Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 70: An Unexpected Escort

Damien hesitated for a moment, but the allure of a big, relaxing bath was too strong.

"If it’s not too much trouble, I’d really like to try it," Damien said.

Theo smiled and rang the small bell on the side table.

Ding ding.

As usual, there was a brief wait.

Knock knock knock.

"Yes, come in," Theo called.

"Excuse me. How may I assist you?" Sebas entered, as calm and composed as ever.

"Sebas, I’d like Damien to bathe in my personal bath tonight," Theo said.

"Understood," Sebas responded immediately, granting permission without hesitation.

What shocked Damien was what Sebas said next.

"Will the two of you be bathing together?"

"W-What?!" Damien spluttered.

"Yes," Theo answered matter-of-factly.

"W-wait, Theo!" Damien protested, flustered.

"What’s the matter, Damien? We always bathe together," Theo said, tilting his head innocently.

Always?! They had only bathed together three times!

Damien had only taken three baths in this world so far, but still! What was Theo thinking, saying something like that in front of Sebas?

And what was Sebas thinking, going along with it so casually?

"Understood," Sebas said without missing a beat.

"Don’t just ’understand’ that, Sebas!" Damien cried, mortified.

Ignoring Damien’s outburst, Sebas continued as if he hadn’t heard him. "I will prepare the bath immediately. Please wait here in the parlor. I’ll call you once everything is ready."

"Got it," Theo replied calmly.

"Excuse me," Sebas said, bowing respectfully as he exited the room, leaving Damien in a state of disbelief.

"...Hmm..."

"Damien."

Theo called out to him gently, noticing the dissatisfied look on Damien’s face.

"It’s easier to just assume that Sebas knows everything," Theo said with a smile.

"Yeah... I kind of get that," Damien replied, though it didn’t change how embarrassed he felt.

"You’ll get used to it," Theo added brightly, trying to reassure him.

"Will I really...?" Damien wondered, doubtful.

...

While waiting for Sebas to come and call them, Damien and Theo engaged in some small talk. Theo shared stories about keeping secrets from Sebas since childhood, which, to Damien, felt like useful advice.

... Advice on giving up hope, that is.

The more Damien heard, the more it seemed impossible to keep any secrets from Sebas. Knowing the contents of a memo written in a magically sealed room? How did that even work?

But aside from that, Theo’s stories about his childhood were undeniably cute.

Knock knock knock.

As Damien smiled, amused by Theo’s stories, there was a knock on the door. It seemed the bath was ready.

"Yes, come in," Theo called, following the usual routine.

"Excuse me," came a voice from behind the door. But this time, it wasn’t Sebas’s voice—it was young and unfamiliar.

Startled by the unknown voice, Damien instinctively shifted away from Theo.

"Oh, aren’t you...? You must be... Leonide, right?"

Entering through the door was the same child who had been introduced by Sebas earlier in the day when they helped with Theo’s experiments. The child had golden hair, ears, and tail, with a slightly dreamy demeanor. If Damien remembered correctly, this was the one who had massaged his right leg.

The child was just a bit shorter than Damien, with a soft, cute face that made it hard to tell whether they were a boy or a girl. Despite appearing youthful, they likely weren’t as young as they looked.

Damien hadn’t heard them speak earlier, so this was his first time hearing their voice.

"Do you need something?" Damien asked, thinking the child might have some business with Theo.

However, Leonide didn’t step fully into the room, remaining near the door. Curious, Damien approached to ask what was going on.

"Um... I-I... well... I mean, I’m Leonide, but..."

Leonide stammered nervously, making it unclear what he wanted. His ears drooped, and he seemed on the verge of tears.

As Damien tried to figure out what was happening, Theo came over and whispered in his ear.

"Damien, as one of my esteemed guests you don’t have to be so polite. He’s flustered because he wants you to speak more casually with him, but he doesn’t know how to ask."

"Oh, I see," Damien whispered back, grateful for the explanation.

"Sebas mentioned when he introduced him that Leonide is the fourth son of a count, so I spoke to him with that in mind. I guess that threw him off," Damien realized.

Damien still didn’t quite understand how things worked around here.

"Sorry, Leonide. Do you need something?" he asked.

He glanced over at Theo to see if this was the right way to address him. Theo gave a small nod of approval, and Leonide seemed relieved as well.

"Excuse me. I’ve been sent by Sebas to inform you that the bath is ready," Leonide said, suddenly composed, as if his earlier flustered state had been a mere illusion. Though, his cheeks were still a little red.

"Oh, it was just a message. Thanks! Could you let Sebas know we’ll be there shortly?" Damien said, realizing he’d expected Sebas to come fetch them himself.

"Understood. However, Sebas instructed me to escort the two of you to the bath. What would you like to do?" Leonide asked politely.

"Ah, is that so? Theo, what do you think?" Damien turned to Theo.

"Hmm... I still have a small task to finish first. Let’s take care of that, and then we can head to the bath," Theo replied, giving Damien a subtle look as if trying to convey something unspoken.

There wasn’t supposed to be any task, so Damien figured Theo had something else in mind.

"Alright then, Leonide, could you tell Sebas we’ll be there soon?" Damien asked.

"Understood. If you’ll excuse me," Leonide responded with a respectful bow.

"Thanks, Leonide," Damien said, and without thinking, he reached out and patted Leonide on the head.

It was a mistake. Despite being about the same height, Damien found himself treating Leonide like a child on their first errand. Caught up in how to cover the awkwardness, he forgot to stop patting, while Leonide froze in place, unsure of how to react to the sudden gesture.