By Zephyria 
By the time they arrived at the ancient castle where the party was being held, the sun had set, and the sky had turned an even deeper shade of black. Bliss felt inwardly frightened by the movement of the gloomy clouds, which were reminiscent of a horror movie.
“What’s wrong?”
Cassian, who had been stubbornly staring out the window without saying a word until then, asked with a furrowed brow. Bliss hesitated before cautiously speaking up.
“Oh, it’s just… the sky is a bit scary…”
At those words, Cassian glanced at the sky beyond the window and let out a short laugh. He really is a child, reacting like that to a mere natural phenomenon. He suddenly wondered if primitive humans living in caves long ago had been the same, and when he looked beside him, he saw Bliss curled up tight, blinking his wide eyes.
I don’t think there’s that much of a difference in intelligence.
“Those are just clouds; there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Cassian said indifferently. Just then, the car came to a stop, and the servants who had been waiting immediately approached to open the doors.
Huh?
Before they could, Cassian opened the car door himself and stepped out. Bliss wasn’t the only one surprised by this unexpected action. The servant who had been coming to open Cassian’s door stopped in confusion, and everyone around looked at him bewildered. To open the door and exit personally without waiting for a servant in a situation like this—what could be so urgent?
Everyone stared at Cassian in a daze, but he strode forward, reaching the opposite door of the car in just three or four steps. It had only been two or three seconds, but he gently pushed aside the servant who had hesitated in surprise at the Count’s sudden behavior, opened the door himself, and held out his hand to Bliss.
“Come on, get out.”
His face was expressionless and his voice low, as usual, but it was enough to make Bliss’s eyes widen. Could it be… for me…?
Half-doubting the unbelievable fact, Bliss took his hand, and Cassian leaned down to escort him so that he could exit the car more easily. Once his feet touched the ground, Bliss realized that everyone standing around was watching them. Bliss’s face instantly flushed, but Cassian showed no particular reaction.
“Hold on.”
Bliss was surprised once again when he saw Cassian bend his arm and offer it to him. I knew he had a crush on me, but to go this far!
It felt as if his heart were becoming moist with emotion. With a wide, goofy grin, Bliss placed his hand on Cassian’s arm. Cassian then turned forward and began to walk. As he followed Cassian’s pace inside, Bliss noticed that Cassian was walking slower than usual.
Maybe he’s matching his pace to mine?
At that moment, another wave of emotion surged through him. Bliss looked up at him with sparkling, moist eyes and murmured.
“Cassiaaan….”
At that, Cassian, who had been walking straight ahead, furrowed his brow and looked down at him. Oops. Realizing his mistake, Bliss hurriedly laughed it off.
“A-a cat! There’s a cat over there!”
As Bliss hurriedly pointed in one direction, Cassian glanced that way and clicked his tongue. Is he just letting it slide? Bliss, who had been inwardly anxious, let out a small sigh of relief as Cassian continued to walk forward. He must not have heard me properly. Thank goodness.
As Bliss took a deep breath, vowing to be more careful in the future, Cassian cast a brief glance at him and thought to himself.
He doesn’t even have the intelligence to deceive others, so why does he insist on making things hard for himself?
Cassian couldn’t fathom why Bliss had suddenly appeared before him after ten years, hovering around and using shallow tricks. Seeing how he had even dragged Penelope into this, it seemed he had told some grand lie. He couldn’t understand the motive that had made an old and experienced butler fall for it completely. This capybara couldn’t possibly be that smart.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter.
Cassian thought as he gazed at the host of the party, who was approaching them with a welcoming expression. Because it will all end today anyway.
“Oh, Count Herringer. Thank you for coming; I have been waiting for you.”
After exchanging a handshake with an exaggerated greeting, Baron Tammon turned his gaze toward Bliss. Seeing Bliss tense up under a curious gaze that seemed to be waiting for an introduction, Cassian spoke.
“Thank you for the invitation, Baron Tammon. This is a distant relative of an acquaintance of mine.”
Huh?
Bliss looked up at Cassian in shock. That’s it? A distant relative of an acquaintance?
Not the person I love?
An earthquake was occurring inside Bliss’s head, but Cassian remained perfectly calm. He continued to look at the Baron and spoke nonchalantly.
“I brought him along for the experience since it was a good opportunity. I ask for your kind consideration.”
Then Cassian looked down at Bliss. Maybe? As Bliss’s heart pounded with secret anticipation, Cassian spoke with a faint smile.
“This is Bliblair.”
This bastard!
For a moment, Bliss’s face turned bright red. Baron Tammon tilted his head, then laughed.
“Bliblair? What a peculiar name.”
Bliss wanted to smack Cassian, but the Baron was watching them. Facing the Baron, who was waiting with his hand extended for a handshake, Bliss had to use all his strength to suppress the explosion of rage in his chest.
“I-I look forward to meeting you. Thank you for inviting me to the party.”
He forced a smile and pulled his hand away from Cassian’s arm to shake hands, his cheek practically twitching from the effort. When he delivered the greeting Penelope had taught him in advance, the Baron nodded and gestured inside.
“Please, enjoy the party.”
Glaring at Cassian’s back with narrow eyes as he entered first, Bliss thought, Why did that guy say we’re just acquaintances? Didn’t he bring me here to make a public declaration?
I was planning to reject him on the spot and humiliate him.
Thinking that far, Bliss realized, Ah, he gave up in advance because he thought I wouldn’t accept him.
What a defeatist. Giving up before even trying.
Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll just have to be more broad-minded and wait for him. They say love and sneezes can’t be hidden. It’s only a matter of time before he surrenders…
Having made that resolution, Bliss looked up, and his mind instantly went blank. The massive hall, where people were gathered in small groups, was shining so brightly that it made one forget it was already dark outside. Several huge chandeliers were hung at regular intervals, and because of the bright lights throughout the walls, even the shadows were faint. Plentiful food and drinks, people in glamorous clothes chatting, and even an orchestra playing music. Bliss instinctively let out an exclamation of admiration at the peaceful and luxurious atmosphere, where one wouldn’t notice even if a war broke out outside the castle.
It’s exactly like what I saw in dramas!
To think he had entered a classic drama featuring nobles—he never imagined such a dream-like thing would happen.
The shock and confusion he had felt because of Cassian moments ago vanished instantly, and his heart swelled. It’s wonderful! Truly wonderful!
Letting out a gasp of “Wow,” Bliss clasped his hands together and frantically scanned the crowd before slowly turning his head to look up at Cassian. Their eyes suddenly met. When Cassian, who had been watching Bliss until then, paused, Bliss looked at him with eyes more sparkling than ever, colored with emotion, and said,
“Thank you for bringing me here, Count.”
Cassian didn’t say anything for a while. The two simply looked at each other in silence. It was a short moment of only a few seconds, but for some reason, it felt very long to Bliss. Because of that, when Cassian broke eye contact and looked away, Bliss felt a strange sense of emptiness.
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
Muttering in a voice lower than usual, Cassian suddenly raised a hand. A passing waiter immediately changed direction and approached him. When the waiter lowered the tray to a convenient height, Cassian picked up a glass and held it out to Bliss.
“Drink.”
Just as he was about to take it instinctively, Penelope’s words suddenly came to mind.
‘You must absolutely not drink alcohol!’
The drink Cassian was holding was a beautiful, transparent red. Seeing the fruit in it, it could have been ordinary juice, but the drink he had gotten drunk on last time also had plenty of fruit in it…
Seeing Bliss hesitate and unable to take the drink readily, Cassian said,
“It’s okay, this one is non-alcoholic.”
It was as if he had peered right into Bliss’s mind. As a surprised Bliss widened his eyes, Cassian took his hand to place the cup in it and continued, pointing in another direction.
“That cake has alcohol, so don’t eat that. Those cookies over there have whiskey too. That one, this one, and also over there….”
As he spoke, Cassian saw Bliss’s expression and changed his approach.
“Just stay by my side and tell me if there’s something you want to eat. I’ll let you know.”
“Okay.”
Bliss finally nodded and gave a goofy grin. Cassian took a cupcake from another staff member’s tray and held it out to Bliss. Feeling suddenly playful, instead of taking it, Bliss opened his mouth and took a bite—chomp. Seeing this, Cassian furrowed his brow, but Bliss just continued to munch on the cupcake, beaming innocently.
“Honestly, you…”
Cassian clicked his tongue briefly and used his thumb to brush away a bread crumb from the corner of Bliss’s mouth. When Bliss looked up cautiously, Cassian’s long eyes were softly curved. Under his gaze, looking down at him with a faint smile, Bliss felt strange. A peculiar fluttering was felt somewhere deep in his chest. His fingertips tingled, and his cheeks felt itchy.
Suddenly, a childhood memory surfaced. Cassian had always indulged Bliss’s whims. Without ever getting angry, always smiling…
‘Bliss.’
“Cassian.”
Bliss snapped back to reality at the sudden voice. Following Cassian, who had turned around first, Bliss shifted his gaze, and his mind instantly went cold. A tall beauty was walking toward them, pushing through the crowd. That person is…
“Eina.”
Cassian called her name and turned his body. Bliss stared with a dumbfounded expression at the back of the man who had now completely turned his back on him.