“Episode 10”
“Why is he like this again?”
“I wonder how a mother feels leaving a sick child at home and going to work.” Daphne checked her wristwatch. Matching the speed of the second hand, she tapped her arm with her index finger.
Knock knock, followed by the carriage door creaking open a moment later.
“Daph.”
Even under the dim light of the carriage, Psyche, who quickly gets drunk even on low-alcohol champagne, had cheeks flushed red like baby fists.
“Psyche. Hello.”
“Long time no see…”
Saying she’d let them talk alone, Daphne left the carriage and reached out her hand to her. Psyche smiled bashfully and tightly grabbed Daphne’s hand with her small one.
After making sure she safely settled into her seat, Daphne laughed as she sat next to her, sighing as she smiled at Psyche’s nudging.
Psyche naturally rested her arm on Daphne’s arm and leaned her head on her shoulder. The refreshing scent of grapes tickled her nose.
“If we arrive at the palace without saying anything, it’ll be the end of reconciliation.”
Daphne prayed for the tipsy Psyche to fall asleep quickly.
“Daphne, Theriosa…”
But that wasn’t going to happen. Just hearing the name “Daphne Theriosa” pronounced in such a pretty voice sent shivers down her spine.
“Are you drunk? Daphne Theriosa.”
Psyche nodded, then shook her head. Looking at Psyche leaning against her shoulder, it seemed like her face was getting wet.
“Psyche, your makeup is smudged.”
“Daphne.”
Psyche, who had been whimpering, fell silent for a moment. Daphne didn’t rush her and maintained silence. Once again, she prayed for her to fall asleep quickly.
“Why Theriosa?”
Lord, is this a sign for me to shut up?
“Huh?”
Daphne widened her eyes as if she hadn’t heard properly.
“Why, Daphne, did you suddenly start liking him when you used to like my husband just a while ago?”
It was a contradictory sentence.
‘Is she not aware of the contradiction even though she calls him her husband?’
Daphne looked down at the golden hair tickling the back of her hand.
“I’ve always…”
Always? Daphne cut off her words. Psyche immediately asked another question.
“Did Daphne want to become a princess?”
“Oh, absolutely not.”
“If not, do you still hate me?”
“What? No.”
“If not that, why him? When did this start? It doesn’t make sense. Why Daphne, why him?”
‘Here I am inside the text, you’re the heroine, and I’m reborn with memories of my past life. If I say that, I’ll be locked up in the Deim sanatorium.’
“Is it wrong for me to love the prince?”
“Yes. I hate it.”
It was an answer without hesitation. With her pronunciation becoming clearer, it seemed like she was slowly sobering up.
“Psyche, why do you hate Cele?”
Daphne decided to pretend she knew nothing about what had happened between them.
“Psyche, do you call him ‘Cele’?”
“It’s a nickname. Why do you hate it? Maybe you had feelings for some guy in the past?”
Psyche, with her head held high, looked at Daphne with eyes filled with indescribable disdain. If Celestian had seen this expression, he would have been deeply hurt. It was fortunate that Psyche didn’t seem to know the taste of a handsome man’s affection.
“Daphne, that man is really bad.”
“How bad is he?”
“He easily kills innocent people, exterminates them, plots against them, and exploits their weaknesses for his own gain. The worst part is that he never gets blood on his own hands.”
It was rare for Psyche to witness someone else’s evil deeds. Daphne found it fascinating and tried to see the girl who emitted peach fragrance.
“Daphne, even during the trial, he’s the only one who survives. In the end, he cuts off his tail so well. Most importantly, he…”
“Psyche.”
Even if she saw Celestian’s evil deeds so blatantly, as Daphne, it was meaningless information. He never harmed her in any way.
“Just think he’s dead. If you read the newspaper, you’d know that I personally cut off the heads of him and all the amphibians who conspired with him.”
Daphne gently caressed Psyche’s hand that she was holding.
“You already know that he’s blatantly living in my room.”
“Do you want to kill the man I love?”
“There are plenty of men in the world. There must be someone who suits Daphne better than him…”
“If not that, why do you like him? Why him?”
Psyche looked at Daphne with eyes full of inexplicable insults. During the height of Romeo and Psyche’s love affair, when everyone around them was going crazy, Daphne was jumping up and down, saying they should break up. She recounted everything Romeo had done to her when he was younger.
At that time, Psyche, with a mischievous look, asked such a question to Daphne. Then why does Daphne want to marry Romeo? she asked.
“Why do you like him?”
Psyche undoubtedly believed that Celestian would love her for a lifetime. Daphne already knew that. And it was what Daphne wanted too.
“When I heard he didn’t die, if you could even slightly understand my feelings, Daphne…”
“Psyche, you know as well. I get bored easily. I’ll end up saying that.”
Daphne’s affection doesn’t last long. Sooner or later, Celestian will be disposed of appropriately from Daphne’s perspective. When that time comes, she’ll have to set a different goal, but even if she indulges in what she’s already gathered, her lifespan would still be shorter.
“Sometimes Daphne says the exact same things as Romeo.”
Daphne, who was looking at the streetlights passing by the window, turned to Psyche with a puzzled expression.
“Daphne is similar to Romeo.”
Daphne stopped stroking her face in astonishment. Even without holding a wedding ceremony, they were already a couple. Why were they being treated like this in pairs?
“Please, not that kind of insult.”
Her words hit harder than any insult Daphne had ever heard in her life.
“No, it’s really too similar. Really.”
“Psyche.”
“Even though Romeo said he was tired of me, when I disappeared, he destroyed Daphne’s garden.”
“My head almost rolled.”
“…He kneeled and begged. ‘Please, I love you.’ he said.”
“Daphne also said she hated me so much she wanted to kill me… But now she loves me.”
Daphne swore that she had never hated this girl enough to want to kill her. True, Daphne had been a bit harsh during those times when she played the villain role. But now it’s just a dark past.
But why was Psyche saying these things?
“Alright, just tell me the conclusion now.”
As Psyche moved away a certain distance, Daphne watched her silently. Her densely packed features were adding to an unapproachable noble atmosphere.
“Why, again.”
“Look. It’s just like Romeo.”
“Does he still treat you like this?”
“No. He listens well these days.”
Psyche, with her narrowed forehead, answered seriously. Daphne burst into laughter.
“Yeah. If you’re a tiger, you’re a tiger.”
“But now Daphne doesn’t listen to me.”
The jewel-like eyes of the heroine sparkled even in the darkness. Daphne shook her shoulders momentarily, feeling a slight chill.
“Will you accompany Theriosa to my wedding?”
Psyche’s wedding would be held on a luxurious cruise ship. Moreover, it would be held in first class, accessible only to the thoroughly invited.
A defeated loser crumbling as she witnesses another man holding hands with someone else at the end of the wedding aisle. That man’s name—Celestian Theriosa. It was just an imagination, but the thrill was already bubbling up.
“Is it okay?”
Trying not to show her excitement at the imagination she just had, Daphne asked in a calm voice.
“No.”
Purple bags formed under Psyche’s eyes. Her expression seemed to say, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“What? Then why did you ask?”
“When will that love of yours get tired?”
“Huh?”
“Do you plan to abandon him? In a week? Maybe a year?”
“Psyche, one question at a time. Your questions are like a murderer’s.”
“You’ll say that soon. You said you’ll get tired of it. When will that be?”
The question was strange. Daphne rarely felt flustered, but Psyche hesitated for a moment as Daphne seemed perplexed, then let out a small sigh.
“Please forgive me for asking such a question. But I… now, whenever I think of Daphne, I always associate her with him. It feels like a burden on my heart.”
“A burden?”
“I keep feeling uneasy that Daphne loves someone I hate.”
Even though Psyche seemed like she couldn’t even kill an ant, if she were given a knife now, she might somehow manage to kill a man she hated.
And of all people, it had to be the guy who, as ‘Daphne’s benefactor,’ sold even the mine and bought up the media to save her. Psyche was definitely struggling with a huge conflict inside.
“Just don’t think about me… No. Psyche, you can keep hating and disliking him.”
“Even though Daphne loves… him?”
Daphne nodded with a confident expression.
“As long as Romeo is by your side, and I’m by his side, he won’t be able to harm you anymore.”
While she would look at Psyche with an extremely gentle gaze, Daphne would be extremely delighted to see her struggle.
“You should be by my side, Daphne.”
“Of course.”
Psyche seemed to like Daphne’s answer, as she smiled lightly, her expression becoming serious again.
“So what I mean is… I hope Daphne gets tired of him soon.”
“Well. But he’s too handsome to get rid of right away. Please understand.”
Psyche seemed like she was about to say something more, but she pursed her lips. While the affection Daphne had prepared to feign exhaustion was running low, they arrived at the main gate of the palace at a timely moment.
Casually glancing outside, Romeo, dressed comfortably, was waiting to greet them. The face of the heroine brightened completely when she spotted him.
“These fools, really…”
After Psyche got off the carriage holding Romeo’s hand, she turned to Daphne and said,
“Still, don’t accompany me to my wedding.”
The imagination she had just had seemed too appetizing to let go. Daphne smiled subtly without replying.
“Daphne.”
“Yeah, Psyche.”
As if urging him closer, she flicked her index finger. The prince sighed softly and obediently leaned in. Daphne touched his forehead with the back of her hand.
His forehead was warmer compared to hers, but the fever wasn’t as severe as before they went out.
“The medicine?”
“I took it.”
“Dinner?”
He shrugged.
“Not hungry?”
He nodded.
“Your appetite must be off. You’ve been sweating a lot and your blood sugar must have dropped.”
Daphne felt a bit sluggish from just having showered, and Celestian wouldn’t be eager to speak up first.
She placed her hand on his knee and admired Celestian’s face next to the flickering lamp. His features were distinctly different from the tiresome Romeo.
“The colors are different too.”
While he seemed cold when not smiling, when he smiled with his hand on her cheek, it felt as sweet as candy.
“Do you wash with cold water?”
Surprisingly, it was Celestian who broke the silence.
“Cold water? No. Why?”
“Your hands are cold.”
He said, looking at Daphne’s hand. She replied matter-of-factly while fidgeting with her hand.
“Oh, it’s always like this. Raynaud’s syndrome?”
“Ray, what?”
“Just. Your feet are cold too.”
She pressed her sole against Celestian’s foot. He seemed slightly surprised but didn’t pull away. His gaze was captivated by her bare feet suddenly.
“Your feet are pretty.”
Unlike her own feet, which were marked with scars up to the ankle, Celestian’s large feet were as smooth as if they were sculpted by a sculptor in tears.
“Should I pair up the last three or four and exhibit them in the new bedroom?”
She stared at the man’s feet for a while, then pulled her legs into her skirt and wrapped her shoulders around them. The breeze coming through the window brushed her still-damp hair and disappeared.
“Is this where you’ve been sleeping lately?”
Celestian looked around the room with his head raised.
“Oh, this is my daughter’s room.”
That was a lie. This room, identical to the one Daphne used in Serenade, was prepared for Celestian to sleep in, as the “Prince’s bedroom.”
But she didn’t want to seem like a crazy woman, so she gave up her own room. If she knew he would react like this, she would have put him here from the beginning.
“You have a daughter?”
Celestian looked genuinely surprised.
“Yeah.”
While Daphne was briefly concocting a story, Celestian kept his mouth shut.
“…I’ve never seen her.”
“Of course not. She’s not here.”
“Where is she then?”
Daphne stifled her laughter. With a face full of absurd stories, she sighed deeply and then looked out the window pensively.
“Well, she’d be a brat if she were born, right?”
“Hmm?”
“She died. When she was seventeen.”
At Daphne’s empty voice, Celestian took a deep breath.
