Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 281: Secrets in the Night

"And to elaborate further, Damien also has four additional Dragonewt lovers not present here, a Rabbit Men, my younger brother, and two elves."

"The two elves may occasionally come into the room unannounced, so please be mindful of proper decorum," Theo continued.

This time, Isaac’s eyes widened in shock at his words.

...At this point, Damien could only resign himself to his fate.

Apparently, the concept of privacy was non-existent for him.

Well, it was true that Isaac needed to know these things.

After all, Elyon and Elyric could be unpredictable if their moods soured, and then there was Caius... wait, what?

"Theo, don’t you think including Caius is a little bit too much?" Damien asked hesitantly.

"I personally think it’s acceptable," Theo replied with a serene smile.

...Of course he did.

So, it seemed Damien’s self-restraint was being put to the test yet again.

"In any case," Theo said with a warm smile directed at Isaac, "everyone in this room is not only Damien’s ally but also Augusto’s. So, there’s no need to hesitate or hold back here."

Ah, so that’s the point he wanted to convey, Damien realized.

"Yes," Damien added, smiling as kindly as he could, "I—I mean, all of us—are here for Augusto. So let’s work together to figure out what’s best for him moving forward."

Isaac looked at Damien and Theo, his surprise gradually giving way to gratitude.

"...Thank you," he said quietly.

Isaac bowed deeply, his shoulders trembling as he stayed in that position for a while.

Once Isaac had regained his composure, Damien invited him to sit at the table, and the meeting resumed.

"First, let me confirm something, just to be sure. Augusto... he wasn’t always like this, was he?" Damien asked cautiously.

Isaac silently shook his head.

Thought so, Damien mused.

"In the carriage, I asked a bit about this, but could you tell us what Augusto used to be like? Just your honest impression is fine," Damien continued.

Isaac fell silent for a moment, as though organizing his thoughts, before answering.

"He was a bright and kind young man, but above all, the impression he left was one of liveliness and energy. At times, his exuberance could come across as a bit rough, but he had a natural leadership quality—something akin to a big brother figure. He enjoyed looking after younger children and was incredibly compassionate."

It was hard to believe that the Augusto Isaac described was the same person as the boy they had now.

At the very least, the current Augusto showed no trace of that brightness or energy.

Although they had anticipated this, the stark contrast left everyone exchanging uneasy glances.

"Thank you," Damien said after a pause. "Since Augusto is now under our care, we want to... well, we want to help him get better. To see him healthy and happy again. For that, we’d greatly appreciate your help, Isaac."

"Of course," Isaac replied. "As a servant of the Crowell family and as the former steward of the Castellani family, I will do everything in my power to assist you."

With those words, Isaac bowed deeply again.

"In that case," Damien said, "I’d like to ask about Augusto’s time with the Castellani family. If you could share any relevant details..."

They needed to understand the Augusto of the past—his personality, his experiences—to create a plan for his recovery.

And so, the meeting continued late into the night.

Late into the night, after Damien had finished preparing for tomorrow’s meeting.

...

It was already late, and all that remained was his pre-sleeping exercise before he heading to bed.

However, something was off—Zima, who was supposed to be there tonight, hadn’t shown up yet.

Sure, Zima had stayed behind to clean up and take care of things after the meeting, but that should have been finished by now.

What was going on?

To be honest, it was unusual for someone as... let’s say, "enthusiastic" as Zima to be this late.

Just as Damien considered going to look for him, there was a knock at the door, and Zima peeked in.

"You’re late, Zima. What happened? Come on in."

However, Zima didn’t enter the room. Instead, he stayed at the door while glancing inside cautiously.

More than that, he motioned for Damien to come over, beckoning with his hand.

"What is it? What’s going on?"

Curious, Damien got out of bed and approached. As he did, Zima raised a finger to his lips, gesturing for silence.

It was clear that whatever was happening required discretion. Yet, Zima was still in his servant’s uniform. What could possibly be going on at this hour?

Puzzled but intrigued, Damien allowed Zima to take his hand and lead him through the hallways.

They ended up outside the servants’ quarters—the room shared by Zima and Yor.

Recently, Yor, under Leonide’s guidance to "be on his best behavior," had been helping out with various tasks.

It was endearing to see the little guy diligently assisting, despite being a bit too young to take on more demanding responsibilities.

Earlier that day, Yor had even helped Zima serve tea and snacks during the meeting. Watching the two of them work so well together had been heartwarming.

But now, standing in front of their quarters, Damien couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to Yor.

"Is this about Yor?" Damien whispered.

Yor had left before the meeting ended, looking sleepy, so he’d been sent back to the servants’ quarters. If Zima had brought Damien here, it had to involve the boy.

Zima responded with another "Shh," even quieter this time, making it clear that absolute silence was necessary.

Now Damien was truly concerned. Was there a serious issue?

Zima carefully opened the door just a crack, ensuring it didn’t make a sound. He motioned for Damien to come closer and gestured inside, silently urging him to look.

Damien approached him and careful not to make a noise. From inside, he thought he could hear a faint splashing sound. What in the world?