Chapter 63: Fangs in the Dark, a Hand in the Cold

A low growl followed behind him.

Just hearing it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. There was a saying that hearing a tiger’s roar could drive a person mad, today, he realized it wasn’t an exaggeration. Even now, his spine chilled; if he had heard a full roar, his mind might have gone blank.

At any moment, it felt like the tiger would leap onto his back. In truth, it wouldn’t have been strange if it had already attacked him. Then again… had it perhaps lost interest in him?

Grrr-!

That fragile hope was crushed as the tiger growled again, closer than before.

‘So this is really it. I’m going to die like this.’

The thought drained all strength from his body.

At that moment, a narrowing mountain path came into view. Beside it was a gentle slope leading down a cliff.

“If I fall instead…”

There was no time to think. Hae-min yanked the reins sharply, and at the same time, Susu veered off course.

“Ah-!”

A scream finally burst from his lips as his body lifted into the air. In that fleeting instant, he was separated from Susu. That brief suspension felt like an eternity.

Then he fell.

Crashing into trees and rocks, Hae-min tumbled down the slope.

“Aaagh!”

Would the tiger follow? Was Susu safe? Had he really survived?

Thoughts swirled chaotically, but he could confirm none of them. He couldn’t even open his eyes, let alone look around.

The repeated impacts dulled his senses. Without even realizing he had stopped halfway down the slope, Hae-min lost consciousness.

****

It was cold. So unbearably cold.

The chill seeped into his bones. He had endured so much cold that he should have grown used to it, but he hadn’t.

At some point, his life had become winter itself. Others had spring, summer, and autumn, but for him, there was only winter. A harsh, unrelenting winter.

Where had it gone wrong? Was it when he became Song Seol’s concubine in place of Moon Hee-yul?

“…No.”

That had certainly changed everything, but if he thought about it, things had already been doomed from the moment he was born a concubine’s son. And yet… his childhood hadn’t been this cold. Sometimes, he had felt something like spring sunlight.

So when had it truly gone wrong?

****

Slowly, Hae-min opened his eyes.

He couldn’t see anything. For a moment, he thought something was wrong with his sight, but it wasn’t that. Night had fallen, and the world was pitch black.

“Not even a moon…”

He muttered, looking up at the sky. It wasn’t strange, New Year had just passed, so the moon wouldn’t be full. Still, even a crescent should have been visible. It must have been hidden behind clouds. For some reason, that disappointed him.

“At least… I survived.”

It was almost unbelievable. That he had survived—not just the fall, but being chased by a tiger in the first place.

It hadn’t been bravery. It had been recklessness. Even considering the danger, it wasn’t like him at all.

“…Haha.”

A bitter laugh escaped him.

Wasn’t it ridiculous? He had once tried to take his own life, yet here he was risking everything to avoid death. Perhaps… he clung to life more desperately than he realized.

Still, it wasn’t over yet. He had escaped the tiger for now—but it might return. And he still had to find his way back.

“Which way…?”

He looked around, but saw nothing except dark silhouettes of trees. There was no way to tell direction. If the sky had been clear, he could have followed the stars, but the clouds hid everything.

To make matters worse, his body was in poor condition. Whether from the fall or the cold, his limbs barely moved.

If he moved recklessly, he’d only exhaust himself. For now, the best option was to wait for someone to find him.

“…But will anyone come?”

He doubted it.

Even though he was now “Moon Hee-yul,” the legitimate son of the Mun family and the concubine of a royal prince, it didn’t make him hopeful.

It wasn’t just the situation. The idea that someone would come looking for him… simply didn’t feel real.

“Well… if I die here, then that’s just my fate.”

He tried to settle his mind, but instead of easing, it grew more restless.

Whatever his fate, he wanted to live.

He had no grand reason, nothing in particular he wanted to do, but still, he wanted to live.

“…Right. I have to live. I didn’t come back for nothing.”

Muttering to himself, he felt warmth slowly return to his fingertips. Gathering his strength, he pushed himself upright.

Rustle.

A strange sound broke the silence.

Something brushed against branches in the distance.

Hae-min tensed instantly. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be harmless. At this hour, in the mountains, there were only a few possibilities, boar, snake, tiger… none of them safe.

Rustle… rustle…

The sound came again. And it didn’t seem like just one thing. Perhaps he was imagining it, but it felt like something was in front of him… and behind him.

‘What do I do…?’

His chest tightened.

He desperately wished it would pass, but luck wasn’t on his side.

The clouds shifted, and faint moonlight spilled over the mountain.

And then he saw it.

“…!”

A tiger.

The strength drained from his legs. If he had been standing, he would have collapsed.

Still seated, he shuffled backward.

He knew it was pointless, but he couldn’t stop hoping.

Just as he resigned himself…

Whoosh!

A sharp slicing sound cut through the air. The tiger let out a ferocious roar, but its body staggered.

Hae-min stared, eyes wide, unable to comprehend what was happening.

Then, a figure appeared from the darkness.

Without hesitation, the man charged at the tiger. Under the faint moonlight, the blade flashed.

Grrr…

The tiger’s growl faded into something like a dying breath. Its massive body swayed, and collapsed.

Even then, Haemin remained frozen.

He couldn’t even feel relief at being saved.

The man turned.

Though his face was obscured by darkness, Hae-min recognized him instantly by the faint scent.

“M-my lord…”

Song Seol said nothing as he approached.

Hae-min looked up at him, dazed. His face was hidden in shadow, but one thing was clear, he was angry.

…And perhaps, worried.

Worried?

About him?

Before he could think further, Song Seol spoke.

“What are you apologizing for all of a sudden?”

“I almost died… because of the tiger…”

“That would be the tiger’s fault, not yours.”

Song Seol knelt down in front of him.

Now, Hae-min could finally see his face.

He did look angry… but also, somehow, concerned.

Concerned, for him?

Then Song Seol murmured,

“No… hunting the weak is a tiger’s instinct. So it’s not the tiger’s fault either. Then what is this situation?”

“…I don’t know.”

“An accident.”

His voice was calm.

“Nothing more than an unfortunate accident.”

For some reason, tears began to fall.

Hae-min quickly wiped his face, hoping the darkness would hide it.

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