By Zephyria 
“This is our youngest, Bliss. B, you should say hello.”
Despite the first aid, traces of chocolate’s dark smudges still remained here and there on his face as Bliss cheerfully greeted them.
“Hello. I’m Bliss Miller.”
“My, how adorable.”
The Duchess’s response was immediate. She smiled brightly and looked at the child’s face.
“Hello, I’m Elizabeth Strickland. Nice to meet you.”
Then, she looked at Bliss’s still-swollen eye and asked with concern.
“Is your eye okay? The bruising is severe, it must have hurt a lot.”
To the kind words, Bliss puffed out his chest and answered proudly.
“It’s okay, because I’m a man!”
At that, the Duchess blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded.
“How splendid. Then, of course, this much is nothing. Because you’re a man.”
At her words, the Duke and Ashley also laughed aloud. Amid the pleasant atmosphere, Koi was thinking something entirely different. Once the guests leave, he would have to scold Bliss thoroughly. Of course, Ashley was thinking the same thing.
Completely unaware of their inner thoughts, Bliss beamed and looked at Cassian. Cassian, without much thought, smiled back at him. Unaware of the fate that awaited him.
“Um, Duchess.”
Bliss spoke in an excited voice. Still fixing his gaze on Cassian, he made a bombshell announcement.
“Can I play with Cassian a bit more? I want to ride the rides together!”
At the child’s sudden words, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise. Among them, the most shocked and flustered was, of course, Cassian himself.
What is this peanut-sized kid saying?
“Playing with Cassian? What do you mean?”
Instead of Cassian, who was left speechless by the unexpected and absurd situation, the Duke asked. Bliss looked at the Duke and answered innocently.
“Cassian and I became friends. So I want to ride my rides with Cassian. Is that okay?”
“Hah…”
A sigh of disbelief escaped Cassian’s lips. What on earth is this? Only then could he understand why Bliss had diligently followed him all the way here. In short, he came to get permission from his parents to play with his newly made friend.
As if the fact that Cassian was nearly an adult meant nothing at all.
Even though he had seen through the little rascal’s dark scheme, it was too late. Seeing the Duke and Duchess, completely charmed by the child’s adorable face, laugh out loud, Cassian was convinced of his hopeless future.
“Oh? I’m glad you’ve become friends with my son. Do you have rides?”
“Yes, over there in the garden. They’re mine.”
To the Duke’s kind question, Bliss nodded and added proudly.
“Since Cassian is a friend, I’ll let him ride specially. Please let us play together.”
This is bad. At the repeated request, Cassian belatedly and urgently intervened.
“Wait a moment, you said you were looking for me. Didn’t you have some business?”
While asking with a polite smile, pretending it was nothing, he inwardly shouted desperately towards the Duke.
Say you have business, right now!
Playing with the child was just a momentary whim. If he had known he’d get stuck like this, he would have ignored the kid even if he hit his head on the chair or whatever.
No, he would have prevented an accident.
Cassian corrected his thought, but the conclusion was no different. Anyway, he never wanted this situation.
But completely unaware of his son’s desperate feelings, this time the Duchess took over.
“No, I was just worried you might be wandering around the house, so I called. Go play comfortably.”
Cassian tried to politely decline, saying he wasn’t a child anymore, so it was fine. But before he could say anything, the Duke first burst into a hearty laugh and nodded.
“Alright, do that. Cassian, you heard? Go on.”
“I’d rather just rest here.”
Cassian smiled and attempted to resist. He expressed his refusal tactfully, but the Duke didn’t accept it.
“You’re bored anyway, right? You have nothing to do and will be bored, so go play with your new friend.”
I’m not fine with it.
Cassian said inwardly and declined again.
“I don’t really like rides…”
“It’s okay, Cassian. If you go and try it, you’ll like it!”
The peanut beside him, completely oblivious to the mood, chimed in. Just as he felt the urge to just punch him, the Duchess spoke up.
“Yes, Cassian. Go on. We can wait long enough, so don’t worry.”
“I…”
He tried to say ‘That’s enough,’ but it wasn’t the situation for that. Confirming that four pairs of eyes were fixed on him, Cassian could only open and close his mouth before finally having to say yes. In the end, he had to leave for the hallway, almost as if being chased out, with the brat who did as he pleased, his face pale.
“Come on, let’s go, Cassian!”
Bliss said excitedly, stretching out his hand. No matter how hard he stretched his arm, Cassian’s hand was hanging high up, so it wasn’t very meaningful. Nevertheless, seeing the child beaming and desperately stretching out his short arm to try and hold Cassian’s hand, he finally exploded in frustration.
“You, how old are you?”
At the words gritted out, Bliss answered innocently.
“Six years old. And you?”
“I’m almost eighteen, Bliss.”
Cassian added in the lowest voice possible, careful not to let the adults across the door hear.
“That means becoming an adult. A grown-up.”
It meant he wasn’t the age to ride children’s rides, but of course, it didn’t work on Bliss.
“It’s okay, even if you’re a bit old, I don’t mind.”
No, I mind. A lot.
Watching Bliss, who was brightly smiling and patting Cassian’s leg as if encouraging him, Cassian thought. But ignoring his contorted face, Bliss chattered on.
“Papa and Daddy ride my rides with me too. You can ride too.”
Even at this point, he was left speechless in disbelief, but Bliss went a step further and said this.
“Since I got permission from your Papa and Mommy, it’s okay. Let’s go!”
I’m way past the age where I need parental permission for something like riding rides.
Cassian wanted to shout, but of course, it was impossible. Tired of waiting for him, who wouldn’t hold his hand no matter how long he waited, Bliss jumped up and grabbed Cassian’s hand. Thanks to that, Cassian stumbled forward heavily, and Bliss, who landed on the floor with a thud, said to him.
“Trust me. It’ll be really fun!”
And he started running on his own. In the end, Cassian had no choice but to be dragged awkwardly across the hallway, one hand held by a kid who was maybe half his size.
The rides installed behind the mansion were truly enormous. Starting from roller coasters, to plume rides, carousels, pirate ships, drop towers, and so on. It seemed like every kind of ride was there.
The problem was that they were all for children.
“Here, Cassian. Get on quickly.”
Before he could even find an answer to the fundamental question of ‘Why on earth would someone build something like this on private property?’, Bliss, who had nimbly climbed onto the pirate ship that didn’t even reach Cassian’s waist, pointed eagerly to the opposite end and waved. Seeing him sitting on the ridiculously small and silly pirate ship and even fastening the safety belt meticulously made Cassian even more speechless.
“I’ll pass.”
“You don’t have to decline! Sit down, quickly.”
Cassian waved his hand, but Bliss shouted again, persistently pointing to the opposite side. Cassian, however, held his ground with all his might.
“Bliss, look. I’m this big. How can I ride such a small ride?”
It was a reason most people, including Cassian, would find convincing. Unfortunately, Bliss was not part of that majority.
“It’s okay! Papa is even bigger than you and sits there just fine!”
Cassian looked down at the empty seat meant for him and felt his face turn pale.