The Arranged Suitor Was the Kidnapper

‘She drank an elixir?’

As far as Laria was aware, no such elixir existed that could amplify one’s magic power.

If it did, every sorcerer would have created and consumed it.

As the silence stretched, Sienna’s face paled.

“Back then, I thought you had deceived me, so I resorted to the elixir…”

Sienna began to offer excuses for consuming the elixir before trailing off, her head bowing deeply.

Regardless of the reasons, the fact remained that she had engaged in foul play.

However, Laria’s concerns lay elsewhere.

“After taking the elixir, did you experience any other reactions?”

At Laria’s query, Sienna lifted her head.

She recalled the immediate aftermath of ingesting the elixir.

Her body had grown scorching hot, as if she had swallowed a ball of fire, soon followed by agonizing pain beyond even screaming. And then… a compulsion to kill Laria Rohan had consumed her entirely.

Sienna remembered the final words Marquis Hashir had spoken:

-Losing a limb or two is a possibility.

Had her father known the truth?

Though she harbored resentment and hatred toward him, he was still her only family.

Voicing these words would be akin to spitting in his face.

Hesitating, Sienna met Laria’s gaze.

Laria’s patient, gentle eyes, devoid of any urging, soothed her.

Entranced, the words spilled forth.

“Immediately after taking the elixir, my body ached, and I felt an overwhelming surge of magic power.”

Enough that she had believed herself capable of overwhelming Laria.

“And then, the thought of needing to kill you consumed me…”

As Sienna’s words trailed off, a heavy silence permeated the receiving room.

Though her explanation lacked completeness, Laria could surmise the essence.

‘The elixir must have been created through forbidden magic, likely infused with brainwashing as well.’

Marquis Hashir had anticipated Sienna’s mana overload in advance.

His plan had likely been for Sienna to subdue Laria, then intervene before her magic power became fully depleted.

‘How could he do that to his own daughter?’

Calling it ruthless would be an understatement.

‘It seems Sienna consumed the elixir unaware of its true nature…’

Even if she realized her father’s intentions, would she still take his side as family?

Rather than bluntly labeling him as wicked, it was crucial to present her with objective facts. The judgment would be Sienna’s to make.

After careful consideration, Laria spoke.

“The Marquis was aware you would experience mana overload.”

Sienna’s crimson eyes, anxiously awaiting Laria’s words, widened in shock.

“And the elixir you consumed was not meant to amplify your magic power…”

Pausing briefly, Laria softly whispered:

“It was an elixir that forcibly drained every ounce of your innate magic power.”

For a sorcerer, their magic power was akin to their life force.

Thus, no matter how extensively they wielded magic, they always retained a certain reserve.

Depleting it entirely would jeopardize their very lives.

“That’s impossible.”

Reflexively responding, Sienna sprang to her feet.

“It was clearly an elixir meant to boost my magic power!”

In contrast to Sienna’s agitation, Laria remained composed.

“How much of your magic power remains?”

Sienna fell silent.

Standing motionless for a moment, her legs seemed to give way as she slumped back onto the sofa.

After a prolonged pause, her pallid lips parted faintly.

“…None.”

“…”

“Not a single drop remains.”

Sienna’s shoulders trembled slightly.

A profound sense of desolation settled into the emptiness within her chest.

The words of Laria, whom she had viewed as a rival, rang truer than those of her father, with whom she had lived her entire life.

Overwhelmed by the welling anguish, Sienna unconsciously murmured:

“What was I, in the end…”

She had never felt loved, yet she had still believed in the bonds of family.

Even after her mother’s divorce, her father had raised her as his heir.

But perhaps she had been little more than a trophy on display. For Marquis Hashir, his own status had been paramount. Sienna had merely been a means to elevate his standing.

As this realization sank in, she longed to cry, yet no tears would come.

“You are Sienna.”

At the words spoken from across the room, Sienna slowly lifted her head.

“Not anyone’s daughter, just… Sienna.”

A slight ripple passed through Sienna’s eyes.

She had been defined more by the labels bestowed upon her – the Office Head’s daughter, the Hashir family heir, a prodigy sorcerer – than by her own name, Sienna.

Thus, she had always striven to embody those roles.

As her father’s daughter, as the heir, she had endeavored to avoid disgracing them, to shine ever brighter…

Yet in that moment, as Laria uttered her name, she finally realized.

Laria had always seen her as ‘Sienna’ herself, and nothing more.

Her wavering gaze reflected Laria like a mirror.

“Ugh.”

Quickly raising her palm to cover her mouth, Sienna erupted into a coughing fit.

The coughing showed no signs of subsiding easily.

When blood stained her palm, Laria’s expression hardened grimly.

Sienna swiftly waved her hand in dismissal.

“It’s alright. It will pass soon.”

“It’s not alright.”

Sienna flinched at Laria’s firm rebuke.

Rising from her seat, Laria summoned Herdin through a servant.

Shortly after, Herdin arrived in the receiving room, carrying his medical bag. Though unsurprised by Sienna’s presence, his expression conveyed bewilderment at the circumstances.

“He may not look it, but his medical skills are sound.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Herdin retorted incredulously at Laria’s remark.

In all honesty, his perpetually sullen countenance didn’t inspire much confidence as a healer.

Grumbling under his breath, Herdin opened his bag.

“Summoning me even on my day off.”

“Shall I pay the consultation fee?”

“You have money?”

Laria promptly sealed her lips shut.

After exhausting her wealth to acquire gemstones, she was currently penniless.

Now utterly serious, Herdin commenced his examination in earnest.

“Some internal organ damage.”

Noting irregularities in her vital energy flow, Herdin delivered his assessment.

It seemed to be an aftereffect of the elixir.

Anxiously biting her lip, Sienna appeared fearful of permanently losing her ability to wield magic.

Herdin swiftly prepared a remedy, handing it to Sienna.

“Consume this and rest well, and you should recover.”

Could something as simple as ingesting medicine suffice?

After a moment’s hesitation, Sienna swallowed the concoction.

Her eyes gradually widened in wonder.

“My magic power…”

Though faint, it was slowly but surely returning, trickle by trickle.

The internal injuries had merely prevented her magic power from circulating properly.

With her healthy pallor restored, Sienna fumbled uncertainly, unsure how to express her gratitude as she reached for her purse.

“Um, let me pay the consultation fee.”

“No need. Freelancing is prohibited, you see.”

Bluntly refusing, Herdin glanced toward the closed door, addressing Laria.

“The Grand Duke is still lingering outside, I take it?”

He had instructed Zenox to return home and rest, yet he remained.

“Just when does he plan on leaving?”

“Who knows?”

“You truly are…”

Seeing Laria’s apparent nonchalance, Herdin suppressed a sigh.

As a child, she had brought home stray animals, and now as an adult, she collected stray beastmen.

First the Grand Duke, and now the sole daughter of the Hashir family…

Though he wished to voice his exasperation, Herdin could only shake his head resignedly.

“Alright, I’m leaving.”

Without further ado, Herdin departed from the receiving room.

Fiddling with her fingers in silence, Sienna murmured:

“You seem quite close with your family.”

Detecting a tinge of envy in her tone, Laria reflected upon Sienna’s domestic circumstances.

She was an only child, and her parents had divorced long ago, from what she had heard.

For Sienna, Marquis Hashir had been her sole remaining family.

While lamentable to have such a person as one’s solitary kin…

‘Perhaps that is all the more reason for her to know the Marquis’s true nature.’

Though Sienna had finally regained her composure, Laria would have to deliver another shock.

The prospect didn’t sit well, but having come this far, it seemed better to inform her swiftly. Above all, she needed to determine how to proceed in her relationship with Sienna henceforth.

Having reached her decision, Laria spoke.

“There is something you seem unaware of…”

Sienna lifted her head, meeting Laria’s gaze.

“Marquis Hashir practices forbidden magic.”

“…What?”

Sienna repeated the words as if unable to comprehend their meaning.

“The elixir you consumed was also created through forbidden magic.”

Gradually, an expression of utter horror dawned upon Sienna’s face.

Witnessing her reaction, Laria became convinced that Sienna hadn’t been her father’s accomplice.

“The Marquis has already committed numerous crimes through forbidden magic.”

“…”

“I’m trying to stop him.”

Sienna remained utterly dazed, unable to even blink.

“How you proceed from here is your choice.”

After a momentary pause, Laria met Sienna’s gaze once more.

As her water-colored eyes chilled with solemn gravity, Sienna’s shoulders shrank inward.

In a composed yet softly resonant tone, the words flowed from Laria’s lips.

“But if you intend to aid the Marquis, then you too will become my enemy.”