Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 192: Shared Laughter in the Drawing Room

Still, with this bracelet, Damien was sure that Caius wouldn’t get into trouble for bringing him along. That worry, at least, was now behind them.

Now, all that was left was to kill some time until the meeting.

Damien decided to plan for the next outing with Caius.

As the two of them brainstormed ideas, a knock came at the door.

"Enter," Caius called out.

"Pardon the interruption," said a servant as they stepped inside. "The arrangements for your meeting with Lord Theo are complete. Please proceed to the drawing room."

"Understood. Inform my mother that I’ll be there shortly."

Caius’s tone carried the same haughty air as always.

Damien had come to see this as one of Caius’s endearing quirks. After all, the overly polite way Caius had spoken to Elyon earlier had felt so unnatural. This was much more like him.

With a faint smile, Damien reached out and ruffled Caius’s hair.

"W-what are you doing?!" Caius exclaimed, pulling away.

"Oh, sorry. Just felt like it," Damien replied sheepishly.

Caius swatted his hand away, leaving Damien disappointed.

"Well, time to head to the drawing room," Damien said, brushing off the moment.

The only problem was, he had no idea where the drawing room actually was.

Come to think of it, Caius’s guards still hadn’t returned. Were they still searching the garden? Although Ithnan seemed to be in contact with Thalatha, Damien couldn’t help but wonder if communication might be an issue. After all, Svetozar couldn’t speak their language.

"Let’s go to the drawing room," Caius commanded.

"Huh? What about the guards?" Damien asked.

"Waiting for them is a waste of time. It doesn’t matter whether they’re here or not; we’ll go on our own."

Is that really okay? Damien wondered but decided to follow Caius’s lead. He was the subordinate, after all, and it wasn’t his place to question the boss.

Trailing behind Caius, Damien couldn’t help but feel that skipping out on their guards might be considered a major blunder. Still, if anyone got scolded for it, it wouldn’t be him. He just hoped no one would bear a grudge over it later. Caius’s family seemed like the type to engage in petty retaliation.

As they walked down the hall, Damien noticed some servants pausing in surprise when they saw Ithnan and the others. While most lowered their heads and froze in deference as soon as they saw Caius, a few servants stared openly, unable—or unwilling—to observe proper etiquette.

It’s not exactly comforting, Damien thought. While the lack of rigid formality might sound appealing in theory, it left him with an unsettled feeling.

Lost in thought, Damien followed Caius until they arrived at a set of grand double doors, flanked by guards. This must be the drawing room.

As expected, Caius strode up to the doors, and the guards snapped to attention, saluting him. One guard glanced at Ithnan and the others before addressing Caius.

"Lord Caius, who are these people accompanying you?"

"They are the subordinates of my knightly escort. Pay them no mind and let us in," Caius replied curtly.

"However..."

The guard hesitated, clearly uneasy about allowing Ithnan and the others into the drawing room.

While Damien could understand the hesitation, he couldn’t help but marvel at the bracelet’s effect. Despite his mismatched, oversized clothing marking him as a stranger, the guard didn’t seem to think twice about him.

Elyon’s magical bracelet was nothing short of extraordinary.

As Caius and the guards argued with a tense exchange of "Let us in!" and "But—," the door opened from the inside.

A female servant poked her head out and whispered something to the guard.

Though Damien couldn’t catch all of it, he thought he heard her say, "The mistress has instructed you to let them in quickly."

The guard, looking reluctant, finally stepped aside from the doorway.

"Hmph, I told you to hurry up and let us in!" Caius snapped.

"Boss," Damien said softly, "the guards didn’t do anything wrong. They’re just doing their job."

"...Ahem. Well, good work on your duties," Caius amended awkwardly after glancing at Damien’s disapproving expression. "Keep up the effort."

The guard blinked in surprise but quickly saluted sharply.

Caius strode through the door that the servant held open. Damien followed, giving the guard a polite nod before stepping inside.

The moment he entered, a sharp, shrill voice echoed through the room, making Damien flinch.

"What are you doing?! Why are you so late?!"

"...My apologies, Mother," Caius said, bowing his head toward the black-haired woman glaring at him from a chair.

So that’s Caius’s mother, Damien thought.

She shared the same black hair and dark horse-like ears as Caius, and her facial features bore a faint resemblance to his. She looked much younger than Damien had expected and was strikingly beautiful, but there was a sharp, irritable energy about her. Of course, that might have been because she was currently berating Caius.

We weren’t that late, though, Damien mused.

As he observed her, Damien suddenly felt the weight of several intense stares. Looking around, he realized that everyone on the opposite side of the room—including Theo and even Sebas—was staring at him with wide, astonished eyes.

Looked, even the ever-composed Sebas had raised his eyebrows in surprise.

The contrast between the tension in the room and their dumbfounded expressions struck Damien as absurdly funny. He barely managed to suppress a laugh.

"...?" Caius, noticing Damien’s stifled amusement, followed his gaze toward Theo and the others. The sight of their quickly masked surprise made him laughing audibly.

"What are you laughing at?! Pay attention and take this seriously!" Caius’s mother barked at him.

Startled, Caius ducked his head apologetically, though his shoulders shook because he was trying to hold his laugh.

"Stepmother," Theo interjected in a calm and soothing voice. "Caius wasn’t late at all. Please, Caius, take a seat."

"Pfft!" This time, Damien couldn’t hold it in.

He couldn’t help it—the contrast was too much. Theo had spoken so gently, yet the same people who had been openly gawking a moment ago were now wearing perfectly neutral expressions as if nothing had happened. The sudden switch was hilarious.

"...Pfft!" Caius, catching Damien’s reaction, laughed again, a delayed echo.

"Caius!"

"Stepmother, please, calm yourself," Theo said, attempting to mediate.

As Caius’s mother continued to scold and Theo tried to pacify her, Damien and Caius, both trembling with suppressed laughter, quietly took their seats.

Under the table, their hands met in a subtle clap.

A silent acknowledgment of their shared amusement: their little prank had been a success.