Chapter 312: How Dare You Push Me Away?

Julie didn’t know how much time had passed. It could’ve been minutes or hours, but it didn’t matter anymore.

Everything else had faded into background noise, the forest, the mission, the idea that she was supposed to be resisting his affection.

All of it melted away under the soft weight of his embrace. She felt like she was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, and it was just too nice to let go of.

She didn’t want to think about duty or roles or what she was "supposed" to be doing. Not when his arms around her made her feel like she belonged there more than anywhere else. And so, she didn’t resist.

She just let herself be held by Cassius, and felt every small motion of his hand stroking her back, felt the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her ear, and just melted deeper into him. It was comforting in a way she hadn’t known she needed.

Her father had once told her something, something that always sounded a bit silly to her back then.

That after coming back from battle, sometimes shaken and silent and haunted by things he didn’t want to say out loud, he would lie down on her mother’s lap, and she’d simply run her fingers through his hair and murmur soft words.

And just like that, it was like none of the horrors had ever happened. He’d always called it his dreamspace, where everything faded, and only warmth remained.

Julie had never truly understood it. Not until now.

Now, with Cassius’s hand slowly tracing up and down her back, his warmth soaking into her like the gentle heat of a blanket fresh from the dryer, she understood...This, this was the dreamspace.

And just as she let herself completely relax into it, not even wanting to twitch a finger...

Cassius’s hand suddenly stopped.

Her eyes opened halfway in protest as her brows tugged together. A small, annoyed pout formed on her lips as she raised her head just a little.

Why did he stop?

Cassius, though, wasn’t looking at her. His head was tilted, gaze turned toward the dense thicket of trees that led back toward the camp.

His expression sharpened for a brief moment, and then he glanced down at her—and immediately chuckled under his breath when he caught sight of her adorable little scowl.

"I can tell you don’t want to move." He said, voice warm but serious. "But we should probably head back to camp, Julie. It’s about time."

Hearing this, Julie’s frown deepened as she shifted, dragging herself upward, crawling on top of him with an exaggerated sulk. She didn’t make it easy for him, pressing her chest against him and leaning in, her face just inches from his now.

"You don’t want me lying on you anymore?" She asked, her voice slightly pouty, almost accusatory. "Am I too heavy? Or is it just that you don’t like this position?"

Her gaze narrowed suspiciously.

"I mean...aren’t you supposed to be chasing me? And here I am, graciously letting you touch me like this, holding me like this, and now you’re telling me to get up?"

Cassius raised a brow, clearly trying to hold back his grin.

"I didn’t say I didn’t like it."

"But you’re acting like you don’t!" She snapped back, poking his chest once with her finger. "This is a rare occasion, you know? I’m not pushing you away. I’m letting you hold me, stroke my back, touch me all you want like some...grateful little girl who wants to reward her lover for teaching her how to knit!"

Her cheeks puffed out in a exaggerated mixture of indignation and embarrassment.

"And what do I get in return? You tell me to get up!"

She huffed, still pressing herself against him like she refused to be moved.

I mean, I figured, well, you’re probably starved for affection anyway. A man’s got needs, right? So, sure, let him hold me a little. Let him feel appreciated."

Then she leaned in even closer, her breath warm against his cheek.

"But nooo, you just want to push me off and tell me to go. So what is it, Cassius? You don’t like holding me? Or is it that you do want someone in your arms, just not me?"

She didn’t wait for an answer, just gazed at him with faux jealousy and exaggerated pettiness, like a girlfriend starved for attention, leaning fully into the role as she practically clung to him.

Cassius couldn’t stop himself, she just looked too adorable in that moment. S

he was supposed to be this proud, noble knight with grace and poise, but the way she was glaring at him now with puffed cheeks and narrowed eyes while holding onto that plush like it was her lifeline...it made something in him melt.

Still chuckling, he leaned forward, wrapped his arms snugly around her waist, and tugged her even closer until there was no space left between them. Her breath hitched slightly as her face burned red.

"There’s no way..." He murmured. "No way any man in this world, especially not me, would push away a woman with an absurdly sexy body like yours."

He grinned playfully. "Any man who does should be smited by thunder on the spot."

Julie’s face twitched between mortified and bashful. "D-Don’t call my body sexy..." She muttered, her voice quiet, even though she actually liked what he said.

She then fidgeted in his hold but didn’t pull away. Instead, she shot him a suspicious glance, squinting.

"If you don’t want me to get off so badly, then why are you telling me to get off, huh? That makes zero sense. What are you playing at?"

She fully expected him to come up with some dumb reasoning so he could argue back and tease her longer, but to her surprise, he didn’t.

Instead, he slowly turned his head toward a dense-looking bush off to the side and then subtly gestured with a jerk of his chin.

"Come here." He whispered, his voice lowering in a secretive tone.

Julie blinked at him, confused. "Huh?"

"Closer." He said, a little softer.

Still bewildered, she leaned forward. "What are you—"

"Closer..."

Hesitantly, she brought her face near his. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest. His breath brushed against her skin as his lips reached her ear. Her cheeks were already heating up before he even spoke.

"I don’t want you to get off." He whispered. "But right now..."

"...Skadi is hiding in that bush over there watching us..."

"...Now, tell me do you want to get up or stay like this?"

Hearing this, Julie’s flustered heart stopped for a moment. Her mind blanked for a beat.

And then—

"HUH?! Skadi?!?!"

In the very next instant, her face ignited bright red.

With an instinctive yelp, she leapt off of him like she’d touched lava and flailed midair before giving him a powerful kick that sent him tumbling sideways with a pained groan.

As she stood, flustered and frantic, she whipped toward the bush with wild eyes.

"I-It’s not what it looks like, Skadi!" She shouted desperately. "I-I tripped! I tripped and fell and he just caught me! That’s all! I-I wasn’t...We weren’t lying down together under the sun or anything like that!"

She paused, panting, and waited. No reply came and this only made her expression turn even more sheepish.

"Skadi...? Look, I-I’m not mad, okay? Just, just please don’t tell Aisha. Please. She’d kill me with her pestering. She’s never let it down and would call me a easy women who acts all and noble."

"...Just, let’s keep this between us, okay? Okay?"

But even though she said all that and begged for what was happening not to be exposed, Skadi still didn’t react. In fact, not a single leaf rustled.

Seeing that there was no response, Julie slowly turned to Cassius, who was wincing as he sat up, rubbing the sore spot where she’d kicked him.

"Cassius...W-Why isn’t she saying anything?" Julie asked, brow furrowed. "Is she too shocked by what she saw?"

Seeing how flustered she was, Cassius let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

"Well, that’s because..." He said with a crooked grin. "...Skadi isn’t there there or anyone near this place."

"...I was simply joking."

Hearing this, Julie’s eyes went blank.

For a full second, she didn’t speak...Then it hit her.

She had just poured her soul into defending her dignity...to a bush.

A literal bush.

"Cassius!!!" She roared, stomping toward him like a demon, as she realised that she had made a full of herself for his amusement. "I swear I’ll pinch your cheeks so hard you’ll have dimples made of blood!"

She lunged for him, but he threw his hands up in a panic.

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on! I did lie about Skadi being there, yes, but!"

"But?!"

"But I wasn’t lying when I said she’ll actually be here in a minute!"

Julie paused mid-lunge, blinking in disbelief.

"...What?"

"She just woke up and I can hear her on her way here right now." Cassius said matter-of-factly.

Julie narrowed her eyes. "That’s impossible. I came way out here to set up camp, and I made sure she wouldn’t be able to track my scent."

Cassius shrugged with the smugness of a man who knew exactly how ridiculous the answer was.

"Normally, yeah. But...with your cooking?" He pointed in the direction of the fire pit. "With that pungent monstrosity you just made? Skadi could smell that from across the valley."

"Right now she’s probably sniffing around going, ’What is that ungodly stench?’ and marching straight here to investigate."

Julie stared at him, while her face twitched.

Then she slowly turned to look at the pot sitting by the fire...and realization dawned that her cooking was the reason they broke up from the perfectly comfortable position she was in now now and it was all her and her cooking’s fault that it all went down the drain...