Chapter 398: I Have To Have You Now

But still...if it was anyone else with such incredible partners, Nala would have undoubtedly felt a wave of insecurity.

The familiar ache of abandonment, a product of her childhood trauma and the constant feeling of not belonging, would have consumed her. It was a depressing and well-worn path in her mind: she was a cursed girl, a abandoned snake and no one truly wanted her forever other then her grandma.

Yet, when she thought of Cassius, something shifted.

He was different. Every word he had spoken to her, every look he had given, came flooding back. He had seen her, truly seen her, and he still wanted her. He hadn’t flinched at her tricks or her past.

He’d looked at her with such intense, passionate desire, and in that gaze, her sense of abandonment was not just forgotten, it was filled with warmth.

The hollow pit in her stomach was gone, replaced by a feeling she had never known. She couldn’t imagine someone who wanted her so gracefully, so completely, ever abandoning her.

She shook her head, as if to physically cast away the lingering doubts, and a newfound excitement sparked in her eyes.

"You know what?" She said, her voice bright and decisive. "I’m actually going to go see Cassius right now! You all enjoy your meal, I’ll be right back!"

With that, she slithered away, her tail a graceful blur behind her.

Skadi watched her go, a proud, smug grin spreading across his face.

"Haha, I helped Master snag another woman! He’ll be so happy with me!"

She then turned to Julie, his expression taunting.

"And Captain, you better properly confess your feelings to Cassius! That girl he just met today is already flustered for him and is going to become his woman right now! If you delay any longer, you’ll be at the bottom of the hierarchy!"

Julie glared at him, a half-eaten piece of fish still in her hand. She grumbled to herself as she returned to signing the papers, but a faint blush was visible on her cheeks.

Wanda too simply smiled, her eyes filled with a quiet satisfaction. Seeing how all of these strong, vibrant women reacted to Cassius, she knew her decision was the right one.

The rumors meant nothing. Cassius was a good man, and her granddaughter’s happiness was all that mattered. She decided to intervene no more and let fate take its course.

—

Meanwhile, Nala had slithered out of the noisy tavern and onto the deck, the cool night air a welcome relief.

The moon hung high in the sky, a brilliant silver disc against the inky blackness. And there he was.

Cassius was leaning against the railing, his gaze fixed on the calm surface of the lake, his profile bathed in moonlight. The light made his pale skin seem to glow, and his eyes, when he turned to look at her, were like embers in the night.

In that instant, all the things she had prepared to say, the casual pleasantries, the confident jokes, vanished. She was a flustered mess, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Cassius too turned at her approach, catching her frozen stare. For a heartbeat, the silence between them felt louder than the tavern behind her.

"H-Hey, Cassius—Wow, I just realised that’s the first time I’m calling you by your name" She stammered, forcing herself to move closer, her tail coiling nervously before shaking her head and continuing, "Anyway...I heard you were out here, so I thought...if you wanted anything, I could...take your order."

Her voice faltered at the end, the line sounding ridiculous even to her own ears.

But he didn’t laugh. He only looked at her, quietly, intently.

Trying to fill the silence, she blurted, "You know, I also heard something else. That you’re actually a top noble, the son of the richest family in the whole continent."

She let out a shaky laugh, flustered.

"I mean, I can’t believe it. Earlier I joked about how nice it’d be if you were a noble who came to save me, and now it turns out to be true? Gods, my mouth is cursed."

Still nothing. Just his eyes on her.

Desperate to break the weight of it, she rambled on.

"I mean...it does make me reconsider what you said earlier, about marrying me. Being married to a noble, with all that money, well, that sounds kind of exciting, right? I could buy anything I wanted. Do whatever I wanted."

"...Honestly, just that fact alone makes me think, hey, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to marry you after all." She chuckled nervously, waiting for him to laugh too, to tease her.

But Cassius didn’t laugh. His expression was solemn, almost unreadable. He let the silence stretch until her heart was rattling in her chest.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"Then...does that mean you really want to marry me?"

Her eyes widened. "W-What? No, I mean...I was just joking, I didn’t—"

But before she could finish, Cassius exhaled sharply, and a look of relief crossed his face.

"That’s good. That’s really good. You don’t know how much that means to me. I didn’t know what I’d do if you rejected my proposal."

"P-Proposal?" She squeaked. "What do you mean pro—"

She broke off, struck dumb. Because Cassius had slipped his hand into his coat pocket and drawn something out. Slowly, he held it up to the moonlight.

It was a ring. A golden band engraved with delicate patterns, crowned with a gleaming purple crystal that shimmered like starlight.

An engagement ring.

Nala’s breath hitched as her wide eyes locked on the golden band, the purple gem gleaming like a star in Cassius’s hand. Her tail coiled so tight beneath her she thought it might snap, and in her panic she jabbed a finger at the ring.

"C-Cassius...what is that? What in the world is that?! What are you holding right now?!"

Cassius tilted his head, as though surprised she even needed to ask. He let the ring roll across his fingers with ease before holding it up again.

"Hmm? This? This is called the Ring of Aurelius. I found it tucked away in my family’s treasury. A relic from a time long past, it was once used as a symbol of engagement between two kingdoms, exchanged by a prince and a princess to seal their bond. And it’s not only an engagement ring, Nala, it’s said to carry magical properties, blessings that—"

But Nala shook her head rapidly, her cheeks burning.

"I-I know it’s an engagement ring! That’s obvious! What I mean is, why are you bringing it out now?! Why are you showing this to me all of a sudden?!"

"Why else would I bring it out, Nala?" Cassius smiled faintly, his eyes steady and unflinching on her. "It’s to propose to you of course."

Her heart lurched into her throat.

"W-What?! Why would you, why would you do something like that?!" She blurted in a panic, her hands trembling.

Cassius’s smile didn’t falter, though there was a softness in it, as though he knew exactly how overwhelmed she was. He stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"I know this must feel sudden. Out of nowhere, even. And yes, it’s confusing. I understand that."

His thumb brushed along the engraved band as though steadying himself.

"But the truth is...earlier, when I joked about us just walking into a shop, buying rings, and getting married on the spot...I wasn’t serious. I didn’t want to rush something so important."

Her lips parted, but no sound came out.

"But then..." He continued, his tone deepening. "...everything changed tonight."

Her breath caught as she listened, half-afraid of what he’d say, half desperate to hear more.

Cassius let out a low laugh, raking a hand through his hair.

"First, seeing you in that outfit nearly broke me. You were...gods, you were breathtaking, Nala. Like a princess from some desert kingdom, the kind men only dream of in their fantasies. I could hardly breathe when I saw you. My heart stopped in my chest."

Her blue face went pink at his words, her fingers fidgeting against her own scales. "D-Don’t say things like that..."

"But that was already too much for me to handle..." He praised on and with a soft groan, he grabbed his head as if he was in pain. "...and then you went on to dance."

"The dance...it completely knocked me out of the park."

He let his hand drop and looked at her, his expression utterly serious.

"The only word I could think of in that moment was enchantment. Pure and utter enchantment."

Nala was even more embarrassed, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his.

"It doesn’t matter if you dance in front of one person or a thousand people, it wouldn’t make a difference." He said, his voice a low rumble. "Every single person, whether it was one or a thousand, would be enchanted by your dance and would be left dreaming and in a daze, unable to take their eyes off you...That’s what I went through.

"I mean, when I first met you, I was already enchanted, couldn’t breathe or speak for a moment. But when I saw you dancing, I felt the same thing."

"And honestly if anyone made an assassination attempt on my life at that moment, I wouldn’t even be able to react. Even when the knife goes straight through my heart, I would probably still be watching you, watching how beautifully you danced."

"And even then, I would die a happy death, knowing I got to see something like that for the last time."

Nala’s head was spinning. She couldn’t handle the intensity of his words, the depth of his feelings.

"S-So what are you trying to say, Cassius?! What are you trying to say?"

She stammered, wringing her hands together in nervousness to which he sighed, then took her hands gently into his own. His eyes softened, but the intensity in them never wavered.

"What I’m trying to say is this: after tonight, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I couldn’t risk anyone else seeing what I saw and daring to steal you away from me...The thought terrified me, Nala. So I decided, no more delays."

He raised the ring, his voice firm with resolve.

"I want to propose to you here and now. To make you my future wife."

Her mouth fell open, her head shaking instinctively.

"No, Cassius, that’s...that’s wrong! No one else is going to come after me like that, no one’s going to suddenly propose just because they saw me dance!"

But Cassius only shook his head, tightening his hold on her hands.

"You don’t understand, Nala. You don’t understand how mesmerizing you truly are. You can’t see it the way others do, but I do. And that’s why I can’t risk it."

Her breath shuddered out as she stared at him, utterly overwhelmed.

"And you know, I’ve always been the one to think carefully, to weigh every move...But right now?" His lips curved into a wry smile. "Right now, I just know this, I can’t let you slip through my fingers."

"So, Nala, if you say yes, if you let me, I’ll promise to treat you like the princess you are. I’ll never let harm touch you. I’ll make sure you’re happy for the rest of your life."

Her throat went dry. "C-Cassius..."

He went down on one knee, the ring gleaming in his hand, his gaze never leaving hers.

"All I need is one word, Nala. Just say yes. And from this night forward, you’ll be my fiancée. My future wife. So tell me..."

He held the ring up higher, his voice lowering into something soft, earnest, and unshakable.

"...will you accept my proposal and give me the honour of being your husband?"