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Chapter 69
The Male Lead Obsessed with Proposal
Tangled Knot
Although Cliff had clearly said he would consult with the Grand Duchess, Benelucia couldn’t bring herself to easily talk to Senelia.
She worried about what kind of shock Senelia would experience after all the suffering she had endured because of Cliff.
More than anything, she feared that Senelia might come to detest the imperial family.
Benelucia also knew that Senelia was already extremely exhausted.
Still, she could not give up her claim to the throne.
The right to succession was the very reason Cliff disliked Benelucia the most, yet it also served as a shield preventing him from completely controlling her.
A grand duke with a claim to the throne and an ordinary grand duke—the difference in their positions was obvious.
Royal family members enjoyed a great deal of immunity.
Unless someone committed treason, the chance of legally executing a royal was extremely low.
This was one of the reasons Cliff was still criticized for allegedly massacring other royals.
Officially, there were no charges that could be laid against the royals he supposedly killed.
After all, even the greatest offense outside of treason—insulting a royal—couldn’t be applied to another royal.
So Benelucia couldn’t give up her claim to the throne, even to protect herself and Senelia from Cliff.
If she gave up the succession, she wouldn’t arouse Cliff’s suspicion anymore, but afterward, she would become a pawn, just like the other nobles, easily manipulated by the emperor.
Thus, Benelucia ended up avoiding Senelia, unable to do either.
She couldn’t make a decision on how to deal with Cliff’s threats.
So, she remained silent under the pretense of “until a solution is found.”
But, as always, misunderstandings tend to arise from such situations.
A child who grew up reading the signs would naturally be perceptive.
It was therefore only natural that Senelia noticed Benelucia’s strange behavior.
She grew increasingly uneasy.
And as if on cue, a crow flew in through the grand duke’s window.
Senelia let out a dry laugh at the sight.
Cliff had a cruel knack for exploiting someone’s anxiety at exactly the right moment.
Her eyes caught the paper tied to the crow’s leg.
Senelia approached the crow and untied the paper.
[Try taking charge of the hunting festival preparations.
Of course, you may refuse. If you do, Lucalina will handle it instead.]
[P.S. – Benelucia has refused this offer. Celly, what will you do?]
Senelia’s hand trembled as she held the paper.
It felt as if her blood was rushing backward.
Again.
Once again, Lucalina’s name had been drawn into this.
Senelia knew Lucalina had done nothing wrong.
In fact, it was Senelia who had disrupted the fate of Benelucia and Lucalina.
She was fully aware that she would forever be a sinner to them.
Yet… every time Lucalina’s name appeared, Senelia’s mind went blank, and her insides churned.
Senelia also knew why Cliff wanted her to take charge of the hunting festival.
It was because she would soon become the Grand Duchess.
So it was within her power to do so.
But what would it mean if Lucalina could also have that opportunity?
If Benelucia knew this and hadn’t told Senelia, it was clearly something to be upset about.
However, that could only happen when Senelia was able to ask Benelucia directly.
She couldn’t confirm whether Cliff’s words were true or false.
What if it was true?
What if Benelucia really wanted Lucalina to take charge of the Grand Duchess’s duties?
The moment that became true, it would be the end for both Benelucia and Senelia.
Senelia couldn’t risk that.
“…He didn’t… push me away, at least.”
Senelia bit her lower lip tightly.
The dry, cracked skin stung, leaving a metallic taste.
But that didn’t matter.
Her trembling hand steadied almost immediately.
Yes, it was still okay.
Whether Cliff’s words were true or not, as long as Benelucia didn’t push her away, she only had to endure a little less than two months more until the wedding.
After all, it had been Senelia herself who told Benelucia that after marrying her, she could use herself as a shield to meet Lucalina.
She had dug her own grave with her own hands.
Still, Senelia needed to stay composed.
Her emotions overflowing in this situation would be of no use—it was unnecessary.
The crow seemed oblivious to Senelia’s despair, waiting only for her reply.
Of course, even if the owner—Cliff—mocked her emotions, the crow certainly wouldn’t understand her heart either.
“Caw—”
Hesitating, Senelia made the crow cry.
It seemed trained to return after receiving her reply.
After a moment’s hesitation, she wrote her response on the paper and tied it back to the crow’s leg.
Only then did the bird take off.
Senelia watched the crow’s flying direction for a long time.
After returning Senelia to the Grand Duke’s mansion, Benelucia didn’t force her to do anything.
All he wished for was simply to sit together at mealtimes.
So Senelia sat at the table with Benelucia.
An awkward atmosphere hung between them.
Breaking the silence, he suddenly spoke.
“Celly, do you want to learn about magic?”
Senelia froze.
Her first thought was that the stronger she became as a sorceress, the less Cliff would welcome it.
“You can do it without him knowing.”
As if noticing her worry, Benelucia added.
She paused her meal to consider his words.
Why suggest learning magic at this timing?
The vows Benelucia had made to her had already faded in Senelia’s mind.
The vows were only once, but the despair was countless.
Those countless days had made her let hope slip through her fingers.
She even wondered if, after being discovered with Cliff, he gradually lost interest and now sought usefulness in her.
It wasn’t self-deprecation; it was reality.
All the people she knew—Cliff, Benelucia, Lucalina—were exceptional, while she was nothing.
Even wanting to live a normal life as a perpetrator, that normalcy couldn’t provide the smallest hope of escaping misfortune.
So it was only natural she would view her own ordinariness with disdain.
“…Yes, I’ll learn.”
Yet she couldn’t really decide.
After all, she wasn’t Benelucia.
So Senelia obediently nodded.
If Benelucia deemed it necessary, she could just learn.
And since he promised she wouldn’t be discovered by Cliff, there was no real reason to refuse.
Yet, her response probably wasn’t what Benelucia had hoped for.
“If you don’t want to learn, you don’t have to. I won’t force you.”
Benelucia put down his wine glass, watching her reaction.
Senelia couldn’t understand.
He wasn’t someone who usually worried about others’ impressions.
“…Weren’t you saying it was necessary?”
So she asked.
His expression darkened.
“Don’t ever ask me if it’s necessary again.”
Benelucia gritted his teeth.
Senelia had always been like that.
Even though a sigh slipped from his lips, he suppressed it.
Whenever Senelia finally spoke after staying silent in front of him, it was always self-deprecating words.
How could a lover’s heart be okay listening to that?
Yet she couldn’t show it.
The moment he noticed her feelings, her mouth would shut tight again.
Still, she could detect his mood.
“…Yes. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Her gaze fell.
She didn’t mean to upset him.
But she couldn’t help but be confused by how he kept creating such an atmosphere.
Previously, she had been able to read him well.
This time, she swallowed a sigh.
“…It’s not that I want you to apologize… I just mean… you don’t have to force yourself to be necessary.”
Senelia nodded obediently.
But Benelucia knew she didn’t fully trust his words.
So, ultimately, he too was left speechless.
It had been an eight-year knot, tangled and now so knotted that the start of it was no longer visible.
Knock knock knock.
At a time like this, the knock was almost welcome.
“Your Highness, the Grand Duchess, I have a message for you.”
“…For me?”
Yet the butler wasn’t addressing Benelucia, but Senelia.
Flustered, she instinctively used polite language and nodded for the maid to open the door.
After greeting both Benelucia and Senelia, the butler delivered the message that left her even more embarrassed.
“Sir Elihan wishes to see the Grand Duchess.”
