It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 75
Lionel dismissed the maids from the room with a wave of his hand before stepping closer.
“Even if it’s not at this masquerade, you’ll have another opportunity to meet the Count.”
Yet, even as he spoke, he still couldn’t meet my eyes.
His gaze flitted uncertainly, landing on the tapestry, the curtains—anywhere but me. The sight of it was so amusing I couldn’t help but laugh.
“…Do I look so disastrous that I shouldn’t attend like this?”
“That’s… not it. You’re simply too beautiful. It’s… problematic.”
He let out a quiet sigh and finally forced himself to look at me.
“…I think I understand why your father risked everything to hide you.”
Oh, that was too much.
Still, hearing him say I looked beautiful after putting in so much effort made me feel good.
As I beamed at him, he sighed yet again and opened the jewelry box resting on the vanity.
“You shouldn’t forget jewelry, either.”
I stepped closer, peering inside the box with him.
Inside lay a necklace adorned with dozens of diamonds and rubies, elegantly designed to drape from the neck down to the collarbone. A matching set of earrings accompanied it.
“Uh… isn’t this a little much?”
“Not at all.”
He lifted the necklace from the box.
“…Will you think of me whenever you see this, too?”
The deep crimson rubies, set among the diamonds, shone even more vividly—just like his eyes.
“I already think about you all the time, even without this. If I do it any more than I already do, you might find it troublesome.”
At last, he smiled.
“Well, that leaves us both with trouble, then.”
He moved behind me, draping the necklace around my neck with featherlight precision.
The tips of his gloved fingers brushed against my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.
“Serenia.”
After fastening the necklace, then the earrings, he wrapped his arms gently around my waist.
“…May I kiss you?”
A strange nervousness settled over me. I only managed a small nod, and his lips descended to my neck.
His breath was hot as his kisses trailed slowly down the line of my throat.
“It’s unsettling, taking you to a place filled with filth.”
“But you’ll be right beside me.”
“Of course. But I can’t stop them from staring.”
“They probably won’t even care that much.”
He was silent for a moment at my answer.
Then, a whispered sigh against my skin.
“…I should have just let you wear that black, shapeless priest’s robe for the rest of your life.”
That was the third sigh since he’d entered the room.
“You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you? The forbidden priestess robes?”
I teased, laughing, and in response, he bit my neck. It didn’t hurt, but I let out a playful “Ouch” anyway.
He licked the spot he’d bitten, then unwrapped his arms from my waist and let me go.
“Let’s go. You won’t understand how I feel until you see it for yourself.”
Pulling a large shawl from the dressing room, he wrapped it tightly around my shoulders before offering his hand.
As he escorted me down the stairs, he spoke again.
“The mask has an enchantment that alters the appearance of your eye color. The effect only works while you’re wearing it, so try not to take it off.”
“Understood.”
In such a short time, he had managed to acquire a magically enhanced mask. As expected of Lionel.
“But… what if… if the Count tells me to leave you?”
I blinked and looked up at him.
“As if he would. He should be praising me instead.”
Lionel’s crimson eyes wavered as they held mine.
“…Perhaps we should skip tonight and wait for a better opportunity.”
“When would that be?”
“…Preferably after we’re already married.”
I laughed at his joke, but then I noticed—he wasn’t laughing at all.
…Hmm.
It seemed that it wasn’t a joke.
