A few days after Sarah and Duke Decaraznan had their secret conversation, she wandered alone behind the mansion, pressing her fingers against her temples.
She had stepped outside for fresh air, hoping to clear her mind.
Just recalling her discussion with the duke made her thoughts feel tangled. Her head throbbed, and an unshakable irritation gnawed at her.
No matter how hard she tried to calm herself after that day, she simply couldn’t.
‘…Really?’
That day, the duke had told her, ‘Sooner or later, they plan to arrange a marriage between Cain and Noel von Decaraznan. He’s also considering adding a hawk to the Estel Duchy.’
‘…That can’t be right. He must have just mentioned it in passing.’
Sarah knew this well—after all, she had once been engaged to Cain herself.
Marriage, as the duke had described, was not something that happened as swiftly as roasting beans over lightning. Behind her engagement to Cain had been an important ‘transaction’ between their families.
The wedding itself was merely the outward symbol of a larger political exchange—just as the Estel family and Count Cernard’s family had long negotiated based on their mutual interests.
To put it bluntly, marriage was a business arrangement, with the children of noble families as collateral. Even a prestigious house like the Estel Duchy, one of the empire’s four ducal families, was no exception.
In fact, because of its standing, it was all the more meticulous when forming such alliances.
Sarah had no doubt—Duke Decaraznan was considering a political marriage between his daughter and Cain. But if he had already made up his mind, why would he have confided in ‘her’?
Why would he drop such valuable information about a potential engagement between the Heir Estel and Noel von Decaraznan to someone who, at this point, was practically an outsider?
No matter how she analyzed it, the likelihood of this marriage actually happening was slim. It was probably nothing more than the duke’s idle musing.
And yet, here she was, plagued by a headache over a mere offhand remark.
Yes, rationally speaking, Sarah knew she was overthinking it.
But at this moment, her mind kept spinning the same ridiculous scenarios over and over again, refusing to stop.
It was purely hypothetical.
Something that ‘shouldn’t’ happen and ‘wouldn’t’ happen.
And yet… ‘What if’ Cain accepted the arrangement?
In the past, Duke Estel had considered Count Cernard’s wealth when finalizing Cain and Sarah’s engagement.
If Cain was swayed by the prestige of the Decaraznan family and the immense dowry that came with the princess, what then? Would he accept the marriage?
‘…Ridiculous.’
The Cain von Estel that Sarah knew was not so shallow. He was not the type to make such an important decision for mere material gain.
But at the same time, Sarah understood Cain too well.
He was, in every sense, a true noble. Not in the greedy, self-serving way of many aristocrats, who viewed their people as nothing more than tax-paying subjects, but in the idealistic, almost storybook sense—a noble who believed he had a duty to care for and protect those under his rule.
Sarah, who once disliked Cain’s righteousness, had long since come to respect that part of him.
If he hadn’t possessed that quality, she would have let go of her feelings for him long ago. Their engagement would have dissolved even sooner.
After all, Count Cernard’s family had never intended to maintain their betrothal to the Estel Duchy indefinitely.
And yet, at this moment, Cain’s very nature was what unsettled Sarah the most.
She knew all too well that the Estel Duchy was struggling financially. If Duke Decaraznan dangled an arranged marriage with his daughter as a condition for financial support, could Cain so easily refuse?
Could he afford to?
‘…No. Cain wouldn’t do that.’
She was afraid.
The mere thought of him marrying another woman filled her with an unbearable sense of loss. It was just an imaginary scenario, yet the pain in her chest felt real.
But above all, what Sarah feared most… was the possibility that Cain and Noel von Decaraznan might truly fall in love.
‘…No.’
A horrifying image formed in her mind—one she couldn’t shake.
At first, it would be a rigid, businesslike marriage, nothing more than a political arrangement. But as time passed, they would eat together, talk together, take walks together.
Slowly, they would grow closer.
‘…No.’
Perhaps it would happen in the smallest, most imperceptible ways.
The awkwardness between them would fade.
Cain would start treating the princess with more warmth.
And she, in turn, would smile shyly at him, no longer resisting his presence.
They would become a perfect match.
‘…No.’
Two strangers, slowly growing familiar.
At first, even standing near each other might feel uncomfortable.
But over time, that barrier would dissolve.
Their fingertips might brush by accident, but it would no longer feel strange.
And then, one day, as they walked together… Cain would reach for her hand.