“Episode 32”
“I wonder where my blonde hair went?”
“What should I do?”
All the plans that Daphne had been thinking about filled her mind. Plans like how to kill this angel, or how to cut off that angel’s arms, as she had been staring at the angels on the ceiling of her mother’s study for over a month.
“Why is your hair black?”
The person she casually encountered was clearly sporting black hair. Curiosity urged Daphne to turn around and look.
“Miss, are you okay? You don’t look well.”
Chadwick pretended to be concerned gently. Daphne, who had turned bright red, cooled down at the man’s words and returned to her expressionless state. Chadwick’s expression also became subtle.
“You used to smile at me just fine, now you’re ignoring me.”
Well, earlier Daphne had smiled appropriately because Chadwick had blonde hair.
However, now Daphne’s attention was completely stolen by the man behind her. She had no intention of smiling at another man now.
“Hey, miss.”
Chadwick’s face, already wrinkled seven times from being ignored, looked pitiful.
“Yeah, why?”
After coming to a conclusion, Daphne covered her mouth with her hand and whispered to the dealer. Upon looking again, the dealer’s tie had a pattern embroidered with ‘no cheating.’
“Sir, do you have something like an axe here?”
“Why an axe?”
“I want to cut a man’s hair. He has magnificent black hair, so it might fetch a good price. Plus, even if he’s not legitimate royalty, there might be some value since he has royal blood.”
Although Daphne mentioned Celestine, Chadwick, who was listening nearby, remained silent. The dealer started to laugh heartily.
“Haha, unfortunately, we don’t accept that as a stake for the game.”
“How about a knife then?”
She gestured with her palm as if cutting her throat. The dealer smiled kindly and shook his head. Chadwick, who overheard, remained expressionless, and another man nearby chuckled.
“Oh, looks like we have a new player in the game.”
A gentle voice echoed above Daphne’s forehead. Goosebumps spread from Daphne’s arms to her shoulders. It was a voice she hadn’t heard in a long time. Her heart welled up with emotions for a moment but quickly calmed down.
“Oh, I was just about to quit. Will you continue in my place?”
The man sitting on the right raised his hand and spoke. The man behind nodded, and a pleasant scent filled the air as he left with his winnings.
“Long time no see.”
A soft fabric settled on Daphne’s shoulders.
“Long time no see?”
She pondered reluctantly inside but sniffed the pleasant smell.
“Yeah.”
Daphne tried to act nonchalant in her response. Then she glanced at the man sitting beside her, on the empty chair. He wore a black vest with a few buttons undone on a bulky shirt. It meant he looked like those rich guys who get caught by paparazzi in underground gambling dens.
Even under the dim lighting, his hair, which usually stood out, was shining black today. Daphne couldn’t help but squint, finding that the man in her mind and the man in front of her didn’t match well.
As if sensing Daphne’s gaze, Celestine touched his chin with his hand. His head tilted to the right as if to show off, and it felt like he was acting cute.
kept pondering what to ask first, but the first question that popped out was, as expected, about his hair. She wanted to ask if it was dyed, or if it was a wig, or if he had temporarily colored it with dye.
She wanted to ask, “What if it’s dyed?” The anxiety that she might not see that brilliant golden hair again for months suddenly made her lift her head. “Did you burn it under the bonfire?” she asked again, but Daphne was the type to become calmer as she got angrier. Despite the subtly accusing question, Celestine chuckled softly. “I took some advice,” Celestine said, pinching the end of his black hair with his fingertips. “What advice?” “About a girl’s preferences. Surprisingly not that difficult.” Daphne blinked as she pondered Celestine’s words. Black hair, preferences, advice? And… “A girl you like.” Daphne’s stomach fluttered. Black hair couldn’t possibly be Daphne’s preference. Today happened to be Psyche’s wedding day, and it was obvious that showing up with black hair was an ominous intention. “You’re making quite an effort, Your Highness.” “….” “But Rodriguez probably won’t cut it, right?” Celestine’s eyebrow twitched upward. “Seems a bit subpar, after all.” Daphne hesitated. Her gaze naturally turned to him. “Doesn’t he look in the mirror?” The prince with black hair was exceedingly beautiful. Even though Daphne had seen many handsome men with this hair color in Sekradyon, he looked surprisingly beautiful today. His crimson lips, raised in confidence, and his straight nose cast varying shades depending on the angle of light. Beyond his straight eyebrows, slightly lighter-colored eyebrows were visible, and even the freckle dotting above them remained. “Unlike Romeo….” Each time his eyes closed, his eyelashes fluttered like a small butterfly’s wings. Beneath them, the calm green beads seemed like a globe with only the sea depicted. The prince, with his long neck extending under his jaw and a few undone buttons revealing bones and muscles, had an exquisitely refined face. He was still looking at Daphne, waiting for her next words. “He doesn’t resemble him at all.” Just a few hours ago, Daphne had been ready to cut his throat at the sight of him. But now, facing him, she didn’t feel like it, even though she wanted to. Why? Using Misha and betraying herself, even if she killed him, it wouldn’t be enough. “Yes, my question wasn’t about that,” Celestine prompted, narrowing his eyes. Glancing at him with a defiant expression, she said, “I mean, overall, it’s just not very appealing.” After lowering his eyebrows, he made an unexpected expression. The dealer tapped the table as if to focus. “Oh, excuse me.” Celestine said calmly. After checking his cards, he pushed another card towards the dealer and Chadwick. Chadwick also revealed his hand and covered it again. “Raise.” He glanced at Daphne, who had been staring at him for a while, and sighed softly. He called the bellboy to bring the money, and without splitting it, he put the bundle of bills on the table. “Where did you get this money?” In this poker game, the one with the most money gets the final decision. Chadwick also called and placed his money on the table. “Since I won.” Celestine added five more bundles. “No, where did you get the bet money in the first place?” “Oh, come on, Miss! Don’t say such things. Whenever you come down, you sweep all the tables and generously tip me too…” The bellboy who had brought Daphne here suddenly intervened. Then he tapped his pocket a few times with an enthusiastic expression. When Daphne remained silent, the boy seemed to think he had done something wrong and mumbled an apology, lowering his gaze. “Sorry.” “He did nothing wrong, why is he apologizing?” She knew her blank expression seemed particularly harsh to the sensitive souls in society. So she just smiled without answering. As her eyes softened, the atmosphere also thawed. Colin, who had been as stiff as a rock, bowed repeatedly and disappeared to exchange more cash. “You seem scary.” Celestine said in a teasing voice. Daphne glanced at him. “Are you going to kill me?” “Oh, of course. How do you want to die, Your Highness?” “My, my, naturally. Would you like to choose how you want to die, Your Highness?” Daphne lightly slapped her temple with her hand, unable to reach Celestine’s cheek due to the distance. “In that case…
When Celestine puckered his lips, the prince from the opposite side, who had been dozing off, whistled sharply. “Unfortunately, the honor of facing the King’s opponent goes to this side,” he said. Chadwick, still not betting and wearing a peculiar expression, alternated his gaze between Daphne and Celestine. Daphne was simply irritated by the golden boarding pass dangling from his front pocket like a dangling carrot. “It might feel too easy to bet this now, miss?” Chadwick sensed Daphne’s gaze and extended his gloved hand towards her. “Um, please be kind~ If you ask nicely, I might consider it.” It seemed like the person Daphne had to kill here wasn’t Celestine Terios, after all. Daphne had never refrained from stopping a man who provoked her, and she wasn’t even bothered by sending him to his demise herself. ‘Should I really kill him?’ Her yellow eyes slowly peeked out between her eyelashes, repeatedly appearing and disappearing.
