The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria flinched at Zenox’s proposal.

It was as if he had seen right through her thoughts.

With his exceptional perception, he had likely sensed her unease.

Instead of answering, Laria gently clasped the hand he had extended toward her.

The compliant Zenox slowly withdrew his hand, enveloping hers.

Despite only holding hands, she felt as though she had entered the safest, warmest place imaginable.

The body heat he shared was at the perfect temperature.

In an instant, her body was suffused with warmth.

She could not tell whether it was from their joined hands or her own embarrassment.

Savoring the sensation of warmth spreading from her palm, Laria took a quick glance around the bedchamber. Spacious enough to run around in, yet devoid of furniture, it felt strikingly empty. Befitting its name, only the bed possessed a commanding presence.

It was markedly different from the Krassium Grand Duchy’s estate, overflowing with Whitie’s traces.

Finding nothing particular to observe, Laria averted her gaze, only for a previously unseen object to catch her eye.

She blinked at the familiar glass vial.

‘That’s the kind of vial I use to store potions.’

Moreover, it wasn’t empty, but contained a liquid.

Staring intently at the vial, Laria let out a soft ‘Ah’ of realization.

It was the gift she had presented to Zenox during her previous visit to the Krassium estate – a potion to help with his insomnia and nightmares.

“Why haven’t you taken it yet?”

Following Laria’s line of sight, Zenox spotted the vial and responded.

“I was reluctant to use it.”

“I can make you another batch.”

The ingredients were easily obtainable, so she could readily prepare more.

However, Zenox didn’t immediately agree.

‘Is he truly that reluctant to use it?’

Come to think of it, Zenox did have a tendency to hoard things.

Even as a Whitie, whenever Laria brought him miscellaneous items from the garden, he would keep them all instead of discarding any, including mere fallen leaves.

Had he lived in a cramped dwelling, it would have quickly become a junkyard.

Rather than urging him to drink the potion, Laria changed the subject.

“About those flowers I saw in the garden earlier…”

Though it was a trivial inquiry, Zenox earnestly responded.

As they exchanged idle chatter, their disparate body temperatures eventually aligned.

A pleasantly lukewarm warmth was transmitted through their joined hands.

Zenox refrained from encroaching on the bed area, as if an invisible boundary had been drawn, yet he firmly held onto Laria’s hand, refusing to let go.

The adequately illuminated bedchamber gradually grew dimmer, the lamp’s flickering light waning as it neared the end of its oil. A new lamp could easily be brought, but Laria was reluctant to release their joined hands.

Since Zenox didn’t mention the lamp either, they continued their conversation as if nothing was amiss.

Phut–

The dwindling light finally extinguished like a spent match.

With not even the moonlight to aid them, inky darkness instantly enveloped the bedchamber.

Laria fell silent, swallowing a small gasp.

The mere absence of light had filled her with a palpable tension. Likely because their location was a bedchamber, it felt almost as if they were engaged in a tryst.

Unable to see, she instinctively focused on her other senses.

The familiar scent, the sound of soft breathing, their still-joined hands.

All her awareness converged on Zenox.

The occasional snippets of conversation ceased, leaving a tranquil silence reminiscent of a winter night.

Sensing the peculiar atmosphere, Laria turned her gaze toward Zenox.

With her vision obscured, her imagination began to wander.

The image of Zenox’s robed form from earlier flickered in her mind’s eye.

Despite wearing only a loosely draped robe over his bare body, his physique was flawless. Though tall and solidly built, he lacked any hint of clumsiness or bulk, his frame lithe and graceful.

Recalling the glimpse of his toned chest through the parted robe, Laria’s cheeks flushed.

‘Why am I suddenly thinking of that?’

It was fortunate Zenox couldn’t read her thoughts.

Feeling unnecessarily embarrassed, she relaxed her grip on his hand, only for his fingers to promptly tighten around hers.

His long, slender fingers traced the contours of her palm in a languid caress, as if mapping its shape.

A tingling, indescribably tantalizing sensation coursed through her hand and spread throughout her body.

“…”

For a fleeting moment, Laria held her breath.

Her mind went blank, as if swept clean by a blizzard.

Zenox’s fingers slipped between her own, gently intertwining.

She could feel every calloused knuckle and joint.

At last, their interlocked hands meshed together like perfectly fitted gears, an unbreakable hold no matter how hard she tugged.

Laria’s heart pounded madly while her thoughts whirled in confusion.

Having never held hands in such an intimate manner with anyone before, she couldn’t discern where the boundaries of propriety lay.

After staring at their joined hands for a time, Laria slowly lifted her gaze.

In the darkness, a pair of gleaming golden eyes met hers.

Zenox had been watching her as well, though she couldn’t pinpoint when he had begun.

Biting her lip to stifle the urge, Laria hastily averted her eyes.

She had nearly blurted out words she would surely regret.

“Laria.”

Zenox called her name, a hint of restlessness coloring his tone.

As her eyes returned to him, he hesitated.

Having initially called out in a bid to monopolize her attention, he found himself at a loss for words.

“…I would like to hear stories from your childhood.”

The tension dissipated.

As the peculiar atmosphere dispersed, Laria exhaled the breath she had been holding.

“Well… when I was little…”

Once she began recounting tales of her childhood, Zenox listened with rapt attention, his eyes alight as he maintained his firm grip on her hand.

As Laria narrated anecdotes involving Herdin, a pale, bluish light gradually filled the bedchamber.

Simultaneously, Laria and Zenox turned their gazes toward the window.

The crimson-tinged sun finally heralded the arrival of morning.

Watching the sunrise, Laria swallowed a pang of reluctance.

Though she wished to linger longer, she needed to depart before her parents awoke. Semela had even cautioned her against any impropriety.

Releasing their joined hands, Laria rose to her feet.

“I should return to my room.”

“I shall escort you.”

Though her room was directly across the hall, Zenox also stood.

Zenox took the lead, opening the door first.

Following him into the corridor, Laria came to an abrupt halt.

Semela and Theodore were standing in the hallway.

Startled, Theodore alternated his gaze between the two of them.

“…Why are you both coming out of the same room?”

Semela’s mutter reverberated through the corridor.

“Nothing happened!”

Laria hurriedly denied it, but Semela’s gaze only sharpened further.

For an unmarried man and woman to share the same room was considered a grave impropriety.

However, the Count and Countess of Rohan weren’t ones to concern themselves with such matters.

Rather…

“I clearly told you not to engage in any nonsense,” Semela said, though her eyes were fixed on Zenox, not Laria.

Zenox remained silent, averting his gaze in what seemed like uncharacteristic discomfiture.

‘We only held hands.’

Despite Laria’s aggrieved look, Semela was adamant.

“I wish to request a private audience with the Grand Duke.”

It wasn’t a request, but a demand.

“Very well.”

“I’ll come too…!”

“Laria, you should rest. You need to return home today.”

Semela swiftly shut Laria down.

Deflated like a punctured balloon, Laria cast a worried glance at Zenox.

He had only stayed by her side out of concern, yet it seemed he alone would face reprimand.

‘Surely they won’t behave disrespectfully before the Grand Duke, though.’

She couldn’t be certain.

After all, Semela and Theodore had previously gone behind his back to administer a potion to him.

Even as she fretted, Laria subtly reminded them of their previous promise.

“You haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you?”

They had vowed not to harm Zenox.

Semela let out an exasperated sigh.

“One would think you were being devoured by looking at you.”

In the end, Laria retreated to her bedchamber first, while the other three relocated to the reception room.

With only Laria absent, the atmosphere had become decidedly somber.

Plastered to Semela’s side, Theodore glared at Zenox with an accusatory gaze.

I trusted you, how could you…

His eyes seemed to shout those very words.

Zenox silently endured their reproachful stares.

In the past, he wouldn’t have cared whether they loved or hated him, but circumstances had changed.

If her family despised him, Laria too would feel uncomfortable.

Above all else, he needed to prevent Laria from being restricted from going out again.

As he racked his brain for an explanation, Semela finally spoke.

“Apparently, there was quite an uproar due to Rubenta Krassium’s escape from prison.”

Semela’s eyes instantly sharpened.

“Were you and Laria out last night?”