The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria’s head stopped thinking entirely.

Regaining her senses and looking closely, she saw clothes beneath the baby wolf.

It was the clothes Zenox had been wearing.

Moreover, the rare golden eyes… reminded her of someone.

“…Could it be, Zenox?”

The baby wolf nodded.

Laria let out a silent scream.

“Why, why are you like this?”

Could it be that Zenox can also completely transform?

Contrary to the flustered Laria, Zenox was calm.

“I don’t know. I felt strange, and suddenly I transformed.”

It couldn’t be a complete anthropomorphization, so could it be a side effect of the potion?

Laria’s face drained of color. She had never heard of such a side effect.

She offered a remedy she was holding.

“Do you want to try drinking this?”

Golden eyes merely stared at the potion bottle.

“Oh, right.”

She had acted thoughtlessly because the voice seemed so normal, even though the being before her was clearly a baby wolf.

“I washed my hands.”

She opened the bottle cap and poured a little remedy into her palm. Laria held the liquid near Zenox’s mouth. He awkwardly licked and drank the remedy.

‘So small.’

Laria watched Zenox as if she were mesmerized.

About the size of two palms combined, the fur was black like Zenox’s hair. The fluffy and disheveled fur resembled a dandelion seed.

Every time he licked the remedy, his ears, which hadn’t fully unfurled, twitched.

“So cute…”

The words unconsciously slipped from her mouth.

While drinking the remedy, Zenox looked up at Laria.

Laria quickly closed her mouth and looked away.

‘Even as a baby wolf, he wouldn’t like being called cute, right?’

Except for her father, she had hardly seen any men who liked being called cute. Especially Herdin, who absolutely despised it.

“No, I meant to say strong and cool…”

“Do you find me cute?”

Instead of answering, Laria took out a small mirror to show him. Looking at himself, he would surely find the comment inevitable.

After examining his reflection, Zenox casually remarked:

“Small. Probably about Whitie’s size.”

Following the comment, Laria tensed up. Zenox, not noticing her reaction, tilted his head.

“I’m not sure if I look cute.”

Again, the word ‘cute’ nearly slipped out reflexively.

Since childhood, Laria had a soft spot for small and cute things. If this baby wolf wasn’t Zenox, she would have surely hugged him.

Seeing Laria’s distressed reaction, Zenox looked oddly satisfied.

Glancing at the empty bottle, he asked:

“What did I just drink?”

Zenox seemed to have realized that he turned into a baby wolf after consuming something.

After a slight hesitation, Laria answered truthfully.

“It’s a potion that makes one hate the person they love.”

The golden eyes blinked slowly.

Ah, so that’s why.

Zenox recalled the behavior of the Countess he had seen earlier. Despite looking perfectly happy together, she suddenly changed her attitude and demanded a divorce. After eating a cookie.

So the potion must have been in the cookie. Everything now made sense.

Zenox inwardly clicked his tongue.

Of course, the potion didn’t affect Zenox. He didn’t love Laria, so the basic premise was already flawed.

Relieved the potion had no effect, Zenox still felt an odd sensation. It was a feeling he couldn’t quite identify.

The only certainty was that it wasn’t pleasant.

Shaking off his thoughts, Zenox looked up at Laria. It was an unusual feeling, having to look up at her.

He noticed a small mark on her neck, which he would have never seen if he was in his usual form.

As he observed parts of Laria he had never noticed before, she murmured:

“I’m sorry. I had no idea my family would cause such trouble.”

Only then did Zenox meet Laria’s eyes.

Her lake-like blue eyes shimmered slightly. He was reminded of Whitie. The color of the eyes was the same, and the apologetic look was strikingly similar.

He imagined fox ears sprouting from Laria’s head, probably drooping in guilt.

To be honest, Zenox had suspected Laria at first. She had been the one to propose a contractual relationship, after all. There was a fleeting suspicion that she might have conspired with her family to do this.

But looking into her eyes, she genuinely seemed innocent.

“I would have been worried too. Announcing an engagement out of the blue, I’d suspect you were tricked by some bad guy.”

Of course, objectively speaking, Zenox was the bad guy. And most of the rumors floating around were true.

“My reputation isn’t great, after all.”

His fluffy tail drooped.

Seeing his sulky look, especially in his current form, Laria was struck by how cute he looked.

“It’s not about your reputation. It’s just a misunderstanding by my family.”

Even though both knew the truth about Zenox’s notorious reputation.

Zenox, who had been acting very pitiful, sneakily raised his head.

“But why did he turn into a wolf?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask my father later.”

The one who made the potion was Theodore, and she intended to ask him.

It couldn’t have been a problem with the recipe since on Semela it worked just fine.

“So, a I coming back now?”

Zenox seemed to realize that the potion he had just consumed was an antidote.

“Probably. Should I step outside for a moment?”

Since he was sitting on his clothes, he would be naked when he returned.

“Please turn around just in case.”

Laria turned around, taking a couple of steps away from the sofa.

‘I should’ve touched the fur at least once.’

She felt a belated regret.

When will she ever see a baby wolf again in her life?

“Your Excellency?”

She waited for a while, but there was no response, so Laria called out to Zenox first.

“Well, I think there’s a problem.”

At his words coming from behind, her heart sank.

Without realizing it, Laria turned her head. Zenox, still in the form of a baby wolf, was sitting on the sofa.

‘Why isn’t he returning to his original form?’

Laria picked up Zenox with both hands and examined him thoroughly.

She even checked his paws, but there was no sign of anything unusual.

While Laria was anxious, Zenox seemed calm. He calmly surrendered to Laria’s hands and only wagged his tail a few times.

“I can’t go home like this.”

No one would believe her if she insisted that this baby wolf was Grand Duke Krassium.

“I’m sorry. I’ll find a way to get you back to your original form.”

As Laria hung her head down like a sunflower in the rain, something soft touched the back of her hand.

When she glanced up, she saw the soft paws of the wolf. Without words, she understood the comforting gesture and relaxed her expression.

“Can I hide in the Rohan mansion for a while?”

“Hide?”

Zenox spoke, tail drooping.

“My enemies won’t miss this opportunity.”

If the enemies found out that Zenox had turned into a baby wolf, they wouldn’t stay still. It would be a golden opportunity to kill Zenox, who had made a name for himself with force. Especially in this tiny baby wolf form, he wouldn’t even be able to defend himself.

Understanding Zenox’s situation, Laria nodded.

“Stay as long as you need until you return to your original form.”

Laria took the bait, and Zenox didn’t miss his chance.

The baby wolf smiled innocently.

“Thank you, Lady Rohan.”

He now planned to search for clues about Whitie.