Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 262: Taking on the Castellani Responsibility

Now that he thought about it, they had previously talked about recruiting servants locally. And looking back, Theo’s household was full of centaur retainers and servants from his domain. It all made sense now.

"So, whether the goal is to restore the Castellani family or to fully integrate it into the Crowell family, it’s more convenient for you to hold the former Castellani territory," Theo said matter-of-factly.

Ah, that explained it.

While Damien understood the logic, the thought of gaining another estate—and the increased responsibility that came with it—made him hesitate.

"My Lord," Leonide said, noticing his reluctance, "you can think of it as simply holding the Castellani estate temporarily until Augusto is ready to restore his family. That might make it less daunting."

"Exactly," Theo added. "It’s only a temporary arrangement. Think of it as overseeing the estate while you’re looking after Augusto. It’s simply moving from being my direct territory to being under your care. There’s not much difference, really."

Was that really the case? Damien wondered.

Although he wasn’t entirely convinced, it didn’t seem as daunting as he first thought. He decided to think of it as simply safeguarding a home for Augusto to return to, as Theo and Leonide had suggested.

"In that case, we’ll proceed it with adding the former Castellani territory to the Crowell family holdings once the situation has settled," Theo said.

"Wait, what exactly do you mean by ’once the situation has settled’?" Damien asked, tilting his head. Was there really a situation that needed calming down?

"The Castellani family was just recently dissolved, so there’s still a lot of turbulence around the matter," Theo explained. "It’s best to wait until things have quieted down."

Ah, that made sense. That was definitely something worth waiting for.

"And roughly when will that be?" Damien pressed.

"It’s hard to say for certain, but it shouldn’t take too long. At the same time, it won’t be immediate either. Likely, it will happen once Augusto has settled into the Crowell family and most of the Castellani retainers have gathered under your care."

"I see. Got it," Damien replied with a nod.

But another thought occurred to him—a potential issue.

"Wait a minute. I’ve been thinking about how this arrangement benefits us, but what about Augusto himself? If I formally adopt him, won’t he lose the Castellani name and become a member of the Crowell family? Would that be okay?"

"That’s actually not a problem at all," Theo replied calmly. "The Castellani name has been tarnished by their attempted rebellion. It’s arguably more advantageous for him to adopt a new identity under the Crowell family name. Honestly, the real challenge would arise if we tried to restore the Castellani name outright."

"I see... But what if Augusto has some attachment to the Castellani name?" Damien asked.

"He doesn’t," Theo said firmly. Then, softening his tone, he added, "Well, saying that outright might be a bit harsh. There may be a few people who care about the name, but it’s unlikely to be a significant issue."

"At the very least, the head of the family doesn’t care about such things. What’s more important is ensuring the household’s retainers and servants don’t scatter," Theo said in a firm tone.

Damien nodded. He agreed with the sentiment, though he couldn’t help but think that Theo’s overly serious nature sometimes made things feel rigid.

Still, it wouldn’t hurt to hear what Augusto thought about it.

With his main questions answered, Damien glanced at his retainers. Leonide took the opportunity to ask some practical questions, which Damien relayed to Theo for confirmation.

In the end, their discussion stretched long enough to overlap with lunch. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

After thoroughly reviewing all the potential issues and questions, Damien concluded that there didn’t seem to be any major obstacles.

Helping Theo was worthwhile, and it also provided a place for Caius and the others from the Castellani household to find new employment. It would support Augusto’s eventual restoration of the Castellani family, and it might even make it easier for Damien to retire from his position as baron in the future.

Aside from the practical challenges involved, it all seemed like a win-win situation.

Of course, Damien knew reality rarely went so smoothly. Even so, he felt confident enough to take on Augusto’s case.

When he shared his decision with Leonide and the other three retainers, they nodded with confidence, their expressions brimming with pride and determination.

They truly were dependable retainers.

"So, shall we move forward with the Castellani matter?" Theo asked for final confirmation.

"Yes, the Crowell family will take this on," Damien replied, nodding resolutely.

With the strength and support of his beloved, reliable retainers, he was sure they could handle it.

"In that case, I’ll bring Augusto from his current guardianship tomorrow," Theo said.

"Wait, tomorrow? Isn’t that a bit soon?" Damien blurted, startled.

...

After tomorrow’s meeting, everyone spent a bit of time chatting.

As it got close to bedtime, they decided to wrap things up for the day.

"Good night, Damien."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Theo," Damien said.

He shared a goodnight kiss with Theo before seeing him off to his room. Then, he kissed Leonide, Lysander, Lucian, and Zima before they each returned to their own rooms.

Yor, who had stayed up late to help Zima, had reached his limit a little while ago and gone to bed first.

"Master, may I assist you with your bath?"

"Sure, thanks."

Damien held Lorenzo’ hand as they headed toward the bathroom.

It seemed like tonight’s plans would begin after the bath—or perhaps even in the bath.

Yesterday, a surprise visit from Elyric had led to a slight delay in their usual routine, so tonight, Damien was ready to go all out.

Well, he always seemed eager, but that was beside the point.

Tonight, he was determined to spend some sweet, intimate time with the adorable Lorenzo.

He chuckled to himself at the thought.

But then... what?

As Lorenzo carefully dried him off after their bath, Damien’s mind was spinning with confusion.