By Zephyria 
“My, it seems there is no longer any use in hiding it.”
The Duke finally spoke, as if giving up.
“Actually, the two of them are here at my castle. Since my birthday is approaching, they visited in advance. However, my son hasn’t properly introduced the boy, and I’ve been dying of frustration, wondering exactly what is going on between them.”
“He hasn’t introduced him? What do you mean by that? Please, tell me in detail.”
The Marquis, seemingly flustered, lost his composure and pressed the man before him. His face, filled with curiosity, almost made him look like a teenage boy. Although he believed it was unwise to discuss family affairs with others, there was no other way right now. To relieve his frustration, the Duke spoke with a reluctant expression.
“Cassian doesn’t say anything substantial about his relationship with the boy. It is my wife’s guess, but perhaps they aren’t certain about each other yet…”
“That is absurd!”
Before the Duke could even finish, the Marquis slammed his palm onto the table with a thud and quickly interrupted.
“The two of them love each other, I am certain of it! I saw it clearly with my own two eyes—the passionate gaze Count Herringer casts upon that small boy…!”
“Calm yourself, Marquis.”
The Duke held out a hand as a sign to restrain himself and continued.
“I agree that my son likes the boy. The problem is…”
He seems completely unaware that Bliss is the youngest son of the Miller family, so it’s probably best not to mention it.
“The problem is the boy’s heart. Perhaps Cassian is uncertain about it. That is why he’s been vague and hasn’t given us a proper introduction—to leave himself an escape route.”
“How… how ridiculous.”
The Marquis let out a heavy sigh, as if appalled.
“If the boy had no interest in Count Herringer, why would he have been so angry back then? That small child fought so hard among those hippopotamus-like brutes. Even now, thinking about it makes me feel sorry for him.”
The Marquis placed a hand on his forehead and shook his head before turning his gaze back to the Duke.
“And yet they still don’t know each other’s hearts? How can young people be so slow?”
“Exactly.”
The Duke agreed without hesitation to the Marquis’s lament. In that moment, they both realized that their thoughts were 100% aligned. After staring at the Marquis in silence for a moment, the Duke swallowed hard and spoke.
“In that case, do you happen to have any good ideas?”
At the Duke’s question, the Marquis curled his lips into a sly smile.
“You haven’t forgotten that I once worked in the intelligence department, have you? Leave the strategy to me. Just as I saved Britain from the German air raids during the war, I shall gladly rescue these precarious lovers.”
To him, making this love bloom was a matter of interest as vital as blocking Nazi missiles and securing his homeland’s victory in World War II. After all, in the twilight years of old age where every day is the same, there could be no event more exciting and passionate than this.
In fact, this is the most thrilling event since the Second World War.
The Marquis recalled this with satisfaction. Moreover, it wasn’t a horrific event like a war, but a grand operation to unite two lovers—how romantic could it be?
“Leave it to me. I will take responsibility and complete the mission splendidly.”
The Marquis vowed with a determined expression, as if he were heading to the battlefield, then relaxed his face and asked slyly.
“In exchange, if things wrap up well, there is one thing I would like to obtain…”
“Yes, please tell me. I will gladly give it to you.”
The Duke answered readily without even asking what it was. This caused the Marquis to laugh, looking flustered as he gauged the Duke’s reaction.
“It might be a bit difficult. Above all, the will of the parties involved is important. If it’s too much, you don’t have to…”
“Yes, I understand. Tell me; if it is something I can do, I will do it for you regardless.”
Reassured by the Duke’s slightly more reserved attitude, the Marquis cleared his throat and finally spoke.
“I would like you to entrust me with being the godfather of the first child born between the two of them.”
“…….”
The Duke said nothing at the shocking request. An awkward silence flowed as he simply stared blankly at the Marquis.
“Why, why are you reacting like that? Did I make some mistake?”
The Marquis asked, flustered by the unexpected reaction. The Duke snapped back to his senses and hurriedly shook his head.
“No, no. It’s just, a child between the two…”
A child between Cassian and Bliss.
He hadn’t thought that far. He had been so preoccupied with the fact that his only son had brought home someone he liked, and that the person was Bliss Miller, that he hadn’t considered a child born between them at all…
“Did you not realize you’d be becoming a grandfather?”
Only then did the Marquis burst into laughter, as if he had finally understood the reason. Feeling suddenly embarrassed, the Duke laughed awkwardly and made an excuse.
“I was only thinking about what to do with the two of them right now… But Marquis, how did you know? That Bliss is an Omega.”
About ten years ago, Bliss had manifested at the Duke’s castle. So, he was likely an Omega. However, no pheromone scent emanated from him. The Duke had simply assumed he was taking suppressants, but he was curious why the Marquis was so certain. It was unthinkable that he would skip his medication when attending a party, and since he couldn’t smell any pheromones, how did the Marquis know Bliss’s trait?
The reason was simple.
“That is obvious. A child so beautiful and lovely can only be an Omega.”
The Marquis burst into a hearty laugh once again. The Duke had no choice but to laugh along, but in his mind, he was already thinking of something entirely different.
A child between Cassian and Bliss.
As he imagined the two of them tenderly holding a baby, his expression softened completely. He didn’t care if it was a son or a daughter, but a daughter would be better. He had already raised a dark-skinned son. If a lovely daughter who resembled Bliss were born…
“I shall immediately leave my entire fortune to my first granddaughter…”
“Hm? What did you say?”
The Marquis asked, puzzled by the small mutter. Startled, the Duke hurriedly waved his hand and brushed it off.
“It was nothing. Then, I shall leave that matter to you, Marquis. Please let me know if you need any help.”
“I will. Now that we’re on the subject…”
The Marquis smiled brightly and cast a secretive glance toward the Duke.
Hmph, that bastard.
Bliss beat his pillow repeatedly with a swollen face. Now that a night had passed and his head had cooled, anger surged within him.
‘Don’t worry, that won’t happen.’
The more he thought about it, the more audacious and infuriating it felt. What? That won’t happen? After saying he liked me. Bringing me to the family home while refusing to introduce me—it makes no sense.
Wait, isn’t this exactly that kind of story?
At the same time, a scene from a common drama came to mind.
—I love you, baby, but marriage is a different story. You’re just a mistress.
“Trash!”
Thwack! Bliss slammed his clenched fist into the pillow, panting heavily and grinding his teeth. How dare he toy with me? I can’t forgive him just by having him kneel and beg!
I’ll use this to smash that mouth of his…
It was just as he was glaring at his tightly clenched fist with fierce eyes. Knock, knock. At the sound of the knocking, he whipped his head around, and a moment later, the door opened and the very person he had been cursing appeared.
“Bli—Blair. Hello. Did you sleep well?”
How long ago did I wake up?
It was already well past 3 PM. Where on earth had this bastard been and what had he been doing to show up at this hour and spout such nonsense?
Bliss, glaring at the other with intense eyes, turned his head away primly and spoke.
“I woke up a while ago. What is it? I’m busy.”
He had been in the middle of the very important task of sitting on the bed and beating his pillow until just a moment ago. Cassian, looking back and forth between Bliss’s face and his clenched fist, didn’t ask further and changed the subject.
“Come out. There’s somewhere we need to go.”