Chapter 13
“…Blessed?”
“Yes, blessed. They said the petals falling over your head mean you are blessed. It’s not a curse. Being different is lucky.”
The man couldn’t say anything. It felt like someone had put warm honey in his mouth.
It was a hot, rising feeling in his throat.
It didn’t feel bad.
It wasn’t pain from an attack or poison.
Yes… it was like honey. Sweet, like honey.
But someone not used to sweetness can even hiccup from it.
“…My mother said that too.”
Plop.
With that, Soa collapsed.
The man held her tightly in his arms and watched her breathe, her small chest rising and falling.
He thought she had fainted but she was just asleep.
Tears rolled down from her big eyes.
The man wiped the tears from her chin carefully.
He was very gentle.
“Where did the little lady go…?”
Then he heard movement far away.
He hid behind a pillar with Soa in his arms.
His cheeks burned.
It touched her lips.
What did it mean?
What did Soa know about him to say she was blessed?
“….”
He wanted to ask but couldn’t.
He carried the deeply sleeping Soa and quietly followed the movement.
It wasn’t hard to find the room where the young ladies dressed like Soa stayed.
Because it was the first day of the competition, everyone was sleeping deeply.
The man moved quickly and entered the room where Soa’s fresh scent lingered.
The room was simple, with only a few belongings neatly arranged.
“Hmm…”
When he carefully laid Soa down, she made a small sound and shifted.
Her face ended up under his, her lips especially red.
The smell of alcohol had faded, replaced by a faint sweet scent with every breath.
His eyes shone differently than before.
He felt a strange, new feeling.
It wasn’t just curiosity about holding a small, fragile life in his arms or seeing an exposed woman close-up.
“Blessed.”
He murmured.
Why had Soa thought she was cursed?
The curse fits me, not her.
How could someone so weak like her be cursed?
His cold eyes flashed.
Her pale skin shone in the moonlight.
He felt anger.
She shouldn’t be this unguarded.
Not knowing who he was and being like this… drunk like this.
“…!”
Then, Soa’s eyes suddenly opened.
She stared at him.
They held each other’s gaze for a moment.
Was she sleep-talking? Drunk-talking?
Before he could ask, he heard movement outside again.
He had to go.
If they saw him here…
“If we meet again…”
A soft voice whispered behind his back.
Had she remembered?
Surprised, he turned sharply.
“If we meet again… you’ll kill me,” she said.
“….”
“Just save me, please.”
Her hand fell.
He relaxed only when he saw her chest rise and fall steadily again.
He quietly left the room, watching as the maid who had been looking for Soa finally relaxed.
He had been careless. Rarely, he had missed someone watching them.
The next morning.
The cool morning breeze touched her face, and Soa opened her eyes.
Instinctively, she realized: this is the palace, and the competition is still going on.
“Uh-oh…”
No matter how much she tried to distract herself, she had drunk too much and slept…
Wait. How did she even get here?
“Time to get up.”
A voice called from outside.
She rose, holding her stomach, and opened the door. A maid bowed politely.
“I’m sorry for bothering you yesterday.”
“No, I’m glad you returned safely and slept.”
“Returned? Weren’t you the one who took me back?”
“At first, I tried. But when you went out for air, you disappeared.”
“I disappeared…?”
“Yes. We couldn’t find you for a long time, but you came back and were sleeping.”
It was good she returned, but where had she gone while drunk?
She hadn’t made a mistake, right? Everything, even drinking, was part of the competition.
If the Queen saw her unsteady, it could affect her evaluation.
“Where did this little one come from?”
She looked and saw a small kitten curled up on the blanket.
Soa reached out instinctively, but a voice echoed in her mind:
“Leave the wicked beast alone.”
Oh no.
Suddenly, all memories of last night came back: the man’s eyes in the dark, the petals falling above, the smell of him getting stronger as she got closer…
And… she had kissed his cheek.
“Ah!”
“Are you okay?”
Soa covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head.
She wasn’t okay.
Like her mother, she had kissed the man without thinking.
No matter the blessing, no matter the alcohol…
How could she look at him now?
“…I hope I really went back to sleep on my own.”
She hoped she hadn’t gone back into his arms.
How did she even meet him here?
Everyone in the palace had a rank or was royal.
She had thought he was a spirit because of his noble clothes and movement.
If he wasn’t a deceased royal, who was he?
The cool feeling of his cheek on hers was still too vivid.
“Are you okay? Your face is red. Do you have a fever? Should I call the doctor?”
“No, I’m fine. I have to get ready. There’s the competition today.”
“Yes. If you feel unwell, tell me.”
“Don’t worry. Oh! I want to ask something.”
“Yes?”
“What’s your name?”
The maid looked surprised, but then answered: “Dam.”
“Dam… what a pretty name.”
Soa smiled brightly.
Dam felt special hearing Soa call her name, and her ears flushed red.
“I’ll take care of you, Dam. I don’t know much yet, but I’ll try my best.”
“I will take care of you too, Little Lady. I hope you stay here a long time.”
“You look very beautiful.”
“…Miss Jang!”
“It’s morning. I worried you overdid it last night, so I came to help.”
The orderly appeared, sharp and tidy.
Had she heard about last night? Surely not about the little chaos she caused.
Soa smoothed her hair and tried to hide her thoughts.
“Change clothes…”
“You already did, didn’t you?”
“Oh…”
She had forgotten to change before sleeping. At least it saved time.
“Let’s go.”
“This way.”
The maid glanced at Dam.
The palace selected special maids to serve the young ladies competing to become the Crown Princess.
It was not just about serving them—mostly it was about watching them.
“Head maid wants to see you.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Go when you have breakfast.”
Dam looked worried.
If asked about last night… she wasn’t sure how to answer.
At the pavilion where breakfast was served, Yeonwoo arrived.
“Finally. I came for breakfast. Why is everyone standing? Please, sit. I heard you had a hard time last night.”
His gaze fell on Soa.
A chill ran down her spine.
She still didn’t know Yeonwoo well.
If she didn’t show her face, this was the only way he could come see her.
