The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Poison.

The atmosphere inside the tent instantly froze.

Anyone else would have been concerned for Semela, but being of the snake clan, she had immunity to poisons.

Moreover, her North Sea snake clan was impervious to any kind of poison.

The servant who had failed in his assassination attempt immediately opened his mouth wide.

Just as he was about to bite down on the poison hidden in his mouth…

“Darling!”

At Semela’s cry, Theodore cast a spell.

The servant froze with his mouth wide open.

Laria’s brow furrowed as she examined the servant.

Poison and an Imperial Palace servant.

Faced with a situation similar to the banquet, Laria immediately deduced the culprit behind this.

Semela, who had been glaring coldly at the vial, turned to Laria and said:

“They only poisoned your tea.”

At the banquet, Rubenta had learned that Semela was knowledgeable about poisons. So he had only poisoned Laria’s tea. And with a deadly poison that would cause instant death upon ingestion.

Semela spoke, looking down at the kneeling servant:

“You must have worked hard to find an odorless poison. But I remember every poison I’ve ever handled.”

The snake scales on her cheeks protruded sharply.

Her vertically narrowed pupils were as sharp as blades.

“Tell me who sent you.”

The servant chose silence.

Instead, Laria answered:

“It’s Rubenta Krassium.”

At her assertive tone, the servant’s eyes wavered briefly.

“And this man is likely of the Wolf clan.”

The servant’s face, which had remained expressionless even when prepared for death, contorted.

Laria could understand why Rubenta wanted to kill her.

To them, Laria was the biggest variable and hindrance.

If not for Laria, Zenox would have already fallen under the brainwashing spell, becoming Rubenta’s puppet.

The mere thought chilled her to the core.

Laria immediately went to find Ishel with her family.

When she explained that the servant had poisoned the tea, Ishel urgently examined Laria.

“Are you alright?”

“Fortunately, we noticed before I drank it.”

Ishel let out a long sigh of relief.

He was more genuinely concerned for Laria’s well-being than anyone else. Especially after witnessing Zenox’s frantic behavior when Laria had been absent recently.

Ishel glanced at the captured servant and asked:

“Is it a brainwashing spell?”

“It’s different from magic. He likely used the Power of Words.”

“What’s the Power of Words?”

Laria briefly explained about the Power of Words as she had heard from Zenox.

As she finished speaking, Ishel’s face turned pale.

“So it works on all wolf beastmen?”

“It seems so.”

Brainwashing spells were too complex to cast on multiple people.

However, the Power of Words was powerful enough to easily influence any wolf beastman.

‘Is this what Rubenta Krassium was aiming for?’

If he had merely intended to poison Laria, it was quite a sloppy plan. But if it was to demonstrate his abilities, it was incredibly cunning.

This incident made it impossible to know how far Rubenta’s influence had spread.

Especially since many wolf beastmen, renowned for their martial prowess, were in the knightly orders. If they removed all the knights out of fear of the Power of Words, it would leave a significant hole in their forces.

Seeming to share Laria’s thoughts, Ishel let out a sigh.

Semela, who had been watching silently, spoke up:

“There must be more accomplices here.”

The servant had inserted a special device into the teapot to ensure only Laria’s cup was poisoned.

It wasn’t something one person could do alone, so there must be collaborators, Semela said. Herdin responded:

“I’ll look into that.”

Ishel and the knights standing behind him paled.

No beastman would know better than Herdin how to inflict the most pain without necessarily drawing blood.

In the end, it was decided that Herdin would interrogate the servant, while Semela would inspect the tents for any remaining poison.

Laria, in the midst of dealing with the aftermath, checked the time.

Time had flown by, and the appointed hour had arrived.

However, there was no sign of Zenox anywhere she looked.

Something must have happened to Zenox.

“I’ll be back.”

“Let’s go together.”

Theodore held onto Laria as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Don’t worry. You saw me at the duel, didn’t you?”

“But…”

Laria gazed silently at Theodore.

If Theodore, who had lost half his magical power, were to face Marquis Hashir, it could be dangerous.

“We don’t know what Marquis Hashir might do. You’re the only person I can trust, Father.”

If Laria left, there would be no sorcerer to guard the tent. Though there were Imperial Palace sorcerers, they weren’t as skilled as her father.

Persuaded by Laria’s words, Theodore reluctantly stepped back. He handed Laria a flare he had prepared in advance.

“Use this if anything happens.”

“…”

“I’ll come immediately.”

No matter what happens.

At his resolute gaze, Laria nodded slowly.

Laria immediately cast a tracking spell. A white light, like a comet’s tail, streaked through the trees. However, it didn’t get far before the light dispersed.

‘Someone is interfering.’

It was obvious who.

Marquis Hashir seemed to have laid magic-blocking barriers throughout the inner forest. She could simply break through them, but the Marquis might notice and flee.

If Zenox had to fall under the brainwashing spell, it had to be today.

‘I can’t use spatial movement magic…’

Though she was unskilled at horseback riding, it was her only option.

Laria approached a nearby knight.

“Can I borrow a horse?”

The knight handed over the most intelligent and gentle horse to Laria.

With assistance, Laria mounted the horse and took a deep breath. She shook the reins firmly, and the horse neighed before starting to run.

Being unaccustomed to riding, Laria clung tightly to avoid falling off.

Fortunately, her mind was so preoccupied with Zenox that she didn’t feel afraid.

As she rode through the forest, Laria briefly looked back.

Though she couldn’t sense their presence, Ishel and the knights had agreed to follow at a distance.

Boisterous voices could be heard.

Nobles hunting could be seen here and there.

Laria left them behind and ventured deep into the forest. As she pushed through the dense trees, human presence gradually diminished.

‘Where is Zenox?’

Surely Zenox would have left traces for a situation like this.

“Wait a moment.”

Laria pulled on the reins to slow down.

She discovered scratches on a tree trunk, clearly made deliberately. The marks pointed north. Confident that these were traces left by Zenox, Laria headed north.

After riding for some time, an acrid smell filled the air.

‘I smell burning.’

Laria looked up.

The sky, which had been clear blue earlier, was now a murky gray.

‘Smoke?’

The moment she realized this, screams were heard in the distance.

“Fire!!”

It was the cries of nobles and servants who had been hunting nearby.

Laria froze in place.

The intelligent horse, sensing Laria’s state, came to a stop.

“Flee!”

A knight stationed in the forest spotted Laria and shouted.

However, she remained rooted to the spot, unable to move.

As if thrown back into the past, her hands trembled on the reins, and she struggled to breathe.

It felt as if flames were flickering before her eyes.

Phantom pains she thought she had forgotten surged back, causing her agony.

The moment she heard about the fire, her body reacted first. Perhaps she would never be able to overcome her fear of fire for the rest of her life.

Thicker smoke enveloped Laria’s surroundings.

Unable to move a finger, Laria simply closed her eyes.

-Laria!

She recalled Zenox calling out to her at the dueling grounds.

When she thought she was going to die helplessly, he had appeared. Breaking even the barrier that no one else could shatter.

-Did it hurt a lot?

It had hurt a lot.

So she had answered affirmatively to Zenox’s question.

If Zenox were to ask the same thing now…

‘Losing you like this would hurt more.’

Laria focused on Zenox’s voice instead of the painful memories of the past.

-Laria.

Strangely, as she recalled him, the phantom pains enveloping her body gradually subsided.

-It’ll be alright.

-Shall I hold you?

-Whitie.

His affectionate voice overlaid something else onto her terrible memories.

Soon, soft and warm memories poured forth. The tension and anxiety that had been suffocating her faded like dying embers.

Unlike when she had faced it alone back then, now Zenox and her family were by her side.

Laria slowly opened her eyes.

And she faced the blazing flames head-on.

It was the moment she finally overcame her fear of fire.