26. The Vanished Prince

In Secradion, where summer was in full swing, only Psyche and her mother could produce such a terrifying voice.

Daphne stopped and pondered her words for a moment.

‘Celestian left?’

Psyche’s expression was so resolute that it didn’t seem like she intended to scare her. There were few things in the world that Daphne feared anyway.

“Not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny, Daphne.”

“Where could he, the prince, possibly go?”

Daphne flung open the door without hesitation. In the hallway, Kisha was sitting on a makeshift chair leaning against the wall, with Narid sleeping with his head on Kisha’s lap. The bodyguard looked as gaunt as a skeleton, while the maid resembled a swollen water chestnut.

Daphne approached them stealthily, intending to surprise them.

“Miss.”

The grey eyes, which had been drowsy, gradually became clear. Disappointed at not getting the reaction she wanted, Daphne made a sour face.

“Haven’t you slept?”

“I’ve been awake since Miss Denver arrived. Are you alright?”

Kisha looked youthful for the first time in a while. Daphne hugged his head tightly. Then she tucked his long side hair behind his ear.

“You died from overwork. This is heaven.”

“How can this be heaven when you’re here, Miss?”

“Ah~ Talking back again, are we?”

Kisha gently grasped Daphne’s arm and lifted it. He seemed to be checking the bandaged wound site.

“I’m glad you seem to be fine already.”

“They said it just grazed me. Honestly, I made a fuss over just a slight graze. It’s embarrassing.”

“Why do you say that?”

Kisha shook his head with a surprised expression.

“Miss?”

Narid, too, woke up at the sound of voices and, after confirming Daphne’s face and her bandaged body, gradually began to sob. Then she started punching Kisha.

Despite her words, Daphne secretly liked their concern. After all, she had been alone during her previous few stays at the hospital.

“Where’s Cele?”

“Well, he went somewhere for a moment.”

Kisha laughed as if he found his own words unbelievable. Daphne also smiled, raising just one corner of her mouth.

“Where could he possibly go, you all say. The bathroom?”

“Daphne.”

The elegant voice from behind made Daphne’s insides churn. She always felt this way when she had to hear something she didn’t want to know.

“Celestian has left, I tell you. It’s true.”

“Left?”

“Exactly as I said. He’s gone. We’ve been searching, but there’s no trace. Now… you won’t be in danger anymore, Daphne.”

Psyche’s eyes shone bright blue. At the same time, Daphne’s golden eyes became dull. Kisha averted his gaze. Narid, too, was just staring at the floor.

“Daphne, so…”

“I get it, so please shut… be quiet, Miss Denver.”

All warmth had vanished from Daphne’s voice. Psyche started to openly watch for reactions. Daphne’s bodyguard and maid did the same.

“I…”

A curse rose to the tip of her tongue.

“I want to wash up first.”

At Daphne’s murmur, Narid sprang up.

In the bathroom attached to the hospital room, with the maid’s help, she washed away all the unpleasant parts. Throughout this time, Daphne kept her mouth tightly shut.

* * *

At Amber Green’s personal study.

Sprawled out on the rectangular couch placed in the center was none other than Daphne Beaucater.

‘How should I describe this feeling?’

Daphne looked up at the ceiling painted with several comically shaped baby angels. Her clouded yellow eyes aimlessly counted their number. Fifteen. All of them were embroidered with pure gold leaf borders.

It was clearly very luxurious and even burdensome!

‘If I tore all that off, would Mom sympathize with my feelings?’

Upon her discharge and after returning home, Daphne’s room was locked. The servants were sent back to their hometowns under the pretext of vacation. Daphne, who had to stay in a room in the main house for several days, had to wage a silent war with Amber for days.

In social circles, Amber was making a fuss about how her lovely daughter had been shot because of a traitor. However, to Daphne herself, she silently pressured her with an ‘I told you so’ attitude.

There wasn’t even time given to properly search for him. By now, there would have been more than enough time to leave Secradion, whether by stowing away or by other means.

‘Sigh. It feels like having my fully-optioned iMac, which I bought with great determination a few days ago, stolen at Starbucks.’

If someone were to ask why she was carrying such a large thing around in the first place, she would have no answer.

‘No, how could I have known that such a big thing would disappear?’

If you think about it, this was no different from it disappearing on its own feet, which makes it even worse!

Why had she trusted him so much?

‘Because Psyche was near me?’

While keeping those close to her unable to leave freely by holding collateral, why on earth did she…

‘I solved all his problems so he could leave at any moment.’

Daphne’s hands and feet turned cold. She immediately sat up and pressed her throbbing temples.

Many thoughts burst forth. And as a result, one clear conclusion was drawn.

“I was too complacent. It’s all my fault.”

It was her choice to keep that man alive and well, and it was her choice to carelessly let him loose. So in the end, losing him was also the result of her choice.

“No, even so, damn it. He ran away?”

Her fists clenched involuntarily. Someone stroked Daphne’s back once. The owner of the warm hand was Romeo.

“Romi.”

The male protagonist who had personally come here was not a very welcome guest. With that black hair, and those golden eyes proving that the same blood flowed through them.

“I called you several times, why didn’t you hear? Are you deaf?”

“I can hear just fine. Listen, Romi. Celestian…”

“I heard he ran away. How’s your body?”

Romeo asked irritably. The space between his dark eyebrows narrowed. Her cousin looked very scary and was in an angry state. Daphne instinctively lowered her eyes.

“As long as I’m breathing fine, that’s enough. All my limbs are intact.”

But her lips articulated everything she had to say.

“Why did you come? Aren’t you busy?”

“I heard you almost died.”

Despite his words, Romeo seemed to have been worried about Daphne in his own way. Daphne gave a rotten smile at the large hand that stroked her back several times.

“I have nothing to give you. Unless there’s something I should receive.”

Daphne moved her body away. She took out a photo from her pants pocket and held it out to him.

“What’s this?”

Romeo looked down at it with narrowed eyes. It was the original of a paparazzi cut taken when Celestian was reinstated as the prince of Secradion.

When the rebellion was suppressed, any photos or newspapers containing Celestian’s face would have been shredded and burned in the capital. Asking where she got it would be a meaningless question.

“What do you want me to do with it?”

“Find him for me.”

Romeo sighed like he had heard something unpleasant.

“Daphne, I can’t help you find Brother.”

“Why?”

“You’re asking why?”

“If you send out a few of your men, you could catch that penniless prince in a matter of hours, with time to spare. You found a few people for me like that last time too.”

“It’s different from before. The position and situation have changed.”

Romeo, who was once a prince, had now become the crown prince. Currently, he was practically the de facto king. What kind of rumors would circulate in the back alleys if it they heard that Romeo was looking for a traitor?

<The Crown Prince who wanted to become King as soon as possible, in fact, had been planning rebellion…>

It was obvious without even seeing it.

“Why do you think you got hurt?”

Romeo added, gripping Daphne’s left wrist hard once. From where he gripped her wrist to her side, a sharp pain suddenly shot through.

“Are you crazy, it hurts!”

He did it to remind Daphne once again that she was injured. It really felt like her forearm was about to burst! Daphne was about to hit him with her free hand but stopped.

“Romi, do you think I’m asking you to find him safe and sound? You don’t have to this time. Cut off the prince’s legs, or hands.”

For these past few days, Daphne had wanted to smash everything in sight. But she held back.

―You must always keep your position and duty in mind in everything you do, Daphne.

Impulsive actions without considering the future were something one could only do when they’re ignorant of the ways of the world. Now that there were so many eyes watching her, Daphne was not someone who could do that.

Daphne simply suppressed her impulses.

“No, cut off his head and bring it to me. I’ll use it instead of Agrippa. Why did I bother to bring him back alive? Should have just brought him dead. Am I an idiot?”

She spouted words she didn’t mean.

“If you find and kill him, and bring him to me, there won’t be any nasty rumors attached. They’ll say you did what had to be done.”

“Just think of him as dead.”

Daphne flinched at the words she had heard many times before.

“We’re going to announce it that way too. Brother was destined to die originally anyway.”

“It has to be Celestian.”

“Why are you so obsessed? Did Brother give you money or something?”

Daphne pondered deeply at Romeo’s question. To the question of why she was obsessed, she could answer that he was pretty when he cried, fun to tease, and enjoyable to have around, and to the question about money…

“He gives me motivation to make money. Because he’s unique.”

Hearing Daphne’s desperate voice, Romeo let out a hollow laugh.

“I’ll buy you a new one. Something similar. You’re fine with any blonde, right?”

‘This guy really speaks so easily.’

Daphne couldn’t laugh. She just lowered her yellow eyes. She was holding back something that was surging up to her throat. Her face, which had been pale, was now as red as her hair.

“Romi, are you really not going to help?”

“Yeah. Stop it.”

“Even if I sell your fatal weakness to the Emperor of Agentar?”

The male protagonist’s flaw? Fatal weakness? For now, it could only be Psyche. And Daphne was not the type of person who would ever sell out Psyche.

“Sure, go ahead.”

Romeo seemed to know this too, as he answered leisurely.

“Should I tell Psyche what you did to me when we were young?”

“She already knows.”

He was cold. It was a sign of firm rejection. His golden eyes full of annoyance even seemed to exert silent pressure for her to give up now.

“Still, Romi…”

“Stop it.”

“Romeo.”

“Daphne, I told you to stop.”

“Can’t I at least get a proper goodbye?”

She whined, clearly upset.

“You really expect that from someone whose head you threatened to cut off?”

“I only said it, I didn’t actually do it.”

Romeo spread his arms and briefly hugged the shoulders of his cousin who was whining like a child. His movement was so dry and quick that it seemed more like a ‘shut up’ than comfort.

“Cousin.”

Romeo handed her a handkerchief. It had Psyche’s pretty embroidery on it and even carried Psyche’s scent.

“If you want to cry, cry. I won’t tease you.”

“I’m not going to cry in front of you. Romeo, disappear…”

Daphne couldn’t shed a single tear. It felt like everything was blocked, as if blood would gush out like a fountain if she pricked her hand with a needle. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind.

‘Right, I don’t have friends, but do I not have money?’

The power that moves people is capital. Daphne was not unaware of this fact.