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That he would extend his hand to her—and she would accept his touch.
Just like that, like a fantasy story, she wondered if there would be a miracle, an ending wrapped in happiness.
Even if only for a fleeting moment, she indulged in such a foolish thought.
“…heh.”
Sarah let out a short laugh at the absurdity of what she’d done.
There was no way things like that happened in real life.
In the end, she was nothing more than a commodity raised in Count Cernard’s household—destined to live with her legs spread, a coquettish smile on her lips, fawning over a man she didn’t even love.
She asked herself how she was any different from the pr0stitutes in the red-light district and gave a self-deprecating smile.
For a woman like her, marrying the man she loved was nothing more than a delusion—an undeserved wish.
“…I miss you.”
She gently wiped away the moisture forming at the corners of her eyes as if nothing had happened.
There was no use crying or whining.
‘Yeah. Let’s laugh. Better to laugh instead. If it’s inevitable… then laugh.’
Even if she had to sell her wretched b0dy to someone else, Sarah took a deep breath and made a firm vow: her heart would never break.
She glanced at the clock hanging in one corner of the room.
It was time.
Time to leave.
With a soft sigh, Sarah turned away from the window—or at least, she tried to.
If not for the sound of someone calling her name, she would have.
“Sarah.”
Outside the window, a voice called out to her.
The moment she recognized who it belonged to, her lips parted instinctively, and she spoke his name.
“…Cain.”
She slowly lifted her eyes toward the window.
There he was, standing diagonally from the spot where she had just been gazing at the night sky.
Why was he here?
Why now?
Did he come to her in this moment—right when she had been on the verge of giving up?
Was this a dream?
Her heart wavered.
Could it be a delusion, a fantasy born of longing?
“…Ah.”
No, it wasn’t a dream. It couldn’t be.
That was Cain.
Without a doubt!
For a moment, her heart surged. There were so many things she wanted to say—so many words piled up like a mountain. But only one made it past her lips.
“…Why did you come?”
She missed him terribly… but she didn’t want him to know. Not that she had been sold off to another man.
The woman named Sarah Cernard wanted Cain von Estel to remember her as someone good—someone worth loving.
“Why did I come? Isn’t it obvious?” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I came to steal you away.”
“What?”
At the sound of his bold, almost playful tone, Sarah’s heart began pounding wildly again. For a moment, she allowed herself to slip into that sweet illusion—that maybe, just maybe, he really had come to save her.
But the words that left her mouth next were sharp and bitter.
“You’re being reckless. Truly reckless, Cain.”
She was pleased. Overjoyed, even, that he thought of her. That he had come to keep the promise he once made—to save her.
But…she was scared.
This was madness.
And she knew all too well how relentless Count Cernard’s dogs could be. If she escaped with him, they would chase them to the ends of the earth. He’d get hurt. He could die.
And that—above all else—was something she could never accept.
So—
“…Cain. There’s no place here for you to intervene. I’m here of my own will.”
Wearing the coldest expression she could muster, Sarah spoke the words she hoped would drive him away.
“When did I ever ask you to save me?”
‘Please know—I’m so glad you came.’
“It’s fine. Go back. As you know, the Heir Decaraznan is a very handsome man, isn’t he? So I don’t think it’s such a bad thing to become his concubine. Nobles marry this way all the time.”
‘Honestly… I think I fell in love with you a long time ago.’
“I’m sorry, but let’s just pretend you didn’t say anything. So you don’t have to worry about me anymore. Go—go back to your room before anyone sees.”
‘I want you to save me. So badly.’
But it would be too selfish. She didn’t want to drag him into something that would end with only one of them broken.
At some point, Sarah had begun putting him ahead of herself.
Cain said nothing as he watched her with solemn eyes.
Then—
“…Ah.”
He reached out, took Sarah’s hand, and wrapped his other arm around her waist—pulling her into an embrace.
“It’s okay,” he murmured, “you can complain later. I’ve temporarily disabled the alarm spell, but it’ll reactivate soon. We need to escape before we’re discovered. The escape route is nearly ready. Our odds are good.”
He met her eyes with unwavering resolve.
“So stop talking and come with me.”
“…C-Cain…!”
Cradled in his arms like a princess, Sarah flushed, wriggling in embarrassment. But when she realized resistance was futile, she dropped her head.
“Let’s go, Sarah. Tonight, I’ll end this nightmare that binds you.”
As he spoke those words, Sarah looked at him in stunned silence, then bit her lip.
“…It’s foolish,” she whispered. “This whole thing… it’s bound to end in failure.”
Even so, she let her body rest against his chest.
As if—for the first time in a long time—she was truly happy.