17. Wanting to Be Together

Celestian was leaning his back against the wall, arms crossed, gazing up at the high ceiling.

He had intended to wait diligently outside the banquet hall, as Daphne had asked. However, since he was in the main corridor, many people passed by. Some even seemed to come just to observe him waiting like a servant for Daphne.

To those who sent glances filled with undisguised disgust and mockery, Celestian responded with smiles, but suddenly his expression went blank.

―I’m an outcast in this social circle.

Celestian remembered that she was once the instigator. A strange woman who threw wine bottles and glasses at Psyche Denver, feeling elated while mocking her, and eventually crying loudly. But now, their positions were completely different.

Psyche stood beside Romeo, and Daphne was by his side…

Celestian’s green eyes, which had been smiling slightly, looked upward.

‘Did I really get hit by a wine bottle?’

Celestian looked at a familiar group of nobles under the wall where ceremonial swords were crossed. They had been talking about Daphne loudly enough to be heard since earlier. He had been listening in case there was anything useful to learn, but it was all useless gossip.

‘They’re rushing their lives.’

He straightened his posture and shook his ears once. Then he walked towards the servants’ corridor, where nobles would never tread. In this way, he headed towards where her secretary was, without encountering anyone.

―Celestian, could you wait outside for a moment? I’ll just say hello and come out.

Daphne’s expression, with her golden irises darting nervously between him and the table, had been very cute. But her choosing Romeo again from the two given options was…

“You’re here.”

Misha greeted Celestian with a strange bow, bending only his waist while keeping his face up.

“I’m not at all pleased.”

“Pardon? Neither am I.”

Celestian waved his hand. Misha grumbled something quietly before sitting back down and flipping through some documents.

The prince scratched his cheek and slumped into a two-seater sofa. Then he glanced down at the silver watch wrapped around his wrist.

This watch, too, had been personally put on him by Daphne.

Daphne had approached him, chattering continuously. She said things like even if one of these disappeared he wouldn’t notice, deliberately said that it was expensive, and that if there was even a single scratch she would cut off his knees. Celestian knew that these were words she added out of embarrassment.

In the box placed on the sofa was a single glove that had lost its pair. Celestian pulled it closer, placing it next to his thigh, and looked down at his wristwatch again. Only fifteen minutes had passed.

Misha, who had been glancing at Celestian as he rubbed the circular glass panel with his fingerprint while wearing a comfortable smile, spoke up.

“What exactly are your intentions, Your Grace?”

“Hm?”

“You have your own country, don’t you? Teriosa.”

Misha thought that if it were him, he would have found a way somehow. Building sturdy structures to make it a winter tourist destination, or raising livestock that only live in winter. Or excavating something unique to that region for export.

‘But I suppose it’s already ruined to the point where such attempts can’t even be made.’

Misha inwardly sneered a little.

“Why don’t you run away?”

Celestian tilted his head slightly.

“If you went back there, it would be fine, so why do you keep staying in our boss’s room, making things awkward for her?”

Celestian twitched an eyebrow once and ignored Misha’s words. Then he turned his head to look down towards the banquet hall where Daphne would be.

“Hey.”

“Did you dye your hair?”

“Pardon?”

At the sudden question, Misha unconsciously touched the back of his head. For a moment he was scared, but the casual tone made it clear it was just probing, so Misha calmed his pounding heart.

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t change the subject.”

“You’re quite interested.”

Celestian cocked his head. He had been admired by prosecutors many times before, but he never expected a desk jockey who only looked at paperwork to take an interest in him.

“I’m in a position where I need to prepare in advance if there’s anything that might harm or disadvantage our Miss. Now, will you please answer?”

“Because I want to be with her.”

Celestian answered immediately.

“Hahaha. Don’t lie. Our boss hates liars.”

“Why ask if you’re not going to believe anyway?”

Celestian replied irritably, shaking his head.

“If I thought I’d be harmful to Daphne, I’d disappear on my own, so stop worrying about me.”

‘Acting so docile in front of Miss.’

Misha glared. The figure looking only at the window without even turning his way seemed like a melancholic prince waiting for a princess on a white horse.

‘Melancholic? Damn. What am I thinking?’

Misha continued to struggle to get Celestian’s attention afterwards. He needed to quickly uncover this man’s true intentions and report to his lady. He even felt a strange competitive spirit to make her fall in love with a new tycoon.

“You said you asked Narid about our Miss’s preferences, right? I know her better.”

Finally, his green eyes turned slightly. Celestian raised his left eyebrow as if to say ‘go on’. Misha even took off his glasses, tensed his stomach, and added one more thing.

“Our Miss likes black hair. Black hair. Natural black hair. And if he’s a handsome war hero, even better! Rich, with enormous wealth!”

The crown prince, whom Misha most respected, admired, and hoped for as his employer’s match, was already a train that had gone to another station.

‘If nothing else, if only she had the railway industry rights that are traditionally given to the queen, she, no, the boss could have become independent from her family and an even bigger tycoon.’

“So you’re saying that I, with blonde hair… a traitor, and seemingly penniless, don’t suit Daphne?”

Celestian asked after mulling over Misha’s words.

“Precisely correct. Your head isn’t empty after all.”

Misha was convinced. Celestian let out a deflating sound as he laughed, then broke into a big laugh, his eyes wrinkling. That laughter was quite refreshing and vaguely familiar.

“Misha, come here.”

Celestian beckoned with his index finger. If Daphne had seen it, she would have cursed at the rudeness. Misha exhaled in shock, “Huh!”

“I don’t want to. I don’t listen to unprofitable subversive elements.”

“Seems like you can hear me just fine.”

“……”

“Or should I come over there?”

How could he laugh off such an unpleasant remark so cheerfully? Misha shuddered, ignored him, and buried his eyes back in the documents he had been looking at. That man really is strange. No, ‘strange’ doesn’t even begin to describe it.

“Misha.”

Screech, the legs of the chair Misha was sitting on made a loud noise as they scraped against the floor. The man who had been far away appeared in front of him without any sound of approach.

“Um……”

As a large hand approached his face, Misha had to search for a mother he had never seen before.

* * *

Daphne bit her lower lip and gripped Romeo’s forearms, pushing him away.

“We shouldn’t do this.”

Moving the burly navy man required a great deal of strength, as expected. When his body, which had been leaning somewhere, became unbalanced, Romeo reflexively grabbed Daphne’s arms.

“We’re already over! You chose another woman, Romeo Rodriguez!”

“Why are you being like this again? Disgusting……”

Romeo, who had been frowning deeply, muttered slightly, opening his eyes.

‘This bastard.’

Daphne slowly pushed Romeo towards a blind spot that couldn’t be seen from inside, seating him on the railing. Romeo leaned his back against the foothold, sweating cold and breathing heavily.

Daphne had often found herself in such situations over the past few years. And she had learned how to escape somehow. But this was the first time she was at risk of being accused of regicide, so her thought process stopped.

If she went inside, there were too many eyes watching, and if she jumped over the railing to go somewhere else, that action would look even more suspicious. It was also laughable that she had no trustworthy friends here.

‘If only we had at least drunk together, it would have been easier.’

Daphne sighed unconsciously as she looked at the dark red liquid that made a splashing sound with every step. Then she shook her head. If she hadn’t died, there would have been other rumors about her putting on a show.

Just then, the window of the room next to the banquet hall terrace opened with a creak. Daphne looked that way tensely.

“Daphne?”

It was a familiar voice. Daphne relaxed. The figure looked around and then landed on the grass.

“Psyche!”

The one who came under the light of the small bulb was Psyche. Daphne felt as if the sun was shining brightly behind her. Psyche, who discovered Romeo enduring pain, turned pale, covering her mouth.

“I didn’t do it.”

Daphne raised both hands and once again asserted her innocence. Psyche took a step back for a moment, then used a running start to easily jump over the terrace’s step and railing, landing next to Daphne.

‘Oh…..’

Psyche’s long golden hair fluttered like slow motion, covering her face before returning to its place.

“I thought something might be wrong when I saw people gathering here……”

Psyche approached Romeo and held his head to her chest. She didn’t seem to mind the hem of her white dress being stained red.

“Is it… is it poison?”

“Yes.”

She didn’t know what kind of poison it was yet. Daphne swept the sticky wine under her shoe once.

“Did you drink it too, Daphne?”

“I didn’t.”

“That’s a relief.”

Psyche rubbed Romeo’s stiff cheek with her hand and closed her eyes. Her hand was trembling slightly, clearly shocked.

“Psyche.”

Daphne wanted to say that everything would be alright somehow, but it seemed like an unhelpful thing to say. What woman would feel better hearing that her lover had been preparing for situations where he might be poisoned since childhood?

However, Psyche spoke quite calmly, gently as always.

“Daphne, actually……”

Psyche’s pink lips quivered with an anxious expression. Daphne instinctively knew that she was about to deliver bad news. So she had to become tense as well.