Chapter 357: Love Is All The Reason I Need

Even though Cassius understood Aisha’s hesitation, her fears of burdening him, of being seen as less desirable because her heart and time were tied to the orphanage, he didn’t let those thoughts linger in his own mind.

He wasn’t a man who saw love as a tally of hours spent together, nor someone who would measure affection against the weight of responsibilities.

So, as Aisha’s eyes darted nervously, her lips pressed tight, silently wondering if he would ask her to abandon the one place that shaped her, he only chuckled softly.

"Aisha, that’s the orphanage that raised you your whole life, isn’t it?" He asked, his tone warm, almost playful. "The same orphanage that allowed you to be who you are today?"

Aisha blinked, startled by the question. Still, she nodded, her voice quiet but steady as she began to speak.

"Yes...without it, I don’t even know how I would’ve turned out. When I was little, after my parents abandoned me, I was passed around, relatives, then friends, then complete strangers...Nobody wanted me."

"And when I finally ended up in an orphanage, I thought it would be even worse, that I’d just be another burden, unwanted all over again."

Her eyes softened as memories surfaced, and her voice grew more tender.

"But it wasn’t like that. The sisters there...they treated me with kindness. They raised me warmly, gave me a place to belong. It was the first time I ever felt what love really was."

"Before that, I didn’t even know the word ’family’ could mean anything good. But in that place...I learned what it was to care, what it was to be cared for."

Her lips curved into a small, wistful smile.

"It’s also where I first realized I wanted to protect others too, to keep innocent children safe from the cruelty of the world. That’s why I even became a member of the Holy Guard."

"...Without that orphanage, Cassius...I wouldn’t be who I am today."

Cassius watched her quietly, his eyes glinting with a rare softness. Then, slowly, his smile bloomed.

"Then that’s it...That’s all I needed to hear."

Aisha tilted her head, confused. "What do you mean?" She asked, leaning closer without realizing it, her heart thudding.

His hand rose, his fingers brushing her cheek in a tender stroke that made her shiver. His gaze was steady, unwavering, filled with affection that left her trembling.

"You think that orphanage only matters to you...that I wouldn’t care because I have no ties to it. And maybe before I met you, you’d be right."

"Back then, it would’ve just been another nameless place among many in my estate...But now?"

He shook his head, smiling as though the truth was the simplest thing in the world.

"Now I know, that’s the place that raised you. That’s where you got that fire in your heart, that sharp tongue, that spirit that won’t bend."

"...That’s the place that shaped the girl I fell in love with, I can’t see it that way anymore."

Aisha’s breath caught, her chest tightening.

"And more than that..." Cassius went on, his voice lower, more intense. "...without that orphanage, you and I never would’ve even met."

"Do you understand, Aisha? Just thinking about that, about a world where I never knew you, it breaks my heart."

"So how could I not be grateful?" He asked, voice low and fervent. "How could I not want to support it, when it gave me you?"

Hearing this confession, tears welled in Aisha’s eyes, her body trembling. She hadn’t expected him to understand so deeply, let alone claim the orphanage as something precious to him just because it had once been precious to her.

His words, so simple, yet so absolute, wrapped around her heart, melting every last trace of fear.

"Cassius..."

Her voice cracked as she whispered his name, and when Cassius answered her fears with warmth instead of dismissal, her heart wavered between relief and disbelief.

But even so, one lingering thread of worry clung to her chest.

Her lashes fluttered as she bit her lip, then lifted her gaze to him again.

"Cassius...even if you say all this...even if you support me and the orphanage so much...I can’t be like your other wives."

Her tone was hesitant, trembling with guilt.

"I’ll never be able to give you as much of my time as they do. I have to prioritize the children, the sisters, the orphanage...and that means I can’t always be with you."

"...Doesn’t that bother you? Doesn’t that hurt you?"

For a moment, her body stiffened as if bracing herself for disappointment. But Cassius only smiled, an easy, disarming smile that made her chest ache.

"No, Aisha. Not at all...Not even a single bit in fact."

She blinked, startled, her lips parting to speak but no words coming. He lifted his hand and brushed a lock of hair away from her face, his thumb caressing her cheek as he spoke gently:

"Earlier, you told me that it was in that orphanage where you first learned the meaning of the word ’family.’ That’s where you discovered love, where you decided to protect others, where you became who you are."

Her throat tightened. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yes...everyone there, every single child, every sister, they’re my family. I love them more than I can ever put into words."

Cassius’s smile deepened, tender and warm as he then said, "Then that means they’re my family too."

"W-What?" Aisha froze, her tail stiffening in shock.

"That’s the beautiful thing about love, Aisha." Cassius said gently, his voice steady but filled with conviction. "When two people choose to spend their lives together, their families also become one."

"The woman’s family becomes the man’s, and the man’s family becomes the woman’s...It doesn’t matter if they’re related by blood or not, once love is involved, they all merge into a single, big family."

Her breath caught as he gestured lightly to himself.

"So my family, my wives, my maids, even that ridiculous butler of mine, they’re yours now too."

Then he pointed softly at her, his gaze unwavering.

"And your family, the children, the sisters, the whole orphanage, they’re mine now as well."

Her lips parted, trembling, as he laced his fingers through hers. His hands were warm, firm, anchoring her as he went on.

"That means...when you spend time at the orphanage, you’re not abandoning me. You’re spending time with our family. And there’s not a man alive who’d ever wish anything less than the best for his own family."

Her tears spilled over again, her chest rising and falling as if his words had broken some final wall inside her.

"And besides..." Cassius added with a grin, pulling her closer by the waist until her forehead rested against his. "Who said you have to visit the orphanage alone anymore? If you’ll have me, I’ll go with you. Every time."

Aisha gasped softly, pulling back just enough to look at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"R-Really? You’d really come with me? To help out?"

"Of course." His grin widened. "Why wouldn’t I? I’d love to meet the rest of my family."

"I want to see the people who raised you, meet the little ones you care for, walk through the places that shaped you. I want to see where you slept, where you learned, where you grew up."

He chuckled.

"I’ll even bring my wives along...I think they’d have fun too."

Aisha’s heart raced, her small chest rising and falling rapidly. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"So...would you like that, Aisha?" Cassius stroked her cheek again, his voice tender now. "Would you mind if I supported your family as much as you do, and if we all became one big family together?"

For once, she had no words. The pressure in her chest broke, and just like that the tears she had been holding back came flooding out.

"W-Why, Cassius?!~ Why are you so kind, Cassius!?~" She sobbed, clinging to him like a child, her voice muffled against his chest. "Why...Why are you so damn kind to me?!~"

Her tears stained his shirt as she shook her head, trembling.

"M-My own family, the blood that should’ve cared for me, they didn’t even want me! They threw me away! No one wanted me!"

"But now you...you’re saying you not only want me, but that you’ll even take in the ones who raised me. People you don’t even know, people you have no ties to, and you’re willing to call them your family too..."

She looked up at him with wet, shining eyes, her voice breaking.

"Why are you like this?...W-Why are you such an angel when it comes to me?"

Cassius didn’t answer with words at first. He simply wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her trembling body close against his chest. His chin rested against her hair as he breathed her in.

When he finally did speak, his voice was quiet, steady, absolute.

"The reason is simple. I love you, Aisha. And I want to make you happy...That’s all there is to it. Every reason I need."

Her breath caught as she looked up at him, his face so close, his expression so sure.

"That’s enough, isn’t it?" He added softly. "For me to care, for me to do everything I can for you, just because I love you."

That broke her all over again.

"Waaaa!~ Waaaah!~ Wahhh!"

Aisha sobbed harder, but this time the tears were pure joy, joy so fierce it almost hurt, happiness so overwhelming she could barely breathe.

In a world that had rejected her, abandoned her, she had found a man who accepted every part of her without hesitation.

And so she clutched him tighter, burying her face against him as if she never wanted to let go, while he stroked her back in patient manner, murmuring nothing at all, letting her heart soak in the truth: that she was loved, wholly and unconditionally and that would never change no matter what happened...