Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 102: A Guest Too Handsome

While it was clear that the visitor had been invited by the Mountain Lord and his wife, no one seemed particularly happy to have him.

The maids sweeping the courtyard stole glances and whispered among themselves, their unease filling the front and rear courtyards with a tense atmosphere.

Even a shameless gumiho would find it difficult to remain at ease under the sharp gazes of countless eyes following his every move.

Noksu felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

He had even refused the tea and snacks brought to him, afraid he might choke on them.

Though they looked immaculate, who could say whether they had been laced with deadly herbs?

The dark, syrupy drink in particular looked more like a cup of poison than a dessert.

‘What a peculiar place.’

This was the thought that struck Noksu as he observed Dohwi and the grand mansion they called home.

‘That so-called Mountain Lord.’

He had made tigers kneel at his feet more than once, and he was too old to fear the tigers.

But there was something strange about that tiger.

Marrying a silver fox was already peculiar enough, but the way he had treated Noksu upon their first meeting was equally baffling.

‘It was neither kindness nor malice....’

What exactly was the couple’s intent in inviting him into their secluded, intimate home?

Noksu’s fingers paused on the strings of his geomungo.

The uneasy feeling gnawed at him, making sleep impossible.

No matter how alluring Sohwa might be, lingering in this house any longer seemed like courting disaster.

Noksu decided to retrieve the fan he had come for and leave immediately.

Though he hesitated to approach the inner quarters where the lady of the house resided, it wasn’t too late in the evening yet.

“Student, are you inside?”

True to his nature as a fox who understood decorum, he waited outside the middle gate for a response.

But instead of an answer, a strange sound came from within the inner quarters.

* * *

“It’s unbelievable how quickly dust gathers on the bedding.”

Sohwa’s heart betrayed her, pounding shamelessly at the sight of her husband’s flawless face after what felt like ages.

She was the one who had first declared they should sleep in separate rooms and had even fled in her fox form to hide among the maids at night.

And yet, after only a few days apart, the longing she felt for her husband was almost unbearable.

Who else could this tall and strikingly handsome man belong to?

‘He’s my husband, that’s who!’

Sohwa glanced at Dohwi and, as if by chance, began fiddling with the silk pillow.

“Oh dear, it’s such a waste of this expensive silk. If only I laid on it more often, dust wouldn’t even dare settle on it....”

Even as she babbled on, Dohwi remained silent.

Ever since returning home with Noksu, he had been unusually quiet.

Leaning back slightly with his pipe between his lips, he simply watched her, his expression unreadable, giving no indication whether he was in a good mood or a bad one.

Determined to act like a proper adult, Sohwa approached Dohwi first.

“Dohwi, has something upset you?”

“There’s a fox I don’t like.”

“And?”

“I’ve been wondering how to devour it in the most satisfying way.”

“....”

She regretted asking.

Sohwa averted her eyes with an awkward laugh.

It seemed she was fated to spend yet another night in the servants’ quarters.

At some point, the maids had taken to letting her sleep in the inner room while they stayed in the outer quarters.

Every morning, she woke up alone.

“Wait... could it be?”

A sudden thought struck her, and Sohwa boldly nestled into Dohwi’s lap.

“Dohwi, are you upset because of the teacher?”

White smoke curled up between Dohwi’s red lips as he remained silent.

“No matter how handsome he might be, you’re a hundred—no, a thousand—times better in my eyes. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

The teacher and Dohwi were leagues apart.

While Dohwi exuded the air of a smoldering warrior and a man of unmatched beauty, Noksu was more like a shameless playboy—a dandy rogue with charming looks.

Sohwa couldn’t imagine feeling any romantic attraction to a young fox like him.

“Well, lucky you. You’ve got a handsome teacher.”

“You’re the one who invited him here. If seeing me with that fox guy every morning and evening bothers you....”

In that moment, Dohwi’s eyes narrowed.

His smile remained, but beneath it lay the sharp, predatory gaze of a beast hiding its fury.

“So, you were aware that he’s a male fox?”

“W-what?”

The foreboding tone made her flinch and lean back, but Dohwi grabbed her arm and pulled her closer.

“Is that ‘guy‘ more fun than I am?”

“Oh no, I misspoke! The teacher isn’t a man, I swear....”

“Then is he a vixen?”

“What’s got you so worked up? You’re the one who invited him in the first place.”

While Dohwi had invited him to the house, Noksu was just as foolish for coming so readily when called.

“I’ll send him away tomorrow. Alright? Don’t be upset.”

Sohwa left a trail of light kisses on her husband’s cheek, trying to placate him.

Even when sulking with jealousy, her tiger looked stunning.