Chapter 834: Emotional Farewell
Cassius’s eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Really." She looked away, her cheeks burning. "But we need to find somewhere private. The mansion is on fire. My sisters are everywhere. And Lucius could come back at any moment."
Cassius’s grin returned, wider than ever. "Don’t worry about that. I know the perfect spot."
He grabbed her hand and started pulling her toward the tree.
"Wait, Cassius, what are you—my clothes—I’m still exposed—"
"It’s fine, no one’s watching."
"The CORPSES are watching!"
"They’re dead, Joy. They don’t count."
She stumbled along beside him, her breasts bouncing with every step.
The morning air was cool against her skin, making her nipples tighten even further.
"There was this den I saw earlier." Cassius said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "Right under the tree. Big enough for two people to fit comfortably."
"You want to do it in a burrow?" She gasped.
"A love nest." He corrected.
"It’s a hole in the ground!"
"Under a tree full of corpses." Cassius added, as if that made it better.
"Think about it, Joy. The contrast. Life and death, existing in the same moment. We’ll be creating life while surrounded by the reminder of its end. It’s poetic."
"It’s disgusting."
"It’s exhilarating."
"You’re insane."
"Perhaps."
He stopped at the base of the tree, pointing down at a hollowed-out space between the roots. It was dark, cramped, and smelled faintly of earth and decay.
"But you’re still going to do it."
Joy looked at the burrow. Then at the corpses hanging above her. Then at Cassius, who was looking at her with that infuriating, confident smile.
"I hate you." She said.
"I know." He pulled her closer. "Now get in."
She wanted to argue. She wanted to stomp on his foot again, grab her clothes, and walk away with whatever dignity she had left.
But instead, she found herself crouching down and crawling into the burrow.
The space was tight, barely enough for two people to lie side by side. The earth was cool and damp beneath her palms, and the roots of the tree pressed against her back like skeletal fingers.
Above her, through the gaps in the roots, she could see the swaying forms of the dead, their hollow eye sockets staring down at her.
This was absolutely crazy.
And yet, her heart was racing.
Cassius crawled in after her, his larger frame filling the space. The moment he was inside, the burrow seemed to shrink, pressing them together until there was no space left between their bodies.
"See?" He whispered, his breath warm against her ear. "Cozy."
"And the smell?" She asked weakly.
Cassius chuckled. "You’ve chopped up enough corpses in your lifetime to be used to it by now. Don’t act like it bothers you."
Joy wanted to argue. But he wasn’t wrong.
He reached for her, his hands finding her waist, sliding up her sides until they went down to her underwater. Joy gasped at the contact, her body responding before her mind could catch up.
"You’re already wet." Cassius murmured, his voice filled with wonder. "You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you?"
"Shut up!" Joy hissed, but her voice came out breathless.
"Don’t worry." His lips brushed against her neck. "I’ve been waiting too."
His hands moved lower, finding the waistband of her underwear, pulling them down with practiced ease.
Joy’s breath came in short gasps as she felt the cool air against her most intimate places, followed almost immediately by the heat of his body pressing against hers.
"I’m going to miss you." He whispered, and there was something genuine in his voice that made her heart ache.
"I know..." She whispered back.
"Promise me you’ll come back."
"I promise."
"And promise me you’ll be careful."
"I’ll try."
"That’s not good enough."
"It’s the best I can do."
Cassius sighed, his forehead pressing against hers.
"Fine. But when you get back, I’m going to hold you to that promise. And I’m going to spend at least a week making sure you never forget who you belong to."
Joy’s lips twitched into a small smile. "We’ll see about that."
He kissed her then—deep, passionate, filled with all the emotions he couldn’t put into words. And Joy kissed him back, pouring all her fears and hopes and desires into that single moment.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing heavily.
"I want to see you." Cassius said suddenly. "Your succubus form."
Joy stiffened. "What?"
"Please." His eyes met hers, filled with a pleading vulnerability that was almost painful to look at. "I want to see all of you. One last time before you go."
She sighed.
"Fine. Fine."
She closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt the change ripple through her body—the erotic outfit forming, the devilish wings and tail.
When she opened them again, she knew they were no longer the calm pink of a saintess, but the deep, seductive hot pink of a true succubus.
Cassius’s breath caught.
"Beautiful." He whispered.
Joy felt her cheeks warm despite everything.
"You’re just saying that."
"I’m saying it because it’s true."
His hand reached up to cup her face, his thumb tracing along her cheekbone.
"I don’t care what form you take, Joy. Human, succubus, saintess, executioner—you’re beautiful in all of them."
Joy’s eyes stung with unexpected tears. "You’re going to make me cry."
"Good. Crying is healthy."
He kissed her again, and this time, there was no hesitation.
Their bodies pressed together, skin against skin, warmth against warmth.
The world outside—the corpses, the burning mansion, the looming separation—all of it faded away until there was nothing left but the two of them, tangled together in the darkness.
Joy’s moans echoed in the confined space, mixing with Cassius’s ragged breaths. She tried to be quiet, she really did.
But every touch, every movement, every whisper of his lips against her skin sent waves of pleasure crashing through her body that she couldn’t contain.
—
Meanwhile, outside their makeshift love nest, Lucius and Joy’s sisters emerged from the burning mansion and immediately heard the moans.
The sisters exchanged amused glances, whispering to each other with knowing smiles.
They’d long since grown accustomed to Cassius’s...enthusiastic approach to intimacy, even if the current location was particularly unconventional.
Lucius, meanwhile, stood frozen in place.
Throughout the entire morning, he had been nothing but professional.
He had helped butcher an entire family. He had pulled out eyes. He had spilled guts. He had done all of it without so much as a flicker of emotion.
But now?
Now, faced with the sounds of his master and mistress engaged in the most intimate of acts, his face turned a shade of red that rivaled the flames behind him.
Unable to bear another second, he quietly put the severed head back into the bags.
Doing such gruesome tasks was much more easier then listening to those sultry moans.
—
10 hours later...
Outside the grand gates of the Holyfield estate, a thick, bittersweet stillness hung over the assembled crowd.
Standing in a solemn line were the estate’s entire household—the Holyguard standing at rigid attention, flanked by the maids, family members.
Every pair of eyes was red and swollen.
And everyone was crying at the sight of the carriages and horses carrying Joy, Aqua and her sisters in the distant road.
"Bye-bye, sister-in-law!" Vivi called out, her voice cracking with emotion.
"Come back soon! I’m waiting for you to teach me all sorts of tricks using your magic!"
"Don’t you dare take too long, you lot!"
Nala chimed in, her voice carrying a mischievous edge despite the tears.
"If you don’t come back very soon, I’m going to distribute all those dirty pictures I have of you! You’ll definitely suffer because of that!"
The sisters who were mounted on their horses or seated in the carriages froze instantly.
Their heads whipped around, eyes wide with a mixture of horror and embarrassment.
"You wouldn’t dare!" One of them pointed an accusatory finger back at Nala.
"Try me!" Nala shouted back, cackling. "I’ve got backups hidden in three different places!"
Despite the threat or perhaps because of it everyone laughed.
It was their way of teasing, bickering, but always laced with an undeniable warmth that made the bonds between them unbreakable.
Skadi stood at the front of the crowd, her hand raised high, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.
Her tail drooped low, betraying her sadness despite the smile she wore.
"Bye-Bye, Joy!" She called out, her voice wavering. "You’re the second best when it comes to brushing my tail after Master! And I mean that as the highest compliment I can give!"
She paused, swallowing the lump in her throat before continuing.
"I-I’m waiting for you to come back and brush it again real soon! Don’t you dare forget! And bring back treats"
From the carriage window, Joy’s head appeared.
Her expression was as stoic as ever, but there was a softness in her eyes that she couldn’t quite hide.
She gave a small nod, but for those who knew her, it was as good as a tearful embrace.
And then there was Maria.
Poor Maria was a wreck. She stood in the arms of Olga, her body shaking with sobs that she could no longer contain.
"I’ve never...I’ve never left my daughter before."
Maria whimpered, her voice muffled by tears.
"All my life...every hardship, every struggle...we were always together. Always. And now...now she’s leaving me."
Olga held her close, her own eyes glistening despite her best efforts to remain composed.
"It’s alright." She stroked Maria’s hair with a tenderness that belied her usual stern demeanor.
"It’s alright, Maria. She will come back. You know how strong your daughter is. You’ve raised her to be fierce and determined."
"No matter what happens out there, she will brave through it. And she will come back to you. I promise."
Maria only cried harder, but there was a faint nod buried somewhere in her sobs.
Around them, the rest of the household waved their hands in farewell.
Portia stood with her glasses slightly askew, her hand raised in a dignified wave that contrasted sharply with the tears streaming down her face.
Isabelle was beside her, clutching a handkerchief to her mouth, her shoulders trembling.
Diana, Julie, Aisha—all of them were there, their voices joining the chorus of goodbyes.
"Take care!"
"Write to us!"
"Don’t forget about us!"
"Come back soon!"
The voices blended into a symphony of love and longing.
It wasn’t just Joy and her battalion of sisters leaving for the Capital today; Aqua was departing alongside them.
As much as Aqua desperately wanted to stay, she had duties she could no longer ignore.
She had to break her long-standing engagement and prove to her master that she had truly ascended to the rank of a Supreme Mage.
Only after settling those final shackles could she return to this place as a truly free woman.
The entire estate was devastated by the double departure.
The sisters and the household maids had forged an extraordinarily tight bond over the past weeks, morphing from suspicious intruders into inseparable friends.
To watch them ride away left a hollow ache in everyone’s chest.
Even the sisters on horseback, who normally prided themselves on absolute military discipline, were struggling to maintain their stoic facades.
Usually, their duty demanded they march from kingdom to kingdom without a second thought.
They were cold, efficient weapons of the Church; emotional attachments were a luxury they could never afford.
But this time was different. This time, they had found something worth staying for.
And leaving it behind felt like tearing out a piece of their own hearts.