Chapter 76: Kidnapping

After seeing Caelan’s victory before the round of 8, Bliss came down from the spectator seats. She had many things to tell him.

‘I need to tell him I’m glad he wasn’t hurt, and also about Princess Jasmin falling for Karhen…’

The surprise of hearing about Karhen from Princess Jasmin hadn’t worn off yet. After hearing what had happened to her and learning that they had been meeting every day recently, Bliss hadn’t visited the princess for a while.

As the main tournament was in full swing and the remaining participants could be counted on one hand, Princess Jasmin called for Bliss.

[Don’t you want to tell Marquis Adrian?]

Since Karhen was Caelan’s friend, she naturally wanted to tell him, but she didn’t want to gossip carelessly. Princess Jasmin, noticing Bliss’s feelings, gave her permission.

‘Those two had a bad relationship, but was that also a form of interest?’

She thought perhaps they had flowed that way because they were conscious of each other. Bliss smiled as she recalled Karhen in his flashy clothes and Princess Jasmin who loved collecting items.

‘They suit each other well.’

Just like how Caelan and Karhen became close because they were different, those two gave off the same feeling. Since Princess Jasmin always had many thoughts about marriage, Bliss hoped things would work out well with the person she liked.

It was when Bliss was picking up speed toward Caelan’s waiting room, holding her skirt. Her vision went black. The moment she realized it was someone’s hand covering her eyes, she was captured.

‘What is this…’

A large hand covered both her nose and mouth at once, and another hand embraced her body, preventing her struggling attempts to escape.

“Mmph!”

In the empty corridor, Bliss couldn’t move an inch, overwhelmed by the man’s strong force during the kidnapping.

Bliss blinked and looked around. The waiting room wasn’t far from here, and if she could scream, surely someone would hear…

“It would be better not to try anything foolish.”

Bliss’s body stiffened at the low threat near her ear.

“If you don’t follow quietly, I’ll knock you out, so decide for yourself.”

As soon as she understood the man’s words, Bliss stopped resisting. If she lost consciousness here, there was no telling where she might be taken.

“That’s right, that’s how it should be.”

The man’s laughter sent chills down her spine.

‘Why is this happening?’

She had clearly been on her way to meet Caelan.

Bliss’s gaze lowered to look at the hand covering her face. The hand, covered in calluses, wasn’t that of an ordinary man. It belonged to someone who wielded a sword. She couldn’t understand why such a person would try to take her.

‘Could it be…’

Could this be related to the person who poisoned the necklace? Or could it be the one who ordered Jackie to apply poison?

In a situation where she couldn’t guess anything, Bliss belatedly thought of Echo.

‘Can you sense this person’s thoughts?’

Echo could read her thoughts and communicate mentally, so wouldn’t it be possible with this man too?

【He’s a hidden knight of House Blast.】

As expected, Echo immediately recognized and informed her.

‘Why are they kidnapping me?’

【Caelan.】

Bliss frowned. She wasn’t the target – Caelan was.

‘This person… is trying to hurt Caelan.’

She didn’t ask why. It was clearly to win the bet.

‘I can’t stay captured. Please tell me how to escape.’

For some reason, Echo didn’t answer Bliss’s request, and meanwhile, the man opened a door and pushed her in.

Bliss approached to leave, but the man grabbed her neck and twisted his face threateningly.

“If you try to come out, I’ll kill you immediately, so stay put.”

Thinking Bliss wouldn’t know his identity, he didn’t hesitate to threaten her. As soon as he left and the door closed, she grabbed the handle, but it only rattled without opening, as if locked from outside.

“I can’t just stay like this…”

Anxious that Caelan might get hurt because of her, Bliss paced restlessly.

【Do you want to save him?】

“If I don’t get out, Caelan will surely do what they want. Then he’ll get wounded – how can I just watch?”

【…There is a way.】

At Echo’s words, who hadn’t answered earlier when asked, Bliss took out Echo.

【You must fight while holding me. Can you do that?】

Bliss looked down at the dagger in both hands. The man who had just brought her here carried a longsword, and he seemed capable of handling her easily even without a weapon. Could she do it with this small dagger?

“I’ll do it.”

Though she knew it was nearly impossible, there was no other way right now.

***

Caelan, who came out looking for Bliss after finishing his match, raised his eyes as he sensed killing intent directed at him.

It was a man leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He wasn’t an opponent Caelan had fought, nor would he be someone to meet in the future. Since it was an unfamiliar face, Caelan passed by him. He ignored the killing intent directed at him. However, the other party had no intention of letting Caelan go.

“Bliss.”

The moment he heard his wife’s name, Caelan moved. His hand grabbed the man’s collar, pulled him close, then forcefully pushed him against the wall.

“Who are you?”

Perhaps because he was caught without time to prepare, the man’s face twisted with shame. His face turned red as if about to burst from the strong force choking him.

“If you do this, that woman won’t be sa… Gack!”

“Speak.”

The man flinched at Caelan’s cold voice. But knowing he would surely die if he backed down here, the man forced out his voice.

“If you want to save her, you must follow my conditions.”

“Nonsense.”

Despite the urgent situation, Caelan’s speed in drawing his sword was frustratingly slow. However, under the pressure of not knowing when the sword might strike his neck, the man hurriedly opened his mouth.

“If you wound your right arm yourself, we’ll give her… Argh!”

The man clutched his right arm and collapsed with a searing pain. Blood flowed down his left hand that gripped the wound.

“What are you doing…”

“Where is she?”

Seeing Caelan’s downcast eyes, the man swallowed hard. From the beginning, his eyes showed no intention of listening to the stated conditions. His face was indifferent, as if he would kill him right here rather than look for her separately.

“Wai…”

Don’t speak and die.

“Waiting room.”

Hesitate and die.

He had only run an errand… only received orders to deliver a message, but it seemed about to cut his lifeline.

When he forcibly raised his injured right arm to point somewhere, Caelan disappeared quietly, and the man who watched his retreating figure let out a long breath.

“I almost died.”

Still feeling as if he was under Caelan’s murderous gaze, the man hugged himself.

After confirming where Bliss was, Caelan’s steps were merciless. As the main tournament progressed and the number of remaining participants decreased, empty waiting rooms had increased. At some point, they took advantage of how there were no people passing by places other than where participants gathered.

“I will bring the lady.”

The knight captain who appeared suddenly spoke beside him.

“After bringing the lady first, we can threaten that person to find out who…”

“Find out right now.”

“…Understood.”

Understanding Caelan’s intention to handle matters concerning the Marchioness himself, he withdrew.

Caelan clearly showed his feeling of plummeting to the ground.

His eyes gleamed coldly as he gritted his teeth. If the one trying to wound his arm was who he suspected…

“I’ll show just how twisted one can become over a mere bet.”

Because he would be the one to make it so.

Only Caelan’s footsteps echoed in the deserted corridor, and soon came the sound of a waiting room door opening. And even more quickly, it closed.

Caelan’s face crumpled as he confirmed no one was in the waiting room. Had the words extracted by stimulating the man’s fear been lies?

“You’ve come.”

As Caelan turned slowly, a large man was smirking at him.

“I was troubled because the woman I put inside disappeared, but this works out well.”

The man approached while drawing his sword, but Caelan merely faced him without drawing his own. He recognized this wasn’t an opponent who would yield to threats like the man from earlier.

“Where’s Bliss?”

“She probably ran away.”

The man shrugged and spoke casually, and before Caelan could speak again, he thrust his sword. The surprise attack meant to pierce the shoulder came to nothing as Caelan twisted his body sideways.

As if he hadn’t expected his attack to work on Caelan from the start, the man immediately turned his sword sideways. And then launched an attack strong enough to take Caelan’s neck.

“Ugh.”

However, the sword didn’t reach near Caelan’s neck. The man staggered backward and looked at his side. He slowly raised his head after seeing the dagger that had sunk in completely except for the handle.

The man was about to say something when his eyes met Bliss’s, whom he thought had run away, but Caelan struck the back of his neck.

“I could have handled it sufficiently…”

Caelan spoke after confirming Bliss was safe, but had to stop as she threw herself into his arms.

“I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Bliss exhaled deeply in relief as she embraced Caelan.

[Do you remember the condition I mentioned before? That…]