Duke, Can I Bite You?

“Krr.” (It’s not me who has rabies, it’s you.)

With her fur standing upright, she exposed her fangs. 

But Geoffrey just shrugged and showed no interest in Mio.

‘What? I wasn’t expecting this kind of reaction… … .’

Mio’s body stiffened as the plan she had prepared went awry. 

Then Samuel, who had drawn water from the river, appeared.

“Duke, it took a while because of the thin ice on the river bank.”

Samuel handed the water bottle to Geoffrey, and saw a small, angry beast nearby.

“Oh my god, this is a young arctic fox.”

As soon as he saw Mio, he gave her a pitiful look.

“What? Isn’t that a wild dog?”

When Geoffrey spoke dryly, Samuel coughed.

“It’s a little thin, but the tail is so full. If it stay like that, it will likely be hunted, but how did it end up being alone?”

Mio, who had been silently listening to their conversation, was dizzy.

It was the first time that Geoffrey had come to her like this, and it was the first time she had encountered such a person around her.

‘This time, it must be strange.’

Still, the appearance of Samuel, who recognized her properly, was a good sign.

Mio raised her head proudly and walked gently towards Samuel. The sky was spinning around as I was dizzy because I couldn’t eat anything, but I gritted my teeth.

‘Hey! Look Carefully.’

Mio showcased her beautiful tail.

‘What do you think? You want to hold me, right?’

I even raised my chin. But Samuel looked at her with pity.

“Master, it must have been a wild beast.”

It was often the case that young children would take home small beasts found in the woods and then abandon them.

“Looking at it, it doesn’t seem like it was afraid of humans at all. Maybe the mother wanted to kill the baby or throw it away like this.”

Mio jumped.

“Krrr!” (It’s not like that! I’m all grown up!)

Even with all her hard work, Geoffrey didn’t react.

“Samuel, stop talking nonsense and go home.”

“Where are you going?”

“… … To the Caspian Castle.”

‘What? Are you going to just leave after seeing my cute acts?’

Mio, who heard it, rushed before she could think. If she doesn’t follow them now, she’ll die before she can even come up with a new plan.

‘I might be eaten.’

A few days ago, the sound of the eagle over Mio’s head had been ringing in her ears.

‘I hate dying without doing anything!’

I hated dying. Moreover, the thought of having my internal organs ripped apart without becoming a human was terrifying.

‘Great. Let’s do it first.’

Mio rushed towards them with all her might.

“Let’s go slowly.”

Samuel drew the reins of the horse that was chewing the grass, and Geoffrey rode it first.

Then Samuel slowly loaded the two bags he had left on the ground, and moved the horse. In the winter forest where everyone had left, only a bed of fallen leaves where a small beast stayed was left behind.

* * *

After returning to the Caspian’s residence, Geoffrey headed straight to the palace where the emperor was at. Originally he hated crowded places, but he finally goes after Samuel’s tearful appeal.

‘Even if I don’t attend, no one would care.’

Geoffrey took off his armor and put on a cloak made of velvet with the color black. 

He put the sash over a white jacket, and with every move, his firm chest muscles were highlighted. His long legs wrapped in black pants also caught people’s attention.

“Duke Caspian, you’re here.”

The banquet hall, which had been noisy at the news of Geoffrey’s appearance, was quiet for a moment. 

Coming back after 3 years, he was the brightest among the men in the banquet hall.

 A dangerous charm that could not be hidden from his tall height and broad shoulders exuded from his whole body. Most of the women, unmarried and married, showed an interest in him.

‘If we make eye contact with him, we might pass out.’

‘The rumors are scary, but he was still really handsome.’

It was then. The emperor, who was at the banquet hall, spoke, and the noise around him subsided in an instant.

“Oh! Geoffrey. Congratulations on your safe return.”

“Your Majesty.”

As he knelt down on one knee, the emperor said,

“We don’t need to have this kind of formality between us.”

The emperor patted Geoffrey on the shoulder and gave him a benevolent smile. Geoffrey responded with a faint smile. He slowly bent down towards his stepmother a.k.a the current Empress Katrina.

“I offer my greetings to the empress.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Duke of Caspian.”

The empress smiled as she greeted Geoffrey.

“Samuel, bring me the present.”

He placed a long box at the feet of his half-brother who is a crown prince, Ben.

“Happy Birthday, His Majesty the Crown Prince.”

The man who had been sitting in the splendid seat next to the throne stood up slowly. 

Ben scrutinized Geoffrey’s whole body.

“Yes. Let’s see what the Duke of Caspian has brought.”

He instructed the attendant to open the box, and looked inside with indifferent eyes.

“The tailbone of a monster, very interesting.”

The tailbone of the monster is so powerful when made to a sword.

“Duke, I’ll receive it well.”

He didn’t even say thank you for the precious gift. 

This was clearly against the rules, but no one pointed it out.

‘He’s crazy.’

Holding the sword wrapped around his waist, Geoffrey’s hand trembled.

‘No, I’ve been patient until now. It can’t go wrong.’

He tried not to be affected by his arrogant half-brother’s attitude. 

Otherwise, he will never be able to return to the capital again, and he may end up with even more terrible things. Ben asked, looking at him, who had struggled to maintain his indefferent expression.

“Did you come alone to the banquet, Duke?”

“The thing is… … .”

Geoffrey could not afford to find a partner to accompany him. Moreover, even if it costs money, there is no way that the noble lady will stand at the ball with Geoffrey. 

The blonde prince, who knew such a situation, smiled brightly with his blue eyes shining.

“When you come to a banquet, it’s polite to dance to a song… … .”

At Ben’s words, Empress Katrina stepped forward and spoke.

“He was only on the battlefield, so how could he know such a thing?”

The empress, gently waving her fan, glanced at Geoffrey. 

The empress’s attitude was more annoying than Ben, who pointed out outright.

‘Is this not a place a person like me can attend?’

He hated the look of contempt. 

Having barely tolerated the offense, he placed his hand on his chest and opened his mouth.

“I’ll excuse myself for a moment if you allow me.”

“It’s been a long time since you attend a banquet, so it’s tiring. I will allow it.”

When the empress opened her mouth as if she was sympathetic, Geoffrey slowly turned his back on her after being polite. The banquet hall split around him. 

All kinds of emotions flowed on Geoffrey’s face as he looked at the nobleman who threw him strange gazes.

‘I didn’t expect such a grand victory ceremony, but… … .’

The day he returned to the capital with the soldiers who lived in tents for three years was not welcomed.

He led his wounded body through the gates of the capital with a tired expression on his face, but there were no celebrations or welcoming crowds prepared by the Imperial Palace. 

Only some people threw flowers at them.

‘They wouldn’t be interested in me coming back. Maybe they wished I didn’t come back.’

Seeing the attitude of Geoffrey’s father, the emperor, everything became clear.

‘Was I still just a dog guarding the frontier?’

As he turned his head, his eyes met some women who blatantly express their disgust at him. 

He had to struggle with such a thing.

‘I’d rather not come.’

He headed straight for a room where nobles could rest during a banquet. 

He really wanted to go home, but he couldn’t.

‘Because it’s against the damn etiquette.’

It was good he can rest like this.

“Samuel, don’t let anyone enter.”

“Yes.”

As soon as Geoffrey entered the room, he took off his cloak and threw it on the long sofa. It was difficult for him to stand up straight. It was painful to greet the person who drove his mother to death, happy like that.

Geoffrey threw himself on the sofa and stretched out his long legs.

He could not sleep at night on the battlefield where the smell of blood and rotting flesh was everywhere. When he closed his eyes, he remembered his mother who had to die unfairly. 

“I’ll be fine…”

He wasn’t afraid of death at all.

He untied the sash that was wrapped around his tight-fitting jacket and threw it to the floor. 

Still, the heat of his body did not go away, so he took off his shirt decorated with lace and crumpled it.

“… … Haha, I’m going crazy.”

Then he stretched out his arms and covered his eyes. When he heard nothing, his heart calmed down little by little.

‘The thing I’m afraid of is not being able to put the sword into the chest of my enemy.’

It is a shame to die first before even taking revenge. 

His eyes trembled. Soon, Geoffrey fall asleep.

‘What? He took off his clothes?’

It was the little fox Mio who followed Geoffrey. 

She managed to get here after hiding in Samuel’s bag. 

Humans, who she thought would get obsessed with her cuteness in the forest, of course would take her home, but the operation failed.

‘Actually, Geoffrey and I can’t get along.’

If she thinks about it, perhaps this is a natural result. Mio removed the dirt from all over her body.

‘I didn’t know he was such a pervert.’

She looked at Geoffrey who took off his clothes as he slept. 

‘Anyways, let’s do this fast.’

Even though he hated that human, who she didn’t want to call by his name, she had no choice but to use that human to get out of his current fox form. 

Mio stuck to the wall like a shadow and cleaned her fur with her tongue.

 The appearance of her clumsy acts in front of Geoffrey earlier was a kind of camouflage.

‘Now it’s my turn to show you my true self.’

Mio’s amber eyes gleamed insidiously towards the prey lying on the sofa.