Chapter 15
11. Between You and Me
Senelia’s firm rejection once again unsettled Benerucia.
He was, after all, that kind of person. Generally kind and considerate, but still very much a royal who was used to others accommodating his moods.
“I’ll handle getting permission from His Majesty to use the warp gate. Just use it,”
Benerucia said again.
Since the warp gates were managed by imperial mages, using one required not only significant cost but also the Emperor’s permission.
It was a privilege reserved for high-ranking nobles.
Normally, Senelia wouldn’t have been allowed to use one.
“Ben, I want to go to the Dafnen estate as Senelia Dafnen,”
she said, using his nickname only in moments like this.
Looking back, even when they were in a relationship, she had called him “Your Grace” more often than his name or nickname.
And at that moment, Benerucia was at a loss for words.
The Dafnen estate wasn’t terribly far from the capital, but it was still a full day’s journey by carriage.
He didn’t want Senelia to suffer on the road.
So he couldn’t understand why using the warp gate meant she wouldn’t be Senelia Dafnen anymore.
“…What do you mean?”
he finally asked.
Senelia looked genuinely surprised that he would even ask such a thing.
Her expression quickly changed into something indescribable.
As her eyes locked onto his, he suddenly felt as if he were being chastised.
“…Just that my parents wouldn’t like it if I arrived with such fanfare,”
she said, turning her head to the side to avoid his gaze.
It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it any further.
“Selie, don’t dodge the question…”
Benerucia began, trying to press her further.
Knock knock knock.
“Your Grace, it’s time to depart,”
his adjutant interrupted before he could continue.
“Go on, Your Grace. You can’t afford to give His Majesty a reason to complain about you because of me. We were only supposed to talk briefly anyway,”
Senelia said, seizing the opportunity.
Though Benerucia’s eyes darkened at her words, he really didn’t have time to linger.
“…We’ll talk when I return, Selie,”
he said, as if to make clear he wouldn’t forget.
But he never did finish that conversation with her.
Because even after Benerucia returned from the battlefield—after a whole month—Senelia was still at the Dafnen estate.
* * *
Benerucia immediately ordered his men to investigate Senelia’s situation.
And he soon learned that she had been locked in a battle over marriage with her parents for the entire month.
At that moment, he recalled her firm refusal to use the warp gate.
He called in the butler and asked when she had last contacted the estate.
“Since Your Grace left for the battlefield, the lady has sent no messages,”
the butler replied.
He wished that answer had been wrong.
Because it meant Benerucia’s suspicions were exactly right.
It left him with an indescribable feeling.
At her marriageable age, if he had opened the warp gate for her, her parents—the Viscount and Viscountess—would have gotten their hopes up.
But Senelia hadn’t wanted that.
Why?
Because even while being hounded by her parents, she hadn’t said a single word to him. She didn’t expect anything from him—not a thing.
That’s why she didn’t want to give her parents any false hope.
It was… suffocating.
“I won’t expect anything from you, Your Grace.”
Those words, spoken four years ago, had perfectly aligned with Benerucia’s needs at the time.
He had been waiting for Lucalina, and the noblewomen vying for his attention were an annoyance.
Senelia had been the perfect decoy to fend them off.
She had never once asked anything of him.
That was the relationship she had defined—and one he hadn’t rejected.
In the past, he would have welcomed her current behavior.
All the lovers who had once pressured him for marriage had ended up being cast aside.
But now… he felt confused.
He sensed danger.
And though he didn’t know the cause, something told him that finding out what he was feeling would change everything.
He had to wait for Lucalina.
The woman who had defended him and now remained on the battlefield, still unable to return.
So Benerucia turned away from Senelia.
“Shall I look further into it?”
the butler asked, noticing his master’s silence after the inquiry.
“No. She’ll come back when she’s ready,”
Benerucia replied coldly, shaking his head.
As if Senelia’s extended stay at her family estate had nothing to do with him.
“Don’t waste manpower. Stop sending people after her,”
he added.
After the butler left, Benerucia called back the subordinate who had investigated Senelia.
It was laughable.
If he truly didn’t care, he wouldn’t have issued any more orders.
And yet, he’d summoned a subordinate just to repeat himself. That alone betrayed his heart’s true intent.
But he ignored even that.
He wanted—desperately—to prove he was unaffected.
Even though he didn’t know to whom he was proving it, or why.
But emotions can’t be forced.
And he was being utterly foolish.
Senelia didn’t return to the Grand Duke’s estate until another full month had passed.
All that time, she hadn’t asked him for a single thing.
“…Right. This is how it should be.”
Each passing day, Benerucia told himself that.
A lover in name only, one who expected absolutely nothing from him.
Senelia was doing exactly as he’d asked.
And yet, without such reminders, he felt he might lose control.
He repeated those words over and over again.
And still, he never sent even a single message to her.
Two whole months passed without a word between them—so barren and cold it could hardly be called a relationship.
“It’s a relief that you returned safely from this battle, Your Grace,”
Senelia said when she finally returned.
And Benerucia remembered exactly how he reacted.
He said nothing.
Just turned his back on her smiling face and walked back to his room.
“Relief? What’s a relief…?”
If he hadn’t, the emotion roiling inside him might have erupted uncontrollably.
He was the only Grand Duke of Heliosa.
Someone like him could easily uncover the reason for Senelia’s absence.
She knew that, too.
And yet, she had left it alone for two months.
From her perspective, it must have seemed like he didn’t care at all.
If he hadn’t contacted her in two months, either he hadn’t checked on her—or worse, he had, and simply chose not to act.
Still, Senelia showed no anger. No resentment. Not even confusion.
And that was what Benerucia couldn’t endure.
She was keeping their agreement perfectly.
And so… he ran away.
That day, Benerucia ran away from Senelia.
* * *
Knock knock knock.
“Your Grace, you have a visitor.”
Benerucia’s thoughts were interrupted by his attendant’s voice.
He frowned and opened the door, stepping out.
He didn’t like men—servants or not—being in Senelia’s room when she wasn’t there.
“There shouldn’t be anyone scheduled to visit today,”
he said, his displeasure plain as he closed Senelia’s door.
Among nobles, it was customary to announce a visit and obtain permission days in advance.
And to his memory, no such visit was scheduled.
Normally, if an uninvited guest arrived, the staff were instructed not to bother the Grand Duke.
“Well…”
the attendant hesitated.
His expression suggested regret, but it was too late to take back what he had said.
“Lady Citrine, daughter of the Count Citrine, is here.”
The attendant winced as he said the name.
In that instant, a chilling aura radiated from Benerucia.
“Steward!”
He raised his voice, and the house shook under the rare force of it.
The attendant, trembling under the pressure, dared not speak further.
While the head maid handled internal affairs, managing the staff was the steward’s responsibility.
Hearing Benerucia’s furious voice, the steward quickly approached.
“Send her away. Immediately,”
Benerucia ordered, pointing to the attendant.
Then, without sparing a second glance, he strode to the drawing room.
When he flung open the door, there she was—Lady Rosiana Citrine, sipping tea.
She had been the first woman involved in a scandal with Benerucia during his relationship with Senelia.
