fox, who had been staring at the sight, this time put its snout against Kyle’s nape and rubbed it. As if it was telling Kyle to look at him, Kyle lowered the hand that was covering his face and glanced at the fox. As he looked into those captivating purple eyes that seemed to draw him in, he found himself stroking the fox’s head as if he was possessed.

‘How long has this been going on?’

It was a really absent-minded morning.

The fox took out its tongue and licked Kyle’s nape for a long time. Kyle winced and covered the nape of his neck with his hand. It felt a little strange, rather than ticklish.

“It’s not for eating.”

At Kyle’s words, the fox’s round white ears perked up. Soon, the fox pulled its snout back and looked up at Kyle. The fox’s eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, and were full of life. Kyle smiled faintly, brushing the back of his neck.

“Are you okay now?”

It was hard to believe that it had only been a day since he was rescued from the Mountain of Death, but he looked so rejuvenated.

Kyle stroked the fox’s head again with a proud expression. He stroked it to praise the fox, but it felt so soft and warm against his hand that he couldn’t take his hands off of it.

The fox must have noticed that too, as he actively pushed his face into Kyle’s hand. Then he grinned and jumped into Kyle’s arms.

Kyle, who had been sitting defenseless because it was twice the size of a normal fox, fell onto the bed. Kyle felt momentarily superior to the beast and made a bewildered expression.

“No matter how hungry I am, I can’t eat.”

“Wow.”

He said it in a light tone, but he was half sincere. The licking on the back of his neck earlier also gave off a strong feeling of a taste before the hunt.

The fox meekly lowered itself to Kyle’s words and rested its head on his chest. It didn’t look threatening, so Kyle relaxed all his strength and laid down comfortably. Even though he had slept so soundly all night, he was still feeling sleepy.

‘Don’t you feel a sense of crisis?’

The fox might attack him while he was sleeping because it was hungry, but he wasn’t too worried. If it had wanted to hurt him, it wouldn’t have had to wait until this morning; it would have attacked him in the middle of the night. And Kyle’s current condition was such that he could fight off a bear with his bare hands.

‘What, something like that happened?’

After spending a night with her, Kyle had the unfounded confidence that the fox would never harm him.

‘Let’s sleep a little more.’

The warmth from her embrace was lulling him back to sleep, and Kyle didn’t feel the need to hold on to his fading consciousness.

Kyle soon fell asleep, making a colorful sound, and the fox closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep as well. It was the first time in a long time that he felt peaceful, having always been on edge even before the curse was cast.

****

When he woke up from his deep sleep, the fox was curled up at Kyle’s head and staring at him. Kyle’s lips relaxed pleasantly as he thought of the fox that had been by his side the whole time he was sleeping.

Kyle liked how he reached out and patted the fox’s head, and how it quietly submitted itself to his touch.

“It’s like white cotton candy.”

The fluffy fur rose and fell as his hands touched it.

“Soft and warm.”

Kyle sat up and pulled the fox into his arms. The fox, not seeming to dislike Kyle, relaxed all of its strength and rested its head on his arms.

The lush tail feathers swept across Kyle’s forearm. Kyle flinched at the soft, fluffy feel of the feathers and looked at the fox. The fox’s eyes narrowed as if it was smiling and it made a whining sound, and Kyle realized that the tail touching his arm was not just a coincidence.

“This is a monster.”

Although I thought it was a bit unfair to have her act so cute in just one day, I had no intention of letting go of the fox.

Kyle stroked the fox’s fur and looked out the window at the scenery. The snow that had piled up all night was white and the blue sky was creating a beautiful sight.