Chapter 083
The children, who had played in the garden all evening and filled their bellies with roasted turkey and sweet potatoes, fell asleep early.
They had been chatting non-stop about what they did with Illia and Leah until they were too tired to continue. The only times Theo and Stephanie rested were when they were washing up or going to bed.
After putting Theo to bed, Cassius came out and made eye contact with me as he came back from putting Stephanie to bed.
He reached out his hand to me—the same hand I had held earlier.
The moment I saw his hand, memories of the kiss we had exchanged in the conference room, hidden from everyone’s view, flashed in my mind.
I unconsciously bit my lip.
I could feel his gaze shift to my lips.
Cassius slightly furrowed his brow and quickly grabbed my hand, as if he couldn’t wait any longer.
“Was that intentional?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your lips,”
Cassius murmured.
“The way you’re biting them.”
“No, I….”
Cassius let out a soft sigh. By then, we were so close that there was barely any space between us.
He gently stroked my cheek.
“This time, it’s not a mistake.”
As he said that, he pressed his lips to mine. His kiss urged me to respond.
Hastily, I opened my lips and embraced him.
The heat that rushed over me was so intense that I squeezed my eyes shut. “This time, it’s not a mistake.”
That thought kept echoing in my mind. I had known before that it wasn’t a mistake. But that word, mistake, felt like a switch in our relationship.
Cassius pushed me against the wall, pressing against me as if there was no room for any gap between us.
He slowly kissed my cheek and earlobe.
“Ugh, Cassius, here….”
“I know. It’s the hallway.”
This was a hallway where people could come and go at any time. While there weren’t many people at this hour, it was a more open space than before.
Cassius was touching my waist.
After sharing that kiss for a while, Cassius finally pulled away from me.
He ran his hand over his face.
“Seeing you makes me crazy.”
Then, he covered his mouth and took a step back.
“What are you saying…?”
“All I can see are your lips. And I imagine myself coming at you like an animal.”
“C-Cassius?”
I called him without thinking. As I took a step toward him, he stepped back.
Cassius continued his confession.
“You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed about this. In those dreams, you were always the main character.”
My face turned red. I wasn’t sure what kind of dream he had, but it didn’t seem like a very wholesome one.
Cassius gritted his teeth.
“You have no idea how filthy my mind is.”
Is he really saying this? Maybe it wasn’t a sudden outburst. Maybe he’d been holding this in for too long, and it was hard to contain.
The desire I felt both now and before was not a lie.
He’s a healthy adult man.
Cassius had never been with another woman. Even during the times we were at odds in the past.
He had always been faithful in his marriage and never betrayed Charlotte.
I swallowed hard.
I reached out my hand toward Cassius. This time, I was the one to take the first step. A small feeling of anticipation for what was to come overwhelmed me, no, it was more like an enormous expectation.
Cassius stared at my hand.
“What does this mean?”
“It means we’re married, Cassius. It means whatever we do is legal.”
I cleared my throat. My voice trembled slightly from embarrassment. After clearing my throat a few times, I spoke cautiously.
“Of course, if you’re willing… I just want to say that I won’t refuse.”
“…Are you serious?”
Cassius stepped toward me, but still didn’t take my hand.
“Yes, I’m serious.”
I said it firmly. I wanted to say that I wanted him, that I wanted to know him better than anyone else, to reach even the areas that no one else knew.
If Cassius felt the same way, then I had no reason to hesitate.
“I want to know you, Cassius.”
My hand was pulled. Cassius dragged me upstairs to the bedroom. As my slow pace seemed frustrating to him, he picked me up and carried me.
“Ah!”
Cassius let out a long sigh.
“Sorry.”
His face showed no real remorse. He continued to hold me and headed for the bedroom.
“We need to take a bath, Cassius! We just came from a barbecue party!”
I said, still holding his neck tightly. Cassius frowned slightly and said,
“Then we’ll wash together.”
He dragged me toward the bathroom.
The sound of booming steps shook the ground.
The monsters raised their heads.
The King of the Monsters was watching them. A corrupted dragon, a giant dark dragon.
“…No one has returned?”
“The humans seem stronger than we thought, my lord!”
The generals bowed their heads. What they had laid on the altar were the remains from the gate.
The dark dragon, Tarsila, exhaled a hot breath. The smell of sulfur and death mixed together.
The generals bowed their heads even lower.
“Hehehe.”
The monsters fell silent at the sound of laughter that seemed to shake the ground.
“The vermin are struggling. But the fact that the general fell is undeniable. Find someone worthy of taking his place as the 4th legion commander.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“We’ll cross the gate and flood the humans’ land with blood! There’s no limit for us! Gather more warriors to crush them! Glory to us!”
Tarsila’s soft voice shook the world. The Lord of the forsaken lands, Tarsila, lived only for destruction and slaughter.
Tarsila’s huge body appeared. With wings that could cover a village and a domineering aura, the monsters eagerly lowered their heads.
“Lord of Destruction!”
“The true king of this era!”
Tarsila took off into the sky. His huge form seemed to promise victory. His flames burned the place where the gate had been.
The monsters’ cheers grew louder.
“Send out the scouts. Investigate everything about them!”
“Yes, my lord!”
The darkness began to stir. The war, which could be the beginning of the end, was drawing near.
I opened my eyes with a start.
“Ugh.”
In my dream, I saw a giant red eye. It looked like Stephanie’s, but…
Was it a dragon?
But unlike the beautiful Stephanie’s eyes, this one had completely lost all light, a color of death.
I could almost hear the roar of a giant dragon in my ears.
“What is this?”
It was too vivid to be just a dream. It felt like I was watching something unfold right in front of me.
The heat, the stench, and the smell of death.
I got out of bed and drank some water.
An unfamiliar, barren land…
I sighed at the nightmare, but it seemed like Cassius had woken up from the sound of my movements. He came over to me.
Taking the cup from my hand, Cassius wrapped his arms around me and whispered,
“It seems you’re not tired yet.”
“What kind of heartless thing are you saying, Cassius?”
My voice was hoarse. I glared at Cassius, but he just pulled me into his embrace.
I was pulled into his arms, letting out a breath.
“Cassius!”
“What kind of dream did you have?”
“…It was a nightmare. There was a giant dragon, but it definitely wasn’t Stephanie.”
Cassius kissed my cheek. Then, as if unable to hold back, he turned my body and lifted me up.
He pressed his lips against mine.
“A dragon, huh? What kind of dragon was it?”
“I don’t know. It just had red eyes, was huge… and it was completely black.”
Cassius kissed me deeply on the lips. Was he even listening to what I was saying?
He gently laid me back on the bed, kissing the exposed skin, and whispered,
“…It’s okay. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“It means you’re mine.”
Cassius smiled softly and pressed his body against mine, making all thoughts and memories fade away.
