The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

After returning to the Rohan mansion, Laria spent very uncomfortable days.

This was because no one could understand what Laria wanted.

“Kyuu…”

At Laria’s cry, her family didn’t know what to do.

“Laria, are you hungry?”

“Are you perhaps cold?”

“Is your bed uncomfortable?”

To the successive questions, Laria just shook her head, and even that became tiring, so she plopped down.

She was hungry but they kept giving her milk, so she tried to request other food, but they didn’t understand at all.

Her family was just as frustrated, and Herdin sighed and asked:

“When will you return to your original form?”

Laria shook her head.

She had complacently thought she would return to human form after about 3 days, but there was no sign of that happening.

She was getting anxious, wondering if she might have to stay in this form for over half a year like before.

As everyone wore serious expressions, the butler announced a visitor had arrived.

“The Grand Duke has come to visit.”

“Send him away.”

Zenox came to the Rohan mansion almost every day.

If it were his usual temperament, he would have forced his way in, but he persistently made formal requests to visit.

If Zenox had acted as he normally did, war would have already broken out.

“Kyaang! Kyuung! Kyung!”

“…I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m sorry, Laria.”

Feeling frustrated, Laria completely sprawled out on the floor.

‘Zenox understands me just fine.’

Seeing her completely dejected appearance, her family didn’t know what to do.

‘Do I really have to live like this…?’

As Laria’s eyes moistened with gloom, her family swallowed hard. They immediately put their heads together to discuss, and after much deliberation, called the butler.

“Let the Grand Duke in.”

Laria’s ears perked up.

Not long after, Zenox could be seen striding over from afar.

The moment she spotted Zenox, Laria leapt from her spot.

“Kyu!”

Zenox, who had been looking only at Laria from the start, stopped right in front of her.

He didn’t seem to care at all about the family’s murderous gazes.

Feeling wronged, Laria ended up crying out as if tattling.

“Kyaang, kyuung! Kyuuu.”

Understanding Laria’s words, Zenox translated for her.

“Did you only feed her milk? She says she wants to eat meat and fruit.”

How on earth does he understand that?

Unable to shake off her doubts, Semela had an employee bring out food.

Encountering proper food for the first time in days, Laria immediately began eating.

Seeing Laria eating well, their eyes widened.

“Did you really want meat and fruit?”

“Kyang!”

Laria, having regained her energy, answered vigorously.

“And she says the bath water was a bit too hot. As for brushing…”

As Zenox, who had become Laria’s spokesperson, explained on and on, the family’s expressions became somewhat dazed.

Herdin asked, as if he couldn’t understand at all:

“How do you understand her?”

“I can tell just by looking at her eyes.”

The golden eyes facing Laria were soft.

At his gaze full of affection, they quietly closed their mouths.

Any citizen of the Empire knows how much Zenox had searched for the white fox.

Although there was much talk about the reason for his search, no one could deny upon seeing this face. That he had searched so desperately because he truly loved the white fox.

After a brief silence, Semela spoke:

“I don’t know how the Grand Duke ended up taking Laria, but it’s still hard to forgive you.”

“…”

“For the half year that Laria was gone, we lived in hell.”

Though it was a story from several years ago, the emotions from that time were still vividly present.

Back then, it felt not like living, but like dying.

“But if things stay like this, Laria will have a hard time…”

Semela’s gaze turned to Laria.

Rather than asserting her own feelings, she wanted Laria to feel even a little more at ease.

Though she wanted to deny it, Laria seemed most comfortable when she was with Zenox.

“For the time being, please take care of Laria.”

* * *

In the deepest part of the Imperial Palace, there was a building made of red bricks. Going down to the basement of the building revealed a vast space without a single point of light.

It was a prison where only the worst criminals were confined, and the door had opened after a long time.

“Cough.”

Banesion Hashir clutched his chest and coughed up blood-tinged phlegm.

He had suffered severe internal injuries from the side effects that hit when the brainwashing spell broke.

He had shouted for a doctor to be called, but no one came.

Having been trapped in this dark place for days now, he felt like he was going crazy.

Banesion deliberately muttered to himself:

“I shouldn’t have trusted that bastard.”

How could he have known Rubenta Krassium would die like that?

After helping Rubenta for years, he ended up in prison without even obtaining the fox orb.

Surely the second spell he cast was so powerful it could be called a masterpiece. He never dreamed Laria Rohan would be able to break it.

“How on earth did he break the brainwashing spell placed in front?”

Only Banesion, the caster, could break the first brainwashing spell.

Yet Zenox had killed Rubenta with his own hands as if he had never been under the brainwashing spell from the start.

Did it all break at once when the second brainwashing spell was broken?

Unable to bear the frustration, Banesion clutched at his head.

Where had it all gone wrong?

‘Thinking about it now, it was strange.’

Laria Rohan’s appearance had been too perfect.

As if she knew the plan to cast a brainwashing spell on the Grand Duke.

Could the confidential information have been leaked somewhere?

He recalled one by one those who knew about this plan.

The subordinates who helped with the brainwashing spell at the hunting competition, and…

“…Ort.”

It was that bastard.

He had thought it suspicious when the guy who had been holed up suddenly came out offering to help.

He had latched onto Laria Rohan like a bat.

Unable to contain his anger, he spat out curses.

After venting his rage, his reason finally returned.

‘If I didn’t see wrong, Laria Rohan definitely transformed into a fox.’

Was there such a spell?

As far as he knew, there was no spell or elixir that could transform a beastman into a complete animal.

It was said that complete animal transformation was possible in the past, but that was an old tale.

As he was branching out his thoughts, he realized this was not the time.

‘At this rate, it’s the death penalty.’

Not only had he dealt with forbidden magic, but he had cast a brainwashing spell on the Grand Duke, so he couldn’t avoid a heavy sentence.

Still, he wouldn’t be executed right away.

Except for treason, sentences were carried out after a trial. Until then, he had to find a way to overcome this situation.

‘What are those bastards doing?’

Shouldn’t they be coming to rescue him?

He resented those who didn’t even show their faces.

Thump, thump.

At the sound of footsteps coming from afar, Banesion held his breath.

Eventually, a faint light flowed in.

As the footsteps and light gradually became clearer…

Whoosh-

As light poured in, Banesion reflexively raised his arm to cover his face. The light he was seeing after so long was so intense it hurt his eyes.

Finally adjusting to the light, Banesion lowered his arm and opened his eyes.

A woman was standing beyond the iron bars.

Banesion, who had been dazed, suddenly got up and crawled to the bars.

Grasping the bars with both hands and pressing his face close, he shouted:

“My daughter! Sienna!”

His desperate cry was close to a wail.

He had believed that if it was Sienna, she would come looking for him.

Unlike Banesion who showed intense emotion, Sienna looked down at him with an expressionless face.

Though he felt a sense of dissonance at this, thinking it might be his imagination, Sienna called out to Banesion as usual.

“Father.”

“Please get me out of here.”

“But even if you get out of here, you’ll be caught right away.”

Her words were certainly correct.

This was within the Imperial Palace grounds, and even if he got out, he couldn’t use magic because of the barrier, so he would be discovered before he could escape far.

It would be better to aim for the day of transfer to the courtroom.

“Don’t worry too much. There’s no evidence that you dealt with forbidden magic, so it won’t be the death penalty.”

“…Right! There’s no evidence!”

The only people who had seen him deal with forbidden magic were Laria Rohan and the Grand Duke.

“As expected of my daughter.”

Banesion praised her as if dangling a carrot.

A strange smile appeared on Sienna’s lips.

“But what about Father’s research room? It seems they’ll search the entire Sorcery Office soon.”

Banesion, who was very suspicious, hadn’t yet told Sienna about his research room.

Indeed, blood is thicker than water.

Even if everyone else turned their backs, Sienna wouldn’t betray him.

His judgment clouded, he told Sienna how to enter the research room.

“Go back right now and burn all the evidence.”

Banesion gave one more order.

“And send that bastard Ort here.”