Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 342: Chapter 342: A New Unexpected Blessing

Chapter 342 – A New Unexpected Blessing

It had been a long time since Cassius had enjoyed doing something so much. There was something oddly relaxing about taking care of the hair of someone you loved and trying to braid it into something beautiful.

It might sound simple, as everything did before one truly tried it, but it was anything but that.

Cassius struggled a lot to replicate exactly what he remembered from his memories, but it was that same struggle that made it all the more entertaining and refreshing.

Sometimes he would braid the hair tighter than necessary, which would make Stella grimace in pain, her scalp aching, forcing her to slap his legs and tell him to loosen it.

Sometimes he would braid it in a strange way and have no choice but to detangle the hair before starting again.

It was a slow process that demanded his full attention, and Cassius became completely lost in it.

After a number of attempts he stopped bothering to count after a certain point, the Last Born of the Desdemona was finally done with his braiding.

He took a deep breath, looked at it from above, only to wince, his lips twitching.

"Alright," he said, wiping away the sweat around his forehead, "I have a long way to go, haven’t I?"

"You sure do, brother." Stella said with a grimace, tears clustered around her eyes because of the pain. "You hurt me so much I can hardly turn my head in certain directions."

"I am sorry. I didn’t know it was this difficult."

"It’s alright, it was your first time." She slowly stood up from the ground, turned, and faced him directly. "The most important question is, how did you find it?"

Cassius smiled sweetly. "I liked it. It’s relaxing and makes me forget everything else for a brief moment."

"See? Told you that you always had something you loved, brother." She said, pressing her index finger against his chest, where his heart lay. "You were simply too lost in being Cassius Desdemona to find it."

"Being Cassius is overwhelming, sister."

"I know, and that’s exactly my point. Don’t let your identity overwhelm you."

"I will try. And I am glad that I found what I truly enjoy doing." Cassius replied softly. "I will practice more often in order to get better. It shouldn’t be difficult, should it?"

"With your talent? Maybe not that much. But you can always expand the concept." She grinned. "Maybe you will teach the people of your world a part of our culture."

Cassius chuckled. "Maybe, if I have the opportunity."

The two siblings smiled at each other, their faces content and relieved. Cassius was about to open his mouth to ask another question, but it was at that moment that the surrounding space began to shake as if an earthquake were coming.

He lifted his head and saw the sky cracking apart.

"The dream is ending." Stella said with a smile. "Guess this marks the end of our meeting, brother."

Cassius didn’t say anything at first, his emotions churning wildly inside him.

He had known from the beginning that this was not his sister.

He knew that she was only a product of his own longing, created through the image of what he thought his sister would have looked like.

Yet despite knowing all of that, Cassius was unable to stop a sea of sadness from flooding his entire being.

He closed his eyes to control himself, clamped his mouth shut to avoid letting out a whimper, yet it did nothing to lessen the pain.

His body began to shake slightly, only to slowly stop, gently even, when Stella wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"I..." Cassius began, his voice sore and pained. "I miss you, sister. I miss all of you."

"I know. We know." She whispered, caressing his hair. "But you have something to remember us by now, don’t you? The braiding, brother. That’s you and me, Father and Mother. That’s ours. Every time you miss us, every time something hard is happening in your life, just take the time to braid, and your heart will find ease, and we will be around you. Just like before, on Earth."

Cassius couldn’t say anything. He simply nodded, hugging his sister back as the world around them continued to disappear.

"And learn to trust your loved ones, brother." Stella continued, her tone more serious. "It doesn’t make any sense for you to take on all of their burdens. Let them grow."

"What if they die?"

"What if they don’t die, and become stronger instead?" She countered. "And even if they die, so what? Life and death, brother. That’s the cycle of life. No one wants someone they love to die...but you do not live in a fairy tale."

"..."

"Simply do what you can and do not overburden yourself. Otherwise, you will break and fail all of them." Stella then broke the hug, looking once more at his face, and smiled openly.

At that point, her body was dissolving, and it felt like a simple breeze could blow her into oblivion.

"And yes, brother, remember one more thing for me."

"...What?"

"Still Alive." Stella said, and Cassius’s eyes widened at the familiar name of the book. "I love the book, brother. I love it because it reminds me of you. And I read it to you quite often, you know?"

"You...read it to me?" Cassius was dazed. "...How? And where?"

Stella’s smile widened.

"In the—!"

CRACK—!

Cassius’s eyes snapped wide open, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling erratically.

He was back from the dream. And the first thing he saw was a notification panel:

[Congratulations, you have received a Blessing: Unwanted Slumber.]

[You are now the Blessed of Sleeping Beauty of the Eternal Kingdom, true name Marvela O’ Lune.]

[You have consumed one Blessing Slot. Remaining slots: 2.]

Cassius could already feel a change inside him. He didn’t know how to explain it, but his existence had become ’more’ in a profound sense.

The information about the Blessing appeared inside his mind, all while he still tried to make sense of Stella’s last words, if he could even call that being his sister.

It was strange and confusing, but Cassius felt like this was something important. His instincts were screaming it.

The book Still Alive...why did she mention it?

’I need to look into it.’

"Are you finally back, Ado—! I mean, Cassius?" Marvela’s voice brought him back to the current situation.

He blinked his eyes, clearing away his blurry vision, and saw the golden-haired goddess looming over him with a gentle smile.

He was still on her lap.

"How was your dream, darling?" She asked.

Cassius took a couple of seconds to gather himself, putting aside the matter of Stella’s last words, before smiling. "Even if it had been a bad dream, waking up with a literal goddess in front of me would make it great."

Marvela laughed instantly. "Oh, darling, I see that you have lost the heavy, dark look in your beautiful eyes. It was a good dream, then."

"It was. Thank you for that."

"You can kiss me as a—!"

"Hell no." Cassius cut off Marvela before standing up, making the goddess attempt a mock-sad expression.

He found Ananke sitting there, watching him with a fond smile. But she wasn’t doing or saying anything, her eyes slightly hesitant as they settled on him.

She was clearly embarrassed.

Cassius knew why, and that made him chuckle.

"Don’t worry, you will stay my favorite goddess." He joked, before approaching her and pulling her into a hug. "Thank you for everything, Queen. I know you wouldn’t put me through pain without a legitimate reason behind it."

Ananke’s heart twisted, and she hugged him back tightly. She closed her eyes and let herself bask in his scent. "Thank you, Cassius. And I am sorry again."

"It’s alright."

Marvela watched them hug, and her heart skipped a beat in jealousy. She clicked her tongue and joined them, hugging Cassius from behind.

"I am the one who gave you my Blessing, why am I not getting a thank you?" She complained.

"Thank you—!"

"No! I want a kiss!"

"...You know what? Let go of me, Marvela."

"No?"

"Tsk."

"Are you tsking your mother now?" Marvela cried out.

"Queen’s skirt, don’t ever say this aloud again. I just got goosebumps!"

"Darling, you wanted me to be your mother! Why are you getting goosebumps now?"

’I was just desperate.’

"Just—!"

"Kiss me?"

"Oh, goddamn it, let go of me, Marvela! Queen, protect my innocence!"

Ananke only laughed, seeing Cassius flustered and tired of Marvela, who was getting a strange pleasure from bothering Cassius, her new son.

But soon, Cassius couldn’t remain inside the Gate any longer, having reached his limit.

Thus, he returned to the real world, back inside his room, onto his very bed...

...only to see his master, Mallory, sitting calmly on a chair made of spirits beside the bed.

She smiled dangerously after seeing him appear out of nowhere.

"I felt something funny earlier." She said, her eyes shifting into draconic ones. "Care to explain, dear disciple?"

Cassius almost rolled his eyes.

’I just can’t catch a goddamn break!’

[Lady Ananke laughs at you.]

[Sleeping Beauty said you would have been luckier if you had kissed her.]

’Please, stay silent.’

—End of Chapter 342—