The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

For a moment, everything in her mind went blank.

‘Are you saying… you’ll carry me?’

Laria looked up at Zenox blankly at his words.

“It would be faster for me to run while holding you than for you to walk.”

Laria, belatedly understanding the meaning, felt like she wanted to disappear into a mouse hole.

‘Of course, that’s what he meant. What else could he be thinking?’

She reassured herself, relieved that Zenox didn’t possess the ability to read her thoughts.

With her cheeks flushed all the way to her neck, Laria nodded and shook her head.

“I’ll walk. I’m too heavy.”

“But you might fly away if the wind blows.”

What are you saying? Frustrated, Laria declined his offer again.

“…The ground could be slippery, and you might fall.”

Whether he understood or sensed her reluctance, Zenox didn’t insist any further.

Laria, wearing a long coat that reached down to her waist, started running.

Although Zenox’s steps were much faster, he adjusted his pace to match Laria’s.

The light drizzle gradually intensified into a downpour, resembling a curtain of raindrops.

Zenox pointed towards a large tree nearby.

“We should wait until the rain weakens.”

The two of them quickly took shelter under the tree. Perhaps because of the large, dense leaves, they were spared from getting too wet.

“Your coat…”

About to turn the coat around to hand it back, Laria was taken aback when she looked at Zenox.

She had been too preoccupied with running, but he was completely drenched as though he had just emerged from the water.

“Please keep wearing it.”

Zenox added as he meticulously checked the coat:

“Early summer colds can be relentless.”

Zenox looked satisfied as he looked Laria up and down. The coat was thick, and apart from the hem of her skirt, it had hardly gotten wet.

However, he didn’t pay any attention to his own drenched state.

Lost in thought, Laria merely held onto the coat.

She recalled a similar situation from the past.

They had been on a walk with Zenox, and it had suddenly started raining. Without hesitation, he had removed his coat and wrapped her in it, even though he had ended up soaking wet himself.

Back then Verdo had been surprised to see Zenox drenched.

Years had passed, but Zenox remained the same.

Laria clung tightly to the large coat.

Unlike in the past, she could use magic to stop the rain, but she hadn’t done so this time. Getting wet together didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“…”

Shaaa-

The raindrops falling around them created a symphony that drowned out all other sounds.

Laria, lost in thought as she gazed at the rain, couldn’t help but shiver.

When it rained, she usually closed the windows because she didn’t like the musty smell of wet earth. In the forest, that smell was especially pungent.

However, the scent that reached her nose now was quite different. It was a mixture of fresh grass, lightly roasted sandalwood, and an unidentified flower scent.

Startled, Laria realized that she recognized this scent.

It was Zenox’s scent, much stronger than usual. This was probably because she was wearing his coat.

“The rain doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop anytime soon,” Zenox remarked, breaking the silence.

Laria stopped thinking and raised her head when she heard a voice coming from next to her.

Drops of water were dripping down his jet-black hair.

Zenox swept his large hand through his wet hair, revealing his smooth forehead.

Water droplets clung to his straight eyebrows and thick eyelashes.

As if entranced by his wet appearance, Laria watched him, and when he met her gaze, she couldn’t help but blush.

Instead of the sun disappearing into the dark clouds, his vivid golden eyes shone.

The corner of his mouth slightly turned up as he was closely looking at her.

“Have you eaten?”

“…I had breakfast.”

Zenox seemed displeased with her response, his eyebrows furrowing.

It was already time for dinner in a couple of hours.

“What about lunch?”

“I didn’t eat.”

Zenox’s forehead creased even further.

Even during the Whitie days, he had been particular about meal times. He had made sure she ate, whether she liked it or not.

‘He’s still taking care of other people’s meals.’

Laria, recalling the past, smiled without knowing.

Zenox, who was at his most serious, slowly blinked his eyes.

“I was planning to have lunch with you.”

Thinking it was natural to meet Zenox when she went to the Grand Duke’s residence, Laria replied confidently.

Zenox nodded in agreement.

“It’s my fault.”

Strictly speaking, it was Laria’s fault for visiting his house without making an appointment, but she quickly accepted the blame.

“In that case, would you like to have dinner together once the rain stops?”

Instead of answering, Laria began listing the dishes she wanted to eat.

There were too many to mention, but she continued without leaving any out. Zenox listened attentively and repeated each dish without missing any.

“We should find a restaurant that serves everything.”

“I won’t be able to eat it all.”

“Are you underestimating me?”

“Your Excellency, will you eat everything I mentioned?”

“I’ve never heard of anyone saying otherwise.”

It was a simple, even mundane conversation, lacking any substance. However, it felt like the first time the two of them had engaged in such a light conversation. 

Laria had always been cautious and careful with her words around Zenox, partly to avoid revealing her identity as Whitie, and partly because they often put on an artificial facade of being a couple in front of others.

“I should have carried you if I had known it would rain for so long.”

“Still, being under the tree means we’re getting less wet.”

“Don’t you dislike rain?”

Laria raised an eyebrow.

When had she ever told Zenox that she disliked rain? She couldn’t recall a time when it had rained during their meetings…

Reading Laria’s curiosity, Zenox paused briefly before adding:

“Your expression didn’t look too good, so I assumed.”

Oh, was she that obvious?

Laria felt a bit sheepish as she corrected his assumption.

“To be precise, I dislike the smell of rain.”

When she is in her fox form, her sense of smell becomes more sensitive, which can be quite overwhelming.

Still, she enjoyed watching the rain from behind closed windows.

“Ah, I see.”

As if a long-standing question had been resolved, Zenox muttered to himself.

The downpour gradually lessened, and it seemed like they could leave once the rain weakened further.

‘Isn’t it a bit cold?’

Due to the sudden drop in temperature caused by the rain, Laria felt a chill. She regretted not wearing something warmer for the early summer weather.

As she shivered, she sneezed.

At the same time, fox ears popped out from her head in surprise. She was so startled that her ears perked up.

Round, water-colored eyes met slightly surprised golden eyes.

Laria struggled to push her fox ears back in.

‘No, why do I keep partially transforming only in front of Zenox!’

In the past three years, there were only a handful of times when partial transformation occurred.

However, it always happened only when she was with Zenox.

Moreover, it happened quite frequently.

‘I’ve never seen Zenox partially transform even once… why does it only happen to me?’

Following that, the dress slightly puffed up, and a tail extended below.

When the tail popped out, Laria tensed up.

‘No way… I’m not transforming into a fox right now, am I?’

Last time, when she transformed into a fox at the auction house, it was a crazy situation, but now it was even more so.

Zenox was right in front of her!

‘Could it be because my body condition is deteriorating?’

Even at that time, she transformed into a fox after excessively using her magical power, but…

With a panicked heart, Laria hesitated about whether to escape now.

Later, she might reveal that she was a changeling, but not now.

At least, she wanted to return the fox orb and disclose it herself. She didn’t want to be exposed like this.

“Kya.”

Due to her tension, even a fox squeak popped out.

‘This is insane…’

She clamped her mouth shut, but the hiccups didn’t stop.

Zenox, who had been watching her anxiously, couldn’t hold back his laughter.

‘Why, why are you laughing?’

Baffled, Laria’s eyes rolled around. She was nervous and didn’t know what to do.

“Laria.”

When her name was called, Laria took a deep breath.

Zenox had only called her by her name when it was just the two of them.

“Are you that embarrassed to partially transform?”

It was embarrassing indeed.

Unless she intentionally wanted to show it, partial transformation was usually a sign of uncontrolled emotions.

It meant you either really disliked someone, were surprised, or were flustered, or… really liked someone.

Most of the time, partial transformations occurred when one was experiencing intense emotions.

It wasn’t common for fox ears and a tail to pop out just because of a sneeze.

‘If it’s not a sign of transformation into a fox, it means that there has been a change in emotions, or that they can’t hold back their emotions and come out.’

She never felt strong feelings towards Zenox…

When Laria thought about that, she thought of her parents.

Her father and mother often partially transformed in front of each other.

They loved each other so much that it popped out unconsciously.

‘Could it be… Do I…’

Do I like Zenox?