By Zephyria 
“Alright, Bliss, you worked very hard. Good job. Daddy will handle the packing now, so how about you practice your greetings?”
“Greetings? Like this?”
Bliss sprang up and clumsily bent his knees. Koi didn’t even need to ask where he had seen such a thing; it was obvious. It was likely a scene from one of the dramas Bliss loved to watch.
“No, Bee. That’s what girls do. Men do it like this.”
When Koi stood up and demonstrated how to bow, Bliss nodded as if he understood. Seeing his son place a baseball cap—which was heavily wrinkled from being stuffed in a bag—over his chest and drop his head low, Koi explained gently.
“Well done, Bee. But if you do it a bit more slowly, it’ll look more elegant…”
As Koi corrected his posture, the child followed along diligently. He’s so desperate; what if he can’t go? Thinking about how disappointed Bliss would be, Koi’s heart already began to ache. He struggled to suppress the urge to call the Duchess immediately and beg her, simply waiting for time to pass.
And finally, after about two hours, a loud shout of joy from Bliss echoed throughout the mansion.
For the first time in a while, the sky had cleared, and bright sunlight was pouring down. The House of Strickland had been in a flurry of activity for several days. This was because a very special visitor was scheduled to arrive today. The Duchess, who had been busy inspecting the house for days, noticed something while performing a final check of a room.
“What is with these curtains? Bryson, didn’t I tell you to replace these? Bring new curtains and throw these away.”
As she shook the curtains hanging by the window and gave the order, the butler replied hastily.
“Yes, Your Grace. I will do so immediately.”
After confirming that the butler was instantly directing the servants as ordered, the Duchess left the room with steps that were hurried, yet appeared calm to others. Despite having moved diligently since early morning, a glance at her wristwatch showed that the time was almost here.
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
She walked briskly across the corridors of the massive castle. She needed to go to her room to touch up her makeup and perform one last check. Even then, she did not overlook the smallest mistake.
“This area hasn’t been cleaned properly. Wipe it down.”
At the Duchess’s words pointing toward a corner of the stairs, a servant who had been cleaning a window frame rushed over and scrubbed vigorously. Having confirmed this, the Duchess turned and headed to her room. She looked into the mirror, touched up her lipstick, readjusted the position of the pearl hairpin in her hair, and finally checked her outfit.
Perfect.
With a satisfied smile, she straightened her back and smiled at her own reflection in the mirror. She had been waiting for this day ever since she heard that child was coming. He would arrive soon. That cute little thing—how she had missed him!
Just then, a knock sounded. Turning her head, she saw a servant standing by the open door to report.
“Your Grace, the young master of the Miller family has arrived.”
“Oh my.”
The Duchess visibly brightened and hurried out of the room toward the entrance. A faint blush, rare for her usually pale cheeks, had risen. Seeing the soft smile on her lips, the servant found it inwardly curious but maintained a neutral expression while following his mistress with quick steps.
The butler was standing at the entrance greeting the guest. Upon spotting him, the Duchess practically ran across the hall. A boy standing in the center of the hall saw her, took off the hat he was wearing, held it in both hands, and bowed politely.
“Your Grace, thank you for inviting me.”
Goodness, he’s gotten even cuter.
Moved by the child’s polite demeanor, the Duchess let out a soft sigh. Matching the guest’s etiquette, she reached out her hand in greeting.
“Welcome, Bliss of the Miller family.”
The child held his hat in one hand and extended the other to lightly take the Duchess’s hand. Seeing how tense his shoulders were from nervousness, the Duchess said with a smile.
“This is plenty. You’ve done wonderfully. Did Papa and Daddy teach you?”
When she asked playfully, the child answered energetically, “Yes!”
“They told me to play quietly and not cause any trouble for the House of Strickland. Don’t worry, Your Grace. I’m all grown up now.”
“I see. Truly wonderful.”
Looking at the child’s face as he spoke quite maturely, the Duchess had to put in considerable effort to stifle the laughter bubbling up.
“You’ve worked hard to get here. Are you hungry?”
“I’m okay, I ate on the plane. Thank you.”
Once again, Bliss behaved politely. As the Duchess smiled warmly and looked up, her eyes met those of a woman dressed in a neat suit standing a few steps away from Bliss. The woman performed a curtsy and spoke.
“Greetings. I am Talia, the bodyguard for the Miller family. Since my mission is complete, I shall take my leave now.”
At those words, the Duchess realized that this woman had been responsible for bringing Bliss here. She soon nodded kindly with a smile.
“Yes, you’ve worked hard. Travel back safely.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. Goodbye, Bliss.”
After greeting the Duchess, she addressed Bliss and added one more thing.
“If you need anything or have any business, just call the number on the business card I gave you earlier.”
It was the number for the representative of the Miller Law Firm’s UK branch. Bliss nodded and gave a polite farewell.
“Thank you for today. Goodbye.”
Talia was bewildered to see him acting so differently from his usual rambunctious self, but she withdrew without showing it. Once she left, the Duchess turned her attention back to Bliss.
“Now, shall we go see your room, Bliss? We can have tea and catch up. Bryson.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
The Duchess spoke to the butler, who answered immediately.
“We are going to Bliss’s room, so bring the tea. And plenty of snacks for Bliss. I’ve already told the pâtissier, so they should be ready.”
Then, she smiled at Bliss.
“Come, Bliss. Let’s go up.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Bliss answered obediently and took the hand the Duchess offered. Holding hands, she led Bliss up the stairs.
Thanks to the sun appearing for the first time in a while, the campus was overflowing with students sunbathing. Some lay haphazardly on the grass with their shirts off, while others sat on benches in bikinis reading books. A man walked quickly, almost running, through the crowd.
“Cassian, hey!”
At the voice calling from behind, the man walking hurriedly turned his head. Jeffrey, who took the same classes, ran up to him.
“Where are you going? Why are you in such a rush? The weather is so nice.”
Jeffrey also seemed to have come out to sunbathe, wearing trunk-style swimwear on his lower half. He looked as if he were about to invite Cassian to join him, but Cassian didn’t have the luxury.
“To my family home. It’s break now, so they’re pestering me to come home quickly.”
When he answered briefly, Jeffrey nodded understandingly.
“Then it can’t be helped. So you’re just going to stay at home the whole time? That’s so boring.”
At that, Cassian chuckled and said,
“I don’t mind if you come visit. In fact, a few people already said they’re coming, and I told them to.”
“What? Really? Hey, why didn’t you tell me in advance? I’m seriously hurt.”
Cassian lightly patted the shoulder of his friend, who was visibly acting aggrieved, and added,
“Come whenever. You’re welcome.”
“Really?”
As Jeffrey instantly brightened, Cassian waved one hand in affirmation and turned to walk away. It didn’t take long to reach where his car was parked. After loading his simply packed luggage into the trunk, he immediately sat in the driver’s seat and started the car. Leaving the congested city traffic behind, he headed toward the place where he had lived his entire life—the very castle where previous Dukes had lived and died.