No Need For Regrets

Chapter 6

At the sudden voice, Serinial’s eye, devoid of any light, trembled faintly.

“….”

Standing still in place, Serinial looked at the person who addressed her.

“…. Duke Lexion.”

Serinial’s dry lips murmured quietly.

Lexion Rosenvester.

That famous man.

Even Serinial, who didn’t particularly enjoy socializing, knew his face and name.

“….”

From Lexion’s rain-soaked face, there emanated an indescribable sense of intimidation.

While society ladies always chattered about Lexion’s perfectly chiseled face as if it were sculpted from marble, the reason he gained fame wasn’t his handsome appearance.

…Born as a concubine’s son, he pushed aside his father and half-brothers to seize the family’s power.

It was because of his ruthless, cold, and merciless nature.

It was rumored that Lexion spent more than half of the year bathed in blood, constantly waging wars.

Serinial, too, was aware of the rumors that even if only the people he killed were counted, it would be enough to claim a territory.

“The esteemed Lady, what brings you to this humble place?”

“….”

“Especially in such a state.”

There was a dissonance in Lexion’s words. Serinial was already married, and her surname was also from the House of Calian.

She couldn’t understand why he would speak in such a manner knowing that fact, but she only gave a response to his question.

“….I had some business nearby.”

“Business?”

Lexion scoffed as if hearing an absurdity.

“Despite the circumstances, it was nice to meet you. I’ll take my leave now.”

There was nothing good to come out of dealing with someone like him. Moreover, Serinial had no energy left to deal with Lexion at the moment.

It was almost inevitable. Just a few hours ago, she had confirmed her husband’s infidelity and its consequences with her own eyes.

Without looking back, Serinial walked away. The rain was still pouring, and since the servant had already left, there was no shelter.

Still, if she walked diligently, she could reach the nearby territory before midnight. Then she could call for another servant from there.

…It was around that time when she was walking with such thoughts in mind.

“….”

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over her face, and Serinial hesitated as she looked up.

She saw a large hand.

Shielding her from the rain.

“There are bandits lurking nearby. If you’re unlucky, you might encounter trouble.”

Serinial turned around slowly. And there was Lexion, who had somehow approached close to her.

“A fragile woman like you, alone, is an easy target, don’t you know?”

“….”

“Come on, get on the carriage. I’ll take you.”

“No, really, it’s alright…”

Serinial shook her head, but Lexion cut her off quickly.

“Calling a servant from a nearby estate might not be a bad idea, but it will still attract attention.”

Serinial hesitated briefly.

“I don’t know what your business is, but it wouldn’t be good if others found out you were wandering around in this state.”

“….”

“If you ride the carriage, not only will you easily return to your mansion, but perhaps I can even silence any gossip.”

Why is he doing this?

Lexion Rosenvester was known to show no favor to anyone. And to someone like Serinial, who had no utility, it would be even more unlikely.

So it was very incomprehensible, but Lexion seemed determined not to let her go like this.

“Come on.”

Lexion urged once again, and eventually, with a short sigh, Serinial began to walk towards the carriage.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

The inside of the carriage was spacious.

Even more so than it appeared from the outside.

“….”

But Serinial, sitting across from Lexion, had been feeling uncomfortable since earlier. It couldn’t be helped. Every slight movement caused their knees to touch.

The carriage was spacious, but Lexion Rosenvester was the issue. She knew he was tall and broad, but she hadn’t expected him to be this imposing. Lexion seemed to take up more than half of the carriage by himself.

Perhaps the reason for using such a large carriage in the first place was because of his size. Serinial tried to hide her discomfort and pretended to look out of the window for no reason.

“Most women sobbing and lamenting in the rain like this have only one reason.”

And then, after a considerable amount of time had passed, Lexion’s low voice broke the silence.

“Men.”

“….”

“Are you the same?”

“It wasn’t a false story, but Serinial had no intention of agreeing with him.

“But I doubt Calian Helcar has any such inclination.”

“…I’m not sure what assumptions you’re making, but there was nothing like that. Besides, the Duke wouldn’t care.”

“Nothing like that?”

“As I said earlier, it was just a simple matter. Then I got lost.”

“You don’t seem to have a knack for lying, Serinial Verdellet.”

“….What do you mean?”

“People don’t usually sob like that just for a simple matter.”

Serinial remained silent, simply staring at Lexion.

His expression still revealed nothing of his thoughts. It seemed like he was mocking, yet at the same time, appearing serious.

“Calian Helcar’s estate is nearby.”

“….”

“And typically… there’s no place as suitable for hiding one’s flaws as a separate estate, far from the main mansion.”

Isn’t that right?

Lexion chuckled and asked.

“…Is that why you asked to be taken in my carriage, Duke Lexion?”

Yes, curiosity might arise.

But for Lexion, there were many more interesting events than the misfortunes of Serinial, a mere hostess of a poor artist.

For that reason, the man before her seemed even more ominous. To take an interest in such trivial matters…

But the response she received was a bit strange.

“Are you happy?”

“…Excuse me?”

“I asked if you’re happy, Serinial Verdellet.”

Lexion asked again, using her original surname instead of Calian’s.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said.”

“….”

“It could be quite significant to me. So, it’s best to answer honestly.”

At Lexion’s question, darkness descended over Serinial’s green eyes.

…Happy? Was she happy?

Unless she lost her mind, there was no way.

Even now, she felt like her insides were twisted. Thinking of Calian’s face made her nauseous, and thinking of Leraie’s face filled her with anger.

And then, thinking of that child…

The blue veins on Serinial’s clenched white hand tightened.

“I see.”

“Lexion, you’ve said enough.”

Serinial didn’t say anything. She just turned her head away like when she first got into the carriage and stared out of the window.

The carriage continued its journey without rest, and during that time, Lexion’s gaze remained fixed on one place: Serinial’s face as she turned away.

After a considerable amount of time passed, the carriage came to a slow stop. Now, this uncomfortable silence would come to an end. With that thought in mind, Serinial quickly bid farewell to Lexion.

“Thank you for your kindness, Duke Lexion. I apologize for any inconvenience.”

“….”

“Take care…”

“It’s not our first meeting.”

Before Serinial could finish her farewell, Lexion spoke abruptly with a stern voice.

“Have you forgotten?”

At the unexpected question, Serinial’s brows furrowed slightly.

But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t recall ever meeting the man before her.

Of course, she had heard rumors, but what Lexion was saying didn’t seem to match any of them.

“I’ve asked you the same thing before. Do you remember?”

“….”

“Exactly six months ago, at a foolish party.”

Six months ago, at a party…

There was only one thing that came to mind.

It was sometime before her marriage to Calian.

When she received an invitation and attended.

“But I didn’t expect your answer to change so quickly.”

Lexion chuckled dryly.

“I’m not bad. Quite the opposite, actually.”

“What do you mean by that now…?”

“Take care on your way back, Serinial.”

Instead of responding to Serinial’s words, Lexion opened the carriage door. Serinial looked at him in confusion, then carefully got off the carriage.

As Lexion closed the door and the carriage began to move away without looking back, he spoke in a low voice to Serinial, who stood alone in the darkness.

“Until we meet again.”

“….”

“Even if you don’t want to, it will happen.”

And that was the last of it. Left alone in the darkness, Serinial watched the departing carriage with a bewildered expression on her face.