CHAPTER 16: MY FINAL CRUEL SALVATION

Cassel — POV

"You... You, Cassel—what are you doing?"

Her voice trembled, a soft quiver that barely reached my ears.

But her clear black eyes—those deep, unyielding eyes—held no fear.

No rejection.

No hint of retreat.

That alone should have been enough to stop me.

But it didn’t.

This girl before me—only moments ago, she’d been fragile and tear-streaked in my arms, sobbing like a lost child.

Her words had tumbled out in pieces, broken by hiccups and fear. She’d clung to me as if the world itself were slipping away.

And now... now, as I looked down at her trembling beneath me, the memory of that warmth—her soft frame, her scent, her heartbeat—struck me like thunder.

It was too vivid.

Too real.

It felt like an addiction.

I’ve become addicted to her in no time.

A fever that gripped your veins, crawled under your skin, and left you craving more—helpless against its pull.

(Don’t die...)

She had said that, voice breaking as her fingers reached for me.

(Cassel... please don’t die...)

That single memory burned itself into me, more than any scar I had earned in a lifetime of war and betrayal.

And I was certain now—

the man she had dreamed of, the one her heart had shattered for...

Was me.

Her embrace had been fire.

Alive.

Consuming.

And for a man who’d never known love, who’d been denied it since childhood—

For a man who’d been called monster, beast, and nothing more than a weapon—

That warmth was lethal.

Because for the first time, someone had cried for me.

For me.

Someone had called my name with trembling lips—

not in fear, but in desperate, fragile affection.

The thought alone tore me apart.

And the more I tried to breathe, the heavier the air became, as if the world itself was pressing down on my chest.

Inside, something dark stirred—

a whisper in the hollow of my heart.

It told me to take her.

To claim this fragile, glowing creature before me.

To keep her hidden.

Locked away from the world that would taint her.

Never ever.

Never lose her.

Because if I did... I wouldn’t survive it.

Rosalia.

Everything about her was a mystery—wrapped in softness, tied with danger.

Her secrets were like a web, delicate yet deadly.

And I wanted to tear through every strand, to see the truth beneath.

Every breath.

Every heartbeat.

Every thought she dared to hide.

But I didn’t ask.

I couldn’t.

Because I knew... if I pushed too far, I might lose her.

And that fear was far worse than ignorance.

So I waited.

After all—

Patience is all I’ve ever known.

Thirty years of it.

Thirty years of silence, obedience, and restraint.

So yes, Rosalia...

I’ll wait.

I’ll wait for you to tell me your story, to show me your heart.

To whisper my name not in fear... but in love.

I’ll wait—

because patience is what I do best.

But if you ever think of leaving me...

That—I’ll never allow.

You are the light I never asked for.

The redemption I don’t deserve.

My final, cruel salvation.

You were sent to me.

And just as you raised your hand today to protect me,

just as that spark of fury flickered in your eyes for my sake—

You’ve become my shield.

My sin.

My fate.

And I will never let fate be stolen again.

---

"Cassel... wh-what’s wrong? Step back a little, let’s talk," she stammered, voice trembling as if it could shake the darkness from my gaze.

"Cae."

"What?"

Her eyes widened—confused, unsure.

And for a heartbeat, I almost laughed.

Because she couldn’t hide a single thought.

Her mind was painted clearly in her gaze—

so innocent, so painfully honest.

That unfiltered honesty...

It was what I loved most about her.

She doesn’t fake.

She didn’t hide behind masks of politeness or grace

Everything—her anger, her sadness, her love—

It was always written plainly on her face.

And God...that might destroy me.

Patience... ha.

What a joke.

Wasn’t I the one who boasted about patience?

Yet now, every inch of my restraint was shattering, my pulse roaring in my ears.

I wanted to hear her cry again.

To hear my name tremble from her lips the way it did before.

To see her eyes glisten with something between fear and longing.

I took a slow breath—then another—trying to smother the fire crawling through my blood.

Finally, I forced my voice steady.

"How do you know that name?"

Her lips parted, then faltered.

Of course.

She wouldn’t answer.

She never did when it mattered most.

"I... I just—your name’s long, so I shortened it. If you don’t like it, I—"

"It’s fine," I cut her off.

"Since it’s long... from now on, call me Cae."

"N-no, really, it’s okay, I don’t have to—"

"I said, call me that."

This time my tone was sharper—commanding.

The kind of tone that made the air itself freeze.

Her body stiffened; then she nodded quickly, eyes wide, lips trembling.

And for a moment, I almost felt guilty.

Almost.

Because I knew why I’d done it.

Dragging her into this dark, narrow place.

Pressing her between my body and the wall.

Caging her there.

It wasn’t anger.

It wasn’t controlled.

It was greed.

I wanted her to say my name.

Not Cassel.

Not boss.

Not anything else.

Just Cae.

And when she finally did—

"Ca-e..."

It was the softest sound I’d ever heard.

A whisper that slid under my skin, that made my heart ache and my body tense.

Her face bloomed red, her eyes shimmering with confusion.

She looked so unbearably fragile.

(So this small thing makes you blush like that, hm?)

The thought barely left my lips as I stepped back, granting her space.

She didn’t even look back—only clutched her chest and hurried past me, the faint tremor in her shoulders betraying how shaken she was.

As her figure disappeared into the night, a quiet laugh escaped me.

It wasn’t mockery.

It wasn’t Sad laugh.

It was... real.

The first real smile I’d had—

in this life, and the one before.

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Erato-san has something to say:

Who among you knows the meaning behind our dear ML’s name?