After the Ending, the Villain was Saved with Money

Chapter 4

Why Don’t You Sleep With Me?

 

Celestian rested his elbows on the table and leaned his chin heavily into his palm, staring intently at Daphne as he opened his lips.

 

“Why won’t you sleep with me?”

 

“What?”

 

Daphne let out a loud noise, thinking she was hallucinating for a moment. She looked down into his clear green eyes, trying to grasp his intent.

 

“You said you bought me because you loved me. Isn’t the reason you brought me into your room for that purpose?”

 

His tone and expression were as gentle as ever, but it carried an oddly subtle dissatisfaction.

 

“To share a bed.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Especially because of those lips that stick out for no reason!

 

“It’s cramped.”

 

Daphne’s master bedroom was far from small. Her bed was anything but cramped—it spanned the size of two floors, wide enough that she’d have to roll six times to reach the other end.

 

“Right. It’s too cramped to sleep together.”

 

Celestian spoke with a voice full of laughter, his smile reaching under his eyes in a way that was annoyingly handsome. It left Daphne with an odd sense of defeat.

 

“Well then, it doesn’t make sense to give a guest your room. If it feels cramped, perhaps you could offer me a townhouse more suited to my taste?”

 

She was speechless.

 

‘Did he really just ask for a house? What a masterful build-up.’

 

Daphne opened her eyes dimly.

 

“Talk to Misha about that.”

 

“Sure, why not.”

 

Celestian shrugged.

 

“Do you even know who Misha is?”

 

“I’d rather not.”

 

It seemed like he didn’t really want a townhouse, so Celestine cut off the conversation and stood up. He was right in front of Daphne, so they were barely two feet away.

 

‘Even at this close range, he’s flawless. Not a single ounce of humiliation on that face.’

 

was so stunning that Daphne almost wanted to grab his wrist and pull him closer.

 

But this height difference—him looking down at her—was grating against her pride, the pride of a woman raised like royalty.

 

“Move.”

 

Daphne frowned. He could have just stepped aside, but instead, he was told Daphne to step aside.

 

“Don’t order me around.”

 

He was still above, she was below.

 

And it irritated her even more that she hadn’t been able to keep him in check earlier.

 

She felt a sudden desire to always keep him beneath her gaze.

 

“What?”

 

“Don’t look down at me.”

 

Celestian tilted his shoulders back slightly, meeting Daphne’s gaze. The area under his eyes always had a slight red tint.

 

“Kneel.”

 

Daphne resisted the urge to reach out and brush her fingers against his cheek.

 

“You’re ordering me to lower myself so you can look down on me?”

 

Daphne smiled without answering. Celestian lowered the ends of his eyebrows as if in trouble.

 

‘He must still think he’s a prince after lying around in that stiflingly hot bedroom.’

 

In ‘Daphne’s Room,’ Daphne is the Queen. Daphne didn’t even let her friend Psyche come in here.

 

The fact that she gave her bedroom to the arrogant prince was possible because she really liked this man.

 

“I never thought that a young lady from a prestigious family wouldn’t have learned manners.”

 

“Well, I may be ill-mannered, but I still probably learned more than you. Now, are you going to kneel or not?”

 

As she looked at his waist and legs that were still standing upright, Celestian raised one eyebrow and answered.

 

“I’m a ‘prince,’ am I not? I overheard you ordering your servants to treat me as such.”

 

“So?”

 

“And now you’re dissatisfied and telling me to kneel?”

 

“Yes, if I say so, then you kneel, Prince.”

 

“It’s too late. If that was your plan, you should’ve treated me like a dog from the start. Don’t give me a bed—tie me to a post outside and call me into the bedroom only when you need me.”

 

Daphne, who had her mouth shut, was thinking hard about whether to slap him in the face.

 

“Or, if you want me shorter, tie my legs and hang me upside down from the clocktower for a week. That might help me lose a few inches.”

 

Not bad. If you didn’t have this much stamina, you wouldn’t have dreamed of being saved by Daphne.

 

“My thoughts are different. Cutting your legs off below the knee would be faster.”

 

“The Marquis of Beaucater raised such a barbaric daughter. Why not use that talent to work at a slaughterhouse? Then come back and properly serve me, the ‘Prince.’”

 

When I brought Celestian home, my mother had patted me on the back, saying that I bought a cute piglet from the King pigpen. Daphne burst into laughter as she suddenly remembered those words.

 

“Prince.”

 

Celestian didn’t answer.

 

“Prince, prince. Yes, prince. That’s what you were.”

 

Daphne still hadn’t decided where he belonged.

 

“If I call you a prince, do you act like one?”

 

If he did something nice to her, she would If he behaved adorably enough, she intended to use every means to restore his status as an heir. If he didn’t, she was perfectly ready to slice off his ears and burn his left shoulder with a lily iron.

 

“Bastard.”

 

Celestian finally furrowed his brows, looking thoroughly displeased.

 

Though she’d set him as her life’s target, Daphne wasn’t the kind of woman to propose marriage to a man who didn’t love her back, who’d spend his life looking at other women.

 

“You’re a criminal. Just as Misha said, you’re a dangerous being. If you step outside, Cele, every part of your chest will be torn off. Your neck, your arms, your fingers, your legs. And…”

 

Daphne blatantly cast her gaze at his genitals.

 

“That too.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

Secradion, which was far more civilized than its neighbors, was definitely barbaric when it came to dangerous beings.

 

Her uncle, despite losing his wife and sinking into gambling, was still beloved by the kingdom’s elites. Romeo, the crown prince who returned victorious from war, acted as regent and was practically the ruler.

 

Though the monarchy had weakened, the people’s fanatical loyalty to the royal family was unshaken. Their fanatical loyalty might be easier to understand if we describe it as something similar to what you often see at historic crowds.

 

Fortunately, the Beaucater family was a VIP bourgeoisie loved by the people. Therefore, her love would provide the prince with timely protection.

 

“If you won’t move, I will.”

 

Celestian turned and strode toward the door. He was probably heading off to nap again.

 

Daphne hadn’t come home, abandoning her work, just to stare at his back or sleeping face.

 

“Prince, let me show you to your place.”

 

Following him, she kicked him sharply in the back of the knee.

 

Caught off guard, his long legs buckled, and he crashed to the floor on his knees. Looking up at her, Celestian’s expression was a mix of shock and disbelief.

 

“Ah.”

 

It was a sigh that came out a few seconds after their eyes met.

 

“Your place now is right there, Prince.”

 

To be precise, she looked up at him. Daphne leisurely returned to the table and poured sparkling wine into a long glass.

 

Celestian slowly got up from his seat, as if he was dumbfounded.

 

“I thought you were back to normal now, but it seems you’re still a little crazy.”

 

His tone carried genuine pity, and his nonchalant hand movements exuded confidence. Still, Celestian wasn’t wrong, so Daphne wasn’t particularly affected by his words.

 

“Kisha!”

 

The bodyguard who had been waiting at the door came in at Daphne’s call. He subdued Celestian, who was approaching her, and made him kneel again, all movements flowing smoothly and flawlessly.

 

Kisha had an expression on her face like a boy holding a strange object.

 

“Hit him three times. One in the face.”

 

“Can I really do that?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Kisha followed Daphne’s orders faithfully. Celestine didn’t stop staring at Daphne, even after being punched in the cheek and kicked twice in the stomach.

 

He spat blood onto the white marble floor. It seemed as if the inside of his mouth had burst.

 

“You’re bleeding.”

 

His face flushed slightly—it seemed he was angry. Beauty always looks best when adorned with a hint of red.

 

‘I had a similar conversation with Romeo before.’

 

Though she hated to admit it, the noble siblings had surprisingly similar tastes.

 

“Cele, my prince. I think I really love you.”

 

Daphne’s eyes fell to Celestian’s lower body as he knelt, held by the collar. His pants were taut against his pronounced thigh muscles.

 

‘Oh.’

 

Daphne whistled internally.

 

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t do this to me.”

 

It was the kind of line Psyche might have delivered.

 

“What are you saying? I just told you I love you.”

 

Celestian’s eyes twitched. He looked at her with suspicion.

 

“I… I will never love you.”

 

“Sure, but Prince, did you know? The woman you love will never love you back either. It’s all a lie.”

 

His green eyes gleamed and then turned gloomy.

 

“I’ve always wondered about that.”

 

His voice, tinged with desperation, gave Daphne chills. His soft mumbling was barely audible.

 

‘Wait… is he asking why she doesn’t love him?’

 

Daphne frowned.

 

“He’s spouting nonsense again.”

 

The readers prayed that his love would not come true. Only people with twisted tastes like Daphne supported him.

 

<Why do you keep doing this to me? What did I do wrong?>

<We need to talk to clear up this misunderstanding, Psyche.>

<Don’t come any closer! There’s nothing to clear up between us!>

 

If Celestian and Psyche had ended up together, his charm would’ve significantly diminished. Daphne wouldn’t have fought tooth and nail to keep him alive, either. Perhaps she would’ve married Romeo instead, chasing honor and wealth.

 

“She hates you.”

 

Her green eyes continued to glow cold.

 

“She wanted you to die more than anyone else, but she seems disappointed that you didn’t.”

 

If this man had seen Psyche’s expression, would he have been able to escape from that ridiculous delusion a little?

 

“Why did you save me? Why didn’t you let me die?”

 

But side characters in romance novels are doomed to live as pitiful, foolish men who love the heroine until the end.

 

“Still, I’ll support your love.”

 

Though she loved Celestian, she preferred him as the ‘the idiot Celestian who loves Psyche’ more than just ‘Prince Celestian’.

 

Daphne wanted to watch him live an entire lifetime never being loved back by the woman he adored.

 

As sparkling bubbles popped in her glass, Daphne glanced down at it and added with a bright smile:

 

“You’ll be hearing very good news soon, Cele.”