The day he was ordered to become engaged to a noble lady he had never even met before—
Cedric Lowell could not hide his anger toward the Emperor.
How could the man force something like this upon him, even going so far as to invoke the title he was destined to inherit?
“It is not as bad a marriage as you think.”
The speaker was Kassel, once his father's aide and now his own advisor.
In the end, Cedric could no longer contain himself.
“What exactly is practical about a marriage that completely ignores my wishes?!”
“Though she belongs to a collateral branch of the royal family, her bloodline remains distinguished. Furthermore, part of the Cassier family's inheritance, which will remain under the name Aileen Cassier, will eventually flow into the ducal house.”
“It isn't as though the duchy is short on money.”
“The North is an exceptionally unproductive land. A single gold mine owned by the Cassier family could feed the residents of a small territory for an entire year. If you can reward your subordinates more generously, your authority will become even more secure.”
Cedric had been educated as an heir since childhood.
Logically, he knew every word Kassel said was correct.
“...But Father never did things that way.”
“Who would have dared question the Duke's leadership?”
Cedric knew comparing himself to his late father was meaningless.
He was nowhere near that level yet.
And so he fell silent.
But still—
An engagement, out of nowhere?
He had thought the matter would end with him swearing loyalty to the Emperor, receiving the imperial seal, and returning to his territory.
'Cedric. You'll be back soon, right?'
'Of course. Take care of yourself while I'm away. If you need anything, tell the butler.'
If he had ever imagined the person he would spend the rest of his life with—
It would have been someone like Diana, who had remained by his side since childhood.
Never had he imagined his future would be decided so suddenly.
'Aileen Cassier must have asked His Majesty for this. Otherwise, there is no way such an order would have been given.'
The noble ladies he had met in the capital's social circles had all been the same.
Each openly approached him in hopes of securing the position of future Duchess.
At first, he had responded politely to the countless marriage proposals.
But now?
Every letter he received went straight into the fireplace.
'Father married the woman he loved. That's why he never forced a political marriage on me.'
'But the Duke is gone. The North without him is a completely different place.'
Cedric had lost his mother the moment he was born.
His grief-stricken father spent most of his life on the battlefield and ultimately died there as well.
Having grown up listening to such a love story, Cedric believed marriage was simple.
It was choosing someone you genuinely loved and cherished.
“Young Master, you must understand that you now stand in a position where you must make choices for the sake of the family.”
Kassel understood Cedric's feelings.
But reality had little regard for emotions.
His leadership was still immature, and it would have to be supplemented through other means.
Still, I can't accept this.
Even if I have to return to the battlefield, I refuse to go through with this marriage.
Cedric made up his mind.
He would never accept the engagement.
And then, sometime later—
When he visited Aileen Cassier's estate at dawn to tell her personally—
He found himself unexpectedly flustered.
He had anticipated a demanding, arrogant noble lady.
Yet—
The woman gazing up at him without the slightest change in expression was nothing like he had imagined.
Before Cedric could even speak,
Aileen seized control of the conversation first.
“Are you planning to stand there forever?”
She sat down on a bench near the estate and gestured toward the empty seat beside her with a tilt of her chin.
Cedric ignored the invitation.
“...Do as you please.”
Aileen merely turned her gaze toward the mansion's windows.
The once-quiet household was slowly beginning to wake.
Regardless of the circumstances,
Cedric Lowell—her fiancé—had come to visit.
That meant the people of the house needed to see, beyond any doubt, that the engagement was real.
Which was precisely why she had chosen such a conspicuous location.
That should keep them from pestering me quite as much.
Resting her chin on one hand,
Aileen studied Cedric's face.
The way he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists made him seem remarkably restless.
After a long silence,
Cedric finally spoke.
“I will not marry you.”
Exactly as expected.
A declaration so direct it was almost childish.
And then—
“I don't want to marry you.”
He felt the need to emphasize it a second time.
Aileen watched him quietly as he secretly gauged her reaction.
Then she replied in a calm voice.
“I have no intention of marrying someone I don't want either.”
Having been raised as the heir of the North,
Cedric naturally possessed strong pride in his family.
Yet the current Cedric Lowell was astonishingly simple.
Especially to Aileen, who vaguely remembered the man he would become after enduring countless hardships in the future.
Right now, there was only one thing occupying his mind.
Breaking off the engagement.
Nothing else.
As Cedric prepared to speak again,
Aileen interrupted him.
“I don't plan on getting married. I want to keep all of my property for myself as well.”
“...”
“We're still young. We're only engaged, aren't we? Just play along for now, and once you become Duke, send me a letter dissolving the engagement. Simple.”
“And how am I supposed to believe you'll actually do that? What guarantee do I have that you'll willingly break it off?”
Aileen looked at him as though he had said something ridiculous.
“You're rather childish, aren't you? Do you think every noble lady in the world is chasing after you just because you're the Duke's son?”
As expected,
Cedric bristled immediately.
“I am not a child!”
“Exactly. If you're going to be the future Duke, you shouldn't lose your temper so easily.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Cedric Lowell was still immature.
Raised safely within the shelter of the North,
He had yet to become as sharp and unyielding as the bitter winter winds he would one day face.
“I have no interest in you, Cedric Lowell. My goal is to live quietly for the next four years, take what belongs to me, and leave.”
“...Do you truly mean that?”
“Honestly, maintaining the engagement is better for you right now anyway. Simply gaining part of the Cassier gold mine offers benefits greater than becoming Duke itself.”
The words were not so different from what Kassel had told him.
Suddenly, Cedric felt heat creeping into his face.
Only then did he realize how immature he had been acting.
While he had spent his time raging, doubting, and throwing a tantrum,
Aileen sat before him with one leg crossed over the other, her head slightly tilted, impossibly composed.
In the same indifferent tone, she continued,
“Besides, this is His Majesty's command. It's a remarkably generous arrangement that benefits both of us. Refusing it would only make it look as though we're opposing the royal family.”
The implication was obvious.
Do you really want to put yourself in such a disadvantageous position?
In the end, Cedric had no choice but to admit it.
“...I know that much.”
“Good.”
An elegant smile spread across Aileen's face.
Then she extended her hand.
“Until the day we break off the engagement, let's at least get along. We'll be seeing each other often anyway. There's no need to become enemies, is there?”
“I have no intention of becoming close to you.”
Even if she claimed she would end the engagement later,
There was no guarantee her feelings wouldn't change.
Cedric still couldn't fully trust her.
So instead of taking her hand, he turned sharply away.
Or rather—
He tried to.
Tap.
Because he had been standing too close,
As he pivoted hastily, his hand brushed across the back of hers.
The result was far colder and harsher than he intended.
It looked as though he had slapped her hand away.
Startled, Cedric instinctively reached out—
Then froze.
For the briefest moment,
A look of loneliness crossed the face of the ever-expressionless Aileen Cassier.
The kind of loneliness anyone could recognize.
“I'm sor—”
“It's fine.”
Aileen cut off his apology.
“I understand that you're frustrated and angry.”
She rose abruptly from her seat.
“We've said everything that needs to be said. I'll head inside before it gets colder.”
Only then did Cedric notice she wore nothing but a thin shawl.
Her shoulders trembled slightly in the freezing dawn air.
It seemed she had rushed out because he had asked to meet so early.
“Lady Cassier, wait... no, Ail—”
While he hesitated over what to call her,
Aileen strode back toward the mansion without looking back once.
Cedric remained standing there in silence.
He felt as though something had gone terribly wrong.
And yet—
For some reason, he could not bring himself to run after her..