The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Laria only blinked.

She had expected Zenox to naturally oppose it, given his jealousy and strong possessiveness.

“You can try it and quit if it doesn’t suit you.”

“The head position isn’t something to take lightly…”

“What do you know? It’s not a crime to change jobs.”

Laria couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of treating the Sorcery Office like an ordinary workplace.

Perhaps because Zenox spoke of it as if it were nothing special, the burden of the word ‘head’ felt much lighter.

“Are you okay with it? If I become the head?”

Zenox stared at the blue eyes that were subtly expectant.

To be honest, he wasn’t okay with it. If you put a gem that shines even when left alone at the top, it was clear everyone would look at it.

Laria’s world would expand, and Zenox might be pushed to the back.

Nevertheless, Zenox couldn’t say he disliked it.

Rather than fulfilling his own desires, he wanted to see Laria smile sincerely.

“Having a person in power as a lover, it doesn’t sound bad.”

At the positive response, Laria smiled with a much more relaxed face.

Even if the world she faced was scary and frightening, she always had people who would be there for her. They would support Laria no matter what decision she made.

The hesitation didn’t last long.

“I’ll talk to them first.”

“If the sorcerers give you a hard time, tell me right away.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Hmm.”

Zenox narrowed his eyes.

As Laria stared at him entranced for a moment, he whispered:

“Shall I collapse the Sorcery Office tower?”

He added that he would drive the sorcerers out onto the streets.

For a moment, Laria thought that Zenox might really be capable of it.

‘Is accepting the head position the right choice?’

Suddenly, such a thought occurred to her.

* * *

Ragged breathing echoed in the damp and dark underground prison.

Banesion Hashir, sentenced to death, was again imprisoned in the imperial palace’s underground dungeon.

Since then, Banesion had been experiencing hell day by day.

“To steal everything of mine…”

Title, head position, everything was taken by Theodore.

To Banesion, Theodore was no different from a thief.

After cursing for a while, he changed targets and cursed Sienna.

“Sienna, that bitch… How dare she betray me?”

Who would have known his trusted daughter would stab him in the back like that?

To even scrape up the evidence he had told her to destroy and hand it over to the judge.

A heartless woman.

“I won’t let this go.”

If he gets out of here, he’ll kill Theodore Rohan first and then take revenge on Laria Rohan.

He would make Sienna pay the price.

Banesion believed this wouldn’t be his end.

If he waited, his loyal subordinates would come for him.

He barely held onto his sanity while waiting for that day.

As he dreamed such vain dreams, light flowed in from afar.

Banesion quickly raised his head.

Surely someone had come to rescue him.

As the light gradually brightened, he reflexively closed his eyes.

“Why only now…”

Banesion was about to scold his subordinate for being late.

“You seem to have been comfortable.”

His eyes flew open at the familiar voice.

Banesion let out a groan at the piercing, intense light.

Squeezing his eyes shut again, he stammered:

“La-Laria Rohan. Why are you here…”

“Why, you ask?”

Laria stopped in front of the iron bars.

“Did you think it was over?”

For a moment, his neck stiffened.

Banesion took a step back before stopping.

Anyway, Laria couldn’t use magic inside the imperial palace either.

It didn’t seem like she had brought anyone else with her.

Rather, it might be an opportunity to subdue the careless Laria and steal the key.

Seeing Banesion’s gleaming eyes, Laria smirked.

The sound of his mind working could be heard from here.

“!”

Suddenly, a white light burst forth.

As magical power poured out from Laria, Banesion’s mouth gaped wide.

How could she, when there was a barrier blocking magical power in the imperial palace…

Wondering if the barrier had disappeared, Banesion hurriedly tried to draw upon his magical power.

But the magical power kept scattering like water he couldn’t grasp.

“Cough!”

Thud! Banesion was slammed against the wall.

As he coughed up blood-tinged phlegm, another attack spell came flying and cut into his skin.

“Aaaagh!”

Banesion’s screams echoed loudly.

Physical pain was unfamiliar to him who had lived nobly all his life.

“Fo-Forgive me!”

He prostrated himself on the floor, tears streaming down.

Seeing through the apology that was not sincere but only to avoid the situation, Laria’s eyes turned cold.

“Not needed. I don’t want your apology.”

There were others Banesion should apologize to.

But neither Theodore nor Zenox wanted it.

In other words, Banesion’s apology was worthless.

“You shouldn’t die comfortably.”

That was the reason she had come to find him.

“No, no!”

The stone floor rippled and a large hole appeared.

The hole sucked in everything around it.

Though he frantically grabbed at anything, Banesion eventually sank into the pit.

When he came to his senses, hell was spread out before his eyes.

Flames rising to the sky rushed towards him.

Though he ran away with all his might, he was soon engulfed in flames.

He screamed at the agony of burning alive.

His skin burned black and even his organs seemed to melt completely.

“Urgh…”

Laria silently looked down at Banesion writhing on the floor.

Trapped in an illusion spell, he would experience all the pain that exists in the world.

He might think it would be better to die, but there was no escape until the day of his execution.

Laria turned around and left the prison.

Zenox, who had been waiting outside, approached.

As if disliking even that brief separation, he embraced Laria. Her body slowly melted into Zenox’s warm embrace.

Now it was truly over.

‘Ah, there’s one more left.’

Laria remembered Ort, whom she had momentarily forgotten.

However, Ort had disappeared as soon as the trial ended.

She had placed a tracking spell on him, but even that seemed to have been cut off.

“If we could just take care of Ort, but he’s disappeared.”

Zenox showed no particular reaction to Laria’s murmur.

“…Did you perhaps deal with him?”

“Not yet.”

It seemed Ort had fallen into Zenox’s hands after all.

Having been caught by Zenox, wouldn’t he meet an even more painful end?

Zenox looked around briefly and said:

“Shall we leave now?”

His steps were quick, as if he didn’t want to leave Laria in such a place for even a moment. Once the door closed, no more screams could be heard.

The two left the building and headed for the imperial garden.

Laria naturally took Zenox’s hand.

It had become a habit to be in contact even just a little.

Though Zenox was very pleased, she couldn’t help but worry.

To think he could only suppress his mana overload through contact with her… She felt sorry that Zenox seemed to be bound to her.

Laria lightly touched the gem she had put in her pocket.

She had been pouring magical power into the gem to substitute for the fox orb.

Once she safely filled it with magical power, she planned to hand it over to him.

Laria looked up at the cloudless sky.

It felt like not long since the hunting competition ended, but it was already winter.

The vegetation in the imperial garden was bare, with only empty branches.

Laria let out a light breath as she took in the quiet winter scenery.

White breath spread in the air.

Zenox, who had been quietly watching, opened his mouth.

“I have something to say.”

As Laria’s gaze fell on him, a low voice flowed out with his breath.

“I think I need to go to the North.”

It wasn’t anything new.

Zenox had been going back and forth between the North and the capital for months.

Of course, he had been spending more time in the North recently.

But to bring this up deliberately…

“Did something happen?”

After a brief silence, Zenox answered.

“I think a rebellion might break out.”

Laria’s eyes wavered briefly.

She had heard that clan heads brainwashed by Rubenta’s Power of Words were showing signs of colluding to start a rebellion. She thought it had naturally fallen apart, but trouble had finally erupted.

“Do you really have to go?”

Seeing her eyes full of anxiety, Zenox raised his hand.

His hot fingers lightly brushed Laria’s cheek.

“The first time I picked up a sword was for revenge.”

He had taken up the sword for revenge against his parents, only listening to Rubenta’s words.

But even after completely wiping out the barbarian tribes, Zenox didn’t stop wielding his sword.

Later, he even forgot the reason why he had picked up the sword.

In the midst of that, he met Whitie.

Zenox, completely smitten with Whitie, grew sick of war and put down his sword completely. He had sworn never to participate in war again, but…

“After meeting you, I have too many things I want to protect.”

If Zenox did nothing, the rebels would soon leave the North and advance on the capital.

Not only the Rohan family but also Laria might be in danger.

Zenox had to step in before the spark grew bigger.

The palm that had been caressing Laria’s cheek slowly fell and gently grasped her small hand.

Pulling her hand towards him, Zenox kissed the back of her hand and whispered:

“I’ll return before spring comes.”