By Zephyria 
Cassian froze for a moment, but Bliss, completely oblivious, brought a potato to his mouth and spoke.
“I wish we could get married soon. Right?”
Munching happily on the potato, he suddenly stopped chewing and cast a slow, meaningful glance.
“You can’t play with anyone else but me. If you cheat, you’ll go bald.”
“Cough!”
Cassian, who had been drinking beer, suddenly choked. Everyone froze, eyes wide, staring at Bliss. Unbothered, Bliss issued a fierce warning to Cassian, who was hurriedly wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I’ll hit your dick, too. That’s what you do to people who cheat.”
“Ha… Bliss, you shouldn’t say things like that.”
Cassian placed a hand on his forehead and reasoned with Bliss.
“You can’t talk like that, okay? You have to use pretty words.”
“Huh?” At Cassian’s repeated insistence, Bliss, who had been knitting his brows with a thoroughly mischievous expression, paused to think.
“Okay.”
“Good boy.”
As Cassian stroked his hair in praise, Bliss spoke.
“All your hair will cross the rainbow bridge, and your great weapon will get an illness. So you have to play only with me, okay?”
Without a word, Cassian took his hand off Bliss’s head and brought the beer to his lips. His face was full of turmoil, but Bliss didn’t care and clung tightly to his side, starting to eat sausages again. While Cassian drank in silence for a while, one of the guys spoke to him.
“Cassian, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Why?”
As Cassian was about to get up, Bliss stepped forward aggressively and asked.
“No! Cassian is mine. He’s going to marry me. He only plays with me!”
Seeing the boy cling to Cassian’s arm with both arms, throwing his whole body into it, the friend blinked in bewilderment.
“Uh, Cassian…?”
Cassian gave a light wave of his hand to the friend, who was looking at him with an awkward smile, and then looked down at Bliss.
“What is this? You should eat cleanly. Does anyone have a napkin or something?”
At that question, Eina, who had been watching the situation, took out a handkerchief and held it out. The standing friend quickly took it and passed it over, and Cassian wiped Bliss’s face, saying:
“Be careful not to get it on your mouth. Lift your chin, there we go.”
After meticulously wiping every spot and checking the face from different angles, Cassian nodded.
“There. I’ll be right back, so stay here, okay?”
“I want to go too!”
“I said I’ll be right back.”
Cassian pressed down on his head to keep him from standing up and immediately left with his friend. Bliss tried to chase after him in a hurry, but it was utterly impossible with his short legs. After failing in just a few steps, Bliss returned to his seat with a massive pout. Seeing this, one of Cassian’s friends gauged the mood and cautiously spoke to him.
“Uh, hey. Want to eat this? They’re potato chips.”
Bliss, sitting there with a puffed-out face, glanced at the snack bag and plunged his hand in, grabbing a handful. After eating the chips with a loud crunch, the child pushed his hand back into the bag as soon as it was empty. Seeing this, the other guys approached one by one, showing interest.
“Bliss, drink this too. It’s cold, I just took it out.”
“Do you have any allergies? Are peanuts okay?”
“Bliss, how about a cookie? It’s really delicious, try it.”
“Want more potatoes? Should I grill more sausages?”
The guys held out things from all directions, waiting for Bliss’s choice. Bliss remained sitting with his pout, but inwardly, he didn’t feel too bad. Clearing his throat with a hem, he silently opened his mouth and took bites of the snacks they held. Cola, pass. Cookie, pass. Potatoes, he’d already had those.
…?
The moment Bliss popped the next snack into his mouth, he froze. As a pungent smell spread through his mouth, he glared at the man with intensity. The man laughed loudly and scratched the back of his head.
“No, it’s just cheese. It’s actually pretty good cheese…”
“Ptui!”
Without hesitation, Bliss spat the smelly cheese onto the ground. At the child’s reaction—staring him down with eyes like an axe—the man retreated with slumped shoulders, and the other guys began to chatter, surrounding Bliss.
“Aren’t you cold? There’s a blanket here.”
“How long has it been since you came to England? Have you been at the Duchy the whole time?”
“Your father is really Ashley Miller, right? It’s amazing that a cute kid like you came from someone like… no, just saying.”
“But how did you think of coming all the way here? And hiding in a trunk, no less.”
At that question, Bliss rinsed his mouth with water, lifted his chin, and answered proudly.
“Wherever Cassian goes, I go.”
“Oh, right. Since you’re getting married.”
As someone spoke with a hint of laughter in their voice, another voice followed.
“But… is it for real? Is Cassian really engaged to this little kid?”
It was common for pairs to be decided from a very young age through family agreements. The Miller family and the Duchy—it was a plausible combination.
The only question was the age gap; it was simply too large.
“How did it end up like that? Don’t tell me Ashley Miller brought it up? Seriously?”
The last part was addressed to the other friends. Everyone shared the same doubt, and similar reactions of tilting their heads followed from all over. It was somewhat possible for Ashley Miller to bring it up. Dominant Alphas are not in their right minds. However, the part where the Duke accepted it made no sense. Above all, isn’t Cassian a Beta? A same-sex partner for the sole heir who must carry on the family line—could this really be called a strategic marriage for the family?
They probably couldn’t believe everything the child said.
It was only natural for everyone to think this.
However.
“I’ve never seen Cassian take care of anyone like that before.”
Following someone’s mutter, another voice immediately followed.
“Right? I was surprised too.”
“Come to think of it, he used to find kids incredibly annoying. I never imagined he’d be so good with a child.”
As Cassian’s friends exchanged words, Bliss’s puffed-out face gradually relaxed, and his lips parted.
“…Really?”
“Huh?”
The attention of the guys, who had been chatting among themselves, shifted simultaneously to Bliss. Bliss asked again, his heart pounding.
“Is it true that Cassian is only nice to me? Do you all think so?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah…”
Though bewildered, the friends each nodded. Seeing them agree with his words, albeit hesitantly, Bliss became completely delighted.
“Reaaaally?”
It was just as his mouth opened wide in triumph.
“What are you all doing?”
At the sudden voice from behind, Bliss immediately turned around and beamed. Cassian was walking toward them. Seeing him, Bliss leaped up and ran to him.
“Cassiaaan!”
Cassian was bewildered by the sight of the child running toward him with arms wide open, shouting “Kyaa!” in excitement. What’s with this kid? Did he cheer up already? Despite his confusion, Cassian leaned down, scooped Bliss up into his arms, and strode forward.
“What did you do? Was there any trouble?”
As he looked around, wondering ‘Why is this kid acting like this?’, everyone just blinked with dazed expressions. Just as he thought something was odd, Bliss spoke.
“I waited very quietly, right?”
As if seeking confirmation, Bliss looked back. The guys watching him paused for a moment, then scratched their heads, saying, “Uh, yeah.”
“He was really quiet.”
“He waited for you the whole time.”
“Hey, where do you wander off to, leaving your fiancé behind? Do you know how much Bliss missed you?”
“You jerk! How could you leave your fiancé lonely? You’re a bad guy.”
As they spoke, the awkwardness seemed to vanish, and jokes began to fly. Feeling pathetic, Cassian simply shut his mouth. He looked away from the noisy group and looked down to see Bliss gazing up at him.
“See, I listened well.”
Bliss’s face, as he giggled, was flushed with a deep glow.