The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

At those words, tears flowed again.

She crumbled helplessly at the single phrase ‘I missed you.’

Tears that flowed incessantly soaked her white fur thoroughly.

No matter how much Zenox wiped them away, it was of no use.

‘Why don’t you blame me?’

There had been countless opportunities to reveal the truth until now. Even when Zenox had given her chances, she had lied and smoothed over the situations.

Moreover, after leaving the Krassium mansion, Laria had avoided becoming entangled with Zenox.

If the Crown Prince hadn’t arranged the matchmaking, she wouldn’t have met him again.

She had deceived him for so long, so why wasn’t Zenox angry?

‘If it were me, I would have been disappointed.’

Even when she had learned that Zenox had deceived her before, she had felt betrayed… hadn’t she deceived him for even longer?

However, Zenox’s golden eyes, filled with Laria, were far from resentful, but as warm as ever.

Guessing Laria’s thoughts, Zenox answered:

“Because I knew.”

Frozen by the unexpected answer, Laria couldn’t move.

‘He knew… since when?’

She was so surprised that her tears stopped.

Stroking her fur that had become stiff with tension, Zenox continued in a comfortable tone as if addressing Whitie:

“I became certain after visiting the illegal auction house.”

That long ago?

Laria couldn’t even blink from the shock.

‘If he knew everything, why didn’t he confront me?’

As she pondered this question, Zenox smiled faintly. Seeing that face, memories of the past overlapped.

-It’s too late now. It’s cold and dark, so in the morning…

-Go in the morning.

She could understand without even asking.

‘He was being considerate of me.’

It was the same when she learned Zenox’s identity and tried to escape from the Krassium mansion.

Zenox had always respected and waited for Laria’s choices. Throughout that process, Zenox had never blamed Laria or shown negative emotions.

As they silently met each other’s eyes, he whispered:

“I missed you. That’s all.”

Zenox’s feelings towards Whitie were filled with affection and longing. There was no room for resentment or anger at all.

Tears welled up in Laria’s eyes at this overwhelming affection.

“Kyuung, kyaang.”

Why was she in fox form now of all times?

She had so much she wanted to say but couldn’t express, which was frustrating.

Understanding Laria’s feelings, Zenox patted her back.

“You were going to tell me someday, weren’t you? So it’s okay.”

Zenox smiled as he wiped her wet eyes.

“I didn’t know my fox was such a crybaby.”

At those words, Laria cried even harder. Her tears wouldn’t stop, as if she were trying to expel all the water from her body.

* * *

After handing over Marquis Hashir to Ishel, who had arrived belatedly.

Laria came to the Krassium mansion cradled in Zenox’s arms.

Her family didn’t know that Laria could transform into a fox.

Since she couldn’t speak in her current situation, thinking they might misunderstand like last time, she had followed Zenox for now.

As soon as they arrived at the mansion, they received a warm welcome from Verdo and the employees.

The place where the two arrived was the bedroom that had been exclusively used by Whitie in the past.

It had been left empty since they later started sleeping together in Zenox’s bedroom.

Laria, who had been cradled in his arms the whole time, crawled onto the bed.

After stumbling a bit, she plopped down on the pillow.

She had no energy left, exhausted from crying so much.

“Your eyes are all swollen. Tomorrow, the carp will ask to be friends.”

At this teasing remark, Laria only flapped her ears.

She had never cried in her Whitie form before, but it felt like she had shed all the tears she had been holding back at once.

Zenox, who had quickly risen from his seat, brought cold water and a soft handkerchief.

Then he pressed the damp handkerchief gently against Laria’s eyes.

Her warm, swollen eyes quickly cooled.

“Kyuu…”

A whimper like a sigh escaped involuntarily.

Surprised by her own sound, she curled her tail, and a soft chuckle was heard.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

As if on cue with Zenox’s question, a growl echoed.

She felt like she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.

‘I haven’t eaten anything all day.’

Laria let out a whimper as if making an excuse.

Unable to hold back any longer, Zenox burst into laughter and called for Verdo.

“We’ll eat in the bedroom, so prepare something. As quickly as possible.”

Not long after, Verdo came pulling a wheeled tray.

The tray was full of food. It was too luxurious and plentiful for two people, but considering Zenox’s appetite, it wasn’t that much.

Zenox naturally took care of Laria first.

He was so attentive that the gap of several years didn’t feel noticeable at all.

Laria, caught off guard, opened her mouth like a baby fox and accepted the food. The flow was so natural that for a moment it felt like they had returned to the past.

Laria became a bit troubled.

Could it be that what Zenox wanted was not Laria, but Whitie herself?

Well, he had been searching for so long…

‘Still, it’s okay.’

She should be satisfied that Zenox didn’t hate her.

It would be unconscionable to desire more.

As she slowed down her eating, lost in thought, Zenox put down his spoon.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

About to call Verdo immediately, Laria quickly shook her head.

Come to think of it, Zenox probably hadn’t eaten anything all day either.

Laria tapped Zenox’s hand with her front paw.

“Kyuu.”

Understanding immediately that she meant for him to eat too, Zenox finally started eating his portion.

He ate quickly, barely tasting the food.

It was closer to getting it over with than dining.

Yet it was always amazing how neatly he ate.

As Laria watched Zenox eat, she looked down at her reflection in the silver tray.

‘When will I change back?’

There was no sign at all of returning to human form.

The last time she had transformed into a fox, it had taken nearly half a day to change back. This time she had used much more magical power than then, so it might take several days.

She was already worried about what excuse to give her parents. With Herdin around, she couldn’t pretend to be sick.

Staying at the Krassium Grand Duke’s residence would surely cause an uproar.

Being in fox form and unable to communicate properly, it would be difficult to explain properly.

‘If it’s revealed that Zenox was the cause of my disappearance…’

Feeling chilled, Laria shuddered.

After the meal, Laria thoroughly examined Zenox.

Though she had broken the brainwashing spell, there might still be side effects.

Above all, what worried her was the first brainwashing spell.

Zenox had been under a brainwashing spell long ago that prevented him from killing Rubenta Krassium.

Yet this time he had defied the brainwashing and killed Rubenta.

‘The Marquis wouldn’t have broken the brainwashing spell…’

Could Zenox have broken free from the brainwashing on his own?

She had never even heard of such a case.

It seemed best to keep an eye on him for a while in case side effects suddenly appeared.

Zenox also gazed back at Laria’s obvious stare.

Zenox’s warm smile made Laria’s heart ache for no reason.

‘Is his mana overload alright?’

Zenox didn’t ask about the whereabouts of the fox orb.

This made her feel even more guilty.

Moreover, she had used up all the magical power she had accumulated during this incident.

As Laria’s expression gradually darkened, the smile disappeared from Zenox’s lips. After a moment of silence, he murmured:

“Are you uncomfortable here?”

Laria raised her head at the unexpected question.

“It must hold bad memories for you…”

His low voice was filled with bitter regret.

“I shouldn’t have left you that day.”

His tone suggested he knew it wasn’t simply that she had been caught in a fire and fled, but that something had happened.

Having seen her fear of fire and heard about her burns from Herdin, he must have guessed to some extent.

Laria had indeed feared fire for a long time because of that incident.

But now she had completely shaken off her fear of fire.

It was all thanks to Zenox.

Laria got up and rubbed her face against the back of Zenox’s hand.

Then she pressed her damp nose firmly against the back of his hand.

It was the comfort she had always given when he became depressed.

Zenox hesitated at this action known only to the two of them.

His eyes crinkled as he savored the soft feel of her fur.

“My kind fox.”

Laria threw away all her worries and anxieties.

Right now, she just wanted to be with Zenox without thinking about anything. After all, she too had times when she missed him as Whitie.

They talked about various things.

Communication wasn’t too difficult thanks to Zenox understanding almost everything even when she only whimpered.

After conversing for a long time like that…

They fell asleep lying side by side on the bed.

It was the everyday life they had barely found again.