The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

It had been several days since the imperial palace banquet.

Laria had confirmed her parents’ and Herdin’s outing and decided to visit the information shop.

Solike, who was organizing receipts, greeted Laria.

“The star of the banquet has arrived!”

“…What?”

“Thanks to the Rohan family, I’ve been quite busy these past few days.”

Solike added that there had been many people recently who wanted information about the Rohan family.

He seemed to be in a good mood for some reason, and it was probably because of the money.

“With your recent performance, you’ve caught the Emperor’s eye, haven’t you? Everyone must be curious.”

“Invitations have been pouring into the house lately, even more than before.”

Except for me.

Despite having the surname Rohan, Laria had no desire to associate herself with the  Grand Duke of Krassium.

“Your mother is so amazing that I almost wrote her a letter. Can I ask for advice on poison next time?”

Laria suddenly felt something was off and looked at Solike.

Solike, not a nobleman, couldn’t attend the banquet. But he seemed to know the situation there as if he had been present.

“Did you eavesdrop on someone?”

“It’s a trade secret.”

“Where did you hear this?”

“I even know that you and the Grand Duke went out to the terrace.”

Solike laughed mischievously.

“You two seem to get along well. Are you getting married soon?”

Laria remained silent.

Although she had revealed her identity as the Grand Duke’s fox to Solike before, she hadn’t disclosed that she was currently in a contract relationship with Zenox.

If Solike, who was quick-witted, had noticed something, he would have figured it out by now…

Laria was curious why he hadn’t questioned her, so she asked him casually.

“Isn’t it strange for a pet fox to suddenly fall in love with a Grand Duke?”

“Love is inherently frightening.”

Solike shrugged his shoulders as if to say it didn’t matter.

“Friendship can turn into love. Of course, I think liking the Grand Duke is a crazy thing to do.”

He was such a scary man. How could someone like him?

However, Solike’s words no longer registered in Laria’s ears.

Certainly, Zenox was a precious person to her.

She had often thought that if they became friends, their relationship might be different.

If she were asked whether it was still the same as before…

‘I don’t know.’

Over the past three years, she had been fine even without seeing Zenox.

Although she missed him occasionally, she could easily brush it off by thinking that he was someone she would never see again.

But now…

‘Can I forget and move on?’

Her mind was filled with thoughts of Zenox if she just stayed still.

She wondered where the boundaries of friendship lay. Even among friends, they could miss each other.

Solike didn’t know Laria’s feelings and continued to tease her.

“When you get the engagement date, you’ll let me know first, right?”

Since the poison incident, the engagement announcement had become uncertain.

In fact, the engagement day might never come.

After returning the fox orb, Zenox could decide to break the contract relationship.

As a Zenox who was being watched by the Emperor and the Crown Prince, it didn’t matter if Laria was his partner or not.

If they placed a similar scion of another noble family as the partner, that would be enough.

“Are you going to meet Sienna Hashir today?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Please meet her. She keeps coming to me all the time, and it’s exhausting.”

Laria had received a request from Sienna a while ago but hadn’t reported back even once. That’s why she decided to meet her today.

‘Through Sienna, I plan to visit the Sorcery Office.’

It was said that the Sorcery Office contained all the knowledge in the world.

Laria intended to get all the information she could about the fox orb from there.

When she thought of the Sorcery Office, a person who naturally came to mind was Marquis Hashir.

Marquis Hashir…

Theodore hadn’t revealed his relationship with the Marquis or what had happened in the past.

Laria didn’t press her father like that.

She intended to wait until he spoke first.

When Laria didn’t immediately get up, Solike gave her a puzzled look.

“Do you need something?”

“…I need information about Marquis Hashir.”

“The head of the Sorcery Office? Why?”

It’s not certain yet… but it’s better to be prepared just in case.

“The Marquis might be involved in forbidden magic.”

Solike’s gaze sharpened.

“I’ll do some investigation soon. Should I look into the Marquis’s background?”

“That would be helpful.”

Laria checked her watch.

It was almost time to meet with Sienna.

“I might be busy for a while. If there’s anything urgent, send a crow.”

With that, Laria left the information market. She planned to walk to the meeting place to save on using her gems.

With her hood pulled tight and a voice-altering potion in hand, Laria walked down the street.

“They say someone in the imperial palace released poison?”

“I heard it was done by a servant.”

“That’s a huge mess.”

Many people passed by, and the conversations were similar.

It was because the official announcement had been made yesterday.

The palace’s side claimed that it was an act committed solely by the servant and concluded the case.

They provided substantial compensation to the victims and assigned an imperial official to each of them.

It was the best solution, but there were still rumors.

‘Did the servant really act alone?’

According to Laria’s mother, the poison used wasn’t something an ordinary servant could obtain. Since the servant had died, they hadn’t been able to determine who had tainted the drink…

It was a puzzling case in many ways.

Listening to people’s conversations, Zenox suddenly came to mind.

Since attending the banquet, she had found herself thinking of him often.

‘I wonder what Zenox is doing now…’

His anxious expression, which he couldn’t hide, continued to haunt her.

It was after discovering his uncle, Rubenta Krassium.

When Laria stayed at the Krassium Mansion as a white fox, Rubenta visited them.

While Zenox was away for a moment, Rubenta tried to strangle Laria.

If Zenox hadn’t stopped him, she would have been seriously injured or killed.

She remembered Zenox, who was so angry at Rubenta.

Laria thought they might have reconciled as several years had passed, but it seemed like their relationship had completely drifted apart since then.

‘Maybe I should contact him when I get home.’

She had been getting a little worried because they hadn’t been in touch for days.

‘I miss him…’

Laria suddenly stopped in her tracks.

I miss him. Such a strange thought.

It was all because of Solike.

If he hadn’t said anything about affection, she probably wouldn’t have thought about it.

“I just want to see him to make sure he’s okay.”

Laria mumbled to herself as if making excuses.

Unknowingly, the meeting place with Sienna came into view. As soon as she entered the shop, Sienna, who had been sitting in a corner, jumped up and ran over.

“Liri!”

She seemed so overjoyed that it was like she was looking at a long-lost friend.

It was hard to believe that it was the same Sienna she saw at the banquet hall.

“I contacted you so late, didn’t I?”

“No, not at all. Waiting was fun!”

Sienna vigorously shook Laria’s hand as if she were shaking off dust.

“Last time, we parted ways so quickly, and I was a little disappointed.”

Was it during the bank robbery incident?

She suddenly thought of when Zenox had appeared out of nowhere, and they had quickly left.

“Did you make it home safely that time?”

“Yes, yes. Thanks to you, I didn’t get hurt…”

Sienna, who had been chattering away, suddenly faltered.

Her face darkened in an instant.

“Did something happen?”

“Ah… No, it’s nothing. Are your legs hurting? Please have a seat!”

Sienna quickly changed the subject and pulled out a chair for Laria herself.

Laria couldn’t help but laugh when she thought about her chair at the fox clan gathering.

‘This is probably a split personality, right?’

Finally seated, Laria nervously pulled out a piece of paper.

It was her hastily written ‘Everything about Laria Rohan’ from the night before.

“As for the results of the investigation you requested…”

“Aren’t you thirsty?”

Before she could continue, Sienna suddenly asked.

Laria nodded, taken aback.

“What kind of drink would you like?”

“Tea will be fine. Now, back to the main topic…”

“Do you like scones? They make excellent scones here.”

Was she hungry…?

Laria quietly put the paper down.

Sienna, who seemed to be in high spirits, ordered so many desserts that the table was filled to capacity.

When the waiter left to take the order, Laria picked up the paper again.

“So, regarding the results of the investigation…”

“What are your favorite things, Liri?”

“…”

“Do you have any special magic you’re good at?”

“…”

“Is there a sorcerer you’re interested in these days?”

With a barrage of questions, Laria began to feel dizzy.

She wasn’t usually this talkative.

“I do.”

When Sienna shyly smiled, Laria’s mind went blank.

‘…Could it be that she likes me?‘