Chapter 9: You Already Knew
You Already Knew
Benerucia couldn’t believe his ears.
But to prove that what he heard wasn’t a hallucination, every noble in the ballroom was staring at the entrance.
It was, undoubtedly, an intriguing scene.
Senelia Daphnen, who had always stuck by the Duke’s side no matter what he did, had entered the ballroom with his sworn enemy!
The doors opened, and Senelia walked in arm-in-arm with Yenneloph.
Unlike Benerucia, who looked pale from lack of sleep, Senelia appeared completely composed.
No—today, she looked exceptionally beautiful.
“…Was Lady Daphnen always that beautiful?”
This wasn’t just Benerucia’s illusion.
He heard someone murmur it among the crowd.
“His Grace is so striking that we never noticed before. But standing next to the Pendragon heir, she truly shines.”
Whispers continued, but one particular comment pierced Benerucia’s ears.
He clenched his teeth.
With her dark purple hair and red eyes, Senelia often looked dull next to Benerucia, who had brilliant blond hair and shimmering silver eyes.
But now, standing beside Yenneloph with his gray hair and black eyes—both muted tones—Senelia’s colors stood out vividly.
As if proving who was the one that could truly make her beautiful.
His insides twisted.
So Benerucia didn’t hold back. He walked straight toward them, as though he were the star of the evening.
“Celly.”
He even used her nickname.
“I greet Your Gra—”
“I have something to say to you.”
Yenneloph tried to show courtesy to the Duke, but Benerucia ignored him completely, as if he weren’t even there.
Senelia’s gaze remained calm as she looked at Benerucia.
“Celly.”
He pressed again.
“I apologize, Your Grace. If it is an order, I shall obey, but if not… I cannot leave the side of the Pendragon heir.”
Senelia slightly lifted her skirt with both hands and curtsied.
Benerucia’s face froze.
In a ballroom, it is proper etiquette to stay by your partner’s side unless the person asking you to leave is more important.
But Senelia was merely a baron’s daughter. She couldn’t possibly refuse an order from the Duke.
In other words, this was the most polite rejection she could offer—based on the assumption that her relationship with Yenneloph was more significant than hers with Benerucia.
“…Ha.”
Benerucia laughed in disbelief, looking down at Senelia.
If he insisted further, it would look like he was dragging her away against her will.
Senelia’s expression remained unchanged.
She didn’t seem the slightest bit shaken by him.
Benerucia’s lips twisted.
Why is she always so cold only to me?
No matter what he did, that expression never changed.
Not once in eight years.
“Pendragon heir, I will be taking Celly with me.”
And just like that, Benerucia grabbed Senelia’s wrist and pulled her out of the ballroom.
* * *
The Duke had a private lounge at the palace, reserved solely for his use.
Benerucia brought Senelia there.
She followed him without a word or resistance.
“Talk to me, Celly.”
As soon as they arrived, Benerucia turned around and questioned her.
Finally, she opened her mouth for the first time.
“I don’t know what you’re asking me to talk about, Your Grace.”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted.
“Why are you pretending not to understand? I asked why you were with Yenneloph Pendragon.”
His voice was sharp.
Why did he have to hear someone say another man suited her better?
But Senelia, still as polite as before, asked in return:
“Is that an order?”
“…What?”
That was completely unexpected. He blinked in surprise.
“If not, discussing private matters between myself and the Pendragon heir would be discourteous to him.”
Again, his insides twisted.
There it was—again.
Senelia drawing a line between them.
As if to say their relationship was none of his concern anymore.
“Are you saying you showed up with Yenneloph Pendragon just to provoke me after our breakup?”
Benerucia raked a hand through his hair in frustration.
He was furious at her ploy, but even more furious that it worked on him.
“…Fine. I’ll let it go this time, but don’t ever do this again.”
He sighed and issued a low warning.
It wounded his pride to let something like this slide.
To be honest, despite the rumors of enmity between them, Benerucia had never cared what the Pendragon heir did.
But today—seeing him beside his Senelia—it irritated him deeply.
His pride had been seriously wounded.
This wasn’t something he wanted to go through twice.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Your Grace.”
“I’ll pretend your selfish breakup never happened.”
Benerucia thought that would be enough to make Senelia relent.
Why else would she appear at a royal banquet with the man most rumored to be his enemy?
“…I’m sorry, Your Grace. But I have no intention of undoing our breakup.”
But that was only his wishful thinking.
Benerucia’s brow furrowed.
“Do you even know what you’re saying right now?”
He asked, clearly not believing her words.
“I said I don’t want to undo the breakup with Your Grace.”
Benerucia pressed his lips tightly together.
That wasn’t why he repeated the question—he wasn’t hoping to hear the same thing again.
“Senelia Daphnen.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“You truly mean to end things with me?”
“Yes.”
Her voice didn’t waver.
Benerucia quickly sank into displeasure.
If she truly meant to break up with him, then what was the point of coming here with Yenneloph Pendragon?
Yenneloph was in his prime marriageable age, while Senelia had already passed hers.
Whoever set them up had very clear intentions.
“…So what, are you saying you plan to marry Pendragon now?”
Senelia said nothing.
But to Benerucia, her silence was an answer.
“Is this because you’re angry at me?”
He couldn’t understand her choices.
Even when he openly flaunted other women in front of her, she had never said a word.
But was it too much when he attended an official event with someone else?
Looking back, maybe it was.
And if that was the case, perhaps this was a good thing.
It meant Senelia finally reacted to his actions.
“If that’s what this is about, I’m not involved with Lumina Erdelha.”
For the first time, Benerucia offered her an explanation.
“You don’t need to explain anything to me, Your Grace.”
But she cut him off immediately.
“There’s no meaning left between us.”
Her words brought that same unpleasant feeling bubbling up again.
Was she saying that wasn’t the reason for their breakup?
Or that it wouldn’t matter even if he publicly appeared with another woman?
Either way, he didn’t like it.
Senelia was making it clear—they were nothing now.
Why, then, did it make his insides burn?
Benerucia clenched his fists, barely restraining himself from yelling.
That’s when her expression changed, if only slightly.
He noticed it right away.
Then he realized he was still gripping her wrist.
“If it hurts, you should say it hurts!”
He let go immediately and shouted, forgetting his attempt to hold back.
It annoyed him that she hadn’t even whimpered, despite the bruise forming on her wrist.
He quickly pulled out a vial from his coat—a transparent potion, concentrated with pure divine energy.
The kind only a Duke would use.
“I can’t accept something like that.”
Senelia pushed his hand away.
“…You stayed quiet when your wrist was bruised.”
Benerucia muttered, stunned.
Even when dragged out of the ballroom, Senelia hadn’t dared touch him.
Why? Because as someone who was no longer his lover, she felt she didn’t have the right.
It was absurd.
How could she value herself so little—just over a stupid potion?
“…Your Grace!”
Senelia suddenly raised her voice, something she rarely did.
Because Benerucia had just poured the potion over her bruised wrist.
A potion worth as much as an entire mansion.
“Hold still.”
He said.
Senelia was overwhelmed.
If he could waste such an expensive potion so easily, how ridiculous must she seem to him—a mere baron’s daughter?
It had to be inferiority.
Because Benerucia wasn’t truly such a terrible person.
But even so… she couldn’t stop the thoughts from swirling.
