Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 278: Augusto’s Trauma

Isaac spoke with the pride of someone describing their own child or grandchild.

"However, he was also a little too spirited for his own good, which sometimes made him a bit of a handful," Isaac added with a chuckle.

Miria who ks sitting nearby, smiled fondly as well.

To be loved so much by the household staff, Damien thought, Augusto must be a truly wonderful person.

Theo had also mentioned he was a sweet and adorable boy.

Yes, well... Damien couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of anticipation.

He spent the rest of the ride listening to stories about Augusto’s mischievous adventures, each one making him more eager to meet the boy.

When they arrived at the estate, Damien prepared himself for the meeting with Augusto.

Dressed in his finest clothes, he waited alongside Theo for Augusto’s return.

They had been told he would be back before dinner, but the hours stretched on, and there was still no sign of him.

Damien, Isaac, and Miria had already changed clothes, and dinner itself had come and gone.

Yet Augusto and Theo had yet to return.

"Still not here..." Damien muttered, glancing toward the door.

Damien found himself muttering the same thought for what felt like the hundredth time.

Perhaps Theo and Augusto had been delayed by a warm reception, but when plans run late, it often signaled something bad.

The unease wasn’t his alone.

Isaac, Miria, and the rest of the Crowell household all wore worried expressions.

Just as another anxious voice was about to break the silence, the door opened, and Tis’a who is guarding the door entered the room.

"Master Damien, Lord Theo has returned," Tis’a announced.

Finally.

Damien instinctively started to stand up, ready to greet them, but restrained himself.

As the head of the Crowell household, and the one entrusted with Augusto’s care, it was more appropriate to wait in the designated reception room.

"Thank you, Tis’a. When they come here, please show them in."

"Understood," Noin replied with a bow before exiting the room.

Now that the moment was approaching, Damien’s nerves began to intensify.

Why had they been so delayed?

He hoped it was for a good reason, but the uncertainty only added to his tension.

All he could do now was wait for Theo and Augusto to arrive.

Still no sign of them.

Three full hours had passed since Damien was told they had returned.

The night was creeping closer, and bedtime wasn’t far off.

Perhaps they were busy tidying up or getting dressed, but the delay was excessive.

If tonight’s meeting were to be postponed, surely Theo would have sent word.

What could be going on?

The atmosphere in the room was thick with unease.

People exchanged whispers and nervous glances.

Even Isaac and Miria, who initially maintained stoic expressions, were now visibly distressed, fidgeting and pacing.

Their worry was palpable, and it only made Damien feel worse.

He began to consider breaking protocol and going to Theo himself.

Was it time to find out what was happening?

Just as Damien decided he might need to act, the door opened.

Tis’a entered, followed by Theo, Sebas, and another figure.

The one stepping forward at Theo’s encouragement had to be Augusto.

He was a boy with short, bright chestnut hair, skin tanned from the sun, and a face that balanced between cute and handsome.

He stood slightly taller than Damien, and being a Human, his height was likely average for his kind.

From the descriptions he’d heard, this was undoubtedly Augusto Van Castellani.

However, something was... off.

"Damien, this is Augusto Van Castellani, the boy I am entrusting to your care," Theo said formally. Then, turning to the boy, he added, "Augusto, this is Lord Damien Crowell. Please greet him."

Augusto, however, merely glanced around the room nervously, his gaze darting everywhere except toward Damien.

"Augusto, give your greeting," Theo prompted again, his tone still gentle.

"Yes! I-I’m so sorry! Forgive me! I’m sorry!" Augusto stammered, bowing repeatedly and speaking only to Theo.

This... What was happening?

Damien shot a glance at Isaac and Miria, who both looked equally dumbfounded.

"Augusto," Theo said again, his voice soft but firm. "You don’t need to apologize to me. Greet Lord Damien."

"Y-yes! I’m so sorry!" Augusto finally turned to Damien, clearly struggling.

However, the moment their eyes met, Augusto quickly averted his gaze, looking downward and slightly to the side.

He fixed his eyes on the floor, his voice shaking as he spoke.

"I-I am Augusto Van Castellani. I deeply apologize for the trouble I have caused everyone here. I will atone for my parents’ sins with all my heart and soul, so I humbly ask for your forgiveness and mercy..."

He delivered the words in a rushed, breathless stream, then bowed deeply and remained in that position, refusing to lift his head.

This wasn’t the Augusto Damien had expected.

The vibrant, lively, even mischievous boy Isaac and Miria had described was nowhere to be found.

Instead, Augusto seemed perpetually nervous, his eyes darting around, devoid of even the faintest smile.

Damien glanced at Theo, seeking answers.

His expression was pained as he watched Augusto, concern etched deeply into his face.

What had happened to this boy?

...

For the time being, it was decided that Augusto would stay in Isaac and Miria’s care and rest in his assigned room for the night.

Until Damien’s personal residence was completed, Augusto was set to stay in the room next to Damien’s.

That part of the arrangement was as planned, but the situation itself was anything but normal.

A sense of urgency hung in the air as everyone gathered around the table for an impromptu meeting.

"So, Theo," Damien began directly, knowing there was no point in beating around the bush. "Augusto’s behavior is completely different from what Isaac described. What’s going on?"

Theo didn’t try to soften his answer. "To be blunt, it seems he was treated in a manner close to abuse at the household where he was placed."