By Zephyria 
Cassian looked at Penelope with a look of sheer astonishment. Penelope, seeing her master’s expression practically screaming, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’, patted him with a “Now, now” before opening her mouth.
“Think about it rationally, Count. It’s a fact that you slept soundly last night. You feel refreshed right now, don’t you? Your complexion is wonderful, too. You’ll be surprised if you look in the mirror. Even the dark shadows that were always under your eyes have vanished! Your body improved this much after sleeping for just a few hours; imagine if you slept for a full eight hours like other people. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Right? Yes?”
Eight hours. The moment he heard those words, Cassian felt a brief flash of ecstasy. Sleeping for eight hours? Was that even possible? He hadn’t even been able to sleep for eight minutes properly, yet eight hours… It was absurd…
Right then, Penelope whispered with devilish sweetness.
“Your headaches will disappear, too.”
Cassian’s pupils trembled violently. What Penelope had just said was not wrong at all. A morning without that wretched migraine. How beautiful. He would welcome such a life with open arms. It seemed the two problems that had dragged his perfect life into hell were finally being solved, but…
“It was just a coincidence.”
Cassian spat out stubbornly. No way. In exchange for that peanut crumb? Not a chance. As he shook his head again, Penelope placed both hands on her hips and spoke.
“That’s even better. If it was just a coincidence, you can simply let me go, and if it really worked, you can keep me by your side. I don’t think there’s anything to lose either way.”
No, you’re wrong. I absolutely cannot keep that brat by my side. He’ll just make a mess of my life again.
It was a very realistic judgment. His reason was screaming that it was absolutely impossible. And Cassian could be 99% sure that this was the right conclusion. …But despite that.
Eight hours.
And the migraines would vanish? Both of the things that had tormented him so miserably would be solved.
“Count, it’s just a test.”
Penelope, seeing right through Cassian’s conflict, tempted him with a gentle voice.
“You can kick me out anytime. Just try it for one more night.”
At those words, Cassian cast a suspicious glance at her. Penelope nodded and continued.
“Yes, just one night. It’s only a single day out of the rest of your life. Is it really such a loss to use just one day as a trial in the long time ahead? Right?”
Looking at her smiling face, Cassian realized a new fact. He hadn’t known until now that Penelope was such a master of persuasion. Anyone would be unable to resist after listening to her. And he was currently no exception.
“…One day, you say.”
“Yes, just one single day.”
At Cassian’s defeated mutter, Penelope immediately nodded. Instead of pressuring her master further, she shut her mouth and waited. He was almost convinced. In times like this, it was better to wait in silence. Excessive pressure could lead to backlash.
“…Fine.”
“I knew it!”
Having accidentally spoken her inner thoughts aloud, Penelope quickly recovered, smiling as if nothing had happened despite the frowning gaze flying toward her.
“As expected of the Count, a wise choice. You’ve thought it through well. Let’s just observe for one day.”
“…Sigh.”
It was just as he let out a deep, resigned sigh. Yawn, Bliss walked out, yawning once more. Emerging from the bathroom while scratching his bedhead, his eyes were still heavy with sleep. Bliss, who had looked at the bed as if debating whether to go back to sleep, froze in his tracks.
That’s strange, why is there someone else in my room?
Frowning, Bliss looked back and forth between Cassian sitting on the bed and Penelope standing behind him, then rubbed his eyes. It was the same even after opening them again. He stood dazed for a moment as the faces of the two people became even clearer.
…Uh.
Suddenly, Bliss’s eyes widened. Then, like a bolt of lightning, he realized the current situation.
So he knows now.
Cassian looked at Bliss with narrowed eyes. Piercing through Bliss’s mind was easier than sitting and breathing. Seeing his mouth hanging open as wide as his eyes, and his gaze darting busily between Penelope and Cassian, anyone could clearly see what was going on inside his head. What Cassian was curious about was what came next.
How that peanut crumb would handle this situation.
While Cassian and Penelope watched in silence, Bliss, who had been frozen with only his pupils rolling busily, finally fixed his gaze in one direction. Glancing toward the door, he silently began to turn his body and took a stealthy step. And the moment that foot touched the floor.
“Stop.”
As Cassian spoke in a chilling voice, Bliss let out a “Hieek!” and froze again. It was almost visible how cold sweat was pouring down his back. With jerky movements that seemed like they would make a clicking sound, Bliss turned around. His face toward Cassian was twitching due to a forced smile.
“Ye-yes?”
Hearing the trembling voice, Penelope felt a secret sense of pity. Leaving her behind, Cassian stared at him with a serious expression. The more he looked, the more pathetic he seemed, but the decision had already been made. With a sigh, Cassian roughly swept back his hair and spoke.
“Penelope.”
“Yes, Count.”
As the butler replied quickly, he spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on Bliss.
“Bring the meal. And you.”
“Ye-yes!”
Bliss answered in a start, the arrow of attention returning to him. Cassian pointed to his bed and commanded.
“Tidy up, while I wash and come out.”
Following that, Cassian stepped off the bed and walked straight toward the bathroom. Bliss, who had been standing awkwardly in front of the bathroom until then, looked up at the tall man who had stopped right in front of him in just a few steps and swallowed hard. To Bliss, who was inwardly anxious about what else was coming, Cassian spoke.
“Wait until I come out. If you run away, I won’t let you off easy.”
Gah! Leaving behind a cowering Bliss who swallowed a silent scream, he entered the bathroom immediately. After the door clicked shut and the sound of water followed, Penelope, who had been watching silently until then, rushed over and grabbed both of Bliss’s hands.
“Oh my goodness, Bliss! Oh my! You did great, you really did great!”
“Th-thank you. …But what did I do?”
He asked, still bewildered and unable to comprehend the situation, but Penelope only laughed.
“I knew this would happen. The ‘Count and Servant’ plan is progressing very well. Leave it to me from now on! Now, let’s do what the Count ordered. Bliss, you tidy the room. I’ll prepare breakfast and be right back, so don’t worry!”
“Pe-Penelope!”
Without giving Bliss a chance to speak, Penelope dashed outside. Left alone, Bliss stood blinking blankly for a moment before hurriedly starting the work he was told to do. While he cleared away the scattered wine bottles and glasses and tidied the surroundings, the sound of water continued incessantly.
“…….”
When Count Herringer returned to the room after showering and changing clothes, he froze in his tracks, speechless.
On a trolley covered with a white tablecloth, a vase with roses and breakfast were prepared. There was nothing strange up to this point. The problem was that the meal on the table was for two people. The bigger problem was the fact that the peanut crumb was sitting in one of the two chairs.
“…What is this, Penelope?”
To the master who asked without moving from his spot, Penelope replied while ostentatiously pouring black tea.
“It’s breakfast, Count.”
He was about to get angry and ask if she thought he didn’t know that, but Penelope didn’t give him the chance this time. She quickly added with a pitiful expression.
“The other servants, including myself, have already finished breakfast. We can’t let only Bli—Blair starve, who missed his meal while striving for your deep sleep, can we?”