Chapter 82
Love or Friendship
Under normal circumstances, Daphne would have praised Psyche for her cleverness.
“I was the one who told her to use everything to her advantage, after all.”
But this wasn’t a normal circumstance.
The ‘first love’ of her ‘pretend lover’ had shown up in the middle of the night—holding the very first gift she had ever given him.
Just thinking about it made her sigh, but experiencing it firsthand left her feeling utterly unsettled.
“This is my own fault, isn’t it?”
Daphne decided to see it as karma for ignoring Psyche’s previous messages.
Psyche straightened her posture, shaking off the hands she had clasped together.
“It’s a little disappointing that I have to invoke my authority as Crown Princess just to get you to listen to me.”
Like at the last party, Psyche’s gaze lifted slightly, looking down at Daphne.
Daphne immediately glanced downward. Psyche was wearing flat shoes, almost like ballet slippers.
“Psyche, you’ve gotten taller.”
It was impolite to point it out, so she hadn’t said anything aloud, but she also noticed that Psyche’s cheeks and arms seemed a bit fuller—her complexion was much healthier now.
“Huh?”
“You’re looking down at me right now.”
Back at the party, Daphne had felt like Psyche was slightly looking down on her. It wasn’t just in a figurative sense—her presence had seemed bigger than usual. Maybe it was because of what Daphne had witnessed before that moment.
“Oh, I’ve been working on my posture… so, a little bit.”
Psyche’s once confident expression wavered slightly. She looked flustered, as if she didn’t know how to respond to the unexpected compliment.
“…Am I feeling inferior to her?”
Psyche had taken the position Daphne had once dreamed of her entire life. It made sense that, even subconsciously, her presence had grown larger in Daphne’s mind.
And then there was the man who had willingly given up that position for Psyche. The same man who might… still have feelings for her.
“Shit. What am I thinking? Daphne Buchester, your priorities have changed!”
Back then, Daphne had disliked the idea of being a third party interfering in the protagonist’s unwavering love. It was purely out of curiosity—spurred by the unexpected memories of her past life—that she had stepped back.
She had never intended to give up her goals over a man.
And feeling inferior to her best friend because of a man?
“Absolutely not!”
That was something Daphne would never tolerate in her life.
“You noticed I got taller?”
Even though Daphne had only asked out of curiosity, Psyche seemed delighted. She went on about how Romeo never noticed because he always looked down at her.
“Maybe I should start ballet again.”
“That’s a great idea. Ever since you told me you used to dance, I’ve wanted to learn.”
Daphne had only brought up ballet to avoid saying she wanted to be taller, but Psyche took it completely seriously. That only made Daphne’s twisted emotions churn even more.
“Let’s hurry and get some sleep.”
Psyche, perhaps finding it odd that they were standing still for so long, took the lead.
“You…”
Daphne wanted to ask why Celestian had been in the Crown Princess’s palace. But something stuck in her throat, stopping her.
If she thought back to Celestian’s actions today, he had acted more like her lover than anyone else. Everyone in that underground arena had seemed to cheer for her love story.
“What is even happening?”
The two conflicting scenes overlapped in her mind, leaving her completely confused.
“Hm?”
“The others don’t seem to know you’re here.”
“You hate it when people enter your room uninvited, remember? You’ve never officially invited me before, so I waited in the main house.”
“Didn’t you say earlier that you could go wherever you pleased?”
“You said if I entered without permission, you’d never see me again.”
Psyche always kept her promises to Daphne.
But Daphne…
Feeling a swirl of discomfort in her gut, she stared down at her shoes. The beige leather was stained green from crushed grass.
“I have a question, Daphne.”
Five steps ahead, Psyche clasped her hands behind her back.
Daphne, trying to sort through her emotions, lifted her gaze. Under the moonlight, Psyche’s face looked even more radiant.
“Is it really okay for you to go to places like a gladiator arena, watching brutal fights and drinking strong liquor?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Because you’re pregnant with Theriosa’s child.”
“…What?”
She had completely forgotten about that. Already exhausted, Daphne felt her fatigue deepen.
“The entire kingdom believes it. Are you really okay with that?”
And yet, she couldn’t figure out why Psyche spoke as if she had some sort of leverage over her.
“But Daphne…”
“Psyche, I’m actually really tired right now.”
Psyche flinched.
She quickly stepped closer, gently wrapping her fingers around Daphne’s wrist. Her already large eyes widened even more as she looked up at Daphne.
“Daph, are you tired of me?”
“No, I am just physically exhausted. You have no idea how much my mother—”
“Even Romeo doesn’t say he’s tired in front of me anymore.”
And?
“Why do you keep lumping me and Romeo together? Think about it properly, Psyche. You are the one who got on that ship.”
“Daphne, are you…”
Psyche’s glowing expression flickered, as if someone had turned off a light.
“Are you… angry at me? Do you not want to see me? I… I brought you a gift.”
“Who asked you to? I never told you to come.”
Daphne’s face filled with confusion. They were speaking the same language, yet it felt like their words weren’t connecting. Psyche furrowed her brows again, looking uneasy.
“Why is she acting so… erratic?”
At that moment, a light flicked on from the entrance of the main house. Someone must have noticed them.
The person who stepped out was familiar, dressed in the crisp uniform of a butler—Maril.
Daphne waved a hand in greeting, and Maril quickly approached.
“Maril, could you escort the Crown Princess?”
“…….”
“Either to a guest room or back to the palace—whichever she prefers. Honestly, it would probably be best for her to sleep with her husband, but since it’s so late, just let her decide.”
Maril nodded silently. Psyche, on the other hand, looked completely caught off guard.
“What do you mean? You just said we should sleep together.”
“You were the one who said that. I never agreed.”
Daphne waved her hand dismissively, acting clueless. Psyche blinked rapidly in shock.
“Daph…”
She looked exhausted—like she had completely forgotten how to win Daphne over.
“Just go and sleep with your husband. I’ll sleep with my fiancé. You understand, right? I am pregnant, after all.”
For the first time in a long while, Daphne played the excuse card to get out of a situation.
No matter how close friends were, once they got married, their contact naturally decreased. Distance was inevitable. Adjusting to a new life, prioritizing a new partner—it was the way things were. And Psyche wasn’t just any married woman; she was the Crown Princess of the kingdom.
Daphne hated making excuses, but this was the one time she felt justified.
— Daphy, my aunt says… every day is a party. Every day is a banquet.
— Every single day…
“Why the hell am I thinking about my aunt now?”
Scratching her cheek, Daphne frowned.
Was the real reason Psyche had come to her at this hour truly about the child?
“She definitely has some business with Celestian. But why am I getting dragged into it?”
Daphne glanced down at the watch in her hand. The silver, now warm from her grip, felt uncomfortably clammy.
“I should throw it into the river.”
With a quick wave to Psyche, Daphne turned away first.
“Daphne, let’s talk again in the morning. I’ll wait for you.”
But Daphne barely heard her. Whether her friend stayed in the main house or went back to the palace, she didn’t care anymore.
As she stepped into her dimly lit room, a wave of exhaustion finally washed over her.
“I should probably talk to Cele about this.”
But even looking for him felt like too much effort.
So instead, Daphne sat on the stairs—before she knew it, she had dozed off.
****
“Why is Lady Daphne sleeping on the stairs again?”
“I thought she was sleeping in the main building.”
“The first-floor bedroom interior is completely finished too…”
Misha and Narid were gathered around, staring at the young lady who was sprawled awkwardly across several steps in an incredibly uncomfortable sleeping position. They were debating whether to wake her up or just carry her somewhere else.
“Where’s Grand Duke Theriosa? In the master bedroom? Let’s go call him.”
“Why bother? I’ll just carry her.”
Kisha, who had been standing at a distance, mumbled as he approached. But Narid quickly blocked his way.
“Hey, do you think the lady is just some sack of cargo? And didn’t you say you get dizzy because of your eyes? What if you trip and she gets hurt?”
“Narid, let’s keep this a secret from the lady. She’s a light sleeper—she hears everything.”
“I didn’t even say anything yet. Besides, she’s sleeping so deeply she’s not even dreaming. That’s why she’s in such an uncomfortable position.”
“…But where should we move her? The Grand Duke is in the master bedroom, so… the second floor?”
“No. My room.”
“Kisha, Narid. I think the easiest solution is just waking her up.”
Misha, cutting through the whispering Kisha and Narid, stepped forward with a determined expression, approaching Daphne.
“What are you doing?”
All three of them flinched and turned to their left at the same time.
Leaning lazily against the corner in a nightshirt was Celestian.
“Your Grace, it’s past midnight. If you move around without making a sound, people will really mistake you for a ghost.”
“Mm.”
Celestian gave a half-hearted response as he strode forward. The three instinctively stepped aside, watching with slight anticipation to see how the former prince would carry Daphne.
But Daphne, who had been sleeping in such an awkward position, immediately stirred at the familiar scent approaching her. Her eyes fluttered open.
“What the…”
She flinched at the faces peering down at her.
“Am I being buried alive?”
She joked in a drowsy voice, still half-asleep. Then, she blinked a few times before looking up at the ceiling—more precisely, at Celestian, who seemed to be hanging from it.
As their gazes aligned perfectly, her expression twisted into one of clear annoyance.
Sensing the shift, Narid quickly stepped forward and held out a hand to her.
“Are you uncomfortable? Get up and wash before you sleep, my lady.”
“Ugh, but I don’t want to…”
Daphne whined as she took Narid’s hand and got up, still not fully awake. As she leaned on Narid for support, he lightly dusted off her nightgown and added a gentle scolding.
“Then sleep on the floor.”
“That’s even worse…”
Leaning against Narid, Daphne slowly made her way toward the bathroom.
Left behind, the Sasha brothers stood frozen in awkward postures, staring at the spot where the young lady had been moments ago. Then, they turned their gazes to the Grand Duke, who was still standing there, seemingly lost in thought.
“I’m going to give this statue a title.”
“If we sell it, it might actually make some money. What’s the title?”
Kisha smirked, twitched his lips, and then cleared his throat with a dramatic cough.
“The Undefeated Prince, Defeated Only by His Lover.”
