Chapter 626: Never Again

Right now, Cassius was reclining back on one of the cushioned lounge chairs in the garden behind the mansion.

The late-afternoon sun filtered through the canopy of ancient jasmine vines overhead, dappling his face in soft gold.

A faint breeze carried the scent of blooming nightshade and warm earth.

It was peaceful. Almost idyllic.

He looked almost peaceful—arms folded behind his head, eyes half-lidded as he stared up at the cloudless sky.

But the calm was only surface-deep.

Inside, his thoughts were still churning—wild, confused, fragmented.

Of course, he was no longer in that frozen, blank state from the bathroom, where shock had shut down everything except basic survival instincts.

That numbness had faded. Now he could think again.

And the biggest question—the one that kept circling back like a vulture was simple and incomprehensible at the same time.

Why?

Why had Aqua done that?

The Aqua he remembered—the one from childhood memories and the first few days of her return—wasn’t like this.

She was cheerful. Playful. Easily flustered. The kind of big sister who would tease him mercilessly about girls in town, then turn beet-red the moment he tried to tease her back.

She’d get embarrassed over the smallest things—accidental brushes, too-long hugs, even compliments.

That was the Aqua he knew.

But the woman who had pinned him to the stool, licked his cum off a mirror like it was dessert, and promised to hunt him down until he belonged to her?

That was someone else.

Something deep inside her had cracked open the moment their eyes met in that steamy bathroom.

Something hungry.

Something that looked at him the way his wives sometimes did when the bedroom door closed.

And the memory of it—

Her hand wrapped around his cock.

Her tongue dragging up the mirror.

Her whispered promises.

The way she kissed him like she wanted to crawl inside his skin.

—if he was brutally honest with himself...part of him had enjoyed it.

The physical sensation had been overwhelming. Mind-melting.

The taboo rush of it, the wrongness had only sharpened the pleasure until it hurt.

But in the moment?

In the moment he had been terrified.

Petrified.

Completely out of control.

And that was the part that lingered now, like a bruise under the skin.

But more then, whether he liked the memory or hated it, the biggest question was still why

Why her?

Why now?

He replayed every interaction since her return.

The first meeting—her walking in on him mid-act.

The accidental groping in the dark.

The bathhouse glimpse.

Every single time, she had been the instigator—stumbling into him, pressing too close, getting flustered, running away red-faced.

It was almost like she was the accidental pervert.

And he was the one caught in the crossfire.

So how had that shy, clumsy, embarrassed girl turned into...this?

There had to be a trigger.

Something he’d done. Something he’d said. Some line he’d crossed without realizing.

But no matter how hard he thought—

Nothing.

He hadn’t flirted. Hadn’t teased. Hadn’t even tried to seduce her.

Every time things got close, they ended in disaster—awkward silences, apologies, her fleeing the room.

So why?

Why had she looked at him like that?

Why had she touched him like that?

Why had she promised, whispered against his forehead that she would come for him again?

And why—gods, why—did the memory make him half-hard even now?

But on the positive side...

At least he didn’t have to seduce her.

After all, the way she looked at him now—hungry, possessive, almost predatory was not a sister’s gaze.

It was a lover’s.

A woman who wanted.

That meant she saw him as something other then a little brother.

This fortunately meant that he didn’t have to play the long game, weave lies, stage accidents, slowly erode her boundaries like would normally do.

She had fallen on her own.

That should have been a relief.

A victory.

But it also terrified him.

Because now he had no control.

He had no script.

He had no idea how his own body would react if she cornered him again.

Would he freeze like before?

Would he push her away?

Or would he give in?

The thought sent a shiver racing down his spine.

He rubbed his face with both hands, trying to scrub the confusion away.

But just as he exhaled a long, shaky breath—

"Young Master! Young Master, where are you?!"

The shout cut through the quiet garden.

And when Cassius turned his head slowly he saw Lucious sprinting toward him across the lawn, black coattails flapping, face flushed and sweaty.

The moment their eyes met, relief exploded across her features.

"Young Master! There you are—I finally found you!"

He skidded to a stop beside his chair, panting hard, hands on her knees.

"Young...Master..." He panted. "I...finally...found you..."

"What in the world happened, Lucius?" Cassius sat up slightly, concern creasing his brow. "Why did you run all the way here like that? And look at you—you’re drenched. You look like you ran a marathon."

Lucius straightened—still breathing hard and gave a shaky grin.

"I...might have...checked every room...in the east wing...before I thought to look outside..."

Cassius raised an eyebrow.

"Don’t tell me the Holyfield estate is under attack. Bandits? Rival house? Some ancient curse finally catching up?"

He flashed a tired grin.

"That would actually be great right now. I could use someone to vent my frustrations on."

But Lucius shook his head quickly.

"No—no, Young Master. Nothing like that. The estate is as safe as ever. With the Holy Guard around, nothing’s getting through."

He then leaned closer, expression shifting from frantic to deeply worried.

"It’s just that..."

His big, earnest eyes searched Cassius’s face like a loyal hound sniffing for injury.

"...I’m worried about you."

Cassius tilted his head in confusion.

"Me? I’m fine."

Lucius shook his head harder.

"No. No, that’s not what I heard!"

He swallowed.

"Earlier...three of the maids came running to me. You know the trio that’s always trying to ambush you and they looked...scared."

"They said you weren’t yourself at all. That you were sitting there completely lost. Like you weren’t even in the room with them."

"They thought maybe you were sick. Maybe you had a fever or something serious."

"They didn’t want to make a fuss with the whole mansion, so they apparently stopped whatever they were doing with you and came straight to me."

Cassius’s stomach dropped.

"Did they...tell anyone else?"

Lucius shook his head immediately.

"No, Master. They kept it quiet. Said they knew this wasn’t something you’d want spread around. They only told me because they were genuinely worried."

Cassius exhaled.

"Good. That’s...good."

He leaned back again, staring up at the sky once more.

"Tell them to keep it that way. No one else needs to know this humiliation of mine."

Lucius nodded obediently.

"Of course, my lord. But..."

He hesitated, then leaned even closer, voice dropping to a whisper.

"...what happened? You don’t seem like yourself even now. You’re calmer than what they described, but there’s still...something."

"You look like you’ve just walked out of a battlefield. Like you survived something awful and you’re still trying to understand how."

His eyes then shimmered, actual tears gathering at the corners.

"And...And can’t stand seeing my Young Master like this. You’re always so strong. So bright. Seeing you struggle...it makes me want to cry."

Cassius let out a soft, tired chuckle.

The sight of his terrifyingly competent butler on the verge of tears over him was strangely adorable.

Shaking his head, Cassius reached out and gently patted Lucius’s head, to the butler’s complete surprise.

"There, there." Cassius said softly, almost teasingly. "I’m fine now, Lucius. And honestly, I did go through something...unpleasant."

"Something I would really prefer to never experience again. But it’s over now."

Lucius sniffled slightly, still looking at him with watery eyes.

"W-what happened, Young Master? Was it an attack? A curse? Who hurt you?"

Cassius smirked faintly.

"Let’s just say...it was something unexpected."

"Something I never imagined I’d face in this lifetime."

Lucius blinked rapidly, completely lost. "I—I don’t understand..."

"You don’t need to." Cassius said with a sigh, leaning back again. "Just know this—once was more than enough. Never again."

"I swear on my life, I’ll never make the same mistake twice."

He then looked back just enough to meet Lucius’s wide, teary eyes.

"So don’t cry, alright? Your Young Master is still here. Still breathing. Still...mostly in one piece."

Lucius sniffled again, then gave a shaky nod.

"Yes...Yes, my lord."

Cassius ruffled his hair again.

"Good boy. Now stop looking like you’re about to sob. You’ll ruin your reputation as the terrifying butler everyone fears."

Lucius managed a watery laugh.

"I...I fear nothing except you being unhappy, Young Master."

Cassius gave a faint, amused smile at Lucius’s soft reply, but just as he was about to relax again, something suddenly clicked in his mind.

He looked around slowly, noticing how unnaturally still everything was.

No footsteps. No chatter. Not even the faint hum of maids going about their chores.

The Holyfield estate, which was usually lively from morning till noon, felt almost...deserted.

"Lucius." Cassius said, his tone curious. "The mansion seems rather quiet today. What’s going on? Where is everyone?"

Lucius immediately straightened up like a soldier receiving an order.

"Ah—yes, Young Master." He said promptly. "Actually, quite a few people have gone out today."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "Gone out?"

Lucius nodded rapidly.

"Yes, sir. Isabelle, Nala, Vivi, and Portia went to the town early this morning to assist with the festival preparations. You know how busy it gets every year."

"And as for Lady Diana—she went to the hospital along with Lady Maria, who insisted on accompanying her."

"They said they’d be back by evening."

Cassius hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm. That explains some of it."

Lucius continued. "Several of the maids also left for the town to restock supplies and help with decorations for the festival."

But don’t worry, Young Master. They’re all under the protection of the Holy Guard. There shouldn’t be any danger."

Cassius chuckled softly, nodding. "Of course. With those fiesty knights, no one would dare lay a hand on them."

But then, after a small pause, his gaze shifted toward Lucius again.

"What about the others? Aqua, Carmela, and Joy—where are they?"

"Ah, yes. Lady Joy, Miss Carmela, and Lady Aqua have all gone out as well, Young Master. They went to meet the Holy Guard—specifically Captain Julie, Skadi, and Aisha."

"...They what?" Cassius flipped around, not expecting such a visit.

"Yes, Young Master." Lucius said with a quick nod. "Apparently, they’re all acquainted from before. Old friends, you could say. Since they are on friendly terms, they decided to visit and catch up."

Cassius tilted his head slightly. "Huh. I didn’t expect that."

Lucius smiled faintly.

"Lady Joy, for instance, seems especially fond of Skadi. And Lady Aqua apparently went to meet Aisha—it seems Lady Aqua taught Aisha magic in the past when she visited the Capital, acting as something of a mentor figure."

Cassius chuckled softly at that.

"Well, that makes sense. Aqua’s always been a high-level mage. It’s natural she’d have students here and there."

He paused, his tone turning thoughtful.

"Though I’ll admit...it’s a little strange that someone as uptight and proper as Joy would willingly go to meet someone like Skadi."

"Strange? Why would you say that Young Master?"

"Because Joy’s...well, Joy. Strict, composed, disciplined to a fault. Meanwhile, Skadi—"

He hesitated for politeness’s sake.

"—is, to put it nicely, rather simple-minded. The kind of person who’d punch a wall just to see if it’s sturdy."

Lucius blinked, clearly uncertain if he was allowed to laugh.

"Ah...I see."

Cassius waved a hand.

"Whatever it is, let them enjoy themselves. It’s probably good for them to unwind once in a while."

He then rose from the lounge chair, stretching lazily as the sunlight caught the edge of his hair.

Lucius instinctively stepped forward, following close behind.

"Where are you going, Young Master?" He asked quickly, as if afraid Cassius might vanish again.

Cassius glanced back over his shoulder with a sly grin.

"To train."

Lucius blinked. "Train?"

"Yes." Cassius said firmly, his smirk widening. "Yes, to train my mental state, so that what happened won’t ever happen again."

"I’m going to make sure no one ever takes advantage of me, especially not my sister."

Lucius narrowed his eyes in confusion, still unsure what exactly his master meant.

But seeing that resolute fire in Cassius’s expression, he quickly nodded and followed after him, tailing him like a loyal hound as the Young Lord of the Holyfield household strode off, ready to reclaim his pride.

But shockingly, instead of going to the training ground for actual training, he instead went into the bedroom with some of the maids he caught along the way.

This was because the training he had in mind wasn’t the conventional one, but something else entirely to make sure Aqua’s attacks didn’t work in the future.