Chapter 59: Want to Know?

Bliss organized what she knew about the knights’ tournament through Princess Jasmin’s explanation and the original story.

The initial reason for creating the knights’ tournament was to sharpen the dulled swords of knights during long periods of peace. It also served to demonstrate power to foreign countries coveting the empire’s land and was effective in uniting the empire’s people. What started as such has now become established as a cultural tradition.

The rules of the knights’ tournament were simple. Any knight could participate, and there was no limit to the number of participants. Through tournaments, winners would compete against each other to determine rankings, and the top 8, including the champion, would receive benefits on a graduated scale.

These benefits were determined directly by the Emperor because he often granted what the knights wanted. For example, there was a story of how the eldest son of a declining family revived his house after placing in the rankings.

“They gave a lot to Caelan too.”

The reason Caelan was now considered the most outstanding knight was because he was the winner of this tournament. It played a crucial role in solidifying his position as Captain, and in the original story, it had even helped strengthen his relationship with Latte.

While it could be considered a festival for knights, it had the advantage of being enjoyable for everyone. Men could watch the knights’ duels, and knights’ wives made tokens hoping for their husbands’ victory. And since it provided good opportunities for those with someone in mind, it had many positive effects.

“But I won’t be able to enjoy it.”

Bliss muttered while watching Caelan train. She was at a loss about embroidering a handkerchief as a token like others did, and she couldn’t stop worrying about what would happen if Caelan lost.

Bliss was currently observing Caelan’s training. She had come to the training grounds right after returning from the imperial palace because he had asked her to watch for an hour each day.

“Caelan won’t be able to enjoy it either.”

Bliss sighed as she watched Caelan. Each movement of his sword was clean without any excess, and she could feel his contained power. In his controlled movements, only his hair and face were disheveled.

Usually maintaining a neat and upright posture with a dignified expression, now his face was flushed red and full of tension.

“It’s just training, why does he look so… atmospheric?”

She knew he had a handsome face and gave off somewhat sensual vibes, but couldn’t he avoid that at least while training?

“Well, I shouldn’t find it strange. That’s how he won the hearts of noble ladies.”

Not only did he come from a good family, but Caelan himself was a radiant person, so he was popular. Count Bonita seemed impressive for skillfully securing such a person as his son-in-law.

“So thinking he’s handsome isn’t strange at all.”

Bliss interpreted the tingling feeling that way. Echo muttered something seemingly disapproving in her mind, but she ignored it.

“But…”

Having suddenly thought about Caelan’s exceptional looks, Bliss frowned as if somewhat displeased.

“Bliss.”

“Ah!”

When Bliss looked up startled, Caelan was standing over her, though she hadn’t noticed when he had approached.

“You’re supposed to watch me, but what are you thinking about?”

“Sorry. Here.”

Bliss held out a handkerchief, but Caelan just looked at it without taking it. Instead, he crossed his arms, making Bliss’s outstretched position with the handkerchief awkward.

“Aren’t you going to wipe your sweat? Or are you going straight to wash up?”

“I’ll stay here until our conversation is finished.”

Yet why wouldn’t he take the handkerchief…

“Tell me.”

Caelan tilted his head without a sense of urgency. Because of this, the direction of the sweat gathering on his chin changed. She wished he would wipe it off instead of leaving it.

Even if he couldn’t see his own sweat, he must feel it flowing, so why was he leaving it alone? Unable to just watch, Bliss extended her half-raised hand. After confirming the handkerchief touched his face, Bliss looked at Caelan’s expression. Though she wondered if it was okay to touch him without permission, Caelan didn’t seem to mind.

It was like when she had fed him food before. He had no intention of moving himself, but when Bliss did it for him, he stayed still. She wondered if it was because he was someone used to being served, but then again, maybe not.

With confused feelings, as she wiped the sweat from his face, Caelan uncrossed his arms. Seeing him with his arms hanging down, Bliss asked with suspicious eyes.

“Can I really ask everything?”

“I’m getting more and more curious about what you’re going to say.”

Bliss kept her gaze fixed on the handkerchief touching Caelan’s face, wondering if she should really ask, then carefully broached the subject.

“When you won two years ago…”

Bliss wrinkled her nose. Asking about the past before marriage seemed unseemly, but she couldn’t overcome her curiosity.

“Who did you receive the token from?”

Caelan’s eyebrows rose slightly, and she gently wiped his forehead with the handkerchief.

“So that’s what you were frowning and worrying so much about?”

“I wasn’t frowning. And it was just a passing thought, I wasn’t worrying that much.”

Though she spoke calmly that it wasn’t so, her gaze directed at Caelan’s forehead wouldn’t come down. Avoiding eye contact with Caelan for fear he might see through her, the handkerchief had now become a means of evasion rather than wiping sweat.

“Do you want to know?”

Should she say no at this point? If she did, Caelan would probably say he understood and close his mouth, but it seemed impossible to cover up her curiosity now. If that was going to be the case, it would have been better not to ask from the start.

“I want to know.”

When Bliss nodded, Caelan smiled slightly. She let his muttered comment about thinking she wouldn’t be interested slide by.

“When I won.”

Just as she was about to hear what she wanted to know, Bliss’s movements stopped.

“Since I wasn’t married then, His Majesty asked which lady I would receive it from. And I…”

Bliss swallowed nervously, her face tense. Not even noticing the strength in her hand gripping the handkerchief, she focused on Caelan as his lips slowly parted.

“I’ll answer after I wash up.”

“…What?”

“I can’t stay here feeling this sticky.”

Caelan took the handkerchief from Bliss’s hand.

“Shall we continue the conversation over dinner?”

When Caelan held out his sword to the side, a knight who had been standing like a shadow until now took it. Caelan gave Bliss one look with unburdened eyes before leaving the training grounds. Left suddenly alone in the training grounds, Bliss felt somewhat abandoned.

“How long does it take to just tell me that one thing…”

Should she wait until after he washes up? As she briefly considered following him to ask him to tell her, Bliss turned her head to the side. The knight who had taken the sword Caelan held out. Right, being a knight, he might know.

“By any chance, did Caelan…”

“I need to go for my shift change.”

The knight, who normally never spoke before Bliss finished speaking, interrupted her mid-sentence. He gave Bliss a bow and left without looking back.

Now truly alone in the training grounds, Bliss stared at the door with a dumbfounded expression.

***

While Caelan went to wash up, Bliss also washed and changed into a casual dress before heading to the dining room.

“Your hair isn’t dry.”

Caelan, who was already there, directed his gaze to Bliss’s hair.

“I only dried it enough so water wouldn’t drip. I’m planning to let the rest dry naturally over time.”

She usually didn’t mind drying her hair. After all, Bliss just had to sit still while someone else did it for her. But today she couldn’t bear it. She had gotten up in the middle because she wanted to hear what Caelan had to say.

Because of that, Mint had called after Bliss several times before stopping at the dining room. Unable to follow inside to dry her hair, Bliss had entered with her hair still damp.

“It’s absolutely not because I’m curious about your answer.”

“Is that so? Then let’s eat first.”

Just as Bliss opened her mouth to speak, Caelan was faster. When he ordered for the food to be brought in, Bliss closed her mouth glumly. Why was it so hard to hear just that one thing? Bliss looked at the dishes being served one by one and chose the honey-marinated fruit in front of her. Though she hadn’t moved her body strenuously all day, somehow she felt lacking in energy. That’s why she was drawn to sweet food.

“If you eat that first, other foods will taste bland. Your tongue will already be coated with sweetness.”

“I don’t mind if it’s tingling with sweetness. I like sweet things.”

Bliss put the fruit in her mouth as if to prove her point. Among the various types, she especially liked the strawberries. At first, her tongue tingled with sweetness as she had told Caelan, but as the strawberry crushed, the tartness that remained was why she liked it.

“So you don’t care if you don’t taste anything else?”

Having just put a strawberry in her mouth, Bliss couldn’t answer right away. She needed to say she would eat the other food too, but for that she had to swallow the strawberry quickly. While moving her mouth diligently and looking at Caelan, he got up from his seat and came close to Bliss. That distance was incomparably closer than a serving maid would come, so Bliss had to tilt her head back to see Caelan.

“…”

There was still strawberry in her mouth. The tart taste should have pushed away the sweetness, but it couldn’t. It was because she couldn’t swallow what was in her mouth due to Caelan’s gaze.

Thinking that even her smallest movements were completely exposed to him, she couldn’t do anything. She could only endure as his gaze traveled across her face.

“You said you wanted to know who I requested a token from?”

Caelan scanned Bliss’s eyes and moved down to trace her lips.