The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria stared blankly at Zenox.

Her mind was in disarray, much like the messy room they faced.

“Oh, Zenox.”

Ishel, who was taken aback a bit late, called him, but Zenox didn’t divert his gaze from Laria. His eyes were scrutinizing her, trying to understand what she was thinking.

Libeus and Ishel, who were right next to them, seemed to fade into the background. Neither of them said anything, even though Zenox had intruded on them abruptly.

‘Could Zenox really have lied?’

Laria thought, and Zenox’s expression stiffened as her probing gaze seemed to settle.

Unable to look at his face any longer, Laria averted her gaze.

At that moment, Ishel, who hadn’t grasped the situation, addressed Zenox.

“I was just wondering whether I should call you, and here you are.”

Ishel grumbled while narrowing her eyes.

“Quickly clear up this misunderstanding. I prepared for your engagement announcement, but…”

Zenox, who had been frantically inspecting Laria, quickly turned his head to look at Ishel.

His piercing gaze made Ishel shut her mouth, and it was clear that he meant for her to be silent.

However, he couldn’t take back the words he had uttered like spilt water.

Finally, Zenox, who had been staring at Laria again, opened his mouth.

“I… want to talk for a moment.”

Sensing an uneasy atmosphere, Libeus, who had been listening quietly, exhaled quietly before speaking.

“I guess I should leave now.”

When Libeus gave permission to leave, Laria reluctantly stood up.

“I’ll leave then.”

Without looking at Zenox, Laria left the reception room. She didn’t know where to go, so she walked aimlessly. Exiting the imperial palace, she headed to the deserted garden.

Meanwhile, Zenox followed her without a word.

Neither of them spoke because they were both lost in thought.

‘Could it all be lies?’

Even the words from the Emperor and the Crown Prince about restraining Zenox… the fact that they tried to force Zenox into marriage…

When Zenox had asked for help finding Whitie, she refused to use marriage as an excuse, but she had never imagined this outcome.

‘How ridiculous I must have looked.’

She had suddenly been pushed into a marriage she had never anticipated and started a contract relationship with him.

Zenox watched as she suffered, trying to postpone the engagement as long as possible.

Just like her parents said, Laria was too naive.

Didn’t he just blindly believe what Zenox said and only doubted the Emperor and Crown Prince?

She was almost ashamed of herself for pretending to be a fake lover without knowing anything.

She even…

‘I ended up liking Zenox.’

Above all, the most miserable thing was that she was the only one who was sincere.

In truth, she had secretly hoped that Zenox had some feelings for her as well.

He had shown jealousy toward Solike and had seemed more like a real lover recently.

But it had all been meaningless to Zenox.

‘Well, even when he drank the potion my father made, it didn’t work.’

Zenox took a potion that made him hate the person he loved. As a side effect, he turned into a wolf cub, but the potion itself didn’t work.

Because Zenox wouldn’t have had any feelings for Laria.

After thinking about something she had forgotten all along, all Laria could do was laugh.

“…Lady Rohan.”

In a low voice that seemed to sink into the ground, Zenox finally spoke.

Laria continued to gaze straight ahead, not looking at him. She didn’t know what words might come out if she met his gaze.

“What did you hear from His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Is that really important?”

Her calm tone carried a hidden thorn.

Laria couldn’t tell if she was angry or resentful.

She couldn’t define her own heart with just a few words.

The breathtaking silence came again.

Finally, Laria turned to look at him, unable to bear it anymore.

Zenox’s expression was so unfamiliar that she hesitated.

His golden eyes, unable to hide his embarrassment, darted around. Zenox appeared anxious, repeatedly biting his lips and clutching his own clothing.

She had anticipated a different reaction from him in this situation, one where he would quickly regain his composure.

However, seeing him act like a child caught in a lie made Laria feel sympathetic.

Her boiling emotions quickly cooled, and her mind became clear.

‘Do I have the right to be angry?’

In fact, hadn’t she been lying even longer than Zenox?

She had always been worried about Zenox discovering her lies, and now that he had deceived her, she felt disappointed.

While others might not care, Laria believed she had no right to react this way.

Her clear blue eyes grew cloudy, like a lake on a rainy day.

‘Someday, Zenox will probably feel like this too.’

If she were to reveal the truth to Zenox, she imagined he would initially be angry and resentful.

However, experiencing it firsthand made her realize it might not be as simple as she had thought.

Just a few months of deception had already made her feel betrayed; Zenox had been kept in the dark for so much longer.

“Laria.”

As Laria’s expression darkened rapidly, Zenox called her name urgently.

Sometimes when he called her name, her heart would race, but now it felt unfamiliar, like someone else’s name. So, Laria didn’t respond.

After organizing her thoughts on what to say first, Laria finally spoke.

“I’ve heard about what happened from His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“…”

“They said Your Excellency demanded the marriage from the beginning.”

Zenox remained silent.

His lack of excuses was characteristic of the Zenox she knew.

He never made excuses for his mistakes or wrongdoings.

“Shall we pretend the contract… never existed?”

Zenox’s hand, which had been motionless as a doll’s, twitched suddenly. His rapidly expanding pupils seemed to contain all of Laria within them.

“There’s no need for that anymore.”

Since the Emperor and the Crown Prince hadn’t pushed for a forced marriage, there was no reason to continue the contractual relationship.

“I’ll help you find Whitie.”

Zenox’s clear golden eyes visibly wavered.

“Your Excellency, as you said, I’m a white fox beastman, so I might be able to help.”

For now, she would pretend to look for Whitie while secretly planning to separate the fox orb from her body. Once she handed over the fox orb , she would reveal everything…

Laria, imagining the worst ending, shook her head.

She didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Laria started to take a step to leave.

But Zenox’s movement was faster.

Although he simply stood in front of her, it felt as if he was blocking her path like a wall.

“…Do you have anything else to say?”

“You don’t need to help.”

Why…?

Seeing Laria’s perplexed expression, Zenox responded, suppressing his anxiety.

“I’ll be the one to find Whitie.”

“Then, why did you maintain the contract?”

If he wasn’t asking for her cooperation, why bother continuing the contract of lovers? They could have ended it long ago.

Zenox could only bite his lip without answering. Laria couldn’t grasp why he was hesitating so much.

Suddenly, he felt as if he had gained some kind of revelation, and his body trembled.

His cheeks paled, and he stared blankly at Laria.

This was the first time he had felt like this, and Laria was also taken aback.

‘Was there some extraordinary reason?’

She had waited silently, but he didn’t offer an answer.

There was no point in expecting anything more.

“…The family is waiting for me. I’ll leave now.”

Laria turned to leave, but Zenox didn’t stop her.

He just stood there, his gaze fixed on the empty space before him.

Once Laria left the garden, Zenox’s figure was no longer visible.

Only then did she let out the breath she had been holding.

Laria had thought she handled the situation better than expected. Now she had to go home and find a way to separate the fox orb…

‘Why can’t I see clearly?’

Her vision became hazy, as if there was fog.

Laria rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and only then realized her tears were streaming down her face.