Chapter 98

Rodella wasn’t going to a place completely unrelated to the Benerix ducal family.

However, a short while later, the sun began to set, and the surroundings quickly became dark.

Since it was a road with a lot of carriage traffic, there were braziers along the roadside.

The problem was that most of the braziers were unlit.

The feeling of entering deeper and deeper into the darkness was somehow eerie.

—Knock, knock.

Finally, Rodella knocked on the window.

“Did you call, my lady?”

A maid, along with Rodin, bowed her head.

“It’s too dark out here. Can’t we light the braziers?”

The maid immediately replied.

“Ah, we will light them as we go. The carriage will slow down a bit; is that alright with you?”

Rodella wondered why they hadn’t lit them beforehand, but with only Rodin, the maid, and the coachman in their party, there was no other way.

“Alright.”

Rodella glanced at Rodin, signifying if there was any issue.

Rodin gave a respectful nod.

It meant there was nothing wrong.

—Hee-hee-hing…!

After going only a little further, the carriage gently stopped, and a brazier ahead was lit.

And then.

“…!”

Rodella’s eyes widened as she watched the brazier being lit, her mind previously blank.

On the brazier’s pole, there was un-dried blood flowing.

“…Ah.”

The trickling blood brought back a recent memory, and Rodella involuntarily held her breath.

“It seems there was a skirmish with a monster. I apologize.”

The maid bowed her head and wiped away the blood with a white handkerchief.

In the complete darkness, in front of the brazier, the red blood on the white handkerchief held by the maid was so intense that it became seared into Rodella’s eyes.

Even after that.

—Whoosh!

Every time a fire was lit, Rodella flinched.

She was afraid she would see something like that again under the brazier.

Even when she looked away and closed her eyes, the sound of a fire being lit made her anxious.

Moreover, closing her eyes seemed to make the memory even more vivid.

—Squeeeze.

At some point, Rodella found herself clenching her fists tightly without realizing it.

She thought about telling them not to light the braziers, but it was too dark, and she didn’t want that either.

The road felt endless, as if her heart was being squeezed.

How many hours had they been traveling like that?

Just as the back of her neck was drenched in cold sweat, the carriage stopped.

“We are here.”

Rodella looked out the window.

An dark mansion, as if only a few candles were lit in the pitch-black night, greeted her.

“…Is it normally this dark?”

“The master ordered the lights to be dimmed today, saying his eyes were tired.”

Duke Benerix?

Rodella’s lips pressed into a firm line.

“Then I will escort you.”

At that moment, a person walked out from the mansion.

The man in all-black clothes seemed to be the butler.

“The escort knight can accompany you up to the reception room, but since the master is alone inside, we ask for your understanding.”

In other words, he was telling Rodin to wait outside.

Rodin’s brows furrowed.

“I was given permission to escort her to the inside of the reception room.”

This was not a common occurrence.

In other words, it meant that Rodin was allowed to check if the inside of the reception room was suspicious.

At those words, Rodin looked back at Rodella.

In the end, Rodella nodded.

***

There was no one suspicious in the reception room.

The only problem was the dim lighting; Duke Benerix was sitting alone and greeted her.

“Welcome.”

He was smiling consistently until Rodella was escorted by Rodin and sat opposite him.

“Thank you for readily accepting my invitation. I’ve seen you from afar, but I’m sure you didn’t expect to see me this close.”

“…Yes.”

Rodella didn’t answer at length. No, she couldn’t give a long answer.

Perhaps it was because he was holding a glass of red wine, which reminded her of the blood she had seen on the way.

The same wine was placed in front of her.

The wine, which had a subtle aroma as if it had just been poured, must have been made with different ingredients.

Why was it that she felt so repulsed?

Rodella’s lips were pressed into a firm line.

“Haha. Don’t be so nervous. I called you here today because I truly wanted to have a conversation with you.”

Even though he knew she was uncomfortable, Duke Benerix gestured.

“Please, help yourself.”

Rodella felt not a question but a certainty.

From this dim lighting to the especially crimson wine, Duke Benerix knew about her.

He was doing this because he knew she was afraid of darkness and blood.

Her hands instinctively clenched into fists.

She was angry at herself for being nervous, even though she knew what the opponent was aiming for.

But before that, the terrifying memory kept trying to pierce her mind.

“My, you look unwell. Is there something bothering you?”

Duke Benerix asked, seeing Rodella covered in cold sweat.

Rodella looked down at the table.

The snacks and even the wine were top-notch, procured from famous regions.

There was also a guest bell, which meant she could ring for an attendant if she needed anything.

A social gathering with dim lighting wasn’t unheard of, so from the moment she arrived to the moment she sat down, the invitation was impeccable.

As if she were being treated as a very important guest.

But Rodella had no appetite at all.

“I’m just not feeling very well.”

Rodella opened her mouth.

She didn’t want to show that she was being affected by what was deliberately set up to scare her.

Her habit from her academy days of not showing weakness in front of people was barely holding her spirit together.

“That’s a shame. Then perhaps we should finish our conversation quickly.”

Duke Benerix picked up his wine glass. The blood-like wine swirled.

“I was thinking.”

At that, an unexpected topic was introduced.

“You are called the Imperial faction, and I am called the Aristocratic faction. But,”

He held out his hand.

“I wonder if there is any reason why we must be in conflict…”

—Clink.

The sound of the wine glass being set down echoed clearly in the reception room.

His voice, which followed, had the power of an artist discussing ideals.

“You desire the position of chancellor and security, and I only desire a place a little higher than where I am now. Is there a need for us to clash in that process?”

He tilted his head and tapped the wine glass.

“The same goes for your lovely companion. In fact, there’s no reason for Royden and Benerix to be at odds. Rather…”

He frowned slightly.

“Haven’t you ever thought that Duke Royden, who must bow his head before an emperor who prevented him from even finding his father’s body, must be in more pain?”

He was talking about Aivert.

Rodella’s breath was caught in her throat. She flinched, even though she knew it was nonsense.

This was because she had been thinking that maybe he was making a choice he didn’t want because of her.

She had been hit right where it hurt.

“If things continue this way, both Royden and we will clash and shed blood.”

Duke Benerix clicked his tongue. He then continued.

“Then the knights and commoners you cherish will also be caught up in the political strife. It’s a pity. There’s no reason for it.”

Rodella also knew.

If Duke Benerix himself gave up his ambition, there would be no political strife or anything.

It was all nonsense.

Even though she knew it…

The story about Aivert kept lingering in her mind.

Just as Royden’s hidden forces were revealed when she was rushed to the hospital this time, she was afraid that he would have to do more things he didn’t want to do in the future.

She was pressing her lips into a firm line when he spoke.

“So, why don’t you tell me what you want instead?”

At that, Rodella lifted her head.

—Slosh.

Duke Benerix shook the glass again and smiled.

“Money, honor, the development of the empire. I will give you anything I can. Instead, Dame Rodella Syveric.”

He held out his hand as if to shake it.

“I want you to become my person.”

Rodella raised her eyebrows slightly.

His proposal felt somewhat uncomfortable for her, who had been subject to countless checks from the Aristocratic faction.

But on the other hand, if she joined hands with him, it meant that all those obstacles would disappear.

She could become a chancellor who wasn’t under scrutiny.

Rodella let out a short sigh.

“I…”

Just as she finished her thoughts and opened her mouth,

—Bang!

A violent explosion echoed from somewhere far away.