TMLOP 81

Chapter 81

The Male Lead is Obsessed with Proposing

75. Consideration by One’s Own Standards

Senelia, without a care, took a private carriage she had personally arranged rather than one from the Grand Ducal household and returned to Daphnen’s townhouse.

Her heart was pounding rapidly.

There had been many times when she deliberately kept her distance from Venerucia as part of a plan to make him want her.

But this was the first time she returned to the townhouse completely absorbed in her own emotions.

She wanted Venerucia to chase her—but without feeling bothered.

That had always been Senelia’s unbreakable rule when dealing with him.

But today was different.

Today, she simply did not want to see Venerucia.

And so, she had come to the townhouse.

For Senelia, this was an incredibly impulsive decision.

At the very least, she had to endure the fear that by acting this way, Venerucia might abandon her.

“Gasp…! Your Grace, the Grand Duchess!”

At Daphnen’s townhouse, the staff managing the place were completely unfamiliar to Senelia.

All the servants who had previously attended to her had been taken to the Apron estate by Venerucia.

Everyone seemed surprised by her sudden appearance.

Among them, someone who appeared to be the butler rushed forward and introduced himself.

“Welcome, Your Grace, the Grand Duchess. It is an honor to meet you. I am Armando Eigeln, the butler here. But… what brings you here?”

Senelia found the question somewhat absurd.

This townhouse originally belonged to Daphnen.

And yet they were asking her what business she had here.

Honestly, it was ridiculous.

“…I’ll be staying here today… no, for a few days.”

Pausing briefly at the unfamiliar faces, Senelia deliberately lifted her chin higher as she spoke.

She thought that if these people had been sent by Venerucia, her words might reach his ears.

Senelia did not want Venerucia to be reassured by the fact that she was only staying for today and would return tomorrow.

“You’ll be staying here? But the Grand Duke—”

Armando asked anxiously.

Senelia cut him off firmly.

“If I say I’ll stay in my own home, does it matter whether the Grand Duke knows or not?”

Although she had no intention of scolding those who were merely following orders, she wanted them to understand something:

Even if they were Venerucia’s employees, if they chose to follow her rather than his orders in her own house, they would have to bear the resulting discomfort, even if they were only servants.

Armando fell silent.

Senelia walked past him and headed straight to her room.

It had been eight years since she had acted so freely.

And that fact brought her a surprisingly great sense of liberation.

Some might see it as trivial freedom, but to her, it was precious.

So, Senelia decided to spend an ordinary night for the first time in a long while.

After bathing, dressed lightly in indoor clothes, she sat on the sofa with a book, a relaxed smile appearing on her face.

“The cover’s worn out…”

She murmured while looking at the book’s title.

Then she glanced around the room.

Most of the books on the shelves were ones she had brought from the Daphnen estate.

To be precise, her parents had prepared them along with the townhouse for their book-loving daughter.

That meant she had barely bought any books in the past eight years.

It was understandable.

When she first arrived at the townhouse, she had bought one or two books, thinking she would eventually read them.

But every time Senelia was alone in the townhouse, Clifed would show up unannounced, making her constantly anxious.

The Emperor didn’t come every day, but she never knew when he might.

That alone made her uneasy and fearful.

Reading a book was only possible when one had peace of mind.

Of course, there were times when buying books alone brought joy.

Whether she read them or not, her purchases would help support the authors’ continued work.

‘So, I have the luxury to read books,’ she thought.

During the year she had spent in bed without being Venerucia’s lover, she would have continued buying books, if not for something Clifed had said.

‘Still, I only warm the bed,’

Clifed’s insulting remark had poured over her like ice-cold water in the dead of winter.

That day, she realized something.

Ah… I see.

I no longer even have the freedom to buy a single book I like.

From that day on, Senelia gave up everything she loved.

She was meant to exist for the Emperor and for Venerucia.

She had been stripped of the right to exist for herself.

She had lived that way until her books grew old.

Thinking of it now, she remembered just how grueling that time had been.

Senelia hesitated, unable to turn even a single page.

‘…What if Clifed finds out?’

Clifed never appeared in front of her while she was with Venerucia.

Only then did she regret impulsively coming to the townhouse without a second thought.

No matter how angry she was at Venerucia, it would have been far better to stay at the Grand Ducal estate than risk Clifed showing up.

‘Such a foolish thing to do.’

She bit the inside of her cheek.

Her body, relaxed by the warm bath, tensed again.

Her gaze fell on the clock.

How much time had she wasted at the townhouse?

Should she return now?

Hesitation and confusion gripped her instantly.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Startled by the sudden knock, Senelia flinched.

But soon she realized Clifed was not the type to knock and approached the door.

“What is it?”

“Your Grace, the Grand Duchess, this is Butler Armando… um… the Grand Duke said not to tell you, but…”

The voice outside was Armando, who had introduced himself earlier.

Knowing that Venerucia’s staff would not harm her, Senelia draped a light shawl over her shoulders and opened the door to face Armando.

“The Grand Duke? What did he say not to tell me?”

Senelia looked at Armando with curiosity and suspicion.

She wondered what the butler might have reported to Venerucia about her.

“…Well, the Grand Duke is currently standing outside the townhouse gate.”

“…What?”

But what Armando hesitantly said was unexpected, even with the sharp look in Senelia’s eyes.

“Wait, since when?”

Words poured out of her, confirming her embarrassment.

“Then why did he tell me not to say anything?”

She spun her head to glance at the clock.

It was already 2 a.m.

The public carriage fare doubles after midnight.

Yet she had paid only the standard fee.

That meant she had been at the townhouse for at least two hours.

“…The Grand Duke arrived almost immediately after Your Grace arrived,” Armando said, rolling his eyes anxiously.

“He’s been standing outside all this time?”

According to Armando, Venerucia had indeed been waiting outside the gate for at least two hours.

Senelia kept her mouth shut to prevent her voice from sounding sharp.

If Venerucia had ordered it, what could Armando do?

She had long experience being the weaker party.

She did not want to take out her anger on someone in the same vulnerable position.

“…I apologize, Your Grace. You may even kick me out of the townhouse, and I wouldn’t be able to complain.”

Bowing deeply, Armando apologized.

Senelia swallowed a sigh, holding back her irritation.

No matter how many times she scolded the butler, it would not change the fact that Venerucia had been waiting outside all this time.

“…No one was to disturb Your Grace’s time. Perhaps that’s why… the Grand Duke also told me not to tell you he had arrived,” Armando added, mixing in his guess as he glanced at her.

But it did nothing to improve her mood.

Had it been an ordinary day, she might have appreciated it.

She might have thought, “This is quite considerate of him.”

But today, after her frustration with Venerucia had erupted, such consideration within his limits did not satisfy her.

All the townhouse staff were hired by Venerucia.

They would have opened the door if he asked.

There was no need to disturb anyone in the middle of the night—they could have stayed in the reception room or guest room.

If he said not to tell her, the staff would have kept silent anyway.

“…Fine. I’ll go out.”

Senelia pressed her forehead and said.

The situation was genuinely annoying.

But she could not ignore the fact that Venerucia was outside, waiting.

Finally, she had her maids bring her outerwear, draped it over herself, and headed to the gate.

And, as Armando had said, a man with long, luxurious blond hair was standing there.

As soon as Venerucia turned toward her at her approach, their eyes met.

Senelia immediately asked,

“…Why are you here?”