The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

“I’m a cavalryman!”

A quick response came back.

Satisfied, Laria nodded.

“Then can I ask you a favor?”

In an instant, preparations for departure were complete.

The coachman and the attackers were taken away by Tigur’s subordinates, leaving the rest to occupy the carriage seats. Laria and Rodit got back into the carriage as if nothing had happened.

Rodit, who had been absent-minded the whole time, muttered to himself.

“Miss… you’re so strong…”

“Rodit, are you okay?”

Laria asked, concerned.

Startled by his name being called, Rodit flinched and then hesitated before finally choking up.

“Miss… please don’t discard me as useless…”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll become strong too!”

Rodit declared that he would start hellish training from today. It seemed like he had awakened in a different sense.

‘I guess I should just leave him be for now.’

As planned, she stopped by a shop and bought tea leaves that Zenox liked. Afterward, she headed to the Krassium Mansion.

When they arrived at the mansion, Verdo, the butler of the Krassium family, rushed out.

“Welcome! We’ve been waiting for this day!”

His welcome was so warm that it was almost embarrassing.

But where was Zenox?

“Where is His Excellency?”

Verdo’s expression darkened in an instant. He replied with regret:

“The master is not here…”

“Where did he go?”

“He left without saying a word, so I don’t know either.”

He left without informing even the butler? That didn’t make any sense.

Laria handed the box she was holding to Verdo.

“I brought a gift. Could you deliver it later?”

“You’ve brought tea leaves that the master loves. And this…?”

“It’s a potion that helps you have good dreams. I made it myself, and it should be effective.”

“For the master… Thank you!”

Laria was taken aback by the voice full of emotion, but then nodded. It wasn’t wrong, since it was made for Zenox.

Verdo was filled with emotion and said:

“Please come inside. I’ll bring tea.”

“Tea is fine. May I take a look around the mansion?”

“Of course.”

Laria set foot in the Grand Duke Krassium’s residence after a long time. The outdated furniture and wallpaper welcomed her, just as she remembered.

Since Zenox wasn’t here today, she could explore more comfortably.

‘I had a good time playing over there.’

While she was lost in memories for a moment, Rodit, who was walking beside her, whispered softly.

“I think the mansion is a bit old-fashioned.”

“Really? I like it”

“…It has character.”

As Rodit quickly tried to recover, Laria let out a small laugh.

Certainly, to the eyes of others, the Grand Duke’s mansion might appear old-fashioned and low-class. But Laria was used to the current state of the mansion and liked it.

If it had changed according to the trends, it might have felt unfamiliar like the first visit.

‘At least there doesn’t seem to be any trace of the curse.’

Since Zenox also knew that the mansion was cursed, he would have reinforced the security.

It might be safer to stay quietly in the mansion.

‘But where on earth did he go?’

Did he go to the downtown area to buy something?

While she was pondering whether their paths might have crossed, Rodit, who had been looking around, slyly spoke up.

“Miss… aren’t you afraid of the Grand Duke?”

Laria, who had momentarily drifted into her thoughts, looked at Rodit.

“Everyone starts shaking just by hearing his name.”

Rodit seemed genuinely curious, not intimidated.

Thinking about what happened at the banquet, everyone was terrified just hearing Zenox’s name.

Even though Laria had tried to act intimidating when facing Zenox in her own way…

If it had been someone else, she might have fainted on the spot.

But it wasn’t that Laria wasn’t scared of Zenox from the beginning.

There was a time when she used to tremble at the mention of Zenox’s name.

Laria recalled a memory that she had momentarily forgotten.

* * *

When Laria was staying at the Krassium Manor as a White, there was a time when she had been kidnapped and held captive, unable to escape even after several attempts.

Her kidnapper rarely left the room. Laria searched the empty house recklessly.

The kidnapper was the only person Laria occasionally encountered.

“Kkk! Kyu!”

Oh, it’s milk again! Anything but milk!

“What could be the problem…?”

Verdo and the employees tilted their heads in confusion.

Milk was delicious, but she was starting to crave something else.

She kicked her plate, and Verdo, who finally understood her intents, spoke:

“You must continue to drink milk because you’re still a baby.”

Frustrated, Laria bit the milk dish and barged into the kidnapper’s office.

Then, right before his eyes, she shook her head wildly while rattling the plate.

‘If you’ve kidnapped me, at least provide a proper meal!’

Annoyed by Laria’s complaint, the man holding the plate disappeared. When he returned, his hands were filled with food.

“Kyaaung!”

Having a meal other than milk after a long time, Laria wagged her tail enthusiastically.

Observing her, the man sighed and muttered:

“If you do something like this again, I won’t stay still.”

What?

Laria neatly pushed the emptied plate forward with her front paw.

“Kwaung, kyu!”

Okay, you fed me well, bring more next time.

After finishing her business, Laria left the office without looking back.

Since then, Laria often visited the man to get food.

“If you keep acting so insolently, I’ll turn you into a scarf.”

Each time, the man made strange threats, but Laria just snorted.

Look at my size, a scarf? You can’t even make a handkerchief.

Eventually, it seemed like he had grown tired and quietly complied with Laria’s requests.

Their relationship began to change little by little.

At first, Laria had been the one demanding things from the man, but gradually, his visits increased.

If Laria forgot to go see him because she was too busy, he came looking for her first.

There wasn’t any particular reason for his visits; he just stood outside the door, gazing at her, and then left.

When such incidents became common, the man suddenly locked himself in his room and wouldn’t come out.

“Miss Fluffy, please refrain from visiting the Master for a while,” Verdo advised Laria, sitting her down.

When she tilted her head, not knowing the reason, he explained:

“The master is going through a difficult time.”

Was there a particularly tdifficult time?

Laria knew nothing about the man referred to as ‘Master’ by everyone. She didn’t even know his name or his race, so she assumed there must be some hidden circumstances.

After a few days passed, it was a rainy day.

As she wandered the hallway as usual, Laria stopped in front of the man’s bedroom.

She recalled the butler’s advice, but for some reason, it was hard to move her feet away.

Finally, unable to bear it, she entered the room and found the man sitting alone. He looked as lifeless as a soaked cotton ball and seemed lonelier than anyone else.

‘My father also has moments like this.’

Theodore also looked melancholic at times. On such occasions, she would go to him and give him a hug.

There was a difference in their sizes, so she couldn’t hug him, but…

‘People used to pat me when I was a baby.’

It was easy to make a decision, and Laria immediately climbed onto the man’s lap and he lowered his head for the first time.

The man, who had been frozen for a long time, hesitantly stroked Laria.

Gradually, his touch became gentler.

It was a calm and peaceful time.

The next day, Laria followed the man to a memorial space.

When she saw the side-by-side altars, she finally realized that the difficult time the butler mentioned was someone’s memorial day.

‘No wonder I couldn’t see any family members.’

Were they all gone?

Laria had imagined her family’s deaths and felt depressed.

She wondered how she could comfort him.

As she contemplated, Laria went to the garden.

When her grandmother passed away, she remembered placing lilies on the altar.

Although she wanted to give something similar to lilies, the only noticeable flowers were sunflowers. In the end, she carefully chewed on the stems and managed to obtain a sunflower bigger than her face.

Returning to where the man was, Laria placed the sunflower on the altar.

Having witnessed Laria’s actions, the man finally spoke, seemingly out of the blue.

“That name is indeed weird.”

Suddenly, he said something that made her tilt her head.

“Miss Fluffy? That’s terrible.”

Yes, he admitted it.

“Whitie.”

It’s better than Fluffy, but… Are you sure you want to change my name?

“Let’s go with Whitie.”

“Kyu!”

Yes, that’s better!

Laria agreed with the man’s opinion.

Despite calling her Miss Fluffy, which Verdo continued to do, everyone soon began calling her Whitie.

And that’s how Laria became Whitie.