36. My Princess Has Gone Mad

 ‘Are the royal ladies bullying Psyche again? …No.’

The masterpiece romance that had caused a stir for the past 2 years was mostly wrapped up with the announcement of the engagement. Daphne had used all her connections to introduce suitable men to the royal ladies who had been following Romeo. She had also helped elevate Psyche to a position more befitting a future queen.

‘Besides, people in third class would welcome a queen of common birth with open arms.’

And a child who had just learned to speak wouldn’t have known the meaning of lilies to carry them around. When Daphne looked up, she saw the banquet hall was also wallpapered with white flowers.

‘What’s this.’

She looked again at the section leading to second class. Knights were still stationed there.

“Do you know why noble ladies keep trying to sneak into third class?”

A few passing crew members chatted among themselves.

“Saw some earlier too. What is it?”

“It’s because of My Fair Gentleman! Taking common men and polishing them up as romantic partners is all the rage among noble ladies these days.”

“What strange trends.”

The crew members exchanged a few more words as they passed behind Daphne and Celestian.

‘A trend?’

An idea suddenly flashed in Daphne’s mind.

She was wearing a thin dress that looked like sleepwear to anyone who saw it. However, a closer look would reveal it was expensive clothing.

While men who couldn’t tell might not notice, what about the ladies who were sensitive to trends?

“Celestian, how do I look right now?”

Daphne spread both arms wide and deliberately traced down her body as if showing off.

“Like a princess.”

Celestian unconsciously followed her hands with his gaze, but quickly reddened at the ears and turned away as he answered quietly.

‘Hmm…… Is that an insult or a compliment.’

Daphne checked Celestian’s appearance once more. With his black hair and dressed like a vagrant, very few would recognize him as a prince.

Daphne tucked the lily the child had given her behind Celestian’s ear. His green irises trembled slightly.

He raised his large hand to feel around his ear. His face was filled with an expression that said ‘What are you doing right now?’

“Good. Very pretty. Stay like that.”

As Daphne rubbed from her red lips to her cheeks with the back of her hand and nervously tousled her hair, Celestian’s head tilted again.

“Daphne, are you angry?”

“No?”

“Then why are you messing up your hair……”

Celestian raised his right eyebrow. The beauty mark right above it suddenly looked lovely.

“What are you trying to do?”

His voice trembled slightly. 

 * * *

 Celestian truly blinked his eyes, at a loss for words at this strange and mysterious sight he was seeing for the first time.

“Oh my.”

Someone muttered what he wanted to say.

“Is she nobility?”

“Obviously. Seems she came over from first class earlier.”

“Huuung. Romeo, how could you abandon me― whaaaat? How could you abandon meee!”

“…Perhaps she was kicked out?”

In the third class gathering room, after rinsing her mouth several times with cheap alcohol and spitting it out, Daphne swayed with truly drunken eyes before collapsing to the floor. Then she began wailing loudly.

“Romeo, Ishuin, Rodriguez……”

Daphne messed up her red hair once more. Her tightly clenched fists struck the blue carpet floor hard.

“Oh my my.”

“Romeo! How could you leave me for a girl like Psyche!!! You shameless bastard, bastard!!! Thieving bastard. Ah!! Our Psyche!!!!”

“Oh my, she must have had unrequited love for His Highness the Crown Prince……”

“Poor thing……”

Everyone’s attention in the section focused on Daphne.

Those who initially thought it might be some kind of show now looked at her with pitying eyes after hearing Romeo’s name coming from her lips.

“Haha.”

Celestian burst out in incredulous laughter.

It was fortunate these people were naive and knew nothing, for if they were the ice-walking humans of high society, they would have coldly torn down her reputation.

With makeup smeared dark around her eyes and red around her lips, Daphne now began crawling on the floor.

Unable to just watch this scene any longer, Celestian held back his laughter and approached her.

“Miss.”

The hesitating crew members approached first and stood before Daphne. They seemed to know not to carelessly touch a noble’s body. Just then, one brave crew member’s hand reached for her shoulder.

“Don’t touch me! Where do you think you’re putting your hands?!”

Roaring like a lion, Daphne continued messing up her hair. The startled crew members stumbled back at her force. With her makeup melting off her seemingly gentle face, she did look rather bizarre.

Even though she was cursing the Crown Prince, calling Romeo a bastard over and over, everyone was too concerned about her pitiful state to mention the crime of insulting royalty.

“We’ll escort you to your room, miss. If you could tell us your cabin number……”

“I said don’t touch me, I can walk!”

Celestian struggled to hold back the laughter bubbling up inside him. However, worried she might actually faint if left alone just for entertainment, he took a deep breath to compose himself before approaching.

“Romeo, how could you cut out the me who loved you!”

Celestian stopped in his tracks. His brightly smiling face instantly became expressionless.

“I might as well be deaaad……”

“You speak so easily.”

He muttered quietly then lowered himself to present his back to Daphne. After peeking to confirm it was Celestian, Daphne raised her hands and patted his back.

“Hold me, Sir Knight.”

“Sir Knight?”

Celestian could never become a knight. He had never even dreamed of becoming a soldier. It was because of his position as second in line to succession.

‘Was she into knights?’

As Celestian lowered his eyes briefly to search his memories, Daphne began whining with both hands outstretched.

“Hold. Me. Please. Aah, I think I’m getting dizzyyyy…… I feel like I’ll throw up if I get on your baaack…… If you don’t hold me I’ll jump right noooow……”

Daphne seemed to find her own words funny as she covered her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to hold back laughter. Her red lips, caught between her teeth, turned white from loss of blood.

Celestian let out a short laugh before turning around and easily lifting her by placing his hands under her shoulders and behind her knees.

“The princess has gone mad……!”

The child who had given Daphne the lily earlier stomped her feet as she spoke.

“Renny, you shouldn’t say things like that!”

The task of covering her face and upper body with the fallen jacket fell to a lady in beige casual wear who had been looking at Daphne with concern.

“It seems the noble lady lost her way here while intoxicated. We should clear a path.”

One crew member earnestly requested of another crew member guarding the section.

“No, I didn’t see her come over earlier?”

The knight shook his head. dumbfounded. Several crew members continued pleading to let her through while looking with concern at the hiccuping lady under the jacket.

“Then let me check her face……”

“Hey! She’s not even properly dressed, what are you trying to look at! That’s outrageous.”

“I’m telling you I saw her coming from this direction earlier!”

“This lady definitely came from first class! Just look at how fancy her outer clothes are, Sir Knights!”

“She seems to have come here drunk without even proper shoes on, she needs to rest quickly. You can’t treat a noble lady like this!”

The ladies who had frantically grabbed Daphne when she tried to jump off the ship while crying out Romeo’s name also followed behind, scolding the knights.

Under the jacket covering her face, Daphne wasn’t sobbing but giggling. Only Celestian who was close by knew this.

“Go get some good rest. Don’t cry.”

“And don’t drink anymore. That would be terrible. Don’t take your eyes off her, Sir Knight!”

It fell to Celestian to bow to the third-class people who had brought Daphne’s performance to its climax. He gave a slight nod with closed eyes before walking down the open corridor.

“I really do have good luck.”

Daphne whispered softly. Her shoes had fallen off earlier when she climbed onto the railing, leaving her barefoot.

“Mm, a little……”

Celestian trailed off, not knowing what to say. Daphne’s toes wiggled.

“Do you want to say I’m mad too?”

The corridor leading from third class to first class was quiet. The atmosphere was noticeably more luxurious compared to third class.

“No, you were amazing.”

Celestian answered like a fool. Daphne burst out laughing again.

“You can put me down now. Thanks for your hard work.”

Standing on the blue carpet floor, Daphne wiped away tears that had leaked out from holding in laughter with her index finger and let out a sigh with a “phew.”

“I couldn’t do this twice. My sides hurt.”

Daphne combed through her hair with her fingers as if nothing had happened, then vigorously opened the cabin door and disappeared. Celestian looked around the familiar long blue corridor that was empty no matter how many times he saw it.

Then he looked down at his own hands.

“This time is different, just this once.”

Celestian couldn’t help but marvel. That the undiminished free-spirited warmth was still alive in his hands.