It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 68
With that, he stood, reaching for his discarded shirt. But as soon as he picked it up, he let out a long sigh. The poor thing had been thoroughly crumpled, and wasn’t in a good condition to wear again.
With no other choice, he merely draped his jacket over his shoulders and left the room. As for me, there was no way I could put back on my thoroughly ruined underwear, so I simply followed after him.
Before stepping out, I made sure to shut the door tightly—lest any lingering indecent scents escape into the hall.
Then, as if nothing had happened, I sat primly on the sofa in the sitting room.
Somehow, this… feels eerily familiar. The only difference was that last time, I had felt completely innocent. Not this time. I could still feel my heart pounding mercilessly in my chest.
From the moment the knock had sounded to when I sat down, not even a full minute had passed.
“Come in.”
As Lionel took a seat across from me, he called Cale inside.
And that was when I finally got a good look at Lionel, I was stunned.
The hair he had carefully combed earlier was completely disheveled.
His eyes, still tinged red, carried remnants of heat.
His lips, abused by far too much biting, sucking, and kissing, were visibly swollen.
And worst of all— His trousers.
His desire, still very much unresolved, strained the fabric to its absolute limits.
Just before the door opened, I shot Lionel a desperate look—gesturing frantically toward his hair and his pants.
At my urgent signal, Lionel furrowed his brows and roughly raked his fingers through his hair, attempting to smooth it down. Then, in a last-minute attempt at damage control, he draped the jacket he had slung over his shoulders across his lap.
…Not that it would help. Anyone with the slightest bit of perception would immediately recognize that Lionel had just been up to something thoroughly indecent.
I was coming to realize that once Lionel lost his composure, it was incredibly difficult for him to regain his usual austere demeanor.
For someone who initially seemed as frigid and unshakable as a fortress of ice, the moment he cracked, the sheer sensuality that lingered around him refused to dissipate.
But there was no time to dwell on it. It was too late. Cale, who had been waiting quietly in the corridor, had already begun entering the room at Lionel’s permission.
“Your Grace.”
Cale hesitated briefly upon stepping inside but quickly resumed his approach. Bowing politely, he extended a silver tray upon which a sealed letter rested.
A crimson wax seal marked its envelope.
After confirming the emblem imprinted on it, Lionel turned to me.
“It’s from the temple.”
Instead of opening it himself, he handed the letter to me. Taking it, I carefully broke the seal and unfolded the parchment, scanning the contents in silence.
Lionel, sitting across from me, patiently waited.
But when I lifted my gaze, I caught the faintest trace of unease in his red eyes.
“Hm….”
I furrowed my brows slightly.
“This is… quite troublesome.”
At my ominous tone, Lionel’s expression hardened.
“…Has there been an issue?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so.”
My face took on a deliberately grave expression as I lowered the letter back onto my lap.
“My request for secularization has been approved. ”
“…What?”
For the first time since I had parted with my family, I had successfully pranked someone.
I had lived too tensely, too warily, never allowing myself a moment of levity.
“I won’t be able to wear my priestly robes anymore. What should I do?”
Feigning regret, I lifted my eyes to meet Lionel’s, then I grinned. Lionel’s lips parted slightly.
Then, at last, realization dawned.
His expression subtly shifted as he grasped the fact that I had been toying with him.
“…I figured you’d be devastated. ”
“Not at all. Absolutely not.”
For the first time, Lionel spoke with noticeable haste.
And then—just a beat later—
He laughed.
“Welcome back to the secular world. From now on, live freely —and enjoy yourself as much as you like.”
An odd thing to say in place of congratulations, but I simply smiled in return.
To the man who would now stand as a fortress even higher and stronger than the temple that once sheltered me.
