Chapter 544: Awful One Liners

Cassius exhaled softly, trying to calm his racing heart.

His mind was still a jumble of mixed emotions, half his own, half the remnants of the original Cassius’s affection toward Aqua.

But he was beginning to regain his composure. Or at least, he thought he was.

But that illusion shattered the moment he noticed the subtle giggling coming from the corner of the room.

When he turned his head, his eyes twitched.

All of his maids were standing there, trays of tea and biscuits forgotten, their faces flushed pink as they whispered excitedly among themselves.

A few even had their hands over their mouths, barely containing their laughter. The faint words "So cute!" and "Did you see how red he got?" could be heard.

Cassius’s eye gave the slightest, almost imperceptible twitch.

’Wonderful.’ He thought bitterly. ’Now my entire staff is going to gossip about this until the end of time.’

He could already imagine the whispers that would fill the corridors tonight—"Did you see Young Master Cassius? The mighty noble, completely flustered by his sister!"

It wouldn’t stop there either. The maids would tell the cooks, the cooks would tell the knights, the knights would tell the taverns—and soon, everyone in the Holyfield estate would know.

And to make matters worse, knowing his family...they’d never let him live this down.

He felt his reputation crumble before his eyes.

He turned his gaze toward Aqua, who was still holding onto his hand like a child refusing to let go of a favorite toy, leaning against him with an affectionate grin.

"A-Aqua." He said finally, his voice a little strained. "Can you let me go now?"

She blinked innocently. "Hmm?"

He awkwardly cleared his throat, his cheeks still faintly red. "I think...we’ve had enough of greeting each other for now. I still need to properly greet the other guests too, you know?"

At that, Aqua’s smile suddenly faltered. Her expression shifted, her eyes narrowing, her lips forming a tiny pout.

"What did you just call me?"

Cassius blinked in confusion. "I said...Aqua?"

Her tone immediately sharpened.

"No, no, no. That’s not right."

"What?"

"It’s Big Sis." She said firmly, crossing her arms as she gave him a dramatic, wounded look. "You used to call me Big Sis all the time when we were little. You never called me by my name. Not once. And now suddenly you’re calling me Aqua? What’s this about, Cassius?"

"I—uh..." Cassius stammered, looking completely caught off guard.

"You’re supposed to call me Big Sis." She repeated, tapping his chest with her finger. "I’m your sister after all. It’s only natural!"

The maids in the corner had now stopped pretending to work entirely. They were leaning forward, watching like an audience waiting for the best part of a play.

Aqua beamed teasingly and said, "Come on, Cassius. Go on, say it. Big Sis."

Cassius stared at her, deadpan.

"Go on." She said in a sing-song voice, leaning closer. "I know you can do it."

Even Maria, trying to maintain her composure, had a small amused smile tugging at her lips.

Cassius, however, felt his dignity disintegrating.

His instinct or perhaps the original Cassius’s instinct urged him to say it. There was a warmth in his chest, a strange nostalgic longing to please her, to see her smile.

His lips parted slightly as if the words might just come out.

But he bit his lips, shook his head, and forced himself to resist.

"N-No." He said firmly, though his voice wavered slightly. "I can’t."

Aqua blinked, feigning offense. "Can’t? What do you mean, can’t?"

Cassius rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to maintain some semblance of composure.

"Maybe...the Cassius back then used to call you that. But that was then. He was just a kid. I’m a grown man now. I can’t go around calling my sister ’Big Sis’ like I’m five years old again."

He hesitated for a moment, his cheeks reddening slightly as he mumbled, "I’m...not a child anymore."

The faint blush that spread across his face was the final nail in the coffin.

Aqua’s eyes sparkled in pure delight.

"Oh, my goodness!" She squealed, clasping her hands together as if she’d just witnessed something divine. "He’s blushing! You’re blushing, Cassius!"

Cassius blinked in alarm. "W-Wait, I’m not—"

"Oh, how adorable!" She interrupted, swooping forward to hug him again—this time more carefully but no less enthusiastically. "My little brother thinks he’s all grown up now! Look at that face!"

She gently pinched his cheek, laughing warmly.

"You’re only nineteen years old and already acting like a big man! My, how time flies. I can’t believe my baby brother has grown so much!"

Cassius stiffened as she rubbed his hair affectionately.

Every instinct in him screamed to regain control of the situation, but the warmth of her smile and the tenderness in her voice made him freeze like a scolded child.

The maids, of course, were utterly enamored by the scene. "Aww..." a few of them whispered in unison.

Cassius could feel his authority evaporating by the second.

’At this rate, I’ll never be taken seriously again.’

He was just about to protest when a calm, cold voice suddenly sliced through the room.

"That’s enough." The voice said.

Everyone turned.

It was Joy.

Her arms were crossed, her expression unreadable, but her eyes carried that sharp, commanding weight that instantly made the air heavier.

"You’ve had plenty of time to greet your brother, Lady Aqua." Joy said coolly. "I think it’s about time you let the rest of us speak with him as well. He is the host, after all. And a good host gives every guest a proper welcome."

"Oh, come on, Joy! Just a little longer!"

Aqua pouted immediately, frowning like a child being told to give up her toy.

"We haven’t seen each other in years! Surely a sister is allowed a bit more time to hug her own brother, right?"

Joy’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you don’t let go of him, I might start wondering if you’re trying to keep him to yourself."

That made Aqua flinch.

"O-Oh, you don’t have to be so dramatic!" She said defensively, finally letting go and brushing her hair aside with an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, fine. I get it. My brother is so handsome that everyone wants a piece of him now. You just can’t wait, can you?"

The maids in the corner giggled again, earning a glare from Cassius.

Aqua finally loosened her grip on his arm, though she still reached up to straighten his shirt fondly.

"Alright then." She said with a teasing smirk. "I’ll let you go for now. But remember, Cassius—your Big Sis will always be by your side. If she tries to bully you, just call for me, alright?"

Then, turning toward Joy, she added playfully,

"Be gentle with him, alright? He may look calm, but he’s a shy one. Don’t scare him too much with your scary Saintess stare."

Cassius exhaled slowly as Aqua finally released him and he immediately straightened his collar, brushed a few stray strands of hair aside, and told himself,

’Alright. Deep breath. You’re back, Cassius. The confident, charming, irresistible Cassius.’

He glanced toward the group of maids still whispering in the corner, their cheeks flushed pink as they exchanged knowing smiles.

His status among them was plummeting with each giggle, and Cassius could almost feel his dignity evaporating into the air.

No, he had to fix this. He had to remind everyone, especially the women here who he was.

And standing right before him, sharp and composed, was the perfect target.

Joy.

The Saintess of Judgment herself. Her expression was cold, her stance unwavering, and her eyes...those eyes watched him with a look of disapproval, as though she were staring at a particularly uninteresting insect.

The very idea made his pride itch.

’Alright then.’ Cassius thought, his smirk widening. ’If I can make her flustered, even a little, I’ll have won back my dignity.’

He took one step forward, hands going forward to greet her, and said smoothly,

"Well, hello there. I don’t believe we’ve—"

"Save it." Joy cut in sharply before he could even finish the greeting.

Cassius blinked. "I—what?"

"There’s no need for your usual performance." She said cooly, taking a few steps toward him with grace. "I already know exactly what you were going to say next."

A hush fell over the room. Aqua tilted her head curiously. Maria and a few of the nuns exchanged glances.

Joy continued, her gaze unflinching. "Based on the numerous reports we’ve gathered—from women you’ve spoken to, servants, noble ladies, and even merchants’ daughters—there’s a clear pattern in your behavior."

Cassius raised a brow, half amused, half intrigued.

"Pattern?"

"Yes." Joy’s expression didn’t change. "Seventy percent of the time, when you meet a new woman, you begin your interaction by complimenting her beauty, or claiming she has some unique charm that you’ve never seen before."

"Sometimes you pretend you’ve seen her in a dream. Other times, you claim she reminds you of ’the most beautiful woman alive,’ conveniently implying that title now belongs to her."

She crossed her arms. "It’s transparent. Pathetic, even."

Cassius’s confident grin faltered slightly.

"You...really went through all that trouble compiling that?"

"Of course." Joy nodded toward Stella, who immediately stepped forward and handed her a thick folder. "We document everything for accuracy."

And hearing this new piece of information, Aqua gasped lightly and leaned forward in disbelief.

"Wait, wait—what kind of things has my brother been saying to women? I want to know!"

Joy flipped through the pages with unnerving precision.

"Let’s see..." She murmured before reading aloud. "To the baker’s daughter: ’The warmth of your bread is nothing compared to the warmth of your smile.’"

A few muffled snickers rippled through the maids in the background.

"To the milkmaid, who, mind you, already has two children—’I’ve tasted a thousand wines, but none are as sweet as the milk from your kindness.’"

Cassius froze, his smirk stiffening into something that looked suspiciously like embarrassment.

"Alright, that one sounds worse when you say it out loud—"

Joy ignored him entirely and continued flipping.

"To Lady Valentina of the merchant guild: ’Even gold would melt in shame beside the glow of your beauty.’ And to the widow who owns the tailor shop: ’Can you sew back my heart after it broke apart after seeing someone as pretty as you.’"

By now, Maria had a hand over her mouth, staring at him in wide-eyed disbelief, unable to believe he could say such shameless lines.

The younger nuns looked scandalized, and even Aqua—though clearly trying not to laugh—gave him a look that was both amused and exasperated.

Meanwhile, Cassius himself was cringing at his own lines and thinking that it was really good that he was handsome or else none of that bullshit he said would’ve worked out.