Chapter 45: Master’s Orders

One fact learned by chance shook everything she had known until now. She had been constantly wary of him because Caelan was the one who killed ‘Bliss’ in the original work. That’s why she had thought about leaving the mansion and planned to connect Latte with Caelan…

‘If not Caelan, who killed Bliss?’

Her mind couldn’t settle as even the one truth she thought would never change despite doubting everything else became questionable.

“Caelan.”

As they entered the mansion, Bliss called out to Caelan who was walking ahead. She even lightly grabbed his clothes to stop him from going, making Caelan turn to look at her.

‘Weren’t you the one who killed me?’

The words she wanted to say rose to the tip of her tongue.

“I won’t tell anyone about what we talked about today.”

What came out was something else.

‘This didn’t happen when I became Bliss. There’s no way Caelan would know.’

So she thought there was no point in saying it.

Caelan looked at Bliss with puzzled eyes.

“I just didn’t want you to worry.”

She had heard that he feared poison.

“If you don’t trust me, I can write a note. So…”

“I trust you.”

“What?”

“I trust you, so you don’t need to be anxious.”

Caelan placed his hand on Bliss’s shoulder while meeting her eyes. Since he was holding the handkerchief, she felt the fabric’s touch on her shoulder, but she couldn’t turn away her gaze as if it was locked.

“You go to sleep first. I…”

When Bliss looked puzzled, Caelan turned his head toward the room.

“I need to test that sword.”

“It’s late. How about sleeping now and doing it tomorrow?”

In the past, she would have been happy not to sleep together with him, but today worry came first.

“Even if I lie down now, I don’t think I could sleep deeply.”

His complexion was still not good as he hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of the poison earlier.

Given that, she couldn’t force him to sleep again.

“Thank you for this.”

As Caelan held out the handkerchief with words of thanks, Bliss reached for it.

Just as Bliss touched the handkerchief, Caelan’s hand grabbed not just the handkerchief but her hand as well. It felt like his large hand had caught her several times today.

“I’ll pay for this handkerchief. And I’ll calculate everything including how you helped calm me down today.”

At Caelan’s sudden change of topic, Bliss flinched, looking at the handkerchief before raising her head. Caelan had just accepted what she had proposed as a way to repay her debt.

“I’ll set the price as I please, so don’t complain later.”

“I believe you’ll set a very good price.”

Him accepting her proposal came first. Besides, today she didn’t mind either way.

As Bliss smiled slightly, Caelan also showed a very small smile.

Seeing his first smile since the shock, Bliss stepped back with relief. Since they had spent meaningful time together on Etienne’s day, it was time to let him go.

“Then I’ll go to bed first.”

Bliss, who had woken up early, turned around while pressing her heavy eyes with the back of her hand.

‘Now I can really be alone.’

Right now, she needed a space without Caelan. Time to think freely…

***

As Bliss immersed herself in the bathtub, her body, tired from moving all day, welcomed it. As Bliss closed her eyes while letting out a languid breath, today’s events with Caelan passed by one by one.

Seeing him sleep and closing the curtains, covering him with a blanket. From making stew for him in place of the employees to going out to the streets together, she wondered if everything that happened was real.

“It wasn’t a dream, right?”

Bliss looked at her hand raised from the water. Though it looked no different than usual…

She kept remembering the hand that had held Caelan’s. His hand was large and firm enough to envelop hers.

“It was rough.”

Though his face was extremely handsome, his hands were not. They should have been long and beautiful hands, but calluses were deeply set in them and scars marked various places.

“He hasn’t lived an easy life.”

She already knew he was someone who only focused on work. That’s why he often earned the sympathy of the female protagonist Latte.

“That’s why he must have hated me more.”

Bliss put her hand back in the water.

“After marrying someone who works so hard, I stirred up trouble in the mansion and committed all sorts of evil acts…”

Bliss’s voice gradually faded.

“So I thought he killed me.”

Bliss hugged her legs.

“I don’t know.”

After being so focused on Caelan, now that she had to start everything over, she didn’t know who to suspect.

***

After changing into her nightgown, Bliss confirmed no one was in the room and turned her attention to the box. The box’s lid was open with only the sword missing, so it seemed he really was going to experiment with it.

“It would be nice if he could give a good answer…”

She hoped the results would meet expectations since Princess Jasmin was also looking forward to it.

【If you’re that curious, why don’t you go and see?】

At Echo’s sudden words, Bliss looked out the window with a tempted expression. The Marquis’s training ground wasn’t far, so it would be better to go and see.

“Won’t I bother him?”

【You’re thinking that far ahead, your death must have left quite an impression.】

It was Echo’s words after clearly observing Bliss’s concerns.

He seemed to have figured out what was going on since Bliss recalled the original work.

“You’re right. I worried about all sorts of things.”

Even making the shameless request to clear her debt in exchange for helping.

Bliss stretched both arms above her head to relax her body.

“I trust you’ll skip the dawn lesson today.”

【So that’s what you wanted.】

“If I could rest just for today, I think I could focus better from tomorrow. My head is already too complicated to take in anything else.”

Though her situation had become more complex than before, she could still smile occasionally. Learning that Caelan wasn’t the one who killed her had a bigger impact than expected.

Bliss looked at the training ground beyond the window and left the room.

A while after Bliss left, small feet entered. The figure with muffled footsteps very carefully examined the room before approaching the box. Today, Jackie had almost died by her real master’s hand. While keeping her body low so as not to upset the master’s mood, she received one order.

[Put it on something that shouldn’t be touched carelessly.]

On the way back to the mansion, Jackie had secretly gone to the restaurant and learned that someone had died there. Upon realizing they really used poison to try to kill the lady, Jackie became terrified.

‘If I fail, they’ll kill me.’

As Jackie thought about what item shouldn’t be touched carelessly as her master said, she thought of the box that had been brought recently. It was something only the lady could touch, and others couldn’t even if they were curious. Surprisingly, even the Marquis didn’t touch the box, but whatever it was, it was the most appropriate item.

The open box clearly showed the empty space where Caelan had taken the sword.

‘The lid is open. That’s even better. If I put it in here…’

Just as Jackie was secretly moving her hand toward it, the door opened and she quickly withdrew her hand behind her back. Turning around, she met eyes with Bliss who was just entering.

“Jackie? When did you come?”

“Oh, not long ago. I thought you weren’t here since the room was so quiet…”

“I came in earlier.”

As Bliss walked toward Jackie, she hid the small pouch she was holding in her sleeve. Even then, Jackie’s lips trembled, worried that her hiding something might be discovered.

Bliss made eye contact with Jackie before going further inside.

“Do you need something?”

Jackie forced herself to ask. That would explain why she was in this room.

“I don’t think I need anything right now…”

Bliss shook her head as she approached Jackie. Even when they were just two steps from being very close, she didn’t stop, making Jackie’s body tremble more.

She’d been caught.

So she was coming to take what she had hidden.

When they were very close, Jackie tightly closed her eyes. Though she wanted to kneel and beg for her life right now, there wasn’t even space for that.

Thinking she was now a dead person…

“Jackie?”

“…Yes.”

At Bliss’s question, Jackie slowly opened her eyes. Though still at close distance, the lady’s expression wasn’t bad.

“Sorry, but could you move aside?”

As Jackie moved to the side as if she was about to fall, Bliss picked up another box beside the one that had held the sword. Bliss lifted that box to eye level to look at it, then turned around with a satisfied smile.

“I’ve already bathed and prepared for bed, so you go rest.”

“What? Yes.”

“Don’t just stand there…”

Seeing Jackie hesitate to leave, Bliss sighed along with a laugh.

“Are you worried because you couldn’t attend to me?”

“I’m sorry for coming late, my lady.”

“I’m fine. I’m the one who sent you out to meet your family today. So don’t worry about it.”

Bliss placed her hand on Jackie’s shoulder. Jackie’s shoulders shook greatly. Seeing Jackie’s wide-eyed surprised look, Bliss realized it was because of her and stepped back.

“Sorry.”

“Ah, no, my lady.”

Jackie hurriedly waved both hands. Her heart felt like it would burst just from sneaking in, and Bliss’s apology stirred her guilt.

“Then let’s go out.”

When Bliss again suggested leaving, Jackie hesitated for a moment before following her. Before leaving the room, she glanced at the box with regretful eyes, but soon the door closed.