Chapter 797: Burdened By Their Pasts
After what felt like an eternity of passionate kisses, Joy and Carmela finally pulled back, their lips swollen and their bodies exhausted.
They had been kissing Cassius for so long that their mouths had gone completely dry.
Cassius had practically drunk all their saliva with his insatiable hunger.
Not to mention how wet their pussies had become from all the expert touching and groping he’d subjected them to.
Now they both lay against Cassius’s chest, their heads resting against the warm comfort of his steady heartbeat.
Their bodies felt drained of all energy, yet there was a strange sense of peace settling over them.
But alongside that peace came a deep, gnawing sense of shame.
It wasn’t just the act they’d committed—though that was certainly part of it.
It was more than that. In the past, when they’d done such dirty things, it had been out of duty or necessity. A means to an end. A way to take Cassius down or achieve some other goal.
But this time...this time they’d done it willingly.
Enthusiastically, even. And neither of them knew how to process that.
The shame became even more acute when they realized they were currently face to face, resting on Cassius’s chest, looking directly at each other.
Their eyes met, and both of them flushed bright red.
Carmela was so embarrassed that she honestly wanted to throw all the blame on Joy.
So, she narrowed her eyes, a silent accusation passing between them.
’Look at you.’
Her eyes seemed to hiss, burning with an ancient, noble condescension.
’The grand Saintess of Judgment. The terrifying nun whose very name makes the corrupt barons of the capital wet their beds in fear.’
’Now reduced to a flushing, breathless plaything, eagerly swallowing the saliva of the continent’s worst tyrant.’
Joy was not one to back down. She glared back with equal intensity, her eyes demanding,
’What about you, the Great Noble Killer? You’ve been causing terror for over sixty years and now you’re in the laps of another man.’
’What do you have to say for yourself?’
Carmela bared her fangs in an intimidating manner, her eyes cold as she seemed to sneer,
’At least I didn’t come here with the intention of taking Cassius down, only to fall for him instead and give him sloppy kisses like you just did.’
Joy rolled her eyes, gritting her teeth as she shot back silently,
’At least I didn’t fall in love with a man who’s the epitome of noble hierarchy, the very same nobles you’ve been killing for so many years.’
And just like that, a silent war erupted between them.
They hissed and glared at each other with such intensity that it looked like an actual catfight was about to break out. Their pride was on the line, and neither wanted to be the one looked down upon.
But just as the tension reached its peak, Cassius’s warm hands slid over their spines, sending shivers through both of them.
"Mmm—!"
"Nnnnn—!"
The touch instantly settled them down, as if his mere presence had the power to calm the storm inside them.
They looked up at him with adorable, questioning gazes like kittens waiting for their master’s command.
Cassius looked down at them, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
"Honestly, right now I just want to take you both back to my room and fuck you so hard that both the Saintess and the vampire squeal in unison."
Both women’s ears turned bright red at his words.
Their hearts raced at the thought.
"But." Cassius continued, shaking his head. "I don’t think that’s exactly the right move right now."
He looked away toward the town, where the faint sounds of the festival could still be heard.
The celebration had been going on for two days now, and the energy was palpable even from this distance.
"I think we can use this time to do something even more fun...Or at least just as fun."
Before Carmela or Joy could say anything, Cassius suddenly got up, surprising them both. He grabbed each of them by one hand and pulled them along with enthusiastic determination.
"Come along now." He said, his voice filled with excitement. "The festival has already been going on for two days, and neither of you has even stepped into the perimeter yet."
"That simply cannot do." He shook his head in a vehement manner. "I’ve taken a lot of effort to set up this festival, and I refuse to accept that you two won’t experience it."
Joy immediately tried to pull back. "Cassius, no!"
Her voice was hesitant, nervous. "I don’t want to go to the festival. You know what festivals mean to me. I’m not fond of such places. Please let me go!"
She looked timid, the fierce saintess reduced to a nervous wreck at the mere thought of entering a festival ground.
Her eyes darted around, searching for an escape route.
Carmela was the same. Her face had gone pale, and she was biting her lips nervously.
"Please, Cassius." She stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "I-I’ll go anywhere with you. I’ll even go to the bedroom with Joy."
"But please...don’t take me to a festival."
Her vulnerable gaze pleaded with him.
"I really can’t bear to go to such a place."
The reason for their fear was understandable.
For Joy, the festival grounds were forever stained with the memory of the night she’d slaughtered her entire family.
Every time she thought of festivals, she remembered the blood, the screams, the terrible things she’d done.
For Carmela, the memories were even worse.
As a child, she’d lived in the forest with her mother, hiding from the world. One night, she’d heard the sounds of a festival—children laughing, music playing, joy in the air.
Despite her mother’s warnings, curiosity had gotten the better of her.
She’d snuck out, enjoyed herself thoroughly, and returned home to find that she’d been followed.
That had led to her mother’s capture. That had led to everything going wrong.
That had led to a lifetime of suffering and regret.
Now both women were looking at Cassius with hesitant, scared gazes.
They didn’t look like terrifying warriors who could make anyone shiver in their boots. They looked like two little girls, burdened by the brutality of their pasts, terrified to take even a single step forward.
Cassius stared at them for a long moment.
And then he frowned.
"Do you really think I give a shit about that?" He said harshly.
Both women stared at him in shock. They’d expected comfort, reassurance, gentle words.
But instead, he was practically scolding them.
"Everyone has their own traumas." Cassius continued dismissively. "Everyone has their own struggles and their own battles."
"It’s not like just the two of you have been through something terrible in the past. You’re not special."
He glared at them, and they stared back in utter dismay.
"I myself have gone through massive trauma in the past." He said proudly, gesturing toward himself.
Immediately both women’s ears perked up.
This was it! Cassius was finally going to reveal his tragic backstory!
Joy leaned forward eagerly, practically salivating at the prospect of learning more about his mysterious past.
Carmela, who’d been eavesdropping earlier and knew about Joy’s desperate curiosity, was also extremely interested.
Cassius took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for a difficult confession.
"There was once..." He said dramatically. "...a bowl of chili."
Both women blinked.
"A bowl of incredibly spicy chili." He continued. "It was full of peppers, so many peppers. Just looking at it, I knew it was going to be incredibly spicy. It looked like it could cook me alive if I ate it."
He grimaced at the memory.
"But at the same time, it looked so delicious. The smell was absolutely pulling me in, begging me to eat it. So I threw away all my considerations and ate that bowl of chili."
His eyes lit up. "And it was so good! I ate more and more until I was completely full."
His expression shifted to one of pale horror.
"But unfortunately, the next day was a complete disaster. Because it was so spicy, while I was out in the park going for a run, I accidentally..."
He gritted his teeth, looking utterly mortified.
"I..pooped myself a little."
Joy and Carmela stared at him, completely frozen.
"The moment it happened." Cassius continued, his face burning with embarrassment. "I felt so ashamed. I thought the entire world was watching me."
"So I covered my butt and had to walk home. And the whole time, people were laughing at me."
"Children pointed at me."
"I could even hear the birds flying above mock me."
He covered his face with his hands. "I thought I would never live it down! I absolutely hated chili after that. I swore I would never eat it again!"
Joy and Carmela looked at each other, both feeling incredibly frustrated.
They’d been waiting for his tragic backstory, and this was what they got?
A story about shitting himself?
But Cassius’s tone suddenly shifted. He pulled his hands away from his face, revealing eyes that burned with determination.
"But I knew that I couldn’t let my trauma control me." He said firmly. "I knew that I had to overcome my fear. That’s why I went back to that restaurant!"
"I ordered the same chili—more bowls, actually. I ate as much of it as I could. I was determined to beat my trauma once and for all."
He clenched his fist triumphantly. "And I did it! I overcame my fear! And didn’t accidentally poop myself the next day!"
Joy and Carmela stared at him in disbelief.
"I felt so proud of myself back then." Cassius said, grinning. "I felt like I could take on the entire world after overcoming my fears."
Joy and Carmela looked at each other, then back at Cassius.
They both had the same thought: they wanted to smack him on top of the head!
Here they were, going through genuine emotional turmoil, and he was telling a ridiculous, silly story about bowel movements.
But just as Joy was about to chide him, Cassius’s expression changed.
The exaggerated drama melted away, replaced by something warm and tender. His eyes softened as he looked at both of them, and they felt their hearts clench at the genuine love in his gaze.
"Basically what I’m trying to say..." He said softly. "...is that our traumas don’t have to define us. They don’t have to be chains that hold us back for our entire lives."
"Instead, they can be stepping stones, things that make us stronger than we were before."
He let out a sympathetic sigh.
"I understand that for both of you, it isn’t as easy as eating chili."
"Joy..." He looked at Joy. "You must feel as if the entire ground is running in blood every time you hear a festival. You must hear all the screams of that night when you became the saintess."
Joy clenched her fists, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She looked at him, then looked away, unable to bear the intensity of his gaze.
"And Carmela." Cassius continued gently, turning to the vampire. "You probably hear your mother’s cries every time you see festival lights."
"You must feel that desperate drive to escape, that terror of being followed."
Carmela closed her eyes, feeling the familiar pain surge through her heart.
Both women were sinking deeper into that familiar despair, dragged down by memories they’d tried so hard to bury.
But then Cassius’s hands grabbed theirs, pulling them closer.
"But it’s alright." He said, his voice warm and reassuring. "No matter how difficult it may be, no matter how impossible it seems in your eyes..."
"...I know you can overcome this."
His smirk turned cheeky as he eagerly asked,
"And do you know why I believe that? Do you know why I think you can most definitely overcome your trauma and become even better people?!"
They hesitated, not knowing how to answer.
Finally, Joy managed to whisper.
"...Why?"
Cassius’s face broke into the biggest, brightest smile they’d ever seen as he proclaimed,
"Because you have your family right by your side!"
