Deflower Me If You Can Chapter 17

Truth be told, the reason they were walking down the corridor together like this was that Cassian, wary of the child barging into his room again, had volunteered to personally escort Bliss to his own room. The room, located not far from Cassian’s with only the corridor lined with armor in between, was the best among the guest bedrooms. His mother had clearly taken special care with it.

“Alright, we’re here.”

Cassian stopped in front of a door and turned the handle himself to open it.

“Okay. Thanks, Cassian. Good night.”

“Bliss.”

As Bliss nodded and was about to step inside, Cassian suddenly called his name.

“Huh? Why?”

Bliss looked up at him in puzzlement, and unexpectedly, Cassian averted his gaze to some random spot, looking troubled, and spoke.

“Hey, about earlier.”

“Huh?”

At the child’s puzzled blinking, Cassian felt utterly dismayed. What am I even doing right now, dealing with a seven-year-old? Overcome with self-loathing, he bowed his head and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger, then steeled himself and spoke again.

“About earlier, you know, what happened in my room.”

As he reluctantly broached the subject, Bliss tilted his head again. In the end, Cassian had no choice but to take a different approach.

“Earlier, in my room, that thing you saw. You know.”

He pointed downward with his finger and, as if urging the child to catch on, repeated “You know?” with a questioning look. Bliss tilted his head, then, a beat late, went “Ah!” and his eyes flew wide open.

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah, that.”

Just as Cassian was about to get to the main point, Bliss beat him to it and shouted.

“No, I didn’t see it! Really, I didn’t see anything!”

You saw it with your eyes wide open, frantically staring—what kind of nonsense is this?

Cassian was exasperated by the blatant lie, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. He continued calmly.

“Yeah, you didn’t see it, but I have a favor to ask. I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone about what happened earlier. …Let’s say, for instance, we keep it as a secret between you and me.”

Suddenly, Bliss’s eyes went round.

“A seeeecwet?”

“Yeah, a secret.”

Cassian nodded and emphasized it once more. Children this age are weak to the word “secret.” Sure enough, Bliss’s face flushed with excitement as he panted heavily and shouted.

“Okay, don’t worry. I never tell secrets. I’m a man!”

The child thumped his chest confidently, and Cassian finally smiled and nodded.

“It’s a promise.”

“Of course. Shh.”

As if making a vow, Bliss brought his index finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.

“Shh.”

Cassian, with a faint smile, repeated the same gesture, then held the open door with one hand and made a sweeping motion with the other, signaling him to enter. Bliss obediently stepped into the room and waved.

“Good night, Cassian. Shh.”

“Yeah, shh. Good night. See you tomorrow.”

After adding a friendly smile to his farewell, Cassian closed the door. Phew. He let out a short sigh, then turned and headed for his own room. With such earnest admonition, the kid should have understood.

Recalling the way Bliss’s eyes had sparkled with excitement at the words “secret” and “promise,” Cassian couldn’t help but chuckle. Kids really were kids, after all.

A month was long, but as his mother had said, with a few excuses here and there, he wouldn’t have to entertain him every single day. If he played along moderately, the days would pass quickly enough.

Thinking that, he walked a few steps, then stopped with an “Ah” of realization. He’d forgotten to tell Bliss that he’d come to wake him early tomorrow to go see the birds. Turning back toward Bliss’s room, the earlier scene came to mind. Thinking of the child nodding so enthusiastically, he felt he could finally understand a little why his mother found Bliss so endearing.

‘I never tell secrets. I’m a man!’

Tiny little thing, what does he know. Chuckling to himself, he turned the doorknob, and at that very moment—

“That’s enough, that’s enoooough! Between Cassian’s legs, that thing—whoa. It’s not a willy, it’s another leg. Yeah, it’s huge. The middle leg is this big!”

Of course. That goddamn brat.

Cassian felt his face burn with rage and humiliation. But Bliss, completely oblivious to Cassian’s existence—fist clenched, glaring at him from outside the door, practically ablaze—was enthusiastically flailing his arms and having a video call with his Daddy.

∞ ∞ ∞

Some secret.

Back in his room, Cassian hurled his phone onto the bed in frustration and let out a string of curses. That scatterbrained little brat. Not even five minutes—no, not even one minute had passed. He’d immediately called and blabbed.

As expected, it’s better to just get away.

He lay down on the bed, trying to sleep, and resolved: as soon as morning broke, he’d leave the castle and return to the manor where he’d been staying. Naturally, the planned bird-watching trip was canceled. He’d come back without a word anyway, so Bliss wouldn’t even know. Even if the schedule disappeared, it wouldn’t affect anything.

His mother or father would handle the aftermath. He’d done his best—well, not entirely, but he’d made an effort, and that was enough. The rest was their problem, including the Miller family who’d dumped their child on him without a second thought.

Letting out an irritated breath, he closed his eyes. He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep at all, but perhaps because of the exhausting events, or maybe the stress, Cassian soon let out a deep breath and passed out.

∞ ∞ ∞

Creeeak.

An ominous sound echoed through the quiet corridor. Carefully opening the door and poking his head out, Bliss confirmed the corridor was empty and stealthily stepped out. The dark space was so silent that even his breathing seemed to echo loudly, and for a moment he felt afraid, but he had a purpose. Swallowing hard, he cautiously emerged, stood in the dark corridor, looked both ways, and then nodded to himself with an “Mm.”

Apart from the dim moonlight streaming through the windows, not a single ray of light shone in the corridor, which stretched on like a deep cave. Mustering his courage, Bliss began walking down the same corridor he’d come through earlier.

Just a little further and I’ll be at Cassian’s room.

Whether it was because of his nap or his excitement, he couldn’t sleep. If he slept with Cassian, he’d surely rest well. Cassian’s bed was enormous—just as huge as the man himself—so if Bliss curled up in a corner, Cassian would clearly have no idea.

He’ll be so surprised in the morning!

Bliss covered his mouth with both hands and giggled. As soon as he opened his eyes, he’d suggest they play together. What should they do first? The castle was so big—hide-and-seek would be great, right? He’d hide, and Cassian would have to find him. Or he’d be the seeker—that was also fun. Cassian would be amazed at how well he could search.

There was a big tree out back—could Cassian climb trees too? It was fine; if he couldn’t, Bliss would teach him. Maybe Cassian even had a treehouse like Bliss did. Then they could go inside and play house. Bliss would be the supermarket boss, and Cassian would be the employee.

“You there, keep slacking off and I’ll dock your pay!”

He did his best to imitate a stern voice, then whispered in a hushed tone.

“I’m sorry, boss! I have a wife and kids!”

Acting out a scene he’d once seen on a drama, a wave of satisfaction washed over him. Hehe. He chuckled quietly, then started tiptoeing again.

The castle was deathly quiet. The silence was so profound it felt as though the entire world had vanished, and Bliss kept looking over his shoulder. No one was following him, but before he could even sigh in relief, a tap-tap sound made him gasp—”Eep!”—and swallow a near-scream.

Hah, hah.

Startled, he opened his eyes wide and saw it was just a branch tapping against the window. Hah. He finally managed to release the tension in his shoulders, but there was still a long way to go. Bliss steeled his trembling knees and quickened his pace. He had to get to Cassian’s room. Just get there quickly.

But making noise was scary. It felt like some unknown presence might wake up and snatch him away.

Yes—like those things over there.

Bliss spotted the suits of armor lined up along one wall and gasped, inhaling sharply. Standing in a row in the darkness, they all faced forward in identical poses. Naturally, they didn’t move an inch.