Chapter 54

Until they got into the carriage, Harriet stumbled several times as her legs gave way. Each time, Lennox, holding her hand firmly, escorted her carefully like a princess and seated her.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…”

Nodding, Harriet replayed the conversation in her mind. Alcohol… The root of everything was alcohol. But something didn’t sit right. Sure, it’s possible to get aroused when drunk. But feeling hot with each sip and having no memory at all was strange.

Mikhail was naturally a strong drinker with extreme self-control. He used to say he would have become a priest if he hadn’t been born the only son of a noble family. Before marriage, he maintained a level where they only held hands and kissed.

But to get drunk quickly on a few drinks and get aroused? And with her sister Marianne?

“Coco.”

While Harriet was lost in thought, staring at the quickly passing scenery outside the window, a low voice called her back to reality.

“You look tired. Are you really okay?”

“Yeah, really. I slept well last night and ate all my meals. It’s just…”

As she hesitated, wondering if she should tell him about the conversation, Lennox reached out and took her hand.

“But, what is it?”

“I just heard about the events of three years ago from Mikhail. In detail, for the first time. But something doesn’t sit right…”

“Something doesn’t sit right?”

“Yeah.”

Nodding, Harriet calmly listed the doubts that had arisen in her mind.

“No matter how much I think about it, it’s strange. There must be something more.”

“….”

“…I don’t know.”

Lennox, who was silent as if pondering with her, spoke with a serious face.

“Maybe Marianne just prepared a strong drink?”

“A strong drink?”

“There are many kinds of alcohol in the world. Some can make even the strongest drinkers get drunk quickly.”

“…Is that so?”

“And what happened… I’m not sure if I should say this.”

Harriet nodded, indicating for him to continue. With her permission, Lennox hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Men sometimes get excited without realizing it if they find a woman even slightly attractive. Maybe he had some feelings for Marianne all along.”

“…”

Harriet closed her eyes tightly at the oncoming headache.

“That could be… I know feelings aren’t something you can control. Marianne is certainly attractive. Gentle and feminine.”

With a coquettish voice and natural charm.

Before she eloped with Mikhail, no man disliked Marianne.

“Do you see her that way too?”

Harriet asked jokingly with a bitter smile. A sharp gaze returned instantly.

“Are you joking right now?”

Each syllable was spat out coldly. Surprised by the unexpected reaction to her light-hearted question, Harriet held her breath.

Seeing her speechless, Lennox, who had quickly softened his expression, shook his head.

“I only see you.”

“…”

“I could distinguish you at a glance even if you were mixed with hundreds of women. To me, women other than you are just passing weeds or stones.”

His voice was calm but serious. Harriet turned her gaze away, biting her lip.

With just that one sentence, the gloom that had filled her moments ago disappeared, leaving only the warmth rising to her face. Her heart raced irregularly, and a strange sense of elation washed over her as if her feet were floating.

“You can test me if you want.”

Lennox, who had been caressing her cheek, smiled with his eyes. Harriet shook her head, laughing.

“Where would I find those hundreds? I’ll pass.”

“Coco. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re just a victim betrayed by someone you trusted.”

“Yeah…”

“Regardless, Mikhail is still trash.”

“That’s right.”

The pent-up emotions gradually dissolved, and warmth spread through her chest. Nodding, Harriet tapped the seat next to her. Lennox, who had been waiting for her gesture, sat beside her and rested his head on her shoulder.

His appearance, like a large dog seeking affection, made Harriet burst into laughter.

“You’re heavy.”

“Forgive me. I stayed up all night.”

“Really?”

Instead of answering, Lennox rubbed his cheek against her shoulder like a spoiled child. Harriet raised her hand and stroked his blond hair.

In the peaceful silence that filled the carriage, as they passed through the gates of the Vanetti Estate, Lennox suddenly broke the silence.

“By the way, you broke your promise.”

“…Huh?”

“Don’t you remember?”

“What… Oh.”

Harriet, who had been recalling the face that had come close, averted her gaze.

“You promised not to be alone with that man.”

“Well, technically, I wasn’t alone.”

“Does a woman lying unconscious in bed count?”

His eyes narrowed. Harriet coughed and shamelessly retorted.

“She wasn’t dead, was she?”

“How would I know what that man might do to you? I couldn’t intervene.”

“Mikhail isn’t that kind of person… Mmph!”

In response to his absurd words, Harriet reflexively defended Mikhail, only to have her words cut off by his lips. Lennox, covering her lips, gently cupped her chin with one hand, gradually deepening the kiss. The strength in Harriet’s hands, which had been pushing against his solid shoulders, gradually weakened.

The tingling sensation spreading from their connected lips sent blood rushing through her body. As the kiss lengthened, Harriet unconsciously wrapped her arms around Lennox’s neck, responding to him.

“Mmph…”

After a long moment of devouring her lips, Lennox slowly pulled away.

“Haa…”

Harriet, who had been engrossed in the kiss, forgetting even the coachman sitting in front, panted with dazed eyes. Without time to adjust her disheveled clothes, Lennox, holding her cheeks with both hands, warned her softly.

“Don’t mention another man’s name in front of me, Coco.”

Startled, Harriet nodded. His gleaming eyes were those of a male asserting ownership over his mate. The possessive gaze felt unsettling for a moment, but then Lennox, returning to his usual self, kissed her forehead.

Harriet quietly accepted the series of kisses on her forehead, nose bridge, and cheeks, but when his lips tried to move lower, she immediately stopped him.

“Enough.”

Lennox, who had been pouting, knelt on the carriage floor and rested his arms on her knees, looking up at her in protest. Then he boldly demanded.

“Then give it back.”

“What?”

“The kiss I just gave you.”

“You know that’s unreasonable, right?”

Laughing at his deflated tone, Harriet found herself already feeling relaxed. To think she found a man bigger than herself cute, especially Lennox Diorne, whom she once found annoying! She couldn’t believe it herself. Perhaps a part of her mind had loosened.

“Don’t you like it?”

“Don’t… What are you doing!”

While Harriet was lost in thought, Lennox had removed her shoes and placed her legs on his shoulder.

“This is a carriage! Are you out of your mind?”

Startled, Harriet looked out the window in alarm. Passersby gradually came into view.

“What’s wrong with massaging the legs of my tired wife?”

Lennox, who had countered, deliberately drew the curtain over the slightly open window.

“Of course, it might be misunderstood from the outside.”

“Stop it! Ah!”

Trying to wriggle free, Harriet found herself involuntarily tilting her head back at the refreshing pressure on her feet. The firm hands pressing on her acupoints gradually relieved her fatigue. It was like magic.

Unconsciously savoring his touch, Harriet snapped back to reality at the suggestive sound that escaped her throat.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

“What do you mean, ‘alright’?”

Harriet looked down at Lennox, who blinked innocently, and bit his nose. The next moment, Lennox, startled, released her foot.

“Lennox?”

It wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but his frozen reaction surprised Harriet, who glanced at him.

“…Did it hurt?”

“You really.”

Rubbing his nose, Lennox pulled her arm, drawing her to him. Harriet was defenselessly captured and kissed again.

* * *

Finally, after kissing until her lips were swollen, Harriet was released. Unlike her, who felt drained as if all her vitality had been sucked out, Lennox’s complexion was as clear as if he had just woken from a deep sleep.

Annoyed by the contrast, she glared at him, and Lennox, laughing sheepishly, raised his hands.

“Sorry.”

“No kissing for a while.”

“What?”

Lennox’s expression changed instantly, like a puppy deprived of its favorite toy.

“For how long?”

Lennox, who had quickly followed Harriet out of the carriage, asked anxiously. Although their hearts were in sync, they had never gone beyond kissing. She felt that without it, her body, which was already heated, would be hard to bear.

“Madam. Master.”

The butler, who had come to greet them, opened his mouth to speak, but Harriet, who hadn’t noticed, suddenly stopped and turned, narrowing her eyes.

“I don’t know. For a while. I feel like I’ll be drained of all my vitality if I stay with you like this.”

At that moment, someone interrupted them.

“Vitality?”

“…Uncle.”

The lighthearted atmosphere vanished with the intruder’s arrival. The butler, anxious under Lennox’s questioning gaze, bowed his head.

“He just arrived.”

Hiding Harriet behind him, Lennox greeted dryly.

“Welcome, Uncle. What brings you here?”

“What do you mean, ‘what brings you here’? Can’t an uncle visit his nephew’s house?”

“Of course not.”

Lennox, raising the corners of his lips, shook his head.

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

“No, that’s alright.”

Earl Eiden, glancing at Harriet behind Lennox, handed him something. It was a newspaper. As Lennox reached out to take it, Eiden avoided his hand and handed it to Harriet.

“What is this…”

“I thought it would be better for the person involved to read it.”

Confused, Harriet took the newspaper. The next moment, a large headline caught her eye.

<Exclusive: Marianne Chasselot’s Confession Reveals the Ugly Family Secrets of the Vanetti Household!>

The sensational article began with a single sentence.

[Three years ago, Marianne Chasselot, who caused a stir in society by eloping with her sister’s fiancé, has revealed a shocking truth.]