Fox Lian's territorial campaign was in full swing. Emma, amused yet thoughtful, began to wonder—why should only she be marked?
Looking at his beautiful silver fur, those ever-proud ears and tail, a hidden possessiveness stirred within her. She recalled the human custom of women embroidering sachets for their beloved. Though the God Clan had no such tradition, Emma decided it was time for the fox to feel what it meant to be "marked."
She secretly gathered the softest cloud brocade and starlight-thread, clumsily threading a needle. She tried to embroider a little fox, but her unskilled hands produced something resembling a fuzzy ball.
"What are you doing?" Fox Lian's voice startled her from behind. She nearly pricked her finger.
She tried to hide the hoop, but he caught it. His violet eyes flickered with confusion, then recognition, lips curving upward. "This is… me?" His voice brimmed with laughter.
Emma flushed, reaching to snatch it back. "It's ugly… give it back!"
But Fox Lian lifted it high, tail wagging happily, admiring the crooked "fox-ball." "Looks great. Lifelike."
Emma: "…Shut up!"
At last, the clumsy "fox-ball" sachet was finished. Blushing, Emma shoved it into his arms when no one was around. "For you! Throw it away if you don't like it!"
Fox Lian accepted the misshapen treasure, violet eyes overflowing with joy. Far from discarding it, he tied it proudly at his waist, replacing his elegant white pompom. "It's beautiful," he said seriously, gazing at it. "I love it."
Emma watched him wear the ugly thing openly, her heart a mix of embarrassment and sweetness.
From then on, his accessories changed completely. Gone were the refined ornaments—replaced by Emma's "handmade disasters": crooked hairbands, oddly embroidered cufflinks, even a grass-woven tail charm barely holding together.
Everyone was stunned to see the breathtaking fox lord adorned with mismatched, "cute-ugly" trinkets, yet wearing them with pride.
"Lord Fox Lian… that sachet…" a fox maiden ventured.
His violet eyes swept over her, tail lifting proudly. "Emma embroidered it. One of a kind."
Everyone: "…Alright then, if you're happy."
Emma, at first embarrassed, grew warm seeing his unabashed pride. This fox was answering her "mark" in his own way.
Thus, the academy witnessed a strange sight— The aloof goddess with a tail-fur heart knot in her hair, and the noble fox lord with a clumsy fox-ball sachet at his waist.
Wherever they went, fox fur and crooked stitches flew—a walking declaration of mutual possession.
Gu Liang (putting on sunglasses): "Too dazzling. My eyes hurt."
Cangming (thoughtful): "Should I let Gu Liang paint something on my scales…?"
Gu Liang (furious): "Don't even think about it!!"