Chapter 14
Kainess kept his eyes tightly shut and took in the sight of Esta smiling foolishly.
He always thought she looked like an idiot, but she looked even more foolish whenever he healed her. It was hard to believe this woman was two years older than him.
She always seemed crazy, yet she had never once stood up to his father.
Honestly, Kainess had been shocked to see Esta shouting boldly in front of the Duke. At the same time, it strengthened his conviction about her.
‘She really is insane.’
To talk back to the Duke.
His father’s authority in the Empire was almost equal to that of the Emperor. No one could oppose him.
Yet Esta had yelled at him without hesitation and taken Kainess’s side.
Once, he had seen a poorly trained lion cub at a circus. The cub had barked fearlessly at the trainer who cracked a whip.
The Esta in his memory resembled that lion cub.
The difference was that he had been able to buy that lion cub and release it into the wild. He could not do that for Esta.
Kainess did not understand the cool spring breeze stirring inside his heart.
He didn’t understand why that breeze made his heart tingle, or why Esta—grinning foolishly with her eyes closed and pressing her palm firmly against his—looked cute to him.
‘It’s just gratitude.’
That was all, he told himself.
He was grateful that even after seeing him at his lowest, she had said she would willingly walk that path with him.
Looking at Esta with her eyes closed, Kainess murmured softly,
“Thank you.”
His voice was so quiet that she could not hear it.
Before the marriage declaration, there was one concern.
A few days ago, I had announced to my family that I would break off my engagement with Kainess.
If I suddenly said I wanted to marry him now, wouldn’t I look like a child who couldn’t make up her mind?
But I couldn’t think of any other way. Nor could I think of a convincing excuse.
“Should I just throw a tantrum?”
It sounded ridiculous to beg my parents for permission to marry—but I was fifteen! That was still young enough to throw a tantrum.
Honestly, there was no other way to get their approval.
“Dad! I want to get married!”
The result of barging into Father’s study and blurting that out was complete chaos.
“What nonsense is this about marriage? Just yesterday you said you wanted to break off the engagement!”
Brother Jenuer shouted angrily.
The look in his eyes—like I had betrayed his trust—made me feel even more guilty.
“I said I’d break off the engagement… but I never said I wouldn’t get married.”
“…What kind of twisted logic is that?”
Brother Mayer scolded me. A crease had formed between his brows, which was unusual for him.
“You said you wouldn’t like Kainess anymore.”
His cold gaze made my mouth snap shut. Even quiet Brother Mayer was being firm, which was honestly frightening.
“Well, that’s…”
“Esta, no. Marriage all of a sudden? Think about your age. You’re only fifteen.”
“There are early marriages…”
“It’s rare when the groom is only thirteen.”
Mother was firm as well. I had expected everyone to oppose me, but the intensity was stronger than I thought.
“Absolutely not.”
Father, especially, was vehement.
“Did that Kainess brat ask you to marry him?”
He always called him Young Duke Kainess politely—when had he become “that brat”?
“No… Actually, I proposed.”
In front of my future father-in-law, no less.
“He made you propose? How dare he to my daughter…?”
Why is it turning into that?
In Father’s mind, Kainess was gradually becoming some scoundrel.
From what I could tell, Father was opposing this for entirely different reasons.
“Please, everyone calm down. I know I brought up marriage suddenly, but at least give me a chance to explain.”
Silence fell over the drawing room where the whole family had gathered.
I had no intention of revealing Kainess’s situation. If I said I had to marry him because I couldn’t stand seeing my future husband suffer domestic abuse, what parent would approve?
They would separate us by force for my own sake.
But the one Kainess truly needed was me. Me!
He needed water magic to breathe and survive. I swallowed nervously and spoke.
“Without Kainess (and his magic), I’ll die. His magic is like my lifeline… How can I stay far away from him?”
My voice trembled from nerves.
Oh no! I had wanted to appear mature while asking for marriage permission, but I messed up.
Another cold silence settled over the room.
“You really…”
“That much…?”
My two brothers let out sighs mixed with disbelief.
Was it that shocking?
“Th-then Esta, why did you suddenly talk about breaking off the engagement before…?”
Mother asked carefully. The handkerchief she gripped tightly caught my eye. Was she going to cry again like that day?
I remembered her hugging me and crying, and my eyes grew moist. I quickly looked up at the ceiling to hold back tears.
“At the time, I thought that was the best choice. Kainess should live his own life.”
And I should live mine.
I swallowed those words and smiled lightly. The atmosphere felt suffocating.
“Ah…”
But instead, Mother’s eyes filled with tears.
Huh?
Before I could process it, her voice began to tremble, as if she were holding back sobs.
“M-Mother, are you crying?”
Startled, I jumped up and rushed to her, but she turned away so I wouldn’t see her face.
“I don’t want to show such an unsightly side.”
“Mother… how is that unsightly? If I cry, would you think I’m unsightly?”
“Of course not.”
“I feel the same.”
I gently pulled her hand, and she finally turned slightly.
Seeing her silently shedding tears made my heart ache.
“I’m sorry. First I caused trouble by talking about breaking off the engagement, and now I’m troubling you with marriage…”
“No. I didn’t realize… I didn’t know you were suffering this much.”
Suffering? Me? I was living quite peacefully.
Before I could question it, Mother pulled me into her arms.
She patted my back and murmured,
“My poor daughter.”
Though I didn’t notice it in her embrace, the rest of the family exchanged glances.
And without Esta realizing it, a misunderstanding formed.
They believed Esta thought she was going to die soon.
She had a fatal illness, occasionally coughing up blood and fainting frequently. She had been worse in the past, but after getting engaged to Kainess, her condition had clearly improved.
They knew she had grown attached to him because of that.
But how could they stop their sick daughter from marrying the boy she couldn’t bear to leave?
If her illness couldn’t be cured, then even if they felt sorry for Kainess, they wished for her remaining days to be happy.
“Ugh, Mother, I can’t breathe!”
When I finally escaped from Mother’s unusually tight embrace, my family’s expressions had changed.
They were looking at me with pity.
I tilted my head in confusion, not knowing why.
“It may not be immediate, but I will speak with the Duke.”
Since we were already engaged, marriage would be easy. If both families agreed, it could happen quickly.
“Yes!”
Mom is the best!
I smiled brightly and hugged her again. Unlike my cheerful expression, my family’s faces were dark with misunderstanding.
After finally gaining my family’s approval, a problem arose.
“You want to get married?”
“I refuse.”
Kainess appeared through the reopened iron gate and shook his head firmly.
I had thrown tantrums to my family for you. They probably thought I had become hopelessly attached to you again.
Ignoring me, Kainess headed toward the training grounds to meet Jenuer.
With a tearful face, I grabbed the hem of his clothes.
“You said you understood back then!”
“I said I understood. Did I say I would do it?”
He frowned and looked openly irritated.
“Why are you pushing this through without giving me time to think?”
“I didn’t realize you meant you needed time to think.”
Kainess sighed briefly. Compared to when we first met, he had grown taller. My line of sight had shifted slightly upward.
He was still shorter than me, but it was shocking to think this little boy would one day grow over 190 centimeters.
In other words, even someone that big once had a time this small. Any child would struggle.
“The longer we delay marriage, the harder it will be for you. I didn’t want to see that. I told you—I’d be your refuge.”
Maybe it was shallow sympathy. Maybe I would regret this choice once I entered his household.
But for now, watching him endure that was harder.
The memory was still vivid. Kainess enduring pain as if he were used to being hit.
Suddenly, Kainess spoke in a low, strained voice, almost like a growl close to a scream.
“Why do you lose all sense when it comes to me? Do you really think my father accepts you as a daughter-in-law because he likes you?”
No. He wants something.
I wasn’t foolish enough not to know that.
He openly thought of Esta as some crazy girl.
But this was a world inside a novel, and I was a reader who knew half the original story.
Perhaps the only one in this world. The only one who could save you.
“We were longtime friends, right? Even if we break off the engagement, we’re still friends. Right?”
Besides, if the friend I wanted to save held my lifeline in his hands, even if it was a risky gamble, I had to go all in.
And as a bonus—if he owed me, my own lifeline might become a little more secure. Just a bonus.
“Friends can do this much for each other.”
Please say yes.
I had clung to him so desperately. My heart burned with anxiety that he might refuse.
I rolled my eyes nervously, watching his reaction.
“That word ‘friend’ again…”
He muttered something, but I couldn’t hear it.
Because I had noticed the faint figure overlapping behind Kainess’s back—and I recognized who it was.
