“Episode 35”
My Princess
She finally succeeded in boarding almost at the last minute. Daphne pressed her toes against the carpeted corridor as if leaving footprints, exerting force on her steps. People of all ages, children and adults alike, were bustling in the corridors, open cabins, and everywhere, sharing their own stories. Everyone was excited for the maiden voyage of the massive cruise ship.
Daphne was no exception. Sparkles gleamed in her yellow eyes, hinting at her cheerful mood. The sound of footsteps and the creaking of the ship’s movement echoed several times. “Page-Renée” slowly moved forward, and celebratory ribbon fireworks burst here and there in the harbor.
“It’s really peaceful here.”
But Daphne’s attention was constantly diverted downwards. “When will he let go…?” It was because of the foreign man’s hand that she had been holding onto since earlier. Daphne realized it and released her grip, but the man didn’t let go.
“I know you’re used to holding hands with ladies, but I’m a bit different.”
Romeo, who had formally debuted in society at sixteen, had held the hands of every lady who reached out to him. If his hand was sweaty for a while, it wouldn’t be a big deal, would it?
“Princes.”
Daphne fidgeted with her fingers without bothering to let go, feeling the callused texture of his hand. Even though it looked like a hand that hadn’t seen much hardship, there was an unusually rough texture on his palm.
“What’s this?”
Daphne raised the hand she was holding and examined it. After the sharp edge of a blade relentlessly pressed against his palm, it seemed like new skin had grown white over time.
“It looks like your palm has been pierced?”
Daphne turned his hand over. But there were only prominent veins on the back of his hand, smooth without any wounds.
“Why?”
Feeling the rough texture, Daphne gently brushed his palm with her ring finger. Celestian remained silent for about ten seconds before simply replying, “Got hurt.”
“Cele, I asked ‘why’.”
He blinked, but didn’t offer any other response. Daphne soon lost interest and let go of Celestian’s hand.
“You can keep holding it. Your hand is cold.”
Celestian didn’t retract his hand. Instead, he even extended his other hand without hesitation when Daphne looked at him in surprise. His movements were graceful today, for some reason.
“You seem to use a lot of kindness, Your Highness.”
Daphne declined with a wave of her hand. Although his warmth was nice, she felt it might be harmful to her heart if she held on any longer.
“I’ve heard that knights have rough palms.”
She muttered to herself. Kisha, who had wielded a sword since she was nine, was like that. Even Romeo, who had diligently attended swordsmanship classes, had a messed-up palm. Even Daphne, who only handled guns, couldn’t avoid calluses to some extent.
“Seems like everyone’s constitution is different.”
After resolving her dilemma, Daphne rested her elbow on the railing and rested her chin. Celestian continued to gaze at his palm.
“How do we get to my room?”
Royal knights were stationed at the passage to the first-class section, as she expected. As predicted, the area directly below the deck would be empty. There would likely be a shortcut to the first-class cabin if she went straight to the stern’s engine room.
“Cele, let’s go.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Hmm?”
Daphne tilted her head. Celestian looked unexpectedly sulky.
“Oh, okay. Give it your best shot… But at what?” Celestian clenched his fist and walked past Daphne. She quickly followed and tapped his shoulder twice.
“Hey, Prince. You’re going the wrong way.”
In the hot atmosphere of the engine room, after walking along the iron path and climbing the stairs, there was the dining hall. Taking the elevator in front of it would lead to the first-class cabin section.
Daphne mulled over the map she had looked at several times in her head. Then, she glanced briefly at the prince, who was dressed like a pauper.
“I brought a dress suit just in case, thankfully.”
His black hair bothered her a bit, but since he was blond when she met him, maybe if she waited a few months…
“Wait! I can’t do that.” Daphne, who once lobbied the author with millions to avoid waiting for the next volume of her favorite romance novel, couldn’t bear to wait patiently for hair to grow.
“Did you really dye it?”
“No.”
“Then?”
As Celestian, who had been leading the way, abruptly stopped, Daphne almost bumped into his broad back. Lifting her heel slightly, she peeked over his shoulder, seeing a navy officer guarding the entrance to the engine room. He wore the romantic navy uniform worn by Secradien men that she had often seen Romeo wear.
“Unauthorized personnel not allowed.”
As if echoing the voice of some gambler who had unnecessarily withdrawn all the troops from the capital.
“I’m authorized.”
Daphne replied. Despite the intense heat, her face was smooth without a drop of sweat. Daphne didn’t feel very good about it.
“Daphne Viewcater.”
“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to add ‘Miss’?”
“And companion.”
“Smart, ignore me?”
The soldier, with his skin rough and jaw thick, glanced at the man standing next to Daphne. His stone-like forehead wrinkled like a walnut.
“Right.”
Secradien soldiers almost worshipped the king like a god. Externally, it was said that after Rose Green died, all power was delegated to his son. Few knew about his gambling addiction and worsening health. The kind emperor who cherished his people so much, and the one who tried to kill him…
Daphne glanced up at Celestian. Instead of being wary of the soldier, he just looked at her.
“Look at those pretty innocent green eyes. Is he capable of that?”
But just in case, Daphne lightly hugged Celestian’s arm. Feeling his solid arm in her embrace gave her a subtle sense of confidence.
“It’s illegal for soldiers to harm civilians, but it’s justified to deal with traitors.”
Daphne was prepared to burst into tears before anyone else.
“You two are even more restricted from entering.”
“But the owner of this ship is my cousin, who’s gonna stop me?”
The navy officer hesitated for a moment.
“…It’s a direct order from His Majesty.”
“Why is my uncle here?” Daphne was bewildered.
“Are you not attending the wedding? It seems similar to being uninvited. If you step aside now, you’ll be…”.
“His Royal Highness was personally invited, and I was tasked with guarding this place. Secradien soldiers do not engage in deals for personal gain.”
“Please don’t interrupt when I’m speaking. It’s rude.”
“I’ll make sure to correct that.”
The soldier nodded roughly and then looked straight ahead again.
“He looks like he’s fittingly assigned to guard this place like a Moai statue.”
Daphne pursed her lips. People like this, who stood for ‘justice’, were difficult to bend with bribes. Since he was only looking straight ahead, she slipped her foot forward. Now the sailor was reaching for his holster on his hip.
“Princess, let’s just go.”
“Princess…?”
Celestian, speaking cheerfully and affectionately, caused Daphne to cringe. Her goosebumps rose. She looked up at his pretty face, smiling mischievously.
“This guy doesn’t seem like he’s going to kill us. It’s a suggestion not to pour oil on the fire.”
Daphne was dumbfounded. Taking advantage of the moment, Celestian gently took Daphne’s hand and turned his body. She continued to giggle at the events that had just passed.
“Why do you call me that?”
It wasn’t until they had climbed two floors that Daphne asked Celestian, sounding flustered.
“What?”
“You called me ‘Princess’. You did the same thing in front of Romeo last time too.”
“Back then, I didn’t know your name, and now, I’m calling you what I want since you asked not to call you by your name.”
“You called me by my last name just fine!”
“We’re just surface-level lovers, aren’t we? Viewcater… Calling you that might raise suspicions.”
When she decided to accomplish something, she would not listen to anyone else and only focus on moving forward. Celestian skillfully broke through that. If he hadn’t, even with a bullet in his chest, he would have jumped into the engine room.
“No one has ever called me ‘Princess’ before.”
“Oh?”
He tilted his head, clearly teasing her. Daphne felt her cheeks redden and rubbed them with the back of her hand.
“I killed everyone who did.”
‘Princess’ was a nickname Romeo used to tease Daphne when she was young. The stuck-up Didi Princess. It emphasized her dirty mouth and behavior.
While being called ‘princess’ was tolerable, being called ‘princess’ was completely unacceptable!
“If that’s the case, I want to be called ‘princess’. It’s right, isn’t it, my princess?”
Daphne stopped climbing the stairs and turned around. Standing three steps down, Celestian looked up at her with mischievousness in his green eyes.
‘My princess.’
It was a familiar tone and pronunciation, as if she had heard it somewhere before. It wasn’t recent, maybe not even a year ago.
Throughout the rest of the climb, Daphne continued to rummage through her memories. She kept searching as they stood side by side at the railing, but nothing came to mind. The more she searched, the more it seemed that she was the only one left, staring at herself from afar, who used to laugh under the chandelier.
“Celestian, when did we meet?”
Daphne didn’t agonize alone and asked Celestian directly. As if by habit, he looked down at the sea, similar in color to his eyes.
“Yeah.”
“The sound of waves crashing under the ship as it moved forward was heard.”
“I’ve seen you quite often. It seems like you don’t remember.”
The calm green eyes looked at Daphne. Like the wind lingering above the sea, it gently brushed Celestian’s shirt and hair. Celestian’s vague response only tangled Daphne’s thought process even more.
Who was Daphne? She was the cousin of the current Crown Prince and the archenemy of the girl Celestian used to like. According to her memory, she had never had a face-to-face conversation with the Celestian of his prince days. For that reason, she only remembered running into him one or two times.
Daphne bit her lip and asked inwardly. Just as Celestian was about to add something, a young girl who had been running down the corridor stumbled and fell against Daphne’s waist.
“Aiko.”
Daphne quickly crouched down, grabbed the girl’s torso, and helped her up.
“It seemed like there was a loud noise when she fell.”
She flicked the dust off the girl’s small skirt. She debated whether to hold the small head and check it or not.
“Princess, I’m sorry!”
Daphne flinched. The girl just widened her brown eyes.
“It’s okay~ Is the little princess okay?”
“Yes! I’m okay. Here, take this.”
The girl confidently replied. Then, she handed Daphne a flower and ran off towards the first-class dining area.
Daphne stood up and absentmindedly turned the flower around, only to realize its shape belatedly.
“Who brings lilies to a wedding…?”
She turned the flower around, examining it. It wasn’t a lily with a touch of blue, just a pure white lily.
Seeing the petals all crushed, it was clear that it was meant as a decoration to mourn death. Daphne looked in the direction where the little girl had disappeared.
Her spine chilled at the ominous symbol that didn’t fit a wedding.
