33. Surprise Proposal

 One hour was enough for a person to be completely ruined.

“This side wins again!”

The square table was now crowded with people. Celestian leisurely lifted his whiskey glass to wet his lips.

The green eyes that met in the air returned to Daphne once again. And his head tilted slightly to the left coquettishly.

As if asking, ‘How about that?’

This game favored those who bet more money, and those who could deceive well from the look in their eyes to the angle of their lips had a higher chance of winning.

Celestian had just acted as if he had a straight flush when he actually had nothing, leading Chadwick into a trap.

‘They say no one in the continent can match Romeo Rodriguez’s poker face……’

The thick stack of bills under Celestian’s arm tempted Daphne. She had long forgotten how she tried to stop him from betting too much money three rounds ago.

‘Should I take him around the continent’s gambling houses?’

Daphne shook her head after briefly considering it. For her who aimed for a stable life, going for one big shot was too risky.

“Dealer, this must be cheating.”

Chadwick, who had been gripping his cards tightly, released his grip and dropped his head.

“Cheating is forbidden.”

The dealer answered firmly while shuffling the cards. Chadwick pressed his temple with his palm and groaned. The tips of his ears were beyond red, almost purple-red. He seemed embarrassed about losing four times in a row.

The pure gold-embossed boarding pass gleamed under Celestian’s hand.

Thanks to that, Daphne didn’t need to hit anyone’s head with a chair.

Celestian had won back not only all the money he had lost but also the boarding pass. And in just an hour!

“Cele, well done!”

Daphne felt like hugging that handsome face and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“Is that all?”

Celestian slightly furrowed his brows, seemingly unsatisfied with Daphne’s praise.

“Well done, Your Highness? You’re amazing? What, should I give you a passionate hug?”

Daphne cheerfully spread one arm. Celestian pulled his body back and ran his large hand through his black hair once. She grabbed his wrist that happened to be visible and checked the time on his watch.

“We’ll be late. Let’s go.”

Only an hour remained until departure. Chadwick, who had suddenly approached from behind, grabbed Daphne’s wrist.

“Where are you going? I’ll write you a check. Would someone exchange some cash?”

Chadwick shouted with a face turning red and blue. However, there were no servants here to listen.

“Why don’t you try taking off your clothes. Well, there probably isn’t much to see given how scrawny you are.”

Daphne sneered, looking down at Chadwick.

Her already yellow eyes glinting in the light made Chadwick feel even more defeated. When she raised her fist to hit Chadwick who was holding her wrist, he let go first.

“You people……”

Chadwick looked at Celestian. Squinting his eyes, Chadwick let out a sigh.

“Are you this careless because you don’t know who this person is?”

Chadwick said meaningfully. Only then did the onlookers who had been laughing among themselves at how interesting it was suddenly look at Celestian.

‘That’s mine. At least pay something for watching……’

Rather than the gazes studying his face as if picking it apart, Daphne’s mood worsened.

“Is he a foreign actor?”

“He’s handsome.”

“Never seen him before.”

People whispered.

“This hotel only gathers anonymous people so we can’t know. Then are you saying you know who this person is?”

Asked an uncle with a ribbon-like mustache.

“Don’t you even read the newspapers. I recognize him clearly even though he changed his hair color.”

Chadwick alternately looked at Celestian and Daphne with a vile expression.

“He’s the traitor Teriosa.”

“Am I that handsome? I’m honored.”

Celestian rather opened his eyes wide and asked back. At his action of touching his cheek with a genuinely confused expression, Daphne let out a “huh” of empty air.

“Oh….. He does look somewhat similar.”

“But the traitor has golden hair, right? They say he looks exactly like the beautiful Princess of Terios.”

At someone’s words, gazes gathered on Chadwick again.

“This one is certainly blonde.”

“No way. The Ghost Grand Duke is said to be so handsome that even other men would fall for him….. This one certainly isn’t him.”

The dealer waved his hand dismissively. Chadwick’s expression crumpled.

“And besides, what if this Sir is the traitor? Are you saying we should report him? What has the royal family ever done for us that we should go out of our way to make trouble?”

“The president of Saturn Memorial.”

‘Me?’

Daphne turned around thinking she was being called.

“She put out an advertisement saying she’d give a big reward if someone brought even the traitor’s hair. Haven’t you all seen it?”

Chadwick added as if he couldn’t help it. However, it seemed he hadn’t recognized Daphne, he merely mentioned her.

Celestian’s eyes, which had been directed only at Daphne until now, narrowed. Daphne pretended not to know and avoided the topic.

“Your Grace, take some rest. A true man should know how to accept results.”

The dealer who had been listening quietly spoke. Celestian smiled appropriately when gazes fixed on him without saying anything in particular. He seemed to enjoy the praise coming his way.

Daphne, who stood blankly beside him, had to feel like she had become invisible.

“Hey, don’t you all know me?”

“Miss does look familiar. Are you from a noble family?”

Daphne nodded. Several people whispered about which family she might be from, as if they had met a famous theater actor.

“Daphne of Beaucater and Green. The president of Saturn Memorial that this man mentioned……”

“Ah, haha.”

Her words were cut off again!

“Miss looks too kind to be Secradion’s villainess. Her hair doesn’t particularly look like it’s burning either.”

“There sure are a lot of ladies claiming to be Daphne Beaucater today. What day is it? Several others just came by earlier too.”

Daphne suddenly recalled the ladies blankly lined up behind her. Her mouth opened in a situation where she couldn’t laugh.

Celestian burst out laughing with a “pfft.” When Daphne glared at him, he quickly covered his mouth and fake coughed.

“What a crazy b*tch.”

He spat out a curse and disappeared, taking his suit jacket that he had taken off.

“What an idiot.”

Daphne, who had abruptly stopped laughing, muttered. Then she reached behind to place her hand on the ticket on the table. Celestian’s hand covered hers again to stop her.

“Daphne, stealing is bad.”

“Stealing? It’s mine.”

“What’s yours? Am I yours?”

Daphne looked at the prince who was smiling with triangular eyes.

“Since I didn’t get a refund it’s still mine. Therefore what you have is mine too. The money on this table, and the boarding pass.”

“You can have the money. But not the boarding pass. Let’s play a new game and win it fair and square.”

“My goodness, what’s wrong with this prince. I don’t have time, Cele. Give it to me, okay?”

As Daphne stretched out her arm, the ticket in Celestian’s hand kept rising higher. Eventually they both ended up standing, and Daphne even stood on her tiptoes with both arms stretched up trying to reach the ticket.

‘This damn height difference!’

Daphne straightened her posture at the sudden realization. She tried to kick his shin but Celestian was faster at pulling his leg away.

He looked at her forehead as if she was cute and smiled.

“You give up easily, don’t you.”

Daphne punched his chest with a thud.

“…ugh.”

Celestian grabbed the spot he was hit with his other hand. Daphne tried to grab the ticket seeing an opening but failed.

“Celestian Teriosa, this is so childish. Give it to me!”

“That hurt.”

“My fist hurts more. What is your body made of, rocks?”

“Why can’t you ever give things to others with this habit. Always trying to kick or raise your fists.”

“What’s mine is all mine. Even my habits are mine so why should I give them to others? If you’re jealous then you do me.”

It was up to the gamblers to watch the two bickering as if they were alone in this gambling den. One gambler whispered to Colin who stood holding a bag of money.

“Colin, are they acquaintances?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“A lovers’ quarrel?”

“Yes! It seems so! His Grace was waiting for the Miss!”

Colin’s answers were still energetic and spirited.

“Tsk tsk, it’s obvious without even looking. Must have been kicked out by his wife for acting immature.”

Spectator 1 smiled warmly and shouted at the couple with his hand beside his mouth.

“Hey, you two. Why don’t you get a room instead? It’s making my eyes hurt, really. With the money His Grace won, you should be able to check in anywhere!”

“What are you saying?”

Daphne was shocked as she was calculating angles to hit Celestian again.

“Perfect timing. I was wondering why His Grace had been staring at the Miss since earlier?”

“Are you married?”

“I’m single!”

Daphne shouted, showing her empty left ring finger with wide eyes.

“Instead of the Crown Prince getting married, you two should get married. Go steal a ship or something. We’ll even give some wedding gifts from this hotel.”

At the continued teasing, Daphne wanted to scream. She wanted to scream and grab the collars of these uncles making sly jokes and shake them hard!

She also wanted to shake her own collar for feeling embarrassed rather than angry at words that were clearly harassment.

“Should we, Daphne?”

Daphne whipped her head around to look at Celestian.

“Steal and take over that ship……”

He was now sitting on the bar chair, looking up at her from a lower eye level than Daphne again and grinning.

“Should we get married?”