By Zephyria 
His nose tingled, and a sniffle escaped him involuntarily. Seeing Bliss sobbing, Koi panicked and took out a napkin from the car, carefully wiping the child’s face.
“Oh dear.”
Ashley let out a low sigh. Tears had pooled in Bliss’s eyes, and the child had begun to sob softly.
“What’s wrong? Did he have a bad dream?”
Flustered, Koi wiped the corners of the child’s eyes and looked at him worriedly. However, Bliss continued to cry in a half-asleep haze.
I liked him so much.
My heart hurts so much. I’ve never been this sad before. To think that the kind words, the gentle hands, and that smile were all lies.
I will never forget.
Even while sobbing, he made a vow. That bad man, I’ll never forgive him. I’ll definitely pay him back.
…Definitely.
Before long, Bliss fell fast asleep. Seeing the child stop crying and breathing softly, Koi and Ashley felt relieved. They immediately departed from England on a private jet.
21.
“…Ugh….”
It was a full day later when Cassian opened his eyes with a low groan. Feeling a languid sensation he had never experienced before, he staggered as he pushed himself up. Everything around him was simply silent. Just as he had told the servants before falling asleep—that he wanted to rest and not be disturbed until he called for them—it seemed no one had visited his room.
Including that unwelcome brat.
He instinctively looked around, but as expected, there was no one. He wasn’t hiding under the curtains, nor was he sprawled across his chest. Only after confirming once again that he was alone in the spacious room did he finally accept reality.
…I’m thirsty.
Driven by a burning thirst, Cassian slowly got out of bed and poured water from the pot prepared on the tea table. Only after drinking a full cup of lukewarm water did he seem to regain some clarity.
“…Haa.”
He let out a sigh and walked unsteadily. What happened to Bliss? Is he okay?
Before falling asleep, Cassian had heard that Ashley Miller had left the United States. And now, looking at the date on his phone, enough time had passed for everything to be over. He went to the bathroom, leaned his head over the sink, and washed his face with cold water. Exhaling a breath, he lifted his head and froze for a moment. As he stared blankly at his reflection in the mirror, the phone suddenly rang.
“Yes, Mother.”
It took a moment before he answered the phone. When he responded in a sunken voice, she asked where he was. Cassian answered without taking his eyes off himself in the mirror.
“In my room, Mother. Is something the matter?”
The Duchess grew curious at his exhausted-sounding voice.
—What is the matter with you? Are you feeling unwell? Should I call a doctor?
“No, I’m fine.”
Cassian firmly cut his mother off.
“I’m just a bit tired. More importantly, what is it? I was just about to wash up.”
—Ah… is that so?
The Duchess paused for a moment before bringing up what she wanted to say.
—Bliss was taken away by Mr. Miller and Mr. Niles. He has probably arrived back home by now.
The hand Cassian was using to brush back his hair faltered. He remained silent for a while before speaking slowly.
“…I see.”
At his indifferent reaction, the Duchess continued.
—It seems it was indeed a manifestation. If he had been conscious, I would have sent him off with a proper goodbye, but he slept through it all, so it weighs on my mind that he left like that. I never knew manifestation was like that… but since everyone in the Miller family is a trait bearer, they will handle it well. After all, we aren’t accustomed to traits….
His mother seemed genuinely regretful that Bliss had left. Cassian listened silently as she continued to grumble, and he spoke up during a brief pause.
“Mother, let’s talk later. I really need to wash up now.”
—Ah, right. Do that. Sorry for keeping you so long.
His mother hurriedly wrapped up the conversation and hung up. Once the call—which was more of a one-sided lament than a conversation—ended, Cassian put down his phone and looked forward again.
The face reflected in the mirror felt both familiar and strange. As he stared at his own face for a while, a certain fact whispered through his mind.
He’s gone.
A corner of his chest felt hollow. A bitter sigh escaped him. He wanted to be kinder to him.
He wanted to apologize for making him feel neglected.
But Bliss was gone. He might never come back. It was strange. This was clearly what he had wanted, so why did the taste in his mouth feel so bitter?
‘Cassian!’
Suddenly, he thought he heard someone calling his name, and Cassian instinctively looked behind him. But all that returned was a heavy silence. Bliss was nowhere to be found. He had left, completely.
Haa….
A deep sigh escaped. Cassian stood there with a vacant expression, unable to move. It seemed the smiling face of that lovely child would not disappear from his mind for a long time. Along with the fresh, fluttering scent that used to fill the air around him.
22.
“Uuuung….”
With a thin groan, Bliss furrowed his brows. After letting out a short breath, the child finally lifted his eyelids.
…?
Due to his blurred vision, it took a moment to grasp the situation. Bliss knit his brows and blinked several times, trying to focus. Finally, he could see the familiar faces surrounding him.
“Bliss! Bliss, are you awake?”
As Grayson shouted his name loudly, Stacy cut in from right beside him.
“Move over, get your ugly face out of the way. Bliss, are you okay? Oh my, look at those vacant eyes. I think he’s still not fully conscious.”
“Bliss’s eyes are always like that. Bliss! What is 2 times 2? Answer me!”
Grayson pushed Stacy aside again and shouted, but Stacy immediately reclaimed her spot and snapped back.
“Are you an idiot? Bliss is too dim-witted to solve such a difficult problem even when he’s sane! Bliss, look at this. How many are there? How many?”
As Stacy asked again while waving three fingers, Grayson pushed her away once more.
“I was first! Bliss, aren’t you hungry? What should I bring you? In exchange, let me smell your pheromones once.”
“You bastard, where do you think you’re cutting in line? I was first!”
“I’m first, you crazy prick!”
“Why you—!”
Eventually, the two began to scrap. In reality, it was Stacy who was swinging fists and feet, while Grayson was mostly just shouting.
“Both of you, stop it.”
With a sigh, Nathaniel pulled his siblings apart and muttered disparagingly.
“Exactly how long are you two going to keep doing this? How old are you?”
However, Grayson spat out harshly while wiping blood from the corner of his mouth.
“That brat knows I can’t hit her because she’s a girl, so she’s doing this. Does this make any sense? Does it?!”
“You can just hit me back, here. Hit me. I said hit me!”
Stacy thrust her face forward as if she had been waiting for it. A vein popped in Grayson’s temple and he raised his hand abruptly, but that was the end of it. His hand, trembling in mid-air, eventually dropped as he turned away with a curse. “Fuck!” Watching this, Nathaniel simply shook his head in disbelief.
Chase, who had been clinging to the edge of the bed watching Bliss worriedly until then, spoke up cautiously.
“Bliss, are you okay? Does it hurt a lot?”
At the fourth sibling’s question, Bliss blinked and looked at him. His mind was still foggy, but his body didn’t hurt. The part that hurt wasn’t his body, but….
It was just as he slowly placed a hand over his chest. Nathaniel, leaning over the bed, slid his hands under Bliss’s armpits and lifted him up.
“Uwah!”
Holding the startled younger sibling in his arms, he spoke with his usual indifference.
“Now that the manifestation is over, you need to wash up and eat something. Chase, you contact Father. Tell him Bliss is awake. Larien, you call Mr. Niles.”