Chapter 55
A Tearful Unrequited Love
Daphne’s crimson hair fluttered gently in the breeze.
She gripped Romeo’s wrist as if it were her lifeline, bending backward as far as she could to cling to the railing.
“Romeo Rodriguez, wouldn’t you be curious in my place? Wouldn’t you hold on?”
“Should I really let go?”
“No, no! Brother, please!”
For the first time in ages, Daphne raised her voice. Her panic gave it a metallic edge. If he let go, she could fall into the sea at any moment.
Her eyes darted around in desperation, but it was futile.
She turned her head to glance at the ocean. Thankfully, there were propellers and other mechanisms directly below, keeping the crocodiles at bay.
But it was still high enough to shatter her body upon impact.
‘I’m afraid of heights!’
Closing her eyes tightly, Daphne began babbling anything that came to mind.
She promised to return all the gold, silver, and properties Romeo had gambled during his bachelor party. If he wanted, she’d give him anything else he desired. She even confessed all the notes Celestian had brought, leaving out only the mention of the Zella Shoemaking Workshop vouchers.
But Romeo’s expression remained unimpressed.
“What now?”
“Zella.”
“I’ll give it to you! Of course, I’ll give it to you!”
Clinging tightly to his hand again, Daphne nodded furiously. She slowly opened her tightly shut eyes and looked at Romeo. He was staring in another direction.
“Hey!”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Before Daphne could follow his gaze, Romeo muttered and pulled his arm back. The cold wind stopped abruptly, and Daphne felt her body float upward.
Instead of the alarm of imminent death, she first felt a sense of safety. Warm, sturdy arms supported her back.
“Cele.”
Celestian embraced Daphne’s waist with powerful arms and lifted her effortlessly.
Like someone catching a glass just before it shatters, he was breathing heavily.
After ensuring Daphne was safe, he set her feet on the ground. Daphne, trembling, rested her arms on his shoulder for support.
When she looked up at Celestian, his face was devoid of expression. His chest, which had been heaving rapidly, gradually calmed.
“You, the crown prince of a nation, soon to be king!”
“Didn’t we do this often back in the day? A trip down memory lane.”
Romeo raised his palms as if he were sincere. Celestian simply glared at him.
“Lighten up, brother. It was just a joke.”
Celestian, still silent, removed Daphne’s arms from his shoulders.
‘Huh?’
It was likely just to free himself, but Daphne felt a weight drop in her heart. Turning his back on her, Celestian strode toward where Romeo stood.
“Daphne says this wasn’t funny.”
Celestian punched Romeo on the shoulder.
A loud, dull thud echoed, but Romeo only winced. Looking at the spot where he’d been hit, he brushed it off with the back of his hand and smirked.
“Treason at every chance.”
Romeo, uncharacteristically, put on a show of feigned pain.
Celestian brought a finger to his lips, signaling for silence. Watching from behind, Daphne muttered through clenched teeth.
“Celeste, hit him again. I’ll take responsibility.”
Romeo, chuckling, replied, “That’s regicide, you know.” As he approached her, he stopped just as he passed.
“Be grateful, Dedee.”
“Grateful for what…?”
“For being the kind of people who can’t afford to think,” he murmured, tapping her forehead with his finger before walking leisurely toward the deck.
“That bastard. I’ll kill him. Celestian, let me go.”
“I didn’t even hold you.”
Celestian’s calm voice only made her angrier.
With no outlet, Daphne clutched her head in frustration and collapsed onto a bench. Her ankle cramped.
“It stings… it hurts…”
She blinked several times against the salty wind, tears spilling down her cheeks. Celestian crouched in front of her, folding his long legs. He quickly produced a handkerchief and leaned forward to meet her gaze.
“Are you crying?”
“No.”
His voice, as kind as ever, didn’t change. Daphne blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. When her vision cleared, Celestian’s elegant features came into sharp focus.
She cleared her throat, reaching out toward his cheek before lightly clenching her fist. There didn’t seem to be any injuries.
“Where were you? You weren’t locked up in some dungeon, were you?”
“Dungeon?”
Celestian, puzzled, slowly shook his head.
“In his room.”
“His room? Celestian, no matter what, Romeo is the crown prince. Should you really call him that?”
“You called him that first.”
When Daphne nodded in acknowledgment, Celestian smiled faintly.
—He’s so handsome. This unreadable jerk.
Why did her godfather’s complaints about him pop into her head at this moment?
‘He wasn’t wrong about anything he said.’
Daphne still couldn’t fathom the feelings of the man who had come back to her. She consciously circled her stiff ankle, trying to relax it.
‘I’ve thought about it all day, and yet!’
She’d believed she understood Celestian Theriosa completely.
But that was just an illusion she’d built, which crumbled, leaving only doubts and guilt.
‘Yeah, he likes Psyche. That’s fine. It’s not like I didn’t know.’
“Daphne.”
It was only then that she met Celestian’s green eyes. And she realized she hadn’t been looking at him directly until now.
“Why did you change your clothes?”
“Something got on them.”
Looking again, Celestian was wearing a simple blue suit. He even had gloves that seemed to fit perfectly. On his chest, she noticed an amber brooch and an array of luxurious gems strung below it.
‘That’s royal attire.’
Daphne ran her palm over his shoulder, feeling the texture of the fabric. It was similar to her dress—smooth and luxurious. Though it was a plain blue vest without any gradients, being a man’s suit, it still complemented her outfit perfectly.
‘This lunatic-iguez.’
Romeo had a habit of tormenting Daphne by pushing her into impossible situations and then soothing her anger with simple gifts. She’d long accepted that this kind of push-and-pull was how someone won over a beauty like Psyche.
So, as usual, Daphne could’ve just ignored her thoughts and enjoyed the gift for what it was.
‘But right now, it’s not exactly welcome.’
Her muddled thoughts—useless as ever when it came to deduction—left her feeling unsettled.
‘I hate feeling this way.’
Taking a deep breath, she decided to ask what had been bothering her.
“Celestian, why did you come back?”
Celestian flinched.
“You didn’t have to come this way. Even if you disappeared, I wouldn’t have looked for you. At most, I would’ve just felt sorry.”
“For what?”
His green eyes widened.
“For ruining your entire plan.”
“And what do you think my plan was?”
Celestian rested his chin on his hand, looking up at her. Daphne’s eyes narrowed slightly. She didn’t want to verbalize the messy tangle of betrayal and unrequited love she was caught in.
“You could’ve just told me from the start. Now I’m the one who looks crazy.”
“Daphne, my plan hasn’t gone awry yet.”
“What?”
“It’s still on course, like this ship.”
Celestian smiled faintly. Daphne, on the other hand, was baffled. He seemed so different from the prickly man she’d faced that morning, bristling with tension.
“You’re like a completely different person compared to this morning.”
“Hmm, that’s because…”
His green eyes dropped for a moment before meeting hers again, glinting.
“I’ve taken care of a few things that were bothering me.”
He muttered this with a refreshed tone, then gently cupped the heel of Daphne’s white Mary Jane shoe. With a swift tug, he slipped it off. Surprised, Daphne quickly pulled her leg under her dress, but he held her ankle in place.
“Does it hurt?”
“Are you crazy? Let go.”
“Just realizing that now?”
Celestian pouted slightly but said no more. Instead, he began massaging her stiff ankle. His fingers worked firmly between the bones and tight muscles, causing a dull ache that made Daphne groan softly.
“Celestian, you’re not crazy.”
She immediately corrected herself. Celestian tilted his head.
“Do I not seem crazy?”
“People are like that. Even if they know how the story ends, they’ll still repeat it.”
“That’s true. You’ve always clung to your desires, even when it got you into trouble.”
“Oh, so now we’re throwing facts at each other?”
Daphne pouted, her lower lip sticking out slightly. Celestian rested her foot on his thigh and continued the massage.
‘This feels familiar.’
She suddenly recalled a time in Serenade when a boy had diligently massaged her ankle like this. That boy overlapped with the Celestian before her now, and her eyes narrowed again.
“Daphne.”
“What now?”
Bang!
A burst of red light and a thunderous sound erupted behind Daphne. Startled, Celestian pulled her into his arms. Since he was crouching, they ended up in a rather awkward heap on the ground.
Clang!
“Ah!”
Their foreheads collided hard, and both let out pained yelps.
Daphne rubbed her disheveled bangs in frustration, while Celestian, wincing from the pain, furrowed his brows.
‘Wow, he really is handsome.’
The thought momentarily took her breath away. Daphne cleared her throat, pretending to be unfazed.
“Does it hurt?”
Celestian’s hand was still firmly gripping her arm, and Daphne started giggling.
“Yeah.”
“Good. This isn’t a dream, after all.”
She lightly tapped his cheek with the back of her hand, stood up, and offered him a hand. Without hesitation, he took her slender hand and pulled himself to his feet.
As the gap between them narrowed, Daphne instinctively stepped back, smoothing her hair behind her ear. She casually glanced toward the railing.
Pop!
Another loud explosion startled her, and her shoulders flinched. Fireworks had begun on the deck.
“Wow, what kind of gunpowder do they use for this Secradion display? It sounds like bombs going off.”
The darkening sky was filled with a cascade of fireworks. Daphne’s hair fluttered softly in the breeze, catching the colorful light.
Celestian stared intently at her face as she turned back toward him. The redness beneath her eyes suggested she was holding something in.
“What’s wrong? Feeling emotional because your unrequited love got married? Should I hug you?”
“…Yeah.”
‘Cute.’
Daphne twitched her lips into a small smile and spread her arms. As if waiting for this moment, Celestian wrapped her in a firm embrace, his arms around her waist and shoulders.
“Daphne.”
“What?”
Celestian’s grip tightened, and Daphne patted his back three times, signaling for mercy.
“Celeste, I can’t… breathe…”
He only loosened his hold slightly, ignoring her plea. Her hair, caught in the wind and reflecting the fireworks, shimmered like a crimson aurora.
“Help! I’m being crushed to death…”
Daphne’s playful grumble was met with a face as red as the fireworks above.
