No Need For Regrets

Chapter 23

The distance from Rosevester Duchy to Helcar Manor was quite substantial.

Lexion offered to take Sereniel there, but she declined, though her refusal seemed half-hearted.

Eventually, Sereniel found herself back inside the huge carriage.

Once again, the interior of the carriage was cramped, contrary to its appearance from the outside. Of course, it was all because of Lexion.

Sereniel, crouched uncomfortably, suddenly stared at Lexion, who was looking out the window. Then she had a brief thought to herself.

It would indeed be a skill to fit such a massive body into this cramped carriage.

As Sereniel’s gaze shifted slowly from Lexion, his gaze also turned towards her, but Sereniel, who was looking out the window, didn’t notice.

“……”

I never thought I’d be riding in this carriage like this again.

A subtle, self-deprecating smile crept onto Sereniel’s lips as she stared at the swiftly passing scenery.

Just then, she hadn’t thought about it at all. That she would have this kind of relationship with Lexion Rosevester.

‘…Well, I suppose there’s no law that says things like this shouldn’t happen.’

Especially when thinking about what Belles did, not just Calian and Leraie, whom she once believed in without doubt.

Now, there’s nothing in my life that shouldn’t happen.

Sereniel thought to herself.

“I’ve planted people around the vicinity of the manor, so you don’t have to worry much about your safety.”

In a low voice that was almost inaudible, Sereniel looked at Lexion.

“And in a few days, you’ll be back at this mansion again.”

“What… do I need to do?”

“Nothing.”

Lexion replied with a smirk.

“Didn’t I tell you before? I’ll do anything you want.”

[Whatever you want, I’ll do it for you. Whether it’s getting divorced, preventing Belles from exerting any influence on you, or anything else you desire.]

Suddenly, Lexion’s words from earlier seemed to pass through my mind.

“All you need to worry about is your safety. Of course, I’ll take care of that, but it never hurts to be cautious.”

Lexion said nothing more, just releasing Sereniel’s hand. He had no intention of watching her fret day by day in the manor.

Sereniel didn’t know, but even if she hadn’t bought silverware, he would have known if danger had come.

“Before the marriage, I have some preparations of my own to make.”

“…But surely, the Duke doesn’t need to do anything. It’s just a superficial marriage…”

“No, that won’t do.”

Lexion cut her off abruptly.

“Women think like that. They say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event, and they won’t tolerate any regrets.”

Sereniel hesitated for a moment at Lexion’s unexpected words.

That’s right. Marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event and a wedding. Of course, it didn’t apply to Sereniel, but it wouldn’t to Lexion either.

There was no law in the world that said men shouldn’t have fantasies about weddings.

Well, it’s a bit… no, it’s very surprising that Lexion Rosevester would have such a fantasy…

“But since it’s your second wedding, it should be much more lavish and extravagant than the first.”

“……”

“I don’t want my wife to be haunted by stories of her ex-husband.”

To make such a remark…

I didn’t know.

Especially right after she said she couldn’t trust anyone anymore.

So Sereniel momentarily forgot what she was going to say and just stared blankly at Lexion.

“In any case, there are other additional things to prepare for, but the preparations I’m talking about aren’t those.”

Lexion continued.

“Don’t you think we should plan?”

“…Plan?”

“Your divorce and remarriage news would be the most effective. It’s the kind of move that could shock them.”

“…”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but I consider showmanship important in my own way.”

Lexion chuckled.

“Anyway, that’s something I’ll handle, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“…There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”

A request? Lexion’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Sereniel.

“Please find out what happened to the butler of the Verdellet Estate.”

Sereniel’s face, as she continued speaking, was deathly pale. She knew too. The likelihood of Vain being alive was very low, and even if by some stroke of luck he still survived, there would be no way to save him.

But still.

Sereniel’s eyes shimmered with sadness.

“Even if… it’s just his body…”

Sereniel bowed her head deeply. Then, in a faint, strained voice, she pleaded,

“Please… I beg you.”

In truth, even if Lexion had refused her request, Sereniel wouldn’t have anything to say. After all, what happened to Vain was entirely unrelated to their deal.

“I’ll do that.”

But Lexion replied as if he understood.

“I’ll make sure to investigate thoroughly and handle it accordingly. But it’s better to tell me why the butler became a target for Belles to me.”

“…”

“I went down to the basement of the manor with Vain, and there, we found an image stone.”

“Image stone?”

Lexion’s face twisted slightly.

“Before the banquet, Calian and Belles had a meeting. Belles knew about Calian’s relationship with another woman, and that there was a child between them.”

“…”

“And also, Calian… knew that Belles killed my parents. In fact, they didn’t die in a carriage accident… Belles killed them beforehand, then loaded them onto the carriage and drove it off the cliff.”

Lexion said nothing. He simply looked at Sereniel as she continued speaking.

“In exchange for keeping each other’s secrets, Belles gave Calian investor relations and tax concessions, while Calian promised him profits. Foolish me, I only realized that now.”

Sereniel laughed bitterly.

“And when the business stabilized, he planned to kill me and take over the mine. The conversation between them was fully recorded on that image stone.”

…So that’s it.

Lexion seemed to understand now. Why Sereniel had come to me for help and requested this.

In the end, she knew everything as well.

“…Even if you refuse, there’s nothing I can say. After all, Vain’s situation has nothing to do with our deal.”

“That’s true.”

But Lexion replied as if he understood.

“But it’s good to know. Maybe there’s a chance to buy some time if the butler was still in danger. Even if it’s just the possibility of making it look like it was stolen, rather than leaving evidence of a theft…”

Even though he might hear that it’s a hopeful and foolish thing to say in such a situation, Sereniel felt like she had nothing to say. So she trailed off.

Perhaps, it felt entirely like it was her fault that Vain was in danger.

Even though she knew it wasn’t true, Sereniel kept blaming herself, just as she did at the cliff’s edge.

“Well done.”

“…Huh?”

“Belles is a suspicious person, so until he’s sure what happened, he might not kill the butler. But if Belles had seen the broken image stone himself, he would have definitely died.”

“…”

“In any case, there’s a lot of preparation to be done.”

Lexion said in a numb tone.

“Not just for the butler, but we’ll also need to buy a new carriage.”

“Why a new carriage…?”

“Isn’t it because of me?”

“…Huh?”

“You’ve been crouching all this time.”

“…”

“You’re like a crumpled piece of paper.”

Sereniel gave Lexion a dumbfounded look, then…

Unknowingly burst into laughter. Of course, it was more of a hollow laugh.

“Why are you laughing?”

Lexion, who didn’t understand Sereniel’s laughter, furrowed his brows slightly and asked.

“Just… I’m just surprised that the Duke would express himself like that. I apologize if it bothered you.”

“It didn’t bother me.”

Lexion shook his head.

“But straighten your shoulders a bit. If you leave it alone, you might disappear before we even reach the Manor.”

“…”

“This time, I’ll try to be more crumpled. Though I was already as crumpled as possible.”

Lexion seemed to be making an effort, but to be honest, it didn’t seem to be of much use.

But seeing him like that, it was so unexpected and amusing…

Sereniel laughed again without knowing why.

It was absurd. In such a situation, laughing and talking like this…

“It looks good.”

And like Sereniel, Lexion chuckled.

“Keep laughing like that from now on. That way, won’t it upset them even more?”

“…”

“Besides, you’re more suited to laughing than crying.”

How should I take that statement?

Sereniel couldn’t find any words to reply, so she just looked out the window, and beyond it, the Helcar Manor came into view.

“In a few days, Calian will storm into the Manor in a rage.”

With a sudden statement, Sereniel’s eyes widened.

“You’re clever, so you might know how to handle it. Enjoy what’s to come.”

“…”

“This will be the beginning of the entertainment to come.”

With an ominous tone, Lexion finished speaking, and the carriage came to a stop.

As Lexion got off the carriage, he held Sereniel’s hand, not leaving until she returned to the Manor.

…And, it was exactly as he predicted, two days later.

What Lexion said like a prophecy actually came true.