CH 1

1. I Do What I Need

click.

The door to the lounge opened. Senelia deliberately did not pay attention to the two existing people.

Naturally, naturally.

Without a single glance toward them, she turned and passed the man who was overlapped with a woman.

Senelia went into the bathroom attached to the lounge and wet her handkerchief with water.

creak.

It was a smooth movement that made no noise until a while ago.

At that moment, sharp eyes stare at Senelia’s actions.

“……what are you doing here now?!”

Following the gaze of the man, the woman who was attached to him eventually noticed the existence of someone else and opened the closed bathroom door.

The woman’s face was red as she felt ashamed of the fact that someone else had found out about her secret affair with the man.

“You may not believe it, but I didn’t come here on purpose……”

slap.

“This vulgar thing is spying on the privacy of others!”

The woman slapped Senelia’s cheek.

Her white cheek turned red.

Senelia let out a small sigh.

“What’s the point of spying on you……”

“What are you doing now?”

Soon, the man’s cold voice was heard.

But Senelia knew through her experience.

That means the man is angry.

A man born and raised in an imperial family and used to hiding his emotions was easily shaken by Senelia.

It was just proof that he loved her that much.

But Senelia wanted him to do more than that.

“Come here, Ben. This woman was spying on us……”

“How dare you slap her?”

The man gave off an eerie atmosphere.

The face of the woman quickly turned white.

“……Ben, what are you doing now!”

The bewildered woman shouted.

Senelia really hated this situation so badly.

To be honest, she hated the man who treated her like that more than the woman who hit her.

The man growled and said, “Don’t touch Sally again.”

The seductive-faced man made a quite cold impression even if he raised his eyes a little.

No one had ever seen such a face before, so no one knew.

Like a gentleman, he was a man famous for always treating a lady well.

The woman’s face was full of embarrassment at the man’s actions.

“Your Highness Afron, if you speak like that, Lady Isia will be frightened,” Senelia said calmly.

The man, who had been glaring at the woman with a very ferocious look, turned his head.

Really, he is a man who has no basic consideration for people.

The only thing that matters to this man is his first love and the female lead, Lucalina.

Senelia barely endured the distortion of her expression.

However, she couldn’t stop the sigh from flowing out.

The woman with her eyes wide open said to the man, “I will always remember what the Grand Duke did to me today.”

As if she had forgotten Senelia’s existence, the woman was completely angered by the man’s actions.

The woman was clearly aware that she had no reason to be treated like this.

She turned around as if she didn’t want to be here anymore and immediately left the lounge.

“Why did you just stand still when you were slapped!”

As soon as the woman left, the grand duke shouted at Senelia.

I was the one who was slapped but he had a face as if he had been slapped.

For the first time, a smirk appeared on Senelia’s face, who had always maintained an expressionless face.

“Isn’t it too contradictory for Your Highness, who created this situation, to say that?”

Benelucia’s body flinched.

There was a slight of regret in his eyes that stared at Senelia’s red cheek

The reason she had to stop by this lounge was that the imperial servant made a rare mistake.

The servant spilled wine on Senelia’s dress.

She had no choice but to come to the lounge.

The lounges provided by the imperial family are determined according to rank.

So it’s a lounge where Senelia, who is only a low-ranking aristocrat, can come. But there were other people in the lounge.

It was too funny to be a coincidence.

Benelucia said as if frustrated, “Even if you did as much as she did to you—”

His voice, which had not been able to erase his regret at Senelia’s words just before, was much weaker than before.

Senelia immediately asked back, “Are you saying that I, who is only a viscount’s daughter, have to confront a marquis’ daughter?”

It was unfair to be slapped on the cheek, but frankly, there was nothing wrong with what the woman, the marquis’ daughter, had done.

This is a strictly hierarchical society.

There are no nobles of lower rank than Senelia here.

Whatever happened, it was her fault for not being able to understand the feelings of high-ranking people.

The marquis’ daughter just acted like other high-ranking people always do.

“I’m here, what are you worried about?”

It means that whatever Senelia does to the marquis’ daughter, he will take care of it.

I know.

He wanted her reaction, so he had attracted that woman, the marquis’ daughter.

“What do you have to do with me, Grand Duke?”

But Senelia immediately refused it.

The man’s words are sincere.

However, his sincerity is nothing more than a mirage that will only be given while his attention is directed to her.

I couldn’t live my life believing that.

“Sally.”

The handsome man’s face was distorted at Senelia’s words, who completely cut off her relationship with him. But his voice calling her name was gentle and friendly.

“I am grateful for the kindness you have given me, but since I do not dare to call on your name, I would really appreciate it if you did not call my name either.”

The more the man did, the deeper Senelia bent her knees and waist. [T/N: that means she’s getting more and more polite and keeps her distance from him]

Finally, the impatient man wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in.

“……no matter if you are the grand duke, this is rude.”

Despite the sudden contact with the man’s hard body, Senelia’s face remained calm without any change in expression.

He chuckled and said,“My name is Benelucia. You must have forgotten it, Sally.”

“How can I forget the name of the great imperial family. Your Highness the Grand Duke Benelucia Afron.”

Even though they were close to each other, Senelia’s gaze did not turn to Benelucia.

Downward eyes, bowed head, absolute obedience.

Only that was the attitude she showed him now.

As Senelia intended, the more that happened, the more annoyed Benelucia became.

“Will you please let go of me? I can’t dare touch the body of the imperial family.”

At Senelia’s words, Benelucia’s hand rudely covered her face.

The touch was careful.

It was as if he was worried about her cheek that had been slapped earlier.

“It’s not even the first time we’ve touched each other.”

Benelucia’s voice became seductive.

He was struggling.

To evoke Senelia’s memories.

“It will never happen again in the future.”

Senelia’s body suddenly gained strength.

Whether she fell or not, she pulled herself back to get away from Benelucia.

The moment he nearly missed her for a moment, he called her her name in annoyance.

“Senelia Daphnen!

A worried expression filled his confident face.

Benelucia’s eyes quickly checked Senelia’s condition.

It was as if he was so angry at the fact that she nearly fell.

Finally, when she was called by her full name instead of a nickname, Senelia looked directly at Benelucia.

She spoke calmly, “Let go of me, Your Highness.”

It was a warning.

If he held her in any longer than this, she would do even worse things.

Benelucia was in a conflict.

He wanted to tie her up so she could not escape from him.

However, Benelucia had to let Senelia go.

With her personality that he had seen so far, he didn’t know what else to do.

He couldn’t hurt Senelia.

.

Benelucia let out a sigh.

He’d rather she do something to him.

However, Senelia said that she couldn’t touch him because he was a member of the imperial family.

So even if he hurts her, she will never do anything to him.

Benelucia said in disappointment, “……why can’t I control you?”

After wiping his face with his hand, he looked at Senelia with ‘I do not know what to do’ face.

‘That’s because I’m taming you right now.’

Senelia swallowed her words.

She is taming Benelucia, and it is not impossible to move on as she intended.

She couldn’t tell the truth.

Because this is the only safe route to surviving this devastating novel.

It was funny to hear Benelucia utter his words in a low voice as if he had been thirsty for a long time.

The man who had never been swayed by what I wanted to do was questioning the obvious.

Although it is quite natural that he cannot wield a living person at his will.

I want to say it straight from my mouth and step on your arrogance.

However, the answer that Senelia should have said had already been decided. Sadly.