25. Entry to Heaven Denied

The golden bullet merely grazed the skin; there was no major issue with Daphne’s body.

That was the doctor’s opinion. Nevertheless, Daphne did not open her eyes. The night before, she had even gone into shock due to respiratory distress that stopped her breathing.

Celestian felt dizzy from the multiple overlapping images he saw on Daphne’s noticeably gaunt face.

‘Damn it.’

Closed eyes, eyes that had lost their light, golden eyes.

―If you stay by her side, Daphne will continue to be in danger.

He wanted to deny it, but it wasn’t wrong.

―If you remain by Daphne’s side!

Celestian, leaning against the red wall, covered his mouth. He felt nauseous.

From afar, a rumbling sound could be heard. It seemed it was about to rain again. The damp earthy smell had never been so nauseating.

Celestian finally began to vomit, resting his forearm against the wall.

“Grand Duke?”

Misha appeared from the darkness, leading a black horse. When bloodshot eyes turned to look at him, Misha had to hold his breath for a moment.

“At least this…”

Misha quickly handed over the whiskey toy bottle he always kept for Daphne. Celestian slightly raised the corner of his mouth in a smile, took it, rinsed his mouth, and spat.

Celestian lightly mounted the horse. The horse, which had been whinnying in surprise, gradually calmed down under the man’s stroking hand on its back.

“You will return, won’t you?”

Misha handed over a black robe. And he asked again and again.

“If you’re that worried, we can call off the deal.”

“Although I’m not keen on it, the job you proposed is urgent for me as well.”

Misha answered quickly.

He had a massive debt that needed to be resolved without Daphne knowing, and the ‘favor’ Celestian had asked wouldn’t have been difficult. However, the more Celestian pondered Misha’s secret, the more absurd it seemed.

‘Real estate speculation?’

A dry laugh escaped from between Celestian’s lips. He immediately clicked his tongue once.

Misha had certainly grown a lot, but his thin frame remained the same, as did his blue-gray eyes and neatly tied black hair. And the rimless glasses were probably Daphne’s…

The Misha that Celestian remembered wasn’t this narrow-minded.

“Our boss is really scary when she gets angry.”

As soon as Misha finished speaking, heavy raindrops began to fall with a pitter-patter.

“It’s your fault for doing such things and wandering around while knowing that.”

Misha’s expression soured.

“I wonder why you chose to owe such a person when you have someone like her. I’m curious.”

Celestian raised an eyebrow. The secretary’s face turned so pale it was visible even in the darkness.

“…I had circumstances I couldn’t avoid. I’d like you to answer. Whether you’ll return, or if you’re leaving for good. If it’s the latter, I’ll need to make my own plans…”

“Misha.”

His unstyled golden hair swayed gently with the light breeze. A sun shower began to fall. Water was already starting to pool on the ground. Misha took a step under the awning to keep his clothes from getting wet.

“Yes?”

“I’m bound to return anyway. Whether I want to or not.”

“Pardon?”

Celestian gripped the reins tightly with a small grunt and pulled hard. The horse kicked off from the muddy ground and surged forward.

“What are you say… Oof.”

Mud splattered all over Misha’s face.

* * *

Daphne regained consciousness after three days.

‘Ha, damn. Amen, God. Thank you.’

Relieved to be alive, Daphne cleared her throat once.

She struggled to lift her eyelids. The dull ache in her head was very unpleasant, like the feeling after sleeping for too long.

‘It hurts so much.’

When she inhaled through her nose, she could faintly smell disinfectant. Daphne blinked, trying to focus her vision. It was a hospital room.

After a few minutes, her senses gradually came alive as if a switch had been turned on.

‘It’s itchy.’

There were scattered strands of fine blonde hair, tickling Daphne’s hand. It was Psyche.

“Psy-“

Her voice failed before she could finish ‘-che’. When Daphne twitched her hand, Psyche quickly raised her upper body. Her blue eyes dropped a teardrop.

“An angel is crying. Miss Angel, is this heaven?”

Her voice was terribly hoarse. Daphne cleared her throat once with a ‘hem’.

“You can’t go to heaven.”

Psyche looked relieved, but she cursed casually in a gentle voice.

“So this is reality. Did I get shot? I can’t feel my side.”

“It just grazed you.”

Daphne denied the reality, saying that couldn’t be true. To be unconscious for three days straight from something that ‘just grazed’ her. Where’s the pride in being shot!

“I thought my side was pierced.”

Daphne added seriously. She looked down at her left chest area where the bullet should have grazed. It was tightly wrapped in white bandages, and she couldn’t feel anything in particular.

“Or maybe it grazed my heart.”

It was meant to be a joke to make her laugh.

“Your nerves, muscles, and bones are all fine.”

Psyche, unaware of her intentions, was adamant. Daphne wrinkled her nose once and nodded.

“Seriously, you.”

Psyche let out a groan and then pressed a handkerchief firmly against her eyelids to wipe them. She sniffled and picked up the bell on the table to ring it.

Immediately, a nurse with a haggard face entered. She stood in front of Psyche and politely paid her respects.

“Miss Daphne.”

“Yes.”

“I thought it was about time you woke up.”

The nurse seemed to be the person who had been waiting for Daphne to wake up more than anyone else.

She swiftly flipped Daphne’s eyelids to shine a light, and then unwrapped the tightly wound bandages. A suture site about a hand span long near the side of her chest was immediately visible.

“Wasn’t I almost dead?”

“You were last night, but you seem fine now~”

The nurse answered in a kind voice. After touching up the wound site once more, she disappeared in an instant.

“Help me up.”

Psyche approached as if she had been waiting for this. She diligently raised the bed’s backrest, neatly tied Daphne’s hair into a tight ponytail, and then sat back down in a proper posture. Beyond her, the window outside showed a view of a garden lush with pale green.

‘It’s similar to the color of Celestian’s eyes.’

Daphne, sipping water through a straw, looked around. Kisha would be outside, and Misha was probably at work, looking like death.

“Where is he?”

“Pardon?”

It was pleasant to see a beautiful person as soon as she opened her eyes. Psyche was undoubtedly the female lead here, and she was blonde to boot. Daphne imagined Celestian would have avoided this girl.

‘If it were me, I’d stick around shamelessly. If you like someone, you should go for it, don’t be so timid.’

But she wasn’t the blonde Daphne wanted. She didn’t want to bring up Celestian and upset Psyche unnecessarily. Daphne just shook her head.

“I told you he’d be dangerous.”

Psyche said softly. Daphne immediately understood what she was trying to say.

“You said it just grazed me.”

Daphne rubbed her temple with her palm for no reason.

“You woke up after three days, you know.”

“That’s strange. It’s not my birthday or Christmas.”

“Daphne, don’t change the subject. Last night, you suddenly went into shock and almost died for real.”

Daphne licked her dry lips with her tongue.

‘Shock? No wonder my dreams were so unsettling.’

Psyche was genuinely angry. This girl was about to ask again how and when she planned to dispose of Celestian.

“The bottom line is I didn’t die and I’m alive, right? Anyone would think you were the one who got shot.”

“You were shot. The bullet that was meant for that man, you took it, Daphne.”

“But I didn’t die in the end. It’s my first time getting shot, that’s why. I’ve also been overworking lately, so I just had a good long rest.”

“Daphne, what do you mean ‘in the end’? You were hurt…”

From Daphne’s perspective, Psyche seemed to use crying as a weapon when she felt she wasn’t being understood. Many men and women of the kingdom had fallen for her crying face. Daphne was one of them.

“Your Highness, the future Crown Princess, please turn off the faucet~ There’s no Romeo here to comfort you, you know?”

But Daphne, who had developed an immunity, sneered and tossed the edge of the blanket towards her. Then she quickly lowered her legs to the floor to escape.

“Ow, it hurts.”

As she stood up firmly on the floor, an earthquake hit her head. Psyche’s voice behind her sounded extremely slow at first, then gradually returned to normal.

“Lie down!”

“No. I’m going to see the prince you hate and who likes you.”

Damn prince. No, damned prince.

In a way, they had shared life and death, shouldn’t he have the decency to watch her wake up?

In fact, until just three seconds before opening her eyes, Daphne had secretly hoped that the owner of the gaze watching her would be Celestian.

“…In that state?”

Still, she wasn’t disappointed. It was very much appreciated that for several days, he had acted kindly towards Daphne, who said she liked him, in a very princely manner.

Psyche’s worried face appeared again.

‘Right.’

The mannerly man couldn’t have helped but avoid her when the girl he truly loved to death was uncomfortable with him.

―Daphne.

The name that had been called several times in that splendid voice gave her goosebumps for no reason.

‘Why did he pretend not to know my name when he knew it? Did he really call me that because I didn’t introduce myself?’

It seemed she would have to ask him directly once Psyche left.

“My goodness. You were too honest with your friend who just woke up after a long time, Psyche.”

Daphne looked at her face reflected in the small washbasin.

It was truly a surprising appearance, so much so that even Psyche, who never spoke ill of others except ‘that person’, called it ‘that state’.

A girl with amber eyes hidden between her eyelids giggled at Daphne.

Then she felt dizzy for a moment and gripped the washbasin. She also felt like she might throw up if she relaxed.

“Daphne, Celestian Teriosa–.”

Daphne raised her hand to cut off Psyche’s words.

“If you’re going to keep talking about him, then leave. Are you worried about me, or are you worried about him?”

“Teriosa has left.”

It was a voice as cold as falling snow. As her blue eyes wavered, goosebumps rose on Daphne’s forearms.

“That’s why I told you, that man can’t be trusted, didn’t I?”

Before Daphne could open her mouth to say anything, Psyche spoke again in that ice-cold voice.

“This time, Daphne, you were wrong.”