Shana's lips trembled violently, her body frozen stiff as she stared at the horrifying scene before her eyes. Even the townsfolk gathered within the citadel could hardly believe what they were witnessing; some even contorted their faces in visible disgust.
But the moment they saw the lord standing there with his arms spread wide and that confident smile upon his face, their expressions—and their attitudes—shifted completely.
It began with a single child hurling a stone at Duyen.
"Die! You monster!"
At first, the boy's mother panicked and yanked her son back. But like a conditioned domino effect, the entire crowd suddenly erupted, hurling whatever filth they had at Duyen's body—already riddled with wounds—along with venomous words and cruel, gleeful laughter.
"Yes! Die, you fox demon!"
"I curse you so you'll never be reincarnated!"
"Die and stop bringing misfortune to us!"
Chaos erupted directly beneath the lord's throne. Trumpets blared, music thundered once more. Duyen's body was soaked in blood, dust, and rotten debris, all of it seeping into her wounds and causing them to fester and worsen. Unable to endure it any longer, she screamed beneath the fox head-skin mask covering her head.
Hearing her shrill cry, the crowd only grew more violent.
"Look! The fox demon is snarling!"
"It really is a fox spirit!"
"No wonder my husband cheated on me back then! It must have been her!"
Seeing this, the soldiers lowered their spears further, forcing Duyen's battered body closer to the crowd, allowing them to beat her more directly, more savagely. It was truly horrific.
So horrific that Shana began to tremble, her mind going numb.
Why?
She kept asking herself—why?
Why was no one stopping this?
In panic, Shana looked around at those seated beside her. The lord continued laughing, casually accepting wine from his confidants. The stern housekeeper remained the same as ever—silent, tight-lipped, and cold.
Grotesque laughter blended with blaring music, merging into a symphony of cruelty and agony.
"That's Kaya… That's Kaya…"
Shana murmured to herself. She snapped her gaze toward the lord.
"My lord!? She's not a fox demon! She's not—!"
But in response to her fury, the lord merely smiled.
A smile Shana had once believed to be the symbol of kindness and greatness—Now, it left her utterly hollow.
Then came the sharp rebuke of the housekeeper.
"Madam! You must remember your position!"
"You are now the lord's wife!"
"You must not disgrace yourself like this!"
"Be quiet!"
The words echoed relentlessly inside Shana's head, haunting her, reverberating without end. She could only sit there, watching Kaya be humiliated, unable to do anything.
Because the "disgusting fox demon" they spoke of… was sitting right here.
A wandering monk passing by the bamboo hill, witnessing the scene from afar, could not restrain himself.
"Merciful heavens… How could something like this happen?"
That night—The night of consummation between the lord and his new bride. The room where Shana sat was deathly silent, eerily so. It felt more like a funeral than a wedding chamber.
Shana sat motionless. Her hair, once black, had shifted into a natural reddish-brown, glowing fiercely under candlelight. Her sapphire-blue eyes had returned.
She whispered softly,
"Kaya… my Kaya…"
Her hands twisted together uncontrollably, anxiety gnawing at her, while her beautiful face looked as though its soul had been drained away.
The lord entered the room without her noticing—or perhaps she no longer had the strength to notice at all. He looked her up and down, then sat before her, spreading his arms.
Shana stared at his strange gesture. He laughed.
"What's wrong, my bride? On your first night in your husband's home, have you already forgotten how to serve your lord? I'm sure the housekeeper taught you how to undress your husband, didn't she?"
He didn't seem to care at all about her changed hair color or her eyes.
Which could only mean one thing—He knew exactly what he was doing.
Shana stared at him wide-eyed, tears spilling uncontrollably. The pain choked her so badly she could barely breathe. She could only whisper, her voice bitter with betrayal.
"My lord… why?"
The smile vanished from his face. His voice turned icy, piercing to the bone, indifferent in a way that sent chills down her spine.
"What else could it be? Wasn't it because I wanted to protect you?"
Shana let out a hollow laugh.
"Protect… me?"
She covered her face and sobbed. The lord stepped forward to embrace her, but Shana forcefully shoved him away.
That enraged him.
"You!? Is this how you treat your benefactor? Your husband!?"
But Shana only laughed loudly, not even bothering to hide her scorn.
"Husband? Bride? I'm nothing more than a disgusting fox demon, aren't I?"
The lord scoffed.
"You are no fox demon. You are my wife—my wife, Kamakiri Ousa's wife. That fox demon is the one down there. And she will die sooner or later."
At the mention of Kaya, Shana seemed to awaken. She glared at him with a gaze so cold that even he could not comprehend it.
"My beloved Kaya… She may die. After all, you've already tortured and humiliated her beyond measure. But even if she dies, she will still be pure, still kind-hearted… and she will never be a fox demon."
Hearing her words filled with rage, the lord laughed as though he had just heard a joke. He paced the room.
"Perhaps you're right. Pure and kind. In the end, she was nothing but a filthy slave. Her death means nothing compared to my grand plan. She should be grateful for that."
Shana spoke each word in disbelief.
"What… plan of yours?"
"Yes!"
The lord exclaimed, seizing Shana's hands, laughing loudly.
"Shana! We will build a great legacy together! Do you understand? The lands of those barbaric Okawa will belong to us! And then, you and I will be king and queen! We will bring prosperity to this land—together!"
But Shana screamed and shoved him away. She went mad, retreating into the corner of the room, her lips trembling. The lord fell silent, clenching his fists.
"…Very well. I will spare you, considering your past bond with that girl. We shall postpone consummation for one day. I will also forgive your insolence tonight. Remember—this mercy exists only because of you."
Shana remained curled in the corner. The lord turned to leave, but suddenly her voice rang out.
"Why did your previous wife die?"
He froze. Shana's gaze was cold, emotionless, fixed on his back.
"…Didn't I tell you? She died of illness."
Shana did not answer. The lord left the room.
As the doors slid shut, he ordered the housekeeper,
"Tonight, you will guard your mistress. Do not allow her to leave the room even a single step."
The housekeeper bowed. The lord stormed off.
They did not know—Shana had heard everything. The power she had suppressed deep within herself for so long, the power she had hidden to please him—Had returned.
---
At the same time, a figure cloaked in grayish-blue striped robes attempted to scale the towering wall and slip into the lord's estate. Spotting two guards passing by, he hastily pressed himself into the shadows behind a large bonsai planter. He overheard their conversation.
"She's terrifying, isn't she? And yet she's still conscious somehow?"
The other guard patted his companion's shoulder and whispered,
"Lower your voice. Do you know what happened to the two men upstairs who tried to lay hands on her? They say one of them can't even attend the wedding today—she twisted all four of his limbs backward. His condition's critical too, half-conscious, half-delirious. The physicians came, but they all shook their heads. The wounds were too deep. Looks like…"
"Hey, I also heard she keeps muttering the lord's wife's name nonstop. Wait—wasn't she supposed to be mute?"
The other guard shook his head. "I believe the rumors about her being a fox spirit aren't just nonsense. But watch what you say. If that reaches the lord's ears, the two of us will lose our heads."
The guards were so absorbed in their gossip that they never suspected the presence lurking behind them.
In a flash, the cloaked figure lunged forward. One guard had his neck snapped instantly. The other barely managed to gasp before a knife plunged straight into his abdomen.
Under the moonlight, the intruder's face was finally revealed. It was the monk who had once come to pay his respects to the lord.
He dragged the two corpses into the flower bushes and vanished into the darkness, reappearing moments later near the dungeon.
Inside, the guards were still feasting and drinking themselves senseless after the lord's wedding.
Nearby, behind iron bars, Duyen hung suspended. Her body was covered in wounds—bruises from beatings, burns from hot coals, signs of abuse, and countless other forms of torture. Her flesh was mangled beyond recognition, skin peeled away in horrifying patches.
She hung there motionless, her head forced beneath the severed head of a fox.
The dungeon door suddenly creaked open.
The drunken guards turned toward it. Only one man stood there.
In their haze, one of them waved lazily.
"Hey, little brother, your shift's over? Come in and have a few drinks with us."
Suddenly, the man's body collapsed to the ground. His head rolled across the filthy straw floor.
Only then did the guards' faces drain of color as they leapt up in panic. The next figure to step inside was a strikingly handsome monk, dressed in gray-blue monastic robes, standing there with unsettling calm.
The guards scrambled for their spears.
Too late.
With a flick of his arm, a volley of poisoned needles shot out from beneath his sleeves, striking each guard in succession. They collapsed like marionettes with their strings cut.
The monk bent down, searched their clothing, and retrieved a ring of keys. Without hesitation, he rushed into Duyen's cell.
The moment he freed her, her body crumpled forward into his arms. Panic seized him as he examined her injuries, hastily removing the fox head from her face.
Beneath it was a breathtakingly beautiful face—brutally battered, yet still radiant.
"Miss—Miss! Wake up! Please—don't die!"
When Duyen stirred, her mind was still trapped in delirium. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked up at the monk.
"Na… Nayeon…?"
The monk nearly broke down in relief upon seeing she was conscious. Tears almost spilled from his eyes.
"Thank the heavens… I feared you were already— But we cannot stay here any longer. Can you walk? We must leave at once."
Then he noticed her legs—likely numb and paralyzed from prolonged captivity and torture.
"…I see. You can't. But don't worry."
He quickly removed his kasaya and wrapped it around Duyen's wounded body, then lifted her onto his back.
"I know someone who can heal your injuries. You'll be safe."
But Duyen soon slipped back into unconsciousness, her head resting against his shoulder. Her lips murmured faintly.
"Shana… Shana… Run…"
The monk's expression darkened with worry.
"Delirium—fading in and out. She's in critical condition. If we don't hurry…"
Some time later, the lord reconsidered his decision. He returned to Shana's chambers, rehearsing apologies he had crafted in his mind. Shana was crucial to his plans for territorial expansion. Even if he had to feign tenderness, he was more than willing to do so.
But what greeted him was a nightmare.
The bodies of the maidservants—and even the old housekeeper—had been torn apart without mercy. Limbs were scattered everywhere. Blood smeared the walls in chaotic streaks, and the room lay in total ruin, as though a pack of wild beasts had rampaged through it.
No—worse than that.
Could this possibly be…?
A guard came running in panic, dropping to his knees at the lord's feet.
"My lord! Urgent report! The fox demon in the dungeon—she's escaped!"
"What!?"
The lord's eyes bulged as he stared at the soldier, unable to believe what he had heard.
"It's true, my lord! She slaughtered our men and fled the dungeon!"
"That's impossible… How could that be…?"
The lord staggered backward, covering his mouth as his body trembled.
But she wasn't a real fox spirit. How could she have done this?
There was only one explanation.
Swallowing hard as he looked upon the gruesome scene, the lord forced himself to remain composed.
"Quickly! Mobilize the troops! Inform all soldiers at once! The fox demon has abducted my bride!"
That night, the entire estate blazed with torches as troops were deployed in frantic pursuit, spilling out beyond the city walls.
What they didn't know was that another mysterious force lay hidden among the bamboo groves—waiting for this very moment to strike