By Zephyria 
I’m glad it’s dark. He thought, deliberately holding his breath to control his breathing.
If the room had been bright, I definitely would have been caught…!
Cassian was leaning against the balcony railing. The vast plains were already shrouded in deep darkness, so there probably wasn’t much to see, yet he stood there as if nailed to the spot, fully exposed to the cool night breeze, with both hands resting on the railing, staring into the distance. He didn’t even look back toward Penelope.
Does he not know I came in with her? Or is he ignoring me even though he knows?
He was inwardly curious, but there was no way to confirm it. He almost felt it was better that the man kept his back turned. If they were to face each other, then…
What would happen?
‘Bliss.’
Suddenly, a forgotten memory surfaced in his mind. Cassian, teaching him the names of birds. What had happened to the book he had given him back then?
While Bliss struggled to remain calm, Penelope moved the cart next to the sofa in the connected living room. After placing the ice bucket containing the wine on the table and setting up the glasses and accessories, Penelope popped the cork, tucked it into her pocket, straightened her posture, and spoke.
“Is there anything else you require, Count?”
Without looking back, Cassian waved his hand, signaling for her to leave. Penelope cast a quick glance at Bliss. It was a sign that it was finally his turn. Bliss swallowed hard and straightened his back. Penelope took her eyes off Bliss and faced the Count again.
“Um, Count.”
Starting cautiously, she spoke in her usual calm tone.
“The new employee I mentioned arrived today. He would like to introduce himself to you.”
Then, Penelope gave Bliss a light nudge with her elbow. Bliss flinched, took a short breath, and spoke.
“Ah, hello. I’m Bl—Blair Carlton. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
His voice trembled slightly. He hoped the Count would assume it was just because he was nervous. As he waited anxiously, Cassian, who had remained motionless for a moment, slowly turned his head.
Ah.
The moment his eyes met Cassian’s in the darkness, Bliss felt as if his heart, which had been racing wildly, suddenly stopped. He went blank for a moment.
10.
A night breeze blew from somewhere, brushing against his cheek. The chilly air awakened his dazed mind, and he blinked rapidly.
Cassian was still standing there. Unchanged, looking down at Bliss.
Was he… always that tall…?
Bliss recalled vaguely. It had been well over ten years since he had last seen him. Moreover, back then, Cassian had just entered adulthood, and Bliss had been only seven years old. Until now, he had only thought about how he would have changed, not how much Cassian would have changed. This was because, until just before coming here, he had spent almost every day searching for articles about Cassian and staring at his photos.
But this was real. The actual Cassian Strickland was standing right there, facing him. The sense of intimidation far exceeded anything he had imagined. He was as tall as Bliss’s father or his other brothers, looked even colder, and was utterly alone.
Yes, that man is alone.
Suddenly, Bliss realized it. The fact that there was no one around Cassian.
It was strange. This man clearly possessed many things. Very, very many. Not to mention wealth and fame, he had plenty of friends to laugh, chatter, and act foolishly with. Bliss had seen it with his own eyes.
Then why did he look so empty?
It was a sensation he couldn’t quite grasp. For some reason, Bliss felt an impulse to hug him and tell him it would be okay. Even though he had no idea why or what was causing it.
“…….”
Cassian opened his mouth and said something. It took two or three seconds of delay before Bliss understood the meaning.
“…What?”
He couldn’t hear well because the voice was excessively low. What was the intent of the question? Was he asking what his name was? Or what he had just said? While Bliss hesitated, unable to make a judgment, Penelope stepped forward.
“This is Blair Carlton, Count. He is a distant relative of mine.”
She then added the explanation she had given the other employees earlier.
“He has come from America to assist me and learn the work. Since he has just started, there are still many areas where he is lacking. I ask for your kind understanding.”
Penelope straightened her back after bowing politely. As she waited to see if there was anything more to say, Cassian fell silent again. Seeing his reaction—remaining motionless with his gaze fixed on him—Bliss began to grow anxious. What do I do? What else should I say? Penelope, help me!
It was just as he sent an urgent distress signal in his head.
“…Go.”
“Pardon?”
This time, even Penelope didn’t hear him correctly and asked again. Seeing the two of them blinking blankly like a pair of capybaras, the Count seemed to lose his temper. Grinding his teeth with an audible click, he spoke.
“Get out, I said get out! Get out right now, you XXXX XXX XXXX XXX X XXXXXX…!”
At the thunderous roar, the birds sleeping on the branches were startled and flew away in a flock. Because of the continuous ‘beep’ of warning alarms ringing in his head, Bliss felt his consciousness fade.
“Oh my goodness!”
Startled, Penelope hurriedly covered Bliss’s ears with both hands and rushed him out of the room. Even as he was dragged out in a daze, Cassian continued to pour out an immense stream of profanity.
Haa, haa.
After sprinting down the stairs to the first-floor hall, the two finally let out their breath, panting heavily.
I… I thought I was going to die…
Bliss recalled with a pale face, his shoulders heaving. Penelope was equally pallid, breaking into a cold sweat. For a while, they simply repeated their heavy breaths in silence. After some time passed, Penelope was the first to recover.
“What on earth happened?”
Seeing her clearly flustered, Bliss asked in a startle.
“He… he didn’t recognize me, did he?”
“I don’t think so.”
Looking up at him, who was belatedly filled with fear, Penelope drew a firm line. Of course, she had a reason.
“Think about it logically. If Bliss were in the Count’s position, how do you think you’d react? If you recognized Bliss!”
Penelope asked, but he couldn’t answer immediately.
“Uh….”
“Like a lead in a drama!”
Penelope scolded him sternly as Bliss’s eyes darted around. Immediately, Bliss’s eyes lit up, and his expression transformed.
“Why are you here?!”
“Exactly.”
Hearing the sharp shout, Penelope nodded with satisfaction. Bliss also grasped the meaning of what she said.
“Then he didn’t recognize me.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”
Seeing Penelope repeat the same words, he finally felt at ease. Thank goodness. Bliss sincerely felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief. If those curses had been directed at me, I would have died of a heart attack. Penelope quickly continued.
“My goodness, I’ve never seen the Count swear like that before.”
Bliss agreed. He nodded quickly and added.
“Me neither. It’s the first time I’ve met someone who swears more than Chase.”
After adding the explanation, ‘Chase is one of my brothers,’ Bliss asked with a bewildered face.
“What do we do now?”
Penelope didn’t have any particular solution either. She scratched her cheek with a troubled expression and answered.
“I don’t know, this situation was completely unexpected.”
If that were the case, there was no way to find an answer. As Bliss just stood there feeling awkward, Penelope, who seemed to be pondering with an ‘hmm,’ suddenly looked up as if she had made a decision.
“It can’t be helped. No matter how much we think about it, it’s impossible for us to find the answer.”
“Then….”
To Bliss, who was about to ask how, she gave a clear answer.
“Let’s just sleep for now.”