🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 66
60. Prove Your Love
Senelia was confused.
Benerucia, who should have been furious at her, suddenly said he would kill Clifford for her.
That was the same as saying he’d start a war.
When she refused, he asked what he could do for her instead.
Senelia had nothing she wanted from Benerucia.
Except for marriage—she didn’t even need what came with it.
All she wanted was to escape Clifford.
So when she only showed a bewildered expression, the one who seemed broken instead was Benerucia.
“Celly, you… you don’t want anything?”
His voice was strained.
Usually, people said marriage was the beginning of a new life.
Naturally, that came with expectations.
But Senelia had none.
It was as if she had long since given up on everything, and no longer even knew how to hope.
It couldn’t be helped.
To her, anything beyond survival and the actions necessary for it was meaningless.
“…Celly, Senelia.”
Benerucia reached out toward her cheek, then pulled back, only daring to hold her right hand gently.
He didn’t know where or how to begin.
You are not wrong, but the way you think now is wrong.
Was it okay for him to say that?
Especially when he himself was partly responsible for her thinking that way?
He should have been angry at her, but instead, she just looked too hurt.
To Benerucia, Senelia had already become a source of pain.
“I’ll forgive you, Celly.”
He met her eyes directly.
The fog of arrogance had lifted, and now he wasn’t sure he could keep staring so stiffly.
But he still wanted—needed—to say something she might need to hear.
“You can deceive me. I’ll still love you.”
And to prove that these words were sincere, Benerucia forced himself to hold her gaze.
“But don’t forgive me. You don’t have to.”
Senelia’s face became unreadable.
She had never seriously considered the depth of Benerucia’s love for her.
Even outside the “original story” she remembered, the Benerucia she knew had loved only Lucalina for the entire eight years they had been together.
And suddenly, this man claimed he loved her.
How could someone who lived on thin ice like Senelia simply nod and believe that?
So she was confused.
For days now, Benerucia had only surprised her.
Even when he realized she had deceived him, he did not cast her aside. And though it was she who should have been begging forgiveness, it was he who asked for it.
What had changed him so much?
Senelia was bewildered—and then, suddenly, angry.
“Your Highness, why are you doing this to me?”
The Benerucia she knew had been arrogant and selfish, his understanding and selflessness reserved only for Lucalina.
But now he had changed.
He apologized to her, tried to understand her.
And Senelia couldn’t accept it.
She didn’t know why, but she hated it.
“You should resent me instead.”
Yet she didn’t lash out.
Not because she was restraining herself—she simply didn’t want to grant him the reaction he was asking for.
“Even if you scold me for deceiving Your Grace, I can’t do anything about it.”
Her voice was calm.
“Even if Your Grace throws me out of the Afron estate right this very moment.”
It was a dark night.
Outside, sudden rain was pouring down.
And still, Senelia looked as though she would walk out into that storm on her own if he told her to leave.
That was who she was.
And Benerucia saw it clearly.
Ah, you won’t even believe me when I say I love you.
Because you’ve already decided that’s who you are, you’ll never know how much I truly love you.
Benerucia’s face twisted as if he were about to cry.
“I love you, Celly.”
He forced a smile.
Senelia kept her lips tightly sealed.
She thought he might finally grow angry if she spoke.
It was her fault, yet he was the one trying to move past it—and if she pressed, wouldn’t that just be picking at a wound?
But instead of anger, he gave a confession of love.
That was the last reaction she had expected.
His lips trembled.
Yet even then, Benerucia kept smiling.
“As if I’d ever throw you out into a night like this. Or morning, or day—when would I ever dare cast you out?”
And now he understood.
She didn’t believe his words.
And Senelia didn’t realize—he now knew that about her.
“Celly, if you feel powerless because you have nothing… then I’ll give you everything.”
Benerucia lowered his head and kissed her palm deeply.
It didn’t matter if she didn’t believe him.
This was a vow to himself.
He wanted her love. He couldn’t trust her love. And so he resented her.
Yet still, he loved her.
And where that resentment would finally lead—would only be decided once she truly had everything she wanted.
The previous night had been strange.
That was how Senelia thought of the night of Benerucia’s vow.
But the strangeness didn’t end there.
“Celly, what if we brought Lady Daphne to the capital?”
It was a peaceful noon, just the two of them at a meal, when Benerucia suddenly said it.
“…My mother?”
Of course, for her to attend Senelia’s wedding, the viscountess would have to come to the capital eventually.
But with Clifford pushing the Hunt Festival earlier, there were less than two months left until the wedding.
Why bring her mother here now?
“I spent all last night thinking about what I could do for you.”
Benerucia’s face was serious.
Because of his past behavior, he worried that his words carried little weight with Senelia.
“You must be anxious about what my brother might do to your mother… so wouldn’t it be safer if she were within my protection?”
Senelia froze mid-cut of her meat.
She was shocked that he had pinpointed her greatest concern so precisely.
“My mother won’t want to leave the estate.”
Why did she feel so unsettled?
Her emotions were hard to pin down.
It was almost absurd—how easily he seemed to see what she wanted.
So she snapped back without thinking.
Of course, it was also true: the viscountess wouldn’t easily abandon an estate without its lord.
“Even if I sent a reliable, professional estate manager?”
These days, many lords no longer directly ran their lands. Instead, they hired academy-trained managers with degrees in estate administration.
Though the viscountess had long supported her husband, she belonged to a time when women focused on domestic duties.
She was skilled at managing the household, but less so in governance.
That was why she had always pushed to raise Senelia quickly as heir—because Senelia had received proper training since childhood.
Until Senelia officially inherited, using a professional manager, as Benerucia suggested, wasn’t a bad idea.
“Doesn’t that only work when there’s still a lord to give final approval? In the end, the lord has to sign off.”
But here lay the issue: the lord of Daphne’s lands was not present.
“You might as well just send me to the estate myself.”
Of course, Senelia knew her own words made no sense.
How could a woman about to become duchess, just two months before her wedding, simply leave?
She only said it because she felt Benerucia was acting rashly—thinking only of bringing her mother over without any real plan.
And if things soured with her mother, it would be Senelia caught in the middle.
“I’m sorry, but that’s exactly why this is necessary.”
But Benerucia didn’t take it as a joke.
After seeing her standing alone on the terrace the night before, he had become extremely uneasy about leaving her unattended.
The thought made his throat dry, and he sipped water before continuing.
“I thought of another plan… Celly, what if we advanced your succession?”
If Senelia formally inherited her father’s title, she could install a manager in the estate, and simply handle final approvals herself.
In fact, many nobles who lived in their capital townhouses while their lands were far away did exactly that.
“His Majesty the Emperor will never allow it.”
Every succession formally required an imperial decree.
Though usually, unless there was strong reason to oppose, such decrees were signed off by imperial officials on the emperor’s behalf.
But Senelia was certain Clifford would not permit it so easily.
No matter what was given to her—even if it was originally hers—Clifford always demanded a price.
“It’s fine. I have a way.”
But unlike her worries, Benerucia looked confident.
