TMLOP 23

Chapter 23  

 He Said He Loved Me:

“Have I ever gotten angry at you for being rude? No, I haven’t.”

There were certainly things Benerucia had done wrong to Senelia, but it had been Senelia’s condition from the start that she would “know her place.”

Not once had he ever belittled her because of her status.

“I heard His Grace the Grand Duke has taken a new woman.”
“Then isn’t Senelia Daphnen like a broken kite string now?”
“What are you saying?”
“What I mean is, a baron’s daughter got more than she deserved, and now she’s going back to where she belongs.”

On the contrary… Benerucia didn’t want anyone to look down on Senelia.

“You dared wag your tongue in my house.”

When the scandal first broke due to a misunderstanding, the employees of the Aphron Grand Duchy hadn’t changed their attitude right away.

But before they could even express any of it, Benerucia caught wind of it.

And he never overlooked it.

Senelia didn’t know it, but that was why she had always been able to live peacefully in Benerucia’s mansion.

He gave her the best of everything he could offer. She was the only one he’d kept by his side this long.

If it had been anyone else, their nose would have been in the air by now.

But Senelia had never changed since the beginning. No, she seemed even more cautious now, even more used to humbling herself.

“Shouldn’t the lover of the Empire’s only Grand Duke be above all that?”

Benerucia hated that about her.

Because every time, she didn’t feel like his lover, but someone who had nothing to do with him.

Every time, he had to suppress the rising frustration inside him.

He’d never felt that way with any of his previous lovers.

He was supposed to love only Lucalina, and if he treated Senelia differently from the others, it would be as if she was special.

That couldn’t happen.

“Then why do you lower yourself like I’m about to kill you? Don’t do that, Selli.”

Despite that firm denial, now that he thought about it, he had been so stupid.

In the end, Senelia was special.

So Benerucia decided not to hold back anymore.

“Even if you do act rude, I don’t care. But don’t do things like that again.”

He gently brushed her swollen forehead with a soft touch.

But the gentler he acted, the more distant Senelia felt from him.

It seemed neither of them were in their right mind.

Their emotions were swinging wildly, their attitudes wavering. Anyone watching might think they were mad.

Especially… Senelia’s own feelings in response to Benerucia’s actions were like that.

‘You’re only saying that because I’ve never been rude to you.’

Senelia held back the urge to snap sarcastically.

Except for the mistake she made today by slapping him, she had never once been disrespectful to Benerucia.

She assumed he was being lenient because it was a one-time thing.

To her, he was royalty, a grand duke, and the sole male lead of this novel.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine that he was forgiving her because he loved her.

As she was lost in thoughts and emotions, remaining silent, Benerucia spoke again.

“And… I’m sorry for proposing so rashly.”

Again. Benerucia apologized again.

The moment she realized this, Senelia had to force her face not to twist.

Every time he apologized to her, she felt strangely uncomfortable.

Even though they were her own feelings, she couldn’t explain why.

‘Even though Lucalina is back, he came here. Then everything’s fine, right? It should be good… but then why…?’

Whether it was out of love or necessity, she didn’t care.

She would stay by Benerucia’s side no matter what, and in the end, be the last one left.

That was her goal. But if she spoke while feeling this uncomfortable, she feared she’d make another mistake—like the slap.

So Senelia did nothing.

“But I want you to know this. That proposal wasn’t made in a fit of anger.”

And when she heard that, Senelia finally understood what she had to do.

Only then did she accept why Benerucia had come here, why he was being gentle even after being slapped.

Peace returned to her heart.

Before he could say anything else to stir her again, she spoke up quickly.

“Your Grace, do you need me?”

Lucalina had only just returned to the capital.

Clifford was always watching the relationship between Lucalina and her brother.

That meant they needed to be more careful than ever about being seen together.

Senelia assumed she was needed as a smokescreen.

She believed that without hesitation.

Because otherwise, Benerucia changing like this made no sense.

“What? No, it’s not that—!”

Startled by her firmness, Benerucia flinched.

He knew he had been all over the place, but he didn’t expect her to see it that way.

He quickly added,

Afraid her misunderstanding would only grow worse if he didn’t say it aloud—

“I love you, Selli.”

It was the first time Benerucia had ever confessed his love to her.

His voice didn’t tremble at all. It was steady and resolute.

“Your Grace, you don’t have to lie like that.”

But Senelia’s voice denying his confession was even more resolute.

She could confidently say she was unfazed by this situation.

Unlike when he suddenly proposed or apologized, Senelia could stay truly calm this time.

She probably knew better than anyone how much Benerucia loved Lucalina.

She knew how long he had waited for Lucalina—both from the novel and the past eight years.

And now he said he loved her?

Senelia didn’t want to be a foolish, naïve woman who believed those words.

“…Selli.”

Senelia was unrelentingly firm. Benerucia was at a loss for words.

Instinctively, he realized—

That no matter how many times he said he loved her, Senelia would never believe it.

That realization crashed down on him as despair.

A despair that couldn’t be defined with just one word.

You don’t believe my words, my love, me.

No one entrusts themselves to someone they can’t trust.

And Benerucia wanted Senelia.

Not the careful, duty-bound woman who always held herself back with a blank face—but Senelia herself.

But Senelia didn’t believe in him.

That meant he would never truly have her.

“I’m aware of the grace I’ve received from Your Grace during my time in the capital. If you command me because you need me, I’ll follow.”

With Lucalina now back, Senelia decided to change her plan.

She believed that staying away from Benerucia was only possible when Lucalina wasn’t around.

Now that Lucalina hovered near him, her own absence would quickly be erased.

She couldn’t allow herself to be forgotten by him.

And since it seemed Benerucia needed her, she now had a reason to return to his side.

If he even wanted to marry her, all the better. Senelia desperately needed that marriage.

“As before, if you wish to use me to cover up your relationship with Lady Elihan’s daughter, I don’t mind.”

“Selli…!”

Benerucia’s voice suddenly rose, his words trembling.

Use her? He looked at Senelia as if he couldn’t believe she’d use such a word about him.

His reaction was clearly that of a man who was hurt.

But Senelia didn’t think of herself as someone capable of hurting Benerucia.

So she assumed his reaction was just someone caught red-handed.

“I knew from the first moment I came to you. That you keep women by your side even though you don’t love them.”

Senelia tried to show as clearly as possible that she wouldn’t be a burden.

Unconsciously, she was desperate. And that desperation was starting to crack her calm demeanor.

“So I’ll accept your proposal, but don’t worry. I won’t misunderstand anything.”

Now that Lucalina was back, the tower Senelia had built for eight years was about to collapse. And with her father gone too, her anxiety was only natural.

‘I must seize this opportunity today and marry Ben.’

That was the desperate conclusion she’d come to.

The Marquis of Elihan was a proud man. He would never stand by while his daughter loved a man already married.

‘Ben’s probably making this wrong choice to protect Lucalina from Clifford.’

Senelia believed that Benerucia’s proposal to her was a complete misjudgment.

But that didn’t matter. Her original mission from Clifford had always been to separate Benerucia from Lucalina.

‘All I have to do is make him believe his mistake wasn’t a mistake.’

To become someone Benerucia absolutely needed—that alone had consumed her for eight years.

Now, Senelia was someone who knew only that.

So she was sure.

The method she chose was the right one.