Chapter 61: Finding Purpose

As soon as she returned to Princess Jasmin’s room, her body naturally lost its strength. Her shoulders had stiffened from being tense in that uncomfortable situation earlier, and her body felt stiff.

‘How were Jerian and Latte in the same place?’

Recalling their confrontation at the party held at Viscount Jimilta’s mansion last time, they weren’t on good terms. After all, when Jerian tried to punish the maid who had dirtied her skirt, Latte had stepped in to stop her. Though Bliss herself had resolved that situation, making her wonder if they had somehow grown closer, but that seemed unlikely.

‘The Duchess is already quite strong-willed, but Princess Jenesha is even more so. She definitely didn’t seem like someone who would back down. And with Jerian there too, Latte looked too fragile.’

Perhaps it was because of her delicate appearance that she thought this way. Though Latte might have a determined side, she still didn’t appear particularly strong. While thinking about this and rotating her wrist, Bliss looked up at the sound of a sigh. The Princess’s blank gaze as she lay half-reclined on the couch, staring at the ceiling, and her tired sighs showed just how that gathering had been.

It wasn’t hard to understand why she was reacting this way, given how reluctant she had been about making the tokens in the first place.

“From Duchess Blast to Jenesha… to think I’ll have to keep seeing their faces from now on.”

Hearing Princess Jasmin’s weak words, Bliss tilted her head. She thought if the Princess disliked seeing those two, she could simply not participate. Yet Princess Jasmin had arranged to start tomorrow, showing no intention of dropping out of the gathering. As if reading Bliss’s thoughts, Princess Jasmin sat up properly.

The Princess gestured to a maid, pointing at something while explaining.

“Small gatherings were usually formed before the knights’ tournament. Naturally, people who are close would form groups.”

The maid approached holding something with both hands. Bliss tried to take it to pass to Princess Jasmin. She had seen others doing this earlier next to Princess Jenesha. However, Princess Jasmin reached out first and took the item.

“But then the Duchess contacted me. She asked if we would like to make them together, including Jenesha.”

There was no need to think about how Princess Jasmin had responded.

“Why didn’t you refuse?”

“To avoid creating rival groups.”

Princess Jasmin alternated the bottle she had been carrying lately between her hands.

“If different groups form, they’ll end up competing. They’ll compare who made better tokens and argue about which group’s knights performed better. I joined their group because I didn’t want that. At least if there’s only one group, that won’t happen.”

While Bliss nodded in understanding, Princess Jasmin openly showed her displeasure.

“The thought of exchanging barbed words with those two every day kills my motivation.”

“Are you on such bad terms?”

“Jenesha and I have been on bad terms since childhood. My mother and Jenesha’s mother, the current two empresses, were once ladies-in-waiting serving the same person. But they both married Father, and since they had daughters around the same time, I guess they didn’t like that. Neither could stand out alone.”

As Bliss listened to Princess Jasmin’s explanation, she suddenly thought of someone but slightly shook her head.

‘Why am I thinking of Latte here?’

She thought of her because she and Latte were entangled over Caelan, but looking closely, the situations were different.

“I was born first and Jenesha was born a few days later, but we’re a year apart in age. The year ended in between our births. Growing up competing like that, there’s no way we could get along. As for the Duchess Blast, I just find her uncomfortable.”

Compared to the lengthy explanation about her relationship with Jenesha, her comment about Duchess Blast was very brief. Saying she was uncomfortable was enough; no other words were needed.

“But something feels strange. There are many other royal family members who are close to Duchess Blast, yet she reached out to Jenesha and me to work together. She didn’t even bring many people who are close to her… most of those there earlier were Jenesha’s ladies-in-waiting. I wonder what she’s thinking.”

Adding that she didn’t think the Duchess would give an honest answer if asked, Princess Jasmin looked around. Seeing that she seemed about to fetch something else, Bliss quietly interjected.

“I might not know about Princess Jenesha, but I think I understand the Duchess’s intentions.”

Princess Jasmin stopped looking around and turned to look at Bliss, surprised that she claimed to know something when she had seemed clueless.

“My husband and Duke Blast made a bet.”

“Hmm? A bet… a bet?”

Princess Jasmin mumbled quietly before her voice suddenly grew louder. She practically threw down what she was holding and grabbed Bliss’s hands.

“What’s this all about?”

The sparkle in the Princess’s eyes showed she clearly found this interesting. Though Bliss felt sorry for causing her to get involved with people she disliked, she was somewhat relieved to see her at least finding some entertainment in it.

“Actually… they made a bet over that dagger Your Highness gave me. Whoever wins in this knights’ tournament gets to keep it.”

“Tell me more details.”

As Princess Jasmin leaned forward, Bliss picked up the object that had been tossed aside earlier and set it upright. It was a glass bottle with a narrow mouth and a round, wide bottom.

Bliss explained the tension between the two men over the dagger, answering Princess Jasmin’s occasional questions.

“So that’s why the Duchess drew me in. And since she can’t openly harass her husband’s wife, she brought Jenesha along too.”

While Princess Jasmin crossed her arms and analyzed the Duchess’s schemes one by one, Bliss looked at the bottle sitting alone on the table.

“What is this?”

“That’s our next challenge.”

Originally, Princess Jasmin would try something a few times and put it away if it didn’t work. But as she started solving things one by one with Bliss, she now treated them like assignments and persisted until she got results. Sometimes they worked on items Princess Jasmin had collected, and other times Bliss would choose the subject.

“Look at this.”

Princess Jasmin brought over some paper she had set aside. Then she removed the ink bottle’s cap and tilted it. It seemed strange that she wasn’t using a pen to write, but Bliss watched anyway.

Bliss’s eyes widened as she watched the black ink flow from the bottle onto the paper.

“Why isn’t the ink… absorbing into the paper?”

“Right? This ink is special. It doesn’t absorb into paper or stain fingers. But that’s all it does. It’s useless.”

“Then why did you collect it?”

“Isn’t it interesting? It can’t fulfill its purpose.”

While it might be fun to experiment with unknown collectibles to find their uses, ink was different. It already had a defined purpose, yet it couldn’t fulfill that role.

Bliss picked up the ink bottle and tilted it this way and that. Watching the black liquid swirl in the transparent bottle, she murmured.

“If it can’t fulfill its purpose… then it has no value.”

Though Bliss had become a Marchioness, she still hadn’t fulfilled her duties. She felt overwhelmed looking at the ledgers, wondering how to repay the debt, and the best she could think of was helping Caelan in exchange for reducing the debt.

She also felt troubled about Caelan making a bet with Duke Blast over the dagger. If she hadn’t become the dagger’s owner, or if she had at least come up with a way to protect the dagger first, Caelan wouldn’t have had to take on this burden.

The more she thought about it, the more Bliss realized she wasn’t necessary for Caelan. Being useless made her no different from this ink.

Princess Jasmin watched Bliss’s expression and took the ink bottle from her hands. Bliss, who had been staring at the ink bottle, looked up.

“That’s why we met, isn’t it? To find the right purpose.”

Princess Jasmin shook the bottle.

“Who knows? It might find an amazing use somewhere. There might come a day when we worry that we don’t have enough of this ink.”

As if infected by her bright tone, the gloom gradually lifted from Bliss’s face. Following Princess Jasmin’s lead and smiling, Bliss looked around and gathered several items. She brought cloth, needles, and even stones, arranging them neatly, then met Princess Jasmin’s curious gaze.

“Let’s try it on other things. It would be nice if one of these works.”

“Alright.”

Princess Jasmin removed the ink bottle’s cap. The two women exchanged silent looks, agreeing to do as much experimenting as they wanted today, since they wouldn’t be able to for a while.

***

As Bliss left the palace, she stretched her arms wide, feeling tired but refreshed. As she lowered her arms, her fingertips touched something solid, and she looked down. It was the dagger she carried with her every day, the Echo of the Demon King.

Bliss took out the dagger and touched from its handle to the embossed parts.

“It’s a dagger but isn’t used as one.”

Every owner had used it to gain knowledge. Bliss too, upon becoming its owner, had received quite beneficial lessons. Because of this, the dagger had just been kept anywhere convenient, and she had never once drawn it from its sheath. Bliss gripped the handle firmly and separated it from the sheath.

It was an ordinary dagger. It had a reasonably sharp edge, and the blade was polished enough to reflect Bliss’s face.

“But there were times when it didn’t have an owner, right? Was it used as a dagger then?”

Though Bliss asked out of curiosity, no response came from Echo.