The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Sienna set her teacup down, taking a moment to clear her mind.

However, the nagging thoughts she had been trying to forget resurfaced.

After attending the imperial palace banquet, something had changed with her father. To be precise, it had started when they returned home from the banquet.

Sienna recalled the unfamiliar man standing in front of the entrance.

In the darkness, the middle-aged man appeared ordinary. He seemed quite unremarkable, neither a sorcerer nor anything else that stood out.

However, there was an eerie atmosphere around him, a feeling that one shouldn’t take him lightly, despite his unknown identity.

Most strikingly, Sienna remembered her father’s pale face when he first spotted the man.

Marquis Hashir had instructed Sienna to go inside first and had a long conversation with the man.

Since then, he had become incredibly busy, hardly ever returning home.

“There shouldn’t be anything wrong.”

Sienna had little knowledge of what Marquis Hashir had been up to lately.

Her father, who seemed to mistrust her, didn’t share much with her.

“But it’s been troubling…”

Sienna heaved a deep sigh. She had been called and scolded twice already.

During the bank robbery incident, Sienna had received a severe scolding from Marquis Hashir.

Not only did she fail to subdue the robbers, but she also came close to being kidnapped, and she hadn’t even recovered the stolen sorcery pendant.

-You’ve sullied the name of Hashir. I’m disappointed in you.

Marquis Hashir had said, a sentence that had struck fear into her heart.

It was the last thing she wanted to hear from her father.

To regain her father’s trust, Sienna had put in more effort than ever before. She had readily accepted the challenge of the competition.

‘But I got scolded again not long ago.’

It was the day when Liri visited the Sorcery Office.

When Sienna and Liri had visited the library together, Sienna had noticed a group she didn’t recognize. They were known as the ‘eccentrics’ within the Sorcery Office, and Sienna rarely had any dealings with them.

She had tried to ignore them as usual, but someone from their group approached her.

-Between a turtle and a horse under the effect of a speed-boosting spell, which one would be faster?

It was a useless and silly question. Sienna answered vaguely, thinking that it was a waste of time.

-Well… I’d say it’s the horse.

That’s when Liri, who had been silent until then, chimed in.

-I think the turtle might be faster. If you cast a spell that momentarily increases speed on the turtle…

Reciting two pages of a book word for word, Liri quickly devised a new spell on the spot.

In front of everyone, they proved the point.

-This is insane…

Like someone spewing out an awe-inspiring exclamation, Sienna could only think that she, too, had gone crazy.

Although she had thought Liri was impressive whenever they performed before, at that moment, she felt an insurmountable barrier.

Looking back now, it was embarrassing, but she once harbored the hope that she could catch up to Liri with effort. However, at that moment, she realized how naive her thoughts had been.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t humiliating or sad.

Rather than humiliation or sadness, acknowledging the difference put her at ease. Her admiration for Liri turned into reverence.

-Would you like to come along?

When the eccentrics made their proposal, Sienna hesitated.

They were a group that often faced discrimination within the Sorcery Office, and Sienna had typically ignored them.

Still, she wanted to research new techniques…

-It would be better if Lady Sienna were there to observe.

Liri pushed Sienna as if they knew how she felt.

Feeling confident, Sienna joined them, researching and discussing sorcery together. It had been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable times since she entered the Sorcery Office.

That evening, Sienna received a summons from Marquis Hashir.

-Are you out of your mind?!

As soon as Sienna entered her father’s room, Marquis Hashir raised his voice.

-Fraternizing with those scum! It’s disgraceful!

Marquis Hashir was angrier than during the bank robbery incident, and Sienna couldn’t understand why.

While Sienna had held preconceived notions about those people, they had turned out to be decent individuals. Besides, if she were to become the head of the family someday, it wouldn’t hurt to get along with various groups.

However, Marquis Hashir drew a clear line, forbidding her from having any further contact with them.

Sienna felt a suffocating frustration that she had never experienced before and  fell down on her desk.

“I miss Liri…”

When Sienna returned to the library, Liri had already disappeared.

Since the request to uncover Laria Rohan’s secrets had also concluded, there was no justification to summon them back.

Even if she wanted to entrust them with another task, she received word that they wouldn’t accept any more commissions for the time being.

“Things can’t go on like this, can they?”

Unbeknownst to herself, Sienna anxiously chewed her fingernails.

Suddenly, a brisk knock at the door made her startle, and she quickly withdrew her hand.

“Miss Sienna, the Master wishes to see you.”

“…Father?”

Sienna immediately made her way to the top floor.

Marquis Hashir’s taste had adorned the top floor with fluttering flames and roses, all in shades of red. He had once told young Sienna that she would inherit this place someday, and back then, she had been nothing but excited.

But now…

Sienna brushed her hand against the door to the study, knocking lightly.

“You called for me?”

Without even glancing at Sienna, Marquis Hashir continued to write something down. Sienna stood outside the door, her hands clasped together as if she were a scolded child.

“Is the competition preparation going well?”

“I’m preparing thoroughly, with no shortcomings.”

“I don’t think you’ll lose, but…”

Marquis Hashir, now without his reading glasses, stood up from his desk. His footsteps echoed particularly loudly.

Before she knew it, he had reached Sienna and placed his hand on her tense shoulder. Sienna raised her head, and their matching crimson irises met.

“Nonetheless, wouldn’t it be better to have some assurance?”

“What should I do?”

In response to Sienna’s respectful query, a satisfied smile briefly flitted across Marquis Hashir’s lips.

Without looking at her face, he extended a vial towards Sienna.

“It’s an elixir that will amplify your sorcery power.”

Sienna’s pupils trembled, like flames struck by the wind.

“An elixir…?”

“That’s right.”

Was there really an elixir that could amplify sorcery power?

Sienna had never heard of such a thing. She had suspected that Laria Rohan had illegally boosted her sorcery power, but that had been mere conjecture.

The dark red liquid in the glass bottle seethed ominously.

When Sienna hesitated to accept it, Marquis Hashir forcefully placed it in her hand.

“Completely suppress your use of sorcery after this.”

A covert and cruel command hung over Sienna’s head like a dark cloud.

“In case of unavoidable accidents.”

* * *

As soon as Laria emerged from the forest, she hurried back home.

She didn’t have dinner with Zenox that evening – or more accurately, she didn’t have the presence of mind for it.

She couldn’t recall what she had said or how Zenox had responded to her refusal.

Laria, who had rejected dinner that evening, had fallen ill from nightfall. Even though she had avoided most of the rain, the cold was still biting.

‘It hurts.’

Her entire body felt hot, as if it had been thrown into a fire.

Despite groaning in pain, she felt somewhat fortunate. Being in pain at least prevented her from pondering whether she liked Zenox or not.

She continued to suffer in the heat, and before she knew it, morning had arrived.

“Miss?”

Even when the servant called for her, Laria had no strength to respond.

After several knocks, the maid entered her room. As soon as she spotted Laria lying on the bed, the maid placed her palm on Laria’s forehead.

“Oh dear, you have a fever…!”

Shocked, the maid immediately left the room and returned shortly with Herdin.

“You’ve been wandering around in the rain; that’s why.”

Herdin scolded Laria, his voice filled with irritation.

But to Laria, who was hearing his lecture underwater, it sounded like a distant hum.

“Try this medicine.”

Struggling to sit up, Laria accepted the medicine Herdin offered her. It didn’t take long for her fever to start subsiding.

Once her body temperature had returned to normal, Herdin asked:

“How are you feeling now?”

Although her body had recovered, her mind felt drained. Useless thoughts flooded in, as if they had been waiting.

Laria frowned and muttered:

“It’s worse.”

At Laria’s words, Herdin’s expression turned stern.