The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria’s heart started beating faster.

Honestly, anyone would tremble upon hearing that statement.

“…As much as the flowers in the garden?” Laria, taken aback, asked again.

Perhaps thinking she doubted his words, Zenox added with a smile:

“The lands of Krassium are so rich that gems roll around on the ground.”

She had heard such phrases before.

The northern territory of the Empire, under the dominion of the Grand Duke of Krassium, was known as a land of gold and turmoil.

Due to its border location, it was often invaded by bandits and barbarians, but it was the only place on the continent where black diamonds were mined.

They also owned a variety of other gem mines, and it was said that Grand Duke Krassium was even wealthier than the imperial family.

Of course, the veracity of this was uncertain as there hadn’t been a public disclosure of the wealth.

Laria’s gaze, which had been on Zenox, shifted back to the garden.

Numerous flowers seemed to wave at me with the wind. The large buds looked like gems.

Laria, managing to suppress her overwhelming desire, politely declined:

“No, I don’t need that much for breaking the spell.”

With great reward comes great responsibility.

Anyway, she was supposed to get the diamond mine after the broken engagement…

Having already devoured the fox orb, she decided not to take any compensation. However, Zenox tilted his head, seeming to not understand why Laria was declining.

“I’ve heard the fees are high for high-ranked sorcerers.”

“I’m not even a formally registered sorcerer with the Sorcery Office.”

“In that case, we should give you more. You won’t get support from the Office.”

Is that so…?

“All I have is money.”

Wow, it might have sounded insincere if someone else had said it…

But when Zenox said it, Laria found herself nodding involuntarily. It was tempting to accept given how he put it, but Laria didn’t change her stance.

“The fee is really fine.”

“You’re saying you’ll help for free?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Usually, Zenox would have accepted the answer, but for some reason, he didn’t back down easily this time.

‘Why, he asks.’

It wasn’t a hard task, and she wanted to help, especially recalling how well Zenox had treated her during the half-year she spent in the Krassium mansion.

Laria couldn’t reveal many reasons, but she wanted to be of help to him.

She was his fox, after all.

“It’s something lovers would do for each other, right?”

Laria joked, and a smile appeared on Zenox’s face.

Eventually, a sigh escaped his tightly closed lips. His face seemed to encounter an incomprehensible entity.

Much later, Zenox muttered to himself as if echoing Laria’s words:

“…Yes, because we’re lovers.”

* * *

Laria followed Zenox around the mansion.

It felt like a nostalgic trip as nothing had changed compared to three years ago.

Especially Zenox’s bedroom, it was exactly as Laria remembered.

The canopy she climbed and played on when she was a fox, the big bed where they slept together every night, the dark-colored rug changed for fear of stepping on Laria, and even the drawer she occasionally peeked into when left open. Even the vase on top of the drawer had a dried sunflower in it.

The butler used to place the sunflowers Laria brought from the garden there, and it brought back memories.

The next place they visited was the playroom, where the fluffy ball, knitted toys, and fox dolls were left untouched.

They were so well-maintained that not a speck of dust was found.

‘I played well with these. They were soft to touch.’

Laria, lost in nostalgia, almost touched them but held herself back.

After touring other rooms such as the reception room and the dining room, a lot of time had passed.

“I don’t feel any traces of sorcery here.”

Laria removed all the prohibition spells when she first entered the mansion, but she naturally pretended not to know.

“There’s one last place I’d like you to check.”

Laria hesitated.

Without asking, she felt she knew where it was.

‘It’s been 3 years.’

Wasn’t the reason why he entrusted the request to Solike to get clues about that day?

Even though it felt awkward due to unpleasant memories, it was a place that needed to be checked eventually.

The two headed to the 3rd floor of the west wing of the mansion.

Unlike other floors, there was no one walking around on the 3rd floor. The windows were tightly locked and all the wall-mounted candle holders were empty. It was like a closed-off area that no one could approach.

The emotions that were elated during the trip down memory lane disappeared and gradually calmed down.

Zenox, who stopped in front of the last room, turned around.

“This is a library, but it was messed up due to a fire a few years ago. Please, don’t be too surprised.”

Laria thought it would have been neatly repaired, of course.

She showed a curious expression but Zenox said nothing more.

‘Perhaps to secure evidence?’

Zenox wouldn’t know there had been an intruder in the mansion, so he must have thought Whitie caused the fire and ran away.

Somehow, she got goosebumps.

‘…I must absolutely not get caught.’

Zenox pulled on the half-melted door handle. The door opened wide, revealing the spacious area.

Zenox, who led the way, went to the window and opened the latch.

The previously dim library brightened, revealing the surroundings.

The burnt black wallpaper, furniture turned to ashes, ashes scattered here and there. At least the floor seemed to have been cleaned, it was relatively clean.

Laria’s gaze slowly scanned the library.

The moment she confirmed the faded blood stains on the broken window and the claw marks on the window sill.

The calm eyes of Laria trembled greatly.

“…”

She thought it would be okay since it has been many years.

But the moment she entered the library, Laria realized like the Krassium mansion, she too, had stopped moving on from 3 years ago.

In an instant, the scenery of that day unfolded before her eyes.

‘Ah…’

The suppressed memories rushed back like flames.

The ears and tail that sprung out unknowingly shivered.

‘Calm down. It’ll look suspicious.’

It was the past that had already passed.

She tried to act okay, but it wasn’t as easy to calm down as she thought. Laria took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Are you okay, lady Rohan?”

Zenox came close swiftly.

Laria, who lifted her head reflexively, looked at him.

Her water-colored eyes, like a murky lake after the rain, reflected Zenox.

The pupils that were like the sun on a clear day shook briefly.

Soon after, he pulled his body back sharply and blocked her view.

Zenox whispered softly:

“I am embarrassed to show you an unorganized room.”

But there was no embarrassment felt in his voice. It seemed like he was discerning Laria’s state and comforting her.

Laria bit her lips gently.

She boasted about being stronger, unlike when she couldn’t do anything and ran away. She even devoted herself more to magic to gain the power to protect herself.

But still, Laria haven’t been able to escape from here.

It was quite embarrassing.

‘I thought I was okay, but I guess not.’

Feeling like tears might suddenly trickle down, Laria lowered her head.

Then, she felt a hand slowly stroking her back.

Instead of burning heat, a pleasant body temperature lingered on her back. It felt as comforting as being wrapped in a warm blanket. So, Laria nestled in Zenox’s arms for a while.

* * *

After Laria hurriedly left, Zenox remained alone in the library.

Zenox, who looked around once, slowly closed his eyes.

It had been a long time since he felt this light.

His head felt clear and light as if the thick dark clouds had cleared. Even the calling for bloodshed had cleanly disappeared.

Just one touch suppressed the madness, indeed, the power surpassing the fox orb was sure.

Madness was a hereditary disease of the wolf beastmen.

It’s almost gone now, but it still continued in the Krassium family, which had particularly strong wolf blood.

Fortunately, the Krassium family had a talisman to suppress the madness. It didn’t solve the problem completely, but touching the talisman regularly made it okay.

The problem was that the talisman disappeared along with Whitie.

Zenox suffered from hallucinations and calling for years.

He felt the bone-chilling realization that he was going insane.

Then one day, Laria Rohan appeared.

Even the fox orb couldn’t completely suppress the madness, but touching her cleared his mind and consciousness.

Zenox was convinced that Laria had something to do with Whitie.

He faintly felt the power of the fox orb from Laria, after all.

He didn’t know how she got the fox orb, but she surely must have had the last contact with Whitie.

He approached just based on the speculation that Laria might be hiding Whitie but…

Zenox constructed another hypothesis.

That Laria Rohan might be Whitie.