Chapter 47 – My Partner

He had done it.

Cassius had succeeded, if not yet in earning Isolde’s love, then at least her affection and her permanent commitment to him.

And oh...few, truly few, could ever understand what was bubbling inside him in that moment. His chest churned like a boiling kettle as he sat on the floor, his back against the same wall Isolde had punched him into on the very first day.

And now here she was, inside his arms.

She had been shy at first, not used to being held by anyone. But she learned fast to love it, discovered a strange fondness for being cuddled and feeling protected.

She was getting too comfortable with him, Isolde shrieked inwardly.

At that, the Snake Loop regarding Isolde’s presence finally closed. A mystical feeling coursed through Cassius, lighting his whole body like an oil lamp at the end of a dark alley.

This time, there was no loss of consciousness. The effect wasn’t physical like the dual wielding Adaptation so his body didn’t need time to adjust to it.

This Adaptation was emotional and mental.

It allowed Cassius to feel Isolde’s presence easily, even in the middle of a crowd of thousands.

But there was something else gained from it.

He couldn’t fully explain it, but there was a faint sensation inside him, something like a sixth sense, whispering the emotional state of Isolde.

He needed to focus carefully to catch it, and it seemed to strengthen slightly the closer he held her. The whisper flickered in and out sporadically, difficult to hold. But even that fragment was more than enough.

He smiled, feeling happiness and peace radiating from his wife.

Yes. Confirmed wife.

And now...

"I have to go." Cassius said, his tone laced with a sadness Isolde mirrored perfectly.

She didn’t answer. She kept her eyes closed, trying to hold onto the moment a little longer before reality came calling.

Cassius, however, could be inconsiderate at times.

"Don’t ignore me. I really have to go." He paused. "I have things to deal with."

"What kind of things?" Isolde replied, shifting slightly.

"Ah well, I haven’t actually told you what my goal is, have I, darling?" He said.

Isolde immediately focused. She pulled back slightly and turned to look at him, giving him her full attention the same way he always gave it to her.

"Your goal?" She echoed, tilting her head. "Well then, what is it?"

"Simpler than you might think." His lip curled. "I just want to protect my family from harm. And when I say family, that includes you."

Isolde smiled faintly and nodded. "I know nothing of your family’s inner workings," she said, "but even I can see it won’t be easy. Your family is deeply tied to the Hood Royal Family. After all, the Queen is—"

"—my grandmother." Cassius finished, brows knitting as the full weight of how tangled the Hood Family truly was settled on him. And by extension, how tangled the Desdemona were through association.

It was both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing, because it was the main reason his mother had walked away without the Church of Death or the Deathless Crusaders getting involved after she slaughtered more than half a Tier Three Family.

Sefira’s mother was the current Queen, after all.

A curse, because it meant anyone who thought they could reach the Hood would try through the Desdemona.

Both the powerhouses inside the Kingdom and outside it believed exactly that.

’Damn that family.’ Cassius grumbled, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate them completely for even in the game, the Hood had done what they could to keep the Desdemona safe.

Still, no one could restrain an angry Desdemona. And his mother, Sefira Hood Desdemona, was far more Desdemona than Hood at this point.

Not that the line between the two was particularly clear.

As all of that flashed through his mind, Cassius exhaled, feeling more acutely with each passing day just how enormous a task it would be to keep his family intact.

"You look worried." Isolde noticed, seeing the dark cloud that had settled over his face.

"I am, darling." He sighed, briefly closing his eyes. "Which is exactly why I need to go back now. There are things to resolve before I reach home."

"Dangerous things?"

"Possibly."

Isolde pressed her lips into a line. She stayed quiet for a moment, thoughts turning, before speaking:

"You know what I hate the most?"

She didn’t wait for an answer.

"Those bloody stories where the hero dies on some fucking adventure right after promising the princess a wedding."

Cassius laughed, catching the dead-serious expression on her face. "Are you the princess?"

"Me? Vorn take my soul, no!" Isolde’s face scrunched. "It was an analogy!"

"You’re terrible at those, darling. Leave them to me."

"The important thing is to understand my point, bastard."

"And I do." Cassius nodded, smiling. "But here’s the thing, I’m not in that category. I am no hero."

"Oh really?" She shifted closer, their noses and foreheads touching. "Then what category are you?"

"The kind who does anything to protect the people he loves."

"Anything?"

"Anything." His eyes blazed a deep, intense red. The faint sound of a snake hissing whispered through the room. "There is nothing I am not prepared to do for that."

Isolde’s eyes lit with a dark excitement, her purple deepening until it edged toward something cold and unhinged, a feeling of madness swirling beneath it. "It just so happens that I like that kind of person the most."

"Because you are that kind of person, darling."

"Aye. And since you begged me so relentlessly that I couldn’t refuse—" his lips twitched "—we are now husband and wife." She grinned. "Do you know what that means?"

Cassius mirrored her grin. "Anything for me?"

"Anything." She nodded. "So go do what you need to do, knowing that you have not only gained a wife." She slapped his face lightly. "You’ve also gained a partner."

Cassius chuckled, and felt instantly something lift inside him. His mind a little clearer.

There was no point in worrying about the future, he realised. One step at a time. Only one.

’Always forward, always onward, never left nor right.’

He would arrive at his destination when the time came.

But for now...

"Journey before Destination." Cassius said aloud.

Isolde arched an eyebrow. "You quote The Tales of The Fool a lot."

"I am his greatest fan." He winked, then both of them rose from the floor, the time to leave having arrived quietly.

The room fell into a particular silence; the kind that precedes departure, the separation of two people now bound to each other. They looked at each other with matching smiles.

Isolde was adjusting to this new reality faster than she had expected. It filled her with a new sense of purpose, something clean and clear-edged.

She was a loyal woman. Had always been. The kind who would do anything for the one person who had earned her acknowledgement, respect, and loyalty.

So at that instant, Isolde Amaris was ready to do whatever it took to protect the heart that loved her.

No matter what.

She raised her hands and began to straighten his clothes, then noticed the blood stains she had caused still on his black shirt.

"Won’t you change?" She asked.

"I like this shirt with the blood stains and all." He smiled, reaching up himself to put her hairpin back in place. "It might be my lucky charm."

Isolde smiled back. "I like it too."

They held each other one last time, then walked out side by side.

Their steps fell in the same rhythm. Up and down together, their presences entirely in sync.

It was a feeling neither of them had ever known existed. And in that moment, instinctively and without doubt, both of them knew they had made the right choice.

As if they had been made for each other. A strange feeling, but one each of them wanted to believe. So they did.

There were still many things left unsaid. Parts of each other’s lives neither was ready to open yet because of circumstances. But something more important had been built:

A foundation strong enough not to crumble at the first trial.

Because each of them was ready to do everything to protect what they had found and help the other reach where they were going.

No matter what stood in their way. No matter who stood in their way.

They wouldn’t care.

"I have your back, darling." Cassius said, looking at the door that led outside the Pavilion, now looming before them. "Don’t be shy. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be nervous. Just walk your path, and every time you turn your head, you will find me beside you."

Isolde smiled. She closed her eyes briefly, holding herself together, then answered, her voice soft. "And me likewise." She took his hand, wanting to show the sincerity plainly. "You are, like Anesthesia and Emrys, the kind of blinding light that people are meant to notice. I don’t mind. I don’t care either. I will be the shadow your light casts on the world."

"So we cannot be separated." Cassius laughed. "Because a sun without its own shadow is incomplete, unfinished, and deeply wrong."

"So without me, you are not fully you." She said with false arrogance.

"Without you, indeed, I am like a man without a dic—!"

"SHUT UP!"

Cassius barked a loud laugh, already reaching for his Runic Phone to capture the image of Isolde’s thoroughly embarrassed face.

Isolde was exasperated, wondering — not for the first time — why Cassius was constitutionally incapable of being serious until the very end.

Soon enough, they stood before the door that led outside the Pavilion. They turned their heads and looked at each other, feeling whatever it was that now lived between them.

"Ready, darling?"

Isolde smiled, brightly, without shame, without hiding it.

"Yes... you lovely, insufferable bastard."

"I love you too, darling."

The door opened with a creak. The light of the yellow sun spilled through the gap, and the two of them stepped out together.

And so...

DING!

[You have completed your Quest: Worthless Husband.]

The three-day meeting with Isolde Amaris came to an end.

—End of Chapter 47—