Chapter 70
Hello, Daphne
Daphne stared curiously at the carriage that was wildly thudding and shaking.
“What’s inside? A wild animal?”
“Something similar. Don’t worry about it.”
Marius immediately moved in front of Daphne, blocking the sunlight with his large frame.
“Daphne, why are you so thin? Aren’t you supposed to gain weight? Have you been exhausted lately?”
“One question at a time, please.”
Daphne had been suffering from days of body aches after her accumulated fatigue finally caught up with her.
Not being able to eat and feeling ill had naturally caused her to lose weight. The comment about gaining weight, clearly implying pregnancy, only amused her.
She was about to carefully choose a polite response, but Marius spoke hastily again.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve visited more often.”
“A busy man like you doesn’t need to do that. It’s fine.”
Daphne replied grumpily, making Marius pause. He then turned to Misha and grinned broadly.
“You’re Misha, right? I almost didn’t recognize you—look how much you’ve grown!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Haha. Kids always grow up fast.”
Misha nodded eagerly, like a fan meeting a famous actor.
Daphne frowned as she noticed faint dust stains on Marius’ black vest. Even if he was a scatterbrained father, he was still a marquis. Walking around with dirt on him would surely spark gossip about the family.
“Why are you walking around with dirt on your clothes? Did you visit a fighting arena without me?”
“Oh, that… well.”
Daphne brushed the spot irritably.
“Right.”
Marius hesitated for a moment before shaking his head as if it wasn’t important.
Why does he always stop mid-sentence?
Daphne blinked twice, puzzled.
“Daphne, I brought you a gift.”
He tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear with a pleased smile. She was practically in her pajamas after recovering in the garden, but it didn’t matter since it was just her father.
Another loud thud came from the carriage. Marius turned around with a look of annoyance.
“A gift?”
“Yes.”
Whenever Marius visited, he always brought a carriage full of gifts for Daphne—designer shoes, dresses, top-quality art supplies, and last year, even a car.
Maybe it’s a box full of gold bars this time?
Since there was now talk of a grandchild, gold bars wouldn’t be out of the question. Daphne suppressed her twitching lips and briefly touched her lower belly, causing Misha to look horrified.
She tried hard to conceal her rising excitement, but her sparkling eyes gave her away.
Cough! Cough!
Suddenly, Daphne exaggerated her cough, making it sound even worse.
Marius looked at his only daughter with concern and pulled her into a tight hug.
What’s with this sudden affection?
Marius, usually clumsy when it came to showing affection, was acting unusually tender.
Each time he touched Daphne carefully, the loud noises from the carriage grew more intense, as if it were about to explode.
“Father, please let me go. I’m… cough.”
“Right, I know. You’re carrying your future husband’s child.”
“…Ah.”
The word husband caused Daphne’s thoughts to freeze for about three seconds.
Right. Publicly, Celestian is supposed to be my husband…
That realization made her blood boil. She hadn’t thought much about it before, but now it was clear that all these ridiculous rumors were because of that man.
Marius’ deep blue eyes met Daphne’s golden ones. Oblivious to her rising irritation, he continued to stroke her small forehead.
Then, placing a cautious arm around her shoulder, Marius gestured toward the carriage.
“Come, you’ll love it.”
Bang!
The carriage door nearly broke as it was yanked open.
“Ugh, damn it. Why won’t this thing open—?”
Daphne’s face hardened completely.
The man, who had been scowling inside, froze when his eyes met Daphne’s, looking visibly flustered.
The wind blowing from the Angel River tousled his golden hair, which seemed slightly longer than before. His lips were cracked, and his cheek bore a fresh cut, yet somehow, that red hue only added to his appearance.
Cough.
Daphne intentionally cleared her throat and covered her mouth.
The man, standing on the carriage step, locked eyes with her. His gaze then dropped to her hand resting on her belly. Daphne quickly withdrew her hand and clasped them behind her back.
“Hello, Daphne.”
Celestian Theriosa, looking annoyingly dapper, gave an awkward wave. That simple action only irritated Daphne further.
This crazy bastard. You look like you’ve been having a grand old time.
She narrowed her eyes sharply at him. The clearer his face became in her view, the angrier she felt.
His gleaming face was infuriating!
That smugly raised corner of his mouth and his polished appearance were utterly detestable today. As if mocking her previous memory of him in a simple white shirt, he now wore a neatly tailored green suit—Daphne’s favorite color—which only added to her annoyance.
He gracefully descended from the carriage and approached the Beaucater family. Marius dramatically positioned himself behind Daphne, hunching his shoulders as though trying to hide his large frame.
“Daphne, that guy kicked me in the stomach after I said she was one of the women I loved most in the world.”
“Did you just say Father told you he loves me?”
“……”
Daphne’s calm question made Marius press his lips tightly together. She was no longer pretending to be sick and had returned to her usual sharp tone.
“In that case, you should’ve brought a carriage filled with gold bars instead of that.”
Daphne gritted her teeth and spoke politely.
Sure, the man was clad in gold and covered in her favorite color, but her expression turned completely blank. Heat rose in her body, and her vision briefly spun.
How did Father know Celestian was at the royal palace? And why did he beat him up? What a disgraceful punk.
Daphne glared daggers at Celestian.
“As Father’s guest, please enjoy your stay and then leave, Your Grace, Duke Theriosa.”
She lifted the hem of her white dress and offered a formal curtsy.
She had no intention of staying sandwiched between these two ridiculous men. Nor did she want to waste energy spewing sharp words.
Taking Misha with her, Daphne turned and headed back toward the garden.
*****
Celestian was about to follow Daphne immediately, but Marius Beaucater’s voice stopped him.
“I know I’m quite handsome and look ridiculously young, so I often get misunderstood. But for the record, I am Daphne’s father.”
“Her father?”
“Yes, which means you shouldn’t have reacted so aggressively.”
Marius straightened his back and shoulders, giving Celestian a playful wink. Then he wiped his expression clean and slipped his sunglasses back on.
Ah, right. That definitely resembles Daphne.
Even his gestures were oddly similar to his daughter’s.
Celestian knew Marquis Beaucater by reputation. But meeting Daphne’s father in person was a first.
Daphne had always been a tenacious woman, seemingly abandoned by everyone. She lived with the single-minded obsession of becoming queen as if her life depended on it. Celestian had tried to help her, ignored her at times, and sometimes outright refused to get involved.
“I thought she’d be thrilled enough to give me a kiss when I brought you here,” Marius muttered. “But kids grow up way too fast. And after raising her so well, she goes and falls for some strange rascal. Tsk.”
“…….”
As Celestian processed this bewildering exchange, Marius sniffed deliberately, adding to the absurdity.
“If you were the father of a daughter like mine, wouldn’t you want to kill her suitor too? It’s only natural.”
Celestian frowned deeply.
“Go and calm her down. The fact that I didn’t come out with a gun and start firing means you still have a chance. But don’t forget—my daughter’s in the early stages of pregnancy. Too much stress could be dangerous.”
With that, Marius clapped Celestian hard on the back.
Celestian glared at him, clearly tempted to retaliate.
“What are you staring at? I know I’m good-looking.”
So this was the infamous Marquis Beaucater—playful, confident, and annoyingly warm.
Celestian furrowed his brows even deeper.
*****
Returning to the glass garden, Daphne curled herself up on a plush couch, burying her body into the soft cushions.
“The Duke of Theriosa is back?”
“Yeah. Father brought him. Totally unnecessary.”
Narid snapped open a pill case, feeding Daphne the medicine before draping a wool blanket over her and tidying up the area. Daphne radiated an unmistakable I’m incredibly irritable right now aura.
“I need to get that pregnancy article corrected quickly. Invite Loren Delphinium.”
According to Misha, who had been attending work on Daphne’s behalf and managing hotel affairs, Saturnmerial’s guest numbers had recently surged.
The hotel’s main guests had always been royals and high-ranking nobles. However, due to the Celestian scandal, those guests had all but disappeared.
Mother’s fault.
But after public opinion flipped, even lower-ranking nobles and wealthy commoners had booked every room for the next three months.
Just when I thought I could finally breathe…
Daphne hadn’t made a single statement since the gossip articles had been published.
Technically, it was a false report by a gossip journalist. Any delays in correcting the story could be explained by her being “truly ill,” as everyone around her would testify.
But now…
There was no longer a need to deal with royals complaining about “low-class commoner employees.” This was an opportunity to expand and popularize Saturnmerial’s branches significantly.
Daphne rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling with flushed cheeks from her lingering fever.
“Narid, should I just have a baby?”
“What?”
“Now that Celestian’s here anyway…”
“Daphne, are you crazy, or did I just mishear you?”
Narid gasped, practically shrieking the words in a single breath. Daphne scratched her cheek, waved her hand dismissively, and turned back over.
“I’m kidding, just kidding.”
Narid huffed and puffed for a while before calming down. Silence lingered for a few moments.
Daphne couldn’t think of a single way to handle the current situation. Groaning, she pressed her index finger against her furrowed brow.
“But honestly, it’s not a bad idea. I always thought having a child would be nice. A mini-me? I’d totally love that.”
Suddenly, she felt someone stroking the ends of her hair. The sensation tickled her scalp, prompting her to shake her head.
She braced herself against the soft pillows and sat up unsteadily.
“Narid, go bring Cel—”
“Hmm?”
The voice wasn’t Narid’s at all.
Daphne immediately turned around. The sight of the man in front of her made her entire body go cold.
Without hesitation, Daphne raised her hand.
Smack!
The sharp sound echoed through the glass garden.
