The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria, who had taken Zenox to her bedroom, immediately summoned her family.

They looked at Laria’s face and gauged the situation.

Theodore, who looked guilty; Semela, fidgeting with her fingers; Herdin, avoiding eye contact.

Laria, who looked at each one, finally broke the silence.

“How could you do this?”

“…”

“You gave the Grand Duke a potion without my knowledge.”

Theodore flinched at her voice, dripping with a sense of betrayal.

Being despised by Laria was as frightening as divorce.

Semela, trying to remain calm, spoke for the three of them.

“We thought it was for the best.”

“For the best?”

“We thought it was better to break it off before you got hurt.”

It was better to feel a little pain now than to regret it deeply later.

“Why didn’t you give it to me then?”

Semela closed her mouth.

Even if it was a safe potion, they probably didn’t want Laria to drink it.

“Apologize to the Grand Duke.”

“Uh, I’ll apologize…”

The downcast Theodore gave a definite answer.

Semela and Herdin reluctantly nodded.

“Apologize formally and compensate.”

Only then did Laria relax her expression.

But she hardened her face even more at the following words.

“Break up with him.”

Theodore and Herdin looked at Semela in surprise, not expecting such a direct statement.

“You know the Grand Duke’s reputation.”

“…”

“What parent would want to betroth their child to such a man?”

Semela’s argument was valid, and Laria somewhat agreed.

“Laria…”

Theodore, who had been silently watching Laria, called her softly.

“The potion worked for sure. Judging by its failure… it seems the Grand Duke doesn’t love you.”

A heavy silence filled the room at Theodore’s words.

Realizing that he had hurt Laria, Theodore clenched his eyes shut, shaking as if he was the one hurt.

However, Laria remained calm.

“There might have been a condition mismatch. But there are no side effects to the potion, right?”

Thinking of the baby wolf, Laria continued.

“Like suddenly turning into a beast.”

“Uh…?”

Theodore tilted his head as if he had heard an unexpected question.

“There shouldn’t be any side effects.”

He had never heard of a case where someone turned into a beast as a side effect.

“Did something go wrong?”

“No, just in case.”

“While there may be problems if the conditions of the potion clash, such cases are very rare…”

Theodore mumbled:

“Hmm. Let’s say there’s a potion that only works on the living. If someone drinks it and they are alive, but they fall into a comatose state and are declared dead…”

He nodded, suggesting that if there’s a contradiction, that could be a possibility.

‘Conflicting conditions?’

A potion that makes you hate the one you love; where could there be a conflict?

It would make sense if the effect didn’t happen because the conditions weren’t met.

‘Maybe…’

Suddenly, a hypothesis crossed her mind.

Zenox doesn’t love Laria, but Whitie does.

Even though Laria and Whitie are the same person, if Zenox didn’t know this and it caused a side effect…

Laria, having thought up to this point, hung her head.

‘That can’t be.’

Zenox doesn’t know what happened on the day the Krassium mansion caught fire. From his point of view, Whitie, holding a fox orb, disappeared secretly. It seemed more plausible that he resented Whitie.

“Still, most side effects disappear within a few days.”

Upon hearing Theodore’s subsequent words, Laria finally snapped back to reality.

Having received a somewhat hopeful answer, she pushed her chair back.

“I’m tired. Can I go and rest now?”

“The Grand Duke?”

She was taken aback by Herdin’s question.

Does he know something?

“He went out earlier.”

“Alright.”

Fortunately, it seemed they didn’t know that Zenox was still at the mansion.

With a face that seemed to have a lot to say, Herdin looked at Laria and lowered his head. Clearly, if they began a discussion, it wouldn’t end in an hour or two.

Leaving the reception room, Laria headed straight for her bedroom. As she neared her bedroom, her pace quickened.

Running in a few steps, she locked the door and looked at the bed. The rumpled blanket was bulging.

“Grand Duke?”

When Laria called, the blanket wriggled. From the center to the edge, it kept moving until a tiny bundle of fur emerged.

Only after confirming the small wolf pup buried under the white blanket did Laria feel relieved.

Watching the pup stretch, she smiled faintly.

‘If they see him like this, my parents might object less…’

It was hard to believe that the small wolf pup was actually a grown man. He looked so frail, like he would blow away with a gust of wind.

“Did you have a good talk?”

The low voice, mismatching the small frame, made Laria burst into laughter. Zenox looked at her with wide eyes.

After containing her laughter, she sat on the bed.

“I asked about the side effects. You should return to your original form in a few days.”

“That’s a relief.”

“I think you’ll have to stay in my room until then…”

Wouldn’t it be inappropriate for an unmarried man and woman to share a room? But during Whitie’s time, they slept in Zenox’s room together.

Of course, Zenox didn’t know Whitie was a beastman.

“It doesn’t bother me, but won’t you feel uncomfortable?”

“It’s fine. You’re so small, hardly noticeable.”

For a while, she might have to sleep in indoor clothes, but that was a minor concern.

“Then I will sleep on the chair.”

“I’ll lay a cushion and blanket for you.”

Even if the bed was large, it was appropriate for them to sleep separately.

They didn’t know when he might suddenly return to his original form.

“I’ll bring food for you during meal times.”

By the way, can he eat regular food?

“Or do you need milk since you’re a baby…?”

When Laria was first kidnapped by Zenox, she was forced to drink only milk. Fortunately, as a fox, she later ate various foods.

Remembering this, Zenox opened his mouth, revealing tiny fangs that looked like grains of barley.

“I have teeth.”

“It doesn’t look like you can chew meat though.”

The wolf’s expression became serious, and its ears drooped further. Laria recalled Zenox loved meat. Every meal they shared had meat.

“I’ll bring foods that you don’t need to chew. If we mince the meat finely, it should be okay, right?”

Only then did Zenox’s ears perk up again. Even knowing who was inside that small body, she felt a strong urge to hug him.

‘Is appearance really that important?’

Looking at the fluffy fur made her fingers itch. Wanting to change her thoughts, Laria began thinking about the earlier meeting in the reception room. A sigh escaped her lips.

‘Will they ever approve of our engagement?’

They probably won’t, given their reaction. She had no idea how to persuade them.

‘Is there a peaceful solution?’

To seek advice, Laria spoke up:

“As expected, my family opposed our engagement.”

“Is that why you seemed upset?”

“…”

“You looked down.”

Was she upset?

Thinking about it, perhaps she was. Their treatment of Zenox and the realization that they didn’t respect her wishes did weigh on her.

“Petting my fur will make you feel better.”

Lowering his head with ears flattened, Zenox invited her to pet him. As Laria ran her fingers through the soft fur, she did feel better.

“It really is effective.”

“When I felt down, Whitie also let me pet her.”

The fingertips that were stroking the fur flinched.

Occasionally, Zenox would mention Whitie.

What he thought or felt when mentioning it, she couldn’t tell.

Maybe she was bothered by what Theodore said earlier.

Laria brought up a topic she had been avoiding so far.

“Why are you looking for the fox, Your Excellency?”