Deflower 116

“Yes, he is in good health.”

At Cassian’s answer, she nodded with a satisfied expression and then turned her attention to Bliss, who had stepped down behind him.

“Bliblair looks healthy as well. I assume nothing unusual happened, right?”

Under her curiosity-filled gaze, Bliss looked up at Cassian. He was nonchalantly straightening his clothes.

Look at him, playing innocent.

Bliss thought to himself and took a sharp breath. Now. Right now!

With a fierce glare in his eyes, Bliss looked up at Cassian and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Everything is great, except for the fact that this bastard is scamming me!”

In that instant, Cassian’s hand, which had been holding his suit lapel, froze; Penelope’s eyes widened; and every single servant standing around them was struck with horror. In the midst of a silence so profound that everyone stopped breathing, only Bliss remained, huffing and puffing as he glared at Cassian.

32.

A time that felt like an eternity passed. In reality, it was only a few seconds, but everyone present would later recall it as if their entire remaining lives had passed by in that moment.

“U-um, excuse me, what on earth is…”

The first person to speak was Penelope. Though she stammered, her face clearly showing her bewilderment, the sound of her voice snapped Cassian back to his senses, and he spoke as he usually did.

“Is dinner ready?”

“Pardon? Oh, it’s only 4 o’clock… Shall I prepare it now?”

Startled by the sudden question, Penelope jumped and answered hurriedly. Cassian continued as if nothing had happened, though his face had turned exceptionally pale.

“No, bring some black tea and refreshments first. And… get some snacks for Bliblair as well.”

“Yes, yes.”

This bastard?

Seeing Penelope’s hurried response and Cassian’s attempt to quickly leave the scene, a vein popped in Bliss’s temple. But he had no intention of letting him escape. He had been sharpening this moment since last night; did he think he’d just let it slip? Not a chance!

“Stop right there, Cassian Strickland! Where do you think you’re running!”

“Bl-Bliblair! No, Blair!”

As he screamed, a pale Penelope desperately tried to stop Bliss. However, Bliss didn’t stop and continued to shout at Cassian.

“Cassian, it’s me! It’s me! I know that you know everything! Just confess visit our site[Read on Read BL Novels]already, you evil bastard! Cassian! Mmph!”

Suddenly whirling around, Cassian clamped his hand over Bliss’s mouth. While Bliss could only make muffled, frustrated sounds against the large palm, Cassian smiled and spoke.

“He seems quite exhausted, seeing as he’s talking nonsense. Penelope, bring the tea and refreshments to my room, and some for this fellow as well.”

After giving the order to the housekeeper, he added while looking down at Bliss.

“Shall we go to the room? You’ll come to your senses after some snacks and a short nap. It would be best for you to rest in my room until then.”

“Mmph, mmph, mmph!”

Bliss continued to struggle, but it was completely ineffective. Cassian easily lifted him, tucked him under one arm, and headed up the stairs while keeping his other hand over the boy’s mouth. As their master vanished in an instant, leaping up three or four steps at a time, the servants remained standing there in a daze, merely blinking.

The first to recover was Penelope. She blinked once, then clapped her hands sharply to wake the others.

“Now, now, everyone pull yourselves together. You heard the Count’s orders, right? Let’s move. I’ll brew the tea, so Mary, prepare the refreshments. The rest of you, return to your posts. Hurry! Now that the Count has returned, there is much to do, so move! Quickly!”

Under the housekeeper’s repeated urging, the servants left their spots awkwardly, still feeling bewildered. However, that didn’t mean the shocking incident that had just occurred vanished from their minds.

“Did that Yankee brat just curse at the Count?”

At the question asked by one of the servants in disbelief, another man replied with an expression of sheer absurdity.

“Exactly. You all heard it too, right? I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.”

Soon, an uproar began to break out here and there.

“How dare a rootless Yankee speak so rudely to the Count? He must be completely insane.”

“And he even called the Count by his name. I nearly fainted.”

“What would a vulgar American know? We were too kind to him, and now he doesn’t know the fear of the world.”

“You’re right, we’ve been too nice. We should have corrected his manners long ago.”

“It’s not too late. It’s time we gave that fellow some ‘education.’”

At someone’s words, everyone exchanged ominous glances. Then, another woman spoke up.

“Yes, we can’t just overlook this forever. He needs to be taught a lesson.”

“To dare insult the Count… this is an insult to all of us.”

“Right, I think so too.”

“I agree.”

“Me too, me too.”

Having reached a consensus, they looked at one another. The problem was what came next: how to punish that arrogant American.

Amidst their brief contemplation, one of them spoke.

“I have a great idea.”

---

“Aaaah!”

Bliss, who was practically thrown onto the couch, let out a scream as he landed face-down. Bolting up from the plush seat, he whipped his head around to glare at Cassian and shouted with all his might.

“You jerk! Liar! Fraud!”

“Yes, yes.”

Cassian replied half-heartedly as if he were bored, loosening his tie. Bliss was appalled to see him leisurely pacing the room, taking off his suit jacket and unbuttoning his white shirt as if Bliss weren’t even there.

“Just confess already! You know who I am!”

As Bliss stomped his feet and shouted, Cassian, who had placed his cufflinks on the side table, turned to him and spoke.

“Of course I know, Bliblair.”

“That’s not it!”

Finally, Bliss leaped up and lunged at Cassian, swinging his fists wildly.

“I’m Bliss! Bliss Miller! You’ve known all along but kept pretending you didn’t, deceiving me!”

“I never did.”

“You did!”

“I didn’t, Bliblair.”

Catching Bliss’s two hands to stop the punching, Cassian looked down at him and muttered in a low voice.

“You are Bliblair, aren’t you? The American who came to learn the duties of a butler as a distant relative of Penelope’s.”

Bliss was so flabbergasted that he was momentarily speechless. This bastard, why on earth is he holding out like this?

“Let—let go of me! Hngh!”

He struggled with all his might, but Cassian didn’t budge. Then, Bliss snapped his head forward and bit Cassian’s arm.

“Ouch! You crazy capybara!”

As Cassian shouted and let go, Bliss scrambled backward. While Cassian rubbed the spot that had been bitten [stolen [Read on Read BL Novels]content]and glared at him, Bliss shouted back, undaunted.

“Just confess! Why are you pretending not to know? Why do you keep avoiding me and pretending you don’t know when you actually like me? Why? You coward! You spineless coward who can’t even reveal the truth!”

“Because that’s the established world-building!”

Finally unable to take it anymore, Cassian shouted. Bliss, who hadn’t even finished the insults he had prepared, was momentarily bewildered by the unexpected words.

“…World-building? What does that mean?”

At the question asked with rolling eyes, Cassian turned his head away without a word. He realized he had made a mistake in a fit of anger, but he didn’t want to admit it. However, he couldn’t avoid it this time.

“What did you just say! What world-building? Explain it, now!”

Bliss continued to press him. Eventually, Cassian covered his face with one hand and let out a deep sigh. I’ve finally come to this, he thought with a sense of skepticism, but there was no helping it. In the end, he gave up and opened his mouth.

“…That.”

Before saying the next words, he had to take another deep breath. A sudden wave of fatigue washed over him, and he felt a sense of ‘whatever happens, happens.’ Right, could things possibly get any worse? Finally, Cassian swept his hair back with one hand and looked down at Bliss. Without avoiding him, staring straight into his eyes, he spoke.

“The world-building where I like you.”