Chapter 4

To prove he was telling the truth, Father showed the Fox Emperor the mark of the White Fox clan on my forehead, along with my tails.

The Fox Emperor frowned. Before he could say anything, Oscar cut in, asking, "Does having the White Fox clan's mark necessarily mean that he's your child, Your Highness? Then wouldn't that mean that every white fox in the world with that mark is your child?"

Still kneeling on the ground, he turned to the Fox Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you know my father was a white fox, too. That means white fox blood runs in my veins as well. What's so strange about me having a child that's a white fox?

"His Highness, on the other hand, has been upset for years because Her Highness has given him nine single-tailed earth foxes in a row. He's obsessed with having a nine-tailed fox. Because he can't have one, he sees my child and decides to steal him. How is that fair? Your Majesty, please help me with this!"

The Fox Emperor's brows furrowed even tighter. He looked at Father and said, "Mitchell, what Oscar says isn't entirely unreasonable. Do you have any other proof that this child is yours?"

Father opened his mouth, but no words came out. I had the mark and the tails, but Oscar had twisted everything with a few smooth lies.

I was so mad that I kicked my tiny legs in Father's arms. [This bad guy is such a good liar! Father, how am I supposed to prove that I'm your child? Where is the Heavenly Way? Heavenly Way, get out here! Didn't you say you'd help me? Is this what you call helping?]

But the Heavenly Way was gone. No matter how hard I shouted, I couldn't produce any more evidence.

Just then, Father seemed to make a decision. He clenched his jaw and said, "Father, I can hear this child talking. He says he's mine."

The hall fell silent for a heartbeat. Then, everyone erupted in laughter.

"Has the crown prince gone crazy from not being able to have a child with more than one tail?"

"A newborn fox can't even open its eyes yet. How could it talk? Your Highness, if you're going to lie, at least come up with something better."

Father had been the clan's golden boy since the day he was born, so he was naturally a little arrogant and spoiled. Plenty of people in the Foxborne Realm had never liked him.

In the past, they'd gone out of their way to find excuses to mock him. Now that they finally had real ammo, they laughed even harder at how he had gone mad wanting a nine-tailed fox.

Only Oscar didn't laugh. He walked up to Father, feigning concern.

"Your Highness, are you alright? I know you've suffered a lot these past years because of the whole multi-tailed fox matter. Nine pregnancies, and every single one had only one tail. Anyone would break under that pressure, so I don't blame you.

"Just give me back my child, and we'll pretend none of this ever happened. I'll keep waiting on you like I always have, alright?"

He sounded so gentle and considerate, but there was a glint of smugness hidden in his eyes.

The people around us began to chime in.

"That's right, Your Highness. Stop kicking up a fuss. Give him back his child."

"That child belongs to Oscar and Josie. What are you doing snatching him away?"

"It's understandable that you want a child with more than one tail, but you can't just steal someone else's baby…"

Amid the chatter, the Fox Emperor actually walked over and held out his hands to Father for me. "Mitchell, give the child back to Oscar. You're going to be the ruler of the Foxborne Realm in the future. Don't do anything that will ruin your reputation."

Father's face went pale when even the Fox Emperor closed in on him. I was his child, yet everyone was telling him to hand me over. Even the Fox Emperor, who had always doted on him, refused to side with him.

Just when he was about to break, Mother, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly stepped forward. She faced the hall full of people and the Fox Emperor and raised her voice.

"Your Majesty, I have a way to prove exactly whose child this is."