49. Like a Dream

 Thanks to Daphne quickly turning her head, no unfortunate incident occurred.

‘He said he missed me.’

Instead, his high nose bridge touched Daphne’s cheek precisely. Because of this, both had to groan for a moment.

‘He must be desperate for a woman.’

She rubbed her cheek and straightened her back. Celestian’s dazed eyes were still looking at Daphne. She cleared her throat once, then tapped his collarbone and said.

“If you’re not going to sleep, wash up and go to bed properly.”

“Is this a dream?”

When he opened his lips, a strong scent of peppermint wafted up.

“Your Highness, have you ever been slapped by a woman in your dreams?”

“Ah……”

Celestian groaned and unbuttoned his vest. Then he slowly took it off and threw it to the floor. He blinked slowly while staring at the ceiling.

“Celestian, you drank.”

“A little.”

Daphne raised her hand and placed it on his small face. Seeming to enjoy the cool feeling on his cheek, he nuzzled his face a bit more into her palm.

“Look at this. I told you not to drink.”

Daphne lifted just one corner of her mouth and removed her hand. Celestian, who had been slightly sniffing, muttered in a sulky voice.

“You reek of rum too.”

“I can handle my alcohol.”

Feeling numb in her nose, Daphne sniffled slightly. She felt somewhat dazed, perhaps from sobering up. Daphne had accepted every glass Psyche gave her, and emptied bottles for her friend getting married tomorrow, filling herself with intoxication to the tips of her hair. Even though she had tried to work it off by actively touring the ship.

Then Celestian fumbled in his pants pocket. With rustling sounds, he handed over bundles of paper to Daphne.

Twenty pieces in total.

Daphne was secretly surprised. It was enough to have collected all the possessions of every man there. Her tongue clicked involuntarily at the unexpected harvest.

‘It’s a Jella Shoe Workshop voucher.’

There was even a voucher for the shoe artisan workshop that Daphne loved. And it was for unlimited free use for a year, with ‘No waiting required for production’ written on it! She couldn’t hide her smile as her cheeks twitched.

“What is all this?”

“Yours.”

Celestian whispered the predetermined answer. With the tall Celestian lying down taking up most of the center, Daphne had no place to lie.

“It’s like a dream.”

“Tell me if you need anything. My hands are free.”

Daphne gathered her fingertips like a knife. Celestian chuckled softly. It was a cute laugh that showed his boyish side. Daphne curled her back and lay down beside him. His head turned toward her.

“Why are you laughing.”

“I missed you.”

“My. Who did?”

He shifted around as if trying to find a comfortable position. Facing Celestian straight on with no height difference, his face was clearly that of someone intoxicated to anyone who looked. Daphne laughed with a deflating sound.

“I’m curious what you’re thinking.”

The answer was strangely misaligned with the question. Indeed, one shouldn’t expect normal conversation from a drunk person. Daphne rolled her eyes dramatically once.

“By now, the woman you love.”

After exploring beyond the engine room all the way to the third-class rear deck like running a marathon without rest, Psyche must be sound asleep in Romeo’s arms by now, exhausted from the journey on the way back.

‘Hmm.’

In Daphne’s heart, an annoying feeling raised its head persistently.

“She’s probably too busy doing naughty things with Romeo to think of anything else.”

As if understanding a beat late after hearing Daphne’s words, Celestian flinched belatedly.

“Daphne.”

Unlike what she expected—irritation, it was a gentle voice. That call made her throat catch for just a moment, so Daphne deliberately cleared her throat a couple times.

“How unusual for you to call my name so tenderly.”

“Daphne.”

“What.”

“Daphne, Daphne. Daphne……”

The back of Daphne’s neck tingled. It was thanks to his exceptionally good voice.

‘Ah. If you’re going to get drunk, do it gracefully.’

Daphne placed her palm over his lips. It only lasted a few seconds. Celestian lightly bit her palm. Startled, Daphne withdrew her hand.

“Why are you biting my hand? Is this proper behavior for someone who was a prince?”

“I wondered if it was a dream.”

Daphne sniffled slightly without responding. He smelled of the smoking room and alcohol. But it wasn’t just strange smells; the good scent that always came from Celestian made its presence known everywhere.

“I’m not the woman from your dreams.”

Moonlight filtered white through the window from behind the clouds. Seeing the man’s face shining brightly even under such dim light, Daphne was once again satisfied with the whole situation. His face still had faint traces of lipstick.

Embarrassed, Daphne gently rubbed his face with her sleeve.

“It’s strange how you act like this. You didn’t even look at me before.”

Daphne had no defense against a handsome man with such a face. Whenever they met at parties, she barely greeted him with a glance before quickly leaving to do her work.

‘Even though you were always by Psyche’s side then too.’

Of course, they only met in awkward situations. Like when Psyche was angry at him, or when Daphne was arguing with Romeo.

Passing by each other like random pedestrians.

Still, Daphne was slightly touched that he remembered her unexpectedly well.

“That was then~ Now I’m in a position where I can express that I love you.”

The goal, that is, to see the happy ending of the novel, which requires the villainess ‘Daphne’ to exist.

“Liar.”

Celestian muttered with narrowed eyes. Daphne, who had been smiling shyly, immediately turned serious.

“Even if I kill you?”

“Why would you kill the innocent me, Your Highness?”

It seems he just decided to pick fights today. Daphne crossed her arms while still lying down.

“Even if I destroy your family line?”

“You must have your reasons. Just don’t touch my money.”

Celestian tilted his head.

“Even if I erase this kingdom from the map?”

“If you have that ability, do as you please. I won’t help, but tell me beforehand.”

“Why?”

“So I can escape.”

Daphne answered as if it were obvious.

Erasing an existing country from the map was what Secradion had done to Terios decades ago.

Not just at a social level, but wiped out at a historical level. Whether their climate was truly terrible, or if only ghosts really wandered there, no one knew.

‘I wanted to go see too, but there was no way. No ships, no trains.’

Now it only circulated through the words of those involved back then, so after a few generations, ‘Terios’ might be completely forgotten. If he had the conditions to take revenge, Daphne had already planned to flee to Iren with her household.

‘Though that probably won’t happen anyway.’

“How boring.”

Celestian quietly added. But he looked somewhat pleased.

He pulled the blanket between himself and Daphne. This caused Daphne’s body to be drawn smoothly toward Celestian. At the suddenly close male face, Daphne pretended to be startled and pulled her head back.

“My head feels heavy.”

Celestian smiled broadly. Daphne felt blood rushing to her face as she abruptly sat up.

“Sleep.”

“Don’t go.”

“No, I’m not going. Where would I go at this hour?”

Daphne turned her head this way and that to cool down.

“Daphne.”

“Stop calling me, seriously. It will cost you ten million rion each time.”

“Why did you save me? Even paying that price.”

If the money Daphne had poured into this man so far were converted to affection, it would be enough to make people say ‘that woman must be crazy.’

“Every night I wonder. Why did you save me?”

Celestian seemed to have decided to completely delete the word ‘love’ from the list of reasons why Daphne saved him.

‘Did he hear something strange at the gambling table?’

“If you remember me, you should have let me die even more.”

Daphne briefly recalled when she was sixteen. Celestian, wearing his restored title as a prince, was truly splendid, and being ignored by him was quite damaging to her pride, but it didn’t matter now since it was in the past.

‘No, should someone be so harsh just because they ignored me once?’

“It’s not like you want my body. When I’m undressed for you to see, you come and button me up.”

‘Undressed for me to see?’

Daphne covered her mouth.

‘No wonder.’

She immediately recalled how the prince, who always looked proper, would strangely expose his chest only in her room. Daphne fell into brief contemplation about whether she should like this or not. 

 “So I must be a substitute for Romeo whom you said you loved so much. We’re similar in height, and though only half, the same blood flows in us anyway.”

“If you’re similar in height and share blood, that makes you Romeo? Besides, I hate the Rodriguezes.”

It was pure curiosity. Celestian blinked his green eyes while looking at Daphne.

Daphne rolled halfway over and propped her chin, looking at him as if to say ‘go on.’ Though it was talk that would sink deeper into the mire the more it was spoken, the current feeling of having a man like Celestian, who had lost everything, clinging to her wasn’t bad.

Come to think of it, wasn’t Daphne the reason this man had lost everything? For this face that was always matchlessly composed to say such things, it was worth listening to in its own way.

‘I guess I’m quite a bad person too.’

Celestian started unbuttoning his chest. Daphne caught one of his hands firmly with both of hers, saying “tut-tut.”

“See, you’re doing it again.”

“Why? Don’t you want to look?”

For a moment, Daphne almost impulsively answered ‘Of course I want to look,’ but barely held back.

“I’m saving up. Saving it to slowly……”

It was practically a lie. She was the type to immediately eat anything delicious in front of her. After all, nothing was more infuriating than having something taken away by others when you couldn’t eat it yourself.

“Saving me up to eat later?”

Celestian grinned. The thoughts of what to say to support his self-esteem quickly evaporated. Daphne sighed deeply and smacked his forehead with her palm.

“Ouch……”

“Sleep well, Your Highness.”

Judging people by appearances alone leads to much distortion.

That’s why Daphne had long tried to only see what others showed in front of her, and avoid looking too deeply inside as much as possible.

But what should she think of this man?

“I hate waking up with no one there. This place was always dangerous for you……”

They have no proper past to remember. Yet he keeps mentioning ‘previous days’ to Daphne.

“Was I perhaps on the Titanic? Probably not. Your Highness, this is the Page-René, now please sleep properly.”

Daphne spoke soothingly. Celestian blinked his eyes slowly a few times, then obediently closed them as she commanded.

“Oh my?”

At some point, his hand had firmly grasped the hem of Daphne’s skirt.