The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

“You, you mean…”

The Count mumbled with a shocked expression.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“…”

Zenox quietly looked down at Laria. It seemed as if he was meticulously searching for a certain image or presence in her.

Soon after, he brushed a silver strand of Laria’s hair behind her ear and whispered:

“I chose it imagining your happy face.”

A faint smile appeared on Zenox’s lips.

“No matter which flower I choose, Laria is the most beautiful.”

Laria admired him internally.

Wow, how can he say something so cheesy so naturally.

‘Well, it’s because Whitie was even cheesier.’

Maybe because of his natural charisma, Zenox’s acting was impeccable.

To anyone, he looked like a man in love.

“Ahem!”

At the sound of a fake cough, Laria turned her head.

Herdin, looking very displeased, gestured.

“Please come inside.”

Responding to the signal to separate, Laria slowly stepped away from him.

But then Zenox whispered so only Laria could hear:

“To look the most genuine, should we hold hands?”

It seemed a bit excessive, but after seeing the stern gazes of her family, she nodded in agreement.

When she extended her hand, Zenox’s large hand enveloped hers. She had never thought her hand was small, but it fit perfectly in his. Their fingers intertwined, and their grip solidified.

‘He came without his armor today.’

Zenox often partially transformed, so he usually wore armor.

Considering it might look intimidating, he seemed to have left it off today.

Lifting her head, she met the gazes of her family, who looked back with big, expectant eyes.

But they went inside without saying a word.

‘What…?’

It was clear the family disliked Zenox.

But they had never once asked her to break up with him. It wasn’t because they were scared of Zenox…

Perhaps they respected Laria’s genuine love for him.

‘I thought they would be overprotective till the day I die.’

While understanding the family’s overprotectiveness, it sometimes felt stifling, so this change was welcome.

Laria entered the mansion holding hands with Zenox.

The Rohan mansion was beautiful, but compared to the Krassium mansion, it was much smaller and modest.

Even though it was his second visit, Zenox looked around as if it was his first. His gaze was like that of a hunter searching for his prey’s trace.

After scanning, Zenox leisurely complimented:

“I thought so the last time too, but it’s a beautiful mansion.”

“It can’t compare to the Krassium mansion.”

Laria replied, looking affectionately at the hallway.

“But I love it. It’s the house I was born and raised in.”

Zenox, lost in thought, looked down. Soon, he smiled faintly and said:

“I see.”

Upon arriving at the reception room, there were two chairs arranged around a long table.

“Please have a seat.”

Laria and Zenox sat side by side, and her family sat opposite them.

Perhaps because they were still holding hands, the atmosphere was a bit tense.

“I couldn’t greet you earlier… I am Theodore Rohan.”

Count Rohan managed to introduce himself without faltering.

Although large and with a stern appearance, unlike most white foxes, he had a tender heart and was easily scared. The only resemblance he shared with Laria was his hair color.

“We’ve met before. I am Semela Rohan.”

The Countess introduced herself with a calm demeanor.

Her upward-slanting eyes and overall vibe resembled Laria’s, but she had a colder presence. Her postures and direct gaze contrasted sharply with the Count.

“I am Herdin Rohan. I work as an imperial physician.”

Having inherited more of the Countess’s genes, Herdin, born as a snake race, had a cold aura. He looked so much like Laria that one could tell they were siblings even from a distance.

After assessing Laria’s family one by one, Zenox spoke.

“I am Zenox Krassium.”

Hearing his name, even though they already knew it, felt different.

He was the only Grand Duke in the Empire and the center of countless rumors.

The Count’s family suspected that, despite his current mild demeanor, he had a hidden nature.

Breaking the brief silence was the Countess, Semela.

“You said you were seeing Laria last time.”

“Yes.”

Zenox nodded calmly.

“We haven’t been seeing each other for long… but we’re thinking of getting engaged soon.”

Semela and Herdin’s faces turned hostile in an instant.

Theodorel gasped and reached out.

Herdin naturally handed him a tranquilizer and glared at Zenox.

“Isn’t it too soon?”

“Well, my marriageable age is also approaching.”

As Zenox was being targeted, Laria stepped in to help.

“What do you mean your age is approaching?”

In noble families, most got engaged before reaching adulthood.

In Laria’s case, she hadn’t even sought out a fiancé even after holding her coming-of-age ceremony, so it was already late.

“50 years is too soon.”

“Are you telling me not to marry for the rest of my life?”

Herdin was about to nod but got pinched in the thigh by Semela and kept his mouth shut.

Semela looked back and forth between Zenox and Laria with a cold face.

“To be honest, I think this engagement is too one-sided…”

She didn’t specify which side was favored.

“If the two of you feel so strongly about it… fine.”

At the unexpected consent, Laria’s eyes widened in surprise.

What’s gotten into her mother? The last time she brought Zenox over, she was interrogated, even threatened.

She had worried they might not even get to the engagement, let alone be told to break up immediately…

Laria felt lost, everything happening too smoothly.

Laria glanced at Theodore, who had regained his color after taking a tranquilizer.

“Father, do you feel the same?”

Theodore, only blinking his eyes, looked surprised, then slowly nodded.

There seemed to be some anxiousness in his shaky legs.

Laria’s gaze sharpened, and Theodore slapped his own thigh.

“I’m just… nervous…”

At that moment, the butler brought in tea and snacks.

The sound of pouring tea filled the parlor.

Laria glanced at the snacks on the table. They were cookies she didn’t particularly like. It was odd because she usually got her favorite snacks.

It seemed they prepared differently because there was a guest.

Semela elegantly offered the snacks.

“These are special cookies made by our chef, try one.”

Special cookies? Since when?

While Laria looked puzzled, Zenox obediently picked up a cookie.

Everyone watched as he opened his mouth and swallowed it in one bite.

After offering a simple compliment about its taste, he habitually looked at Laria.

“Laria, try one too.”

As Zenox called Laria, everything seemed set.

Semela, smiling for the first time, began to speak.

“I have a question for the Grand Duke.”

“Please ask.”

“As parents, we naturally want our children to marry the ones they love.”

Semela looked straight at Zenox.

“Do you love Laria?”

“We haven’t known each other long, but… from the moment I saw her, I felt it was destiny.”

The straightforward answer left the three of them looking at each other in shock.

This shouldn’t be happening.

He ate the enchanted cookie; it should have immediately taken effect. Instead of the love feeling disappearing, it should have turned to dislike. Yet, Zenox still looked at Laria with a smile.

Something was definitely wrong.

Semela picked up a cookie and ate it.

“Hey, honey?”

The shocked Theodore called out to Semela, but the cookie was already swallowed.

“Theodore.”

Semela turned and looked at him.

Normally, when she looked at her husband, her gaze was filled with affection. But now, her eyes were colder than ever.

After staring at Theodore for a while, Semela spoke.

“We are getting a divorce.”