By Zephyria 
“I know, Mother. Please don’t worry.”
Cassian gave the Duchess a quick kiss on the cheek and headed for the door.
“I’ll be back.”
His mother didn’t try to hold him back any further. Once he was alone in the hallway, he began to walk rapidly, almost running with long strides. The Duchess wasn’t entirely wrong. He wasn’t completely devoid of guilt regarding Bliss, but he had his reasons. Right now, he was doing his absolute best to balance his own schedule with consideration for Bliss. He had even promised that once today was over, he would devote the entirety of next week to Bliss. Though the boy would be quite bored in the meantime…
He’ll probably find something to keep himself occupied.
While thinking this, Cassian also mused that it wouldn’t be so bad if Bliss took this opportunity to get completely fed up and declare that he never wanted to come here again.
“You’re out, sir. I’ve loaded the luggage into the trunk as you requested.”
The employee, who had been waiting with the car parked in front of the entrance, spoke as he immediately opened the driver’s side door. Cassian nodded and readily climbed in.
“Well, shall we go?”
Sitting in the driver’s seat, he operated the navigation system, set the destination, and started the engine. Cassian owned five cars, and the Wrangler was perfect for occasions like this. As he left the paved roads and began driving through the forest paths, the car naturally jolted, shaking his entire body. Despite this, a joyful humming continued to escape his lips.
“Cassian! You’re here!”
One of the companions who had arrived first spotted him first and greeted him with a loud, welcoming shout. Cassian glanced over the group who were already preparing the campsite, gave the man greeting him a light hug, and spoke.
“I’m a bit late. It took some time to get out.”
“What did the Duchess say?”
At the other guy’s question, Cassian chuckled.
“Mother is always worrying.”
He understood that it couldn’t be helped. After all, Cassian Strickland was the sole heir to the Dukedom and her only child.
It was just suffocating.
Having thought that far, Cassian quickly changed the subject.
“How far have you guys gotten? What should I start with?”
“Cassian.”
He turned his head at the sudden call and froze.
“Eina.”
“Hi, how have you been?”
The woman who approached with a smile gave Cassian a tender hug. Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Cassian was momentarily flustered, but he soon smiled naturally, hugged her back, and let her go.
“I didn’t know I’d see you here. How did you find out?”
Eina was the youngest daughter of a Count’s family; she and Cassian had known each other since childhood and had dated briefly. Thanks to her easygoing and straightforward personality, she didn’t hold grudges, and they had remained close friends even after their breakup…
Was Eina the person Jeffrey mentioned?
When Cassian shifted his gaze, Jeffrey immediately looked away. So it was. Cassian could do nothing but knit his brows.
Including Eina, everyone gathered here was the child of a fairly influential family. Like Cassian, they had to live quite oppressed lives due to the gaze of others and the need to maintain face. Consequently, since tonight was a gathering where everyone’s desires and will converged, the atmosphere was naturally filled with excitement.
Was that perhaps the reason Eina came here as well?
At Cassian’s question, Eina let out a short laugh and said,
“If there’s an event like this, you should have obviously invited me. I’m hurt, Cassian Strickland.”
“Ah, sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”
As Cassian apologized with a playful tone, Eina put on a mock-solemn expression.
“I shall forgive your mistake. In exchange, build the fire.”
Following her playful command, Cassian bowed his head and replied.
“I shall obey your command, Your Highness.”
He immediately began gathering firewood to prepare the fire. Eina also moved busily to finish the tasks she had been doing before Cassian arrived.
With the five of them each taking charge of different areas, the work was finished in an instant. Looking at the reasonably well-prepared campsite, one of them spoke.
“This is pretty decent. We can survive the day here.”
The others nodded and chimed in.
“It’s not like we’ll be able to go inside the tents and sleep anyway. We’re going to drink all night, right?”
“Aren’t we short on alcohol? Did everyone prepare properly?”
“More importantly, I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
“I figured that would happen, so I prepared some. Hey, everyone gather around. Let’s get started.”
Then, everyone shouted in unison.
“Let’s drink! Until we drop!”
Laughing loudly, they each took their seats and began the ‘boisterous night’ they had been preparing for weeks.
“Wait, I brought sausages.”
Cassian said this and walked toward the car. Grilled sausages and beer—wasn’t that a great combination? He opened the trunk to take out the items he had previously instructed the employee to load and asked, looking back.
“What about the alcohol? Should I take it out now? Or later?”
“We have enough for now. Let’s take it out later.”
“What else is there besides sausages? This guy, he brought potatoes.”
“It wouldn’t be right to leave out the marshmallows. Here, skewer them and roast them. Here.”
Leaving the noisily chatting group behind, Cassian picked up the box containing the sausages and other foods. It should have been a simple matter of turning around and returning to the group.
…Huh?
He stopped dead in his tracks, still holding the box with both hands. Is something wrong with my eyes?
He blinked several times, but nothing changed. Unable to believe the situation, Cassian couldn’t react immediately and simply stared blankly into the trunk.
Why on earth…
A small, curled-up body was heaving regularly with every breath. As children often do, his chest rose and fell rapidly due to quick breathing, yet he remained in a deep sleep, showing no signs of waking. Cassian had already experienced how oblivious this small child could be when sleeping. He didn’t know if all children of this age were like this or if Bliss was special.
But why here?
Nothing else mattered. Why was he sleeping here? How did he know Cassian was taking this car out today?
It must be a coincidence…
Just as he thought that, someone who noticed something strange stood up and approached Cassian.
“Cassian, what are you doing? Need help?”
Even when the guy arrived right beside him, Cassian remained standing frozen in place. Tilting his head, the guy followed Cassian’s gaze downward and suddenly shouted in surprise.
“Gah! What is this?”
At the sudden scream, the others, who had been laughing and chatting, rushed over in a scramble.
“What is it? What happened?”
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“What is it? What is it?”
Shouting urgently, the group quickly surrounded Cassian and, following the same process as the first guy, froze in place. The boisterous laughter and chatter vanished in an instant, replaced by a bewildered silence. Everyone remained silent, staring only into the trunk.
“Uuuung.”
Right then, Bliss whimpered in his sleep and frowned. While everyone held their breath, the child, who had been motionless, let out a soft sigh, relaxed his brow, and fell back into a deep sleep.
“So cute!”
As Eina let out a small cry, covering her mouth with one hand, comments began to pour out from all directions.
“Where on earth did this little guy come from? Is he a fairy?”
“Maybe he’s an angel. He’s so, so cute!”
“Can I hold him? This is the first time I’ve seen a kid this small.”
“Be careful. If a burly guy like you lifts him and he wakes up, he’ll be terrified and have a fit.”
“Then I’ll hold him. You guys know, right? My late-born younger sibling—I practically raised them.”
“Are you talking about your legal slave?”
“Wait, everyone calm down. Listen to me first. I said be quiet!”
At Eina’s words, the rowdy group shut their mouths. Once she confirmed that all attention was focused on her, Eina finally spoke.