Master, I Swear I Didn’t Mean To! - Chapter 96

Cassius closed his mouth. For some reason, this time he looked hurt. Eki’s tears stopped instantly.

“Uh, um… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

Eki took a slow breath. Once she calmed down a little, shame hit her late. Crying just because things didn’t go her way was something she did back in the academy. She decided to try a different approach to stir Cassius’s heart.

“Maybe you think it’s fine not to go outside because you don’t have much experience with the outside world.”

“…That’s not it.”

“Then why do you think that? You said it wasn’t because of the d***o.”

He had been trapped in this dreary tower, drawing magic circles his whole life, so it wasn’t strange he didn’t know what he liked or disliked. He must be the same. He didn’t know how beautiful the world was, how radiant it could be. That was why he tried to settle down in this isolated place.

“It’s not that. I…”

Cassius struggled for a long time before confessing.

“I don’t want to leave the tower.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s not that I don’t have to leave. I don’t want to.”

Eki’s mouth fell open. She finally realized what the real cause of all this was.

No way. She was sure he wasn’t, but he really had become a loner shut-in.

Her cold, curt, prickly master had, astonishingly, forgotten how to step outside after being cooped up for centuries.

‘Was that why he looked so down after meeting Venta?’

Because once a fairy appeared, the time when he had to leave the tower drew closer. And the one who created that fairy was her.

‘Just how terrified of the outside is he…’

Right. Even ordinary people shut indoors for a few years start to fear going outside. How much worse would it be for her master? He might be a grand mage, a dragon, and perfectly capable of dealing with people, but still, he had said clearly that he didn’t want to go out.

Eki’s eyes glistened again as she looked up at him. Cassius frowned uncomfortably, not understanding why she was tearing up, but she didn’t answer. She simply threw her arms around him.

“E-Eki?”

“Master. Just trust me.”

“What?”

“I’ll stay with you outside the tower too. Always.”

Cassius’s hands, which hovered awkwardly in the air, froze stiff. His throat bobbed several times before he slowly placed his hands on her shoulders.

“…What is that supposed to mean.”

“I’ll stay right next to you so you won’t be scared. So don’t hate going outside.”

He said nothing for a few seconds. But soon, he let out a quiet, baffled laugh. It almost sounded hollow, yet amused. Eki quickly lifted her head, her eyes narrowing.

“Do you not feel my sincerity?”

“…I feel it.”

But that only makes it worse, he muttered.

Eki could sense he was wavering. Since he had shared his biggest concern, she would share her own honest desire too.

“You know, I don’t actually need the d***o. There’s something else I want to do with you more.”

“What is it?”

“Mm.”

Eki wiggled her fingers at him. He hesitated, but as if he knew he stood no chance, he let out a weak laugh and leaned down. Eki slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

But it wasn’t like their previous kisses. She pressed her lips gently so he wouldn’t startle, then parted them and flicked her tongue against the inside of his lip. Cassius’s waist instantly went rigid. As he gripped her arm as if to push her away, Eki’s tongue slipped between his lips and slid into his mouth.

“……!”

Their hot breaths warmed each other from the inside. Eki’s tongue traced his palate, then lifted his tongue from where it stuck to the bottom and rubbed the tip. Cassius’s breathing grew even rougher. At some point, he had squeezed his eyes shut and focused entirely on the kiss. Their breathing grew louder. The wet, sticky sound of two mouths mingling filled the room.

Eki slowly leaned back. Holding Cassius close, she teased his teeth, gums, and the tender underside of his tongue. After dozens of seconds of tangled tongues, they finally broke apart with sharp, heavy breaths.

Haah, haah. Their shoulders rose and fell. Eki studied his face. Her saliva was smeared across his mouth. His cheeks were flushed like ripe peaches. And his eyes, shaking wildly with desire, stared blankly at her.

Then, as if enchanted, Cassius leaned down toward her.