Chapter 23: The Owner of the Dagger

“Why are you coming at me like that?”

When Caelan advanced toward her showing no signs of stopping, Bliss raised both hands. One still clutched the dagger. Realizing its substantial weight could hurt if they collided, she quickly began lowering her hands.

“Ah.”

Rather than stopping, Caelan wrapped her in an embrace. The action caught her so off guard that pushing him away didn’t even cross her mind. Latte, who had been following behind, appeared equally startled as she covered her mouth with both hands.

Unable to mask her confusion, Bliss called out his name.

“…Caelan?”

Though muffled against his shoulder, her voice remained clear enough to hear. Just as she was about to ask why he had embraced her, something brushed her ear, causing her to freeze.

The embrace alone was surprising, but the certainty that Caelan’s lips had touched her ear left her mouth hanging open. Her ears grew hot as she blinked repeatedly, feeling his breath ghost across them.

As she squeezed her eyes shut and hunched her shoulders, feeling the cool air on her burning ears, Caelan spoke.

“You should hide the dagger.”

His sudden embrace had trapped her hands and the dagger against his chest. Though concerned it might be hurting him, Caelan spoke nonchalantly about concealing it.

Being told to hide the very dagger she had intended to show him caught her off guard. When Bliss squirmed to see his face, the arm around her back tightened its hold.

Pulled even closer to him, Bliss barely managed to lift her head, only succeeding in unsticking her lips from his shoulder. She wanted to ask him to let go, but given the circumstances, she knew he wouldn’t release her until the dagger was hidden. So this was why he had embraced her – to conceal the dagger in her hands.

‘He could have just said so.’

Why did he have to surprise people like this?

“Even if I wanted to hide it, my dress has no pockets.”

Bliss’s voice came out in a grumble. How was she supposed to hide anything without pockets?

Yet Caelan only insisted on hiding the dagger without offering any solutions. Instead, he tightened his grip, clearly indicating she needed to find a way to conceal it, prompting Bliss to say barely above a whisper.

“Could you loosen your grip a little?”

Though Caelan remained silent, he relaxed his hold enough for Bliss to push away slightly and create some space. While they might still appear to be embracing to onlookers, it was better than before.

“Don’t get any strange ideas.”

Bliss muttered without looking up at him as she felt around his chest. Since she couldn’t hide it herself, she planned to use Caelan instead. Finding a suitable spot, she opened his clothes.

She slipped the dagger into the pocket inside his coat. Despite the handle catching once, she managed to insert it properly. After ensuring it wouldn’t fall out, Bliss finally looked up.

“Now please let me g…o.”

Startled by how close Caelan’s face was, Bliss’s lips trembled. When she turned her head to the side, she could feel his gaze on her cheek.

The moment his arm left her back, Bliss quickly stepped backward. She nearly fell, and though Caelan caught her, he didn’t stop her from putting distance between them.

After creating enough space for her heart to settle, Bliss exhaled deeply. Being so close to Caelan had made it difficult to breathe. Whether her lightheadedness came from lack of oxygen or something else, she was gradually returning to normal.

Only then did she remember they were still in Princess Jasmin’s palace, and she frantically surveyed their surroundings. Had anyone witnessed Caelan embracing her? Her teeth sank into her lip upon spotting a delicate face among the stationed soldiers and passing maids.

‘Latte was here.’

She had clearly seen Caelan and Latte talking earlier, but the shock of physical contact with Caelan had made her temporarily forget. Bliss anxiously observed Latte. Though surprised like everyone else, Latte quickly composed herself but couldn’t manage a smile before turning away.

“Haa.”

Bliss pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed. She had lost count of how many times she had sighed that day. As she lowered her head, lost in complicated thoughts, feet entered her field of vision.

“Why did you tell me to hide the dagger?”

She wanted to know the reason, since he had suddenly embraced her for it. Princess Jasmin already knew the dagger had been given to her anyway.

Caelan moved beside Bliss and took her hand. It felt so natural that even Bliss found herself holding on. When she belatedly tried to let go, it felt more awkward, so she left things as they were. People were visibly surprised to see them walking hand in hand like a married couple, especially as the crowd thickened after leaving the princess’s palace.

“There’s no benefit in openly showing what we’re taking out.”

“You could have just said that.”

Bliss pressed her hand against her chest, trying to calm her still-racing heart.

“There were other people around.”

“By other people, you mean…”

Just as Bliss was about to mention the princess’s people, Latte’s face flashed in her mind, causing her to glance back at Caelan.

“Did you do that to hide it from Latte?”

“There’s no benefit in showing it. It’s better if rumors spread as slowly as possible.”

Not only had he confirmed hiding it from Latte, but he had also spoken separately to the princess. She had thought he was merely waiting for her outside, so it was surprising how he had managed to handle everything so swiftly.

“Is there any need for this when the Duke will find out anyway once we give it to him?”

In the original story, Caelan hadn’t particularly hidden the fact that he took the dagger. The only difference now was that she had brought it instead of him. She couldn’t understand why he wanted to keep it secret when they had obtained the dagger regardless.

‘I can’t figure out what Caelan’s thinking whenever things deviate from the original story.’

Without his explanation, all she could do was guess at his motives.

“The Duke never specified when to bring the dagger.”

“That’s… true.”

Bliss nodded slowly as she recalled the Duke’s words.

“So I’ll give it to him later.”

“Ah… you want to examine the dagger first?”

“Yes.”

Now she fully understood Caelan’s actions. Though he wasn’t planning to keep it entirely secret, that wasn’t the point. From the start, Caelan had intended to use the dagger before giving it to the Duke. Princess Jasmin had also tried to discover what powers she gained immediately after receiving the dagger, so it seemed Caelan had similar intentions.

They reached their carriage, and the coachman opened the door. Caelan gently pushed Bliss’s back, gesturing for her to enter first. With his help, she climbed in effortlessly, and Caelan followed. Only after they sat facing each other did the carriage begin to move, and Caelan retrieved the dagger from inside his coat.

He held it out to Bliss.

“You try it.”

“Me?”

Bliss asked again even as she took the dagger. Caelan watched as it passed into her hands and spoke.

“They say you’ll know if you keep carrying it, so don’t let it go.”

“But why should I be the one carrying it?”

It would be a lie to say she hadn’t been intrigued when Caelan first offered the dagger. However, after her conversation with Princess Jasmin, Bliss had little hope. She doubted she would become its owner or gain any abilities by holding it.

Though she wasn’t particularly eager to accept it, Caelan stood firm in his decision.

“Keep it while we buy some time. If there’s no reaction, we can hand it over later.”

“Then shouldn’t you, rather than me…”

“No.”

Caelan cut off Bliss’s words sharply. His response was so firm that she could only tilt her head in confusion, not even considering returning the dagger. She wondered if perhaps he had some previous connection to it.

“I think you should hold it, not me. That’s just my feeling about it.”

There was no arguing with his intuition. Bliss awkwardly drew the dagger closer to herself. Well, if she wasn’t the owner, nothing would happen anyway even if she kept it.

“Alright.”

Bliss held the dagger with a light heart, resting her hand with it on her lap. Though partially hidden in the soft folds of her dress, it wasn’t completely concealed. After confirming that Bliss wasn’t letting go of the dagger, Caelan turned his head away.

Bliss also turned her head in the opposite direction, lost in thought.

‘We ended up looking like an affectionate couple in front of Latte.’

That would make it harder to change her heart, but then again, she thought of the two people they had encountered. If such coincidences kept happening, those two would likely develop feelings for each other soon.

‘If that happens, I could leave the Marquis’s household sooner…’

Then came the worry.

‘Will I be able to manage on my own?’

She knew little about this world, and having lived only as a noble, she hadn’t learned any practical skills. As she worried her lip in anxiety and uncertainty, something strange happened.

【Well, that depends on what you do.】