Julie’s face was still burning, and Aisha looked about two seconds away from exploding when Cassius, still grinning, waved a hand dismissively.
"Oh, don’t look at me like that." He said lazily. "Of course, I’m not saying I’d force myself on anyone. I’m not that sort of person." His eyes flickered with something unreadable as he leaned back slightly. "You should already know that much, considering how much you’ve probably investigated me from before ."
Julie blinked and Aisha stiffened since what he was saying was actually true.
They had received reports on him. His every move, his lifestyle, his habits—it had all been monitored under the guise of finding out if he was like what the rumours said he was. And while Cassius had certainly been reckless, indulgent, and self-destructive in many ways, one thing had never been recorded in any of those reports.
He had never forced himself on a woman.
Not once.
For all his supposed ’wickedness’, Cassius had never laid a finger on anyone against their will. If anything, he charmed his way into their good graces.
He had a way with women that was so insidious, so effortless, that even those who once loathed him would eventually find themselves drawn in.
Julie swallowed hard as she thought about his true self, thinking that what he said was true. While Aisha averted her gaze since no matter how she knew that he wasn’t that sort of person, the way he looker at her, especially her fluffy ears scared her.
Cassius smirked, clearly seeing the shift in their expressions. "See? I told you I wasn’t a monster. If anything, I’m quite fair to my women."
That statement sent another wave of discomfort through the group.
Skadi, still somewhat lost in the conversation, turned to Julie with a frown. "So...he’s not actually evil?"
Julie rubbed her temples. "No, Skadi, he’s still evil. He’s just not…" She trailed off, struggling to find the right word.
"…That kind of evil." Aisha finished dryly, ears twitching in frustration.
"Exactly." Cassius grinned. He then leaned back, his grin sharpening into something undeniably wicked. "Of course..." He dragged. "While I wouldn’t force myself on anyone...you should know by now that I have a certain way with women."
His eyes glinted as he let the words sink in to which Julie narrowed her eyes.
"A way…?" Skadi tilted her head wanting to know what he was talking about.
Cassius chuckled. "Mmm...Let’s just say that I’m so...charismatic that you shouldn’t be surprised if some of you end up throwing yourselves at me eventually."
The silence that followed was instantaneous. It was as if time itself had frozen.
For a split second, every knight present had the same exact thought—Absolutely not.
Julie felt her lips part, ready to unleash a sharp rebuttal.
Aisha prepared to hiss.
The knights collectively grit their teeth, hands tightening around their weapons in an unconscious, defensive reaction.
But then—
A terrible realization struck them all at once.
The maids. The ones back at the estate. The very same maids who had once despised Cassius.
Who had sneered at him, whispered about him behind his back, mocked his failures.
And now?
Now, those same maids adored him.
Served him with reverence.
Fawned over him.
Using their own spies they knew how they giggled whenever he walked by, how they blushed when he so much as looked in their direction, how some even fought for the chance to bring him tea or stand closer to him.
Julie’s stomach dropped, Aisha’s ears drooped, while Skadi, still confused, looked around. "Huh? What’s with those faces?"
No one answered her.
Because in that moment—
They all realized something truly horrifying.
If the maids—the very people who had once hated Cassius—could end up adoring him.
Then what about them?
Julie refused to acknowledge the thought.
Aisha clenched her fists, her expression grim.
The other knights shivered.
Cassius, watching their reactions with absolute amusement, let out a low, knowing chuckle. "Oh?" He mused. "What’s with those looks? You’re not scared, are you?"
"Please don’t flatter yourself, Young Master." Julie scowled, her cheeks slightly red.
"Hmph! Like hell I’d ever fall for your tricks." Aisha huffed, arms crossing over her chest as she glared at him.
Cassius chuckled, his eyes gleaming like he saw a easy bet.
"Oh? Is that so?" He tilted his head, his smirk deepening. "Then why not just agree to my terms? If you’re all so confident that you won’t fall under my spell, there shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Aisha and Julie both stiffened. The other knights exchanged wary glances.
Cassius let out a low laugh, shaking his head. "But really, it’s not like you have much of a choice anyway."
He leaned back, his hands playing with the grass underneath, his posture deceptively relaxed.
"I mean, let’s weigh your options, shall we?" He lifted a finger. "One: You swear your allegiance to me—a fair young master, who wouldn’t interfere with how you run things, wouldn’t order you around like dogs, and would only visit every now and then…" He chuckled. "Perhaps to pull a few pranks, but nothing too terrible."
Then, he lifted another finger. "Or two… you refuse, and you die."
The entire field fell deathly silent.
Cassius’s words hung in the air, heavy and inescapable. Their situation had never been clearer. There was no other way out.
Julie sat straight, her mind racing, her heart pounding in her chest.
She had served the Holyfield family loyally for years. She had sacrificed everything—her blood, her sweat, her tears—for the family she thought she was protecting.
And yet, this was the thanks she got?
Betrayal...An execution order.
From the very man she had sworn to serve.
The knights around her were wavering, shifting from foot to foot, uncertainty weighing down on them like an iron chain.
And then, just as their hesitation reached its peak—
Cassius’s smirk faded as his expression turned solemn. He spoke, his voice quiet but firm.
"I understand what you’re feeling right now...After being betrayed by the very family you served for years, it’s only natural that you would hesitate."
Julie inhaled sharply. The knights bit their lips.
Cassius continued, his gaze piercing through them. "But let me tell you that even though the same blood that runs through his veins runs through mine…" He exhaled softly, shaking his head even those he didn’t actually share blood with them. "...I am not my father."
His voice, usually laced with teasing and amusement, was serious now. Dead serious.
"I am not the same bastard who sent you all to your deaths without a second thought."
Skadi’s breath hastened with determination, as Aisha’s eyes glowed.
Cassius met their gazes, one by one. "I am my own person." He declared. "And if you choose to follow me, I will never take away your dignity. I will never force you to go against your principles the way my father did."
The knights stirred.
Cassius took a step forward. "I promise you, not only will your freedom remain intact, but you will not regret this decision." His crimson eyes burned with conviction. "A decade from now, when you look back at this moment, you will be glad you chose to stand by my side."
Julie’s heart pounded as she thought about that bright future.
Even the most hardened knights, the ones who had been trained to remain unshaken in the face of battle, were beginning to shift, their eyes filled with something they hadn’t felt in a long time.
Hope.
Cassius let the moment settle.
And then—
His final words sealed it.
"Most of all…" His voice softened, but there was an unshakable strength in it. "I will never betray you."
A quiet gasp escaped one of the knights.
Cassius’s expression did not waver.
"Even if the entire kingdom turns against you." He swore. "Even if the entire continent brands you as criminals…even if the entire world demands your heads—"
His voice rang out, firm and unyielding.
"I will never abandon you."
Julie’s eyes widened.
Aisha’s breath came in unevenly.
Skadi stared, completely frozen.
Cassius took a step forward, his gaze sweeping over all of them. "No matter what happens." He vowed. "I will carry you back to the light."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Julie felt her throat tighten.
The knights around her looked at one another.
And in that moment, they knew.
They believed.
Because Cassius Holyfield wasn’t making an empty promise.
He was giving them a new purpose.
A new reason to fight.
Even Aisha, who had been the most wary of Cassius from the beginning, found herself unable to deny the solemn truth in his gaze. There was no deception in those crimson eyes—no empty promises. He wasn’t trying to manipulate them. He wasn’t just telling them what they wanted to hear.
He meant it.
And because he meant it, Aisha—for the first time since this entire nightmare started—allowed herself to believe.
The realization seemed to settle upon everyone at the same time. One by one, the knights who had been hesitating, who had been drowning in uncertainty, finally turned their gazes toward their captain.
Julie could feel the weight of their silent stares.
They were waiting for her to make the final decision.
She inhaled deeply, steadying herself. Her emerald eyes flickered toward Aisha, silently seeking counsel from her most trusted right hand.
Aisha’s ears twitched at the unspoken question. Then, slowly, a confident smile spread across her lips. "The decision is yours, Captain." She said firmly. "No matter where it leads—whether to heaven or hell—we’ll follow you."
Her voice rang with conviction, and in an instant, the rest of the knights nodded, their expressions resolute.
Julie exhaled softly, her heart swelling at the sight of her loyal subordinates—her family—trusting her so completely.
A warm smile curved her lips.
Then, finally, she turned to face Cassius.
For a moment, she simply looked at him, studying the young man who had, in a single day, shattered her understanding of strength, honor, and fate itself.
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Her gaze was searching—wondering.
What kind of path will you lead us down, Cassius Holyfield?
Would he lead them to glory?
Or would he drag them into the very depths of hell?
Julie didn’t know.
And yet, as she thought about everything that had happened today—the betrayal of the Holyfield household, the truth of Cassius’s situation, the future that now stood before them—her doubts began to fade.
She closed her eyes for a brief moment, allowing herself to make peace with her decision.
Then, when she opened them again, they were shining with a newfound brightness, as though she could see the future waiting for her.
A future she was willing to bet everything on.
Extending her hand out toward him, she met Cassius’s gaze and asked, a teasing smile playing at her lips, "So? Young Master Cassius, you’re not going to make us regret this ten years down the line, are you?"
Cassius chuckled, pushing his hand forward without hesitation. He clasped her hand in his, gripping it firmly.
His eyes gleamed with absolute confidence. "Regret?" He repeated, tilting his head slightly. "In ten years time, everyone here will remember this day as the moment the Sacred Guard reached new heights and prospered for eternity."
His gaze swept over the knights who had just pledged themselves to him. Their battered and bruised bodies no longer mattered—what mattered was the fire in their eyes, the hope burning within them.
Cassius’s smirk deepened. Then, his gaze flicked back toward Julie, Aisha, and Skadi, who were still sitting before him.
Leaning in ever so slightly, he lowered his voice and murmured to their absolute shock, "And, of course, it’ll also be the day the three of you tell your future children that this was the day you met their father."
For a brief moment, there was only silence.
Then—
Julie choked.
Aisha jerked violently.
Skadi froze.
And before any of them could react, Cassius swiftly turned away and clapped his hands together, addressing the rest of the knights as if nothing had happened.
"Now then! Why’s everyone so silent? Didn’t you all just get a second lease on life? Shouldn’t you be celebrating?"
His voice snapped everyone out of their daze.
One knight hesitantly spoke, "Wait… does that mean we won’t die anymore?"
"Of course!" Cassius declared. "You all have your lives, your freedom, and best of all, a new master. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?"
At first, there was a stunned pause.
And then—
A wave of cheers erupted through the squad.
Battered, bruised, and barely sitting on the ground, the knights roared in excitement, some collapsing onto their backs in sheer relief, others hugging the nearest person beside them. They laughed, they cried, they celebrated.
"Drinks!" Someone shouted. "We need drinks!"
"Damn right!" Another voice chimed in. "We’re gonna drink our hearts out tonight!"
Amidst all the chaos, Julie coughed violently, her cheeks burning as she tried to process what Cassius had just said to her.
Aisha, meanwhile, had yanked the hood of her robe over her head, her entire face scarlet as she glared daggers at Cassius, who was enjoying himself far too much.
Skadi, on the other hand, was completely lost.
Her tail twitched, ears flicking as she turned toward the other two, eyes wide with panic.
"Wait—" She gasped. "Am I gonna be a mother?!"
Julie and Aisha’s heads snapped toward her.
Skadi was now looking genuinely distressed, as if the idea had only just hit her. "Am I gonna have a bunch of puppies?!" She wailed, gripping her own head. "But I still like fighting! I don’t wanna raise puppies yet! What do I do?!"
Julie buried her face in her hands.
Aisha groaned in absolute exhaustion.
And then, with no hesitation, Aisha reached over and slapped Skadi over the head.
"No one is telling you to be a mother, you dumb mutt!" She snapped. "Be quiet!"
Cassius, watching the scene unfold with a wide grin, let out a long, satisfied sigh.
Hehe...This was going to be rather interesting.