The Male Lead Is Obsessed With Proposing to Me - Chapter 8

5. Why are you doing this to me?

As soon as the voice reached her ears, her knees buckled as she knelt on the floor. Instinct made her react before her brain even realized her situation.

“Should I say I’m glad? Glad that you seem to have not forgotten your master?”

Cliff’s soft voice spoke, as his eyes narrowed in contrast.

As if I had forgotten what I was tasked with and went about playing.

“How dare I do that, Your Highness?”

Senelia spoke with her head bowed down towards the ground.

She was still terrified of the emperor.

“You must have not remembered that there is only one year left until Lucalina returns.”

It was an emperor’s warning.

When Lucalina returned, Benelucia would fall hopelessly in love with her again… Then Senelia’s miniscule grace period would have ended.

“Trust me. I will never go back on my oath to His Majesty. Even this parting with the duke this right now, haven’t I already confessed the reason to His Majesty?”

Parting with Benelucia was a necessary step for Senelia to take the place of the shadow on his heart cast by Lucalina.

“Yes, you did inform me. But I doubt your methods-”

Senelia’s head lowered as she bit her lip in frustration.

The emperor’s words were blunt and to the point.

I want to cry. I’m so angry.

Was there anyone who ever believed in Cliff de Helios, truly?

Even in the original Thorn of Chloracean, another such opponent did not appear.

But he was blaming Senelia for something like this, and she didn’t like it.

Unfortunately, her opponent was the emperor, whom has been holding onto her lifeline for the past eight years.

“I will do everything in my power to gain your trust.”

As always, Senelia had only one line to say.

“Do anything…?”

The emperor pretended to be troubled and lightly whispered.

At that moment, Senelia had an inkling.

This time, the emperor had come not for surveillance or to give simple warnings… No. The emperor had come because he had something to do that required him to turn up in person.

With the eight years in which she followed Cliff’s orders; she could probably guess what it could be.

The emperor, who had been playing for as long as he wanted, finally opened his mouth.

“Then, at the Imperial banquet, your partner should be the Earl Pendragon’s son.”

Senelia felt her body tremble at the commanding words of the emperor.

Yenelov Pendragon. He was the longtime enemy of Benelucia during politics, in the social world of elites. No matter who you are, or where you are, everyone knew this.

“-If that happens Your Highness, we may be misunderstood… And then, wouldn’t all your plans thus far have been in vain?”

Senelia forced her voice not to tremble.

But, as usual, the confidence in her voice never stood a chance in front of the emperor.

However, her words were quite valid.

If asked, has there ever been women who used other men to gain the duke’s attention, the answer would be no.

So, Senelia had to be special.

She could not be categorized as the same, she had to be someone no one would be able to replace.

“My dog sure is talkative.”

At that moment, her spine chilled with goosebumps.

Thud.

She slammed her forehead unforgivingly against the hard ground.

“I dare not utter such nonsense. Please forgive me just this once.”

“I’m not asking you so I can kill you.”

The emperor muttered softly.

Just a few words about life and death from his mouth would cause her body to enter a state of shock.

Oh, why did I vomit out such words to Cliff?

Senelia regretted her words as soon as they were spoken.

“Ha-ha.”

Had she not heard the emperor’s laughter at that moment, she would have lived in her regret a hundred times.

“It’s a joke. Why would I kill such a submissive dog?”

Cliff directly bent at the knees and made eye contact with Senelia.

Nevertheless, his height was quite considerable, so he still managed to look down at her.

The emperor’s dog. Always submissive.

To call a person as such could not have been as insulting.

Even so, I have never felt as much shame as I do right now.

But Senelia was too afraid of the emperor. For eight years her fear grew.

It was a subtle fear.

“At that time, I didn’t know you’d be this good, Sally.”

Cliff’s voice suddenly softened.

Her nickname came off his lips arbitrarily.

But it was understandably perhaps, that Senelia never expressed even a single ounce of dissatisfaction with him.

“Really, it was surprising.”

Cliff grabbed Senelia’s chin and lifted it to face him.

“I mean, you have a lot of patience and are much more thorough that I would have thought.”

The emperor’s seemingly friendly fingers caressed Senelia’s cheek.

“But it doesn’t bother me in the least.”

As Cliff’s face drew closer to her, she felt the urge to close her eyes.

But even that was not within her control.

Senelia froze as she looked up at the emperor.

“Sometimes I think I was too good to Benelucia. Too good to give him you… Too good.”

The longer Senelia stayed by Benelucia’s side, and the closer she got to capturing him, the more the emperor smiled in satisfaction. For seemingly no reason.

However, it was arguably the first time he had spoken his honest thoughts like this directly.

At that moment, Senelia felt it was difficult to breathe.

To Cliff, who up to now remained unwed, Senelia, who pretended to be dead as soon as she saw him, appeared more and more pleasing to his eye. She would make a fine empress to wield.

He had a terrible idea.

“Maybe, there is a way in which you can survive, without Benelucia.”

Cliff said with interest.

It was Senelia who had to endure the gossip of the social world when she was in a long-term relationship with the duke without an engagement.

It was at that point that she realized that her worth had changed from what it was all that time ago.

Cliff was right though. She had followed him silently for eight years.

If nothing else, it proved that she never had the courage to change her fate or go against him.

Besides, if she was made into an empress, he would be able to keep the thorns of Chloracean by his side. Always watching over her.

If the emperor decided to make her his empress, she would have to forever endure and live in fear for the rest of her life.

Are you going to continue to spend your life until death like this?

Senelia’s lips trembled. Just imagining such a fate was terrible.

The reason she managed to preserve up to now was by desperately holding onto the hope that one day this life could end.

“Never…”

“…”

I can’t do that.

I can’t say that.

“I will not fail you.”

Senelia couldn’t help but feel her heart ache in pain again.

The facts have not changed, the only way for her to still live and breathe is Benelucia Afron.

“It’s done, it’s sad to hear you say it like that.”

Even with her defeated words, Cliff still smiled.

“Even if you fail, my intention to kill you is pretty much gone.”

The was no such thing as failing a task entrusted to you by the emperor.

If she failed, there would be a price she would have to pay. She was only what she deserved.

But Cliff did not say such words.

He made her feel his meaning first-hand through their conversation.

Cliff de Helios was still cruel to Senelia.

“… How dare I fail the task His Majesty has given to me.”

Senelia struggled to speak.

“Well, if you say so.”

The emperor answered as if she had forced him to accept it.

As if he didn’t plan the entire skit.

Senelia felt as though she was in her own created skit. A play in which she was nothing but a clown, performing her tricks.

“Then, see you at the banquet.”

The emperor said.

As always, with his intentions beginning to seed and grow, he could now leave. Back to his Imperial Palace.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Senelia, never changing, bowed in greeting.

The emperor left.

Only after the shadow of the emperor had left, did Senelia feel herself collapse.

She collapsed into an awkward heap.

When fear leaves, misery takes its place.

Her forehead, which had been harshly driven against the unforgiving floor, hurt.

Senelia slowly got up from her place and familiarly took out a potion.

Potions were considered items difficult to find. A low-ranking noblewoman such as herself would have never been in possession of such an item.

But she was able to get a hold of such a thing thanks to the emperor who provided it.

Her hand shook as she applied the potion to her wound.

Whether she shook due to her pain or misery, it wasn’t certain. Nor did she care to tell which.

Yes, because it was of no difference.

***

Benelucia rarely attended such banquets without a partner.

But just for today, it seemed like having a person next to him endlessly babbling would be rather annoying.

And even rarer than that… He found himself waiting for a certain someone.

What are you doing now?

Benelucia’s eyes darkened.

He couldn’t bear to leave his seat, even though sitting and waiting was something he had never done.

Senelia had never once acted as a master in his Afron’s residence.

But surprisingly, many of the tasks of the manor was run by her.

The thoughts of Benelucia, who had lived as a part of the Imperial family for a long time, was difficult gauge.

Senelia, who remembered the original story, knew this well.

She knew his tastes.

And what the advice given to the Archduke’s servants when asked, were now an established system used to run the Archduke’s mansion.

As a result, Benelucia had been feeling highly uncomfortable during Senelia’s absence.

She had completely integrated herself with the Grand Duke’s residence, just as she intended.

… What am I going to do with you, Sally?

Benelucia sighed inwardly.

Even just thinking about it, it was ridiculous to ask her what her reasons for meddling in his mansion.

Because Senelia did nothing, but ease Benelucia’s worries.

We’ve already broken up.

Come to think of it, when she resided in his home, he lived a life where he never paid attention to the ins and outs of what was going on around him. Whether he realized this or not at that time, didn’t matter anymore.

It was only now that what she had done had finally come to light.

We’ve already broken up.

Clinging to your ex was something that Benelucia had always considered unsightly.

Wasn’t that also agreed upon by Senelia herself?

Should I go back?

Benelucia who felt tired, was more decadent at present. Many of those around him approached.

He didn’t feel like engaging in acts of dance, so he had stood, leaning against a wall up until that very moment.

Rather than wasting his time like that, he thought it was better for him to leave.

Still, something strange and unexpected held him back.

“The Young Lord Pendragon and his partner, Lady Daphnen, have arrived.”

At that moment, the servant’s loud voice rang out.