The reason they ended up walking down the corridor together was because Cassian, wary that Bliss might barge into his room again, had volunteered to escort him to his own. The room, located not far from Cassian’s, stood across a corridor lined with suits of armor. It was the finest of the guest bedrooms. His mother had clearly gone out of her way for it.
“Here we are.”
Cassian stopped in front of a door and opened it himself.
“Yeah. Thanks, Cassian. Good night.”
“Bliss.”
Bliss nodded and was about to step inside when Cassian suddenly called his name.
“Hm? What?”
Bliss looked up at him curiously. Unexpectedly, Cassian fixed his gaze somewhere else, as if embarrassed, and spoke.
“About earlier.”
“Hm?”
At the child’s puzzled blink, Cassian felt a wave of despair. What am I even doing right now, talking like this to a seven year old? Lowering his head in self disgust, he rubbed both eyes with his thumb and middle finger, then gathered himself and continued.
“Earlier, you know, what happened in my room.”
Bliss tilted his head again. In the end, Cassian had no choice but to be more direct.
“You know. In my room. What you saw.”
He pointed downward with his finger, prompting, “Hm?” as if urging him to catch on. Bliss tilted his head once more, then a beat later his eyes widened.
“Oh, that.”
“Yes. That.”
Just as Cassian was about to get to the point, Bliss suddenly cried out first.
“No, I did not see it. Really! I did not see anything!”
You were staring with your eyes wide open. What kind of nonsense is that?
Cassian was speechless at the blatant lie, but that was not the important thing right now. He spoke calmly.
“Fine. Even if you did not see it, I am asking you. I would prefer that you not tell anyone about earlier. Let us say… yes. Let it be a secret between you and me.”
Bliss’s eyes suddenly grew round.
“A seeecret?”
“Yes. A secret.”
Cassian nodded and emphasized it once more. Children that age were weak to the word “secret.” As expected, Bliss’s face flushed with excitement, and he puffed out his breath as he declared,
“Yeah, do not worry. I never tell secrets. I am a man!”
Thumping his chest boldly, he boasted. Only then did Cassian smile faintly and nod.
“It is a promise.”
“Of course. Shh.”
As if sealing the vow, Bliss brought his index finger to his lips and made the sound.
“Shh.”
Cassian repeated the gesture with a faint smile, then held the open door with one hand and made a half circle with the other arm, signaling him to go in. Bliss obediently stepped into the room and waved.
“Good night, Cassian. Shh.”
“Right, shh. Good night. See you tomorrow.”
After even adding a polite smile to his farewell, Cassian closed the door. Letting out a short sigh, he turned and headed back toward his own room. With that much emphasis, he should have understood.
Recalling the way Bliss’s eyes had sparkled at the words “secret” and “promise,” he found himself smiling unconsciously. Children really could not help it.
A month was long, but as his mother had said, if he made various excuses, he would not have to deal with him every day. If he played along moderately, the days would pass quickly enough.
Thinking that, he had taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped with a soft “Ah.” He had forgotten to tell him that he would wake him early tomorrow to see the birds. Turning back toward Bliss’s room, the events from earlier replayed in his mind. Remembering the child nodding vigorously in excitement, he could somewhat understand why his mother found Bliss so adorable.
“I will never tell. I am a man!”
Such a tiny thing, saying that.
With a snort of laughter, he grasped the doorknob and turned it.
“That is enough, stoop it! Cassian has that between his legs, wow. It is not just a pepper, there is another leg. Yeah, it is huge. The middle leg is this big!”
Of course. That damned little brat.
Cassian felt his face burn red with fury and humiliation. Meanwhile, Bliss, completely unaware of the presence blazing outside his door with clenched fists, was flailing both arms energetically as he video called his Daddy.
What secret.
Back in his room, Cassian hurled his phone onto the bed in a fit of anger and swore. That blabbermouth brat. It had not even lasted five minutes. No, not even one. He had immediately called and bragged about it.
It really is better to avoid him.
Lying on the bed, he resolved to leave the castle at dawn and return to the estate where he had been staying. The plan to see the birds was obviously canceled. Since he had turned and left without saying anything, Bliss did not even know about it. Canceling the schedule would have no effect.
His mother or father could handle the aftermath. In any case, he had done his best. Well, not his best, but he had tried, so that was enough. The rest was their responsibility. Including the Miller family, who had pushed their son onto him as they pleased.
Exhaling irritably, he closed his eyes. Sleep did not seem likely to come, yet whether from exhaustion or stress, Cassian soon let out a deep breath and fell fast asleep.
Creeeak.
An ominous sound echoed through the quiet corridor. Slowly opening his door and poking his head out, Bliss confirmed that the hallway was empty before stepping out softly. The dark space was so silent that even breathing seemed loud. Fear flickered for a moment, but he had a purpose. Swallowing dryly, he carefully stepped into the corridor and looked left and right, then nodded to himself.
Aside from the faint moonlight filtering through the windows, not a thread of light illuminated the hallway. It stretched long and deep like a cave. Gathering his courage, Bliss began walking down the corridor they had taken earlier.
Just a little farther and it is Cassian’s room.
Whether because he had napped or because he was too excited, he could not sleep. If he slept together with Cassian, he would surely sleep well. His bed was enormous, as big as his body. If Bliss curled up in a corner, he would definitely not notice.
He will be so surprised in the morning, right?
Bliss covered his mouth with both hands and giggled. As soon as he wakes up, I will ask him to play. What should we do first? The castle is so big, hide and seek would be good. I will hide and make Cassian look for me. Or I can be the seeker. When he sees how good I am at finding, he will be shocked.
There was a huge tree out back. Can Cassian climb trees? It is okay if he cannot. I can teach him. Maybe Cassian has a treehouse like mine. Then we can go inside and play house. I will be the shop owner, and Cassian will be the employee.
“You, if you keep slacking off, I will not pay you today!”
Imitating a stern voice, Bliss then whispered quietly.
“Boss, I am sorry. I have a wife and children!”
After reenacting a scene he had once seen in a drama, a sense of pride swelled within him. Heh heh, he laughed softly and resumed tiptoeing forward.
The castle was eerily quiet. The silence felt as though the entire world had vanished, and Bliss kept glancing behind him. No one was chasing him, yet before he could even calm himself, a sharp tapping sound echoed.
“Eek!”
He swallowed his scream.
Haah, haah.
Wide eyed with fright, he realized it was merely a tree branch striking the window. Haah. He finally relaxed his shoulders slightly, but he still had a long way to go. Steeling his trembling knees, Bliss quickened his steps. Just get to Cassian’s room. If I get there quickly, it will be fine.
But making noise was frightening. It felt as though some unknown being would awaken and snatch him away.
Like those.
Seeing the armored knights lined along one wall, Bliss sucked in a breath.
In the darkness, they stood in a row, facing forward in identical poses.
Naturally, without moving at all.