[BotB] Chapter 18

What could he possibly desire from her to commit such a terrifying act?

After changing into fresh clothes and cleaning the inner room, Sohwa tiptoed outside as if to avoid being seen.

'Curiosity will be the death of me one day.'

Despite her mind screaming at her to flee the house immediately, Sohwa found her legs carrying her toward Dohwi's room.

The guest room.

Since Dohwi had stubbornly maintained his human form, Sohwa had ceased to sleep with him at night.

He would set the table in her room, come when called, and often before being called if needed. Dohwi was always there, waiting at her door. It had been a long time since she had entered the guest room; over ten years had passed.

Sohwa's steps were tentative as she entered the room, which was as orderly as its owner. Silk beddings, books, ink stones, brushes, mirrors—everything was in its place.

Sniffing, she found she could no longer detect any scent—not even Dohwi's. Lifting the quilt, she found sachets everywhere. They were in the corners and even on the ceiling.

Then, a piece of unbleached cotton caught her eye from under the writing desk. Drawn to it, she realized it was her undergarment.

Why was it here when she had stashed it away in her wardrobe to be washed after an earlier accident? 

Considering if he had taken it to wash, she noticed it was still damp. Looking closer, she saw that the center of the undergarment was heavily stained with a white, sticky substance. 

'What is this?' 

The smell was pungent and briny, akin to the odor from her groin but different from urine, almost like the scent of a night-blooming flower. 

The color reminded one of decay, but it was thicker and stickier. It appeared similar to the secretion from her own estrus, though her own was much less in quantity, barely staining her undergarment, and clear in color. 

'What on earth is this?' 

She didn't know exactly what it was, but her intuition told her it wasn't good. Could it be that Dohwi, too, was in heat? She hadn't noticed since it wasn't apparent. 

In her moment of confusion, a shocking voice came from outside. 

"Are you in my room?" 

As if she had plunged into the chilling waters of a stream, Sohwa's entire body froze with a cold dread. It was Dohwi. Startled, Sohwa quickly placed her undergarment back under the washstand and hurriedly opened the door.

"Ah, you're here?" Dohwi stood there, the usual languid look in his eyes, holding colorful silks and a flower-shaped sweet in one hand and a large birdcage in the other. 

"What were you doing in my room?" he asked, his voice flat, as if he already knew everything. 

Feeling suddenly guilty, Sohwa's lips went dry. She knew Dohwi was waiting for her response, but the words seemed to stick in her throat, refusing to come out. 

Dohwi, observing her in silence, eventually let out a chuckle. "You never used to come here." 

He then announced he would prepare a delicious dinner and headed to the kitchen, leaving Sohwa to bite her nails in consternation, watching the broad expanse of his back. 

'What should I do now? Could that foolish man actually be in heat? And I’m the only female nearby?' 

"I bought a hen from the market. You seemed to enjoy the quail last time," Dohwi called out as he lit the fire in the hearth, only his head peeking out. "Just wait a bit; I’ll boil it for you." 

'Why does he prepare the meals so diligently? To fatten me up for the slaughter? As if there's much to harvest from my body!' Sohwa clenched her fists in frustration but then shook her head. 

'No, he didn't eat that fox either.' 

The dead fox had been torn apart, but there were no signs of it being eaten. Had it been prey, only its bones would have remained, just like a deer. 

'Why then did he numb my nose?' 

He had given her the sachet quite a while ago. It had been years, in fact, since she started visiting the human village alone. Yes, that's when it all started. He began bringing home all sorts of things – coral, jade, and even though he found wearing them bothersome, one day he brought silk and made her a sachet. 

'Why, of all things...!' 

If he was in heat, he should have gone out to mate. Why kill the red fox and display its carcass for her to see? Why numb her sense of smell so she couldn't even hunt? 

Dohwi's actions were incomprehensible. Sohwa had raised this tall young man only for him to indulge in such vile deeds.

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