The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

After visiting the auction house, Zenox was half out of his mind.

Not only had he missed Whitie right in front of him, but he also couldn’t figure out the identity of the kidnapper.

Zenox wanted to rush to find Laria immediately and demand to know what she was hiding.

If he had let go of his emotions just a little, he would have definitely done that. He struggled to suppress his emotions and thought for a long time.

The only clue he had was the glass vial that the kidnapper had left behind when taking Whitie.

Zenox had seen that vial at the Rohan Mansion. It wasn’t particularly unusual, but it was suspicious that the kidnapper had used the same vial for the potion.

There were very few sorcerers who knew how to handle potions, and even fewer who could create potions with teleportation magic. Zenox had consulted the Sorcery Office, and they had confirmed this.

Of course there was no evidence that Laria had made that potion… But her ability to create an antidote on the spot suggested the possibility.

Initially, Zenox had suspected that Laria might be involved with the kidnapper, but he quickly dismissed that idea.

If it were the Laria he knew, she would have tried to negotiate for a ransom.

Even if she wanted the fox orb and kidnapped Whitie with it, she wouldn’t have brought the fox to where Zenox was. Unless it had happened against her will. 

‘Laria disappeared, and Whitie appeared.’

Zenox focused on that one fact instead of endless speculation.

His thoughts trailed off.

After numerous thoughts, Zenox’s intuition came to a conclusion: Laria was Whitie. He had occasionally felt that way, that Laria had known him for a long time.

There were times when she acted as if she already knew what he liked and disliked without him saying anything, almost as if she could read his mind. It was an unconscious behavior, and she seemed unaware of it.

There were also quite a few similarities between Laria and Whitie.

They both couldn’t tolerate hot drinks, and when they had a problem, they tilted their heads…

The feeling of the fox orb’s power in Laria was likely because she was Whitie. After all, the one who had the fox orb last was Whitie.

When he thought about it one by one, everything seemed suspicious. 

‘Why did she lie?’

Zenox was angry at Laria for lying to him all this time, pretending not to know.

She had many opportunities to tell the truth, and if they hadn’t been entangled in their engagement, he might have remained oblivious.

Alongside the anger was an indescribable sadness.

Because it seems like he’s the only one missing her so much.

He had never forgotten her in the past three years, but it seemed that Laria had a different perspective. Perhaps the happiest time of his life was a past she wanted to forget.

Thinking about it made it hard for him to breathe. Zenox shook his head to clear his thoughts and tapped his fingers on the armrest. 

‘There are still some unresolved issues.’

When Laria was Whitie, she had been at the Rohan Mansion.

They had checked all the information, but there was no record of Laria ever going missing. It was unlikely that the family members would have remained silent about it.

Once he solved that problem, there would be nothing Laria could hide anymore.

While lost in thought, Zenox heard a report from the spy he had placed near Laria. 

-Lady Rohan has been taken hostage!

Even in a situation where he suspected Laria, his body moved on its own.

When he came to his senses, he had already knocked down the man creating a hostage situation in front of the bank and stood in front of Laria. She was hiding her face under a hood, but Zenox recognized her immediately when their eyes met.

At that moment, he thought.

Why didn’t I recognize it until now?’

Those eyes were telling him that she was Whitie.

And when he saw Laria in the carriage, he couldn’t help but say:

-The young lady is Whitie.

-Could it be… a joke?

Laria, who couldn’t hide her nervousness, passed by him. He didn’t even think about forcing her to answer, fearing she might run away.

As he recalled their conversation, Zenox sank deep into his thoughts. 

“There are too many secrets.” 

According to Ishel’s prophecy, someday he would embrace Whitie.

Even if not right now.

“…”

Zenox looked down at his unarmored hand.

When he made contact with Laria earlier, a shiver ran through him from head to toe. Negative emotions were washed away, and his mind cleared. In the meantime, the power of the fox orb seemed to have become stronger.

The carriage carrying Zenox stopped in front of the entrance of the Grand Duke’s residence.

Seeing a carriage he hadn’t seen before, he paused for a moment and then walked straight into the entrance.

Ding-

The sound of piano keys echoed like a reverberation.

“Have you arrived? Now…”

Before butler Verdo could continue speaking, Zenox moved his steps. As the clear piano sound approached, his footsteps quickened. Before he knew it, he stood in front of the wide-open door.

It was the piano room that his mother had used in the past.

The fingers that pressed the keys like flowing water suddenly stopped. The beautiful but somewhat melancholic music also came to an abrupt end.

A middle-aged man who had slowly turned around and sat down greeted him like the owner of the house.

“Welcome.”

Zenox stared at him with raised eyebrows.

Rubenta Krassium. He was the younger brother of the former Grand Duke and Zenox’s uncle, the only remaining blood relative. When he saw his uncle’s face for the first time in years, he looked the same.

Although the two shared only the black hair passed down through the generations of the Krassium family, Zenox had sharp golden eyes, while Rubenta’s eyes were light brown.

His physique was average, and it was suspicious to say that he had Krassium blood running through his veins from birth. He looked more like a scholar with a quill pen than a knight with a sword.

In response to the unexpected visit of his uncle, Zenox’s hand showed veins as he stood there somewhat dumbfounded. With a sharp glance, Zenox stared at him.

Although it was an unwelcome sight for anyone to see, Rubenta calmly stood up and spoke.

“It’s not an appropriate place to have a conversation. Shall we go to the parlor?”

“Why are you here?”

“I heard you’re getting married.”

Did he come here after a year just to ask that question?

“It’s not a marriage but an engagement. Are your curiosity and doubts satisfied?”

Despite Zenox’s dismissive attitude, Rubenta was completely unaffected. On the contrary, he spoke in a soft tone.

“My only nephew is getting engaged. So I should know the face of his partner.”

Like a beast with its fur raised, Zenox showed caution.

Is he trying to harm the person close to him again?

Objectively speaking, Rubenta was an excellent guardian.

Even though he was given the opportunity to become the head of the family, pushing away his young nephew who lost both his parents at the same time, he didn’t covet titles or property. He helped Zenox succeed the title and worked as a representative of the Duke to strengthen the family’s foundation.

Zenox also trusted and relied on his uncle, who had a close relationship with his father.

Even when Zenox was wandering around the battlefield, he was willing to leave the castle because he trusted him.

The harmonious relationship between the two changed after Whitie was brought in.

Starting with her disobeying his order to return to the North, a clear rift arose between them.

When Zenox refused to leave the capital, Rubenta went berserk. He poured out all sorts of threats and persuasions.

But even when Zenox didn’t budge, what he did was…

‘He tried to kill Whitie.’

-That’s what has deluded you!

On the contrary, when Rubenta came out in a hostile manner, Zenox kicked him out of the mansion.

Later, Rubenta had attempted to reconcile, claiming that everything he did was for Zenox’s sake.

Zenox hadn’t forgiven him, but because he was his father’s brother, he had allowed him to continue to exist.

Their complete estrangement occurred after Whitie disappeared.

During that time, Zenox rarely maintained his sanity amidst hallucinations and delusions. Even without the fox orb, the speed was too fast.

Zenox only found out the reason later.

Rubenta had secretly placed a poison in his food, causing mental confusion. It was then that Zenox finally understood what Rubenta truly wanted.

He wanted to control Zenox. He had used Zenox’s weakened state of mind after his parents’ death to make him dependent on him.

The reason he tried to kill Whitie was because Zenox’s mind had become more peaceful since her arrival.

An enraged Zenox had sent an assassin after the spy Rubenta had planted in his house.

After that incident, this was the first time they had met again.

Rubenta’s attitude, as if nothing had happened, was shameless. 

“Have you given up on searching for the fox?” 

Zenox’s suppressed anger flared up fiercely. His skin tingled, but Rubenta didn’t wipe the smile off his face. 

“You’ve returned all the white foxes I gifted you.” 

“I don’t want a white fox.” 

“It’s been over three years now. It’s about time you gave up and returned to the North.” 

The Northern Grand Duke’s castle had functioned smoothly even without Zenox. In fact, with Zenox absent, Rubenta, as his proxy, was as good as a king. Yet he still wished for Zenox to return to the North. 

“It’s inconvenient to leave the Grand Duke’s mansion empty. Something happened not too long ago.” 

“Something happened?” 

Zenox, who had been standing near the door as if nailed to the ground, took a step forward.

The distance between the two, who had been as far apart as the keys on a piano, gradually narrowed. With each step, the piano’s sound echoed like an auditory hallucination.

Finally, Zenox, who had come to a halt, looked down at Rubenta.

He reached out his arm, and his grip on Rubenta’s shoulder tightened. The distance between them was close enough for him to easily take his life. 

“A sorcerer claimed that there’s a curse on this mansion.” 

Zenox stretched out his arm, and with strength in his grip, he looked straight into Rubenta’s eyes and spoke. 

“Does my uncle have any guesses?”