Chapter 48
Your Eyes, Like Stars
The pile of chips in front of Celestian had grown enormous.
The rest of the men at the table had almost entirely depleted their resources. Romeo had bowed out early, folding his hand after Celestian’s second win.
“Duke Theriosa seems utterly captivated by Lady Beaucater, doesn’t he?”
“Ah, quite… fiery… hmm.”
Several men shifted in their seats, their postures straightening. It seemed they instantly understood something unsaid.
‘Even these idiots can pick up on it so quickly—why is Daphne the only one who doesn’t realize?’
Celestian rubbed the corner of his lips again. When he pulled his hand away, a faint smudge of Daphne’s lipstick had transferred to his fingertip. He chuckled softly at the memory of her startled golden eyes.
“But wasn’t Duke Theriosa originally infatuated with Lady Psyche?”
The man seated beside Celestian grumbled. His words, however, were cut short by the sound of a glass shattering on the floor.
“Your Grace! What are you doing?”
After the crisp sound of breaking glass, Celestian’s green eyes lifted, their slitted gaze still calm. He had been tempted to shatter the man’s composure completely but held back—barely.
“Oh, my apologies. My hand slipped.”
Celestian’s explanation was smooth as he gave a slight nod of acknowledgment. The man, unable to shout at someone of higher rank, clenched his teeth in frustration.
“You seem intoxicated, Your Grace.”
“Hmm, perhaps. Likely.”
Celestian swirled the glass in his hand and added,
“I’m curious—where does garbage gossip like that come from? Imaginative minds?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Your twisted love stories are famous across the kingdom.”
Celestian tried to recall what exactly he had done to Psyche.
‘Hmm, did I kill her entire family? …Oh, not this time.’
This time, at least, he truly wasn’t at fault. He hadn’t spread rumors or meddled in anything malicious.
As the tide of the game shifted from Romeo’s favor to Celestian’s, so did the conversation. Jealous men, eager to bring him down, resorted to subtle jabs and petty insults.
“You’re saying all this while my younger brother is listening.”
Celestian shook his head lightly, making eye contact with Romeo, who was watching the situation with an amused dimple in his cheek.
“Romeo, what would you do if I told you I had feelings for her?”
Celestian asked with a sly grin. Romeo tilted his head.
“You? For her?”
“Yes. Me.”
“Hmm. I find that hard to believe.”
The half-brothers laughed like boys sharing a private joke, their relationship seemingly unaffected by their opposing positions as rebel and heir. The men around the table looked utterly baffled.
Oscar, brushing shards of glass and spilled liquor from his trousers, rose hastily. Before leaving the table, he added,
“His Highness the Crown Prince must be aware that Amber Green has proposed a marriage alliance with Argentare.”
“Oh? I wasn’t aware.”
Romeo’s brow furrowed slightly.
“They’ve said if she refuses, they’ll break her legs and drag her there. So, after this wedding…”
“Is Agentar in favor of war with Theriosa?”
Celestian’s bored voice drew murmurs from the crowd at the mention of war.
“Your Grace, on what grounds do you speak of war? Are you forgetting that His Highness the Crown Prince is present?”
Romeo raised his hand dismissively, signaling not to involve him. Celestian rested his chin on his hand and tossed his cards carelessly onto the table.
“Well, since they mentioned forcing my lover to come, I’ll have to respond in kind.”
“Do you have something hidden on that ghost island of yours? Surely, you’re not planning to enlist actual ghosts as soldiers? I’ll relay your intentions to His Highness.”
“Oh, Oscar, it’s a joke. Isn’t that the charm of a bachelor party?”
Romeo nodded and brought his whiskey glass to his lips.
“Your Grace, joking about war—this is madness!”
“Your Highness, that traitor—has he lost his mind?”
“I think you’re all taking this far too seriously. As the duke said, these kinds of talks are the very essence of bachelor parties.”
Romeo once again sided with Celestian, who responded as if engaging in a verbal duel.
“Otherwise, when the topic of Denver came up earlier, you all would’ve been torn limb from limb—or smashed into bits like the glass shards scattered across the floor.”
Celestian’s playful whisper sent a chill down every man’s spine. His words lingered, striking them all at their core.
“Dead men can’t talk, after all. Don’t you agree?”
Celestian feigned innocence, his gentle expression and slight shrug starkly contrasting his words.
****
The aftermath of the party left only hired cleaners tidying up the mess. Daphne and Psyche exchanged polite nods with the staff before sitting side by side on a bench.
“It’s cold.”
“Where do you think Secradion disappeared to?”
“He’s probably out back.”
Daphne rolled her eyes, thinking for a moment. They were on a vast, open sea, with only the bright full moon and glittering starlight to break the darkness.
“I’ll ask Romeo.”
“Okay.”
“Daphne, I’m going to live happily ever after without getting divorced.”
“Sure.”
“And I’ll have lots of kids so you won’t feel lonely. Auntie Daphne will have to set aside at least one day a week to play with Paige and René.”
Daphne didn’t know why Psyche felt the need to add so you won’t feel lonely.
Imagining two children who looked exactly like Psyche pestering her with endless questions made Daphne’s head spin even more.
‘This is maddening….’
If marriage didn’t get her, then babysitting back home would. Daphne briefly considered emigrating to avoid both.
Yet Psyche, sitting beside her, was smiling beautifully, as if envisioning that future. Daphne couldn’t help but relax at the sight of her friend’s laughter.
“I’m glad to see your mood’s improved.”
“I was never upset, Daphne.”
Up on the deck, two tall figures came into view: Romeo with an unlit cigarette between his lips and Celestian, whose eyes gleamed like peridots in the moonlight.
‘Why are those two together?’
The two, who often displayed an unexpectedly close camaraderie, stood in front of a white metal railing, exchanging intermittent words. The distance made it impossible to overhear their conversation.
Psyche glanced at Daphne’s profile and then leaned in to whisper by her cheek. From her seat, she didn’t seem to notice the two men.
“Daphne, your eyes are shining like stars.”
“Fusion stars~”
“You mean nuclear fusion, right?”
“Nuclear fusion.”
“Nuc-lee-ar… fusion.”
Psyche repeated the tricky word a few times, struggling with the pronunciation. Daphne adjusted the thick blanket draped over Psyche’s shoulders.
When she looked up again, the brothers had disappeared.
“I heard a marriage proposal was sent to Argentare. If the marriage happens, would it be okay if I served as a bridesmaid?”
To sabotage it?
“My mother arranged that. If it happens, it’ll be with the man standing next to me.”
“Who?”
Daphne shrugged as if to ask, Isn’t it obvious? Psyche’s round eyebrows flattened, and her expression gradually turned unreadable.
‘I wish I could snap a picture and show it to Celestian.’
Daphne glanced again to where Celestian had stood. The gleam of his platinum hair under the moonlight lingered in her mind like an illusion.
“Here’s a command: go inside and have a drink, Daphne.”
“Oh my, so scary, Your Highness.”
“Hmph, wouldn’t it be better to use formal language from now on?”
“Oh, dear.”
The cold wind tousled Psyche’s long hair into a mess, yet even then, Daphne thought her friend’s hair remained beautiful.
“Daphne, your bangs are flying everywhere.”
“Oh. You look wild yourself.”
“What?!”
Pointing fingers at each other, they both burst into laughter. But when the sailors shouted that the lights were being turned off, they jumped up and started running.
“You haven’t explored the ship, have you?”
Psyche nodded.
She was the future mother of Paige-René and, effectively, the ship’s owner.
‘She really doesn’t need to tiptoe around; she can go wherever she wants.’
A faint sense of frustration rose in Daphne’s throat. She sighed it away and held out her hand to Psyche.
Like undercover agents on a mission, the two leaned against the wall of the captain’s cabin, exchanging glances. Peeking inside, they saw the captain resting while keeping the wheel locked in place.
“I’ll guide you all the way to the engine room. Want to go?”
“Absolutely!”
*****
Daphne eventually escorted Psyche back to Romeo. A man as broad as a doorframe stood with the light behind him, his golden eyes gleaming unnervingly in the dark.
Romeo waved.
“Good night.”
“Do you think I’ll sleep well after this?”
Daphne gestured irritably toward the wardrobe containing her dress. Romeo smirked, said they’d talk tomorrow, and lifted Psyche easily into his arms before shutting the door.
By the time Daphne returned to her room, it was past midnight. Celestian had dutifully returned and was sprawled across the bed, still fully dressed. His long legs stuck out awkwardly over the edge.
“So tall,” Daphne sighed.
Kneeling on the bed, she reached out to undo his vest.
“Daphne?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
The moment her fingers touched the buttons of his vest, a large, warm hand caught hers. The grip, impossibly strong, pulled her forward. Her cheek brushed lightly against his.
“I missed you,” Celestian murmured, his red lips parting softly.
