Chapter 12: Caelan Wouldn’t Come Anyway

“How could you never invite us after getting married?”

“Right. You promised to give each of us a necklace when you got married, but you completely forgot about that too.”

“It’s not about wanting the necklaces, but how hurt we were that you seemed to forget about us.”

“I was busy. I’m sorry.”

Bliss forced an insincere smile at the unfamiliar women who had dropped their formalities.

‘Now I understand why they were waiting for me.’

Something had felt off from the moment they said they were looking for her. After all, Leonard had been the only one who had genuinely mourned Bliss’s death.

Bliss observed the five women gathered together. Though they wore friendly expressions, their sharp eyes were clearly studying her. Moreover, despite being told they were once her friends, she couldn’t remember any of them. Perhaps it was natural, since she never had any real friends?

“Don’t be too hard on Bliss. She just got married, so she must have been completely absorbed in her husband. How could she think of us?”

Someone came to her defense. Though depending on how you heard it, it could sound rather sarcastic.

It was the woman sitting right next to Bliss. She thought she remembered her being called Jerian. Bliss remained still, pretending not to notice as Jerian’s gaze swept from her head to her toes.

“Marrying Marquis Caelan, who’s handsome, has His Majesty’s trust, a secure future, and plenty of wealth – if it were me, I’d feel like I owned the world. How could she possibly remember friends from before her marriage?”

Jerian rested her chin on her hand and fixed her gaze on Bliss, as if seeking agreement.

“But really, your father is amazing. How did he manage to get Marquis Adrian as a son-in-law?”

When Bliss only stared silently, Jerian added more.

“Well, I mean, while Count Bonita’s family is a count’s family, compared to the Adrian Marquessate……”

Though she swallowed the rest of her words about how insignificant Bliss’s family was, everyone understood. The other women hid their emerging smiles behind their fans.

“If only my father were Count Bonita. And you know what? Do you know who my father recently brought as a potential match?”

The other guests turned to look as Jerian’s voice grew increasingly aggressive.

“The second son of Viscount Kentus. They say he has a huge territory, but it’s just countryside. It takes two whole months by carriage without stopping to reach that estate from here.”

“Oh my, how terrible.”

“That’s not even the worst part. He’s the second son. A second son who won’t even inherit that estate. The eldest son already has three sons, so I’ll never have a chance even if I die and come back to life!”

“Jerian, that’s so unfortunate.”

While the women offered words of comfort to Jerian, their eyes told a different story – they were laughing. Not a single person was genuinely consoling her. Bliss, listening to all this, couldn’t shake off how strange it seemed. Why would someone demean themselves when clearly no one would offer genuine sympathy?

“But look at Bliss over there. Thanks to having a good father, she landed herself a wonderful husband. I guess that saying about women needing to be pretty is all lies. What you really need is a good father.”

‘Ah, so that’s what this was about.’

It was a ploy to belittle Bliss while using herself as a prop. Though wrapped in a veneer of envy, it was nothing more than a rotten friendship filled with jealousy. But it hardly mattered – the selfish Bliss wouldn’t have had any genuine friends anyway.

“So how is it, having Caelan as your husband after wanting him so desperately? Are you happy?”

‘How is it having Caelan as your husband after pushing Latte away?’

Bliss pondered how to respond to Jerian’s sarcastic question. Even invisible thorns could sting when they pricked. Should she confront these words that wouldn’t dare be spoken at other balls? Or…

“I’m happy. You wouldn’t believe how much Caelan loves me.”

Bliss feigned innocence, taking the words at face value. As Jerian and the other women flinched, Bliss exaggerated her excitement even further.

“Every morning when I open my eyes, I can’t help but feel thrilled. Even though it was an arranged marriage, we love each other. Don’t you think this must be destiny?”

Every time she opened her eyes, she felt nothing but frustration at finding herself still trapped inside the novel. But Bliss maintained her composure and continued her lie. After all, Caelan wouldn’t be coming today anyway, so she could pretend to be in love with him as much as she wanted.

Mirroring Jerian’s gesture, she clasped her hands to her chest. She affected an expression beyond shyness, radiating pure happiness. Fortunately, her delicate appearance lent credibility to her act when she caught her reflection in an opaque cup.

Bliss had her reasons for playing innocent despite seeing through Jerian’s true intentions. While she recognized their resentment about her marrying someone like Caelan, she had more pressing matters to address.

‘I need to emphasize that I would never commit suicide.’

That was her purpose for coming here today. Given that in the original story Bliss’s death was ruled a suicide, it was crucial to create doubt in as many minds as possible. To achieve this, she needed to convince everyone of her complete satisfaction with life as Marquis Adrian’s wife.

“He asks if there’s anything else I want even though I can buy whatever I desire. And you wouldn’t believe how sweet the wine tastes when I drink it while gazing into his eyes.”

“The Marquis… really treats you that well?”

“Yes, I can feel how much he cares for me even when he’s busy. I’m so happy being able to do whatever I want while receiving Caelan’s love.”

“Well, if I were in the position of Marchioness…”

Someone stopped mid-sentence when another guest elbowed them, finally noticing Jerian’s mood. Their faces revealed their calculations – they would see Jerian often, while Bliss might not cross their paths again, so it was clear whose favor they needed to curry.

Meanwhile, Bliss bit the inside of her cheek hard to mask her bitter expression.

She recognized the contradiction in helping Latte get together with Caelan while claiming to be content as a Marchioness. Yet this was the best she could manage for now. She was determined to fight with everything she had to avoid meeting an unjust end.

‘This should be enough.’

Rising from her seat, Bliss turned to face Jerian.

Jerian, who had grown quiet, forced herself to meet Bliss’s gaze. Though she clearly didn’t want to hear any more boasting, she remained seated, unwilling to appear defeated by leaving.

“Let’s not limit this to here. When we meet next time, anywhere, let’s greet each other. You’ll have to call me Marchioness then, but we can still chat, can’t we? Who knows? I might even introduce you to a suitable man.”

Despite seeing Jerian bite her lip, Bliss maintained her leisurely smile.

‘It’s your own fault for admitting you were desperate enough to marry an insignificant man.’

Had she kept quiet, Bliss would never have known about her situation. Just as Bliss decided to leave and turned around, someone stepped on her skirt, followed by a sharp cry.

“Kyaa!”

Bliss looked down at the person who had tripped on her dress. By her uniform, she was clearly a maid, and thankfully appeared unharmed. As Bliss felt relief wash over her, she noticed the aftermath of the fall.

The maid’s tray and glasses lay scattered across the floor. That alone would have been manageable, but the glasses had been full of drinks. Those drinks had now stained someone’s skirt.

Of all people…

Jerian’s skirt.

“What is this?”

Jerian stared at her skirt in disbelief before turning on the maid.

“Do you know who I am? How dare you soil my skirt?”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“You think sorry is enough?”

Jerian went as far as striking the maid’s cheek while scolding her. The maid, stumbling from the slap, had no chance to touch her face before clasping her hands together in another plea to Jerian.

“Please forgive me. I’ll… I’ll clean the skirt myself.”

“Do you have any idea how much this dress costs? You think cleaning it will make everything right?”

“I’m sorry. Please forgive me just this once.”

Bliss watched the maid with sympathy. The brief glimpse of her profile showed she was as young as Jackie. It pained Bliss to see her trembling in fear of punishment, not even tending to her reddened cheek.

“Bring the cane. This wench needs to…”

“Stop it.”

Someone stepped between Jerian and the maid.

It was Latte.

“She’s just a young girl, how can you speak of caning her?”

As Latte intervened, the tension rose further, and Bliss suppressed a sigh. She had forgotten Latte was present. Someone with her kind heart would never stand idle.

‘I should probably leave…’

Leaving seemed wiser than staying to witness this dispute become a public spectacle. But as Bliss turned to intervene, she froze like she was struck by lightning. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart began to race wildly, shock coursing through her body.

‘Why is Caelan here?’