The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria couldn’t hide her surprise.

She had never experienced such an assertive seduction from someone before. Even Zenox, in recent times, had taken a step back.

‘Is it because I saved her during the bank robbery?’

That seemed to be the only reason.

As Laria remained lost in thought without saying a word, Sienna’s shoulders slumped.

In an instant, Sienna, who had deflated, spoke with a voice devoid of confidence.

“Ah… I must have been too burdensome.”

Laria suddenly snapped back to attention. Sienna was a valued customer, and Laria still had money to earn from her.

‘I can’t help it.’

Isn’t catering to the customer’s mood included in the request fee?

“There’s no need to worry. I was just taking a moment to think.”

She couldn’t bring herself to ask, ‘Is it me?’

So, instead, Laria played it cool and inquired:

“I was wondering who the sorcerer Sienna has been interested in recently.”

Almost instantly, Sienna blushed and, with lips slightly nibbled, confessed.

“Actually… It’s you, Liri.”

It was the expected answer, but Laria pretended to be taken aback.

“Of course, not in a romantic way! It’s out of admiration. I don’t even know if you’re a man or a woman, after all.”

“…”

“I’ve been thinking about you every day since that day.”

Sienna couldn’t hide her emotions like a child in first love, and Laria, who had been silently listening, couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

‘This is going to be a problem…’

After this mission was over, she had planned not to meet Sienna anymore. Long tails always get caught sooner or later.

It was becoming quite a complicated life.

She couldn’t let Zenox find out she was Whitie, and she couldn’t let Sienna find out she was Laria…

‘I’m leading a fake life…’

To be honest, Laria felt unfairly treated.

Both Zenox and Sienna had come to her first.

Laria gazed at Sienna with hazy eyes.

She wanted to quickly change the subject to the commission Sienna had given her.

“When would you like me to explain the details of the commission?”

“Oh, right… I asked you to investigate Laria Rohan, didn’t I?”

Sienna nodded as if she had completely forgotten what she had actually requested.

Sienna quickly scanned the paper Laria had handed over.

The previous night, Laria had spent her time on self-reflection, writing about her likes and dislikes, but she had stopped at the part about her relationships with others.

In retrospect, she didn’t have anyone she could call a friend. She hardly went out except when meeting Zenox or Solike…

In Sienna’s eyes, Laria Rohan might come across as a recluse or a loner. Either way, there wasn’t much useful information.

Laria watched Sienna anxiously, wondering if she would withhold the remaining payment due to the incomplete information. However, a satisfied smile briefly appeared on Sienna’s lips.

“It’s the first time I’ve received this much information.”

Laria breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Sienna put down the paper and asked a question.

“Did you happen to notice if Laria Rohan had increased her magical abilities through illegal means during your investigation?”

“She didn’t seem to have any such secrets.”

She had swallowed the fox orb, but it wasn’t illegal. Returning it to Zenox would make her magical abilities disappear.

‘Come to think of it, if we spar… Will she notice?’

No matter how well she concealed her magical abilities, by now, someone would have to catch on. That Laria Rohan and Liri were the same person.

‘Why does Sienna dislike me so much?’

When she met Sienna as Laria Rohan, not Liri, she felt a strange sense of hostility.

Until the fox clan gathering, there had been no reason for Sienna and Laria to cross paths. Despite Sienna’s silence, she mumbled to herself.

“What could it be…?”

As Sienna’s gaze darkened, Laria quietly observed her, her eyes unwavering.

Soon, Sienna returned to her usual self and smiled brightly.

“I’ll transfer the remaining commission payment to your information broker. You did a great job, Liri.”

“Thank you.”

Sienna hesitated for a moment as if she didn’t want to end things like this.

“Well, considering how much you’ve helped me with bank work and all… Is there anything I can do to help you?”

Sienna offered the opportunity first, so Laria immediately took the bait.

“Well, I needed some research material, and I was wondering if you could help with that?”

“Of course! What kind of material do you need? I can prepare it right away.”

Sienna was so excited as if she had been waiting for this day.

“I guess I’ll have to look for it myself… I heard that the Sorcery Office Library is famous, so I wanted to take a look.”

If a person not belonging to the Sorcery Office wanted to visit, the only way to do so was to ask someone from the Sorcery Office.

Sienna nodded willingly.

“Should we go now?”

Sienna looked very excited at the thought of introducing her lab. To an outsider, it might seem like she had just asked for a date.

Laria and Sienna headed straight to the Sorcery Office.

‘It’s convenient.’

Sienna was slower in casting spells than Laria, but it wasn’t so much that she couldn’t wait.

What mattered most was that she didn’t need to use her gems, especially with Sienna helping her.

Perhaps due to the substantial consumption of magical power, Laria glanced around while Sienna caught her breath.

It was only her second visit to the Sorcery Office, but the location was different this time. It seemed they had moved to Sienna’s research lab. The room was adequately spacious and clean overall. On the wide desk, there were a few books and pens, and nothing else.

However, there were signs of wear on the chair, indicating that someone often sat there for extended periods.

Laria, who checked Sienna’s callused index finger, hardened from gripping the pen and the stack of crumpled papers, spoke up.

“It seems like you’re working hard, Sienna.”

“…Yes?”

Surprised, Sienna raised her head.

How did Liri know?

Unbeknownst to her, Laria found herself smiling.

“I can tell just by looking at this room.”

When Laria mentioned that it was a room that showed effort, Sienna’s cheeks turned red.

Sienna hesitated for a moment, then replied quietly:

“I need to hide my efforts.”

“Why is that?”

“…It’s embarrassing to admit in front of Liri, but I grew up hearing the genius label. I had to work hard to live up to those expectations.”

People thought Sienna was a genius from birth.

Sienna explained that she didn’t show that she was trying to live up to expectations.

“But Liri has been the second person to recognize my efforts.”

Who’s the first? Was it Marquis Hashir?

Laria couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity:

“Who’s the other person?”

After a moment of silence, Sienna replied quietly:

“…Laria Rohan.”

Laria blinked in surprise.

When did I say that? As Laria tried to recall, she remembered the conversation at the fox clan gathering.

-Youngest ever? That’s impressive. It seems like you worked hard.

But on the contrary, Sienna had seemed uncomfortable when she made that comment. It was strange.

Laria didn’t say anything, and Sienna continued quietly:

“Honestly, I felt like I was caught off guard.”

Sienna had always worked hard to gain her father’s approval. No one had recognized her efforts until now, except for Laria.

At first, Sienna had felt embarrassed and angry.

How did you know anything about me? Maybe you wanted to mock me for not being a genius? She had thought along those lines.

“On the other hand, I felt strange that someone acknowledged my efforts.”

Sienna, who didn’t know that the person in front of her was Laria, became candid. In fact, bringing up this topic was a first.

Sienna remembered what happened at the fox clan gathering.

She had invited Laria because she had heard that she had manifested as a sorcerer.

Sienna had sensed a tremendous magical power from Laria when she left the gathering. She had been overwhelmed and unable to move for a while.

Moreover, Laria’s spatial teleportation magic had been innovative.

Her spellwork was flawless, and it was bound to be considered genius.

Even in the potion shop, Laria had advised her to use a particular type of gently grass, but Sienna had bought an abundance of volcanic grass out of stubbornness.

Her initial attempts at potion-making had all ended in failure.

After dozens of attempts, Sienna had hesitantly tried using the grass as Laria had suggested…

She had succeeded in making the potion for the first time.

Instead of feeling joy, she had been overwhelmed by a sense of shock.

The thought crossed her mind that Laria Rohan might be more talented than she, who had been called a genius since childhood. She couldn’t accept it.

If Laria was more talented than her… she would become a useless child.

“Still, I hate Laria Rohan.”

Sienna muttered as if making a promise.

“I should hate her.”