Violet dropped the basket she was carrying with her. She planned to do some laundry in the morning, but as she stepped into the backyard a bizarre sight welcomed her.
The boy, about twelve years old, with ash hair and dark eyes that glowed red under certain conditions sat on the pile of abandoned boxes. He was hugging his knees and looked as if he was waiting for someone to pick him up.
Coincidentally, it was the same place the puppy appeared before.
Without a doubt, the child was no one else but the male lead of the story, Cassiel Ashford.
But what was he doing here?
Is he lost again?
According to her knowledge, he shouldn't be remembering anything about her after transforming back to his human appearance.
But the fate was truly a strange thing. An invisible, but strong bond between him and Ophelia probably made him return to the place where they met.
"Hello?" Violet asked with a shaking voice. "Are you waiting for someone? Where is your mommy?"
She tried to treat him as a lost child but quickly regretted her words. His parents already died and as a sensitive child, he might be missing them dearly, even if he doesn't show any sadness. Asking about his mother was a bad move by her.
However, the boy showed no sign of being offended by her words. He looked at the object on the ground and remembered some rather fond memories. When he was in the puppy's body, Violet would put him into the basket and carry him around. The smell of clothes was the same as hers and he liked it very much.
But now he was already too big to fit into something like this.
Misunderstanding his silence as the unwillingness to speak with her, Violet took a deep sigh. Either way, his disappearance will be discovered by the duke soon and she expects the young man to sneakily peek into the backyard where she lives again.
"What about the breakfast? Want to eat together?"
At least until Nathaniel Ashford shows himself, she will need to take care of the crazy male lead again.
Cassiel nodded and followed her into the kitchen. His eyes stopped on the top of the stove that was made into his nest for a while and a sense of loss enveloped his heart as he couldn't find the fluffy blankets anywhere. Since the puppy departed, Violet naturally cleaned the place and all the object reminding their short time together was put away.
Feeling regretful, the boy naturally sat down at the same place that he always took when they shared a meal.
Violet's mind was in turmoil as she felt very strange seeing the most problematic character being obedient and patiently waiting for a porridge to be served. She mixed the pot wondering, whether he would be able to eat the simple meal she prepared for herself.
As a puppy, he ate very well, but a human's palate was much more delicate. She wouldn't be surprised if the boy spit out everything and even threatened to kill her for daring to serve him something disgusting.
"Blow it before eating, it's still very hot," she put a bowl before him and sneakily took a glimpse to observe his behaviour. Cassiel simply nodded and did as she told him. He took a bite and swallowed it without any difficulty. Either he found the food satisfactory or he just really did a good job at forcing himself.
Judging by his appearance alone, he was on the taller side compared to other boys in the same age group. He was exceptionally cute, and her hands trembled several times as she fought an urge to touch his chubby cheek. They cuddled many times when he was still a puppy, but the same familiarity wasn't allowed right now.
Despite turning into a madman later on, the Cassiel right now looked like an angel.
She had yet to hear his real voice, but she was sure that it would turn out to be heaven's serenade.
Sensing her intense gaze, he raised his face and their eyes met. Her body told her to hide right away but something in his dark eyes caught her mind unprepared. For a moment, she felt like the reflection didn't show her current face, but that of Jae-hwa, her old self from the past life.
The image startled her so greatly that Violet flinched and overturned the cup of tea on the table.
"Ack!"
She quickly reached for a cup, but Cassiel's movement was way faster. He stopped her hand from approaching and even made her move away from the hot liquid spilt on the table.
"I'm sorry for this mess. I will clean it right away…" But before she could do anything, the boy already took out the kitchen towel and wiped her seat dry.
Violet blinked several times, not knowing how to react.
Was this really Cassiel Ashford? The yandere male lead that was interested in nothing, except the heroine?
Not only he didn't disdain her for making a mess, but he even helped her to clean.
The sudden knocking on the door interrupted the awkward atmosphere in the room. Treating it as a lifesaver, she quickly moved to the front door and flung it open, as she wished for someone to come and take the child home already.
"Your Grace!"
"M-miss Violet?! I'm sorry to disturb you so early in the morning…?"
After the disappearance of the young master, the whole castle turned upside down again, but his brother was nowhere to be found. After wrecking his mental abilities for a while, Nathaniel thought of the restaurant in the city.
Cassiel wasn't the type to willingly go into the crowded places but with no other option left, the young duke decided to rely on his luck.
He was thinking about the excuses that he would use when facing the girl but was surprised to witness her eagerness. Like she was expecting him to come, Violet swiftly pushed him to the kitchen.
And just as Nathaniel Ashford hoped, his lost brother sat behind the table, basking his face under the sun and looked like the most peaceful person in the world.