It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 142
Lionel listened without speaking.
“She’s the same. She’s never once resented you.”
Vaikal too was the same. Though he glared at Lionel with fury in his eyes, there was sorrow buried deep within.
“So if all your memories return… let it be enough. Be free of it, for your sake, and for ours. It’s time to end it now.”
“I understand what you’re saying.”
“But you can’t promise, can you.”
Lionel fell silent and bowed his head.
“I thought as much.”
The Count clicked his tongue. If he were the sort to just agree so easily, things would never have come to this.
At that moment, Halid and Vaikal stepped inside.
“The carriage is ready.”
“Thank you.”
Nodding, Lionel quickly scanned Halid and Vaikal’s faces. Whatever conversation they’d had,
a faint smile lingered between them.
It bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
Had they been talking about Serenia, just the two of them?
The image of Halid riding with her in his arms, rushing through the night, was still vivid in Lionel’s mind. The fact that Halid’s first love had also been Serenia grated on him with no end.
And Vaikal’s remark, that she might’ve been better off with Calitas, kept clawing at his nerves.
‘I have significantly more money than Halid.’
And not just money. He owned far more land, too.
Especially Hered, where his estate lay nestled in the warm southern region, was famed for its stunning beauty.
Unlike the Calitas estate, which bordered the frozen lands where demonic beasts roamed, the Luanax estate promised a far more comfortable life after marriage.
‘Serenia had said she liked my looks more than Halid’s.’
By any measure, that made him the more fitting husband.
And with Count Solen’s formal blessing already granted, there wasn’t much left to question.
Even so, Lionel couldn’t easily quiet the unease that clung to him.
‘Was this why the Count had warned him not to chase after lost memories?’
It was too late.
Just as he had told Count Solen, he could no longer stop. Even if those memories tore his heart to shreds, Lionel had to retrieve what had been taken from him.
“I suppose it is time we headed back.”
“Yes, it’s gotten late.”
Count Solen, filled with reluctance, hesitated to wake Serenia. He couldn’t bring himself to disturb her, and yet he couldn’t justify keeping her here either.
Lionel stepped closer and gently took her sleeping hand, softly rubbing the back of it.
“Serenia.”
At his quiet call, her eyelashes fluttered.
“It’s time to go. We need to head home.”
“Mmm…”
Slowly, her eyelids lifted, and she stared blankly at him.
“I woke you because I thought we could say goodbye. You won’t be seeing your family for a while.”
“…Ah.”
Serenia blinked a few times, then sat up. She already knew her family would be leaving the capital soon.
“Daddy… when will I see you again?”
Her gaze shifted between Count Solen and Vaikal, filled with longing. Count Solen, moved by her expression, pulled her into an embrace and patted her gently.
“I’ll come visit soon.”
“Leave a note in the mailbox.”
Vaikal said this as he was handing her a small chest.
“These are my replies to your letters. I never sent them, but I wrote back to every single one.”
The letters Serenia had sent over the past three years had always reached Count Solen and Vaikal. It was only due to the danger that they hadn’t been able to send replies.
Serenia pulled the box to her chest and gave a small, wistful smile.
“You’ll send them on time now, right?”
“Of course.”
After Count Solen, Vaikal also embraced her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Take care of yourself. And if your fiancé ever makes you upset, you let me know right away.”
…Even now, Vaikal hadn’t fully let go of the hope for an annulment.
