Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 166: Morning Complications

The hot water was already available—surely something could be improvised?

As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Damien quickly washed up and headed to the lounge. There, Zima, who had bathed first, was already talking with Leonide.

Ah, that’s right—they had mentioned about the handover matters, so Leonide must have arrived earlier than usual.

Although Damien knew they were talking about work, seeing the two of them deep in conversation caused a slight flutter in his chest.

"Good morning, Master," Leonide greeted.

Both Leonide and Zima noticed Damien come out from his bedroom and gave him respectful bows.

"Are the Dragonewts still resting?" Leonide asked.

"Oh, yeah. I told them to take their time yesterday," Damien replied.

He’d seen them still asleep earlier when he left the bath. They had been told to relax, and since the Dragonewts weren’t exactly morning creatures, they’d probably remain asleep for a while longer.

"Zima, once the Dragonewts wake up, please prepare breakfast for everyone," Leonide instructed.

Zima nodded his head solemnly at Leonide’s words, his expression serious.

The two of them seemed capable—highly capable, in fact. Well, it wasn’t just an impression; they were undeniably competent.

"That concludes the handover," Leonide said. "From here on, please assist our Master with his daily needs."

"Finally, since you’ve now shared physical intimacy with our Master, others will perceive you as such. Any mistakes you make will reflect on Master’s dignity, so carry out your duties with that in mind."

Zima nodded his head again with an unwavering expression.

Wait, wait, wait—what!?

"W-what...?" Damien stammered.

"Is there something wrong, Master?" Leonide asked.

"...?" Zima also tilted his head, confused.

"H-how do you know about that?" Damien blurted out.

How did Leonide know that Damien and Zima had done something intimate?

There was no way he had seen it himself, so did Zima mention it while Damien was in the bath?

N-no, it’s fine. It’s not like Damien had planned to hide it anyway.

Still, he would have liked some time to prepare it mentally.

"Oh, about that," Leonide said casually. "Yesterday, Zima consulted me on how to approach you."

What?

Damien froze in shock as Zima stood beside Leonide, looking slightly embarrassed.

"So, I simply told him, ’Just go for it while he’s asleep. Keep it simple.’"

Leonide!?

Damien had so much to say, but... wasn’t that advice a little too straightforward?

"Well, it seems it worked out, so that’s good," Leonide added with a faint smile.

Zima looked genuinely pleased, bowing deeply to Leonide in thanks.

"By the way, Master," Leonide continued, his tone suddenly serious, "Lord Dalehaven will be joining you for breakfast today."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Got it," Damien replied, still too shaken from the earlier revelation to properly respond.

He needed to calm down.

Right, today was going to be busy. Damien was supposed to assist with some preparations, and the fact that Theo and the others, despite their packed schedules, would join him for breakfast must have something to do with that.

"Zima, I’ll say it again: our performance reflects directly on Master’s reputation. Do not let your guard down," Leonide said firmly.

Zima nodded back seriously, matching Leonide’s stern expression.

I’ll remember that.

"Well then, Master, I’ll excuse myself now," Leonide said, bowing deeply.

"Ah, yeah. Good luck with your work today," Damien said, trying to shake off his awkwardness.

"Thank you," Leonide replied, bowing again.

He looked straight at Damien, as if waiting for something.

Damien glanced at Zima, who was deliberately looking elsewhere.

Deciding to go for it, Damien pulled Leonide into a hug and gave him a passionate kiss, pouring all his encouragement into it.

Leonide bowed once more, looking completely unfazed, and left the lounge.

What the heck am I doing so early in the morning? Damien thought, feeling slightly exasperated with himself.

...

Damien usually ate meals with Theo.

Technically, Sebas and the other servants were present, but aside from rare exceptions, they didn’t join Damien and Theo at the table. So, it was usually just the two of them sitting together.

Facing each other at the large table made the distance feel awkwardly far, so they often ended up sitting side by side instead.

This way, they could adjust the distance between their chairs themselves, which felt much more comfortable.

Today, before Damien realized it, he had shifted a little closer to Theo.

...Maybe he felt guilty about Zima.

He resolved to find a moment when they were alone to bring it up and explain everything.

As Damien was lost in thought, Theo, who had been smiling at him warmly, suddenly spoke.

"From the looks of it, things went well with Zima, didn’t they?"

"Wha—what!?"

Damien froze. Why were his personal affairs always an open book to everyone around him?

"Oh? Well, Zima came to ask my permission yesterday," Theo explained matter-of-factly. "Ah... though I suppose that’s not something easy to explain, is it?"

It seemed that, like Leonide, Zima had confessed as well.

Damien couldn’t help thinking, Couldn’t they have told me first? But Theo was right—since Zima’s communication was mostly "yes" or "no," explaining complicated situations was hard for him.

Damien realized he needed to get better at sensing what Zima wanted to say without making him struggle.

For now, though, Zima looked embarrassed after hearing Theo’s words.

It was... kind of alluring.

"Uh... yeah... um, so, that’s what happened," Damien admitted awkwardly.

Reporting something like this to his lover always left a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Congratulations," Theo said with a bright smile.

Damien blinked in surprise. His lover was genuinely congratulating him?

Despite everything Damien had done, he couldn’t imagine himself smiling like that if their roles were reversed. If Theo ever cheated, Damien didn’t think he’d be able to respond so casually.

Theo, however, always encouraged Damien to pursue more relationships. Did he really not mind?

"With all the sudden work keeping me stuck in the estate, there’ll be times when I won’t be around much after this is over," Theo explained. "You should build relationships with others, so you’re not lonely when I’m gone."