Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Maid Dress? [10k Win-Win Bonus Chapters 2/3]

Chapter 319 – Maid Dress? [ 10k Win-Win Bonus Chapters 2/3]

Cassius only woke the next morning, sunlight spilling brightly across his face through the window.

It was Saturday.

He woke with a dull, numbing pain throbbing at the back of his eyes. It took him a few seconds to adjust to it.

Once the pain faded entirely, Cassius could visibly feel his Innate working behind the scenes, integrating his new eyes fully into himself.

He rose wearily from bed, joints cracking like snapping branches as his body protested.

Without hesitation, he walked straight to the bathroom and stood before the mirror, taking in his new eyes.

Or rather, his new appearance.

"Queen’s bloody skirt..."

His eyes remained the usual crimson of the Desdemona, but now bore a small, subtle change. A faint pattern hid just behind his pupils.

It was barely visible, unless someone looked closely enough, or had exceptional eyesight.

The pattern was difficult to make out fully, but staring at it left Cassius with the distinct impression of a man kneeling, heart laid bare on the ground before him.

Senseless, and yet that was all he could sense from it.

His eyes now held a stunning beauty, the crimson of his pupils sometimes appearing to blend with pink, giving them a rather striking look.

That change amplified his overall beauty immensely, and Cassius winced slightly, recalling what he’d seen when checking his attributes earlier.

Fortunately, every one of his attributes now sat at 300, satisfying one of the conditions for ranking up.

His Charm stat, though, hadn’t followed the same pattern.

His profile now read:

[Charm: Unscalable.]

Thankfully, the System offered an explanation for that anomaly,

[Your Charm cannot be reduced to a number. You will become the most handsome man in the eyes of anyone, and that perception can birth love, envy, or hatred at their highest possible intensity, depending on your actions or history toward them.]

"Bloody hell. That’s a bit much, isn’t it?"

[...] Ananke chose not to respond.

Calling Cassius beautiful would be the understatement of the age. She genuinely didn’t know whether to feel proud or deeply concerned.

Cassius sensed her hesitation and smiled reassuringly, "Don’t worry, Queen. You know killing me isn’t easy, and I’ll be extra careful. And think about it...for now, the benefits outweigh the risks."

He paused, then continued,

"With this, there’s an even better chance Sleeping Beauty will actually believe me when I present myself as the Eternal King’s Messenger. And once we have her support..."

He smiled.

"...we won’t be weak against other pantheons anymore. Wouldn’t that be great?"

[It certainly would be, if everything goes according to plan. What are the odds of that happening?]

"Well, you know Lady Luck. Ask her to send some blessings our way."

Ananke couldn’t help but chuckle at that, [You think she’ll agree?]

"Have you seen my beauty?"

[No, Cassius, don’t become that kind of man.]

Cassius laughed, "It’s just a tool, Queen. And tools are meant to be used."

[Everything’s a tool for you.]

"Except my family and friends."

[That’s the only thing redeeming you.]

"Then I’m satisfied." Cassius replied, before finally washing himself off.

No training today, his master having granted him the day off to watch Klaus’s duel and rest.

He planned to watch the duel with Keisha and Natalia, then open Saturday’s Origin Store later that night, hoping for something useful for his upcoming mission.

A mission whose main objective involved infiltrating the Deathless Prison and killing a Blessed.

That thought reminded him of the favors Bishop and Cassandra still owed him.

He climbed out of the bathtub, walked to his room to grab his phone, then returned to soak.

The three of them had formed a group chat, which Bishop had annoyingly named: Sucker, Depressed, and Lovely Handsome Boy.

Cassius hadn’t bothered changing it, or even commenting on it.

Cassandra hadn’t renamed it either, though she’d commented once, mostly to threaten Bishop with death, for what felt like the hundredth time.

Reading through the unread messages, Cassius’s lips twitched at the sheer ridiculousness of Bishop, and occasionally Cassandra too.

He skipped past the nonsense, focusing on the actual updates regarding the favors:

"> <Bishop: Cass, I told Teacher Newton about your maid’s situation. She heads the Research Hall and is quite close to me, I’d almost say she has a thing for me. Keep that secret, okay. And Widow, don’t get jealous, I only have eyes for you. Anyway, she said she’d look into it and get back to me. I’ll keep you updated.>

Then, from Cassandra, two or three hours later,

"> <Cassandra: My mother doesn’t understand why you, a Desdemona, want to visit the Deathless Prison. She’s deeply suspicious. But she’ll be in charge in 7 days, and after my...insistence, she agreed to invite you for a discussion. Please, don’t do anything reckless, Cassius...>

His lips twitched hard at that last line.

"Well, technically, it won’t be me." Cassius said, "It’ll be someone else entirely. So I’m safe?"

[If that helps you sleep better.]

"It absolutely does." He chuckled, tucking his phone away, sinking back into the bath, mind drifting to the upcoming duel.

"I’m getting more and more curious about these two relationships. It’s getting strange, I tell you, Queen. I can practically smell it."

[Smell what?]

"The drama. You know I have a nose for it, right?"

[I know, alright. You’re dramatic enough on a daily basis for me to know exactly that.]

"Daily...?"

[Figure of speech.]

"Don’t hyperbole again."

[I’m a goddess...I do as I please.]

"Say that with more conviction next time."

[...]

Cassius nearly laughed. Instead, he ducked his head beneath the water, and in that muted silence, his thoughts drifted back to his wife, as they always did lately.

’Isolde, I miss you.’

Then his thoughts turned to her upcoming birthday, September 1st, a day he was counting down toward, and he smiled with hope, love, and a quiet, deep fear.

’Hope you’re okay.’

[...]

...

The Academy buzzed with excitement.

This was the first challenge for a top 10 spot, and it involved the first-years.

After their wins against the second year, they’d become wildly famous, many now spoken of as future powerhouses, provided they survived long enough to become one.

What stood out most was that even those outside the initial top 10 rankings had proven absurdly strong.

Nafissatou was one such case. So was Love de Bayard.

So no one was surprised she’d challenge for a top 10 spot. What genuinely surprised everyone, especially the second-years who’d witnessed the Opening Ceremony, was who she’d chosen to challenge.

She’d challenged Klaus Silicin Handoff, the sixth ranker.

People assumed the two must be close, given how well-coordinated they’d seemed during the Opening Ceremony, which made this matchup all the more puzzling.

But the first-years knew better than anyone how strained things actually were between Love and Klaus.

Klaus’s childhood friends knew it best of all, having heard him complain about it more times than they could count.

Still, despite the confusion, everyone was eager to see how the duel would unfold.

From first-years through third, even a few stray fourth-years wandering by.

All of them. Including White Snake himself, seated in the arena beside his childhood friends, with a clear view of the ring below.

All that remained was waiting for the time to strike, and for the two contestants to step onto the stage.

Which, at that very moment...

"Why do you always have to stand this close to say whatever you want to say?" Klaus hissed, irritated, Love standing just an inch away, dressed in a pink battle suit, hair pulled into a ponytail with a black tie suspiciously similar to his own.

He didn’t comment on it.

"I do whatever I want. Or are you afraid you’ll lose control again and kiss me?"

Klaus’s face twisted, "You’re one to talk. Who kissed who first? You, damn it!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Love rolled her eyes, "I’m not here to relive that nightmare with you. You need to renegotiate the terms of our bet."

"Huh?"

"I’m no longer with Emrys, so the terms of your bet need to change." She said with a low grin, "Surprise, motherfucker. Happy now?"

Klaus went speechless for a moment. And though he hated to admit it, his heart skipped a beat right then.

The reason for that, once again, remained a mystery to him. At least, in his own estimation.

He gathered himself quickly.

"Oh, he tossed you aside after seeing you kiss another man, didn’t he? Feeling pathetic now?"

"I’m the one who ended things, you damn idiot. And stop wasting our time, we need to go. So choose, damn it!"

"I didn’t want to sink as low as you, but I guess at this point it doesn’t matter anymore." Klaus said, flashing a dangerous grin, "If I win, you’ll kneel before me for three straight days at night, begging forgiveness for everything you’ve done, and during the day, you’ll be my maid. I miss having someone to boss around. I wonder how commoners survive doing that their whole lives."

Love’s expression darkened instantly, "What?"

"You heard me right. Compared to what you wanted from me, this is downright gentle. I am honestly too great."

"So you enjoy watching women kneel before you? What a man you are, Klaus!"

"If you’re trying to guilt-trip me by playing the gender card, you picked the wrong man." Klaus scoffed, "I couldn’t care less. Now fucking move, and start training those knees for kneeling and buy yourself a maid outfit...actually, no. I’ll buy it myself. I’m a good master. Just give me your size."

"You fucking—!"

"THE DUEL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!! IS EVERYONE READY?!"

"YESSSS!!!"

"Then, people of Elysia Academy, let’s welcome our two contestants!"

The crowd roared.

"First, we have Love de Bayard, Famous Model in the Net with 2,3 million followers!!!And second..."

Klaus and Love stared each other down, expressions dead serious.

"...Klaus Silicin Handoff, the Third Most Handsome Man of the Kingdom!!!"

"OUAHHHHH!!!"

—End of Chapter 319—