18. An Unfinished Love Triangle

Finally, Psyche’s red lips parted.

“Daphne, actually… This is the third time someone has sent poisoned wine since we officially announced our engagement.”

She added that after the rebellion, security in the palace became even stricter, and food and drinks could only be consumed after being tested with silver or tasted first.

“I didn’t tell you because I was worried you’d be concerned, but…”

As she spoke, Psyche’s face grew increasingly pale, almost turning blue. Daphne tried to break the tense atmosphere by moving her lips.

‘But I have nothing to say.’

Psyche glanced at Daphne, who was uncharacteristically opening and closing her mouth, and smiled.

“We’re continuing to investigate. It’s likely the same person’s doing this time too. So, to avoid unnecessary commotion… Let’s say my fiancé just drank too much today.”

Daphne understood the words Psyche had left unsaid. Unnecessary commotion would be dangerous for Daphne. And in her words, ‘we’ no longer included Daphne.

“Romeo, can you stand up?”

Romeo groaned and leaned on Psyche once more. Yet he struggled to open his eyes and tried to stand upright. The black head of hair that Daphne had always wanted to smack somehow looked pitiful now.

“I should go out to greet, Daphne, but…”

“The nobles wouldn’t like it if the future crown princess went to the villainess. I have my companion anyway…”

Psyche’s eyes narrowed at the mention of a companion. Daphne rolled her eyes, avoiding that gaze. She thought about where Celestian might be in this villa. Then, belatedly, a premise occurred to her.

‘What if he ran away?’

It was strange how he had disappeared so suddenly earlier.

‘Why did I assume he wouldn’t run away?’

Psyche sighed heavily and helped Romeo stand up, while Daphne opened the window for the two of them.

When the crown prince appeared through the parted curtains without the red hair they expected, people hid their faces behind fans or gloved hands, coughing awkwardly.

“Didn’t he leave with Miss Beaucater?”

“I must have seen wrong.”

“I didn’t see wrong, look, she’s right there.”

Among the nobles hoping for a scandal, burly bodyguards appeared swiftly to support him.

Romeo greeted people with a goofy smile, as if truly pretending to be drunk. Daphne mentally applauded her cousin’s willpower.

Only after the nobles returned to their seats did Psyche gracefully lift the hem of her dress and bow.

“Thank you all for coming. Please rest well and enjoy yourselves.”

It was a brilliant smile that everyone would adore.

* * *

She walked down the blue corridor with only the back lights on. Without a single picture frame hanging, it felt like being trapped in a small maze.

There were about three people in this kingdom who replenished Daphne’s faith in humanity, the largest being Psyche’s charm and their friendship. But whenever she got tangled up with Psyche like this, it left a bad taste in her mouth. Perhaps it was because of their official roles as villainess and female lead.

‘Should I really emigrate?’

The gazes that pierced her as she left the banquet hall were still filled with curses. Though she said she didn’t care, the actual feeling was clearly different.

Daphne wanted to quickly escape from the villa on the cliff. She flung open the door to the guest room where Misha would be waiting.

And discovering two men entangled in a strange posture, all her previous thoughts evaporated.

“What are you two doing?”

Celestian was holding Misha’s nape and pressing him down onto the desk. Misha was using all his strength to push away Celestian’s left hand with both of his. But it didn’t budge at all, and his face was bright red.

“Boss! Look! This traitor is trying to kill me!”

Misha writhed as he begged Daphne to save him. Only when Daphne entered the room did Celestian release his grip, soothing Misha in a gentle tone.

“I didn’t use that much force, Misha. Don’t exaggerate.”

Celestian blew a puff of air to clear the hair covering his eyes. Then he thoroughly messed up Misha’s hair.

Misha let out a sharp scream, jumped up, and quickly hid behind Daphne, hunching his body. He pressed down on his now bird’s nest-like black hair, breathing heavily.

‘So he didn’t leave.’

Daphne was completely relieved.

“He said he was bored, so I played with him.”

Celestian sat on the edge of the desk and made his excuse first. He lightly dusted off his slightly wrinkled vest and pretended to read a document he picked up. Misha, seemingly irritated by the casual tone implying nothing had happened, raised his voice.

“It’s all lies. He tried to kill me. He seriously tried to kill me.”

‘If he was serious, wouldn’t he have just snapped your neck…?’

Daphne thought to herself. She turned slightly and patted Misha’s crumpled collar.

Misha, who always acted like an older brother, clearly felt young at times like this. His gray eyes kept glancing at the blond man over there, continuing to huff and puff.

“Boss!”

Although he had a cheeky personality, Misha usually maintained a certain temperature, but it seemed his excitement wasn’t settling down easily this time.

“Why are you raising your voice at me?”

Daphne frowned, blocking her left ear with her index finger. Only then did Misha clear his throat and compose himself.

“There’s a very strong smell of wine. Did you drink too much?”

“No? I won seventy to one. This is the blood of the nobles I’ve trampled underfoot.”

Daphne slightly lifted the side of her dress. The toe of her sky-blue velvet shoe was completely stained purple. Misha looked down at it.

“You didn’t do anything that’ll make the morning papers, did you? Let me prepare a bit.”

The secretary worried, seeing that wine stains had splattered up to the waist of the blue dress. Daphne shrugged.

“Well, probably similar to usual, I guess?”

* * *

Similar to usual? Bull.

“Until when will our daughter be satisfied dragging around such scandalous rumors?”

Daphne’s mother, Amber Green, slammed down the gray paper she had been looking at onto the table. Daphne flinched and looked at what had fallen in front of her.

It was a hot-off-the-press tabloid, published less than an hour ago.

“It means your daughter still has influence, but you’re dismissing it as mere rumors, which is upsetting.”

Daphne spoke casually while pouring plenty of honey into a square whiskey glass. As Misha had worried, the newspaper bore an absurd headline like ‘Broken Glass Bottle, Unfinished Love Triangle.’ There was even an attached photo of Romeo leaning on Daphne, taken by who knows who.

Daphne skimmed the tabloid with a sidelong glance. It was just criticism about the usual scandal, with no mention of the poisoning.

‘It’s a huge relief not to be accused of regicide.’

Amber had entered the reception room in a color similar to her hair, but was gradually returning to her original color. As soon as she calmed down, she kept clicking her tongue, calling the future crown princess a pebble.

“Blame that pebble for being too pretty. Romeo is the type of guy who needs to date a girl as upright, strong, and kind as Psyche to fix his violent tendencies.”

Daphne said this while rubbing her shoulder and wrist, which were bruised blue. She took out a mint cigarette, lit it, and put it in her mouth.

Her mother kept puffing white smoke, with a cigar in her mouth that the butler, Mariel, had cut open with a cutter. The snake-patterned signet ring on her left index finger glinted, hitting Daphne’s eyes.

“You’re upright, strong, and kind too.”

“Hmm, Amber Green, are you perhaps saying that sincerely?”

Daphne lowered her voice, raised one hand, and pretended to be dignified. Amber lowered her head, touching her temple to hide her vicious expression.

The Amber who had praised Daphne for buying Celestian was nowhere to be seen.

“How do you plan to repay the gold mine I gave you for the price of that golden pig?”

Daphne looked up at the many jewels filling the compartments and rows of the storage cabinet that reached the ceiling. The reception room of the main house was too splendid for her taste.

“Who am I supposed to repay that to?”

Daphne tilted her head.

“It’s a debt my dear daughter has owed to Amber Green since birth.”

Her breath caught.

“Wow, Mom… What else displeases you so much?”

Daphne tried to smile cutely, shrugging one shoulder.

“There’s no value in investing in useless people. I should get it back with interest.”

Amber was the type who was more obsessed with wealth and power than ten Daphnes combined. So she often said things like this whenever she lost her bearings.

Daphne had long been trained not to take offense and to laugh it off.

Amber looked once at Daphne, who was smiling brightly, and sighed again.

“Celestian Teriosa also has half Rodriguez blood flowing in him, doesn’t he? Even if he’s subversive. Daphne, do you intend to make him king?”

Amber gestured to the butler. An almost black over-steeped tea was brought before her mother.

“Huh? No.”

Daphne answered clearly with wide eyes. Amber’s movements of scooping honey with a silver spoon and stirring the tea to make it sweet suddenly stopped.

“…Then why did you spend that money to buy a traitor?”

“Because he looks pretty when he cries.”

“What?”

“About two years ago, I saw him briefly at Uncle’s birthday. At that time, he was so haughty and noble that I couldn’t approach him.”

Daphne emphasized the word ‘noble’ by bending and straightening her index and middle fingers.

Remembering Celestian on the night of the flower fireworks, she involuntarily let out a groan. If she had shown her mother a photo from that moment, she would have praised Daphne for paying a price worthy of its value.

“Then try making him king. Mom will help you.”

Amber raised her red lips leisurely. Other plans were already popping up one after another.

“I don’t want to. I’d rather become king myself.”

“How can a girl become king? There has never been a queen since the founding of Secradion. Do you think it’s possible just because you want it, when there’s no precedent? There will be strong opposition.”

‘This is driving me crazy. Who said they really wanted to be king?’

Daphne rolled her eyes. It was amazing that such words came from her mother, who had had her as a daughter for over twenty years.

“Cele is king material, Mom. He’s prettier than me. Should I take him for morning greetings every day?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Amber took a sip of the strong black tea and nodded slightly as if she liked it. Mariel retreated, pushing the tray.

“I have no intention of putting my name in this dynasty. Of course, I hate the idea of being queen even more. I don’t want to be a queen trapped in the palace waiting for an extremely busy husband.”

“Why do you lack ambition so much?”

Lack ambition? Daphne tilted her head at those words.

“Mom~ I have a title, and I’ve been engaged once. The talk about being the crown prince’s ex-fiancée has finally died down. There’s no suitable match for me in the capital’s social circle anymore. Let’s just give up on everything and live well spending the money we have, okay?”

“I hear the crown prince of Agentar has agreed to divorce his official wife.”

“Crown prince? That’s quite sudden?”

“Becoming the empress of a larger empire might be a better option than being the queen of this small country.”

Amber made another proposal as if she had been waiting for this moment. Daphne tilted her head, seemingly not understanding immediately.

“I’ll request a marriage proposal, so marry him.”