The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria used a teleportation spell and moved to the entrance of the Marquis Hashir’s mansion.

The garden, once filled with roses, disappeared in an instant.

The first thing that caught her eye was a face so handsome, it couldn’t be replicated even with illusion magic.

“Ah!”

Laria, surprised, lost her balance and staggered. Immediately, a hand reached out and held her securely.

Just as surprised, Zenox’s eyes widened briefly before narrowing.

“Are you alright?”

Laria slowly looked up at the voice above her.

Reflected in those golden eyes was her face. For a moment, she forgot to breathe and just stared at Zenox.

Wait, isn’t this too close?

“Lady!“

Rodit’s voice snapped her back to reality.

Laria, a bit late, stepped back.

Rodit, with his puppy-like ears perked up, ran toward her with a vigilant look.

“Thank you for catching me.”

At Laria’s gratitude, Zenox slowly retracted his hand.

A smile then crossed his face.

“Think nothing of it.”

“My lady, are you alright?”

Rodit stood in front of Laria as if shielding her from potential danger, widening the distance between her and Zenox.

Rodit always was overprotective, but not to this extent.

‘Is it because it’s Zenox?’

However, he didn’t seem to be this guarded when he was delivering the letter.

Rodit, with his tail straight up, whispered so that only Laria could hear.

“Lady, there’s something off about that guy.”

“I know.”

At her response, Rodit looked at her with shocked eyes.

“You knew?”

Laria had never really thought of Zenox as ordinary.

He brought a swift fox from the forest and kept it, after all.

But she believed his nature wasn’t bad.

Laria patted Rodit’s shoulder.

“How about standing by my side?”

“Okay…”

Rodit, who had just been lip-biting, eventually slid next to Laria.

She then turned her gaze back to Zenox.

“Did I inconvenience you by coming to get you?”

Zenox smiled bitterly and muttered.

“Well, because I am… a beastman.”

He knew his reputation better than anyone. He was worried that because of him, Laria might get hurt.

Laria, however, firmly said:

“No, thanks to you, I was able to get out quickly.”

Zenox finally seemed to relax a little at her words.

“It seems the gathering was uncomfortable for you.”

“It wasn’t the atmosphere I was expecting. The reason I wanted to meet today was…”

Laria glanced at Rodit.

Rodit was unaware that she and Zenox were pretending to be lovers.

“I wanted to talk about what we couldn’t discuss then.”

Zenox seemed to understand from just that. Nodding, he took the lead.

“Let’s change locations. How about a teahouse?”

“I did want to visit the Grand Duke’s residence today, but would that be too sudden?”

“What?!”

Rodit jumped in place.

As if Laria had willingly walked into hell.

Zenox, on the other hand, remained silent.

Perhaps it was too presumptuous to ask for an invitation to his home after only a few meetings? She had something she wanted to check at the Grand Duke’s residence.

“Lady, perhaps reconsidering would be best!”

Rodit urgently tried to dissuade her, thinking it would be rude to visit on the same day.

But Zenox’s expression was ambiguous. It wasn’t negative, but rather, it seemed like he was in a dilemma.

“Hmm, it should be okay now.”

Zenox scratched his neck awkwardly.

“It’s just that some cleaning was left unfinished…”

It seemed that today was cleaning day.

Laria, nodding, noticed Rodit’s pale face.

“Rodit, what’s wrong?”

Zenox, following her gaze, looked at Rodit who was shaking.

“Are you hurt?”

Rodit, under their combined gaze, was taken aback and lowered his head.

“No, not at all… I’ll prepare the carriage.”

“You ride alone. I intend to ride with the Grand Duke.”

“I’ll go too! Definitely!” Rodit exclaimed, his fist clenched.

His desperation made Laria wonder.

‘Did something happen with Zenox at the mansion?’

She’d have to ask on the way back home.

“He’s my escort knight. Is it alright if he comes?”

“Of course.”

So the three beastmen rode in the carriage heading to the Krassium mansion.

‘I wonder how much it’s changed.’

Laria recalled the Krassium mansion from her past.

It has been 3 years, so the mansion he knew must have changed a lot. The trends in the social world were like flowers that bloom brilliantly and then wither; many aristocrats redecorated their houses every quarter.

Of course, Zenox seemed not very interested in such things.

Perhaps the butlers and servants took care of updating the mansion according to the latest trends.

‘I certainly understand why Zenox is a homebody.’

His house was incomparable to Rohan’s mansion.

It was so vast that you couldn’t go around even if you ran all day.

Recalling memories of the past, figures she had forgotten naturally came to mind.

The butler who was perfect in everything except naming, the chef who made good milk, the gardener who would decorate a fox’s hole with flowers…

All of them were good people.

Sometimes, he missed the Krassium family that much.

“…”

While Laria was lost in thought, Rodit fiddled with his sword as if on guard, sneaking glances. Then, whenever Zenox moved his armored hand, Rodit startled with a gulp.

Feeling his gaze, Zenox locked eyes with him. Rodit’s face, reflected in those golden pupils, grew sheepish.

“Is that the Krassium mansion?”

“Yes. We’ll arrive soon.”

At Laria’s words, Zenox turned his gaze from Rodit and replied.

The imposing Krassium mansion visible outside the window had a dark gray roof, earning it the nickname of ‘Black Mountain.’

It could have looked drab and outdated, but instead, the mansion could only be described as majestic.

‘To think I’d come back here.’

When she escaped from the mansion, she thought she would never step foot in the Krassium mansion again.

Even after so many years, memories resurfaced vividly.

‘The garden hasn’t changed.’

Soon, the sunflower garden that Zenox loved would appear. It’s still spring, so the flowers probably haven’t bloomed yet.

The carriage ran for a while and finally stopped in front of the entrance.

Before getting off the carriage, Laria said to Rodit:

“Wait in the carriage.”

Like a puppy unwilling to be separated from its owner, Rodit whimpered, but he backed off at a single glance from Zenox.

As Laria descended from the carriage, she looked up at the entrance, which seemed at least four times larger than Rohan’s mansion.

‘It’s really big.’

When she shifted her gaze, familiar faces greeted her.

Led by the butler, the employees lined up to greet Zenox.

“Welcome, Master.”

Seeing the butler’s face after so long, Laria almost waved with joy.

‘I was so indebted to him in the beginning.’

How many times had she fallen asleep while he combed her fur?

Of course, later, when Zenox took over hair-combing duties, the butler took on other tasks.

Unable to act familiar, she briefly surveyed the butler and servants.

Their expressions were rigid.

A shadow of gloom that they couldn’t hide was evident on their faces.

‘What happened?’

Before she could ask, Zenox spoke.

“She is my guest. Prepare the parlor.”

“We’ll get it ready right away.”

The once statue-like butler led the servants inside.

Zenox and Laria followed.

As they stepped inside with a sense of anticipation about what had changed.

“…!”

What’s this heavy atmosphere?

“Why do you pause?”

When Laria stopped, Zenox turned around.

The butler and servants, who had been walking ahead, also stopped and stared at Laria.

Under the scrutiny of everyone, Laria scanned the surroundings, starting with the carpet she was standing on.

A spell, invisible to the others but resembling a spider’s web, appeared in Laria’s vision. The dark red, undulating spell spread throughout the house, clinging to Zenox.

Running her fingers through the spell, Laria asked:

“Have any sorcerers visited the mansion?”

“None. … Is there a problem?”

“Not a problem, but the air in the mansion feels stagnant.”

At Laria’s response, the butler and servants glared.

The butler cleared his throat, showing discomfort. But after receiving Zenox’s cold stare, he responded with a stiff face:

“We’ve cleaned every speck of dust, even on the window frames. If you tell us the problem area, we’ll correct it immediately.”

Time was short for a detailed explanation.

She wondered how she had lived in such a place.

Instead of explaining in detail, she checked how many jewels were attached to her bracelet.

Fortunately, she brought enough gems for today’s gathering.

‘He’s rich, so he’ll pay for them, right?’

Laria took a step back, and Zenox, with a puzzled expression, asked:

“What are you doing?”

“Cleaning.”

She spread her palms and chanted a spell.

Dark red energies from all around gathered in Laria’s palm.

And the moment she clenched her fist tightly, a strong shockwave shook the mansion.