| 14. The Night We Slept Together

The final note of the last piece was punctuated like a period. The entire audience rose and applauded.

Mildred stood up, gracefully bowed in acknowledgment, and descended to the back of the stage. The lights gradually came on, illuminating the hall.

Daphne went to the railing and scanned the backs of the audience’s heads. The Crown Prince and his wife were also standing, applauding while looking around the hall.

Her eyes met Romeo’s as he turned around. Daphne casually waved in greeting, then discreetly raised her middle finger in front of her stomach, out of Celestian’s view. Romeo stiffened briefly, then relaxed his expression and smiled. He quickly escorted Psyche out through the front door.

‘I won~’

Daphne turned around, whistling. Celestian still had his head bowed and eyes closed. She was reminded of Celestian grinding his words between his teeth when the first piece started. Daphne felt like a wicked owner who had thrown inedible food in front of a cat.

‘It’s all because of the cute prince.’

Daphne glanced briefly at the spot Psyche had left. Then she stood in front of him.

“Cele. Open your eyes.”

Celestian raised his head. The area under the man’s eyes, now directly facing her, was extremely red. Startled, Daphne took off her glove and gently stroked under his eyes with her thumb. It felt hot.

“Oh my, did you cry?”

Daphne, who had been lost in the organ performance as though she was in a third world, felt regretful. To miss the timing for directly observing him, not knowing what was happening right beside her.

“I didn’t cry.”

“Are you in pain somewhere?”

Celestian, who had docilely offered his face, shook his head. He seemed to welcome the coolness from Daphne’s hand.

“What were you imagining so intensely?”

“It’s a piece I like, and the performance was so beautiful it moved me.”

Unlike his cute sentiment, his inability to make eye contact and only looking down made him appear forlorn. Every time he blinked, his golden eyelashes fluttered. Even the shadow cast by his eyelashes on his lower eyelids stirred Daphne’s emotions. She cleared her throat and removed her hand.

The theme of Mildred’s stage was tragedy. Today too, selections used in tragic plays followed one after another. Perhaps due to the unique grandeur of the pipe organ, this concert felt like an exceptionally sacred funeral.

“You’re lying.”

How could he say this was a piece he liked? Unless he enjoyed funerals? That couldn’t be.

“You didn’t hear a thing.”

Daphne muttered. Celestian kept his mouth shut. He wouldn’t even make a white lie. She spoke like he was being generous.

“If you leave now, you can see Psyche up close. She’s probably greeting the performers. I need to go too.”

“But that would cause trouble for you.”

“Oh, Your Highness. You were thinking of me?”

In the waiting room, Romeo, who was a set with Psyche, would also be there. Meeting face-to-face like this would create an awkward situation, and as Celestian said, it would obviously be troublesome.

“I’ll stay here.”

Celestian’s lips quivered before he spoke in a resigned voice.

“Are you satisfied with this much?”

“What if I’m not satisfied?”

His features briefly turned cold.

“I’m a traitor, an unstable element that can’t even be classified as trash, as some have said… Even if I desire, could I ever possess anything?”

‘That’s a fact.’

He’s suddenly aware of his position. Psyche must have made quite an impression.

Daphne noticed that the melancholic beautiful man before her had other intentions in saying this. It was truly a statement full of hidden meanings, but to accurately discern that intent would require multiple considerations.

“Ah…”

Still, it didn’t take long. Daphne could quickly reach a conclusion.

This prince is weighing me on a scale. He’s trying to gauge which side the weight of my heart leans towards. He’s testing to see if I’ll coldly disappear or stay by his side when he speaks like this!

She pretended to ponder, lightly clenching her fist and bringing it to her chin, then sighed, “Hmm.”

“Let’s go.”

Until now, Daphne hadn’t been confident in the choices Celestian would make. So even with this kind of action that left room for interpretation… she couldn’t help but feel pleased. Daphne grinned and offered the back of her hand. It meant for him to take it. Celestian looked at that hand, then raised his head to look at Daphne.

“Where to?”

Daphne quite liked the face of Celestian looking up at her.

“To smoke?”

She answered, putting her index and middle fingers to her lips and then removing them. It wouldn’t matter if they smoked here, but Daphne didn’t have her cigarette case with her now. They could quickly move to the villa and go to the servants who would be preparing.

Before her outstretched hand could become awkward, Daphne bent down and grabbed Celestian’s wrist to pull him up. Standing from his seat, he had a dazed expression.

“Aren’t you going to Miss Serenade?”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to be alone? Our Mildie will come to the main house tomorrow.”

As though he hadn’t expected to go together, and to a completely different place, Celestian was slightly taken aback as he was pulled along by Daphne.

“Is this alright?”

Though his expression wasn’t visible from behind, his voice was tinged with amusement.

“What’s not alright about it?”

“I don’t smoke.”

“Really?”

Daphne suddenly thought of the royal family members. All the royals she knew were no different from idle rich, spending half their lives smoking cigars, eating desserts, drinking alcohol, and then entering their coffins.

‘Is the prince a bit different?’

With only Romeo to compare Celestian to, Daphne tilted her head. Her cousin was also so busy that he could barely sleep four hours a day, but he was a heavy smoker who had a cigarette in his mouth from the moment he woke up until just before falling asleep. Though he had opened his eyes to other things after meeting Psyche.

“Learn it this time.”

“You seem like you don’t like men who smoke…”

Daphne was about to reach the door when she turned around.

“That’s true.”

She briefly imagined Celestian smoking. Not a regular cigarette, but something heavier like a cigar.

The fantasy shattered with a crash. It really didn’t suit him at all.

“It definitely doesn’t suit you. But what does my dislike have to do with anything?”

“I’m a slave, aren’t I? I shouldn’t do things you dislike.”

Daphne burst into laughter at his rather bold statement. But then she slapped his forearm once. Due to the gloves and clothes, it made a dull sound. She immediately regretted it. His body was so firm that only her palm stung.

“You are my prince.”

“That’s amusing.”

His expression didn’t look amused at all.

“Then are you my princess?”

Daphne also made an unamused expression.

“Ah~ So this is how it feels. You’re making me empathize. Thank you, Your Grace the Grand Duke?”

Only then did Celestian smile.

Daphne had no defense against beautiful people, especially this man’s smile. She wrinkled her nose for no reason and then forcefully opened the tightly closed door of the hall.

And met a pair of golden eyes.

‘Why is he there again?’

Romeo Rodriguez, who she thought had disappeared earlier, was leaning against a wall filled with detailed murals.

<The Male Protagonist In A Brown Vest Standing In A Gold-Painted Corridor>. Daphne gave a title to this painting and quickly tried to turn away, pretending not to know him.

“Didi.”

The painting called out to Daphne. His black eyebrows were raised crookedly, and his lips were pursed, showing a displeased face.

Daphne was so sad that she couldn’t hide behind Celestian because he was too tall.

“Oh, Romeo…”

Daphne forced a voice tinged with cuteness and pulled up the corners of her mouth.

“Why are you here?”

Daphne unconsciously put Celestian behind her and warily faced Romeo. If things went wrong, they could both die. Her forcibly raised cheekbones twitched.

“It seems our dear Miss Beaucater has nurtured a good talent. I wanted to compliment you.”

“You’ve already acknowledged my eye for talent before. I’m embarrassed again. And ‘our’? It’s a modifier I’d like to politely decline now.”¹“우리” implies a sense of closeness or shared connection

Daphne felt truly mortified about having to speak in a voice filled with such cuteness.

Romeo also seemed to find Daphne’s act, which he hadn’t seen in a while, quite pathetic, and he relaxed his expression and chuckled.

“It seems you intend to carry impurities with you wherever you go now.”

“Oh my, impurities? Where are there any impurities here? Are you perhaps talking about yourself?”

Daphne lowered her voice for the last words, sensing the situation. She couldn’t help it if Celestian heard, but she couldn’t restrain herself from speaking due to the rising anger.

At that moment, Celestian grabbed the hem of Daphne’s skirt and pulled her into his arms. With her back almost leaning against his chest, Daphne straightened the corners of her mouth into a line.

‘What are you doing now?’

As soon as she looked up, their eyes met. His eyes, which seemed to have been replaced with marshmallows at some point, were looking down at her with an incredibly sweet gaze. Daphne’s ears twitched.

“How many nights have we slept together?”

Celestian whispered, deliberately tucking Daphne’s red hair behind her ear. His touch was hot.

“Is our princess still unable to settle past relationships?”

Daphne was utterly shocked by the words that followed. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

‘This is really… No, did he just call me that because he doesn’t know my name?’

Romeo shook his head and laughed, then approached with large strides.

Romeo, who was of similar height to Celestian, greeted his half-brother with his eyes before bowing at the waist. He then grabbed Daphne’s hand and pretended to kiss it.

‘Why is this bastard acting like this? He must be crazy.’

Goosebumps spread all over her body. Then she remembered that she had taunted him just a few minutes ago. After all, momentary impulsive choices tend to create long-lasting embarrassing memories.

Romeo’s lips parted once more. Daphne suppressed the urge to punch the dimple that deepened in his cheek as his jaw muscles moved.

“Brother, you’re well aware of how much Didi loved me, aren’t you?”

Cracks appeared on the prince’s face, which had been smiling as beautifully as a newly bloomed flower.

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  “우리” implies a sense of closeness or shared connection