It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 38

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“You had blood on your lips.”

Ah.

I must not have wiped my nosebleed away properly.

I felt my face flush with embarrassment.

“It’s just… a nosebleed. I overdid it a little, that’s all.”

“You said you exhausted your divine power.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

For some reason, telling on myself had become second nature around Lionel. So, despite how drained I was, I began recounting everything that had happened.

Oddly enough, I felt re-energize, despite being exhausted and in a terrible condition.

By the end, I might have even been huffing in indignation.

“Still, I was really lucky. If I had arrived even a little later, Countess Ganel would have returned to God’s arms without a moment to spare.”

Lionel listened in complete silence.

Yet, as I spoke, the crease between his brows only deepened. By the time I finished, his entire expression was twisted in displeasure.

And for some reason… That made me feel oddly satisfied.

‘Ahh, that was cathartic.’

To Lionel, Vivian was family. Me, I was a complete outsider. We had met less than three weeks ago.

Objectively speaking, this was nothing more than petty complaining. It sounded like “your family bullied me,” and it was practically an attempt at sowing discord between siblings.

It wouldn’t have been strange if Lionel had gotten angry with me.

He could have easily scolded me, saying there was no reason to be so reckless when I was merely using the powers granted by the divine.

Yet, for some reason, I had been half-certain that he wouldn’t.

That he would take my side.

That he absolutely would.

It was an unfounded confidence, but in the end, I wasn’t wrong.

“This will never happen again. I swear it.”

Lionel said those words through clenched teeth.

And just like that, my heart melted into a puddle, and I let my guard down.

‘Well, just for today… I guess it’s fine.’

Even if this man turned out to be entirely untrustworthy, leaning on him for a brief moment wouldn’t hurt.

I’m sure Lionel was only keeping me close because he wanted something from me, and if that was the case, then I would simply use him just as much.

Having tossed away the last remnants of my wariness, I rested my cheek against his chest.

His scent, now strangely familiar, filled my lungs.

It reminded me of the fresh air of a forest trail in autumn.

Or perhaps of a warm living room in winter, where a fireplace crackled gently in the background.

Either way, it resembled something I longed for.

‘I hope… whatever it is you want, I have it.’

If it was something I could give, if it made me a necessary part of his life, then maybe—just maybe— I could stay a little longer, a little safer.

By the time we arrived back at the Luanax estate, I had completely calmed down.

With some persuasion, I managed to convince Lionel to release me from the confines of his cloak, allowing me to step down from the carriage on my own two feet.

“Your Grace, you’ve returned early.”

At the unexpected arrival of their master, Cale, the butler, the head maid, and various other attendants hurried out to greet him.

With so many eyes on us, I wanted nothing more than to retreat behind him and follow quietly in his shadow.

But Lionel stubbornly refused to lower his outstretched hand.

I had no choice but to take his arm and enter the main building.

‘Wait… why the main building?’

Did he have something specific to discuss with me?

Well, I also had something to bring up with him—about our contract.

But when we arrived on the third floor, instead of stopping at the drawing room, Lionel led me straight to his bedroom.

I froze.

‘Wait, weren’t we going to talk?’

And then—he guided me all the way to the bed.