Chapter 30
Daphne, Uninvited
Wedding invitations from the royal family arrived. One was from the Marquess of Beaucater, and the other from Amber Green. The white cards, embroidered with abstract shapes of lions and mermaids in pure gold, emitted a faint sandalwood scent.
“Maril, is there one for me?”
Yet another problem arose. There was no invitation for Daphne!
“There were only two addressed to the main residence, Lady.”
“Why?”
Daphne’s eyes widened in surprise. Of course, the butler Maril, who had no idea why, looked noticeably flustered.
“Could it have been left out?”
“I’m terribly sorry, Lady… but I don’t know.”
Daphne followed Amber’s hand with her gaze. More precisely, she focused on the two invitations that had just been snatched away.
The pearl pin in Daphne’s hair caught the light differently as she tilted her head.
“Tch.”
“Mother!”
Amber shot a disdainful look at the thick invitations, then promptly ripped them apart and tossed the pieces into an ashtray.
The heavy scent of cigars soon erased the sandalwood aroma. The flames from the burning invitations flared briefly and then died down.
“Daphne, don’t go. Why bother with such nonsense?”
“What? Oh, come on, Mother. Do you know how much time I invested in that royal wedding?”
“Exactly. Why waste your time? It’s not even your wedding.”
Amber clenched her fists tightly.
“Right, it should have been your wedding.”
Daphne decided to let the comment go in one ear and out the other. She only looked wistfully at the now-burned invitations. Even if she had kept both, she wouldn’t have been allowed entry anyway.
No, wait. Who was Daphne? She was the king’s niece, Romeo Rodriguez’s cousin, and the closest confidant of the crown princess…
‘On the surface, at least. We’re sworn enemies, technically. Right.’
Daphne rested her chin on her fist, lost in thought. Had her name been excluded from the guest list she reviewed the other day? She hadn’t checked thoroughly, assuming her attendance was obvious.
“Daph.”
“Hmm?”
“Your outfit is scandalous.”
Daphne was wearing a sheer chiffon two-piece with exposed shoulders. Compared to Amber, who wore a green dress that covered her arms to the wrists, it was as if they were in different seasons entirely.
“Oh, it’s pretty, isn’t it? Besides, it’s hot.”
And it was true. Summer had arrived in Secradion right after the brief rainy season, and clothes that covered too much were unbearably warm.
“You make yourself look cheap.”
Ignoring her mother’s nagging, Daphne sipped her Earl Grey tea.
If she stepped out in this outfit, the royal women would turn it into the next big trend, and Amber wouldn’t be able to say another word.
“Mother, give me a little money.”
Money? Daphne, who had never wanted for anything, was now asking her mother for money?
“There’s money at home.”
“Let me buy a dress for the wedding.”
“I told you not to go.”
“Mother, I saw the guest list. Even some Azhentar royalty are attending.”
Daphne wasn’t one to lie.
Through her connection with Romeo, several distant members of the royal family were attending, and she had spent months sweating over adjusting the guest rooms to their tastes.
“The Raktea Sea is as beautiful as the Milky Way~ Meeting someone on a romantic cruise is pure destiny~ Don’t you think silver hair would look like gold under the moonlight~?”
Daphne rested her chin on her hands, making a dreamy expression like a girl about to fall in love. Amber’s golden eyes began to waver.
“Dancing with someone under the moonlit sea—falling in love is practically inevitable. And if I catch the bouquet at the wedding, I’ll be cursed to get married within three months~”
Daphne paused briefly. That superstition was from a past life. She’d never heard of it here, but luckily Amber didn’t question its origin.
“Should I really not go?”
Daphne kept brushing her hair behind her ear, her playful tone as charming as ever. Her intentions were clear, but hearing her, it all sounded quite reasonable.
Though Amber had forbidden her from attending, the guests were all royals, nobles, or wealthy elites. It would be unthinkable for no one from the prestigious Green family—an ally of the royal house—to attend.
Besides, the pesky rebel was no longer an issue, and Daphne no longer acted like a child. She handled her affairs with maturity, and truthfully, following her lead had never caused trouble before.
Amber set down her cigar and rang the bell. The clear chime of the glass bell echoed throughout the garden.
“Just this once.”
“Yes!”
Well, using her mother’s favor was always a pleasure.
****
“Crazy.”
“Please show me your invitation.”
“Don’t you know who I am?”
Daphne’s heated voice was drowned out by the blaring foghorn.
“I-I’m Daphne Buecater! The owner of the Saturn Mariel Hotel, Romeo Rodriguez’s cousin, and…”
She was already sweltering in the heat, but now her embarrassment made her face burn even hotter. On top of that, she was stuttering!
“Is that so.”
Few people in this life dared block Daphne’s way. Yet here she was, waiting in line at six different entrances, shouting six times, “I’m Daphne, the daughter of the Beaucater and Green families!”
“There seem to be twenty other Beaucaters behind you, Lady.”
“No, I’m the one!”
“Please present your invitation.”
But the soldiers, utterly inflexible, had no qualms about turning her away at the entrance.
As the soldier mentioned, the harbor was crawling with women sporting red hair and gold glittery eyeshadow, all claiming to be Daphne Beaucater.
Word had apparently leaked that Daphne’s invitation had gone missing, and now everyone was pretending to be her.
“For someone claiming to be the owner of Saturn Mariel, your appearance is rather… casual.”
Did he just criticize my outfit?
Daphne glanced down at herself. The main banquet didn’t begin until the evening, so she had opted for a simpler ensemble, planning to rest as soon as she got inside.
Her airy dress was a “masterpiece” by a designer Amber poured a fortune into every year. And yet, casual?
“This dress is worth more than your internal organs, you know?”
Daphne retorted in a voice dripping with incredulity, tapping her chest a couple of times for emphasis. The motion sent a sharp pain through her wound, making her wince.
“Ah.”
“Your invitation, please.”
Daphne grimaced at the stinging pain, but the soldier’s low, steady tone remained unchanged.
“What? You seriously don’t know who I am? How can you not know?”
“There are many descriptions of you as fierce, but you don’t seem so.”
To board the ship, the first condition was a royal invitation stamped with the royal seal. The second was a passport and cross-checking against the guest list. Since Daphne lacked the first, she couldn’t even proceed to the second.
“Fierce” was what the journalists called me, but what am I supposed to do about my face!
Daphne stomped down the iron stairs, her fiery red hair practically blending with her flushed face.
“This is what I get for setting my own trap.”
She let out a bitter laugh, pressing a gloved hand to her forehead. Everything, every condition barring her, was her doing.
“Oh, I’m losing it. Damn it… At least give me my clothes!”
Her belongings—dresses, accessories, and other luggage—had already been shipped as cargo and were now locked away in her suite aboard the massive ship. The thought only made her angrier. Clenching her fists, she marched toward Narid, who was standing a little distance away.
“Miss, why are you back?”
Narid, who had accompanied her as a send-off, glanced nervously at Daphne, who returned visibly fuming. Narid’s sleek ash-blonde hair and elegant demeanor made her look like an heiress herself.
“What happened?”
“Those bastards—”
Daphne stopped herself from explaining further. There was no need to burden Narid, who was about to leave for a well-deserved vacation. Shaking her head, she changed her tone.
“They said I could enter in a bit. You go ahead.”
“What? But you’re you, lady. Why would they—”
“Yeah, yeah. The departure’s in five hours. They probably have an order or something. You’ll be late if you don’t leave now. Go on.”
“Are you really going to stay out here for five hours…?”
Daphne quickly shoved Narid toward the car. Though Narid kept glancing back, Daphne ducked into the crowd as soon as she was out of sight.
Is this Romeo’s doing? To mess with me?
But her more mature cousin would no longer stoop to such petty tricks. Jostled by the crowd, Daphne scowled. Just then, a flurry of papers danced through the air like confetti.
What now?
Whenever things went wrong, Daphne blamed herself. It was better for her mental health to think, Everything is my responsibility, and cut the thought off there.
But the humiliations she’d endured in recent weeks undeniably had a cause.
“Sleelstrune.”
Her words slurred, her clenched jaw mangling her pronunciation.
That cursed prince with emerald eyes that gleamed like sunlight on the sea!
“You little…”
Until a few days ago, she’d spent her time imagining his face crumbling as he watched Psyche marry someone else. Phrases like “the prince’s inevitable downfall” delighted her to no end.
“Ah.”
The thought of him made her gunshot wound throb fiercely.
Everything was Celestian’s fault. From the wound on her precious body to her immense wealth tied up in trust, her mother’s incessant nagging about marriage, even Psyche’s once bright smile turning sour at the sight of her!
That prince was utterly useless.
She had saved him, and not only had he fled, but now he’d cornered her like this. Daphne had never read a romance novel where the male lead ran away.
Unless the woman was a criminal, and the genre was a thriller!
But I’m no criminal. I’m a romance maker, graciously paving the way to their wedding.
Daphne began undoing the intricate hairstyle Narid had painstakingly tied for her. Tears welled as the tightly tangled decorations pulled at her hair.
“Theriosa. You little…”
Onlookers murmured to each other, pitying her. “She must be desperate to board the ship.” Daphne’s flaming red hair blazed like a spotlight.
“I’ll really kill him, ugh—”
A paper floating in the wind smacked right onto Daphne’s face.
“Ugh, come on!”
She irritably peeled it off, ready to crumple and toss it away.
<“The historic first voyage of Page-René! Your golden chance to win a boarding pass! Visit the unnamed hotel at B1…”>
“Gambling?”
Daphne glanced at her wallet. Slowly, her lips curved into a grin. Luck, it seemed, hadn’t abandoned her after all.
