“Episode 36”
It seems like the princess has gone mad.
“Are the royal girls bothering Psyche again? …No, not this time.”
The masterpiece romance that had been making waves for the past two years had finally come to a close with the announcement of the engagement. Daphne, using all her connections, had introduced decent men to the princesses who were acting like Romeo stalkers, and she had also worked to elevate Psyche to a more appropriate position for a future queen.
“Moreover, if it’s the people in third class, they would warmly welcome the queen-to-be, who is almost of common origin.”
Furthermore, it was unlikely that a child who had just started speaking would understand the meaning of lilies. When Daphne looked up, she noticed that even the banquet hall was adorned with white flowers.
“What is this?”
She glanced back at the area reserved for second class. The knights were still busy setting things up.
“Why do noble ladies keep trying to move to third class?”
A few sailors passing by behind them were chatting among themselves.
“I saw a few just now. What’s the deal?”
“It’s because of My Fair Gentleman! Bringing commoner men and flaunting them as lovers except for the time being has become a trend among noble ladies these days.”
“Everything becomes a trend.”
The sailors continued on, exchanging a few words as they passed Daphne and Celestian.
“A trend?”
An idea suddenly flashed in Daphne’s mind.
She was wearing a thin dress that looked like sleepwear to anyone, but upon closer inspection, one could tell it was an expensive outfit.
The dim-witted men might not notice, but what about the women who follow trends?
“Celestian, how do I look right now?”
Daphne spread her hands and ran them over her body as if to showcase herself.
“You look like a princess.”
Celestian casually followed her hand with his gaze, then quickly blushed and turned his head away, softly answering.
“Hmm… is it praise or recognition of royalty?”
Daphne once again inspected Celestian’s attire. It was rare for anyone to recognize him as a prince, with his messy hair and attire that looked like it was just thrown on.
Daphne placed the lily given to her by the child behind Celestian’s ear. His green iris trembled slightly.
He raised his large hand to feel his ear. His face was filled with confusion, as if asking, “What are you doing?”
“Good. Very pretty. Keep doing that.”
As Daphne lightly brushed her palm from his red lips to his cheeks, Celestian’s head once again tilted in confusion at her nervous hair twirling.
“Daphne, are you angry?”
“No?”
“But why is your hair… like that?”
Celestian raised his right eyebrow. Just above it, the tiny dot looked even more adorable.
“What are you trying to do?”
His voice trembled slightly.
Celestian was truly at a loss for words, blinking at the strange and mysterious sight before him.
“Oh my.”
Someone murmured what they wanted to say.
“Is she a noble?”
“Obviously. Looks like she moved from first class.”
“Oh no. Romeo, how could you leave me…? How could you leave me like this…?”
“…Maybe she was kicked out?”
In the third-class lounge, after swishing a few mouthfuls of cheap liquor, Daphne, who was acting like a drunk person, began to sob loudly. Then, she collapsed to the floor and started crying loudly.
“Romeo, Iseuin, Rodrigues….”
Daphne ruffled her red hair again. Her clenched fists slammed onto the blue carpet.
“Oh my.”
“It seems like she had a crush on the Crown Prince…”
“Wow…”
The attention of everyone in the upper deck turned to Daphne.
At first, they thought it was some kind of show, but upon hearing Romeo’s name coming out of Daphne’s mouth, they looked at her with pitying eyes.
“Ha ha.”
Celestian burst into a bewildered laughter. If they were as ruthless as the social elite on thin ice, ignorant and kind-hearted as they were, they would have criticized her reputation with a cold expression. Daphne’s eye makeup smeared, her lips tinged red, she began to wobble on the floor.
Unable to watch the scene any longer, Celestian stifled his laughter and approached her.
“Miss.”
The hesitant sailors came forward and stood in front of Daphne. They seemed to know not to touch the body of a noblewoman recklessly. It was around the time a brave sailor’s hand touched her shoulder.
“Don’t touch me! Where do you think you’re putting your hands?!”
Shouting like a lioness, Daphne continued to mess up her hair. The bewildered sailors hesitated under her momentum. With her makeup melting down her seemingly innocent face, she actually looked grotesque.
Even though she cursed the prince as a bastard, no one dared to accuse her of insulting royalty.
“We’ll take you to your room, miss. If you could tell us your room number…”
“I said don’t touch me, I can walk!”
Celestian struggled to suppress the laughter bursting inside him. But fearing she might actually faint if left alone just for fun, he sighed, smoothed his clothes, and approached her.
“Romeo, you’re cutting off the one who loved you!”
Celestian stood up straight. His face, which had been smiling, quickly turned expressionless.
“I might as well be dead…”
“Watch your words.”
He murmured softly, then lowered himself and put his hands under Daphne’s shoulders. Confirming that he was indeed Celestian, Daphne raised her hands and patted his back.
“Hold me, sir.”
“Sir?”
Celestian couldn’t be a knight. He had never dreamed of being a soldier. It was all because of the title of second heir.
“Did she have a thing for knights?”
As Celestian glanced down and searched his memory for a moment, Daphne extended her hands and began to whine.
“Hug me. Please. I feel dizzy… I feel like I’m going to throw up if I’m carried on your back… If you don’t hug me, I’ll jump off right now…”
Daphne laughed as she spoke, her hand resting on her forehead as if it were a joke. The bitten red lips lost their color and turned pale.
Celestian also let out a forced laugh, then turned around and gently lifted her under the shoulders and behind the knees.
“The princess seems to have lost her mind…!”
The child who had given Daphne the lily earlier said, stomping his foot.
“Renee, don’t say such things!”
Covering her face and upper body with the fallen jacket was the responsibility of a woman in beige casual clothes who had been looking at Daphne pitifully.
“It seems a noble lady got lost in her intoxication and walked all the way here. Shouldn’t we give her way?”
One sailor earnestly asked another sailor who was guarding the area.
“But didn’t I see her come from this side earlier?”
The knight shook his head incredulously. Several sailors continued to plead to send the shaky lady back, peering into her coat with concern.
“Let’s check her face and send her back…”
“Hey! She wasn’t properly dressed, why are you exposing her! You’re asking for trouble.”
“I saw her coming from this direction!”
“This lady definitely came from first class! Look at her flashy coat, knights!”
“She can’t even wear her shoes properly and seems to have come here drunk, let’s hurry and let her rest. We can’t treat a noble lady like this!”
The women who had grabbed Daphne in horror when she attempted to jump off the deck while screaming Romeo’s name followed behind, scolding the knights. Inside the jacket covering her face, Daphne wasn’t whimpering and crying, but chuckling softly. Only Celestian, who was close by, knew.
“Go and rest deeply. Don’t cry.”
“And don’t drink any more. It’ll be a big problem. Keep your eyes on her, sir!”
It was Celestian’s job to greet the first-class passengers who had made Daphne’s performance spectacular. He slightly closed his eyes in a bow before walking down the corridor.
“I guess I’m lucky too.”
Daphne whispered softly. When she had climbed onto the railing earlier, her shoes had fallen off, leaving her barefoot.
“Well, a bit…”
Celestian trailed off, unsure of what to say. Daphne’s toes wiggled.
“Do you think I’m crazy too?”
The corridor from third class to first class was deserted. The atmosphere was noticeably more upscale than third class.
“No, you were impressive.”
Celestian replied like an idiot. Daphne burst into laughter again.
“Now put me down. You’ve worked hard.”
Stepping onto the blue carpeted floor, Daphne wiped away the tears that had escaped her laughter and sighed in relief.
“I can’t do this twice. My side hurts.”
Running her fingers through her hair as if nothing had happened, Daphne vigorously opened the door to her cabin and disappeared. Celestian looked around the familiar yet empty long corridor a few times.
Then he looked down at his hands.
“This time is different, as different as it gets.”
Celestian marveled. The warmth of uninhibited freedom, still alive in his hands.
