Chapter 46
First Experience
‘What the hell.’
Daphne recalled Celestian, who had once answered “a little” when asked if he was crazy, at a gambling den in an obscure hotel. Why that memory decided to resurface now, she had no idea.
“Hm?”
Celestian urged her on with the gentlest expression imaginable. With that kind of face, there was nothing he couldn’t get away with. As far as Daphne knew, Celestian was just a pure-hearted prince, a classic second lead. Who could have guessed he’d pull off this kind of provocation?
‘If he’d tried this, even Psyche would have fallen for him!’
Daphne held her breath, overwhelmed by the situation. If he kept teasing with such a charming yet disarmingly cute demeanor, it was obvious anyone across the three continents would fall for him.
Whether there was a bed behind her, crocodile-infested waters, or the flaming blue tongues of hellfire, it didn’t matter!
She shoved at Celestian’s chest with her arms, but he remained unmoving, like a tree rooted to the ground. In fact, she was the one who nearly stumbled backward.
‘What is this guy planning?’
What was he trying to gain by seducing her? As she’d said before, Daphne had no intention of giving him what he wanted.
Celestian took half a step back, showing his palms in a gesture of retreat. The slight curve of his lips betrayed how amused he was.
‘Why is he acting like this with someone he doesn’t even like? Is he that desperate?’
Daphne struggled to remain composed.
‘Does he think I’ve never dealt with this before? I… I…’
When she looked up at him again, his face appeared slightly smudged in her vision. Blinking slowly, she replayed both her recent actions and the words he had whispered near her ear.
‘Not my first time.’
She tried to convince herself of that, but truthfully, Daphne had never been this close to a man outside her family. The heat from where her lips had brushed the edge of his lingered, making her feel strangely warm.
Even though the imprint of the last touch was faint, it stood out to her the most. Perhaps because it had been so close to his lips, it felt even more significant. She resisted the urge to erase it.
Celestian wasn’t entirely wrong.
‘They all fall for it eventually. So…’
After straightening his collar, Celestian sat on the stool in front of the vanity, holding out a tie to Daphne. In a voice tinged with laughter, he grumbled,
“You started this.”
Daphne’s hand trembled slightly as she took the tie, so she clenched her fist tightly around it.
‘Why is my hand shaking? And why is he giving this to me? Does he want me to tie it for him? Is he asking to be strangled?’
Daphne mentally recited the word calm three times. To her surprise, it worked quickly.
“You tie it.”
She tossed the blue tie at his face. The smooth silk grazed over his closed eyes, nose, and lips before falling onto his lap.
“I don’t know how to tie one. The maids always did it for me.”
“Is that supposed to be impressive? Go find someone else to teach you.”
She added sharply, placing her hand on her cheek, which, as expected, was hot.
‘Good thing I don’t blush easily. If I were Psyche, my face would’ve exploded.’
Then she jabbed a finger at the vanity. She was pointing at a note.
“Take that with you.”
“You calm down fast.”
“It’s my specialty. Even if you lose everything on that table, just don’t let yourself get swindled.”
Celestian tilted his head to the side, as if to say, Do you think I’d lose? Then he appeared to read the note again carefully.
“The handwriting looks familiar.”
Since childhood, Daphne had employed scribes to handle her assignments and, later, all her official documents. Her infamously illegible handwriting had never improved. She figured Celestian was mocking her and didn’t bother to respond.
“A date with Daphne? What’s this?”
Celestian raised an eyebrow.
“It’s exactly what it says—a date.”
“Why would you go on a date?”
“Because I want to, obviously.”
“You can bet on something like that?”
In these situations, while the men gambled, the winnings usually ended up with their wives, lovers, or ladies. A “date with Daphne” implied a shopping spree, where she could pick anything she wanted for the day.
Celestian’s lips curled downward, showing subtle displeasure.
“Go brag to those idiots about the love of this magnificent, beautiful woman.”
Daphne placed her hand over her chest as she spoke confidently. Celestian’s gaze followed her hand before returning to her face.
“You… feel that way about me?”
“Hmm? Feel what?”
He seemed like he wanted to say something, his lips parting and closing again. Daphne resisted the urge to grab his cheeks and force him to speak.
“Prince, if you’re not going to finish your sentence, don’t even start moving your lips.”
“If you’re annoyed, just cut off my tongue. Then I’ll shut up.”
“Oh my, can you even say such things?”
That he could speak so crudely surprised her, but instead of feeling offended, she found it oddly… alluring.
Celestian squinted slightly at her, then shook his head.
*****
Daphne walked once again down the long, endless corridor.
This blue hallway seemed to possess something that made her stomach churn, no matter how many times she passed through it.
‘It’s like déjà vu… as if I’ve seen it in a dream.’
The scenes occasionally sent chills coursing through her body. But that was probably because she had fainted from overwork several times while tirelessly inspecting the interiors of this ship’s hotel.
At last, she knocked on a grand mahogany door, adorned with patterns of pure gold.
“Hello, Psyche.”
“Daphne!”
Inside stood Psyche, dressed in pajamas. She greeted Daphne with an eager embrace and spun her around three full times. Psyche, who didn’t seem athletic in the slightest, surprisingly had small but firm muscles.
The crown prince’s suite was located in the deepest and most scenic part of the ship. It was as large as three VIP rooms combined.
“I’m, uh, feeling a little sore.”
When Daphne grimaced at the throbbing pain in her side, Psyche immediately let out a soft gasp, her brows furrowing with concern.
“Should I fix your hair for you?”
As Psyche tucked Daphne’s loose hair behind her ear, her warm blue eyes stirred something deep inside Daphne.
“Should someone who’s about to become the crown princess be doing this?”
“Does becoming the crown princess mean I’ll lose my hands?”
“Well, no, but isn’t it a bother?”
“Daphne, I’m lucky enough to have two hands.”
Psyche didn’t seem to need Daphne’s consent as she guided her to a massive vanity table and sat her down. Proving herself a jack-of-all-trades, Psyche skillfully twisted Daphne’s hair into a bun.
As her neck was exposed for the first time in a while, Daphne felt a strange sense of emptiness. She rubbed the side of her neck absentmindedly.
Leaving Daphne seated, Psyche wandered around the spacious room before opening a large wardrobe. She gestured toward its contents with clasped hands, like she was presenting a treasure.
“I thought this would suit you perfectly.”
‘Why… why is that here?’
Inside hung a blue pearl dress that Daphne had sent to the ship earlier. It was the very one she had planned to wear earlier but couldn’t find, which forced her to settle for mourning attire instead.
“It’s a gift from Romeo.”
‘Romeo, you bastard.’
Daphne forced a smile, her cheeks twitching involuntarily.
Why would Romeo pass on a gift to her, via Psyche, of all people? Psyche, his soon-to-be wife, and her supposed rival?
‘I need a cigarette. No, a drink. Or both. I’d pour them all over that smug face of his!’
As Daphne hesitated and rubbed the back of her neck, Psyche quickly approached and began massaging her shoulders and neck. Psyche’s warm hands felt like a heated water bag against her bare skin, sending shivers down her spine.
“Are you okay?”
“It feels so good, I’m getting dizzy. By the way, where’s your husband? Mind telling me where he is?”
If he was somewhere secluded, Daphne considered going to find him just to punch him.
“He’s probably in the underground parking lot. I heard the bachelor party is being held there.”
“I see.”
So, there would be plenty of eyes on him. He and his equally loathsome friends would no doubt be having a grand old time.
The thought of her lamb-like prince being mocked and teased among such company made Daphne feel increasingly uneasy.
“Daphne, how did you meet him again?”
“Hmm?”
After a long pause, Psyche asked hesitantly, her voice tinged with resentment.
“…I heard he’d gone somewhere far away.”
Even as she spoke, Psyche acted like she was asking something forbidden, constantly gauging Daphne’s reaction.
On what should have been her happiest day, Psyche had been cooped up in a place like this. Perhaps she had waited for Daphne, only to grow restless and step out onto the deck when she couldn’t wait any longer.
Technically, it was Daphne who broke their promise, but Psyche’s hesitant blue eyes filled Daphne with guilt.
“We met on the way here. I guess it’s destiny.”
“Destiny?”
It was the first time Daphne had spoken of something so fanciful in front of Psyche. Usually, Daphne was the one to give Psyche harsh, grounding doses of reality.
As soon as she said it, Psyche’s expression darkened in an instant. Daphne felt a chill run down her spine, like someone caught in the act of theft.
“So the reason you didn’t come to me right away… is because of him.”
Where was this cold tone in Psyche’s voice coming from? Daphne was astonished by how different she seemed when discussing Celestian.
“Daphne, he killed my father. And destroyed my home.”
“I know.”
Whether it was from novels she’d read in her past life or gossip she’d heard in this one, Daphne was all too familiar with the story. Feeling as though thorns were sprouting underfoot, she shifted uncomfortably to the side.
“But you like him, don’t you? That’s fine. If you like him, there’s no helping it. I suppose it’s like how I love Romeo.”
‘Not fine at all… she doesn’t look fine in the slightest.’
Before Daphne could respond, Psyche had already arrived at her conclusion, as if resigning herself to it.
Daphne didn’t argue. Instead, she kept rubbing the side of her neck.
Words have power and sometimes shape reality. Psyche smiled brightly, her peach-like face radiating joy. She took a step closer and clasped Daphne’s hands in hers. Her blue eyes gleamed with a strange intensity, making the moment even more unsettling.
“Daphne, you’re quick to get bored and only ever like new things. You’ll stop liking him soon. I’ll wait.”
“Psyche.”
“You said once that I could have whatever I wanted. That promise still stands, doesn’t it?”
Daphne had indeed made such a promise in the heat of the moment.
Now, she could sense instinctively that something was starting to go very wrong.
