By Zephyria 
Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the child wrapped his arms around his neck and buried his face in his shoulder. He didn’t forget to let out a small, soft whimper.
A child raised with an abundance of love.
Whenever Cassian looked at Bliss, he felt the truth of those words. Cassian himself had grown up without wanting for anything. The Duke and Duchess had a rare, loving marriage and showered their child with generous affection, so he had never particularly felt dissatisfied.
But Bliss was different. He was a child who returned even more love than he was given. Because of that, even though Cassian’s insides would boil with irritation every time, he always ended up forgiving the boy.
It was the same now. Even as he walked to take Bliss back to his room, a faint smile lingered on Cassian’s lips.
“Uuung, Cassian…?”
The child mumbled his name, seemingly waking from his sleep. Cassian patted his back to encourage him to sleep more as he headed toward Bliss’s room.
Regardless, letting him sleep in my room is out of the question.
After quietly laying Bliss down on the bed, he walked back to his own room on tiptoe, careful not to be caught. Thanks to not forgetting to lock his door, Cassian was able to enjoy a deep sleep for the first time in a long while.
15.
At the breakfast table, Bliss’s face was practically swollen. Seeing the child sitting there with his lips pouted and cheeks puffed out, the Duchess asked in bewilderment.
“Bliss, what’s wrong? Did something happen to upset you?”
“Yes. But it’s a secret.”
Even as he said that, Bliss’s resentful eyes were directed toward Cassian without a hint of a lie. The Duchess looked at her son as if demanding an explanation, but Cassian simply stood up after clearing three plates with a refreshed expression.
“I have work to attend to today, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“You…”
Just as the Duchess was about to say more, Bliss hurriedly wiped his mouth with a napkin and hopped down from his chair. Realizing belatedly that he had been rude, he rushed back and stood to greet the Duchess.
“I shall take my leave as well. Cassian, wait! Cassian!”
Watching the child frantically chase after him, the Duchess let out another sigh.
“Locking the door is too cruel!”
Bliss, who had immediately caught up to Cassian, shouted indignantly. Having woken up early in the morning, he had realized instantly which room he was lying in. And it wasn’t difficult to figure out who had moved him there.
But that wasn’t all. When he had rushed out of the room to find Cassian, he discovered the door was locked and felt a great sense of betrayal. And now.
“I just wanted to say good morning, and you locked the door!”
“Entering someone else’s room without permission is a grave discourtesy, Bliss.”
Cassian imparted the lesson to the child with utter composure. But he wasn’t finished. He had a schedule today. There were many things he had to prepare in advance to get that job done.
Of course, first, he had to shake off this little fellow.
“Bliss, do you remember what I told you before?”
“Huh, what?”
As Bliss paused, about to protest again at the sudden change of subject, Cassian continued.
“I said we should go see the birds. How about tomorrow?”
“Birds?”
Right, he did say that!
It had been nearly two weeks, so he had forgotten. Looking down at the child whose expression instantly brightened, Cassian thought, As expected, children are easy, and spoke again.
“I’m busy with preparations today, so let’s go out together tomorrow, alright? Today, why don’t you finish watching that drama you missed yesterday with Mother?”
The day before, he had been held captive by his mother for nearly an hour, receiving a lecture. She had asked where on earth he wandered off to every day, leaving the child alone. Thanks to that, he found out what the two of them had been doing while he was gone…
Actually, he had his own reasons. He had been quite busy in his own way, trying to smooth over the foolish things he had done. Between rescheduling or canceling appointments and meeting people, he had been completely overwhelmed. In exchange, he planned to spend all of next week on Bliss.
Because he would be returning soon.
“Seeing birds is boring,” Bliss said, pouting. He was clearly still sulking. Cassian laughed and flicked the boy’s nose.
“It’ll be fun, just you wait.”
“I said it’s boring!”
“Alright, Bliss. I’m off.”
Bliss was still angry, but Cassian simply left after saying goodbye. In the end, Bliss was left standing there alone with his lips pouted.
Hmph, jerk.
Even though the sun had already begun to set, Bliss remained lying on his bed, unable to shake his mood. Cassian had not yet returned. He had to spend another boring day.
…I’m lonely.
It was just as he began to miss Papa, Daddy, his sister, and his brothers. Just as he let out a sniff, he heard an unfamiliar sound.
Rattle, rattle. At the sound coming from outside the door, Bliss, who had been punching his pillow for no reason, tilted his head. What is that sound?
Since he could never tolerate curiosity, he didn’t hesitate to jump off the bed and cross the room. With a heave, he opened the door and peeked out, seeing a servant pulling a suitcase.
“Oh.”
Blinking in bewilderment, Bliss immediately ran toward him.
“Excuse me! Over here! That thing!”
At the urgent call, the servant stopped and waited for Bliss. Bliss stopped in front of the suitcase, examining the luggage here and there as he asked.
“What is this? Is it Cassian’s luggage? Where are you taking it? Did Cassian tell you to?”
To the barrage of questions, the servant answered in a calm voice.
“The young master has gone to see the Duchess. He instructed that this luggage be loaded into the carriage as he will be leaving immediately.”
“Leaving immediately? Now?”
To the startled Bliss, he replied, “Yes,” and gave a short nod as a greeting.
“Then, I shall return to carrying out my orders…”
Bliss watched the man’s back as he turned and walked away with long strides. Cassian is meeting the Duchess right now. Then is he in the Duchess’s room? Bliss looked back for a moment, then turned his head back in the direction the man had gone. Cassian is leaving soon anyway. There’s no point in going there now…
Wait, that’s it!
A brilliant idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Without wasting another second, Bliss rushed urgently in the direction the servant had disappeared.
The Duchess was looking at her son’s face with a reluctant expression. She had summoned him to her room the moment he arrived, but he was already planning to leave again.
“How can you keep leaving after we’ve invited a guest?”
When his mother scolded him, Cassian answered as if he had been waiting for the question.
“I told you it’s unavoidable because of an appointment. It’s a schedule I set in advance. Besides, that brat coming here wasn’t planned in the first place. I did my best.”
There was nothing wrong with his words, but it was also true that every single answer displeased her. The Duchess continued with an equally dissatisfied expression.
“And to spend the night outside. Doing something only a homeless person would do…”
“Please think of it as a tour of the estate. I stayed within the territory.”
This, too, was not incorrect. The only problem was that it was a forest by a lake on the outskirts of the estate, which was practically wasteland.
“Sigh.”
Having failed to break her son’s stubbornness, the Duchess furrowed her brow and changed her tone.
“Are you really alright, Cassian? It’s not something dangerous, is it?”
To his mother’s worried expression, Cassian replied nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared sufficiently.”
“If you insist, then there’s nothing I can do. Be careful.”
Having finally surrendered, the Duchess added with a stern expression.
“Still, let today be the last time you wander around so recklessly. Bliss is very lonely. It was heartbreaking to see him so depressed and alone.”
After a short sigh, she spoke to her son.
“At least for the remaining time, give Bliss some attention. Spend some time with him.”