It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 44

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I set down my utensils, took a sip of my drink, and turned to face him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yes, please ask.”

After a brief breath, I spoke.

“If I leave the priesthood, will you truly marry me?”

Lionel’s red eyes flickered, as if my question had caught him off guard.

“My family is gone. I don’t even know where they are or how they’re living. Would it even be possible for me to become your wife?”

Since this was an important matter, he could no longer evade me. Lionel finally turned toward me.

“That doesn’t matter.”

His gaze was still slightly off, hovering near my forehead rather than my eyes. But at least he was trying to look at me now.

“Luanax is ruled solely by the Duke. No one can oppose my will, including my choice of spouse.”

I assumed he wasn’t wrong.

If that weren’t true, someone would have already reprimanded him for crossing borders and invading foreign territory. A family elder, a vassal— someone. But no one had.

Despite being young for the head of a powerful ducal family, it was clear that Lionel had already reshaped Luanax entirely to his will.

Whether by absolute submission or outright purging, he had ensured that no one stood against him.

“Then… after we’re married, will you have children with me?”

For a moment, he stared at me, as if questioning his own hearing.

“…Children, you say.”

“You mentioned earlier that we could sleep separately. So, I was wondering… are you planning to simply pretend we’re husband and wife, only to divorce me once you no longer need me?”

Lionel’s expression hardened.

“That is not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

I answered, holding his gaze.

“Once I leave the Order, returning to the temple won’t be an option. I don’t have a family to protect me, so I have to think about my future.”

Of course, that was a lie.

Unlike ordinary priests or holy knights, someone like me— who possessed the power of Precognition —would never be turned away by the temple.

In fact, they wouldn’t just take me back. I would be exalted as a Saintess, rising to the temple’s highest ranks.

And if history was anything to go by, that would almost certainly lead to a royal marriage, as a symbol of peace and communion. Which was precisely the outcome I needed to avoid.

“You needn’t worry about that. If you accept my proposal, we will draft a new contract—one that accounts for all your concerns. As for children….”

Then, he closed his eyes for a long moment before reopening them.

His crimson gaze flickered briefly before settling on me.

“To be frank, I have no interest in the matter. As I’ve told you before, the only thing that matters to me right now is you.”

His words sent a strange shiver down my spine. Because this time, our gazes did not misalign.

“However.”

The languid composure that had always lingered in his eyes suddenly vanished. In its place, a gaze as sharp and predatory as a beast’s took hold. A single glance made me feel ensnared. Trapped. As though invisible shackles had clamped around my limbs, b inding me to him.

“If you’re asking because you’re wondering whether I desire you—”

Lionel’s voice dropped to a whisper, as if reading my inner thoughts.

“—then you are welcome to confirm it for yourself.”

Before I could even process his intent, he reached for me.

The moment my hand brushed his, he pulled me forward.

My body landed on his lap.

And then—I felt it.

Beneath me lay something thick, solid, and unmistakably alive. A presence that pulsed heavily against my lower body.

“It’s quite the predicament for me as well, but whenever I’m near you… this seems to happen.”

In an instant, fragments of past moments flooded my mind.

In the carriage. During meals. When we sat together in the drawing room for tea.

Each time, he had subtly shielded his lap with something— a book, a stack of papers, his jacket.