The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria, having emptied all the gems she had, maximized her magical power.

Just considering the price of the gems was enough to make her cry. She had even used the gems that Zenox had given her.

However, no matter how she thought about it, this was the only way.

There was no time to spare, so they had to deactivate the magic circles all at once.

‘I’ve never used this much magical power before…’

Anxiety overwhelmed her, not because she was worried about failure but because of a certain possibility.

As expected, using a lot of magical power might trigger her transformation into a fox, just like when she faced Marquis Hashir at the illegal auction.

Laria turned to Zenox.

“Could you handle the aftermath for me?”

After hesitating for a moment, she added:

“It’s getting late… I think I need to go home.”

Seeing the desperation on Laria’s face, Zenox nodded reluctantly.

Laria felt relieved and immediately began her spell. Her surging magical power spread throughout the corners of the mine.

A white light descended over the hidden explosive magic circle.

Flash!

Magical power struck like lightning, causing explosions all around. The intense light was blinding, and they had to squint their eyes.

“!”

Suddenly, her body lost strength, and she staggered.

Zenox, who had just opened his eyes, reached out and embraced Laria.

Laria, who had been staggering, exhaled in his arms.

‘It’s a bit dizzy…’

Zenox held Laria a little tighter.

His gaze was focused entirely on Laria.

At that moment-

“Guagh!”

Laria and Zenox reflexively turned their heads.

Ort coughed violently and sprayed blood, still tied up.

Ort’s face was a mess. Blood flowed from his mouth, ears, and nose, soaking his clothes. It was the price of breaking free from the highest-ranked sorcerer’s binding spell.

Ort immediately lunged toward the magic circle. Red light emitted from the magic circle enveloped him.

In the blink of an eye, Zenox swung his sword at Ort, who was attempting to escape.

“Ack!!!”

With a scream and only one arm remaining, Ort disappeared.

‘So it was a dual magic circle.’

If someone else had stepped on the magic circle, their body would have split apart, but Ort seemed to have designed it for his escape.

More importantly, he had to sacrifice his lifespan to break the binding spell.

“Please don’t look.”

Zenox shielded Laria’s view.

Finally, the magic circle squirmed like a living creature and absorbed the blood that had come from Ort’s severed arm.

Laria, who had been unable to move due to her hands covering her eyes, gasped for breath when she finally opened them.

‘I feel like I’m turning into a fox again.’

She had a feeling that she had experienced this before.

Laria took Zenox’s hand and got up, facing him.

Then, she spoke rapidly:

“Please take care of the aftermath, and let Solike know about the situation. This magic circle is evidence, so just leave it be.”

Before Zenox could respond, she cast a spatial movement spell.

The scenery around her changed, and she was greeted by a soft bed.

At the same time, she transformed into a fox.

“Kyuuung.”

Phew, she had narrowly avoided a major disaster.

Laria, lying on the bed, used her small paw to brush her chest.

‘I need to recover my energy first.’

Last time, when she recovered her energy, she had returned to her human form automatically.

Once she rested, she would be fine.

‘It’s a shame we missed Ort, but maybe Marquis Hashir won’t make a move for a while.’

His long-prepared plan had failed, and his henchman had returned with an arm severed.

Since Marquis Hashir didn’t yet know Laria’s true identity, he wouldn’t be able to take any active measures.

However, Laria couldn’t be satisfied with just that.

From now on, she planned to tighten the noose around Marquis Hashir’s neck.

‘What time is it?’

She left home early in the morning, but due to the travel time, she was away longer than expected.

Lately, she had been regularly reporting to her family when she went out, but this time, she couldn’t. As Laria was about to check her watch, someone knocked on the door.

‘Oh no.’

I can’t answer right now, can I?

Knock, knock.

The knocking sound continued, making her hesitate.

She should hide for now…!

“Laria, come in.”

But before she could hide, the door opened.

Semela met Laria’s eyes as she entered the room. Semela seemed surprised, probably because she didn’t expect to find a fox in her bedroom.

“Why here’s a fox…”

“A fox?”

Theodore, following Semela, peeked his head in.

“Isn’t it a doll?”

Soon, Herdin emerged from behind Semela. Perplexed, he muttered:

“It’s not.”

“Did Laria bring it?”

“White fur and blue eyes! Don’t you think it looks like our Laria?”

Theodore’s mouth softened.

Before she knew it, the family had entered the bedroom and surrounded Laria with her in the middle.

“I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

Herdin, who was looking closely at Laria, muttered.

Cold sweat ran down her spine.

‘You must have seen it somewhere, probably on Zenox’s leaflets!’

My heart trembled, fearing that Herdin might recognize her as the fox in the leaflet.

‘If he discovered that my six-month absence was due to Zenox…’

It could lead to war.

‘That can’t happen!’

Laria inwardly screamed.

Unaware of her concerns, her family smiled happily as they gathered around her.

“Hmm, it’s quite cute.”

Not content with just watching, Herdin playfully poked her side with his finger. When she rolled over in response, he was taken aback.

“Why is it so well-behaved?”

Seeing Herdin’s puzzled expression, Semela scolded him gently:

“Are you trying to make it roll over, too?”

Herdin stepped back from Laria, looking slightly embarrassed.

Theodore, on the other hand, excitedly suggested:

“Honey, should we raise it?”

“Well, having one wouldn’t hurt…”

Semela seemed to like the baby fox as well.

It was a significant decision for her, as she had never kept any animals inside the mansion due to her aversion to shedding fur.

“By the way, where’s Laria?”

“She’s not feeling well.”

Although she had already recovered, it had been less than a day since she was sick. If her family found out that she had gone outside, she might receive a ban on further outings.

Herdin’s gaze, which had been watching Laria from a distance, sharpened.

“She didn’t go to meet the Grand Duke, did she?”

Even though she had just returned from meeting him…

“Hah! Has he called out a sick child just because we kicked him out?”

“She seemed fine.”

Herdin and Semela’s eyes sparkled. They seemed ready to storm the Krassium Grand Duke’s mansion right away.

In the midst of Laria’s attempts to stop them, Theodore jumped in excitement.

“How about giving it a name?”

“Well… what should we name it?”

Having successfully diverted the attention of her family, Laria let out a relieved sigh internally. 

‘At this rate, I might really become the pet fox of the Rohan family.’

Before returning to her human form, she needed to leave this place. Her family still didn’t know that Laria could fully transform into a human.

She hadn’t mentioned it because… ever since leaving the Grand Duke Krassium’s residence, she couldn’t transform into a fox.

There was no point in saying something she couldn’t prove.

They must have been worried about what happened to her after she went missing and came back.

Moreover, given the family’s tendency to be suspicious, she didn’t want to provide any hints that she might be the Grand Duke’s fox.

‘If they ask about the fox in the bedroom later, I’ll just say I don’t know.’

Planning to handle the situation roughly, Herdin observed Laria with a thoughtful expression.

“I’ve seen it somewhere before….”

Suddenly, as if he had recalled, he exclaimed:

“Isn’t it the fox the Grand Duke was looking for?!”