‘…It seems like something big happened.’
What Sarah never realized—and what she would never know—was that she and the middle-aged man weren’t the only ones in the room a moment ago.
Even now, after the man had left, Sarah wasn’t alone as she silently wept.
Because hidden within the room was Aria, who watched her in secret while concealing herself with magic.
Aria used a spell that refracted and distorted the surrounding atmosphere, making her invisible to the naked eye.
The magic also encrypted her physical information—like body temperature and presence—rendering her undetectable. It was a unique spell Aria had developed after being inspired by Cain, who once used the Flowing Star technique to erase all traces of himself.
Its effectiveness was astounding.
Even the middle-aged man—an expert swordsman who had reached the pinnacle of his craft—hadn’t noticed her presence in the room.
Of course, this magic had its limitations.
Against overwhelming forces like Bianca and the Princess, whom Aria truly wished to deceive, it was far less effective.
‘…As long as I can’t fool their eyes, this magic is a failure.’
The mere thought of Bianca—now living in the Duke of Estel’s estate—made Aria frown.
She disliked the girl enough to want to kill her in secret and bury her in some sunlit spot on the mountain behind the manor.
But since Cain had personally ordered her not to stir up trouble with Bianca, she had no choice.
Aria couldn’t disobey Cain’s words.
So what could she do?
If she couldn’t eliminate them outright, there was only one option left.
As much as the idea made her stomach churn, she had to find a way to coexist. More accurately, she needed to monopolize Cain’s attention without being noticed by others.
‘Originally, I developed this magic so I could sneak out alone with Young Lord without them noticing.’
It had been a huge mistake to ask Cain for advice.
He’d used the Flowing Star to help her refine the spell—so effective it could leave assassins in awe. But then he had asked Aria to use it to secretly watch over and escort Sarah in the shadows, in case anything happened to her.
From Cain’s perspective, it made sense. He had been worried about Sarah’s safety ever since arriving at the Duchy of Decaraznan and witnessing her uncle—the b*stard—treat her so cruelly.
Though their relationship had grown distant, Sarah was still a woman he had once loved, and his fiancée. Now that he knew how she was being treated, Cain couldn’t simply turn a blind eye.
But what Cain didn’t account for was that Aria, the one he’d entrusted with Sarah’s protection, couldn’t care less about the girl.
No, to be precise, she refused to care.
Just the sight of Sarah Cernard disgusted and irritated her.
‘…The Young Lord is far too kind. It’s not enough that he cared about such a filthy woman who betrayed him—he even wants to personally look after her.’
Aria was usually patient, understanding, even tolerant of Cain’s decisions. But when it came to women from his past, she couldn’t help but feel bitter.
He became softer, more compassionate—something she deeply resented.
He had taken in Aria, a woman with no memories, and even made her his exclusive maid.
Shouldn’t his love and attention be focused solely on her?
Aria couldn’t understand why he kept such strange women around.
And of them all, Sarah Cernard was the absolute worst.
Even if the rumors weren’t true, she was said to have once been involved with Lucian von Tournigen.
Just thinking about that idiot’s face made Aria scowl.
Lucian, who lived in the Duchy of Estel, was someone she truly despised—not just because he dared to provoke Cain, but because he had a history of hurting him.
In Aria’s eyes, he and Sarah were a match made in hell.
‘…Well, I suppose she does understand her position.’
Maybe that was Sarah Cernard’s only saving grace.
While other women threw themselves at Cain like dogs fighting over a bone, Sarah was the only one who didn’t fawn over him.
Without that one trait, Aria never would have agreed to act as her escort.
Now, watching Sarah weep in silence, Aria mused to herself.
‘Why is it so hard to spread your legs again? You’ve done it once—doing it again shouldn’t be that difficult.’
Ah… no, wait.
Now that she thought about it, maybe Sarah hadn’t actually done it yet.
But whether she had experience or not didn’t matter. Because—
—…Sarah.
Cain had also been listening to the earlier conversation between Sarah and her uncle.