The Grand Duke’s features stiffened immediately as she angrily approached Yenelov Pendragon.
When he finally spoke, his voice was drenched in gloominess.
“Young Lord Pendragon, do you think my actions amusing?”
He was clearly about to take a step back and give up on Senelia, but as a man who never lacked for anything in his life, he’d never imagined others would dare covet one of his own.
Senelia is still mine.
It was a primal voice, roaring out from deep within his heart.
It didn’t concern him if Young Lord Yenelov bluffed before him, he could ignore it as their grudge had long since existed.
However, Senelia had mentioned Yenelov before, which changed things for Benelucia.
As Benelucia drew closer, Yenelov Pendragon found it harder to not involuntarily flinch.
The Grand Duke stood tall, towering all those around him, and with his wide shoulders that stood broad like a knight, it was no wonder he gave off an air of intimidation with just his body alone.
Seeing such blatant coldness emitting from that type of man, even the Young Lord Pendragon, who but a moment ago was braving flirting with danger, had to take a step back.
“Like the last time you showed up at the banquet with Sally, this time too— Why do you insist on provoking me? You’ve played around for a bit, and now, do you really consider yourself a worthy opponent to me?”
A cruel smirk crawled across the Grand Duke’s lips as he laughed.
The two of them may have been called enemies in the eyes of the aristocrats in the social world, but that did not mean that Benelucia felt any sort of a challenge from Yenelov.
In truth, the likes of a lord such as Yenelov, Benelucia never considered him to be on a level high enough to be considered an adversary.
Young Lord Pendragon’s expression contorted at his harsh words as the felt looked down on.
His mouth twisted as he spitefully spat out words he knew would stimulate and antagonize the man before him.
“Didn’t His Majesty and Lady Daphnen put an end to their relationship?”
There was doubt that his question pierced deeply into the heart of Benelucia, and at that moment, his aura became cold.
“Yenelov Pendragon.”
It was clear to the Young Lord Pendragon that he had done something he should have never tried to do.
He had aimed for Benelucia’s reverse scale.
Benelucia was gloomy.
“Senelia is mine.”
Benelucia’s hand wrapped around Pendragon’s throat mercilessly.
Veneruccia’s voice was gloomy.
“Senelia is mine.”
Veneruccia’s grip was wrapped around Jenelope’s neck.
The fact that he was ruthlessly weighing someone’s life without even realizing it sent chills down Jenelope’s spine.
Even if Benelucia broke or twisted his neck, there was no one who could oppose him.
It was then that Yenelov realized the consequences of angering this person.
The Grand Duke, his opponent, was a man who was thrown out into a battlefield at the young age of 15, but he still prevailed and came back alive and well as an adult.
The knights of the Pendragon family, who lived peacefully in the capital, were no match for Benelucia.
No one would be able to protect Yenelov should Benelucia choose to strangle him.
“Now your mouth is quiet.”
He let go of Pendragon’s neck, his grip had already loosened a while back, and stepped back.
Pendragon let out the breath he had been holding back without realizing it.
It was like experiencing death.
“I hope I never see Young Lord Pendragon at the Daphnen Mansion again.”
He turned around after throwing out a final warning.
Benelucia jumped back onto the horse when a memory occurred to him.
“Choose me, Ben. Cliff will eventually kill you.”
He finally fully understood Lucalina’s words.
In the future she saw, his older brother would have tried to kill him because Benelucia would never have given up on my love.
In front of him, even his last bit of humanity he tried to protect by not harming his flesh and blood would eventually lose its meaning.
“Only if we’re together can we both live.”
According to Lucalina, the last survivor between the brothers was Benelucia, not Cliff. In the end, it seemed that the winner was the Grand Duke.
He acknowledged that if that had to be, then he would win.
No one can take what is mine from me.
Benelucia never shared what was his and he never would.
The same goes for Senelia.
Even if she herself did not know that.
“Let’s go.”
He commanded his horse.
Of course, his destination was back to the Daphnen estate.
***
When Senelia discovered the guest room empty, her heart felt stifled.
She thought her plans had ended up in failure.
But she never expected Benelucia to leave and return all in one morning.
“I know that His Majesty’s marriage proposal was definitely returned already.”
The Viscountess, Senelia, and Benelucia were once again gathered in the drawing room and the Viscountess’ expression was cold.
The reason for it was because Benelucia re-handed over the marriage proposal that had been returned to the Viscountess.
Benelucia’s reply was frosty following the Viscountess’s words of embarrassment and rejection.
“Viscountess Daphnen, do you think I gave you a choice?”
The temperature in the room plummeted.
Senelia also looked at him with surprised eyes, as if she couldn’t believe what he had said.
She immediately remembered a scene from the original story.
“Brother, I’m not giving you a choice right now.”
“I will kill you.”
“I said I would marry Lucalina.”
On the day that Benelucia could no longer hold back his feelings for Lucalina, he promised to marry her and then he dared to declare it in front of the emperor.
“I can’t stop myself, I will stand against anyone even if it is my older brother and the emperor.”
“I said I would marry Senelia.”
And what he said then was exactly the same as what he was saying now.
Only then did Senelia realize a possibility.
Maybe Benelucia really loves me?
It’s not Lucalina, the heroine, but Senelia Daphnen, who’s just a minor role… myself.
The original was twisted, she herself had twisted the original.
Joy welled up inside Senelia.
I can live.
What I had given up on for 8 years was done the moment I thought it was over. It was funny and futile, but I couldn’t feel that relief.
Until her mother spoke up.
“…The Viscount Daphnen has one immunity.”
The Viscountess, who had been trembling in astonishment at the grand duke’s strong attitude, suppressed her nerves and spoke out with fear. But there was a determination in her voice that she would never hand her daughter over to Benelucia.
“It was received at the beginning of the founding of the Empire of Helios, and except for the crime of the Imperial family being murdered, any other crime can be forgiven.”
“Mother!”
Senelia was startled and involuntarily grabbed her mother’s arm.
This was an insult to the Grand Duke. There’s no way I can reword this and hide this insult.
Although Viscount Daphnen was a family of their empire, their history was by no means short.
Even this family had a once-in-a-lifetime glory.
Immunity was the most powerful weapon the Viscount Daphnen family had in their possession.
They could have enjoyed great wealth and glory with it, but they had never tried to use it until now.
For generations, Viscount Daphnen had loved the tranquility of guarding the fountain and abandoning greed.
But now, the Viscountess said that she would use the immunity she had been protecting.
“Are you going to confront me head-on?”
There was blatant displeasure in the Grand Duke’s tone.
She rejected the marriage proposal of the royal family, even using immunity. When she returned the marriage proposal for the first time, her reasons were on a completely different level from the Viscountess’s oblique refusal of now.
This is an open declaration that Benelucia would not allow, he belonged to the Imperial family and was the only grand duke of this empire.
“I know why the Grand Duke hasn’t even said anything about being engaged to my daughter for eight years.”
However, at the words of the Viscountess, the anxiety that filled Senelia’s heart disastrously overflowed and collapsed with a thump.
“At one time, the affair between His Highness the Grand Duke and the Marquis Elihan was so famous that not only the capital city but the entire social world of the empire were excited.”
Senelia didn’t know that her mother knew about the relationship between Benelucia and Lucalina. Her mother had never been interested in social circles and gossip.
As far as such a mother knew, the relationship between Benelucia and Lucalina was truly the love of the century.
The reason Senelia didn’t know about the relationship between the two until she met Cliff was simply because she was just 11 years old when Veneruccia went on the campaign.
Besides, when she first saw Benelucia after that, she thought that she would never get involved with a man like that, so there was no reason to know about his rumors.
Mother… Father said he knew all this.
Senelia felt ashamed of the feeling of being caught out.
She lived as a foolish person who pursued a man who never forgot about his first love. Even worse, it was her parents who spoke of it first.
Young Lady Daphnen was so embarrassed that she couldn’t raise her head.
And it got even more horrifying.
Even though my parents knew he had a woman in his heart, they let the man who used their daughter as a shield to hide his beloved woman.
Those days for the Viscount couple were lived in devastation, there were no words to describe.
“That’s—!”
After Benelucia abruptly trailed off, the Viscountess pushed on.
“Your Majesty, did you really think we did not know?”
Senelia’s head lowered in shame, her heart finally filled with misery at her mother’s words and turned to the Grand Duke.
I don’t know what he’ll do.
Still, my heart is pounding with anxiety.
As if her mother’s next words would become a huge tidal wave that will end everything.