Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 200

Her daughter, Alexandra, had arrived.

Alexandra glanced at the cards, clicking her tongue, then looked at Christian with a disappointed expression.

“Want to play with me too?”

“What will you wager, Aunt?”

“This house?”

“Hey! What are you saying!”

Viscountess Lope was shocked.

Christian smiled faintly, as if amused by his opponent.

“I’ll get this house back eventually anyway. There’s no need to wager it. Besides, it’s not like you actually own it.”

“…When will you get it back?”

“That would be after I inherit the duchy and after my grandparents pass away.”

Watching him casually talk about his grandparents’ deaths in front of her, his grandmother, the viscountess crossed her arms.

Alexandra, on the other hand, became uncomfortable for different reasons.

“And what about me?”

“You, Aunt? Hmm…”

He tapped the cards he held in his hands, organizing them neatly.

“Well, won’t you remarry by then? You’re still young.”

“…”

A shadow fell over Alexandra’s face.

There wasn’t a man in the capital who would take in a woman drowning in gambling debts like her. And it wasn’t like she was as attractive as her sister. The only thing she had inherited from their mother was her impulsive nature.

“Are you saying I won’t get a penny from you…?”

Sensing a brewing argument, the viscountess quickly cut in.

“Hey, your remarriage isn’t the issue right now. Your nephew says he has no intention of marrying at all.”

“When did I say I had no intention of marrying? I said I’m just not ready yet.”

“That’s the same thing. You complain about every single family that offers a match.”

“Well, that’s because every lady Father suggests has such a disappointing face.”

“Who marries for looks in noble families? It’s all about the family status.”

The exception to that rule was sitting right in front of her. The viscountess had also been like that.

“I can’t ignore looks. Children take after their parents, and no matter how good my looks are, it’s pointless if my partner brings us down.”

“…Are you obsessed with looks, or are you obsessed with women?”

“If I had to choose, I prefer women with beautiful appearances.”

The viscountess tapped the back of her crossed hands and brought up the subject of his latest romantic interest again.

“Caroline Lasphilla isn’t bad, is she? Her family status isn’t that much lower, and she fits your standards for looks.”

“Caroline, again.”

Christian waved his hand dismissively, as if swatting away an annoying fly.

“If I have to marry someone, I’d rather marry the one Father suggests.”

“Oh my, is it that bad?”

“Of course.”

Christian nodded.

“Why would I marry a woman who’s already been engaged? I can’t stand used goods.”

To him, she was no different from a display toy he once found interesting when he was younger and more naive. Something that could be played with but wasn’t worth paying for.

Caroline was exactly that to him.

***

At that moment, while Caroline was overjoyed with the permission to attend dinner at the Lope residence, Bernarda was spraying perfume in the bedroom Caroline had just left.

“Hmm…”

She sniffed the air, satisfied with the lingering scent of perfume.

‘A dinner hosted by Christian Pierce, huh.’

Of all people, she had latched onto such a rotten lifeline.

That’s why pampered young ladies are no good. They think they’re the protagonists in some kind of romance novel.

The idea of reforming a wicked man only happens in storybooks, doesn’t it?

These girls live their lives believing they’re somehow different from the rest, unable to properly see themselves. They don’t even know they’re headed for disaster.

Bernarda shook her head but didn’t laugh out loud.

Her bedroom was mostly quiet.

As she basked in the comfort of the stillness, her thoughts wandered to the future.

‘Caroline Lasphilla will sink by her own doing.’

Just like Guinevere Rosencrantz did.

That left only one living target for her to deal with.

Lilith Dust.

It would be easier to bring down Lilith than Caroline, as she was in a weaker position. Though Count Lasphilla showed affection toward that woman, she had too many flaws.

But there was another reason why Bernarda hadn’t dealt with her yet.

The former Countess Lasphilla, who no longer existed in this world, was protecting her.

She had left Lilith Dust as the legacy of the one who caused her death.

‘Poena’s Tears.’

Part of the deadly poison still remained hidden somewhere in the Coffret Manor.

And Louise Cléon had yet to retrieve the vial.

‘There’s no need to leave any danger behind.’

Taking care of Lilith would be an easy task, so there was no rush. For now, it was more important to focus on retrieving that dead woman’s memento from her.