Chapter 11
It’s Funny Because You’re So Naive.
“Beaucater.”
Celestian, seemingly caught off guard, covered his mouth and coughed softly.
“I didn’t even know if it was going to be a boy or a girl, but I just thought it would be a girl and started preparing for that. I must’ve been such a fool.”
Daphne, watching his pale face, peered at him closely. Seeing his inability to respond, frozen as he was, brought her a great deal of amusement.
“If you look in that wardrobe over there, you’ll find the baby items I prepared back then. I even got so many gifts.”
She stretched out her hand, pointing to the wardrobe with its charming little door, and murmured softly, lips pressed against her knees.
Of course, there were no baby items in that wardrobe. Instead, it was packed with boxes of firearms Daphne had collected since childhood, a luxurious diary her godfather had made for her, unsent letters, old love letters from someone she’d long forgotten, and outdated accessories she no longer used.
“Back then, I was deep into planning tea cafes and an arts development program. I overworked myself so much.”
This wasn’t a lie. Daphne felt as though she’d shed all the nosebleeds of her lifetime during that period. Thinking back to those busy days made her head throb.
Resting her index finger against her temple, she sighed intermittently as she spoke.
“Sometimes, when I think about it, I feel like it’s all my fault.”
Celestian kept his lips pressed in a tight line, eventually biting down hard on his lower lip.
“I should’ve been more careful. I failed to protect it, so I might as well have lost it.”
“What kind of child are we talking about?”
His voice was sharp, with a hint of anger. He quickly brought a hand to his lips and cleared his throat to soften his tone.
“I don’t know.”
Daphne’s response was simple, as if unbothered by the strangeness of the question. Celestian crossed his arms, leaning back against his chair, and turned his head away.
“Why did you live like that? No wonder the socialites call me waste because of you. Didn’t you know?”
She almost burst into laughter at this point. Her voice started to tremble, so she quickly hunched over to hide her expression.
Celestian finally reached out toward Daphne. She buried her face deeper against her knees to hide her laughter. His outstretched hand, unable to touch her, clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
“Don’t cry.”
His tone was gentle and soothing, almost endearing. Daphne, unable to suppress her laughter, felt her shoulders shake uncontrollably. Maybe it was the alcohol, but she found his deep, calming voice twice as adorable as usual.
“Pffft.”
Her laughter escaped through her tightly closed lips. Celestian’s large hand, hovering near her face, clenched into a fist.
“Beaucater.”
“Yes, yes.”
He froze completely. He seemed to realize she wasn’t crying but laughing.
“You.”
It was as though he were trying to decide which was the lie—the claim that she had been abandoned or that she’d had a miscarriage.
“You’re lying.”
Daphne, her face flushed red from stifling her laughter, fanned herself with her hand while giggling uncontrollably.
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
He asked again for confirmation. Daphne nodded.
“I thought you were serious.”
Celestian ran his hand through his bangs, then ruffled his hair nervously. Daphne, laughing so hard on the stool, nearly toppled to the floor.
“Watch yourself.”
Celestian extended his arm to steady her. Daphne clung to his arm, still shaking with laughter.
‘How could someone this naive ever think of starting a rebellion?’
No. It was precisely because he was this naive that he believed those who promised to make him a king and fell for their temptations.
“Do you find such jokes amusing?”
Celestian frowned, tilting his head. His lips, red and swollen from all the biting, stood out.
“My prince, don’t bite your lips like that.”
Daphne reached out and gently rubbed the corner of his lips. It was a habit she’d picked up when hanging out with her female friends.
‘…Have I lost my mind?’
Daphne awkwardly pulled her hand away, pushing Celestian’s arm that she had been holding onto. Then she exaggerated her voice.
“Oh my, our prince is so adorably innocent. I can’t believe you actually fell for that.”
“It’s not that unbelievable. It’s you saying it, after all.”
Celestian’s offhand remark made Daphne pause. She felt an odd sensation. But thinking it over, she realized he wasn’t wrong—it was true he didn’t know how she’d lived all this time.
“Why do you tell such lies?”
He added quietly, his face a mix of emotions she couldn’t decipher. His rare expression gave him the air of an innocent prince, and, for some reason, Daphne began to feel a strange sense of guilt.
“Because of your expression. It’s amusing.”
“It’s not amusing.”
She retorted sharply.
“If that’s the case, my apologies.”
Daphne quickly regained her composure after suppressing her emotions. With laughter subsiding and sighs held back, silence fell once again.
‘Why does he keep staring at me? It’s making me uncomfortable.’
She tapped her bare feet against the carpet.
Perhaps annoyed at being teased by her, Celestian didn’t avert his gaze. Daphne’s cheeks burned, but she didn’t want to back down, so she held his gaze.
‘Right.’
She rolled her eyes upward, thinking about the schedule she had just discussed with Romeo.
Thirty-one days until the engagement ceremony of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. The nobles with money in the capital’s social circles were holding parties one by one.
Tomorrow marked the first day of the relay of parties, starting at Psyche’s villa. Most of the attendees would be royals and high-ranking nobles, with few of Daphne’s acquaintances present—‘an utterly dull’ party, in her opinion.
Romeo’s secretary had handed Daphne an ornate, gold-embossed invitation as she stepped into her carriage. The name inside was addressed to Celestian.
“Cele, we have to go to the organ recital tomorrow and then the party.”
“After making me feel this way, are you asking me out on a date?”
Celestian chuckled. Daphne felt a tingling sensation in her cheeks at the word “date.”
“What date? I’m just informing you of the schedule.”
“Huh?”
Daphne widened her eyes in response. Celestian raised a hand to his mouth again, letting out a soft, incredulous laugh.
“Fine, go by yourself.”
Then his expression immediately turned serious.
“Why would I go alone? You’re coming with me.”
At her continued teasing, he furrowed his brows again. Watching this handsome man, with his kind features, direct all his irritation at her brought Daphne a peculiar thrill. She liked the feeling of being in control.
‘But… what exactly is Romeo planning to do with this so-called “waste set”?’
Daphne didn’t know Romeo’s intentions. However, she was fully aware that Celestian’s current status in the kingdom was little more than garbage—something everyone seemed eager to throw away.
Still, Daphne had no intention of parading this man in front of Psyche just to make a point. The memory of those disdainful blue eyes stayed vividly in her mind, filling her with distaste.
“I’m just your slave, aren’t I?”
“Slave?”
Celestian curved his lips into a sardonic smile and nodded toward a small bed nearby.
“Or maybe a bed doll.”
It seemed he had regained some of his composure after sulking earlier. Daphne narrowed her eyes.
“Keep talking like that, and you’ll lose an ear.”
Her vision blurred slightly as exhaustion set in—clearly, her stamina was reaching its limit again. It was time to sleep. Daphne stood up first.
“Good night, my dear ghost Duke, please get up before noon.”
And then, pretending to be polite, she picked up the hem of her skirt and bent her knees. With the sound of her furry slippers dragging, Daphne reached the door.
She was about to turn around to say goodnight, but she was so surprised.
“What, damn—!”
Celestian was right in front of her. More precisely, his shirt, unbuttoned three places, revealing his chest.
Her heart pounding wildly, Daphne clutched her chest and looked up at him.
“Excuse me?”
She was so startled that she didn’t even register Celestian cursing under his breath.
‘No sound of footsteps or even the chair moving! How—’
“Where are you going?”
Celestian, his hand resting somewhere near her waist, raised an eyebrow as he asked.
“To bed.”
“Where?”
“In my room? Wait, how did you even get here? Did you fly?”
“I’m a ghost.”
He stated this nonchalantly.
In the dim light, his striking eyes seemed to glow even brighter. Daphne glanced sideways toward the floor. Celestian’s hand was gripping the doorknob.
“Where are you sleeping?”
“Prince, my room has plenty of beds. I have no intention of sleeping in your princess bed.”
“But I let you sleep there.”
“It suits you.”
Daphne’s suspicion grew. It was as if he had flown over. She moved her foot slightly to check, grazing her ankle against his.
“What are you doing?”
“Well, from there to here is at least fifteen steps…”
After hearing countless whispers about how he was like an angelic princess or a prince even prettier than a princess, Daphne half-jokingly wondered if he’d sprouted wings. She leaned slightly, peering behind him.
“Beaucater.”
When he bent toward her, the scent hit her nose, prompting her to sniff slightly. It was familiar—her own perfume, the one she’d gone wild searching for when it went missing.
“…What?”
Releasing the doorknob, Celestian grabbed a handful of her damp hair.
“Sleep here. Sleep with me.”
The whirlwind of events in such a short time overwhelmed her, yet more kept unfolding. Daphne blinked slowly, her mind struggling to keep up.
With the faint light behind him casting shadows over his face, Celestian bent closer, his low whisper brushing against her ear.
“Sleep with me. You want to as well, don’t you?”
