A few days has passed after the silver-ranked adventurer returned to the manor.
The members are barely recovered, White's healing magic sped up the process, but fractures bones and deeper wounds were needed for an entire day, plus White's small mana meter in her body.
And yet, I was in the garden, chilling over the flower fields.
The tranquility of the garden, which I had fought so hard to carve out for myself, shattered in an instant. The sound of gravel crunching under leather boots announced his arrival before I even had the chance to stand.
"There you are, my blushing rose," Cassius drawled, his voice dripping with that characteristic, infuriating charm.
I looked up, bracing myself for the usual trio of Calico brothers, but to my genuine surprise, he was alone. No Calix, no Constantine. Just Cassius, looking a bit more polished than he had during our dodgeball debacle, holding out a familiar-looking box of chocolates… the very same brand Maine had given Miera just last night.
I groaned, burying my face in my remaining hand.
"Not this again, Cassius. I'm not in the mood for games."
He didn't seem to care about my lack of enthusiasm. He simply sat down beside me, the bench creaking under his weight, and set the chocolates between us. He looked at me with a lazy, lopsided grin.
"Cassius, you again and where are your shadows? Did you finally manage to lose them?"
I sighed, eyeing the chocolates with a mix of exhaustion and suspicion.
He let out a short, airy chuckle.
"Hardly. Calix is buried under a mountain of paperwork at the Bureau, and Constantine? He's currently playing nursemaid to Lord Phillip's apprentice, trying to teach the boy how to hold a sword without cutting off his own toes. I, however, found myself with a sudden, overwhelming urge to find the most interesting person in the manor."
Before I could retort, his hand moved with practiced fluidity, coming to rest firmly on my waist.
The sensation was electric, and my composure, my carefully curated armor, shattered instantly.
A hot, stinging blush flooded my cheeks, turning my skin a shade of red that I'm sure rivaled the sunset. I tensed, my body instinctively wanting to lash out or shove him away, but I was so caught off-guard by his boldness that I just sat there, frozen.
"If my brother saw us in this state, I am absolutely certain he would beat you into a pulp. And frankly, Cassius? I wouldn't stop him."
I stammered, my voice sounding breathy and uncharacteristically fragile,
He didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he leaned in, his gaze dropping to my lips for a fraction of a second before meeting my eyes again with that infuriating, confident gleam.
"Then it's a good thing your brother is busy, isn't it?"
The air in the garden suddenly felt heavy, charged with a tension that had nothing to do with the war and everything to do with the man currently invading my personal space. Cassius held the chocolate between his fingers, his thumb tracing the edge of the wrapper with a deliberate motion.
The air in the garden felt thick enough to choke on, charged with the scent of crushed herbs and the heavy, expensive aroma of the dark truffles. Cassius didn't move away; he loomed, his presence a physical weight that pinned me against the creaking wooden slats of the bench.
"Open up, my blushing rose."
Cassius murmured, his thumb grazing my lower lip, pulling it down just enough to expose the edge of my teeth.
"Don't tell me the big, bad adventurer is afraid of a little sugar."
"I'm afraid of your ego, Cassius. It's a tripping hazard,"
I snapped, but the bite in my voice was betrayed by the way my breath hitched. I was tired of the mask, tired of hunger, and against my better judgment, I let my lips part.
The chocolate was cool at first, then burst into a rich, decadent silk as it hit my tongue.
But before I could even savor the bitterness, Cassius's hand surged upward. His fingers tangled firmly in the hair at the base of my skull, tilting my head back at an angle that left me completely exposed.
He didn't hesitate. He kissed in, my throat was occupied by his tongue.
The kiss was a sudden, deep intrusion that tasted of cocoa and a wild, reckless confidence. I let out a muffled gasp of indignation, my hands flying up to his chest to shove him back, but the moment our lips met, the world seemed to liquefy.
"Mmm, just as I thought. Sweet. But there's a sting underneath, isn't there?"
Cassius whispered against my mouth, his voice a low, vibrating hum that I felt in my very marrow.
"Cassius… stop," I managed to breathe out, though it sounded less like a command and more like a plea.
"Make me," he challenged.
He nipped at my bottom lip, a sharp, playful sting that sent a jolt of electricity straight to my core. He used the distraction to deepen the kiss, his tongue sweeping inside to mingle with the melting chocolate. It was a sensory takeover… the velvet slide of his tongue, the heat of his skin, and the crushing pressure of his body moving closer until there wasn't a breath of air between us.
My fingers, which had intended to push him away, instead betrayed me, clenching into the fine silk of his tunic. I was drowning in the taste of him… dark, sugary, and dangerous.
"You're shaking, Roxy," he murmured,
Cassius was pulling back just a fraction of an inch, his lips still grazing mine as he spoke. His eyes were dark, hooded with a triumph that made my blood boil.
"Is the little rose finally losing her composure? Or is the heroine finding out she likes being caught?"
"You think… you're so clever," I panted.
My face flushed a deep, violent crimson. My heart was hammering a frantic rhythm, but the heat wasn't just desire anymore… it was the spark of a fuse hitting powder.
The grip held tightly, both Cassius taste and the cocoa mixed together, he still continued, he let his tongue deeper.
"You think you can just… take whatever you want?"
"When does it taste like this? Absolutely," he grinned,
He was leaning in to trail his lips down the sensitive line of my jaw. Circling his tongue into mine, his taste buds and mine were now merged.
"I could spend all night unravelling you, piece by piece, until there's nothing left but the fire."
That was the tipping point. The arrogance in his voice…the sheer, smug certainty that he had won…snapped the last thread of my patience. The persona didn't just crack; it disintegrated.
"Then let's see how you handle the burn, you pervert." I hissed.
I didn't reach for a blade. I didn't need one. I brought my hand up, palm flat, and slammed it against the crown of his head. I didn't use physical force; I opened the floodgates of my mana, channeling every ounce of my irritation into one singular, devastating point.
Pain Manipulation.
The smirk vanished from his face as if it had been wiped away by a gale. He pulled out his mouth from mine. His eyes went wide, the pupils shrinking to pinpricks as his brain was suddenly flooded with the simulated sensation of his blood turning to molten lead.
"Aaaaagh… ! God!"
The sound he made was visceral… a choked, ragged cry as he tore himself away from me, stumbling off the bench. He hit the gravel hard, his body seizing in a series of violent, phantom spasms.
He curled into a ball, his fingers digging into the dirt, gasping for air that felt like fire in his lungs.
I stood up, smoothing my apron with trembling hands. My lips were still swollen, still coated in the dark remains of the chocolate, but my eyes were cold.
"The fire is a bit much for you, isn't it, Cassius?" I said,
My voice dropping into the low, lethal tone of the woman who had survived a hundred battlefields.
I looked down at him… the man who had just tried to taste my secrets… as he lay whimpering in the dirt.
The taste of the chocolate was still there, lingering and bittersweet, a reminder of a moment where I'd almost let my guard down. I hated him for it. But as I watched him struggle to breathe, a small, twisted part of me realized that he was right about one thing.
Then, my super duper annoying assistant came into view, about to ruin my day once again.
"Roxy, that stunt you move is no ordinary. Your a fine woman, I heard the marriage bells over a distance."
"Oh my goodness Plasma, don't bother me, I'm fucking mad at you."
"Roxy, if you have a child in the future. You should name it Ellie, I promise it be good for you."
"Oh my, if I hear one of your responses you dickless assistant. I'll slit my throat off of you."
"Savor it Roxy, you and Cassius were simping right now. Besides, your a loud moaner remember, that eight-inch cock of his will fit perfectly from that hole of yours."
"Oh, shut up!"
The garden, once my quiet escape, had devolved into a circus of madness. I swear I'll kill Plasma by myself, and Cassius, I bury him alive instead.
Suddenly, a footsteps was heard over the garden, besides Cassius screams, there was the second most annoying. Calix
Calix didn't just walk up; he glided over, his eyes tracing the aftermath of my Pain Manipulation with a chilling, predatory amusement. He took in the sight of his brother… gasping, curled in the grass, and still radiating that sickening, lovestruck devotion…and let out a sharp, rhythmic laugh.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I was hoping for a pleasant stroll, but it seems the 'blushing rose' has thorns sharp enough to draw blood. I didn't think you had it in you, Roxy."
My face burned, not just from the residual heat of the kiss, but from a towering, white-hot fury. I took a step toward him, my posture shifting from the subservient maid to the hardened soldier.
"Calix, you are very, very close to crossing the line. Back off."
Calix merely held up his hands in mock surrender, his grin widening into something jagged.
"Hey, hey, don't blame me for the scenery! You should be blaming the mastermind. Cassius planned this whole little romance from the start. He's been obsessed with seeing the beast behind the beauty since he first saw you at the gate."
As he leaned down to mock me, his laughter echoing against the stone walls of the manor, a ragged, breathless voice drifted from the dirt. Cassius was still slumped on the ground, his face pale and slicked with sweat, yet his eyes were locked on me with a terrifying, unfaltering hunger.
"You're dangerous, my blushing rose, It only makes me want to kiss you again. God, I want to taste you again."
Cassius wheezed, a delirious smirk tugging at his lips
Calix barked a laugh, nudging his brother with the toe of his boot.
"Hahahaha… Did you hear that, Roxy? He's quite the romantic, isn't he? He's practically begging to taste that mouth of yours again… Hahahaha"
The world tilted. The restraint I had been clinging to snapped like a dry twig. At the cherry on top, Plasma joined.
"Roxy, did you hear that? Cassius wanted your chocolate-covered saliva of yours. Admit it, you want to have sex with Cassius?"
"Oh my, you again? Didn't I tell you to shut up."
"Roxy, french kissing you is the best experience of your life, and so is sex. You're matured now, you will do anything."
"Shut up!"
Hearing both Calix and Plasma mockery, I decided to put an end of this.
Without a word, I lashed out. I didn't aim for his head this time; I aimed for his hand. I channeled a concentrated spike of Pain Manipulation directly into his wrist and palm.
"Ahhhhh… Roxy! I was just kidding!"
Calix's mocking laugh died instantly, replaced by a shrill, strangled scream. He clutched his hand to his chest, his face draining of color as the phantom sensation of every bone in his hand being shattered by a hydraulic press surged through him. He doubled over, gasping, his composure pulverized.
I didn't give them a second look. I turned to walk away, my boots crunching heavily on the gravel, but I paused just long enough to lock eyes with Cassius. My voice was a low, lethal promise that hung in the stagnant air.
"Cassius, If you kiss me one more time, I am certain I will kill you. And this time, it won't be a trick of the nerves." I said, my tone deadly and devoid of mercy.
I marched toward the manor doors, my head held high, ignoring the ringing in my ears. Behind me, I heard Cassius's voice, raspy and trembling with a resolve that chilled me to the bone.
"We'll meet again, my blushing rose," he called out, his tone still thick with that insane, unwavering love.
I slammed the door behind me, the heavy oak vibrating with the force of my exit. I was trembling… not with fear, but with the terrifying realization that I was no longer playing a game. I was a magnet for the broken, and in this manor, it seemed everyone wanted a piece of the storm.