The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, as if weighed down by anchors.

The first thought that crossed her mind upon finally opening her eyes was…

‘I lost.’

Despite consuming the elixir that amplified her magic power, she had still been defeated by Laria.

It was her first loss in life, yet no tears came.

“Ugh.”

Sienna curled her body inward.

A tightness gripped her chest as a coughing fit seized her.

Her insides felt utterly ravaged, as if she had sustained internal injuries.

Once the coughing subsided, Sienna grasped the bell on the bedside table and rang it vigorously. The moment a servant entered, she fired off her question.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“You have been asleep for two full days, my lady.”

“Two days…”

She had expected to be out for half a day at most after fainting, but her condition must have been more severe than anticipated.

‘Yet there seem to be no external injuries.’

She bore no wounds inflicted during her duel with Laria.

Rather, the state of her insides was likely the reason…

Bracing herself as if about to be struck, Sienna tentatively asked:

“And… my father?”

The servant averted his gaze uncomfortably, rolling his eyes as if in a predicament.

That single reaction caused her heart to plummet.

‘Is he so disgusted by my defeat that he cannot bear to look at me?’

She had undoubtedly brought shame upon the Hashir family, so his anger was understandable.

Though belated, she should attempt to apologize for her failure. Pushing aside the covers, Sienna rose and inquired:

“Where is he?”

“I’m afraid I don’t…”

From the servant’s lack of knowledge, it seemed her father wasn’t at the estate.

“I’ll go seek him out immediately.”

After hastily preparing to depart, Sienna attempted to cast a teleportation spell.

Yet she sensed no reaction whatsoever.

It was as if the magic power within her had been utterly drained.

“…!”

Her pale lips trembled faintly.

This was unprecedented.

No matter how recklessly she had expended her magic power in the past, it had never become completely depleted.

‘Perhaps it will return if I rest.’

Convincing herself that she had simply overexerted herself, Sienna left her bedroom.

Unable to use magic, she would have to travel by carriage.

As she walked down the corridor, the servants who had been gathered scattered hurriedly upon seeing her.

Sienna froze in her tracks.

Just like the earlier servant’s reaction, there was clearly something amiss.

Yet she felt no desire to pursue the matter, turning away as if feigning ignorance.

Upon arriving at the Sorcery Office by carriage, a similarly unsettling atmosphere pervaded.

Though none dared to speak openly, they actively whispered amongst themselves, stealing glances at Sienna.

Her defeat in the duel was understandable, but the slights stung nonetheless.

“I had expected her to seclude herself.”

“With the Office Head’s loss as well…”

Murmurs regarding her father reached Sienna’s ears.

Why was her father being mentioned?

Initially intending to ignore them, Sienna ultimately approached the group.

“What is the meaning of your words?”

“Eep!”

They flinched back a step, as if confronted by some plague.

Furrowing her brow at their exaggerated reaction before smoothing it once more, Sienna stated firmly:

“It was I who suffered defeat in the duel.”

Regardless of the dishonor brought upon her father’s name, they should speak plainly.

In response, the sorcerers could only roll their eyes evasively.

Reading the discomfiting signs, Sienna realized there was something she remained unaware of.

“Did something happen after my defeat?”

The sorcerers, initially reticent, finally divulged the truth.

“Actually…”

As the man’s words continued, Sienna’s expression transformed.

By the time the explanation concluded, she could only gape in utter disbelief, all sense of decorum abandoned.

‘My father and Laria Rohan dueled as well? And Father was defeated?’

Sienna immediately turned on her heel, heading directly for the uppermost levels.

Throughout the corridors, countless gazes pierced her with a mixture of mockery and pity, rather than admiration or envy.

Upon reaching the top floor, Sienna encountered the guard stationed before her father’s office.

“I wish to see the Office Head.”

“He has instructed that no one is to be admitted.”

“Inform him that Sienna has come.”

“…I’ll relay the message.”

His tone implied she should harbor no expectations.

The guard soon returned from the office, conveying her father’s response.

“He refuses to meet you.”

For a moment, Sienna was rendered speechless.

Not just anyone – her own father refused to see even his daughter.

Clinging desperately, she pleaded:

“Was there no other message?”

“None whatsoever.”

At a loss for words, Sienna could only stare at the firmly closed door.

Beyond that door, her father remained.

Yet he wouldn’t even allow her to lay eyes upon him.

Though she had suffered defeat in the duel, did he not wonder if his daughter, who had collapsed, was unharmed?

It was as if she were a discarded, worthless object…

“…”

Sienna felt a sense of being cast out from the world she belonged to.

Unable to tear herself away, she stood rooted to the spot until the guard’s icy gaze became palpable.

Flinching, Sienna whirled around and fled.

Yet where could she go?

Having lost her sense of purpose, she aimlessly wandered the corridors like a displaced stranger until tears threatened to spill forth.

Neither the Sorcery Office nor the Marquis estate held a place for her any longer.

‘What if my magic power never returns?’

The worry she had temporarily deferred came crashing down upon her.

Having lost the duel and her ability to wield magic, she would become the ‘useless’ child her father had decried.

“Haa… Haa…”

She struggled to breathe properly.

Bracing herself against the wall with one hand, she staggered out of the Sorcery Office in gasping breaths.

In an instinctive impulse, Sienna blurted her destination to the coachman.

“To the Rohan estate. Take me to the Rohan estate.”

She needed someone to vent her grievances upon.

For Laria Rohan had been the catalyst for everything.

Yet upon arriving at the Rohan estate, regret immediately set in.

‘Should I just return?’

What could she possibly say to Laria?

Demand why she had deceived her?

Question if her true target in accepting the duel had been her father, not Sienna herself?

So many questions burned within her, yet faced with Laria’s presence, she feared she would be rendered utterly mute.

Her courage failing her, Sienna turned to depart in silence.

It was at the very moment she made to reboard the carriage.

“Sienna Hashir?”

Freezing at the sound of the voice addressing her, Sienna slowly turned her head.

Standing at the entrance was Laria, her gaze fixed upon Sienna.

For a moment, Sienna could only stare at Laria in a daze, her lips refusing to part.

Just as she resigned herself to silence, Laria posed an unexpected query.

“Are you unharmed?”

Laria was the first to inquire after her well-being since she had regained consciousness after collapsing.

A concern her own father hadn’t expressed.

Unable to so much as blink, Sienna remained motionless as…

Something trickled down her cheek.

Beading upon her chin before dropping onto her attire with a soft ‘plop,’ leaving a small stain.

Alarmed, Laria hastened toward Sienna with urgent steps.

Rather than voicing the myriad questions she had prepared, Sienna unconsciously parted her lips.

“I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Only after the words had spilled forth did she realize:

She hadn’t come seeking to vent her grievances against Laria… but rather, to seek solace in her presence.

* * *

Upon Sienna’s abrupt arrival, she had immediately burst into tears the moment their eyes met.

Witnessing the ordinarily proud woman openly weeping before her, Laria was taken aback.

Unaccustomed to consoling those in distress, she could only awkwardly guide Sienna into the estate.

Seating Sienna on the receiving room sofa, Laria offered her a handkerchief.

Staring blankly with reddened eyes, Sienna accepted the proffered handkerchief.

In the interim, Laria summoned a servant to bring refreshments.

Though Zenox’s presence was briefly visible in the hallway, she pretended not to notice. Involving Zenox in this situation might prompt Sienna to tears once more.

As the servant returned with the refreshments, Laria urged Sienna to partake.

“My bodyguard is rather skilled at baking desserts.”

Rodit’s specialty cookies were delicious enough to soothe even a crying child’s woes.

Though initially hesitant, Sienna eventually relented, reaching for a cookie.

The moment she took a bite, her puffy, reddened eyes widened in surprise.

Having regained some semblance of composure, the soft crunching sounds of Sienna nibbling the cookies could be heard.

“Have some tea as well.”

Sienna meekly complied with Laria’s suggestions.

‘Just what is this situation?’

It had not been long since their duel, yet here they were, sharing tea together in private.

Studying Sienna cautiously, her outward appearance did not seem particularly unwell.

Having witnessed a sorcerer on the verge of mana overload for the first time, Laria had been deeply concerned.

‘Perhaps it’s for the best. There are questions I wish to ask.’

Though Sienna might refuse to answer.

As Laria pondered when to broach the subject, Sienna, who had been staring fixatedly at the table, finally lifted her gaze.

“I heard you defeated my father.”

“…”

“I didn’t come to confront you. I am well aware of your prowess.”

Having vented through her tears, Sienna now appeared composed.

“During the third round… You helped me, right?”

Laria affirmed her query with silence.

In the final round, Sienna had exhibited signs of mana overload.

Had she been left unchecked, none could foresee the consequences.

Parting her lips, Sienna uttered words she likely had never spoken before, awkwardly, yet with sincerity.

“…Thank you.”

Blinking slowly, Laria hadn’t anticipated such gratitude.

She had expected anger, accusations of deception, or at least grievances.

“There is something I must say…”

Lowering her gaze once more, Sienna continued in a measured tone.

“Before the third round, I consumed an elixir that amplified my magic power.”

Laria’s expression froze, her features hardening with grim severity.