Chapter 271: My Doors Are Always Open To Family

Julie watched her sister enthusiasm, her heart stirring with suspicion as she noted the stark contrast in Aisha’s behavior.

The cold, aloof mage who once scoffed at Cassius was now buzzing with excitement, her eyes sparkling with an openness Julie had never seen and seeing this was way too suspicious for her to not talk about it

"Aisha..." Her voice was sharp as she stepped closer, her gaze narrowing. "Skadi was right, you’re acting way different." She said, her tone laced with disbelief. "Before, you wouldn’t even give Cassius the time of day. You’d rather choke down those oats than eat anything he cooked, always telling him to buzz off and stop bothering you."

"...And now? Look at you, practically glowing, all excited about his food! You’re being so...honest about it, like you don’t care who knows you’re into him. What’s going on with you?"

Aisha paused, her heart contemplative as she met Julie’s gaze, like she was thinking about what to say all the way until her lips curving into a haughty smile. She then spread her hands wide, as she said with her voice brimming with indignation.

"Well, of course I’m honest, Captain. I’ve always been honest as a matter of fact." She said, her tone lofty as she crossed her arms. "Why are you acting like I’ve been hiding something this whole time? I’m just appreciating good food, okay? Nothing wrong with that."

Hearing this, Julie rolled her eyes, her voice dry as she leaned back, her heart unconvinced.

"Honest? Sure, Aisha, that’s rich." She said, her tone skeptical as she shook her head. "You’ve never been this open about anything, especially not with Cassius."

"That only makes it more obvious that something happened on that ride? You’re not fooling me...You’ve changed, and I wanna know why."

Her heart churned with curiosity, her mind racing to piece together what could have softened her stubborn sister so drastically.

Cassius, seeing that Aisha was about to bicker back once again and didn’t want to see both of them arguing, turned to Julie, his voice warm and inviting as he shifted the conversation.

"Alright, Julie, enough about Aisha. What do you want for dessert?" He asked, his tone playful as he gestured at his storage ring. "I can make pretty much anything right now, so don’t hold back. Name your favorite sweet, and I’ll whip it up for you."

"Dessert?" Julie’s suspicion faltered, her heart instantly hooked by the mention of dessert, her voice softening as she stepped closer, her eyes wide with excitement. "You’re serious? I can ask for anything?"

She asked, her tone hesitant but hopeful as she fiddled with her fingers.

"I mean, desserts are tricky, right? They take time, special tools, all that stuff. Are you sure you can pull it off out here?"

Her heart raced, her mind flashing back to the sweets from his last feast, their flavors still haunting her dreams to which Cassius simply waved a hand, his voice casual as he began pulling ingredients from his storage ring, cheese, utensils, a pot, and a small sack of herbs, setting them down with a flourish, his heart brimming with confidence.

"Don’t worry about that, Julie. I’ve got it covered." He said, his tone reassuring as he started preparing Aisha’s pasta. "Just tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen."

"...I’m at your service, my precious commander." His grin widened, as he winked at her.

Julie’s cheeks flushed, her heart skipping a beat at being called his "precious commander," her voice stammering as she shook her head, trying to stay focused.

"D-Don’t try to charm me, Cassius...I’m not as easy as Skadi or even Aisha here who’s starting to switch sides." She muttered, her tone flustered as she crossed her arms, her heart resisting his playful allure. "But fine, this might be a tough one. But last time, at that feast, you made something called ice cream. It was...amazing."

"...So cold, so creamy, just melting in my mouth like it was magic or something."

Her voice softened, her mind dreamy as she recalled the treat.

"I know it’s probably impossible out here no way you’ve got what you need for that. But...can you make it? Please?" Her eyes turned pitiful, as she yearned for the treat but was too wary of asking too much.

"Ice cream?" Cassius’s smile widened, his voice bright with assurance as he nodded, his heart undaunted. "Oh, Julie, that’s child’s play, especially since I’ve got all the tools on hand."

He said, his tone confident as he reached into his storage ring and pulled out a peculiar device, a wooden bucket with a fixed metal pot and a smaller container inside.

"This is an ice cream maker. I built it myself. It’s Eather-based, so it’s perfect for the road." He held it up, his heart swelling with pride as he explained. "You just add milk, heavy cream, some flavors, got all that right here." He pulled out a small sack of ingredients and a bag of ice, his voice animated. "Put it all in, layer ice around the container, and this thing stirs it until it solidifies into ice cream...Easy."

"No way...you’re telling me this little thing makes ice cream?" Julie’s jaw dropped, her voice cracking with disbelief as she leaned in closer, staring at the tiny contraption like it was witchcraft. "That’s impossible! It’s so small—it doesn’t even look like it should work!" Her eyes darted over the machine, her heart racing with childlike wonder. "How does something this tiny create something as magical as ice cream? It feels illegal!"

Aisha, equally curious, stepped forward, her voice sharp with intrigue as she peered at the device, her heart racing with fascination.

"Hold on, you made that thing?" She asked, her tone incredulous as she pointed at the ice cream maker. "Cassius, you’re telling me you just whip up gadgets like this in your spare time?" Her tail swished, her heart bubbling with curiosity as she leaned closer. "What else you got in that ring of yours? You hiding a whole workshop in there or something?"

Cassius chuckled softly, his voice warm as he stirred the boiling water for the pasta, the rising steam curling lazily around him.

"Oh, I’ve got plenty more gadgets where that came from." He said, a playful smirk tugging at his lips as his eyes flicked to Aisha. "And if you’re really that curious, why don’t you swing by my mansion sometime? You can poke around my workshop and see for yourself."

"...It’s basically a treasure trove of all the weird little machines I’ve built—tools, trinkets, even a few half, finished disasters."

"Wait...I can really do that?" She asked, her eyes wide as she searched his face for any hint of teasing. "You’d actually let me come over? Like...just...whenever?"

Cassius looked up from the pot then, his playful smirk softening into something far gentler, far more earnest. His eyes locked on hers, steady and warm, and the air seemed to thrum with the weight of his next words.

"Of course you can, Aisha." He said softly, his tone dropping into something intimate, something that felt like it was meant for her alone. "You don’t even have to ask. You’re family to me now. My doors are always open for family."

He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, his fingers lingering for just a moment.

"Come whenever you want, stay as long as you need, leave whenever you’re ready—hell, you could move in, and I’d still mean it."

Hearing this, Aisha’s breath hitched, her chest tightening as his words wrapped around her like a warm embrace.

Family...That single word sent a rush of emotions through her, almost too much to hold. As an orphan who’d only ever known the Holy Guard as her makeshift kin, she’d never had someone say that before—not like this, not with such quiet certainty.

"And you’re not just welcome in my home, Aisha." Cassius continued, his voice low and heartfelt as his thumb brushed lightly against her cheek. "You belong there."

"...My place is as much yours as it is mine now. You’ll never have to knock. Not with me."

Aisha’s lips trembled as she tried to speak, but no words came out at first. Her mind screamed at her to leap forward, to hug him, to hold him so tightly he’d never let her go.

But with Julie standing nearby, her eyes still fixed on the bubbling pot, Aisha forced herself to stay still, though her tail betrayed her with its nervous twitching.

"Y-Yeah...maybe I’ll check it out sometime." She murmured finally, her voice quiet and shaky, her cheeks blazing. Deep down, though, her heart was screaming, ’Yes! I want to! I want to go there and never leave!’

Julie’s eyes softened, her voice quiet as she watched Aisha’s reaction, knowing just exactly how much his words meant to her little sister, even though she didn’t how to feel about it.

"You’re gonna have to stop charming everyone, Cassius." She said, her tone playful but pointed as she leaned against a tree. "First Skadi, now Aisha, and you’re trying to rope me in with ice cream."

"...You’re quite dangerous."

"Dangerous, huh?" Cassius glanced over his shoulder at her, his grin widening as his eyes caught hers. "If you’re calling me dangerous, Julie, that means you don’t completely mind me. And if you don’t completely mind me..." His grin deepened, his voice dropping into a teasing murmur, "...that means there’s a chance I can win you over too."

Julie stiffened, her calm facade shattering instantly as heat rushed to her face. "I-It’s not like that!" She sputtered, her voice cracking slightly as her arms tightened over her chest. "Not like that at all! Don’t twist my words, Cassius!"

Cassius chuckled softly, his expression easy as he turned back to the pasta, stirring the sauce with practiced movements. "If you say so." He replied smoothly, his tone warm and unbothered.

Julie, on the other hand, couldn’t believe how easily he’d gotten under her skin.

’Ugh...Why am I letting him get to my head like this?’

She thought furiously, biting her lip and trying to will away the heat in her cheeks, before glaring at his back as if she could set him on fire with sheer embarrassment alone.