The Fox in the Alley Learns How to Be Spoiled by a Knight - Rainy alley

It was raining. Rain was falling on the back alleys of the old town, on the south side of the royal capital of Branchelle. A cold, heavy rain at the threshold of winter. The tattered cloths strung across the narrow passageways, the crumbling stone walls — everything was soaked in gray. Noel sat in a side hollow of the old waterway, holding her younger brothers close. The hollow was barely wide enough for the three of them to press their shoulders together. It kept off the wind and rain, but it was cold. So cold. The cloth spread on the ground was damp, and she had her back pressed against the stone wall, curled into herself. "Hey, Noel. I'm hungry." Lyall's voice echoed faintly, hoarse and small. Seven years old. The elder of the twins. His drooping golden eyes looked up at Noel in the dim hollow. His ears were the same bright goldenrod fox ears as hers. His silvery-white hair stuck out in every direction, but today the rain had plastered it flat against his cheeks. "...Yeah. I'll figure something out tomorrow." Noel said it as casually as she could. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday either. Not just food — she could feel the sensation fading from her hands and feet in this cold. But if she said that, Lyall would cry. And Finn would go even quieter. "Hey, is something happening tomorrow?" "There is. So sleep." "...Okay." Lyall closed his eyes obediently. He nestled his head against Noel's right arm and curled up. His face was full of trust. That, somehow, made her chest tighten. On the other side was Finn. Same age as Lyall, seven. His silvery-white hair was straighter, falling to his shoulders. His blue-tinged golden eyes stared at the wet ground. He didn't talk much. But his mind worked quickly. "...Hey, Noel." "Mm." "Are we going to die here?" His voice was terribly quiet. Matter-of-fact. It was precisely because he was so gentle-natured that he could say such things without hesitation. Noel paused for a moment. "...We won't die." "Why not?" "Because I won't let us." She said it, and pulled Finn's head gently against her. Thin shoulders. Hard bones. Bony. *(It's fine. We're still okay.)* She repeated it in her mind. She wrapped her tail around their stomachs, trying to warm them even a little. Her silvery-white tail was beautiful, really, but now it was dull and heavy with mud and rain. Wash it, and it would gleam silver. Long ago, when her mother was still alive, she had been praised for it. The royal capital of Branchelle. A city at the heart of the Kingdom of Tirnard. To the north, the royal palace. To the northeast, Knight's Hill, where only the royal guard lived. In the center, the Calm Street shopping district. And at the southern edge — this was the southern edge, a back alley without even an official name. The people who lived there called it "Kagemichi." Grass grew through the gaps in the cobblestones, and when it rained, it turned to mud. Crumbling buildings loomed like walls, and it was dim even at noon. Roughly a hundred and fifty orphans lived there. Most of them, unnoticed by anyone, unprotected by anyone, quietly disappeared. Noel and her brothers had lived in this back alley for seven years. The three of them were fox-kin. Few in number even among beastfolk, and children with silver-white tails were especially rare. So rare that adults called them "ill omens." Fox-kin were believed to "tell lies" and "bewitch people," and even when they lined up at the Selena Church's soup kitchen, the other orphans drove them away. Some adults had tried to sell the three of them off as cheap labor. Noel dressed as a boy, lowered her voice, learned foul words, and made herself more ferocious than anyone else to protect her brothers. It wasn't just once or twice that someone had tried to sell them. When men from a trading company cornered her in the depths of the alley, she had grabbed a broken bottle nearby and thrust it in front of their faces. She remembered clearly that her hands hadn't trembled then. The trembling always came later, in the darkness and cold of night. The rain grew heavier. A thin stream of water began flowing in through the entrance of the hollow. The cloth on the floor slowly darkened, soaking through. "Noel... I'm cold." "Yeah. Stay close." She grabbed Lyall's hand. His fingers were cold as ice. She could feel Finn shivering faintly too. Both of them were nearing the limits of their strength. If they stayed like this through the night, they might not wake in the morning. The moment she thought that, Noel felt for the first time that there was nothing more she could do. The corners of her eyes grew hot, but no tears came. Seven years' worth of tears had long since dried up. That was when it happened. *Splash.* The sound of someone stepping through water. Then, multiple footsteps. Regular, heavy sounds. Noel's ears stood straight up. Her narrow golden eyes glared out beyond the hollow. She raised herself up, shielding Lyall and Finn behind her. Her heart pounded, *thud, thud*. *(Don't come.)* The footsteps drew closer. From beyond the alley, not even a meter wide, black shadows approached. "...There's someone here." A low voice. A man stood in the rain. Tall. Short, neatly trimmed black hair soaked by the rain, brown eyes turned toward them. Late twenties. Broad shoulders, tall. A hundred and eighty-six centimeters. He wore a dark coat, nearly black, and beneath it, armor with silver ornaments — the kind seen only at the royal guard barracks. The Royal Guard Order, "Shield of Tirnard," protectors of the royal capital of Branchelle. An elite force under the direct command of the royal family, granted mansions on Knight's Hill. Noel had always thought of them as "people from the other side." People of the light, who would never involve themselves with people like her, who *shouldn't* involve themselves. "...Three children, in a place like this." The man stood there without an umbrella, soaked by the rain. Noel felt her throat constrict. A large man. An adult. She remembered the adults of the back alleys. The men who approached with kind faces while scheming to sell you off — their figures overlapped with the man beyond the rain. *(No. He's a royal guard. But adults are all the same. He's going to—)* The trembling wouldn't stop. Terror raced through her entire body. The man slowly approached. "It's all right. I'm not going to eat you." Saying that, he held out one hand. In that instant, Noel's body moved before she could think. *Chomp.* She bit down on the man's right hand with all her strength. Around the base of his thumb. Her fangs pierced the skin, and the taste of iron filled her mouth. She could feel blood welling up. She bit with everything she had, intending to reach bone. If he yelled and raised his hand, she would use that opening to grab her brothers and run. But the man didn't pull his hand away. He grimaced in pain. His brows furrowed, and he held his breath for a moment. Then he slowly exhaled. His bitten right hand stayed fixed in the air, unmoving. "...Hm." That was all. Still biting down, Noel stared at the man with her narrow eyes. Her golden eyes wavered. Her heart pounded like a frantic bell, and her strengthless body trembled with anger. *(Why doesn't he get angry?)* *(Why won't he let us run?)* The man's left hand slowly rose. *He's going to hit me.* She thought that, and squeezed her eyes shut. But the left hand touched Noel's head, and then, very slowly, with awkward movements, stroked it two or three times. "...You've done well." At those words, Noel lost the strength to bite. The man's hand pulled away from her mouth. Red fang marks remained, blood faintly welling up. But the man didn't even try to wipe it. "What are your names?" Noel didn't answer. She still hadn't lowered her guard. She stared at the man's chest, where rain was bouncing off the surface of his armor. "I am Alvin Crowley. A knight of the Royal Guard Order." The introduction didn't quite connect in her ears. "You'll get cold staying here. For now, come to my estate." Noel shook her head. "...No." "I see." The man nodded easily. But he didn't back down. He took off his coat and, rainwater streaming from his shoulders and all, wrapped it around Noel, Lyall, and Finn — all three of them together. The man was more than large enough to hold three beastfolk children in his arms. "What are you—" "Let's go." Before Noel could struggle, the man swiftly lifted her up. He was warm. The coat was cold with rainwater, but the man's body beneath it was sturdy as a beast's, and hot. The moment she touched that heat, Noel realized for the first time just how cold her own body had become. Her limbs were numb, and she couldn't resist properly. Her vision flickered. "...Put me... down." Her voice was hoarse. "If you don't like it, you can bite me again later." Alvin said that and began walking through the rain. She felt like she could hear the sound of his shoes sinking into the mud somewhere far away, and then she felt nothing at all. Her consciousness faded, smooth and thin. *(Warm.)* Thinking only that, Noel fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, there was an unfamiliar ceiling. Wooden beams. Stone walls. Damp air. And the crackling sound of something popping. *Thump.* She shifted on the bed and bolted upright. "...!" Not the hollow. Not Kagemichi. Not cloth or dirt. She had been laid on a soft, plush bed. Her clothes were astonishingly dry, and the mud had been cleaned from her body. Her heart raced again. "Lyall... Finn!" She called their names. Her voice cracked. Looking at the floor, she saw them in front of the fireplace. Lyall was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping with his mouth half open. Finn was beside him, sleeping quietly, his head resting against Lyall's shoulder. The room was filled with the scent of firewood and freshly baked bread. Noel confirmed with her eyes that the two of them were safe, and then she saw the large shadow standing in the corner of the room. It was Alvin. His short, neatly trimmed black hair gleamed wetly in the firelight. His brown eyes watched Noel quietly. White shirt, black trousers, armor removed. A white cloth in his left hand. On his right hand, the wound Noel had bitten earlier was left as it was. Red and swollen, with traces of blood. No bandage. No sign of disinfection. Noel pressed her back against the wall. She pulled the blanket over her shoulders, made herself small, flattened her ears, and glared at the man. "It's all right. Your brothers are alive and well." The low voice fell quietly into the room. Noel didn't answer. She desperately held back her tail from puffing up beneath the blanket. "Aren't you hungry? There's bread. And I can make warm milk too." Saying that, Alvin picked up a wooden plate from a small table. Two freshly baked loaves. The surfaces gleamed golden brown. Walnut bread. Noel's throat made a sound, but she shook her head, trembling. "...I don't want any." "I see." As expected, the man backed down easily. Silence filled the room. The fireplace crackled softly. With a *pop*, the flames rose for a moment. With her back against the wall, Noel glanced sideways at her two brothers. Lyall's cheeks looked rosy in the firelight. Finn's hair had been neatly combed. *(Warm. Good smells. Soft cloth.)* All things that had nothing to do with them. Seven years in the back alleys. At the bottom of the rain, sipping muddy water, sharing moldering bread crumbs, having stones thrown by adults, nearly being sold off — and still, the three of them had survived. "...Why?" A small voice escaped. "Why did you save us?" She asked without looking at the man, her head still lowered. Alvin thought for a moment, then opened his mouth. "Must there be a reason to save someone?" At those words, Noel looked up. The man stood there with the same expressionless face as before. He set the wooden plate back on the ta

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Episode 1

Name: The Fox in the Alley Learns How to Be Spoiled by a Knight
Author: Novelia

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