By Zephyria 
He swallowed hard without realizing it. If his guess was correct, he had to leave this place immediately. He would have to tell everyone to stay away, and Cassian would also need to wash off the scent clinging to his entire body before taking further measures. That is, if his ‘guess’ was truly correct.
Despite knowing exactly what needed to be done, Cassian couldn’t bring himself to do it. Just as he was about to leave the room, Bliss let out another pained moan.
“Ugh, uuu… hhh….”
The sound of the child whimpering and crying made Cassian stop in his tracks. The sound of sobbing continued. Just when he thought the crying had finally stopped, the child began to sob again. Cassian stood there, motionless, staring at Bliss.
“U-ue… h-huuu….”
Tears that seemed to have finally ceased overflowed across his face once more. Ah, Cassian sighed. He simply couldn’t leave like this. After glancing back at the door one last time, he finally gave in and turned back in the direction he had come.
Bliss was still sobbing. Cassian walked to the bedside, sat down heavily on the edge, and brushed the hair away from Bliss’s forehead.
“Why do you keep crying?”
“It h-hurts, it hurts….”
Bliss burst into tears again. For a brief moment, Cassian was torn. The thought that he should turn around and leave filled his mind, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the crying child’s face.
“Ugh, h-huu, hu.”
His breathing grew shallow, as if in distress. The child’s hand, which seemed to be flailing in the air, suddenly touched Cassian. Then, Bliss gripped Cassian’s sleeve tightly.
For a while, Cassian just watched the child without moving. The scent was growing stronger. It felt as though it would soon permeate every inch of his body.
After sitting and looking down at the child for a moment, Cassian finally stood up. The hand gripping his sleeve dropped away limply. Cassian lifted the sheets and climbed into the bed. As he pulled the sobbing child into his arms, he felt a soft, warm body heat fill his embrace. Cassian gently patted Bliss’s back and whispered in a low voice.
“It’s okay, Bliss. You’ll feel better soon. So don’t cry. Be a good boy.”
“Ugh, ugh… it hurts….”
Bliss moaned and rubbed his face against Cassian’s chest. Tears, snot, and saliva soon made a mess of the shirt, but he left it be. He’s so small. Feeling a surge of pity, Cassian hugged the child even tighter. The sound of the child’s crying felt like it was scratching at his heart.
Don’t cry, Bliss. Please.
He closed his eyes and continued to pat the child’s back, thinking to himself.
I wish I were the one in pain instead.
Time passed slowly. Cassian continued to hold the child, murmuring over and over that everything would be alright. In the meantime, the sobbing gradually subsided.
…Sss, sss.
Before he knew it, the child had stopped crying and fallen into a deep sleep. The rhythmic sound of breathing calmed his mind. Seeing Bliss sleeping peacefully while clutching his shirt, Cassian finally let out a sigh of relief.
…Ah.
The scent, now even more intense, made his head spin. Feeling his entire body grow languid, Cassian slowly stroked the back of Bliss’s round head.
What a truly wonderful scent.
…Or so he thought.
19.
“My opinion is that he is about to undergo manifestation.”
The primary physician, who had come after being contacted, reached a conclusion after examining Bliss here and there. Even though it was exactly what he had expected, Cassian couldn’t quite process it. It was because his mind wasn’t functioning properly, saturated with pheromones.
“What did you say?”
“I said manifestation.”
This time, the Duke spoke. To Cassian, who was blinking blankly, he continued in his usual solemn voice.
“Yes, it is not a typical situation. However, for Dominant Alphas like those in the Miller family, it is common to manifest before puberty. In some cases, they are even born with the trait.”
Cassian also thought that was possible. However, the fact that Bliss was so young weighed on his mind.
“Is there no strain on his body? Manifestation at only seven years old….”
“Enough, Cassian.”
The Duke raised a hand to cut off his son’s words. Once Cassian fell silent, the Duke continued in a calm voice.
“Ashley Miller will look into that in detail. It is not for us to worry about.”
Ashley Miller.
Recalling the name from his memory, Cassian frowned. Naturally, this matter would reach Ashley Miller’s ears. Once he heard that his child had manifested, he would move immediately.
That seemed to solve the problem, but Cassian still had a lingering concern.
“Then he will be returning to America.”
“He should.”
The Duke spoke readily and exchanged greetings with the physician and the nurse.
“You have worked hard. I leave the follow-up care to you.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Please do not worry.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. We will do our best.”
The Duke nodded and then looked back at Cassian. His son, who had spent more than half a day holding and soothing the child, looked utterly exhausted. Seeing the deep fatigue etched on his son’s face, the Duke clicked his tongue briefly and spoke.
“Are you alright? To look like this after staying up for just one day. How can a man be so frail?”
“…I’m sorry.”
In truth, he had been up for nearly two days. However, he neither had the will nor the energy to argue over such a trivial point, so Cassian asked for his father’s understanding in a quiet voice.
“I’d like to rest now. May I go to my room?”
The Duke frowned and looked at him. For some reason, a faint flush had risen to his son’s face. Perhaps he had a fever from overexertion.
“Yes, do so.”
Nodding, the Duke spoke toward his son’s retreating back as he bowed and walked away.
“I’ll have some light food brought to your room. Eat it after you wake up.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
After murmuring his thanks, Cassian continued walking toward his room. Watching his son’s footsteps, which seemed as exhausted as his complexion, the Duke clicked his tongue briefly before shifting his attention. Bliss’s condition had stabilized considerably. According to the physician, they just had to leave him alone until he woke up. That was how manifestation worked.
Everyone in the castle, including the Ducal family, were Betas. Therefore, they possessed no knowledge beyond the most basic common sense regarding manifestation or pheromones. The physician had no need to conduct separate research on the matter, nor were there any warnings to give, so this was a first.
So, it’s better to hand him over to Ashley Miller quickly.
If a problem arose, they wouldn’t be able to handle it here. Thinking this, the Duke headed for the study. And in the quiet environment, he finally placed a call to Ashley Miller.
“Are you saying Bliss has manifested?”
When he received the call from the Duke, Ashley Miller thought that what was bound to happen had finally happened. Dammit, even Bliss, who resembled Koi the most, had to manifest. And at such a young age.
His only wish had been for it to happen as late as possible, but he hadn’t expected to fail so completely. What on earth was God doing?
As if such a thing even existed.
While grinding his teeth inwardly, Ashley spoke in his usual business-like tone.
“I understand. Did it happen suddenly? Did he not mention feeling unwell or anything like that?”
It was a cliché question, but it was enough to make the Duke’s heart leap. After clearing his throat a few times, he finally spoke.
—The thing is, there was a bit of an incident….
At the ominous trailing off of the sentence, Ashley frowned and waited for the next part. Eventually, the Duke had no choice but to be honest.
—There was a very small accident. Um, my son went camping with friends, and it seems Bliss followed along. While there, he accidentally ate the wrong mushroom….
“A mushroom?”
Ashley’s tone turned sharp. Even though he had expected it, the Duke flinched, and the words caught in his throat.