No Need For Regrets

Chapter 38

Seriniel climbed into the carriage with Lexion after leaving the marquisate.

The immense carriage they had seen before.

“….”

A heavy silence filled the spacious carriage. Seriniel sat silently, staring blankly into the air without saying a word.

Lexion also quietly observed Seriniel in such a state.

And it was Lexion who broke the silence first, once again.

“….Do you regret it?”

At Lexion’s sudden question, Seriniel finally looked at him.

“You seem to be making quite a regretful expression.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Seriniel shook her head.

“It’s just…a bit…”

“A bit?”

“It feels somewhat relieving, yet at the same time strangely unsettling.”

Well, I suppose so.

Seriniel murmured softly.

“As long as it’s not regret, it’s fine.”

“….”

“For now, that’s enough.”

Lexion understood Seriniel’s feelings. Even though he knew all the facts, still. It wasn’t easy to reveal everything in front of people. There must have been a burden on her heart, and literally, they hadn’t shown each other their bottom line, hadn’t they?

So it wasn’t very strange for Seriniel to have such an expression.

“But where are we going now?”

“What do you mean?”

“This carriage. Anyway, I can’t return to the marquisate or the manor…”

“Of course not.”

Lexion looked at her incredulously.

“We’re going to the Rosenvester Manor.”

“….”

“I’ve already sent someone to the manor, so by now, your maid should have arrived there. Along with the belongings you asked to be taken care of.”

“But…we haven’t even filed for divorce yet, and…it’s not like everything is settled…”

Seriniel began to say, then stopped. Then she let out a weak laugh.

What difference would those make now? In any case, by tomorrow, rumors about her would spread throughout the Empire.

“It’s absurd to leave you alone in danger after exposing everything. Both to the manor and the marquisate.”

Lexion continued speaking.

“Of course, the marquisate is no exception. Before, they might not have known that you were aware of everything, but now they do.”

“….”

“And haven’t I told you already? I’ll never leave you alone in danger like that.”

If he did, Seriniel would surely die this time. Lexion had no intention of silently watching that happen.

“People may pay attention, but there’s no need to worry about that.”

“….Are you trying to threaten everyone in the Carteia Empire, as you did earlier?”

“If necessary, I will. It’s not that difficult for me.”

It seemed plausible. And besides, he was also a human being. Seriniel nodded seriously.

“….That was just a joke.”

And Lexion said, looking somewhat puzzled.

“If you take such remarks seriously, it’s quite telling of what you think of me.”

“No, it’s just… I thought it wouldn’t be that difficult, as you said.”

Ha.

Lexion chuckled.

“Anyway, you don’t have to worry too much about other people. Because the weight of the scandal will be much greater on me than on you.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you remember what I said earlier?”

“What…”

“I’ve had feelings for you for a long time.”

[I’ve had feelings for Seriniel for a long time, but Seriniel has never known about that fact even once.]

Seriniel hesitated.

“I’ve unilaterally harbored feelings for you.”

[I unilaterally harbored feelings and confessed at the most appropriate time. So feel free to talk as much as you want about me.]

“Of course, you might wonder why that crazy killer developed feelings for you. But I guarantee you, I’ll be the protagonist of the scandal. You may not know it well, but I’m quite well-known in social circles.”

“….”

“Of course, in a bad way.”

This time, it was easy to understand that it was a joke. So Seriniel just laughed briefly at his foolish words.

…Yeah. That must be it.

Those stories were…probably to defend me as much as possible. To prevent me from being swept up in further scandal.

“The person who has been circling around your married life and now approaches you as you go through the divorce process will become human trash.”

“Duke Lexion…”

“But I’m so used to such scandals that you don’t really need to worry about me.”

Lexion continued speaking.

“And besides, human trash is better than a murderer, I suppose.”

“….”

“I guess I should thank you for changing my nickname.”

How could he say such things without changing his expression at all? If that wasn’t a talent, I don’t know what was.

“I feel sorry for you for doing things that weren’t discussed beforehand.”

“That… is…”

“But there’s no room for regret.”

“….”

“Anyway, there won’t be a suitable occasion like today in the future.”

“You don’t need to feel sorry.”

Seriniel replied, bowing her head slightly.

“In any case, it was bound to happen. It just happened a little sooner.”

Whether it was revealed today or a few days later wouldn’t make much difference. Perhaps today, as Lexion said, was the most appropriate day.

“And thanks to that… I feel a bit relieved.”

“A bit?”

“Yes.”

Seriniel said with a faint smile.

“Just… neither Calian, nor Belles, nor Leraie would have even thought of such things. Moreover, if I had done this alone, they would have tried to cover it up somehow.”

“….”

“Especially Belles… um… he might have helped until the divorce, but after that, he probably would have tried to kill me.”

It was no exaggeration to say that Lexion had saved her from Belles’ clutches. So Seriniel was sincerely grateful to him.

“Did you see Belles’s expression earlier? How twisted his face was.”

Lexion’s appearance made Belles flinch. He always pretended to be pleasant and unaffected, always smiling. It was somewhat amusing to see him like that, and somehow, it felt a bit refreshing.

“Anyway, everyone would have thought the same. That stupid woman who can’t do anything on her own, no matter how she tries.”

“….But my thoughts are different from theirs.”

Lexion said in a calm voice.

“After all, wasn’t it you who orchestrated everything? I just followed what you wanted.”

“….”

“So if you feel a bit relieved, it’s not because of me but purely because of your abilities. Of course, I didn’t expect such rough words to come out of your mouth.”

“If the Duke always evaluates me highly.”

“If I were a kind and friendly person who knew how to say such false words, wouldn’t I have never been called a murderer in the first place? There’s innocence in unexpected places.”

Once again, Seriniel burst into laughter. Lexion was also the same.

Today, Seriniel seemed to laugh quite well. And it was in front of him.

Was it because she was relieved? Or because she had finally let out all the emotions she had been holding back for so long? So her heart felt refreshed?

Whatever the reason, it seemed like it didn’t matter at all.

“I don’t lie.”

“….”

“So promise me once again. I’ll uncover every detail of the deaths of the Marquis couple, and I’ll also help you recover Verdellet Manor.”

“….Thank you, Duke Lexion.”

“And…”

Lexion tried to say something, but hesitated briefly. Then, for a while, there was silence without any conversation.

Why was that? What else had happened? Seriniel widened her eyes and looked at Lexion, and it was only after a long time that Lexion opened his mouth again.

“You look good.”

“….”

“That dress.”

Before Seriniel could respond, Lexion’s gaze turned to the window. It was quite amusing. He could easily say more extreme things in front of others, but somehow, he seemed embarrassed.

But Seriniel thought it was sincerely fortunate that Lexion wasn’t looking at her. If he had kept looking at her, he would have quickly noticed that her cheeks were redder than usual.

…So the carriage continued in silence, unaware of fatigue, and the two arrived safely at the Rosenvester Manor.