The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

That day had been unusually peaceful.

As was her custom, Laria secluded herself in the study, retrieving a book of interest to read.

“Whitie must be the only fox in the world who reads books.”

Lifting her gaze from the book at Verdo’s remark as he brought her a treat, Laria responded with a soft sound.

“Kkyun.”

Well, she was a beastman, not merely a fox.

Everyone tended to regard Laria with amazement whenever she read, believing she was simply mimicking the motions without comprehension.

Only Zenox insisted that Whitie could truly read.

‘I wish I could detach this study and take it back to my home.’

To Laria, the Krassium Grand Duchy’s study was akin to a treasure trove. Brimming with rare tomes, she feared the study would be what she missed most after eventually departing.

“The Master seemed quite dejected.”

At Verdo’s words, Laria merely blinked.

While she had always spent considerable time in the study, her recent presence there bordered on residence.

Zenox had employed various means to regain her attention – new toys, tempting treats, even constructing a new fox den…

Yet Laria had remained unmoved.

Ultimately, Zenox too had resigned himself to joining her study sessions.

However, his aim had been to spend time playing with Whitie, leaving him increasingly dissatisfied.

“Please try to indulge the Master sometimes.”

Offering a treat as a bribe, Verdo prompted Laria to take a bite and nod in acquiescence.

‘Have I been too neglectful of him lately?’

She would have to make time to play with him tomorrow.

Unusually, Zenox had ventured out early that morning, citing urgent business.

He rarely left the estate grounds, so it must have been a pressing matter.

“I shall take my leave, then.”

After Verdo’s departure, Laria remained alone in the study, immersing herself in the book she had retrieved.

So engrossed was she that time slipped away until she reached the final page, inadvertently exclaiming aloud:

“Kkyawung!”

‘Why does it end here?!’

Rummaging through the book pile, she found no subsequent volumes.

‘How cruel!’

To leave a serialized work unfinished – the audacity!

Crestfallen, Laria plopped down in dejection.

Her ebbing interest caused her tail to droop until her gaze landed on the glass orb nearby.

Zenox always carried a small bead in his pocket, occasionally taking it out to fondle.

Intrigued by his peculiar habit, Laria had fixated on it several times until he had eventually gifted it to her to play with, nonchalantly handing it over as if it were an ordinary bead.

Only later had Verdo revealed it to be the Fox Orb, a treasured heirloom of the Krassium family.

‘The fox orb actually existed.’

Who could have imagined the fox orb, thought long lost, remained in the Krassium family’s possession?

If the fox clan learned of this, pandemonium would ensue.

Having unexpectedly obtained the fox orb, Laria had diligently studied it.

Rumor had it the bead could grant wishes or bestow immense magic power.

However, she had found no such extraordinary abilities, merely that fondling it imbued a sense of comfort akin to embracing a perfectly fitting plush doll. It was so soft, warm, and soothing.

Using her forepaw, Laria gently nudged the bead, examining it intently.

Within the milky white bead, an obsidian blotch seemed to swirl.

Like a droplet of black ink accidentally spilled during its creation.

Transfixed by the shifting blotch, Laria started in shock.

‘Did that blotch just move?’

Doubting her eyes, she made to inspect the orb closer when distant footsteps reached her ears.

Her heightened vulpine senses allowed Laria to prick up her ears and turn her head.

‘Not Zenox or Verdo… Then who?’

Staring intently at the open doorway, she saw no one enter.

And yet…

‘The footsteps are drawing nearer.’

Tense and alert, Laria tracked the approaching sounds with her gaze.

They steadily advanced toward her location.

Her nerves frayed, causing her fur to bristle.

“Ha!”

A mocking laugh echoed from the seemingly empty air.

Moments later, a figure clad in a black mask materialized, slinking into view.

Laria froze, petrified by the intruder’s abrupt appearance.

‘Magic?’

Not teleportation… Could it be a concealment spell?

“So this is the source of that peculiar aura I sensed.”

His gaze focused squarely on the fox orb beside Laria.

“That immense magic power… It must be the fox orb.”

A voice brimming with elation reverberated through the study.

Having detected his quarry, the intruder advanced purposefully toward Laria. So fixated on the fox orb, the white fox seemed to elude his notice entirely.

‘I need to escape.’

Leaping to her feet, Laria snatched the orb into her mouth and bolted.

Belatedly spotting her, the man shouted in alarm.

As Laria fled toward the entrance, she halted abruptly.

The door was closed.

Unusually heavy, the study door couldn’t be opened by Laria alone.

It was normally left ajar, but the intruder must have sealed it behind him.

In that brief instant, Laria made her decision, swiftly slipping between the bookshelves instead.

Fortunately, the spacious study provided ample hiding spots.

“Damn fox brat…!”

Heavy footsteps thundered in pursuit.

Though the man gave immediate chase, Laria’s small, agile frame allowed her to evade him with relative ease.

Her plan was to hold out until Verdo or the other servants arrived.

After a prolonged pursuit, the frustrated man growled:

“I’ll kill you.”

Halting in his tracks, he began casting a spell.

The inky black magic power emanating from him enveloped the entire study.

Laria had read most published magical texts, yet this spell was unfamiliar.

Before she could scrutinize it further, a razor-sharp gust whipped past, grazing the tips of her fur.

“!”

Severed strands drifted aimlessly through the air.

Inadvertently, Laria’s gaze followed their languid descent.

A relentless onslaught of slashing winds followed in its wake.

With no time to ponder, Laria fled in desperation.

The sounds of toppling bookshelves and shattering decor echoed in succession. Wherever the winds touched, only unrecognizable fragments remained.

‘Why isn’t anyone coming?’

Despite the cacophony…

Had he cast a sound-blocking spell as well?

Crash-!

Laria skidded to an abrupt halt at the shattering of glass.

A spilled oil lamp had doused the floor in its contents. Another biting gust swept past, igniting the oil with a whoosh of flames. Surrounded by paper and wood, the fire rapidly spread.

The searing heat licked at Laria’s back.

The intruder blocked her path ahead. There was nowhere left to hide.

“Pesky rat.”

Having successfully cornered his fox prey, the man flashed a triumphant smile.

‘Should I simply surrender the orb?’

If his goal was the fox orb, relinquishing it might spare her life.

Yet it was a treasured Krassium family heirloom passed down for generations…

After a moment’s hesitation, Laria shook her head.

Zenox had entrusted the orb to her care, a duty she couldn’t forsake.

Moreover, she knew neither the man’s identity nor his motives for coveting the fox orb.

‘How can I escape?’

The flames raged more fiercely, billowing smoke enveloping the area like a dense fog.

Laria fought the urge to cough, lest she drop the bead clenched in her jaws.

A crimson magic power spewed forth from the man’s fingertips, directed at her.

Attempting to evade it, Laria inadvertently swallowed the orb she had been carrying.

“Damn it! The fox orb…!”

Witnessing the scene, the man charged forward in a rage, his eyes betraying his intent to seize her and tear open her belly.

Through the haze, his hand suddenly emerged, grasping at her.

Reflexively recoiling, Laria let out a piercing shriek.

“Kaang!”

An agonizing heat, as if her fur were melting away in an instant.

Laria glanced back at the undulating flames, seemingly poised to devour her at any moment.

One step further, and she would be consumed by the blazing conflagration.

Seeing no route of escape, she despaired, until a window became visible beyond the flames.

As the man reached for her again, his gnarled hand mere inches from clutching her, Laria flung herself into the heart of the fire.

Biting back her screams as scorching agony seared her flesh, she endured torment beyond any pain she had ever known.

She would have welcomed unconsciousness as a merciful reprieve.

Having barely reached the window, Laria mustered her remaining strength and hurled herself against the glass.

Blood seeped from her claws, countless gouges etched into the frame from her frantic struggle.

Unable to penetrate the flames, the man began casting another spell.

The very instant his spell completed:

Shatter-!

The window exploded outward as Laria flung her body through the shattered opening.

“No!!”

The man’s anguished roar was the last thing Laria heard before blacking out.