48. Your Eyes Like Stars

 The chips were piled high in front of Celestian.

The rest at the table had lost almost everything. Romeo had already conceded after Celestian won twice.

“It seems Grand Duke Teriosa is completely smitten with Miss Beaucater?”

“Hmm, quite passionate…… Hmm.”

Several men adjusted their postures briefly. Though it wasn’t much, they seemed to realize immediately.

‘Why does only Daphne not realize what even these idiots understand instantly.’

Celestian rubbed the side of his lips again. When he removed his hand, Daphne’s rouge had slightly stained his index finger. As the startled golden eyes flashed in his mind, he couldn’t help but grin.

“But Grand Duke Teriosa originally with Miss Psyche…”

The man sitting right next to Celestian spoke in a sulky voice. However, his words were cut off, drowned out by the sound of a glass breaking on the floor.

“Your Grace! What are you doing?”

After the clear shattering sound, the green eyes that returned were still within half-closed lids. He had wanted to stab those eyes into the man’s face that was turning red and blue even under the orange lighting. Celestian barely managed to hold back.

“Ah, sorry. My hand slipped.”

Celestian nodded gracefully while making his excuse. The man, unable to raise his voice at someone participating with a higher status than himself, clenched his molars once.

“Your Grace, you must be drunk.”

“Hmm, well. Perhaps.”

Celestian added while turning his glass around in his hand.

“I’m curious about something. Where do such trashy gossip come from? Delusions in your head?”

“You must not know. The stories of Your Grace’s twisted love affairs are widespread throughout the kingdom.”

Celestian tried to remember what he had done to Psyche.

‘Hmm, did I kill everyone in that family……’

It seemed like he might have done so at some point, but this time it truly wasn’t his doing.

Really, he hadn’t even dipped his toes or added his voice to any wrongdoing.

As the tide that had been completely in Romeo’s favor shifted toward Celestian, the direction of conversation also became tainted with the thoughtless triumphalism of those lacking awareness. Schemes trying to somehow bring Celestian down below themselves.

“You seem to have no filter even with my brother listening.”

Celestian shook his head a couple times, then faced his brother who was sitting on the opposite side. Romeo was watching the whole situation like someone who found the situation amusing, with a dimple carved into his left cheek.

“Romeo, what would you do if I held romantic feelings for her?”

Celestian asked with a slight smile. Romeo tilted his head to the left.

“You, brother?”

“Yes. Me.”

“Hmm, that couldn’t be.”

The half-brothers laughed like boys. They didn’t look like enemies — a traitor and an heir. Everyone else in the room was completely bewildered.

Oscar, who had been sitting nearby, finally brushed off the fragments and alcohol staining his pants and quickly stood up. Then without leaving the table, he added one more thing.

“As His Highness the Crown Prince would know, Amber Green has proposed marriage to Agentar.”

“Ah, is that so? I didn’t know.”

Romeo’s brows furrowed.

“They said even if she refuses, they’ll break her legs to take her…… So after this wedding……”

“Is Agentar positive about war with Terios?”

Celestian added in a bored voice. Everyone stirred at the word war.

“By what right do you speak such words, Your Grace? You should not forget that His Highness the Crown Prince is present here.”

Romeo raised his hand, apparently refusing to be mentioned. Celestian rested his chin on his hand and carelessly threw down the cards he had received from the dealer.

“That’s why I said Terios, not Secradion. If they’re going to forcibly take my lover away, I should respond in kind.”

“Do you have something hidden on that ghost island? Ah, surely you’re not planning to command actual ghosts as soldiers? I will inform His Highness the Prince of your intentions.”

“Ah, Oscar. It’s just a joke. That’s the fun of bachelor parties, isn’t it?”

Romeo nodded and brought his whiskey glass to his lips.

“How can Your Grace joke about war!”

“Your Highness, that traitor…… Has he truly gone mad?”

“I think you all are taking this too seriously. As the Grand Duke said, ‘such’ talk is the charm and rule of bachelor parties.”

Romeo took Celestian’s side once again. Celestian also opened his mouth as if making a counter move.

“If not, from when the Denver story came up, you all would have been torn limb from limb, or cut to pieces like these glass shards scattered on the floor…… You have nothing to say.”

Celestian whispered playfully. However, those words pierced the ears of every man there.

“Well, dead men can’t speak anyway. Right?”

The Grand Duke shrugged with an innocent look in his eyes as if he knew nothing. 

 * * *

 “It’s cold.”

In the place where people had partied and left, only hired cleaners were moving about doing cleanup.

After giving them a light bow, Daphne and Psyche sat side by side on a bench.

“Where did Secradion disappear to?”

“Probably in the back.”

Daphne rolled her eyes and thought for a moment. This place was over vast waters where nothing much was visible except the hugely risen full moon and twinkling stars.

“I’ll ask Romeo.”

“Okay.”

“Daphne, I’m going to live happily without getting divorced.”

“Right.”

“And I’ll give you lots of nieces and nephews so you won’t be lonely. Auntie has to set aside one day every week to play with Page and René.”

It was unclear why the phrase ‘so you won’t be lonely’ was attached.

Moreover, thinking about two children who looked just like Psyche sitting Daphne in the middle and enjoying question mark murder made it even worse.

‘This is going to drive me crazy……’

The homeland where a childcare experience awaited if she avoided marriage… Daphne considered once again if she should emigrate.

However, Psyche who was sitting beside her smiled prettily, seemingly imagining that day. Seeing that smile, Daphne released all her needless tension.

“I’m glad your mood improved.”

“I was never in a bad mood, Daph.”

Two tall men appeared on the upper deck. Romeo with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, and Celestian whose eyes shone like peridot.

‘Why are those two together?’

The two who had always shown unexpected friendship were standing in front of the white railings, occasionally conversing. Due to the distance, their words couldn’t be heard.

Psyche carefully studied Daphne’s profile. Then she suddenly came close to Daphne’s cheek and whispered. It seemed she couldn’t see those two from where she sat.

“Your eyes shine like stars.”

“They’re fusing~”

“Nuclear fushun. That’s what you mean, right?”

“Nuclear fusion.”

“Nuclur, fushun.”

Psyche tried repeating the difficult pronunciation several times. Daphne wrapped the thick blanket around Psyche’s shoulders one more time.

Looking up again, the brothers had disappeared.

“I heard you proposed marriage to Agentar. If you really get married, would it be alright for me to be a bridesmaid?”

To strangle her?

“Mom did that on her own. If you want, you should marry the man next to you.”

“Who?”

Daphne shrugged as if asking what she meant. Psyche’s round eyebrows straightened. She narrowed her eyes slightly, then gradually erased all expression from her face.

‘I want to take a picture and show it to Cele.’

Daphne looked up again to where Celestian had been standing. She saw an illusion of fine platinum hair shimmering in the moonlight.

“I’ll give you an order. Go inside and have a drink, Daph.”

“Oh my, how scary, Your Highness.”

“Hmm, perhaps you should speak more formally now?”

“Oh my, my.”

The cold wind completely disheveled Psyche’s long hair. Daphne felt that even Psyche’s hair seemed beautiful.

“Daphne, your bangs are all flying away.”

“Ah. You’ve become quite the rascal too.”

“Whaat?”

They burst out laughing while pointing at each other. Then at the sailors’ calls that they would be turning off the lights, they got up and ran.

“You haven’t seen the ship yet, right?”

Psyche nodded once.

She was the future mother of ‘Page-René’ and the actual owner of the ship.

‘She could just look around freely without being so conscious of others.’

A slight frustration hit Daphne’s throat. She quickly shook it off with a sigh and held out her hand to Psyche.

Like secret agents carrying out a mission, they leaned their backs against the captain’s cabin wall and looked at each other. Peeking inside, they saw the captain of the Page-René resting in his seat after fixing the helm.

“I’ll give you a full tour all the way to the engine room. Want to go?”

“I’d love to!” 

 * * *

 Daphne safely escorted Psyche to Romeo. It was an unpleasant night with the man almost as big as a door standing backlit, only his golden eyes glowing yellow.

Romeo waved his hand.

“Good night.”

“Could you sleep well if you were me?”

Daphne irritably pointed at the closet containing the dress. Romeo chuckled and closed the door while easily carrying Psyche, saying see you tomorrow.

When Daphne returned to the room, it was past midnight. Celestian had dutifully returned and was on the bed.

More precisely, he was lying horizontally across the bed without even taking off his clothes. His long legs were sticking out ungracefully.

“So long.”

Daphne sighed. She crawled on her knees onto the bed to at least help him take off his vest.

“Daphne?”

“Yes. It’s me.”

When her hand touched the buttons on his vest, her hand was caught by his large, warm one. An indescribably strong force pulled Daphne’s arm. Daphne’s cheek lightly brushed against Celestian’s cheek.

“I missed you.”

Celestian murmured, opening his red lips.