By Zephyria 
“Oh my, goodness. The child must have been very upset.”
Hiding his surprise at the Duchess’s display of genuine sympathy for the child, Koi quickly added.
“No, he’s fine now. He ate a lot of his favorite ice cream and fell asleep happily.”
Though he cried again this morning.
Recalling the earlier incident, Koi cautiously added.
“Bliss is a very kind and well-behaved child. I think he’ll act politely as long as talk about traits doesn’t come up…”
He had heard Bliss was prepared just in case, but a child’s unpredictable behavior was still hard to foresee. Thinking it was best not to provoke anything today, he let his words trail off. The Duchess readily nodded.
“Well then, there’s nothing to be done. The child’s stability is most important. You agree, don’t you?”
She asked her husband as if seeking agreement. The Duke also nodded and added his words.
“Indeed. It’s fine, there will be another opportunity.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
Relieved, Koi bowed to them in turn. The amicable atmosphere was about to continue when the one person who had been silent until then spoke.
“If it’s alright, may I tour the mansion?”
Turning his head at the sudden voice, he saw the Duke and Duchess’s son looking at him. The conversation abruptly stopped and the surroundings fell quiet. Momentarily flustered, Koi couldn’t answer immediately and hesitated. Ashley took over.
“Of course. If you need anything, feel free to say so.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
With another impeccably polite bow, he readily left the drawing room. Those left behind began talking again, but amidst it, Koi had a different thought.
Even when saying something trivial, how could he be so calm and elegant?
\ \ *
I thought I was going to die of boredom.
The moment he stepped into the hallway and was alone, Cassian frowned deeply and let out a long yawn. He had come all the way here because his father insisted they had to visit, but the schedule was truly unbearably dull. If he hadn’t found an excuse to leave, he surely would have collapsed and fallen asleep.
At least the mansion is quite decent, thankfully.
Strolling leisurely down the hallway, he thought. If he wanders around the house a bit, time will pass, and then he can go back soon.
He had heard this three-story mansion was built by Ashley Miller himself before his marriage. Among the many large mansions with no tradition or history, this one seemed quite usable. He did think it might be a bit small for raising six children, but that was only compared to the castle Cassian lived in.
The Strickland family castle, whose construction began in the 12th century and continued until most recently, housed the family head and direct lineage for generations. Currently, Cassian and the Duke and Duchess reside in the main castle, while other buildings are opened for tourism, rented out for special occasions, or used in various ways. In truth, being an old building often made it difficult to equip it with various modern facilities, so Cassian usually lived in a separate townhouse in the city or stayed in a dormitory.
Thinking that way, this might be more reasonable.
The rumor that Ashley Miller cherished his family immensely was already widespread. Like many Americans, he maintained a very family-oriented image, though perhaps there was another motive.
For instance, an interest in politics.
If that were the case, the relationship with Miller would become quite important. If Cassian harbored ambitions to enter British politics, it would be good to make a favorable impression in advance, but honestly, he wasn’t really thinking about what he should do in the future.
After all, isn’t the future pretty much predetermined? As the sole heir of the Strickland family, he would inherit all his father’s titles and wealth intact. He would meet and marry a suitable partner of matching social standing, have children, and spend the rest of his life spending the endlessly increasing money, even if he just breathed.
…Boring.
That’s when he thought it. Suddenly, a sound came from somewhere. Turning his head absentmindedly, he slowly stopped walking and listened.
…Clink, clink.
This time he heard it clearly. Very cautiously, but consecutively, it was unmistakably the sound of tableware clinking. Cassian tilted his head and moved his steps toward the sound. With each step closer, the sound gradually neared.
Strange.
Cassian thought. If a servant were doing their assigned work, they wouldn’t move so stealthily and cautiously. Someone was clearly doing something troublesome they shouldn’t get caught doing.
Either a thief had broken in, or one of the servants was doing something they shouldn’t, or if not that…
…I’m seeing things.
Finally standing before the snack bar, Cassian furrowed his brow. A little kid was standing on a chair, straining and grunting as he tried to reach a snack on a high shelf. Even stretching his utmost, he could only brush against the glass jar containing the snack, yet he strained and swung his short arms diligently. With no sign of giving up.
Is a servant’s child stealing snacks?
Cassian looked at the back of the child’s head with a serious face, lost in thought. It’s a plausible enough story. He didn’t know about the Miller household, but at Strickland Castle, there were quite a few servants who worked as families. Many had worked for the ducal family since childhood, continuing their work even after marriage, so perhaps the Miller household was similar. If so, there was no need for him to get involved and make a fuss. If he kept doing that, he’d get caught eventually anyway, and the consequences would be for the Miller household to handle.
But the child’s clothes looked rather nice for that. He tilted his head at the high-quality, branded clothes, which he didn’t think a servant would buy for their own child. Suddenly, a bad feeling arose.
Wait a minute.
Blinking his eyes, just as he was about to confirm what he had seen, a memory suddenly flashed through his mind. That back of the head looked familiar. Where had he seen it? Still frowning, he stood there when suddenly the child stood on tiptoe.
“Ugh, uuugh.”
Groaning, he stretched both arms with all his might. In that instant, the glass jar slipped. The image of the large jar rotating embedded itself in his vision like a slow-motion scene. The child, arms outstretched, couldn’t even imagine what was about to happen to him. No, perhaps he was imagining. Looking at his happily gaping mouth, he seemed to be dreaming of a future completely detached from reality.
“Wait…!”
His body moved before he thought. With just two large strides, he leaped behind the chair where the child stood and stretched his arm with all his might, snatching the glass jar just as it was about to fall onto the child’s head.
“Huh?”
The child still had his arms outstretched into the air and made a dumbfounded sound. He seemed completely unaware of what had almost just happened. Tsk, Cassian clicked his tongue briefly and looked down at the child. The child belatedly turned his head and their eyes met. The moment he saw the face, Cassian remembered. Why this kid looked familiar.
“Oh.”
It was the same for the kid. After blinking a couple of times, the child suddenly seemed to remember something, let out an exclamation, and opened his mouth wide.
“What are you doing here?”
After a few seconds of silence, the child asked with a deeply suspicious expression. At the child’s eyes, wide open to the sides like a flatfish’s, Cassian barely suppressed a laugh that almost burst out. He seemed completely unaware of what had almost happened to him just now. At the child’s reaction, which was hard to believe was directed at his life’s savior, Cassian couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his entire face and instead cleared his throat.
“Ahem, I was invited by Mr. Miller.”
Then he continued in a gentle voice.
“So you’re Bliss Miller.”
At those words, Bliss’s eyes widened in surprise.
“How did you know?”
The answer was simple.
“By looking at your eyes.”
The eye Bliss had punched with all his might the previous day was still swollen and tinged purple.