Chapter 85: What Happened One Night III (part 2)

It was clear that, at most, he would have clung to Sarah and reminisced about the painful memories of the past.  

With that thought, the middle-aged man came to a tentative conclusion as he observed Cain and Sarah. It was evident that there was nothing left between them that could be called a relationship.  

Noticing the contempt in the man’s gaze directed at Cain, Sarah let out a quiet sigh of relief. 

Fortunately, it seemed their act had been quite successful.  

***  

“How is it, Aria? Do you think it’s really possible to break it?”  

After deciding to get Sarah out of that wretched corner of the house, the biggest obstacle in their plan was the curse placed upon her by that d*mned man. 

All Cain knew about the curse was that whenever Sarah tried to utter a certain keyword, it would forcibly silence her.  

If the curse had any kind of tracking function, attempting to escape would be meaningless. That’s why determining whether it could be lifted was essential.  

“…I don’t think I can remove it with my current abilities. It’s a terrible curse,” Aria admitted. “Perhaps, if it were a priest of papal rank, it might be possible…”  

“…I see.”  

Cain had somewhat expected this answer. 

If it were a simple curse that any high-level mage could dispel, Sarah would have already taken care of it herself. No matter how powerless she had become, she was still the daughter of Count Cernard—one of the five wealthiest men on the continent.  

‘…I’ll have to ask the saintess later.’  

However, since the saintess had likely left the Estel Duchy and returned to the Holy Land by now, there was no way to seek her help.  

“Well, at least analyzing the curse itself has been somewhat fruitful,” Aria continued. “It doesn’t seem to have any other function besides interfering with the nerves and preventing the victim from uttering specific keywords.”  

Cain nodded in understanding.  

“Then we can safely say there’s no risk of information leaking if we openly discuss the rescue plan.”  

At his remark, Sarah shook her head vehemently.  

“As I said before, this plan is reckless. Cain, this is the Duke of Decaraznan’s estate—one of the four most prestigious ducal houses in the Empire. Their security is on an entirely different level from other noble families. This is insanity.”  

Cain simply smiled at her concern.  

“Oh? Then let me ask you something. If we had planned your escape elsewhere, do you think our chances would have been any better? You wouldn’t say that, would you? In fact, I believe the very fact that we’re in the Duke of Decaraznan’s estate gives us an advantage—one that prevents the rats tailing you from acting recklessly.”  

“…..”  

Cain had a point.  

Even in Sarah’s own opinion, she was nothing more than a ‘product’ carefully raised in Count Cernard’s household. To prevent the ‘merchandise’ from being damaged or stolen, her every move was monitored by the Count’s personal watchdogs.  

However, even those watchdogs wouldn’t dare act recklessly within the Duke of Decaraznan’s domain. The fact that she was able to hold this conversation with Cain without interference was proof of that.  

…But that wasn’t what she had meant. She wasn’t questioning the escape plan itself—she was worried about the unknown dangers that might arise during the attempt. Why couldn’t he understand how she felt?  

“Well, then,” Cain said with a smirk. “For the spies lurking outside, trying to eavesdrop on our conversation, we’ll need an excuse for what we were discussing in private.”  

They couldn’t go around openly discussing a plan to get Sarah out of here.  

“If that’s the case, I have an idea.”  

“What is it?”  

“An act.”  

With that, Sarah tousled her neatly styled hair and let her dress slip slightly off her shoulder. The gesture was so seductive that Aria, standing beside Cain, glared at her with burning eyes.  

‘What the hell is this woman doing?!’ 

“We were once lovers,” Sarah said with a teasing smile. “And now we’re estranged. We don’t even need to explain anything. Just a few hints like this, and people will draw their own conclusions about what happened in this room.”  

Cain sighed and removed his coat, draping it over her shoulders.  

“…Even so, you shouldn’t carelessly reveal yourself in such a state. Take better care of yourself, Sarah.”  

At his words, Sarah instinctively averted her gaze.  

Why?  

Until now, she had never turned away from anyone when facing them. But now, she was afraid to meet his eyes.  

…Her heart trembled.  

There had been countless times when she had been alone with him during their engagement, but never before had she felt so nervous. Her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn’t understand why.  

‘Why? Why— ‘

After that, Sarah spoke with Cain for a long time, but his words barely registered. She wasn’t even sure what she was saying in response.  

The pounding of her heart drowned out all other sounds.  

Before she knew it, their conversation had ended. Though the time they spent together had been long, to Sarah, it had felt like nothing more than a fleeting moment.  

She stared at him blankly as Cain, noticing her nervousness, spoke in a soft tone.  

“…Anyway, I’ll create the opportunity. So.”  

His eyes held only unwavering determination.  

Seeing Cain’s serious expression, a faint blush rose to Sarah’s cheeks. Before she realized it, she had once again averted her gaze like a coward.  

“You just have to trust me and follow my lead. Isn’t that simple, Sarah?”  

At Cain’s words, Sarah’s heart pounded violently.  

She pursed her lips, then lowered her head.  

She didn’t know how to deal with him.  

“…Thank you.”  

Until the moment they finally parted ways, Sarah couldn’t bring herself to meet Cain’s gaze.

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