Cassian had been the one who exposed himself, yet when he faced his mother scolding herself for having shown something inappropriate to a child, the patience he had barely been holding onto finally ran dry. Unable to endure any longer, Cassian poured out harsh words and glared at her with fierce, wide eyes. She flinched in surprise, but quickly regained her composure.
“Cassian, you have been far too rude since earlier. Lower your voice.”
At the stern rebuke, Cassian barely managed to reclaim a fragment of reason. Seeing her son bite his lower lip and suppress his temper, the Duchess continued in a calming tone.
“He must have been too happy to see you. It has been a year, has it not? He said he waited for you all that time without forgetting. What a commendable child. Bliss kept his promise, so is it not your turn to keep yours?”
Cassian was dumbfounded, yet he could not find fault in her words. If one were to trace the root of the problem, it was entirely his fault. After all, he had been the one to create this situation by saying something like “in one year.”
But who could possibly have imagined that a mere six year old would remember that and appear exactly one year later like this?
Cassian buried his distorted face in one hand and let out a deep sigh, one of many. The Duchess could only carefully steal glances at her son, sensing the depth of his anguish. They sat alone in the sitting room connected to her bedroom, and although quite some time had passed, nothing had changed.
“…Why.”
After a long silence, he finally forced the word out.
“Why did you bring that brat into the house? No, at the very least, you could have given me a warning beforehand.”
At the renewed reproach, the Duchess replied awkwardly.
“I told you, Bliss said he wanted to surprise you….”
“Even so, you should have told me. Should I not have known about this?”
When her son pressed her roughly, she eventually furrowed her brows and spoke the truth.
“If I had, you would not have come home.”
“Of course I would not!”
Cassian finally snapped, unable to suppress his rising anger. But this time, the Duchess did not let it pass.
“Cassian, remember what I said earlier. That child is a Miller. You promised you would treat him kindly, considering the relationship between our families.”
Seeing his mother point it out in a strict tone, he had no choice. Even complaining about his fate had grown tiresome. In the end, Cassian surrendered.
“Understood. But I will overlook this only this once. If he is coming next time, you must inform me in advance.”
“Yes, I understand. I will do so.”
The Duchess nodded with a relieved smile at last. Having finally passed a major hurdle, she reached for her teacup, only to frown. The tea had gone cold. She was just about to summon the butler to have it replaced.
Knock, knock.
At the sound, both Cassian and the Duchess turned toward the door. A moment later, it opened slightly, and the culprit behind all of this timidly poked his head inside.
“Bliss!”
The Duchess called his name brightly. Bliss bowed his head in greeting, then covered his eyes with one hand and spoke.
“Um, is Cassian wearing clothes now…?”
For a moment, the Duchess nearly burst into laughter without regard for her dignity. She bit her lip to contain herself, and Cassian answered instead.
“Yes, I am fully dressed. I have covered that ‘unsightly thing,’ so there is no need to cover your eyes.”
He repeated his mother’s earlier expression verbatim, his tone edged with sarcasm. The Duchess shot him a look of disapproval, brows drawn together. Yet his voice sounded so indifferent that it was difficult to tell whether he was truly mocking or simply resigned.
Bliss slowly parted the fingers covering his eyes and peered through the gap to check Cassian. Only after confirming did he grin and ask the Duchess,
“Madam, may I come in?”
“Oh, of course, Bliss. Come in.”
At her warm smile, Bliss’s entire face lit up with joy. His eyes immediately locked onto his target.
“Cassiaaan!”
With a loud shout, Bliss dashed across the room toward Cassian. His cheeks were flushed red, his arms thrown wide open, his short legs pumping with all their might, though they did not produce much speed.
What in the world had that brat been doing for a year?
Cassian watched with faint contempt as the child ran toward him at full speed, putting in every ounce of effort. Now nearly two meters tall, he had grown another five centimeters in the past year and was still growing. In contrast, Bliss had hardly changed. He was still small. Small, small, and small.
“Cassian, Cassiaaan! I missed you!”
Somehow reaching his destination, Bliss latched onto Cassian’s leg where he sat on the sofa, calling his name over and over. He wiped his tears and saliva carelessly onto Cassian’s trousers before tilting his head up to look at him.
“It is me, your friend Bliss! I came all this way to see you. I have been waiting for this day for so long!”
Cassian looked down silently at the little creature clinging tightly to his leg. The child craned his neck back as far as he could, struggling to see his face as he shouted enthusiastically.
“It was so hard waiting for a whole year. Now let us play as much as we want, even the games we could not play before!”
Then he cried out excitedly.
“Now we are really getting married and playing together every single day!”
Ah.
Seeing the round face beaming with excitement, Cassian suddenly felt as though he had glimpsed his bleak future, and his mood plummeted at once.
The atmosphere in the reception room was exceptionally warm. The Duchess smiled contentedly as she watched Bliss sitting glued to her son’s side.
“Bliss, try this as well. It was made especially for you.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
Bliss happily picked up a cookie filled with cheese. The round cookie, almost as round as his face, had Bliss drawn on it. With an impressed exclamation, he opened his mouth wide and bit into it. The Duchess, who had been watching him chew, finally spoke.
“Well? How does it taste? Do you like it?”
“Yes, it is very delicious. Thank you!”
Bliss did not forget his polite response, smiling broadly as he chewed with his mouth full. Crumbs fell onto the carpet and scattered across the sofa, yet the Duchess merely watched fondly. Cassian, observing her in silence, let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“Mother, do you not think your attitude toward your son and toward that boy is rather different?”
His smiling face might have seemed teasing at a glance. The Duchess cast him a graceful sidelong look.
“My child, you are already grown.”
She scanned him once and added again,
“Far too grown.”
It sounded almost like a complaint. Her gaze then shifted to Bliss beside her. Her lips softened into a gentle smile, and her tone became warmer.
“Bliss is small and adorable. Truly, there could not be a more lovable child. This is the first time I have ever envied the Miller family.”
The Duchess placed another cookie into Bliss’s hands as he opened his now empty mouth wide, smiling contentedly. Watching this, Cassian spoke lightly.
“You have always liked children, Mother.”
He implied that he was no longer one, but her reply was indifferent.
“You were not particularly… even when you were little. So taciturn, and when you woke up you would have grown ten centimeters.”
Cassian merely stared at her with cool eyes, saying nothing. Unbothered by his reaction, she continued smiling and directing all her attention toward Bliss. The atmosphere remained the same until the Duke, returning home late, joined them and they all finished dinner together.
“This was my room, right?”
Bliss said as he walked down the long corridor after dinner. Cassian nodded with a smile.
“Yes. Try not to get confused this time.”