TMLOP 22

Chapter 22

The Reward She Had Always Longed For

Veneluccia’s words sounded as though he already knew her mother’s personality.

It was extremely strange.

Because Veneluccia had never once shown any interest in Senelia’s parents.

“I’m sorry, Selly.”

This time, Veneluccia apologized.

It was the first apology she had ever heard from him since they had been together.

…For what?

Senelia kept her lips tightly shut and only stared at Veneluccia.

She could not understand his actions at all.

What Senelia had wanted from Veneluccia was only one thing.

For him to realize that he needed her, bring her back to his side, and not abandon her.

That alone would have been enough.

But why was that arrogant man apologizing to her?

Senelia truly could not understand.

“If I had gotten engaged to you sooner, the Viscount would never have had to come looking for you.”

And the moment Veneluccia continued speaking, Senelia felt as if she had been struck on the head with a hammer.

She felt as though some part of her was aching painfully.

“I thought that perhaps the Viscountess might not welcome you because of that as well… and judging by your reaction, it seems my assumption was not wrong.”

Veneluccia continued speaking so smoothly.

Without realizing how much each word was cutting Senelia apart.

“I’ll make up for it now.”

Veneluccia stepped closer to Senelia.

Because she remained silent, he gradually became more anxious.

So he apologized.

And he said he would compensate for everything.

Veneluccia wanted to ease Senelia’s heart somehow.

However, his intention struck precisely…

…the deepest wound in Senelia’s heart.

“Compensate?”

The ending of Senelia’s words became subtly sharp.

She desperately tried to suppress herself, but violent emotions surged inside her.

Senelia remembered the exact moment she heard about Viscount Daphnen’s death.

She remembered how heavily guilt had crushed her.

‘Ah… I… I… Father, I made you die while carrying regret in your heart.’

Even as she ran toward the Warp Gate, that thought never left her.

Because of that, Senelia could not even find the right to cry.

The Viscount had died while coming to find her.

And he had died believing that his daughter had ultimately been abandoned.

Even though she remembered her past life, she was still Senelia.

She had been born in this world and raised in this world.

Viscount Daphnen had never once been anything other than her father.

Therefore…

Her father’s death had cut deeply into Senelia’s heart.

So deeply that she could even understand her mother’s hatred toward her, despite the pain of being hated by the parents she loved.

But he said he would compensate for all of that.

Who could?

How could they?

By what method?

Could such devastation truly be compensated for?

Senelia’s hands began trembling.

She desperately wished Veneluccia would stop speaking.

“Marry me, Selly.”

But just as he always had in countless moments before, Veneluccia ignored her desperate wish.

“Then your parents would also—”

And the moment her parents were brought up again by Veneluccia’s lips…

Senelia could no longer endure it.

Slap—

Veneluccia’s words abruptly stopped.

His head had been violently turned to the side.

She had struck him so hard that Senelia’s own palm stung painfully.

“How could you… how could you bring my parents… into your mouth…”

Senelia muttered, having lost control of herself from anger.

How could the death of her father and her mother’s hatred be compensated for with a mere marriage to Veneluccia?

That marriage.

That marriage he could speak of so easily.

Something so insignificant!

How could that possibly—

Her anger erupted like flames in an instant.

Without a doubt, this was the first time she had found Veneluccia so unbearable.

“Selly, what are you—”

The arrogant man, who had probably never been slapped even by a former lover, seemed completely stunned by what had happened.

He looked at Senelia in disbelief.

But the moment their eyes met, something quickly followed behind Senelia’s anger.

A survival instinct.

She immediately realized like lightning that she had committed a grave mistake.

“I have committed a crime worthy of death.”

Senelia immediately fell to her knees and pressed her forehead to the floor.

How had she survived for eight years…

And yet, at this exact moment, she had failed to control her emotions and was about to ruin everything.

‘No… What should I do? What should I do?’

Her father’s death was devastating.

Her mother’s hatred was painful.

But even so, Senelia had eight years.

Eight years spent acting like a dog beside Cliff.

Eight years spent beside Veneluccia, carefully folding away any hope of love.

The weight of those years swallowed her anger in an instant.

Extreme fear followed extreme anger.

Because of that, Senelia was no longer thinking clearly.

The fact that she had suddenly slapped him in rage, unlike her usual cautious self, and then immediately dropped to her knees begging for forgiveness was proof enough.

“I dared to lay my hands upon the body of a member of the imperial family. Please punish me accordingly, and my family—”

It was a habit.

Even in the middle of her chaos, Senelia continued apologizing.

But her apology ended there.

“Enough!”

Veneluccia’s harsh voice cut her off.

* * *

Veneluccia had confidently believed one thing.

That he could give Senelia sufficient compensation.

He was a Grand Duke who lacked nothing.

Whatever Senelia desired, he was prepared to give her.

Therefore, he had never once considered that he might be unable to make up for what he had done or the sadness she had suffered.

Slap—

“How could you… how could you bring my parents… into your mouth…”

So when Senelia turned his head with her slap, Veneluccia did not feel anger.

He was simply unable to believe it.

Because he had never imagined Senelia would react this way.

Only belatedly did Veneluccia realize that she might not want compensation.

However, before he could say anything about it, Senelia knelt down first.

She bowed her head without hesitation, lowering herself as though she were an insignificant person.

“I have committed a crime worthy of death.”

The moment he heard those words, Veneluccia’s mood sank rapidly.

Senelia was once again maintaining her “place.”

She had still not forgotten that the relationship between them was that of a Viscount’s daughter and a Grand Duke.

‘No… did you ever forget it even once?’

“I dared to lay my hands upon the body of a member of the imperial family. Please punish me accordingly, and my family—”

At Senelia’s continued words, Veneluccia could no longer hide his distorted expression.

“Enough!”

Veneluccia shouted through gritted teeth.

He could understand just how terrible she must think he was.

For her to bring up her family over something like this.

And the fact that the woman he loved viewed him that way…

Even the worst kind of man would not welcome such a thing.

“Get up. Don’t kneel before me. What exactly are you…”

Suppressing a sigh, Veneluccia lowered himself and lifted Senelia up himself.

Because his emotions were overwhelming him, his words spilled out uncontrollably.

If he had made Senelia his fiancée earlier, she would never have needed to kneel over something as trivial as slapping him.

Of course, that was an unreasonable thought for a member of the imperial family like Veneluccia.

But right now, he was simply a man who had only just discovered love and could no longer see anything else.

Besides, Veneluccia was a Sword Master.

The slap had not even left a mark on him.

Instead, only Senelia’s palm had turned red.

And that was what bothered him more.

“I won’t do anything to you or your family, so stop pulling away.”

Veneluccia comforted Senelia, who was trembling after being shocked by her own actions.

Then he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and carried her toward the sofa.

“Your Grace!”

Senelia grabbed his shoulder in surprise.

She could not follow the situation at all.

“Please put me down. The distance between Your Grace and I is too—”

“Be quiet, Selly.”

Veneluccia unintentionally revealed his hurt feelings.

The fact that she said “Your Grace and I” instead of “us” made the distance between them painfully obvious.

It displeased him greatly.

When Veneluccia spoke in an unusually rough voice, Senelia flinched.

An awkward silence fell between them.

Even so, Veneluccia carried her all the way to the sofa and sat her down.

“Your forehead has turned red.”

“Your Grace!”

Senelia gasped.

Veneluccia had knelt down in front of her without hesitation, saying he was checking her forehead.

“Please stand up immediately. If someone sees—”

Senelia panicked.

Cliff’s spies were everywhere.

She feared what would happen if this reached the Emperor’s ears.

Cliff wanted Senelia to become Veneluccia’s leash.

But he did not want her to actually control his younger brother.

The Emperor also surely knew that Senelia did not hold any favorable feelings toward him.

The reason Cliff continued using her despite that was because he knew she lacked the reckless courage needed to take revenge against him.

Even so, the Emperor quietly remained wary of Senelia.

Because Cliff fundamentally distrusted people.

He believed humans could change at any moment.

In such a situation, if the proud Veneluccia learned that Senelia had made him kneel before her, she feared what the Emperor would do.

However, Senelia had never told Veneluccia anything about this.

So he had no way of knowing what was truly inside her heart.

That was why Veneluccia found Senelia’s constant caution frustrating.

Even after six years as the Grand Duke’s lover—excluding the two years when their relationship remained uncertain—she had never changed.

She was always careful.

She never knew how to take care of herself.

“Is that really what matters right now?”

Veneluccia swallowed another sigh and continued speaking.