Deflower Me If You Can Chapter 8

Recalling what Koi had told him, everything fell into place. Easily overlaying the image of the child from the day before, huffing and raging at the other kids, Cassian continued.

“Is this a badge of honor?”

Bliss only furrowed his brows and stared at Cassian. Thinking he might have spoken too obtusely, Cassian said,

“I heard about it. The other boys at the party yesterday picked a fight over your eye color? And your eye got like that because you hit it yourself.”

Only then did Bliss grasp the situation. Daddy or Papa must have told him. But that didn’t mean his wariness toward the guy in front of him had softened. On the contrary, the memory of the previous day surfaced and Bliss immediately lifted the corners of his eyes.

“So? Are you going to call me stupid too?”

It was something his other brothers said to Bliss all the time. On top of that, Grayson had openly sneered at him just yesterday. One more joining in wouldn’t change anything. But that didn’t mean he’d just let himself be laughed at either. He could tolerate being called stupid, but he could not tolerate being told he wasn’t a Miller.

‘Shoot their mouth with a gun. Then no one will ever be able to spout that crap at you again.’

He couldn’t shoot a gun, but there were other ways to punish. Recalling Grayson’s words, Bliss clenched his fist.

If this bastard tells me I’m not a Miller, I’ll smash his mouth in right away.

“No, not at all.”

Bliss, who had been ready to throw a punch at any moment, faltered. As the child stood there awkwardly at the unexpected words, Cassian looked down at him and continued.

“You fought for your honor, didn’t you? Honor is important to men. It’s well worth risking your life for.”

Again, he said something unbelievable. Bliss, utterly dumbfounded, repeated his words.

“Men?”

“Yes.”

Cassian, who had readily nodded, furrowed his brow and looked Bliss over for a moment.

“You’re not a girl, I hope?”

At those words, Bliss jolted in alarm and hastily shook his head.

“I’m a man! I’m a man, I tell you!”

His cheeks, as he shouted loudly, were already flushed bright red. The words Cassian had just spoken kept circling in his head. Man! Men? A man!

It was unbelievable. Everyone always just dismissed him, calling him stupid or a runt.

“Y-you, you really mean it…?”

Bliss, his face still full of half-doubt, asked cautiously.

“You really think so? That I’m a man?”

“I told you so.”

This time too, Cassian repeated the same answer. Along with it, emotion swelled up fully in his chest, and Bliss’s breathing grew rough of its own accord. He meant it. This man truly thought so.

He acknowledged me, Bliss Miller, as a man for the first time!

“Heeyah.”

Before he knew it, Bliss had unfurled his tightly clenched fist and instead clasped both hands under his chin, looking up at Cassian. Having let out a thoroughly elated exclamation, he asked the very first person to acknowledge him as a man, his eyes sparkling.

“What’s your name?”

At the highly excited voice, Cassian answered with a smiling face.

“Cassian. Cassian Strickland.”

“I’m Bliss Miller.”

Facing Bliss, who answered immediately, Cassian burst into laughter.

“I know.”

Following the loud laughter, as he spoke with a face still full of mirth, Bliss shouted without paying it any mind.

“Let’s be friends!”

At Bliss’s declaration, Cassian hesitated. He seemed a little surprised, but soon nodded as if it were nothing.

“Alright.”

“Great.”

Having nodded vigorously in return, Bliss’s gaze fell downward. Seeing him look at the cookie jar he was holding, Cassian handed it to the child.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

Holding it with both arms, Bliss cradled the glass jar in his embrace and carefully opened the cork lid with his other hand. From inside, he pulled out a large cookie studded with chocolate chunks and held it out to Cassian just as it was.

“Take it. It’s a gift.”

Truthfully, Cassian wasn’t particularly in the mood for sweets. But seeing the child’s face, cheeks tinged pink and looking up at him brimming with anticipation, the words of refusal simply would not come out.

“Thank you.”

Having no choice but to accept the cookie and take a bite, Cassian watched as Bliss only then smiled smugly, reached into the jar, took out a new cookie, and put it into his own mouth. He opened his mouth as wide as he could, but only a tiny nick was made in the corner of the cookie. Nevertheless, the child seemed satisfied as he held up the just-bitten cookie in the air.

“Here, cheers.”

Where had he learned such a thing? Cassian was dumbfounded but played along with the child, lightly raising his cookie and lowering it again. Bliss, apparently in a good mood, brought the cookie to his mouth and started crunching away. Eating his cookie diligently without letting go of the cookie jar cradled preciously in his arms, Bliss was grinning broadly. Even when he had woken up in the morning, he never imagined such a good thing would happen.

And after he set aside two more chocolate chip cookies and, with Cassian’s help, returned the jar to the cupboard, he planned the perfect crime. Nor did he forget the final touch—the two of them slapping their palms together with a smack!

“You were here, Mr. Strickland.”

Just then, when the butler discovered them, Bliss was getting down onto the floor and Cassian was in the middle of returning the chair to its place. The butler, whose face had lit up the moment he saw him as if he had been searching for Cassian, subsequently spotted Bliss hiding behind Cassian’s legs and gave a start. Bliss, playing innocent with a straight face, spoke to the butler.

“Cassian got lost, so I was showing him the way!”

Of course, it was a lie plain as day. The butler silently stared at the cookie crumbs piled thickly around Bliss’s mouth, murmured “I see,” and then soon turned his gaze to Cassian.

“His Grace is looking for you. I shall escort you to the drawing room.”

Behind the butler, who had turned first and was walking ahead, Bliss raised his thumb toward Cassian. As if they had pulled off a slick deception. Instead of telling him the truth, Cassian simply smiled and raised only his thumb in return.

Bliss had thought he would go straight back to his own room, but unexpectedly, he followed behind them. At Cassian’s gaze, which seemed to ask what was up, Bliss declared proudly.

“Since we’re friends, I’m going to go greet your parents.”

The newly made friend had completely captured Bliss’s heart. Facing the child who kept looking up at him with a beaming smile, Cassian could only laugh in disbelief. The butler, who could have no way of knowing what had transpired between them, was baffled but simply walked on in silence, hiding that feeling.

Even as they walked, Bliss busily nibbled away at the chocolate chip cookie in his hand. He wanted to hold Cassian’s hand, but Cassian’s hand, at over 190 centimeters tall, was far too far away, so instead he stuck right to his side and walked diligently. With a thoroughly excited face, breathing roughly.

When they finally arrived at the drawing room, the butler knocked, opened the door, and stepped aside. Following the silent indication to enter, Cassian went in, and Bliss followed behind. Koi, who had turned while seated on the sofa, shot to his feet involuntarily in shock at the small shadow visible behind Cassian.

“Bliss, how on earth…”

Koi, who had happily greeted the child, faltered. Seeing that not only his lips but his entire face was smeared with dark chocolate and cookie crumbs, he hastily gathered the child into his arms and pressed the back of his head down to hide his face. He tried somehow to conceal his son’s mess of a face, but things in the world didn’t go as one wished.

“Oh my, is that child Bliss?”

At the duchess’s voice heard from behind, Koi squeezed his eyes shut. What should he do about this situation? Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but there were only two options. Either bolt out carrying Bliss as is, or…

“Ahaha.”

Breaking into a cold sweat, Koi turned toward the duchess. To make a head-on breakthrough—the remaining option.

“The child seems to have been eating a snack. Just a moment…”

Hurriedly finding a napkin and turning his back to roughly scrub at Bliss’s face, he then turned his body back toward the duke and duchess.