Chapter 426: It Was A Prank!

The boat floated still in the middle of the vast, shimmering lake, its reflection rippling across the water’s surface like glass. The afternoon sun glowed warmly above them, casting a soft golden hue over everything it touched.

Cassius leaned over the side of the small wooden boat, his expression calm but focused, eyes scanning the gentle disturbance spreading from the end of Nala’s long white tail.

Nala, meanwhile, held onto the edge of the boat from the outside, half-submerged in the cool water. Her tail stretched far out across the lake’s surface, gleaming faintly in the sunlight. The very tip of it bobbed gently, where a small fishing hook and bait had been carefully tied.

"Now, Nala." Cassius murmured, watching the ripples intently. "Don’t move. Not yet."

Nala squinted at him from where she floated, her expression scrunching up. "But Cassius, it tickles! All those fish nibbling at my tail...!"

Cassius chuckled, placing a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Just a few more seconds. You move now, and they’ll all swim away. Stay still, you’re doing great."

She let out a small huff but stayed where she was, her tail flicking slightly beneath the surface. "If one of them bites me too hard, I’m biting it back." She muttered under her breath.

Cassius’s smile widened. "That’s fair. But I think one’s about to take the bait, wait for it."

She puffed her cheeks but did as he said, keeping her tail elongated like a patient, living fishing line.

It was a ridiculous idea, born from Cassius joking that she didn’t need a fishing rod when she already had a perfectly good one attached to her body. But the moment he said it, Nala’s eyes had lit up with excitement. Before he could take it back, she’d insisted they try it, laughing at how she’d never thought of it herself.

They’d already spent hours fishing with all the tools and inventions she had proudly shown off earlier. One by one, Cassius had tried each one under her instruction, and each worked just as she had promised.

The two of them had caught a staggering amount of fish, enough to host a grand feast. Now, for their final trick, they were testing the "Nala-tail method." and both were completely absorbed in it.

Cassius kept his eyes on the water, reading the faint ripples with the precision of a seasoned fisherman. Nala, unable to see what was happening behind her, listened intently to his every word, her face tense with anticipation.

Then, suddenly, his eyes widened. "Now, Nala! Pull it up, now!"

Without hesitation, Nala snapped her tail upward with surprising force. Water splashed into the boat as a large silver fish burst out of the lake, wriggling wildly. At the very tip of her tail, the hook had caught it cleanly.

Her eyes went wide with delight. "Cassius! We did it! We actually caught a fish with my tail! Granny’s never going to believe this!"

"Careful." Cassius laughed, grabbing a net. "Get it into the boat before it wriggles free!"

She swung her tail over, and he deftly unhooked the thrashing fish and tossed it into the growing pile in the boat. The moment it hit the wood with a wet slap, both of them let out a victorious cheer.

Cassius leaned over and grabbed her hands, pulling her up slightly as she bobbed in the water, and they both laughed like children who had just pulled off a prank.

"We did it!" She repeated joyfully, her grin stretching ear to ear. "We just invented a whole new way to fish!"

Cassius chuckled. "Yes we did! I’d say you’ve revolutionized the entire fishing industry, Captain Nala."

She flicked her tongue playfully. "Captain Nala, huh? I like the sound of that." But then she frowned thoughtfully. "Though, now that I think about it...no one else can really use this method. You kind of need a tail to pull it off, don’t you?"

Cassius leaned back with a teasing smirk.

"That’s where you’re wrong. Sure, human women might not be able to pull it off..." He paused dramatically. "...but human men might."

Nala tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Cassius crossed his arms, feigning seriousness.

"Well, men have something long and narrow too. If they just dangle it in the water, the fish might mistake it for bait. And the moment the fish bites..." He grinned lewdly. "...they just yank upward. Instant catch."

There was a stunned pause before Nala’s cheeks flushed.

"Cassius! You’re so damn naughty! Granny said you were a Depraved Noble with so many rumours around you, and now I see why. You really are the most perverted man I’ve ever met!"

"Does that bother you?" He leaned closer, grin unshaken. "That I’m a shameless deviant?"

Instead of backing away, Nala’s smile softened.

"Not at all. You could be the biggest pervert in the world and have the weirdest kinks...I’d still stay by your side." She said, looping her arms around his neck.

Before he could respond, she pulled him in for a deep, heated kiss. Her twin tongues slid against his, bold and eager, and he met her with equal passion, their breaths mingling in the cool air.

When they finally pulled apart, both were smiling, eyes locked in a moment of quiet affection. Cassius sighed contentedly.

"This really was a good day. Not the usual couple’s date...more like a fishing adventure. But honestly? I wouldn’t trade it for anything."

Nala’s chest swelled with pride at his words.

"And besides..." He added with a grin. "I wouldn’t have been able to go on a boating trip like this without you."

She blinked in surprise. "Why not? Have you...never gone fishing before?"

Cassius shook his head slowly, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"No...not at all." He admitted, voice low but honest. "I’ve never been fishing. I was raised far from any ocean or great lake, and nobles sons aren’t exactly taught how to swim. In fact, we weren’t even allowed near deep water. For safety."

Nala’s eyes widened, her jaw slack with disbelief.

"Wait...what? You’re serious?" She blurted out. "You really can’t swim?!" She pressed a hand to her chest, scandalised. "Oh my gods, Cassius...I’ve been swimming since I was a baby. My grandmother swears I wriggled into the river before I could even crawl."

"Everyone here knows how to swim, even toddlers can stay afloat." She flicked her tail, splashing water lightly against the boat. "But you? You’d just drop like a rock to the bottom!"

Cassius chuckled softly at her reaction, leaning one elbow against the boat’s rim. "Exactly. That’s why I’m glad I’ve got an expert swimmer with me. With you here, I actually feel safe enough to do something crazy."

Before Nala could ask what he meant, Cassius shifted and stood carefully on the edge of the boat, balancing on the narrow plank with his arms out like a tightrope walker.

"See?" He called down to her with a grin. "I can even do this without fear. Even if I fall, you’ll pull me back in."

Nala’s eyes went wide.

"Cassius, stop!" Nala gasped, her tail lashing anxiously in the water. "Don’t even joke about that! Get back in the boat this instant! You should’ve told me sooner, I have an apparatus for children to keep them afloat! You could’ve worn that instead of, Cassius, don’t move!"

"Come on, Nala. It’s fun!" He laughed, arms out for balance. "Look, I can even shake the boat a little—"

"No!" She snapped, her expression suddenly serious, almost maternal. "This isn’t fun, it’s dangerous! You better sit down right now or I swear I’ll use my tail to whip you back into your seat!"

Cassius froze at her sharp tone, then raised his hands in surrender with a smirk.

"Alright, alright. No need to threaten violence, Miss Serpent."

He chuckled, taking a step back—only for his foot to slip against the wet wood.

"No, wait—!" Nala shouted just as his body tilted, and with a loud splash, he disappeared beneath the surface.

For a heartbeat, silence. Then—

"CASSIUS!" Nala screamed, panic breaking through every inch of her voice.

Without hesitation, she lunged forward, diving into the water. Her tail sliced through the lake as she searched frantically beneath the surface, her eyes darting through the dark green depths.

But he wasn’t there.

Her heart pounded, dread gripping her chest as she dove again and again, searching every shadow. Her tail churned the water, bubbles swirling around her, but there was no sign of him.

And though she tried to dive deeper, her own body betrayed her, her tail was too buoyant, too heavy with air to let her sink far. No matter how hard she fought it, she was pulled upward again, gasping for air as her chest heaved.

When she surfaced, her eyes were wide and wet, not just from the lake, but from tears that now mixed with the water.

"Cassius..." She whispered hoarsely. "No, no, no—"

She took another deep breath and was about to dive again when—

"Boo! Are you surprised, Nala? Surprised that I’m back?"

A voice rang out playfully from behind her, followed by a splash.

She whipped around, and there he was, Cassius, rising from the water with a grin, his hair plastered to his face and his eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Cassius!" She gasped, frozen in shock as he laughed.

"I just wanted to pull a little prank." He said, brushing water from his eyes. "You kept teasing me all day, throwing fish, splashing me. I figured I’d get you back. You should’ve seen your face, Nala! You looked like—"

But he didn’t finish. Because the moment he looked closer, he realized she wasn’t laughing.

Her lips trembled. Her shoulders quivered. And through the water, he could see her tears, real tears, mixing into the lake.

"Nala..." His grin faltered.

"A-A prank?" She stared at him, voice shaking. "You call that a prank?"

Her voice cracked, and the raw hurt in it pierced through him.

"Throwing a fish at you, Cassius, that’s a prank. Splashing you, that’s a prank. But pretending to drown?" Her throat tightened. "That’s not a prank."

He tried to speak, but she went on, voice breaking.

"D-Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought I lost you. I thought—" She pressed a trembling hand to her chest, her voice turning small. "I thought I’d failed to protect you."

Cassius’s expression softened immediately. He swam closer, his hands finding her shoulders gently.

"Hey...hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I thought—" He hesitated, guilt flooding through him. "I thought it would just make you laugh. I didn’t realize..."

Nala’s lip quivered, and her tears fell faster.

"Y-You don’t understand, Cassius." She whispered. "You’re the only one who’s ever...really seen me. Everyone else ran from me, or laughed at me. But you, you looked at me like I was normal. Like I was just...me." Her tail floated behind her, motionless in the water. "For the first time in my life, I wasn’t lonely. You made me feel alive."

Cassius stared at her, speechless.

She choked on a breath.

"And then suddenly, you were gone. T-The person who made me laugh, who made me feel like I mattered, just gone. Do you have any idea how that felt? My heart..." She pressed her hand harder to her chest, voice trembling. "...it felt like it shattered into a thousand pieces."

Her words hit him harder than any weapon ever could. Without thinking, Cassius pulled her into his arms, wrapping her close as she sobbed softly against his chest. He stroked her wet hair, his voice low and full of remorse.

"I’m so sorry, Nala. Truly. I never should’ve done that. I didn’t realize how much I meant to you...or how much you cared."

Her fingers clutched at him in response, trembling.

"You idiot." She whispered, her voice muffled against him. "Don’t you ever do that again..."

Cassius tightened his hold, guilt softening into a warm ache in his chest. He looked down at the small, adorable lamia trembling in his arms, and a small smile tugged at his lips despite himself.

To see someone care so much for him—to cry at the mere thought of losing him, made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

He kissed the top of her damp hair softly. "Never again." He promised quietly. "You have my word."