The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Instead of returning to her bedroom, Laria headed to her workshop.

Despite having quite a bit to drink, the medicine Herdin had given her quickly sobered her up.

As she walked through the hallway, she pondered over the conversation she had just had with Herdin. It was the first time they had discussed a topic that had been avoided until now.

During Laria’s disappearance, she had come to understand Herdin’s feelings and how much he cherished her.

Through their various conversations, her mood had improved considerably.

At least for now, she didn’t think about Zenox as much.

She couldn’t instantly rid herself of her feelings for Zenox, but perhaps she could gradually forget him.

‘Maybe I should practice some magic.’

The duel with Sienna was only ten days away, and there was hardly any time left for her to dig tunnels.

She was still confident that she could beat Sienna, but that wasn’t the problem.

‘I need to confirm how much magic power I can use.’

She had learned that she could transform into a fox by using a significant amount of magic power, so she planned to experiment with it now.

Back in the gem shop, she could take the gems for free, but she had paid for them reluctantly, not wanting Zenox’s help.

‘This should be enough.’

Although she was about to deplete her entire fortune for this duel, it would be worth it if she could  break Marquis Hashir’s nose.

Laria poured the small and low-quality gems into her hand and began casting her magic.

Pure white magic power without impurities enveloped Laria.

Then, one by one, the pearl, ruby, and sapphire shattered.

‘Up to a 5-layer defensive barrier should be no problem.’

Even though she had used a lot of magic power, she hadn’t transformed into a fox.

Laria gradually increased her magic power.

The ordinary workshop was quickly transformed into a vast forest, complete with the sunlight filtering through the swaying leaves and the distant sound of a waterfall.

It was a flawless illusion spell with no flaws whatsoever.

Despite performing a large-scale illusion spell, there was still no sign of her transforming into a fox.

Laria looked at the magic power flowing from her fingertips.

She had felt her magic power increase significantly since her visit to the mining village. 

Before she had reunited with Zenox, her magic power had been at the level of a pond, but after the auction, it had become as vast as a lake. And now…

‘Maybe it’s closer to the Temne River?’

Temne was a massive river that ran through the capital.

Although she had used quite a bit of magic power by casting multiple spells, it didn’t seem to deplete as it fluctuated like waves.

In fact, Laria had never used her full strength in magic before. At most, she had felt a slight sense of fatigue.

“Let’s try a bit more.”

She was curious about where her limits lay.

Apart from the gems she would use in the duel, she had plenty left…

The gems in her hand shattered, and a white light swirled at Laria’s feet.

It was much more magic power than when she had used an explosive magic circle in the abandoned mine.

Judging by the fact that there was still no sign of turning back into a fox, it seemed that the range of use of power had clearly increased.

‘I even added a 5-layer defensive barrier, so it should be fine.’

Now she planned to practice attack spells.

Since she had never used offensive magic in her life, it would be good to practice.

As a precaution, she also reinforced her defensive barrier.

If there was an 8-layer defensive barrier, even she wouldn’t be able to break through them in one go.

She then cast an offensive spell that had come to her mind.

After a complex incantation, a light bow appeared in her hand.

‘I’ve never used a bow before, but is this how it works?’

Her hand trembled awkwardly, like a child trying to hold a bow for the first time. Following her instincts, she pulled the bowstring and released it toward the sky.

Kwaaang!

With a loud noise, the roof flew off.

* * *

As soon as the parents returned, Herdin called for an emergency meeting.

All the Rohan family members, except for Laria, gathered in the reception room.

Herdin was the first to speak.

“I drank with Laria earlier.”

“Laria drank alcohol?!”

Theodore was shocked, and Semela’s expression became stern.

“You gave alcohol to a child who wasn’t even eating properly?”

Herdin quickly made an excuse before sparks could fly.

“If I didn’t drink with her, she would have ransacked the warehouse. I made sure she drank in moderation and gave her a sobering potion.”

Hearing that Laria had reached for alcohol first, the faces of both of them turned serious.

“Alcohol, for someone who never even touched it before…”

“How difficult must it have been…”

Theodore’s eyes welled up with tears.

As much as they had prayed for her to break up every day, the situation was more heartbreaking than they could have anticipated.

“I thought she would get over it quickly, but it’s taking longer than I expected.”

“It seems like something happened at the imperial palace…”

Herdin shook his head at Theodore’s guess.

“I checked with the Crown Prince, but  he didn’t seem to know much.”

They broke up immediately after monopolizing the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

Surprisingly, Ishel was thrilled to hear about their breakup. He kept prying, asking why they broke up, so now Herdin was avoiding him.

“According to Laria, the Grand Duke doesn’t like her.”

What nonsense is this?

The Rohan Count and Countess exchanged looks.

Reluctantly, they had to admit that anyone could see that Zenox liked Laria. His recent visit to Rohan mansion when Laria was sick was proof enough.

There seemed to be some misunderstanding between the two.

“Could it be because we found the fox?”

At Theodore’s suggestion, both Semela and Herdin looked at him.

Come to think of it, they recently found a white fox in Laria’s bedroom.

They recognized it as the fox the Grand Duke was looking for and brought it to him, but the two parted ways not long after that.

Laria wasn’t even allowed to go out, so she couldn’t even meet Zenox.

They certainly had reason to be suspicious.

“Could their breakup be related to the fox?”

When Theodore shrugged, Herdin made a guess.

“Since the fox, that hadn’t been found for over three years, was found in Rohan mansion, I guess he suspected that Laria had hidden it.”

After a brief silence, Semela expressed her opinion.

“Maybe the Grand Duke became neglectful of Laria because of the fox.”

“…!”

Both Theodore and Herdin opened their eyes wide.

“Mother’s words seem to make sense.”

It was natural for someone to feel neglected if their partner paid more attention to a fox than to them.

Their suspicions aligned with Semela’s deduction. They began to curse at Zenox.

“How dare he hurt my daughter because of a fox?”

“The fox was cute, but not as much as Laria. Is he blind or what?”

“What a scoundrel!”

Zenox had suddenly become the trash of the century for breaking up with Laria over a fox.

“This is why I warned her not to date someone obsessed with pets from the beginning.”

Herdin sighed, touching his forehead.

“It would have been better to actively oppose it from the start.”

Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, Herdin glanced at Semela.

“…We should probably keep the fact that we found the fox for Laria a secret from her.”

“Of course, we should.”

They guessed that the arrow of resentment might come back this way.

The three of them pledged that they would remain silent in front of Laria about the fox.

“Oh, and I heard that the Grand Duke has returned to the North.”

“The Grand Duke went to the North? Why?”

“I have no idea.”

Herdin shrugged his shoulders.

Laria also mentioned it when she heard the rumors while going out earlier.

“She seemed very heartbroken.”

Theodore’s face darkened at these words.

“What if Laria’s condition worsens?”

For a moment, silence filled the reception room.

“We have to save our child.”

At Semela’s words, Herdin nodded.

“In that case, we’ll have to bring the Grand Duke in front of Laria.”

Her sharp eyes gleamed.

“Even if it means kidnapping him.”