Living with the Dangerous Beast-Chapter 87: Just a Tigress

She had heard of the majestic guardian spirit that ruled the western lands, but she hadn’t known it was a tigress.

“She’s so elusive and terrifying that wherever she passes by, not a single soul is left intact.”

“Eek!”

And that fearsome tigress had set her sights on Dohwi as her groom.

“Oh, Woongsik! What should I do now? What am I supposed to do?”

“Ma’am, my poor Ma’am...!”

Though she hadn’t had a formal wedding with Dohwi, they’d lived as husband and wife for decades.

And now, she was on the verge of becoming a widow, her husband snatched away by a tigress she’d never even met.

“This is so unfair! What should I do? What am I supposed to do?”

“Oh, how could the heavens be so heartless? Allowing our small, sweet Ma’am to suffer like this....”

Just as Woongsik was matching her wails, he suddenly shut his mouth and clammed up.

Dohwi was approaching, with a dark aura surrounding him.

“You there.”

“M-Master.”

What was he doing back home so early, especially when he was always busy during the day?

“Looks like SOMEONE has too much free time left in their paws, chattering on like this, eh?”

“...!”

“If your body has outlived its use, shall I take it off of you?”

The gleam in Dohwi’s eyes was deadly.

Instinctively, Woongsik clutched his stomach, covering his gallbladder area—a prized spot for its medicinal value.

“N-No, sir! Oh dear, I just remembered! I left the potatoes in the furnace... Ma’am’s favorite....”

Backing away, Woongsik quickly added in a whisper to Sohwa.

“Ma’am, please pretend you didn’t hear anything! Promise me you won’t say I told you!”

“Understood, trust me! Now go, Woongsik! Hurry!”

As Woongsik fled, Dohwi picked up the dirt-streaked Sohwa.

“Let’s see... What was my little puppy doing here?”

Under the mulberry tree were small holes where Sohwa had been digging.

“Playing with some dirt?”

“...It’s not some kind of play. This is important business.”

When the weather turns cold, an animal expecting young instinctively prepares a den.

Most foxes don’t dig their own dens but instead took over rabbit or badger burrows.

However, Sohwa, lacking the strength to claim another’s burrow, always tried to dig one herself, though her small paws never managed to finish a proper one.

Whenever Dohwi saw these half-dug pits around the house, he was reminded, once again, that autumn had arrived.

“The heat’s letting up. Soon enough, winter will be here. Time really does fly by.”

“Is that so?”

Dohwi smiled, his gaze as gentle as a subtle spring breeze.

His hands brushed the dirt off her with endless tenderness.

As Dohwi savored the soft fur, his hand gently stroking the fox’s back, he suddenly murmured,

“You seemed awfully close to him.”

“Hm? Close to who?”

Sohwa asked.

Without a word, Dohwi tilted his head in the direction where Woongsik had fled.

Sohwa jumped back, eyes wide.

“Oh, come on! Me and Woongsik? No way!”

“What if I was jealous?”

He replied, with a hint of mischief.

“There’s no need to, Dohwi.”

Sohwa closed her eyes with a dignified air, as if brushing off something ridiculous, then squinted at Dohwi.

“You should be the one watching yourself! You walk around with that handsome face, and you don’t even notice all the women who can’t take their eyes off you, do you?”

“Doesn’t matter. This handsome face already belongs to you.”

“Don’t play dumb! I already heard everything!”

“Heard everything?”

“That’s right!”

Sohwa perked her ears up, her gaze wary.

“Is it true? That the Great White Tigress of the West has chosen you as her groom? It’s just a bad joke, right? Right?”

She looked up at him with such earnest eyes that it was almost adorable.

Even after all this time, those eyes made him want to tease her endlessly.

“It’s true, Sohwa.”

“W-What???”

“But I turned down the proposal. I’m already bound to you for life.”

“And she just... gave up on you?”

“The White Tigress....”

Dohwi’s gaze softened as he took in the endearing sight of her anxious eyes.

He could almost hear the rapid beat of her frightened heart.

His lips curved into a playful smile.

“She said she’d fight you for me if she had to.”

“W-What?”

Sohwa nearly fainted, leaning against Dohwi’s strong arm as she struggled to recover her senses.

“Oh dear... Oh dear, my poor fate....”

“What’s there to be scared of? You can handle her.”

“....”

“She’s just a tigress, after all.”

“She’s not just any tigress; she’s a powerful spirit beast ruling the western lands....”

Sohwa muttered with a groan, and cautiously opened her eyes.

Her gaze immediately met Dohwi’s, who had been watching her intently, his beautiful smile concealing a hint of mischief.

‘That’s it. I’ve made up my mind.’

She thought.

Lifting her head, Sohwa placed her paw on his firm chest.

“Dohwi.”

“Yes, my lovely fox?”

“Thank you for everything.”

“....”

“I’m sorry, but I think the time has come for me to let you go.”