The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

It had been a day since all the chaos erupted.

“I’m bored…”

Laria, who was rolling on the bed, muttered.

She didn’t usually go out often, but now that she couldn’t go out, she felt suffocated.

Laria had been scolded severely by Semela, and now she couldn’t even step one foot outside the front door.

In fact, she felt self-conscious even about leaving the bedroom. Everyone was watching, ready to catch her if she tried to use magic to get out.

Laria hadn’t forgotten that they would come unexpectedly to check if she tried to leave using magic. In the end, Laria remained trapped in her bedroom and received news from the outside only through letters delivered by crows.

According to Solike’s letters, everyone in the village was alive.

[It looks like they needed fresh blood, so they gathered them all up and tried to kill them all at once.]

It would be suspicious if they disappeared all at once, so they stole them little by little and locked them in an abandoned mineshaft.

[The Grand Duke dispatched a corps of knights to the village. And the people whose robes we stole were taken away by the Grand Duke.]

It was said that this was done to keep Marquis Hashir from reaching out to the village again and to protect it.

Laria had been worried, but it seemed that Zenox had handled things well.

According to Solike’s letter, the villagers had been very scared when they found out Zenox’s true identity. But now, they were at ease with Zenox there, living as usual.

[And as you asked, I left the magical circle as it was, so you can check it later.]

The magical circle was the only evidence they had managed to secure this time. If they dismantled it, they could determine who had created it.

[P.S. Can you ask the Grand Duke to join you in mercenary work…? I will give you a generous introduction fee.]

It seemed that Solike still hadn’t let go. He was willing to risk exposing himself as the one who had kidnapped Whitie, all for the sake of money.

After writing a reply, Laria sent it to the crow.

“Phew…”

As soon as the ban on going out was lifted, she informed Zenox. He replied with an understanding message, but she still felt uneasy.

After thinking about Zenox for a while, Laria suddenly got up from her seat.

Now was not the time to sit idly by; she needed to separate the fox orb as soon as possible.

‘I wish I had more information.’

She had no idea how to purify the magical power. She would find a way to pull it out, but even if it gathered in one place, it would scatter again soon.

‘Should I go to the Sorcery Office again?’

They had obtained information about the fox orb from there, so if she looked further…

“Miss?”

Lost in thought, Laria only noticed her employee’s voice belatedly.

“Oh, I’m in here!”

Afraid they might suspect she had secretly gone out, she shouted loudly.

“Miss, there’s a letter for you.”

The servant held two envelopes in his hand. One of them emitted a bright light that was blinding.

Laria picked up the golden envelope used in the imperial palace. She cut it open with a paper knife and quickly scanned the letter. She muttered unconsciously as she read the last sentence.

“…They want to invite our family to the imperial palace?”

During the imperial palace banquet, the Rohan family had quickly averted a major disaster. The Emperor had expressed his gratitude excessively, but it seemed that it was not enough.

‘Or maybe they just want to make a fuss and talk to me during the event.’

During the banquet, they hadn’t exchanged a single word, so she didn’t have a reason to refuse.

Without a reason to decline, Laria put the letter down.

‘Let’s not meddle with them.’

Even if the Emperor pressured her to marry right away, she would pretend not to know. She made up her mind not to yield, no matter how much he urged her.

Laria picked up the remaining letter envelope.

Her fingers stopped for a moment.

[Banesion Hashir.]

‘I’ve been waiting for this for so long.’

Muttering to herself, Laria tore open the envelope with rough movements.

The contents contained only the date and location of the duel.

‘The Sorcery Office…’

Naturally, they were confident that Sienna would win. It was a rather bold choice. If she lost, it would be a perfect opportunity for her to be embarrassed.

Laria, who had seen through Hashir’s intentions, smiled.

“Shall we raise the stakes a bit?”

This was just the beginning.

* * *

Banesion Hashir was not in his right mind.

The plan they had been working on for months had failed, and his servant Ort had returned, covered in blood. He had even lost one of his arms.

“What the hell happened?”

Why had the one who had gone to collect blood come back in such a state? And why had the Grand Duke’s knights suddenly arrived in a village that had been ignored until now…?

In his panic, he couldn’t find any answers.

He had been in such a hurry that he hadn’t been able to learn anything when Ort woke up.

He suffered from anxiety for a long time, and he had rushed to Ort as soon as he heard that Ort had woken up.

“Argh… Ugh!”

Ort screamed in pain, having lost his arm. In his agony, he was crying out.

In response to Ort’s suffering, Banesion shouted:

“Who did this to you? Tell me who made you like this!”

Thinking that Banesion was trying to seek revenge, Ort answered while suppressing his pain:

“It was… a young woman. The other one had a hood on so I couldn’t see his face, but he seemed to be a man.”

“A young woman? What was her impression like?”

Hashir Banesion couldn’t hide his anxiety and swallowed hard.

“Her hair was dark, and her eyes were amber-colored… but other than that, I can’t remember much.”

It was a rather common appearance. It was so ordinary that you could spot someone like that outside right now.

“Anything else unusual?”

“Uh… her magical power was a pure white color.”

Banesion’s face stiffened.

‘That’s the person I saw at the auction.’

He had thought of the person as a man, but it turned out to be a woman!

No, he couldn’t be sure. She could have changed her appearance with a potion.

With his eyes narrowed, Banesion asked again:

“How did she know and find you? Could it be that you…”

“No, I didn’t! I’ve been stuck in the mine, following the orders given by the leader.”

Ort reported to Banesion when he went to the Sorcery Office, and that was all he had done. He claimed his innocence.

After hesitating for a moment, Ort continued.

“They already knew. They knew we were planning forbidden magic…”

“How did they know!”

Banesion felt like he was going to lose his mind.

Where had the information leaked from?

Banesion looked at Ort with a gaze that seemed as though he wanted to tear him apart.

“Of course, you left some kind of mark, right?”

“I… I was too busy escaping to think about that…”

“You useless idiot!!”

Banesion couldn’t hold back and threw whatever was in his hand. Ort’s face froze as the vial hit him head-on.

Banesion had no interest in Ort’s revenge; he only wanted to know who had ruined his plans.

Leaving the dazed Ort behind, Banesion left the office.

‘The fact that he found out about me first…’

Banesion chewed his fingernails out of anxiety.

When neither side knew each other’s true identity, it was better. But now that only one side knew, he was at a significant disadvantage.

And if he were to be exposed as someone who used forbidden magic…

‘I would be sentenced to death.’

The Grand Duke was involved, so there was no way he could avoid the death penalty.

Banesion’s steps abruptly stopped.

‘I put in so much effort to get here.’

His sense of injustice soon turned into anger.

If that person were in front of him, he would kill her no matter what it took.

Banesion looked back at the path he had walked.

‘I should ask if the magical circle was dismantled successfully and then come back.’

If they dismantled the magical circle, they could determine who the caster was.

Even if they succeeded, the magical circle was so complicated that even Banesion couldn’t touch it.

‘Even if I succeed, they’ve all been sent away, so it should be okay.’

Banesion’s magical power hadn’t been absorbed at all, so he still had a way to escape.

And Ort had been brainwashed a long time ago, so even if there were any problems, he wouldn’t reveal his name.

‘I wonder what I should say to Rubenta Krassium…’

He had provided the sacrifice. Since the plan had failed and had been passed on to the Grand Duke, he would undoubtedly hold him responsible.

‘Could it be that Rubenta Craseum was discovered by the Grand Duke?’

He suspected it, but he didn’t have the courage to confront him directly.

Every time he confronted Rubenta, he felt a strange aversion, like a frog standing in front of a snake.

‘Once I get the fox orb…’

Rubenta agreed to give the Grand Duke’s fox orb if he succeeded in brainwashing him.

After the deal was completed, he would have no further dealings with him. He had barely suppressed his emotions.

Banesion returned to his study.

“A letter has arrived.”

Banesion hesitated for a moment when he received the letter handed over by his servant.

The Rohan family’s seal was imprinted on it.

Banesion checked the contents of the letter immediately and chuckled.

“You’re such an arrogant girl, worthy of the daughter of a cowardly fox.”

The letter mentioned that she hoped some outsiders would be invited to their duel with Sienna.

He laughed at her ignorance of what was to come.

“Very well.”

This was an opportunity to show everyone just how miserably Theodore’s daughter would be when she was defeated in a duel.