The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria wiped away the tears that were about to fall with her fingers.

Was she sad because Zenox had deceived her, or was it because they now had no relationship at all?

‘In the end, I didn’t get an answer.’

Before visiting the mining village, Laria had asked Zenox a question.

-Why can’t you end the engagement?

Zenox had promised to answer her after visiting the village, but she never got to hear it.

‘He avoided answering immediately for some reason.’

It must have been a difficult question to answer.

Did Zenox not want to break the contract because he didn’t want to sever ties with her? Laria, secretly hoping for this, felt foolish.

Laria tried to hold back her tears, but they flowed uncontrollably.

“Laria?”

Semela’s voice came from behind.

Laria pretended not to hear, as she couldn’t bear to show her tears. However, she couldn’t hide her trembling body.

Eventually, Semela stepped forward and stood in front of her.

Upon seeing Laria’s face, Semela’s lips tightened.

Theodore, who had been indecisively lingering behind, suddenly opened his eyes. 

“L-Laria…”

Theodore hesitated, unsure of what to do.

When he tried to embrace Laria, Semela, who had been silent, asked a question.

“…Did something happen in the reception room?”

If there had been, she was ready to confront the Emperor immediately.

Laria slowly nodded.

She decided to be honest because there was no need to deceive her family anymore.

“We broke up.”

Semela and Theodore both fell silent. Even without further explanation, they understood immediately.

Afraid of any doubts, Laria added:

“It wasn’t forced by His Majesty or the Crown Prince.”

What had transpired between them was a mystery, and Semela and Theodore had many questions.

Instead of asking, Semela placed her hand on Laria’s shoulder.

“Let’s go back now.”

Laria silently stepped away. 

She didn’t want to run into Zenox again, and she didn’t want to show him her tearful face.

Inside the carriage on the way home, it was as silent as if no one was on board. Laria was grateful that her parents didn’t ask anything, but a corner of her heart was uneasy.

She couldn’t believe how foolish she must have seemed, going into a frenzy about getting engaged and then breaking up unexpectedly.

When Laria returned home, she went straight to her bedroom without saying a word.

She didn’t want to do anything. She lay on her bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

She had thought that coming home would make her feel better, but all kinds of regrets surged over her like endless waves.

Even her bedroom was filled with memories of Zenox.

Memories of living with him when he had turned into a wolf cub. There were times when she had been too drunk to think clearly, and Zenox had taken care of her.

One by one, memories flooded her mind, and they soon became overwhelming.

There was not one she could forget.

Lost in her reminiscences, Laria realized something belatedly.

She wanted to be loved by Zenox as Laria Rohan, not as Whitie.

‘I may have been punished for being greedy.’

She hadn’t wanted Zenox to hate Whitie in the beginning.

Then she had hoped that he wouldn’t grow to resent her but instead come to like her as a human.

To Zenox, Laria Rohan had only been a means to find Whitie.

One day she cried profusely , and the next day she was in a daze.

Time passed by without even taking a single step outside the bedroom. Laria couldn’t tell how many days it had been.

As a result, the family was very worried.

She would hear footsteps pacing outside the door or a voice quietly calling her.

When her tears were all dried up, Laria lifted her helpless body up.

As expected, she felt like she had to do something.

Otherwise, she’ll keep thinking about Zenox.

‘I need to make a potion for Solike, prepare for sparring, and find a way to separate the fox orb…’

There was a mountain of work to do.

Laria sighed after seeing that there were only about ten days left until the sparring date.

‘I was going to invite Zenox too.’

She had mentioned the date of the competition right after they were announced, but it was likely that he wouldn’t come.

To be honest, she wished he wouldn’t.

Even now, Laria still was thinking about her desire to see him, but she wouldn’t be able to completely let him go if she saw him face to face.

‘I should at least find out how much magic it takes to transform into a fox..’

Just in case, she might transform into a fox during the competition, so she had to figure this out in advance.

She needed a lot of gems to practice…

Laria felt sorry when she saw the empty jewelry box.

She had forgotten that she had used up all her jewels when she dispelled the explosion spell.

She had been using her magic a lot recently, so it seemed like she needed to acquire more gems soon.

When she opened her bedroom door, her family, who had been waiting in the hallway, looked at her in surprise.

“Can I go out today?”

“Would you like us to accompany you?”

“It’s okay. I’ll just take care of something and be back soon.”

Semela reluctantly nodded in response to Laria’s refusal.

As she returned to her bedroom to prepare to go out, she heard Theodore’s cry from outside:

“Our child has become a half!”

It wasn’t that severe, though.

But standing in front of the mirror after a few days, Laria canceled her previous thought.

“It’s pretty bad.”

Anyone who looked at her would think that she looked like she was seriously ill.

She had no color in her face, and it seemed like she could collapse at any moment.

After quickly getting ready to go out, Laria went down to the front door. Rodit, who had been waiting in advance, looked at Laria in surprise.

“Miss… Are you okay?”

“Huh.”

Laria had no energy to respond properly, so she just nodded.

Rodit didn’t make his usual fuss and instead remained silent.

“Let’s go to the bank.”

Since the request fee was deposited by Solike into an account in Laria’s name, she needed to check personally how much money had accumulated.

She had tried to check it last time but had postponed it due to the bank robbery incident.

Instead of disguising herself, Laria put on a wide-brimmed hat and entered the bank.

The bank was quieter than usual.

After waiting for a moment, Laria walked up to the counter when her turn came.

“May I see your identification, please?”

Laria wordlessly handed her identification card to the bank employee. The employee’s eyes widened as he checked the identification.

“Please wait for a moment.”

The employee said in a hurry before disappearing somewhere.

Before long, the branch manager she had seen before appeared with the employee.

“Thank you for visiting our branch. It’s an honor.”

What’s going on?

Laria was puzzled by the branch manager’s attitude, which was more polite than when she was hosting Sienna.

Thanks to the commission fee and potion sales, she knew that a significant amount of money had been deposited into her account, but she didn’t expect to receive this kind of treatment.

Laria wanted to hear the story first, so she followed the branch manager.

She had subdued bank robbers before, but she had been in disguise at the time, so they probably hadn’t recognized her.

Curious about what they wanted to talk about, Laria followed the branch manager.

After being guided to a VIP room, Laria sat down, and another employee brought refreshments. The branch manager smiled kindly and asked:

“What brings you to our branch today?”

“I’d like to make a withdrawal.”

“Of course. How much would you like to withdraw?”

“Everything.”

The branch manager’s pupils shook noticeably. He asked once more, as if he couldn’t believe it:

“Did you say… everything?”

“Yes.”

“I’m truly sorry, but may I ask what might have been lacking in our branch?”

Laria couldn’t grasp why she was being asked such a question when all she wanted was to make a withdrawal like everyone else.

“It was fine.”

With eyes that seemed to ask, ‘Then why…’, the branch manager looked at Laria.

Was she supposed to explain where she was going to spend the money before they allowed her to withdraw it?

“I’m trying to withdraw because I have something to use it for.”

“Well, would you think of reconsidering?”

The branch manager explained that if she withdrew the full amount right away, the bank’s operations would be paralyzed.

His response left Laria stunned.

Was it possible that the withdrawal of just one person could cause the bank’s operations to be paralyzed?

‘How much could possibly be in my account?’

Although she hadn’t properly checked her account for months, the situation described by the branch manager was unheard of.

Moreover, this bank was considered to have the most cash reserves in the capital.

‘It seems to be a bank with strict customer management. Especially seeing how they treat me.’

Laria looked at the anxious branch manager, clasping his hands, and said:

“Can I organize my bank account first?”

“Of course.”

At the manager’s gesture, the employees rushed off somewhere.

“And we’ve opened a personal safe for you, lady Laria Rohan. Would you like to check it?”

“…A personal safe?”

They had opened a personal safe, something reserved only for the wealthiest, for her?

Only then did Laria’s expression turn serious.

Something was definitely wrong.

‘Surely they didn’t mistakenly deposit someone else’s money into my account because of an error?’

As suspicions deepened, a returning staff member appeared with a stack of documents.

“Here are your transaction records and bankbook.”

Laria took the bankbook first.

When I opened it, she saw an amount she had never seen in her life.