Chapter 72: Rumors

Princess Jenesha was taken aback by the absurd question. No matter how bold someone might be, no one had ever dared ask a princess such a question. She should have scoffed at the pointless question, but Bliss’s expression was so serious that she missed her chance to get angry.

Bliss touched her embroidery.

“I worked very hard during the gatherings. This is my best effort.”

Though she was clumsy from threading the needle, even Princess Jenesha had to admit she had been quite focused. Being generous, one could say she acknowledged her lacking skills and even drew preliminary sketches to improve.

Though she understood Bliss’s words, she didn’t want to acknowledge them just because she was Jasmin’s lady-in-waiting.

“It’s not good. The lines are messy, and the preliminary sketch is still visible.”

So Princess Jenesha focused on the result rather than the effort. It was indeed messy with the preliminary sketch visible between the lines. To think this was the embroidery done by the wife of last tournament’s winner…

Several people laughed at Princess Jenesha’s assessment. Though they didn’t join in directly, they mocked Bliss’s work while talking with those beside them.

Among them, only Princess Jasmin, Bliss, and Latte weren’t laughing.

Princess Jasmin was about to try salvaging the situation, wondering how the conversation had taken this turn, but Bliss was slightly faster.

“Yet why do I feel so proud?”

As if unaware of the mockery just now, Bliss gently touched her work.

“If that’s what you think, so be it. How tactless to interrupt and ask about your embroidery…”

Princess Jenesha snorted. If she had intervened fearing a fight between her and Princess Jasmin, she must be a woman with quite the spirit of sacrifice.

Either way, Princess Jenesha, having lost the energy to quarrel further with Princess Jasmin, stood up.

“It’s not like today is the only day.”

It was a regretful ending without any of the tender feelings about this being the gathering’s last day.

After Princess Jenesha and her ladies-in-waiting left, Duchess Blast also departed after looking at Bliss. As everyone left one by one until only Princess Jasmin, Bliss, and Latte remained, quiet silence returned.

“Don’t do that next time.”

It was Princess Jasmin. Bliss, who had been quietly touching her embroidery, raised her head to meet her eyes.

“I can’t guarantee it will pass quietly like this time.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“It would be stranger not to notice something so clumsy, wouldn’t it?”

As Princess Jasmin wore an exasperated smile, Bliss also put down her embroidery with a more relaxed expression.

“I couldn’t think of an elegant excuse to intervene. But the result wasn’t bad, was it?”

“Is that all? Do you know what could have happened if Princess Jenesha had truly gotten angry…”

“Still, I didn’t want to let Your Highness fight alone.”

Bliss shook her head while gathering her things. At that response, Princess Jasmin briefly lost her words before grumbling even more than before.

“Do you think that would move me?”

“Since Your Highness won’t take other ladies-in-waiting, I have to handle everything alone.”

“…When you put it that way, I’m thinking I should take more ladies-in-waiting?”

Princess Jasmin, who had almost been moved, shook her head thinking ‘that figures.’ Thinking she could never let her guard down with Bliss.

“I would be happy if you took more ladies-in-waiting. It’s often too much for me alone.”

Though her expression didn’t show it at all, Bliss made quite a show of complaining. Just as she had dispersed the serious situation earlier, she created an atmosphere with light words, leaving Princess Jasmin no choice but to laugh this time.

“Pack up properly and come out. I’ll have others handle the rest, have tea with me.”

As Princess Jasmin rose, a maid automatically packed her things in a basket. With her toes turned toward the exit, Princess Jasmin asked Bliss.

“Shall we go?”

Just as she was about to follow Princess Jasmin with a nod, she suddenly became aware of Latte remaining in the room. When Bliss turned to look at Latte, she who had been silent until now met her eyes.

Latte gave a faint smile and paid her respects to Princess Jasmin before leaving. The two remaining people watched the door after her quiet exit that flowed like water.

Princess Jasmin spoke first.

“She’s the only one who didn’t belong to any group until now.”

Though she acted uninterested, Princess Jasmin hadn’t forgotten about Latte. There were two people who didn’t belong to any group. Among them, Countess Azel naturally blended in due to her sociable personality, but not Latte. She never conversed comfortably with anyone and was merely present like a shadow.

Yet it wasn’t that she had no presence at all; she subtly revealed her existence, as if sunlight shone only on her, making her sparkle.

“But why didn’t you ask Latte to become your lady-in-waiting?”

“Hmm… the biggest reason is that I don’t like her as much as I like you, and secondly, I don’t understand why she came to this gathering.”

Bliss was rather surprised by Princess Jasmin’s clean-cut answer. Setting aside the liking toward herself, what did she mean by the reason for coming to this gathering?

“She has such a pure face, but I can’t see what’s inside.”

At the princess’s words, Bliss recalled Latte as she had seen her at the gatherings. Can’t see what’s inside…

When reading the original work, there were many emotions and stories narrated from Latte’s perspective, so she could understand fully. But now that she had become Bliss, she understood what it meant to not know Latte’s true thoughts.

“Was there really a reason? Someone might have asked her to join, and she might have participated because it was a good opportunity.”

At Bliss’s neutral response, Princess Jasmin tilted her head.

“Wouldn’t that be even stranger? If that were the case, she should have spoken to someone. But that person did nothing.”

Really nothing at all.

Princess Jasmin’s drawn-out words lingered in Bliss’s mind for a while.

***

Sitting in the audience seats watching the match like others, Bliss was lost in thought with a blank expression. Even while having tea with Princess Jasmin, she had let time pass without focusing on the conversation, thinking about Latte, and then came out to watch Caelan’s match when it was time.

Though she felt sorry for not focusing on Princess Jasmin all day due to other thoughts, her mind was that troubled.

‘Latte’s inner thoughts…’

Though she didn’t presume to understand her completely now, she really couldn’t tell what Latte was thinking during this gathering. Though she seemed the same as usual, her silence was concerning, and even the way she looked at others didn’t feel normal.

‘Why am I like this?’

It should have been something to pass over lightly, but whenever she thought about Latte, her heart grew heavy and she couldn’t easily let it go. Though she wondered if she was missing something, nothing came to mind.

As she sat quietly alone amidst the noisy commotion, someone sat down beside her.

“Isn’t the match still going on?”

“I’m coming back after finishing.”

Only then did Bliss look at the stage where Caelan would have been, showing an ‘oh no’ expression. The stage was being prepared for the next participant.

“I’m sorry.”

“You told me not to push myself when you were worried, yet you didn’t even watch me fight.”

“That…”

She had said that. And they had kissed too, so she didn’t know how to respond and ended up keeping quiet.

After acting like nothing had happened until now, why did he bring up that conversation?

“I do worry. Really. …I’ll make sure to watch carefully next time.”

When she apologized honestly, Caelan’s lips curved pleasantly.

Only then did she realize he had said it to tease her. Bliss glared at him, unable to hide her feeling of being tricked.

“Weren’t we pretending to forget about what happened then?”

“Were we?”

“I thought so. Honestly, we didn’t just talk that day. We even kissed… I thought you’d be embarrassed if I brought it up.”

“For someone saying that, you’re being quite brazen, you know?”

“If I hadn’t said anything at all you wouldn’t know, but since you mentioned it, I just spoke first.”

Bliss broke the glass she had been treading on so precariously herself. Though she revealed the shy feelings hidden behind the glass, she also felt relieved.

“It’s a shame to mention that here.”

When Caelan looked around, she understood what he meant.

“Nothing would change even if we were alone.”

“Why not? We could kiss again…”

It was a tense conversation with neither backing down – neither Bliss who brought it up first nor Caelan who suggested they could do it again. Thanks to this, those most affected were the people around them pretending not to be, listening to their conversation. As Caelan, who had just been in the arena, approached and began an interesting conversation with Bliss, their interest in the matches had already been pushed far away.

“Do as you please.”

“I plan to do as I please on the day of the final match.”

When Bliss closed her mouth, Caelan brought it up once more.

“That day I’ll win, and our relationship will change. Because it will be the day you truly become my wife.”

Bliss turned her head away and didn’t get up until the match ended.

That afternoon, along with the topic of who won the match, another hot topic arose.

Marquis Adrian entered the knights’ tournament to win his wife’s heart!