By Zephyria 
Cassian’s eyes wavered for a moment. Of course, the Duchess did not miss the brief opening her son revealed. Staring into his mother’s eyes, Cassian opened his mouth to speak, but soon let out a sigh. He couldn’t lie to his mother. Instead, he pressed a hand to his forehead and spoke as if lamenting.
“You recognized him?”
At her son’s question, the Duchess furrowed her elegant brows and scolded him.
“Of course I did. How could I forget that lovely child? Goodness, I was so surprised earlier that I thought my heart was going to drop.”
She exhaled dramatically and stroked her chest. Seeing his mother so shaken, Cassian didn’t feel entirely at ease either.
“I’m sorry.”
“It would have been better if you had told me in advance.”
The Duchess glared at her son again in response to his apology and continued.
“You only said you had a companion, so you don’t know how excited I was. I thought you had finally met someone you were serious about…”
Suddenly realizing something, her eyes widened as she looked up at Cassian.
“My goodness, Cassian. Surely…”
“No.”
Cassian cut her off coldly before she could even finish.
“He and I are not in that kind of relationship. Good heavens, me and that… that snot-nosed brat? That’s absurd.”
As her son denied it again, even shaking his head, the Duchess murmured with disappointment, “Oh, I see.”
Good grief, Mother is still such a girl.
Cassian clicked his tongue inwardly while looking at the Duchess. She was still obsessed with trashy romance novels and dramas. The life of nobles was dreadfully boring. With nothing to do and money rotting in the bank, their biggest concern was how to spend their excess time.
Thus, for his mother, it was enough if her leisure time could be spent in any way possible. Furthermore, it was unthinkable to dare comment on his parents’ hobbies. Because of this, Cassian had completely pretended not to know about it, but…
Me and a peanut? What an absurd imagination.
“That will absolutely never happen.”
When he emphasized it firmly once more, his mother finally glared at him with a look of great dissatisfaction.
“Then why on earth did you bring Bliss here? How is it that you’re with Bliss? Have the two of you been in contact all this time? And what exactly is Bli—Blair? Tell me clearly; I feel like I’m going to die of frustration!”
She pointedly tapped her chest with her palm and sighed repeatedly. Seeing his mother lose her usual dignity and vent her frustration, Cassian felt a tiny prick of guilt. However, that didn’t mean he could confess everything honestly. Instead, he resorted to the kind of cowardly excuse adults often use in such situations.
“I’m sorry, Mother. That is a personal matter for Bliss, so it’s difficult for me to say.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. The fact that it was ‘Bliss’s personal matter’ was true. Of course, the top-secret detail was that the peanut had come all this way to see Cassian one last time before entering an arranged marriage because he was smitten with him. If his mother found out, she would certainly mobilize every means possible to help Bliss’s love bloom.
Regardless of my own will.
He continued calmly to his mother, who was looking at him as if he were ridiculous.
“I cannot tell you right now, but once the matter is resolved soon, I will explain everything. Please pretend not to know for the time being. I beg of you.”
As he added this politely, the Duchess looked as if she wanted to say something with a dissatisfied expression, but then stopped. Shaking her head as if she had no choice, she let out a short sigh and spoke.
“Fine. If that’s the case, I suppose I have no choice but to wait.”
“I’m sorry.”
At his mother’s attitude, which seemed to accept the situation, he readily apologized. However, the Duchess still had a question.
“Surely it’s not something dangerous? If it’s a serious problem, you mustn’t try to solve it alone, Cassian. You must tell His Majesty the King or the Prime Minister, do you understand?”
Her face was full of worry as she urged him again. Feeling guilty for causing his mother unnecessary anxiety, Cassian nodded.
“Yes, you don’t have to worry. It’s not that big of a deal.”
He’s just a peanut crumb, after all.
Cassian, adding that inwardly, flashed a smile.
“Trust me, Mother.”
I’m doomed.
Bliss turned pale and hurriedly shifted his gaze. Cold sweat ran down his back and his fingertips trembled. The dining room was deathly silent, with only the occasional faint sound of cutlery clinking. The Duke sat at the head of the table, with the Duchess and Cassian on either side, and Bliss’s seat was next to Cassian.
It’s a relief that neither the Duke nor the Duchess recognized me, but…
Bliss readjusted his grip on the fork and knife several times due to the sweat on his palms. It was only when he came down for dinner that he realized he had forgotten a truly important fact.
Exactly why he was here.
The ‘why’ was a far more important question than ‘who.’ This was because the reason Bliss was sitting here was…
‘To be introduced to the Duke and Duchess as Cassian’s partner.’
The moment he realized this, Bliss almost let out a scream. He had barely managed to avoid a crisis thanks to Cassian acknowledging him at the right moment, but…
Just how far has the conversation gone?
Bliss stole a glance at Cassian with a nervous heart. Cassian was eating leisurely and had already finished two glasses of wine. On the other hand, Bliss was in such a state of confusion that he couldn’t tell if the food was going into his mouth or his nose.
Seeing that the Duke and Duchess weren’t saying anything particular to him, it seemed Cassian had said something. But what exactly did he say, and how, about him? If he had said they were that kind of relationship, questions should have poured out…
However, they remained quiet throughout the meal. ‘Do not talk during meals.’ This was one of the few taboos Ashley Miller had taught the children at the table. He couldn’t remember what it was like when he came here as a child, but perhaps the Ducal house was the same. No, it likely was. In that case…
The questions come after the meal…!
For a moment, it felt as if the meat Bliss was chewing got stuck in his throat. Ugh, swallowing a groan, he clenched his fists to resist the urge to pound his chest. If he did that, he would stand out. Endure it, you must endure. Bliss, have willpower. Swallow the meat with the power of will. You can do it, you can do it…
Of course, he couldn’t. In the end, Bliss finished his meal completely suffering from indigestion.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Bliss tossed and turned on the bed several times, pounding his chest. However, instead of disappearing, the stiff sensation remained stubbornly in place. He tried sitting up, jumping while standing, and even bumping his back against the wall, but his condition remained the same. Eventually, he ended up rolling around on the bed, groaning in pain.
Medicine, I need medicine…!
But there was no way. He was just lying there suffering when…
Knock, knock. Suddenly, there was a sound of knocking. Bliss, still lying on the bed and breaking into a cold sweat, looked toward the door. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t think of anything and just blinked, when a voice followed shortly after.
“Bli—Blair. It’s me. May I come in for a moment?”
The calm voice belonged to Cassian. To Bliss, who was staring blankly at the closed door with a pained expression, he continued.
“I brought medicine.”
At that moment, Bliss’s eyes snapped open. He scrambled to sit up and, without a second thought, shouted loudly.
“Come in, right now! Hurry! Quickly!”
As he shouted urgently, the door opened slowly after a brief pause. Through the narrow gap of the opening door, Cassian appeared holding a tray. Upon seeing the water bottle and the medicine bottle on that tray, Bliss’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears.