Chapter 97: Latte’s Warning

The place Latte called them to was densely wooded with thick foliage that blocked out the sunlight.

Upon entering, Bliss bent down to let Echo down. Watching him willingly leave her hands and step onto the ground, Bliss smiled.

“It suits you so well? Well, I guess it’s natural for a forest to suit a fox’s appearance.”

“Unnecessary comments.”

Echo tapped the ground firmly, making Bliss tense up.

“If you’re just going to talk and leave, nothing will happen, but otherwise, accept however I might act.”

“I’m counting on you.”

When Bliss responded with acknowledgment instead of an answer, Echo tapped the ground a couple more times before disappearing. Left alone, Bliss tilted her head back to look at the sky. The thick leaves blocked all the sunlight, making it dark despite being daytime.

It wasn’t a suitable place for someone with a bright image like Latte, regardless of her true intentions.

Perhaps because of that, her steps felt heavy. As if she was about to glimpse into Latte’s true heart.

“Want to turn back even though you’ve come this far?”

At the sharp voice, Bliss turned to the side. Latte’s steps were light as she emerged from behind a tree.

As Bliss straightened her posture toward Latte, Latte also stopped walking.

“Or are you worried about what I might do?”

“That’s not what I want to hear.”

Bliss shook her head, cutting off Latte’s words. She didn’t want to have an unnecessary conversation with Latte right now.

“The necklace?”

Latte smiled and tilted her head.

“Yes, the necklace. You want to know the truth.”

At her clear laugh, Bliss’s stern expression showed no signs of softening. There was an unfamiliar feeling different from how she usually acted. She might not have noticed it before.

The Latte she knew was the protagonist of the original story, and she knew the Latte she actually met didn’t just have the personality from the novel. That was all it had been, but now that she knew Latte had lied, she felt it.

The identity of this unfamiliarity she felt from Latte.

“Actually, you see. My father ordered the poison to be applied.”

Latte speaking with lowered eyebrows was indeed the Latte she knew. However, now she could tell how false Latte’s expressions were.

“He thought I would marry him but it changed in an instant. How shocked he must have been when the partner changed. And he must have hated Caelan for not even apologizing.”

Latte spoke with sad eyes as if she truly sympathized with her parents’ feelings.

“Then by chance, he found out Caelan had bought a necklace and tried something with it. I went there to stop it. Whether you believe it or not is up to you but…”

Latte shrugged her shoulders while claiming her innocence.

“So I rushed to stop it and saw something strange.”

Latte approached with her hands behind her back.

“I saw Caelan being very sweet to you.”

Instinctively guessing this was Latte’s main point, Bliss flinched as she looked at her. Latte, who had suddenly come right up to her, spoke softly while recalling that day.

“I thought he surely wouldn’t love you. Well, he could be kind without feelings. But I didn’t like that.”

The moment Latte’s smile disappeared, Bliss’s tension surged.

“You stole my place, so you shouldn’t receive Caelan’s love too. You shouldn’t receive his smiles.”

“Latte, you’re now…”

“So I changed my mind.”

Latte revealed her most important current feelings.

“I decided to push you out.”

After that, no one spoke. Bliss silently watched Latte who was smiling as if she had never stopped.

“How does it feel to know the truth?”

“Hmm… both surprising and not.”

“Oh? Did you know everything?”

“I knew you were lying, but it was unexpected to learn that it wasn’t your doing.”

“What? You’re surprised it wasn’t me who tried to poison the necklace?”

“…”

“Well, if you knew I was lying, you would think that. But that day was the first and last time I didn’t intervene and tried to stop it.”

Latte drew a line as if saying not to misunderstand.

“I hate how you suddenly became kind and how you shake Caelan’s heart with such a false appearance.”

Listening to Latte’s words, Bliss nodded. She thinks I’m pretending to be kind.

“If that’s what you think, I won’t try to change it. I don’t care what you think of me. That is, if nothing happens after this.”

Feeling the conversation taking a strange turn, Latte frowned. Until now she had only smiled leisurely or watched expressionlessly, but for the first time she showed displeasure.

Perhaps because of Latte’s expression, a relaxed look appeared on Bliss’s face.

“I want to tell you that if you stop now, nothing will happen.”

“You…”

Latte’s eyes narrowed. Though her pupils became slightly smaller, her observing gaze toward Bliss grew more intense.

Seeing this, Bliss smirked.

“Why? Did you think you were the only one who could give warnings?”

She had thought and thought about what kind of appearance Latte would show her today. She thought there was no way the meeting would be in good faith.

‘Since I don’t plan to stay still knowing how Latte might act.’

So she had thought and thought about how she would act too. If Latte had set some trap, Echo would appear, but if not, couldn’t she stop Latte?

“I thought you came out obediently, but this is what it was.”

Latte let out an exasperated laugh before glaring at Bliss.

“You said you would tell me the truth. I came to hear that.”

Bliss calmly retorted.

“So after hearing everything, you’re telling me to stop there?”

“I didn’t want to make you flustered by avoiding your trap without saying anything.”

At Bliss’s words, Latte swallowed her laughter as if it wasn’t even funny anymore.

“So you’re saying let’s reveal everything and fight from now on?”

“I clearly warned you, but if you don’t like it, that’s how it will be.”

Latte nodded and took a step back.

“Fine, alright. Then shall we end today with just warnings to each other?”

Bliss quietly stared at Latte. She meant that since she had already given her warning, it was Latte’s turn.

“I’m going to kill you.”

Latte waved her fingers as she bid farewell.

“See you next time.”

As Latte turned and very slowly left that place, the sound of the wind blew away even her traces while small footsteps echoed.

“Did you really just talk?”

“…Yes.”

Bliss muttered in a somewhat dazed voice.

“Why are you like that?”

“Latte said she would kill ‘me’.”

Bliss turned her head to look at Echo for the first time.

“Then who besides Latte is targeting Caelan?”

Bliss understood the warning Latte had given. That Latte wasn’t the only one targeting her. And that Latte would be involved in it somehow.

“I need to tell Caelan.”

Bliss picked up Echo and turned back.

“That we found his stepmother.”

It was a meeting that yielded more than expected.

***

Just as she was coming out of the entrance, Bliss stopped upon seeing a familiar face.

“I didn’t expect to see you so soon.”

Bliss gently stroked Echo’s fur.

“But you know.”

“What is it?”

“I’m really curious, where do you keep going?”

Bliss asked while keeping her eyes on Caelan approaching in the distance.

“Even if you have four legs, going out so often doesn’t seem like just sightseeing. Do you have some purpose?”

At Bliss’s question, Echo rubbed his face against her arm to stall for time before sighing. Seeing this, Bliss teased him about whether foxes could sigh.

“I go to see a child I taught.”

“A child… you taught?”

“Yes, I’ve taught several children until now, but there’s just one child I can’t forget. I keep wanting to go see them.”

“What kind of child is it? If they need care…”

“Care? Yes, they need care. But we probably can’t bring them.”

“Is that so?”

Echo buried his face in her arm as if not wanting to say more after that. Bliss, who wanted to ask more, had to settle for that.

“Caelan.”

“I came after seeing you were here.”

“You read the letter.”

At Bliss’s question, Caelan nodded slightly.

“Did you meet with Latte Hice?”

“Yes.”

There was no particular need to hide it, and she had already said everything she needed to say with Latte.

“What did you talk about?”

“Latte said she didn’t poison the necklace. Rather, she said she went to stop it after finding out about it.”

This was something she hadn’t expected. Bliss briefly relayed her conversation with Latte. How she told Latte to stop, and how Latte didn’t listen.

“So now I’m going to try to stop Latte.”

“Why should you do that? It happened because of me.”

“No.”

Bliss shook her head. It seemed like a rejection, making Caelan’s eyes dim. He grabbed Bliss’s arm, showing his concern.

“Bliss.”

Bliss looked at Caelan’s hand wrapping around her arm. It was firm as if he wouldn’t let her go anywhere, but it didn’t hurt. This must be Caelan’s heart. Looking at that arm, Bliss muttered.

“I didn’t say I would stop her.”

Then she raised her gaze along his arm. Their eyes met. Eyes filled with worry for her. While fully basking in that gaze, she muttered.

“You stop her.”

I will protect you.