37. Planning to Share with Others

 At the terrace of the stern deck where the sea breeze blew pleasantly, the royal family members were having their cigar time.

Romeo, dressed in a black suit, sat cross-legged in his designated chair, smoking tobacco.

Originally, he was supposed to meet Daphne here, but his cousin was long past due.

Everything Daphne had said in the third class was documented and reported in a check-sized small note. They were quite amusing words.

Daphne Beaucater, and a man with black hair. That part made him tilt his head in wonder.

‘How unusual for her to disguise her status. Or is there another reason?’

Although Romeo didn’t restrict her, traveling with a traitor was not at all an appropriate attitude.

“Speaking of my cousin, really……”

He rubbed his temple with his index finger.

“How well she found him.”

Romeo’s expressionless face slowly spread into an interested smile. Just then, his Royal Club friends were appearing from the top deck.

Romeo tapped his ash into the ashtray and placed the lit cigarette on it. The small report burned, spreading an acrid scent.

“Hmm, what should I do……”

If Psyche knew about this, she would blush and look down at the ground while mumbling incomprehensible words. That half-blood brother figure exercised such influence on his one and only lover at will.

‘Though it’s quite irritating, I’m curious about the reason.’

Romeo doesn’t believe in social gossip. He preferred to judge only by what he could see.

“Romeo, are you alone? Where’s Daphne?”

Endawin, one of the few young dukes of Secradion, approached waving his hand. Following behind him were three prodigals who had their names on the Royal Club.

“Ah, I know that face. That’s exactly the face you make when thinking about Lady Psyche.”

Each of their attendants cut their thick cigars with cutters. Soon, as the heavy scent rose, Romeo looked up at the bright blue sky.

“The smell is strong.”

He particularly felt a stench from them.

He had the amusing thought that if Daphne were here, she would have poured alcohol on their faces instead.

“Huh? What did you say?”

The idiots seemed unable to even hear properly. Romeo smiled, hiding his golden eyes within his gaze.

“Nothing. Just thinking it might be interesting.” 

 * * *

 Daphne’s private cabin was among the smallest in first class.

‘Because they need to sell the other good rooms to others at expensive prices.’

However, she guaranteed that its view was prime, making it more beautiful than any other room. Daphne was about to pull back the curtains covering the full-length window when she noticed Celestian was still outside the door.

‘Why isn’t he coming in.’

When she opened the iron door, Celestian was still in the same state as before, looking down at his hands.

‘Every time I see him, he’s staring at his hands. Does he like his hands that much?’

Daphne placed her hand on top of his. Only then did Celestian seem to come to his senses and look at Daphne.

“Why aren’t you coming in? Are you being shy?”

“I was wondering if I could enter.”

He seemed to be unusually shy.

“Why not? Should you wash up and change clothes out there then? Though it might be quite a spectacle, it’s unbefitting for someone who was a prince.”

Daphne dragged Celestian into the room.

Though she had brought him in, the feeling was very strange. Daphne deliberately brushed her hair behind her ear, then pointed at Celestian’s hair with her finger.

“Your hair, that……”

Daphne was too scared to say more, fearing it might be dyed.

“It’s pigment.”

“Ah, you should have said so earlier.”

Daphne immediately pushed him into the bathroom, and then into the shower booth.

“Don’t complain that the bathtub is smaller than the mansion’s. This is the biggest one.”

Daphne muttered while pressing the boiler button above the bathtub for a long time. After heating the water like that, she turned on the faucet. Celestian, still fully clothed, showed clear signs of discomfort.

“Daphne, I’m wearing clothes.”

“Would you rather undress in front of me, then?”

Daphne was about to aim the shower head at his head but hesitated. The setup seemed a bit odd.

“Wash up.”

She commanded in quite a firm voice. As she was about to turn around decisively, he called Daphne’s name softly. When she turned back, whether due to the warm water or not, Celestian’s red-rimmed eyes had become slightly redder.

“Help me.”

“Can’t you wash yourself?”

Celestian rolled his green eyes around.

“The pigment I used in my hair is a bit unique.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t think I can wash it alone.”

‘Oh my.’

Daphne instantly bit her lower lip hard. She quickly lowered her eyes. Even if it felt like losing, there was nothing she could do.

Romeo kept bathroom attendants. During her brief time as his fiancée, Daphne had also experienced having maids who managed everything from head to toe.

‘It was certainly convenient.’

But she hadn’t heard of such minor attendants for a prince who lived in what was essentially a prison palace. She thought she heard that Kisha helped him at the mansion…….

‘He’s a man who needs a lot of care in many ways.’

“You were able to get in here thanks to me.”

When Daphne didn’t answer, he slightly bent his waist and brought his face close to hers.

“If you want, I’ll try to find you a maid who can wash you better than me.”

“You owe the debt to me, not some unknown maid. Can’t you grant even this small request?”

“Your Highness, I’m sorry but I’m a noble. Should I be serving others?”

“You say you love me and yet……”

Celestian grumbled sullenly.

The word love carelessly pronounced by his lips made all her internal organs react.

‘Ah, jeez. That damned love!’

Daphne started blaming her karma inside.

The warm water started to fill up, and the steam rising above it made her feel stuffy and blocked. Moreover, Celestian seemed like he would keep throwing tantrums like this.

“If you plan to share me with others, that’s fine too.”

It was a decisive strike that completely hit Daphne’s possessiveness and desire for exclusivity. Daphne momentarily imagined another woman washing his hair.

She really had nothing to say.

“I’ll wash you then.”

Though she felt like this man was being ridiculous, she pretended to give in and helped him up.

When she pointed to the bathtub, Celestian narrowed his brows between his eyes, seemingly quite displeased about getting into water with clothes on, but didn’t say anything in particular.

Daphne freely brought the shower head to the black hair that had been bothering her.

‘Share with others?’

Celestian’s hair dissolved into a transparent color as soon as the water touched it.

“Your platinum blonde hair would be rare even in Airen, if it had been dyed I would have really killed you.”

“Have you been to Airen?”

Airen was a place almost on the opposite side of the continent, beyond the Empire’s borders. It was the island of romance that one must visit before dying, and often served as the setting for romance novels.

“No. I’m going to go.”

It was also a place where Daphne made travel plans for twelve months every year. It would be a dream difficult to achieve until she became independent anyway.

She sat on the round edge of the bathtub and sighed. She continued washing Celestian’s hair, removing the bubbles and applying new soap.

‘I’m really just washing his hair.’

All this time, this face and neck were what Daphne missed most.

‘Really, until just a few hours ago, I was going to have him stuffed and displayed.’

His white shirt was soaked through and clung to his white skin. His long neck, and his broad-angled shoulders looked like they would cause trouble if hit.

After pouring water for the third time, finally the white hair emerged. Thinking back on just now made her laugh emptily.

‘But why am I doing this?’

The face of the cunning prince who acted pitiful, even getting wet, was absolutely her type of face that she couldn’t resist.

‘Wait, did I fall for his honey trap?’

Daphne clenched her hands. Now a mix of half resentment, half irritation, and complicated emotions rose up to her throat. Her hands became full of strength.

“Beaucater, it hurts……”

This man, just because he was a prince, doesn’t even raise his voice. He just makes groaning sounds while gently holding Daphne’s hands.

“I’m glad it hurts.”

“You’re glad I’m in pain?”

“My side hurts like hell because of you. I risked my precious life to save you and you dare to run away?”

Celestian rolled his green marble eyes to look up at Daphne. His expression was so innocent that she felt like a bad woman for grabbing his hair.

“I didn’t run away.”

He mumbled quietly.

“Hah……”

These green eyes, I really thought I had lost them. Thought I would never see them again.

Daphne hit the water surface to splash water on his pretty face. Celestian slowly closed his eyes.

“Now wash yourself. Anyway I’m annoyed. If your hair doesn’t turn back to gold……”

“If it doesn’t?”

“I don’t know. They say there are crocodiles in this sea, I’ll throw you to them as food.”

Mentioning crocodiles reminded her of the real ending of ‘Daphne Beaucater’ that she always forgot. That woman, not herself, dies on this ship in the ending.

‘Super cruel.’

There was also a part where Romeo, who was thoroughly angry about something, throws her. Due to only the impactful things remaining in her mind, she couldn’t recall the overall story. Well, it probably doesn’t matter.

“……You should wash up too.”

Daphne paused. Then belatedly went near the sink with a gentle smile to check her appearance.

“Hmm.”

Hair sticking out everywhere, and all her makeup was smeared. Daphne cleared her throat.

“You should have told me sooner.”

Daphne quickly started washing her face. From behind, cute bustling sounds of continued hair washing could be heard.

“What should I do with my hair.”

Daphne picked up a comb and brushed out her messy hair.

She needed to tie it somehow, but Daphne was almost talentless at anything done by hand unless it was related to money.

“Cele……”

Daphne turned around without thinking, but after seeing the man’s body in the bathtub head-on, she hurriedly raised her gaze upward. The curves of his body remained like afterimages in her eyes.

“Amen.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.”

With the blackness gone, slightly long golden hair stuck wetly and curlily to his cheeks.

‘Like a mermaid.’

The legend that mermaids lived far away in the Lacteia Sea was a story that Rose often told to Daphne and Romeo when they were young.

Thinking about it now, it was just a genuine folk tale. But thanks to the man before her eyes, she had the unreasonable thought that it might not be entirely superstition.

He scooped water with his large hand and wiped his face. The porcelain-like face without a single visible pore, with the mole above his eyebrow, came into her eyes completely.

‘Indeed, a beautiful man looks best when wet with either water or tears.’

She suppressed the desire to look more. Daphne coolly turned around, wiped her face with a towel, and came out of the bathroom.

Now it was time to take off this dress that was getting commented on everywhere she went. Daphne had purchased several dresses using her mom card just for today.

Though they had gone around in quite a roundabout way, Daphne had returned to the place she had planned.

‘Making that high and mighty prince’s face turn bright red and wet with tears, and then take a photo……”

Daphne opened the wardrobe with a low laugh.

“Huh?”

The dress lines that would have made her shine more beautifully than anyone else on the sea were nowhere to be found.

Only a black dress with a mesh veil was looking down at Daphne blankly.

A small note was dangling near the chest area of the dress, greeting her. Daphne unnecessarily took a deep breath and removed that note.

“This crazy.”

Daphne’s face started to convulse seriously, trembling, as she recognized the elegant handwriting written very briefly at a glance.

<My ‘Princess’ Didi,

How dare you cut me out when you love me.

I leave this gift with mourning feelings.

—Romi, who is crying sadly at your death.>

Romeo Rodriguez.

This…….

F♡cking bastard…….