By Zephyria 
Inside the quiet dining room, only the occasional clink of cutlery could be heard. Cassian, who was eating in the seat of honor as always, glanced at Bliss sitting to his right. Bliss’s hair at the back of his head was messy and sticking up in all directions, as if he had just woken up, but his dining posture was quite polite.
It seems Ashley Miller taught him at least this much.
Thinking this, Cassian watched Bliss cut a clam into bite-sized pieces and chew them. The youngest of the Miller family. They cherished him so much that Bliss Miller, who never appeared in the media, was here hiding his identity and doing menial chores; it would be chaos if that ever got out.
Ashley Miller might actually come to kill me.
The sudden thought sent a chill down his spine. There was no way this brat didn’t know that, so why did he come all this way? Then, could it be…
Is this brat trying to kill me?
No, no way. That’s impossible. It’s a ridiculous imagination, Cassian hurriedly denied. He wasn’t the type of guy whose mind worked that sharply. There had to be another reason. Shaking his head vigorously, he returned to his thoughts with a serious expression. In the end, there was only one answer.
As I thought, he likes me, so for the last time…
He couldn’t fully trust what Penelope had said, but he couldn’t think of any other plausible reason. Ten years had already passed. And yet, he reappears now saying he likes him? Anyone who heard that would laugh.
Even as he thought that, his gaze drifted back to Bliss.
That cheeky little peanut crumb came all the way here because he likes me.
Considering how the boy had remembered and sought him out for a whole year when he was so young he couldn’t even count, it wasn’t entirely impossible. Furthermore, infiltrating a place while hiding one’s identity just to see a first love one last time before marriage was exactly the kind of thought an immature child would have.
Though it’s unexpected that a butler with Penelope’s experience would play along with it.
However, if it was out of an affectionate feeling, like looking at a grandchild, it wasn’t impossible to understand. She probably thought it would be fine since it was only for a short while. While it was galling that she had deceived him, no great harm was done, so he decided to overlook it. Thinking about it again, the root of all the problems was that impudent peanut.
Cassian reached for his wine glass and let out a small smirk.
Compared to whoever has to marry and spend their entire life with that peanut crumb, my few days—no, few months—are really nothing, aren’t they?
Just then, Bliss was cutting a mushroom and putting it in his mouth. The small piece slid gently past his slightly parted lips. Cassian’s hand, which had been bringing the wine glass to his lips, slowed down and then stopped in mid-air. His eyes remained fixed on Bliss as they slowly traveled. From the long eyelashes cast downward to the faintly flushed cheeks, and down to the long nape of his neck.
‘He’s going to be incredibly beautiful once he grows up a bit more.’
Edward’s words, which he had momentarily forgotten, suddenly came to mind. And for a while, Cassian did not move.
Roughly two hours earlier.
“Bliss, Blair—no, Bliss!”
At Penelope’s shout as she rushed into the room without knocking, Bliss, who had been lying on the bed snoring, sat up with a start.
“Wha—what, what is it, why?”
Seeing Bliss glancing around in a daze and stammering, Penelope let out a giggle.
“Oh, Bliss, honestly, sleeping at a time like this.”
Penelope tapped his shoulder and gave him a playful look, but her lips were full of smiles. Seeing her expression clearly radiating joy, Bliss asked, still puzzled.
“Suddenly, what… what’s going on? Did something happen?”
At those words, Penelope covered her mouth with one hand and let out another “Hoo-hoot!” of laughter.
“Something big happened. A very, very big thing.”
“What? What on earth is it?”
Seeing her laugh like that, it doesn’t seem like something bad…
To Bliss, who had no inkling at all, Penelope finally gave the answer with a beaming smile.
“Well, the Count said he wants to have dinner with Bliss! Just the two of you! Together for dinner tonight!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Penelope lifted one leg, stood on her tiptoes, spun around once, and stopped with her arms spread wide, shouting, “Ta-da!” Penelope’s eyes sparkled as if expecting a reaction, but Bliss was simply bewildered. Seeing him just blinking and breaking into a cold sweat, Penelope straightened her posture and asked curiously.
“Bliss? What’s wrong? Did something go wrong?”
“Uh, no, it’s not that.”
What should I say?
Bliss hurriedly racked his brain. However, perhaps because he had just woken up, the brain cells that usually only worked at 5% capacity were now only operating at about 3%.
How much should I tell Penelope?
Actually, he hadn’t fallen asleep because he was tired. Now that he knew Penelope wasn’t his soulmate, he had simply fallen asleep while agonizing over how much he should share and work with her moving forward.
Using my brain too much makes me sleepy.
Because he couldn’t find an answer, he was now in a very awkward situation. If he told her that the bastard already knew his identity, what would happen next? Until now, Bliss had considered her his soulmate and shared everything. But after realizing that was a misconception, he was now in a position where he had to re-evaluate from the beginning just how much Penelope would cooperate with him.
Could Penelope be a double agent or something…
Bliss hurriedly denied the thought that suddenly popped up. It could never be that. Regardless, it was a fact that Penelope had helped him this far. It wasn’t right to doubt her goodwill. After scolding himself, Bliss suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Penelope, who had been watching him. Seeing her expression filled with worry and questioning, Bliss immediately felt a surge of guilt.
“Uh, well, that is.”
Clearing his throat with a “hem,” he decided to postpone his thinking and focus on the matter at hand.
“T-that’s great. Dinner with the Count… there will be lots of delicious food, right?”
“Of course! Don’t worry. I told them to take extra care today.”
Having said that, Penelope stared at Bliss with sparkling eyes. Realizing belatedly the reaction she wanted, Bliss hurriedly leaped up from the bed and threw his arms up in a cheer.
“D-dinner with the Count! How exciting! This is wonderful, amazing, Penelope!”
“Right? Right?”
Holding Bliss’s hands and spinning around the room, Penelope said excitedly.
“We’ve finally made it this far. We did it!”
“Wow, wow!”
After dancing together, Penelope stopped and looked up at Bliss.
“Bliss.”
“Yes.”
When she called his name in a calm voice, unlike before, Bliss unconsciously grew tense. Penelope smiled benevolently and squeezed his hand tightly.
“I don’t know what you’ve been worrying about, but use this opportunity to resolve it. I’m sure it will be a great turning point.”
“Penelope…”
For a moment, a part of Bliss’s heart throbbed. It must be my mistake. There’s no way Penelope isn’t my soulmate! Having soon made up his mind, he swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“Actually, I…”
“Now then, shall we get ready!”
Just as he was about to speak, Penelope shouted energetically, let go of Bliss’s hand, and rushed toward the wardrobe. Leaving behind a blinking, bewildered Bliss, she excitedly rummaged through the closet.
“I’ll pick out a nice outfit for you. Is this all you have? You brought too little. I’ll give you a break next weekend; go home. You could go shopping, too. For today, let’s wear this. The cream-colored shirt will make your eyes stand out more. A provocative red ribbon would be good…”
Having excitedly chosen the clothes for Bliss, Penelope laid them on the bed and turned back to him once more.
“Well then, Bliss, I’ll go prepare dinner now. Come to the dining room in 30 minutes. Fighting!”
After adding a final word of encouragement, she hurried out. Left alone, Bliss blinked blankly for a moment before snapping back to his senses and quickly changing into the clothes she had prepared and heading to the dining room. A short while later, Cassian appeared and the meal finally began, but…
Why does that bastard keep staring at me?