Chapter 71: Glass

“Marquis Adrian’s sword has become sharper than before.”

At the knight’s report, Duke Blast tapped the design repeatedly. It was his habit to tap something in a steady rhythm when deep in thought.

Since making the bet with Marquis Adrian, he hadn’t taken his eyes off him. Especially regarding his skills, he received detailed reports. If the sword of the champion from two years ago had become sharper, it meant he hadn’t been idle. With his sword becoming even keener, winning the bet had become more difficult.

“Can Viscount Jimilta defeat him?”

“Though Viscount Jimilta’s skills are considerable, it seems unlikely.”

“Is he no match?”

“Without some variable, it’s impossible.”

The Duke looked down at the design. It was a drawing of the dagger he had shown to Caelan.

“Then we’ll have to create a variable.”

The Duke stood up with the design in hand.

***

On the last day of the gathering, Princess Jasmin studied Bliss’s face from various angles. Sometimes smiling, sometimes suddenly becoming serious… her varied expressions while lost in thought were entertaining to watch.

A woman’s intuition told her something had happened, but the details could only be known by asking directly. Princess Jasmin spoke, trying to probe Bliss.

“Which is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m wondering if you’re worried about Marquis Adrian now or if something else happened.”

When Bliss turned to Princess Jasmin, she tapped her own lips.

“You keep touching your lips. Is that a habit when you’re worried?”

But had she seen this before, Princess Jasmin muttered as Bliss still hadn’t lowered her hand and mumbled with a blank face.

“Was I… touching my lips?”

“You’re still doing it.”

“Ah…”

Bliss slowly lowered her hand.

“What thoughts could make such a normally sharp lady’s judgment become clouded?”

Princess Jasmin moved even closer to examine Bliss’s eyes, nose, and lips in detail. Since Bliss wouldn’t tell her, she had to figure it out herself.

“Usually, touching your lips happens in two cases. When you’re dwelling on words you’ve spoken, or when you’ve kissed someone.”

Though Bliss didn’t answer, her fidgeting hands gave the answer away. Princess Jasmin smiled subtly.

“My words hit the mark. Now choose. Will you tell me directly, or should I probe further?”

Princess Jasmin pointed at the clock. It meant there wouldn’t be another chance to talk once others started gathering soon.

Only then did Bliss remember where she was and why she was here. As she lifted her head, wondering if she should say it was nothing, she saw Princess Jasmin’s relaxed smile that seemed to know everything already. Was there no point in hiding it? Bliss touched her embroidery that was nearing completion, unaware that her lip color had worn off from constantly touching it.

“Both.”

Several days had passed since she kissed Caelan. During that time, the preliminaries had ended, the main tournament was approaching, and finished pieces were appearing at the gathering. Bliss still watched Caelan’s training for an hour each day, ate dinner with him, and lay down to sleep beside him.

Days passed no differently than usual. They conversed well when sitting face to face.

“I wonder if what I said about worrying about him was the cause.”

As Bliss spoke while lost in her thoughts, Princess Jasmin quietly held her breath. She didn’t immediately understand what Bliss meant. However, as she continued speaking, she could piece together the situation. What mattered was that Bliss had opened up.

“We kissed… but it clearly wasn’t just getting caught up in the moment…”

Bliss revealed her complicated feelings.

“He acts like he’s forgotten about it.”

“Who does? Marquis Adrian?”

“Both of us.”

That was true. Both Caelan and Bliss were acting as if nothing had happened. It felt like the peace they had maintained would shatter the moment either of them mentioned it.

“I don’t know when it will break, it’s precarious. It feels like standing on a path made of glass.”

“What about making the glass very thick? Then it would be strong and wouldn’t break.”

Princess Jasmin unfolded her handkerchief and looked at the embroidery she had done so far. She was satisfied with how prettily the stitches had been placed, showing the time hadn’t been wasted. And she felt proud about finding her own solution for Bliss.

“I wish it were made very thin. So it could break with the slightest force.”

Bliss unfolded her own work. Her lip color had stained the pattern she had drawn. She wondered if washing would remove it. While she was pondering this, Princess Jasmin laughed in disbelief.

“…You say you’re anxious about not knowing when it will break.”

“Whether thick or thin, glass is glass. Just walking on it makes me nervous, so I’d rather it break quickly.”

“My advice doesn’t seem helpful at all.”

“I’m grateful just for you listening.”

It felt like carrying around a hopelessly tangled thread that she couldn’t tell anyone about. Though ignoring it made it invisible, it couldn’t be forgotten – just peeking at such a thread made her feel slightly unburdened.

“Yes. Sometimes it feels refreshing to open up to someone.”

Jasmin’s murmur, saying she understood that feeling better than anyone, was drowned out by the noise of women starting to arrive.

“Princess Jasmin, you’re here early.”

“Thinking it’s the last day made me want to come early.”

At Princess Jasmin’s friendly response, Lady Resian smiled brightly and subtly sat down beside her.

“I was just feeling regretful too. I enjoyed being able to see Princess Jasmin, I wish I could hold back time.”

“It makes me happy to hear you say that.”

“Your Highness, if you would call for me later, I would gladly come to see you…”

“Lady Resian.”

Lady Resian turned around startled as Princess Jenesha entered.

“Is there any need to postpone it? Go now. You can serve Jasmin.”

“That’s not… you misunderstand, Your Highness.”

Though Lady Resian waved both hands claiming her innocence, Princess Jenesha glared at her with cold eyes.

“Unless you’re asking me to understand you, keep your mouth shut.”

Lady Resian, who had thoroughly fallen from grace, hung her head. Her once closest relationship with Princess Jenesha had become irreparable after one wrong word.

“Coveting what belongs to others seems to be your habit.”

Princess Jenesha now turned her arrows toward Princess Jasmin.

“You should fix that habit of thinking everything in the world belongs to you.”

In the midst of the power struggle that had grown fiercer than usual on the last day, Bliss decided not to wash the cloth. It would be terrible if trying to remove the lip color ruined the other patterns.

Thinking it was the last thread, she threaded the needle with extra care. Thread rarely went through the needle eye on the first try, refusing to behave as desired. But if she could just get it right this once, all previous failures could be forgotten.

“Won’t you become my lady-in-waiting?”

The conversation had jumped somewhere unexpected, with Princess Jenesha suddenly proposing to someone to become her lady-in-waiting.

‘If Princess Jasmin hadn’t taken out that ink, it would have been disappointing.’

Bliss, who had ignored Princess Jenesha’s words, smiled happily at threading the needle in one try.

“Are you laughing at me now?”

Looking up in the suddenly quiet atmosphere, Bliss met Princess Jenesha’s cold gaze. What had the conversation been about just now?

“Perhaps the offer to become a lady-in-waiting…”

Looking around at others, her eyes met Latte’s. She found the answer in her expression.

“Was directed at me.”

“You dare ignore a princess, aren’t you afraid?”

“I apologize. I was so focused on just needing to finish that I didn’t pay attention to anything else.”

“Even that excuse…”

Princess Jenesha clicked her tongue. She thought it was absurd that someone could miss her words just because they were absorbed in embroidery.

“Don’t use your messy embroidery as an excuse to run away.”

“Jenesha, stop it. How dare you propose to my lady-in-waiting to become yours – what do you take me for?”

Princess Jasmin stepped in to defend Bliss. However, Princess Jenesha responded with a snort. Then, as if struck by an amusing thought, her eyes lit up as she spoke.

“Then how about this? Let’s trade her for Lady Resian.”

“Don’t treat people like objects.”

“What’s this? You’re one to talk, sister, who values objects more than people. You’re wary of people taking away your collections.”

Jenesha retorted as if it wasn’t even funny. She disliked how Princess Jasmin used that to draw people in. She thought that was why Princess Jasmin received more favor from the Emperor than herself.

Small conflicts accumulated and finally erupted into a fight between the princesses. It was something they had anticipated might happen since the gathering began. Though they thought it would end with just tension, it exploded at the end. The lady-in-waiting was just an excuse, and an explosion of long-suppressed emotions was about to occur.

The Duchess Blast remained neutral, while Lady Resian, thinking her survival depended on Princess Jasmin’s victory, kept glancing at her. And Latte was anxious about whether a fight would break out.

In that precarious atmosphere, Bliss, who had been quietly looking at her embroidery, suddenly interrupted.

“Princess Jenesha.”

She called out to Princess Jenesha, not Princess Jasmin. Everyone’s attention focused on her.

In this dangerous situation where any word could be used against her, Bliss showed what she held in her hand.

“Is my embroidery really that messy?”