By Zephyria 
Exactly one hour ago.
“Marquis Manon said such a thing?”
Upon hearing the news from the Duke, who had just returned home, the Duchess was so startled that she accidentally raised her voice before hurriedly covering her mouth with her hand. The Duke chuckled at his wife’s adorable reaction and nodded.
“Indeed. I felt so relieved and reassured. The Marquis was very proactive.”
“What a relief. I’m happy that things were resolved well, but for the Marquis to volunteer his help…”
The Duchess, who had been anxious while waiting for a potentially uncertain outcome, let out a sigh of relief and clutched her chest. However, once she relaxed, curiosity immediately took over.
“So, what did the Marquis say? Did he have a good idea?”
“Hmm, he had one.”
The Duke added with a flushed face.
“To send the two of them on a date under the pretext of preparing for the party.”
At those words, the Duchess could not hide her excitement and covered her mouth with both hands.
“My goodness, I have a role to play!”
The Duke nodded with a satisfied expression.
“A very large and important role. I trust you will handle it well.”
“Of course, absolutely.”
The Duchess placed a hand over her heart, took a deep breath, and spoke with sparkling eyes.
“I must call Cassian, right now.”
And so, the couple had a servant summon their only son. Cassian, who had once again failed to sleep properly the previous night, dragged his exhausted body toward the tea room where his parents were waiting.
“You said you were looking for me.”
Faced with her son’s consistently blunt reaction, the Duchess suppressed her frustration and spoke with her usual poise.
“Yes, there is something we need to discuss.”
The Duke, glancing at her from the side, attempted to assist.
“First, come and sit.”
The Duchess, inwardly nervous, realized belatedly that she had forgotten to offer her son a seat and gave the Duke a subtle glance. It was a look that meant Thank you. The Duke gave a small smile and pretended to be nonchalant while sipping his tea. Once their son was seated, she cleared her throat and spoke calmly.
“There is a party coming up soon.”
“It’s tomorrow.”
Upon hearing her son’s words, she realized she had made another slip of the tongue, but she was a seasoned socialite. The Duchess quickly turned the crisis into an opportunity and frowned pointedly.
“You are well aware. Yes, it is tomorrow.”
Why is she stalling so much? While Cassian listened in silence, unable to even guess her intentions, she finally uttered the words she had prepared.
“However, I noticed that Bliss has no preparations at all. What is the meaning of this?”
“Ah…”
Only then did Cassian realize the topic of conversation, but it was already too late. Seeing him let out a small sigh as he found himself trapped, the Duke and Duchess thought simultaneously:
What an unfilial brat.
How dare he sigh while my beloved wife is speaking. As the Duke instinctively clenched his fist, the Duchess, remaining calm, spoke.
“Since you’ve realized it now, take Bliss out with you.”
“…Pardon?”
He had almost replied with “What?” By a hair’s breadth, Cassian avoided the crisis of being slapped by his father. The Duchess scolded him with a glare.
“The party is tomorrow; are you going to let Bliss go out just like that? How can you be so indifferent? I have raised you poorly.”
“Ah, no, that’s not it.”
Cassian finally grasped the atmosphere and hurriedly shook his head.
“I will go. I’ll take Bliss to prepare for the party.”
“Yes, that is how it should be.”
Only after her son repeated himself did the Duchess nod. However, the Duke let out a loud, dissatisfied cough and added to the Duchess’s words.
“Go immediately. When you invite a guest, you must treat them accordingly. I am quite disappointed that you still haven’t learned that.”
“Yes, I am sorry.”
This time, Cassian apologized obediently. Through long experience, he knew that in these situations, the fastest way to end it was to admit that his parents were unconditionally right. Moreover, he now had an excuse. He hurriedly rose from his seat and said,
“I’ll go right now. Then, I shall…”
After exchanging nods of farewell, the son stepped outside, and only then did the Duke and Duchess look at each other and beam with smiles.
And back to the present.
“You said there’s somewhere we need to go?”
Bliss repeated his words, looking bewildered. “Yes,” Cassian nodded and continued.
“There’s a party soon, so you’ll need clothes and other things. Come, let’s go buy them.”
Tilting his head, Bliss answered absentmindedly.
“Aren’t those people the ones coming?”
A momentary silence fell. Bliss, who had been blinking blankly, suddenly startled and jumped down from the bed in a hurry.
“Ah, no. I should go. I must go! Hahaha.”
Cassian, staring at the face of the man forcing a loud laugh, smiled faintly.
“Right, then let’s go.”
Bliss, who had inwardly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Cassian’s back as he turned away, soon frowned. That bastard, how long does he plan to pretend he doesn’t know my identity when he clearly does?
Meanwhile, as he walked ahead, Cassian thought:
Maintaining the worldview isn’t easy.
However, if he acted as if he knew while Bliss himself refused to reveal his identity, the other might get startled and run away. Of course, that was something that must not happen. He had even gone as far as a ridiculous date just to keep that guy by his side.
Insomnia was a problem, but he never wanted to experience those terrible migraines again. Fortunately, since coming to the Duke’s estate, the headaches had not returned. Sleeping without that guy was still difficult, but it was manageable for now. He just had to endure it until the party ended and he could return immediately.
Sigh. Just as he let out an unconscious sigh.
“By the way, where are we going?”
Bliss, who had trotted up to stand beside him, asked. In that moment, his mind, which had been hazy due to insomnia, seemed to clear, and his vision sharpened. Turning his head to look down, he saw Bliss blinking and looking up at him. After staring for a moment, Cassian instinctively reached out and lightly pinched Bliss’s cheek.
“Ow, ow! What are you doing right now!”
Only after the startled Bliss shouted and flailed did Cassian realize what he had done, and he withdrew his hand, pretending nothing had happened.
“Nothing in particular.”
Bliss looked at the man’s back as he spoke indifferently and resumed walking, feeling absurd, before huffing and chasing after him. Cassian glanced at him and returned his gaze to the front, but his mind remained unsettled. He truly couldn’t understand why he felt so peaceful whenever that guy was around.
“Welcome, Count. It is an honor to have you visit.”
After a long drive in the carriage, they arrived at a shop on a street lined with famous brands. Thanks to the secretary’s prior contact, there were no customers in the shop, only staff and security guards. The store manager had closed the shop early to wait for the Count. The manager greeted them politely and guided them to a prepared private room in the back.
“What would you like for tea and refreshments?”
When a staff member brought a sleek, thin menu list and asked, Bliss frowned, lost in thought. I want this and that. I’ve never seen this one before. I wonder what that tastes like?
Seeing him humming in deep contemplation, Cassian suddenly snatched the menu list away. Bliss gasped in surprise and glared at him, only for Cassian to hand the list back to the staff and say,
“Bring everything on here.”
In that instant, the look in Bliss’s eyes changed. As he gazed at Cassian with a passion that shone like the Milky Way, Cassian thought:
Not bad.
Barely resisting the urge to pinch Bliss’s cheek again, Cassian drank some water, and then the manager approached and spoke.
“Is the person you mentioned this gentleman?”
The secretary had previously hinted that the ‘Count intended to purchase items for his companion.’ The manager cast a curious glance at Bliss, who had followed behind Cassian, and then asked the Count. Cassian nodded readily and said the same thing again.
“From here to there, bring everything.”