Chapter 16
That Awful Taste
The ever-radiant golden prince stood before her.
Celestian was practically glued to Daphne’s back as they were ushered into the dining room. Unlike the bustling ballroom, the room was quiet, occupied only by a few tired guests seeking respite from the endless dancing.
“This time, you’re sitting right next to me. Do you like that?”
Daphne wanted to say she hated it but settled for a sarcastic smirk.
“Ugh…”
Celestian, ever the gentleman, pulled out Daphne’s chair just as Romeo took his seat. But just as Daphne reached for her chair, Romeo shoved it aside with his foot.
“Move over, brother,” Romeo said dismissively.
Celestian raised an eyebrow, standing tall and composed. Romeo, unbothered, gestured with his chin at the seat to his left, inviting Daphne to sit there instead.
“Rude bastard.”
Daphne glanced at the neatly arranged cutlery, momentarily tempted to stab Romeo with a fork. Celestian, meanwhile, stared down at Romeo, his expression unreadable.
“Perhaps I’ll…”
Daphne half-rose, considering the idea of finding Psyche, smoothing things over with a kiss, and heading home.
“You should sit. I have something to say,” Romeo interrupted.
“Can’t you just send a letter? I’ll go find Psyche.”
“She’ll be back soon. If you miss her, it’ll be even worse.”
What is this idiot saying? Daphne sighed, already feeling drained. Lowering her gaze, she tried to regain her composure and looked back up at Celestian.
“Prince, perhaps you could wait outside—”
“There’s only one prince here, Didi,” Romeo interjected smugly.
Why does he always have to interrupt? Daphne ignored him, rephrasing her request.
“Celestian, would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I’ll just say hello and come right out.”
Where could Celestian possibly go? Misha was likely resting somewhere in the villa, but as a solitary soul, he’d be hard to track down.
Celestian smirked faintly but nodded in agreement.
“See you later, Romeo.”
And with that, he vanished without a trace.
“Romeo, what’s your deal? Feeling confident? Why aren’t you with Psyche?”
“I’m handling things just fine with Psyche, thanks to your advice—smile enough, let her win a little.”
Daphne sighed in exasperation. She was thirsty, but the wine on the table looked utterly unappealing.
“Honestly… I want to emigrate.”
Romeo, sipping from his wine glass with a sly grin, didn’t seem to care.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Why did you bring him along?”
They spoke simultaneously, Romeo glancing at the door Celestian had exited.
Does he not even remember inviting him? Daphne tilted her head in confusion.
“You invited him yourself,” she replied.
“I did?”
Romeo raised an eyebrow, his tone genuinely perplexed. The invitation Daphne had received at the party in Konya, handed over by Romeo’s secretary, clearly listed Celestian’s name.
“Did I?”
“You should apologize for being rude, perhaps?”
Romeo shrugged nonchalantly and took another sip of wine.
“Rudeness? That’s your prince’s specialty. He acts like he forgot he’s a rebel. Did you see him trying to claim a seat like it’s his right?”
It was the first time Daphne had seen her usually polished cousin openly badmouth someone. She had no retort.
Romeo took another sip of wine.
“If only this stuff were poisoned…” Daphne thought darkly, glaring at the crimson liquid flowing past his lips.
Then she remembered something Misha had said as a joke a few days prior.
“So, who’s named as the heir in your aunt’s will? Psyche? Or…”
Romeo’s face contorted instantly, his previously relaxed features twisting into an intense scowl.
He grabbed Daphne’s wrist, his other hand still holding the wine bottle. His grip was so strong it made her wince.
“Let go! I’m delicate and beautiful—you’ll break me!”
“Dedee, come with me,” he demanded, his tone sharp.
Ignoring her protests, he dragged her out to the terrace. His vice-like grip didn’t ease until they were outside, where Daphne yanked her hand back and flexed it painfully.
“You’re unbelievably strong!”
She turned to yell at him but froze when she saw him pulling off a ring from his finger. With a scowl, he tossed the ring into the wine bottle before smashing it on the ground.
The shattered bottle splattered her green dress with dark red streaks, like waves of blood.
“Oh my…”
Inside the broken bottle, the ring appeared charred black. Romeo, coughing faintly, grabbed Daphne’s shoulders and demanded, “You brought this wine, didn’t you?”
“Well…”
The high-end wine from the southwestern region of Agenthar was exclusive to Daphne’s business. She always provided either wine or fruit for Psyche’s parties, and Romeo knew this.
“I swear I didn’t do it. You know I don’t pull stunts like this. If I wanted you dead, I’d just shoot you and take my own life!”
“So, you’re confessing?”
“If I kill you, I’d have to kill myself too!”
“The timing’s suspicious. Why’d you ask about the inheritance?”
“It was a joke! Now let go of me!”
Romeo released her and doubled over, his face pale and nauseous.
Daphne hesitated, holding her hand out near his mouth. She couldn’t risk touching him further—the poison might spread faster.
Thanks to their childhood training in poison resistance, they were both somewhat immune to most toxins.
“And besides, he’s the male lead. He won’t die.”
Still, ingesting poison directly would cause pain, even if it wasn’t lethal.
“How much did you drink?”
“Three sips.”
Romeo’s bloodshot eyes met Daphne’s.
“I know you didn’t do it,” he admitted quietly.
Romeo had dragged her to the terrace because he’d needed a scapegoat. If trouble erupted inside, “The Villainess with the Traitor” would be the first to face the consequences. But Romeo didn’t like others making Daphne uncomfortable.
“You’re disgusting to touch,” he muttered, leaning heavily against her.
“Just drink more and go to hell, cousin,” she snapped but didn’t push him away.
As she considered fetching Celestian to solve the problem, movement behind the curtains caught her eye.
“Oh no.”
The sound of the bottle breaking had drawn attention. The silhouettes of several nobles loomed behind the curtains, peeking in without any subtlety.
Daphne froze, surveying the scene again: the wine-streaked floor, shattered glass, the crown prince collapsed against her, and her own hands holding him up.
And who was she, in their eyes?
“Romeo, wake up. We’re screwed.”
Ah, yes. The infamous villainess.
*****
While Psyche was briefly away with a few members of the royal family in the powder room, Daphne and Celestian were led into the dining hall, which featured several round tables draped in white silk. The hall was relatively quiet, likely because only those weary from the ongoing dances had come to rest.
“This time, you’re seated right next to me. Like it?”
Daphne, who was about to retort that she truly hated it, settled for a bitter smile instead.
‘Ugh…’
Celestian was practically glued to Daphne’s back, and after confirming that Romeo sat down first, he courteously pulled out a chair for Daphne.
Daphne, on the verge of laughing at Celestian’s unusually kind behavior today, immediately straightened her expression when her cousin kicked the chair out of place.
“Move aside, brother.”
Celestian raised one eyebrow at him. Meanwhile, Romeo gestured with his head for her to sit in the chair he had pulled out on his left.
‘This rude jerk.’
Daphne rolled her eyes and stared at the neatly arranged cutlery on the table, wondering if she should insert them one by one into the holes in Romeo’s body.
Celestian, now standing straight, looked down at Romeo with amused curiosity.
“Then I’ll just…”
Daphne hesitated and thought of finding Psyche to smooth everything over with a casual kiss and an excuse to go home. She awkwardly began to rise from her seat.
“Stay seated. I need to talk to you.”
“Can’t you just send a letter? I’m going to see Psyche.”
“She’ll be here soon. It’d be worse if you missed each other.”
What was this idiot talking about? Already feeling drained, Daphne lowered her eyes and then looked up at Celestian.
“Your Highness, perhaps outside—”
“I’m the only ‘Prince’ here, Dedee.”
Why was he nitpicking every little thing? Daphne calmly rephrased her words.
“Celestian, could you wait for me outside for a moment? I’ll just greet her and step out.”
Where would this man even go?
Misha was probably resting somewhere in the villa, but he was the type who preferred to be alone and hidden away. Sending Celestian to find him was not an option.
Celestian smirked oddly but nodded quietly.
“See you later, ‘Romi.'”
And with that, he genuinely disappeared.
“Romeo, seriously, what’s up with you? Are you that confident? Not going to check on Psyche?”
“I don’t need to. I already treat Psyche well, just like you suggested. Smile, let her win—it’s all working fine.”
Daphne let out an exasperated sigh. Her throat was dry, but none of the drinks in front of her seemed appealing.
“Honestly… I just want to emigrate.”
Romeo, who had been chuckling softly with his golden irises half-hidden, picked up a wine glass and took a sip.
“So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Why did you come with him?”
They both spoke at the same time. Romeo glanced toward the door Celestian had exited through. Did he forget he had invited him? Daphne tilted her head and responded.
“You invited him yourself.”
“Me?”
Romeo raised an eyebrow in confusion. A few days ago at Konya’s party, the invitation Daphne had received via Romeo’s secretary had clearly listed Celestian’s name.
“I did?”
“You should say something like, ‘Sorry for being so rude,’ shouldn’t you?”
Romeo took another sip of wine and shrugged.
“The rudeness comes from your prince. He keeps forgetting he’s a rebel. Look at how he acts like he belongs here.”
It was the first time Daphne had seen her cousin, who outwardly maintained the image of a cheerful crown prince, openly badmouth someone. She had no rebuttal.
Romeo sipped his wine again.
‘If no one poisoned that wine, they missed an opportunity… Crown prince, please just vanish.’
Daphne watched the crimson liquid flow into his red lips and had a dark thought. Suddenly, she recalled something Misha had joked about a few days ago.
“The inheritance—who’s listed as the heir? Psyche? Or…”
Romeo’s expression twisted dramatically. His sharp features turned menacing under the weight of his anger.
He grabbed Daphne’s wrist while holding the wine bottle in his other hand. The sheer strength of his grip made her frown.
“Loosen up. I’m beautiful and fragile—I break easily.”
“Dedee, come here.”
Romeo didn’t even bother responding to her sarcastic quip.
“A kid who’ll soon be married and start a family shouldn’t be acting so childish.”
Despite his nagging, Romeo’s lips remained tight. Without a word, he dragged Daphne by the wrist. His immense strength left her too startled to resist.
Once they reached the terrace, Romeo finally let go, and Daphne flexed her tingling hand several times. It had turned red in the brief time he held it.
“You really are absurdly strong!”
She turned toward him, ready to curse him out. Romeo irritably pulled the ring off his right index finger and crushed it.
“Look.”
He dropped the ring into the bottle and hurled it to the ground. The shattered wine bottle sprayed crimson foam onto Daphne’s green dress, like waves crashing on a shore.
“My goodness.”
The ring, now visible, was charred black. Romeo, coughing slightly, gripped Daphne’s shoulder tightly as he interrogated her.
“This wine—you brought it, didn’t you?”
“Uh…”
Daphne was the exclusive distributor of the luxury wine produced in the southwestern region of the Agenthar Empire. She always supplied wine or fruit for Psyche’s parties, and Romeo knew that.
“I swear I didn’t. You know I don’t do this kind of innocent scheming. If I wanted to kill you, I’d have shot you and killed myself already.”
She was being honest.
“Is that a confession?”
“If I kill you, I die too!”
“The timing is suspicious. Why did you ask about the inheritance?”
“It was a joke! Also, can you ease up on the grip?”
Romeo raised his hands as if to say “fine” and then doubled over, his face pale and contorted as if he were about to vomit.
Daphne instinctively placed her hand near his mouth. She couldn’t hit him anywhere else—any misstep might accelerate the poison’s effects.
The two cousins had trained to build immunity to poisons from a young age, so they had some resistance.
‘And he’s the male lead, so he won’t die.’
But with poison directly poured into his throat, he was undoubtedly in pain.
“How many sips did you take, Your Highness?”
“Three.”
Romeo, his eyes bloodshot, looked back at Daphne.
“I really didn’t do it.”
“I know.”
Romeo’s reason for dragging Daphne to the terrace was an impromptu decision. The dining hall was filled with nobles eager to exert influence and make speeches. If anything went wrong, “The Villainess who Arrived with a Traitor” would be the first to face scrutiny.
Romeo also hated when anyone other than himself humiliated Daphne.
“Touching you makes me feel filthy.”
Romeo muttered slowly as he leaned his large frame against her.
“Just drink more and go to hell, cousin.”
Even as she said that, Daphne didn’t push him away. If she could sit him down and fetch Celestian, the issue might be resolved. But if the hyenas outside saw them before that…
As she turned to glance toward the hall, Daphne froze.
‘Oh.’
The sound of the bottle shattering hadn’t gone unnoticed. Four or five nobles were standing behind the curtain, their silhouettes plainly visible.
Daphne, aghast, took in her situation: the wine-stained floor, the red shards scattered around, the crown prince slumped against her chest.
And who was she, again?
“Romeo, pull yourself together. I think we’re screwed.”
Ah, yes. The Great Villainess.
