The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

That night, after Laria fell asleep, Zenox secretly slipped out of the bedroom and roamed the mansion.

Despite a thorough search, he didn’t find anything significant.

Even after checking every corner, not a single white fur was seen.

If Laria hadn’t hidden Whitie well, perhaps she was somewhere else entirely.

As the night deepened, Zenox, wandering in the darkness, came to a stop.

Could Laria have nothing to do with Whitie?

A buried unease suddenly surged up.

He had come all this way just because he felt the power of the fox orb from Laria. Having entangled himself under the pretense of a contractual engagement, if the only clue he found was useless…

Zenox shook off the deepening thought.

There was still time until dawn, so it was better to check one more place in this time.

The black wolf disappeared back into the darkness.

* * *

Several days had passed since Zenox transformed into a wolf cub.

Despite the considerable time, he hadn’t returned to his original form.

At this point, there was growing concern.

‘What if he never returns?’

There would be a lot of pending work for the Grand Duke, and there must have been a fuss at the Krassium mansion…

However, unlike the anxious Laria, Zenox seemed utterly calm.

Soon he’d return, he assured, leisurely waiting, and Laria temporarily put aside her worries.

“Do you want to go out for a bit today?”

Zenox, who seemed sleepy, suddenly looked up.

“I’m not sure when I’ll return to my original form, so I need to buy some things for the time being.”

“Sounds good.”

Having Zenox’s consent, Laria quickly listed what to buy.

‘I need to get a new brush.’

Laria had breakfast and lunch in her bedroom, telling her servant she’d sleep.

“You’re sleeping now?”

“I couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Do you want me to bring some tea that’s good for sleep?”

“No, I’m tired now, so I think I’ll sleep well. Wake me up at dinner.”

Laria often sneaked out under the pretext of taking a nap, so the servant didn’t suspect anything.

But the maid seemed to have something to say.

“Uh… Miss. The master…”

“Can I hear it later?”

“Oh, sorry. I’ll draw the curtains for you.”

The servant drew the curtains to block out the sunlight and quickly left the room.

Locking the door, Laria took out a robe she hid deep in her wardrobe for outings. She grabbed some jewels, and lastly, she opened a pocket bag.

Zenox, with a somewhat startled face, alternately looked at the bag and Laria.

“…”

Sighing, Zenox willingly entered the bag.

His body fit snugly inside, only poking his head out, which made Laria internally scream.

‘Oh, he’s so cute!’

Seeing Laria pleased, Zenox’s grumpy face eased.

“Are we sneaking out?”

“My family worries a lot.”

They’d attach a series of guards if she went out, which was bothersome.

Her family thought Laria was kidnapped when she went missing for half a year.

‘Well, they were right about the kidnapping.’

The kidnapper was right in front of her.

‘I absolutely can’t let them find out.’

Just imagining the chaos if they found out Zenox was the reason for her disappearance sent shivers down her spine.

“Shall we go then?”

Holding Zenox, Laria cast a spatial movement spell.

Arriving in a bustling back alley in an instant, Zenox’s eyes widened.

“Was the teleportation spell always this fast?”

“Isn’t it usually?”

“When I used it in the North, it was so slow that I could sleep and wake up in that time.”

Laria realized she had never seen another person use the teleportation spell.

She knew she had a talent for attack spells because of Sienna…

Maybe she also had a knack for teleportation?

‘Am I kind of amazing?’

She was glad she didn’t say that out loud.

Others might laugh if they saw her.

“Every spell caster has different casting speeds. Maybe that spell caster wasn’t skilled.”

Zenox wanted to say that the spell caster he hired was famous in the North, but he held back.

“Shall we go to the shopping district first?”

Emerging from the alley, Laria headed towards the shopping district with a light step.

She didn’t particularly like shopping, so it was a place she didn’t usually visit. But today, she planned to wander around various places.

‘Wouldn’t it be really cute with a ribbon? Should I buy clothes for the puppy too?’

Laria was thrilled at the idea of dressing up Zenox.

Although she hadn’t received permission from him.

On the way to the pet supply store, a sign with jewels drawn on it appeared.

When she peeked inside the window, the jewels displayed in the showcase were showing off their colorful hues.

Suddenly Laria stopped, and Zenox sneakily popped his head out of the bag.

“Should I buy it for you?”

“You don’t have any money.”

“…”

Zenox was engulfed in a strange feeling.

He never thought he’d see a day without money.

To be precise, he still had his assets but couldn’t spend the money.

When he returned to his human form, Zenox vowed to buy the entire jewelry store for her.

After reluctantly taking a step, Laria filled the basket with various things for Zenox. She also secretly added a ribbon pin.

When Laria left the store, both her hands were full of paper bags.

‘I now understand why Zenox always bought so much stuff whenever he went out.’

Recently, she had been relating a lot to Zenox.

“Bill it to the Krassium mansion later.”

“I didn’t spend much, consider it a gift.”

Zenox wore an unfamiliar expression.

He looked like a wolf receiving a gift for the first time.

“Were you bored staying at home? Let’s walk for a bit.”

“I’d prefer a quiet place.”

Perhaps it seemed like Laria was muttering to herself, as passersby kept glancing their way.

Zenox put his face back into the bag.

Once they left the busy street, a quieter alley appeared. Walking along the alley, a man leading a group who looked like knights, even in plain clothes, approached from the opposite side.

‘Something seems familiar…’

Upon closer look at the man’s face, Laria’s eyes widened.

‘Why is the Crown Prince here?’

What were the odds of encountering the Crown Prince on the streets of the capital? He seemed to have changed his hair and eye color slightly, but she recognized him instantly.

She stared too hard and made eye contact with Ishel.

She quickly looked away, but the knights protecting Ishel approached Laria.

“Identify yourself.”

“She’s just a passerby.”

Ishel restrained the knights.

As if to protect him, the knights stared at Laria and said:

“We can’t be sure she isn’t deliberately approaching. We need to check.”

She seemed suspicious, perhaps because she was hiding her face with a hood. Ishel scolded the knights with a look of exasperation.

“Do you plan to interrogate everyone in the capital?”

“Your Highness, you should be more aware of your valuable position.”

A disagreement arose between Ishel and the knights.

‘Why are they arguing in front of me…’

Fearing a commotion, Laria quickly pulled down her hood.

Upon seeing her, Ishel stopped speaking and blinked.

“Lady Rohan?”

“May the light of God shine upon Frandel. Laria Rohan greets Your Highness, Crown Prince.”

Laria greeted him with the proper etiquette.

Ishel seemed quite surprised by the unexpected encounter and nodded.

“Meeting Lady Rohan here is a surprising coincidence.”

“Why are you here, Your Highness…?”

“Ah, I’m incognito.”

“Incognito?”

“I can’t grasp everything about the world just by sitting in the palace.”

It’s a commendable effort, but isn’t it a bit careless? Perhaps wearing a robe like mine would have been better.

Laria restrained herself from voicing the comment rising to her throat.

“…Your Highness, will you introduce who she is?”

The knights discreetly inquired about Laria’s identity.

Ishel introduced her with a smile.

“The fiance of the Duke of Krassium.”

Upon hearing this shocking revelation, the knights hesitated and began murmuring amongst themselves.

Considering her engagement to the Duke… one can never predict what someone with such an innocent face might do.

Their suspicion seemed to intensify.

Then, the bag began to wriggle.

Laria pressed the top, signaling Zenox to stay inside when he tried to come out.

There was a soft sound of a tail hitting the bag in apparent displeasure.

Fortunately, Ishel stepped in to mediate with the knights and scolded them.

Instead, the apologetic Ishel took a closer look at Laria.

“By the way, Lady Rohan, have you seen Zenox lately?”

The moment Ishel spoke, Laria felt cold sweat.

“He’s been ignoring my messages. Should I go to his house?”

“Why are you looking for him…”

Hesitating for a moment, Ishel responded.

“It’s related to Whitie.”