The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Held by the man, Zenox was brought into a temple.

The upper floors, with white bricks, were bright, while the basement was dim. There were no windows, only candles on the walls providing faint light.

Deeper inside, they came across a cage blocked by bars. The man opened the empty cage and let Zenox in.

“Stay put.”

Finally on solid ground, Zenox shook himself off.

After being carried around by Laria all along, and being held in his hands, the unpleasant feeling came over Zenox. How hard was it to resist the urge to bite?

“You can’t hurt your precious body, right?”

The man laid down a chain-linked collar.

“Look at the time.”

Checking his pocket watch, the man left Zenox and exited.

Once his footsteps faded, Zenox approached the iron bars.

After a slight nod, he kicked the iron bars with his front paw. The thick bars bent like wire.

Even in his young wolf form, the strength of the black wolf remained.

Zenox, who escaped from the cage with ease, looked to the other side. He sensed the presence of many beasts.

Could Whitie be here?

His heart raced, yet a strange discomfort settled.

Only because he had sensed the fox orb’s energy from Laria was he kept by her side.

If he found Whitie here, there’d be no reason to associate with Laria. Even the engagement, which he pursued to keep an eye on her, would be unnecessary.

And that thought made him strangely resistant.

“Have I gotten used to her…?”

It felt natural for Laria to be by his side.

Suddenly becoming strangers felt a bit… lonely.

Lonely?

Zenox held back a laugh.

Feeling loneliness for someone’s absence was already felt because of Whitie. Such emotions were too much for someone he’d known for only a short time.

“All I need is Whitie.”

If he found Whitie, these thoughts wouldn’t arise.

Zenox headed towards where he felt the presence of beasts. Soon after, multiple cages filled with various beasts appeared.

Long-tailed deer, red-furred rabbits, horned horses…

They were filled with beasts rarely seen in the vicinity.

They all seemed lethargic, lying on the floor just breathing.

However, as soon as Zenox entered their radius, the beasts abruptly stood up and started running away, screaming.

“Kwiuk!”

“Kyak kyak!”

The scattered beasts, sensing the predator’s presence, crowded into corners.

It was a familiar situation, but Zenox didn’t blink an eye and looked for the white fox.

However, not a single strand of white fur was in sight.

Leaving the trembling beasts behind, Zenox moved on. The auction would start soon; there was no time to waste.

He searched every corner of the underground and checked each cage.

He searched thoroughly, but Whitie was nowhere to be found.

After checking the last cage, Zenox stood still.

“Could it be that she’s not here…”

The moment he uttered those words, an indescribable disappointment cast a shadow under his feet.

It had been a repetitive process for the last 3 years.

He always held hope that he would find Whitie, but each time that hope was shattered.

Initially, he was disappointed, then angry, and finally tormented by a sense of powerlessness.

But he thought this time would be different.

Having heard Ishel’s premonition, Zenox, who once again harbored hope, stood still, not knowing what to do next.

Then he heard it.

The approaching footsteps.

Zenox quickly hid himself in a dimly lit blind spot where he was barely noticeable unless carefully examined.

Two men, chatting with each other, approached.

“The master seemed to be in a very good mood today.”

“I heard a very rare animal came in. He’s excited to show it off at the end.”

“He’s going to make a fortune, huh? I’m envious.”

The burly man, licking his lips, suddenly remembered something.

“Speaking of which, I didn’t see the white fox. Did they sell it?”

Upon hearing this, Zenox held his breath.

“It was too rebellious, so we put it in the training room.”

“Undisciplined ones need training.”

The ‘training room’ didn’t sound pleasant.

Zenox’s pupils contracted.

He wondered why he didn’t feel her presence in the basement anymore; they had moved her to a different place.

“These can be checked quickly. None of these are going up for auction today.”

The men stopped in front of the cage Zenox had entered.

“Why are they all lying down?”

“They’re not dead, are they?”

“Bad luck!”

As the men rushed into the cage, one of them belatedly noticed the abnormally bent bars.

“Why is one of the bars bent…?”

At that moment of doubt, a wolf cub leaped out from the darkness and attacked the man. He was taken down without even a scream.

The other man couldn’t even blink, not understanding what had just happened.

Realizing that his colleague was dead, he sat down in shock.

“Uhh!”

Zenox stood in front of the man.

“Where’s the training room?”

“A, a dog is speaking…”

The man, who looked as if he had lost his soul, clamped his mouth shut.

‘It’s a dream,’ he murmured, but when he met those amber eyes, he swallowed his breath.

“The location of the training room.”

“Go down one more floor… there’s a solitary cell…”

“I didn’t see a way down.”

“There’s a gap in the middle over there; if you open that…”

The man’s words were cut off.

Zenox, wiping his blood-stained paw, headed for the training room where the white fox was said to be.

* * *

When Zenox appeared, the auction house was in chaos.

“It’s Grand Duke Krassium!”

At someone’s shout, people began to stand up.

They pushed and pulled each other, trying to get away.

The auction house owner, who was on the stage, paled and slowly stepped back.

He hurriedly came down from the stage and ordered his staff.

“Hide the white fox first!”

If the white fox was present, it meant death; if not, he might only lose an arm or a leg.

Better to be maimed than dead.

“Or we should run… Ugh!”

Before he could take a step, he was grabbed from behind.

He was thrown to the ground, screaming, then passed out.

The guests, who had been pushing each other to escape, froze in place.

The vast hall was silent.

Zenox raised his head slowly, his face emotionless.

His amber eyes were half-closed.

Even without any weapons, he was terrifying.

He reached the door and grabbed the handle.

“We’re saved…!”

Thud.

But the door didn’t open.

“What the! Why won’t it open?!”

Perhaps it was blocked from the outside; it felt like a wall was in the way.

The screams and cries began to echo again.

The spacious hall was a pit, and those trapped inside were Zenox’s prey.

Watching the situation, Ishel commented:

“This is bad. Looks like he couldn’t find the fox.”

“Can the premonition change?”

As Laria shot a doubtful look, Ishel raised his hands.

“The future doesn’t change.”

Wasn’t it today? Ishel murmured to himself.

The mercenaries standing at the back rushed forward to stop Zenox.

Zenox, who had been standing still, finally moved.

The armed mercenaries fell like leaves caught in a strong gust.

‘Wow…’

Zenox’s infamy was well-known, but it was the first time seeing him in action.

Despite being outnumbered, the opponents were no match.

Thinking of fleeing before getting caught in the fray, Ishel subtly stood up.

“He’s really angry… I need to run away quickly.”

Suddenly, the firmly closed door swung wide open.

Knights, shining with light, surged forward.

Those who had only been screaming waved at the knights.

“Take me!”

“Take me first!”

“Going to prison has been my lifelong dream!”

They decided it was better to surrender than to be killed by Zenox.

Laria followed Ishel’s lead and stood up. It seemed better to go outside and wait for the situation to settle.

As Laria began to move, she suddenly felt something odd.

And she swallowed a silent scream.

Is this the feeling of transforming into a fox?