Once upon a time, there was a white fox who lived on the edge of a forest. He spent his days happily wandering, constantly yearning for something deep in his heart. One day, a prince arrived with a group of soldiers and left their usual place; they had come to hunt animals. The prince shot the fox, and the soldiers applauded, praising the prince's skill. The prince was pleased that he had successfully hunted something on his first outing. However, the prince couldn’t bring himself to kill the fox. Instead, he thought it was lovely and decided to take it back to the palace.
From the moment the fox saw the prince, he fell in love. He cherished the prince deeply, though the prince was unaware. Not long after, the prince fell gravely ill and was near death. All the doctors in the kingdom were helpless. The fox stayed by the prince’s side, wrapping him in his fiery red fur and licking him gently with his tongue. One day, a miracle happened, and the prince recovered. When the prince woke up, the first thing he did was order his men to search the world for a woman dressed in red.
The prince said to the fox, "When I was sick, I dreamt of a woman dressed in red, and I fell in love with her in my dream." Eventually, the prince found a woman dressed in red. The prince asked her, "Were you the one who stayed by my side when I was sick?" She replied, "Yes." Soon after, the prince married this woman, and the fox felt happy for him.
One night, the fox ran to the roof and cried under the moonlight. To the prince, the fox's cries sounded like music from home. The prince wanted the fox to return to its original place. The next day, the prince said to the fox, "You should go back to your original place." Holding the fox, he prepared to release it where it came from. The fox didn't want to leave the prince. Even if he could not obtain the prince's love, staying by his side and watching him was a kind of happiness. But the fox was seen by the woman. She stopped the fox and said, "This fox is beautiful, with white fur. No, it’s perfect!" Then she turned to the prince and said, "Prince, please give me his fur to make a coat."
The prince hesitated but couldn’t bear to see the woman he loved cry. So, he agreed. As the prince was about to kill the fox, he said, "Fox, you are about to die. I will give you one last chance to ask a question." The fox asked, "How can I stop loving you?" The prince didn't understand and would never hear it again.