Chapter 884: You’re Calling Me Cute?!

Seeing where Cassius was going, Ragnora’s eyes shimmered with pure panic.

"What...What are you doing?!"

"Ah, I am truly ashamed." Cassius said loudly, shaking his head. "To offer such silly, childish books to a legendary commander...What was I thinking? These are only fit for little girls!"

"Wait! Hold on!"

But Cassius ignored her, stopping right in front of the open flames.

"I feel deeply embarrassed for even showing them to you. So, to make up for that, tomorrow, I will find a gift worthy of your stature, a grand weapon or a magnificent piece of armor."

"No! That is entirely unnecessary!" Ragnora pleaded, taking an urgent step forward.

"No, no, I insist." Cassius said, a sudden, dark intensity in his eyes as he raised the books high. "But for now, I shall burn these worthless pages so they never offend your eyes again."

He drew his arm back, preparing to hurl the collection straight into the fire.

"STOP!"

The word tore from Ragnora’s throat before she could stop it.

Cassius froze, his arm still raised, and turned to look at her with a knowing smile.

"What is it, Commander? Why would you stop me from throwing these books away?"

Ragnora’s mouth worked. Her mind raced. Think. Think. An excuse. Any excuse....

"The books." She managed. "They...They won’t suit me, no. But they might suit someone else! It’s...it’s wasteful to destroy books. Books carry knowledge. It’s not right to dispose of them so carelessly!"

But Cassius only frowned in disappointment.

"Commander. If you’re not honest with me in the next three seconds, these books are going in the fire."

Her blood ran cold. "Sir Cassius—"

"Three."

The fire licked at the cover.

"Two."

She stepped forward, panic rising. "Please—"

"One."

The books were an inch from the fire, the smell of scorched paper already reaching her nose.

"FINE!" Ragnora’s voice cracked through the room. "Fine, fine, I’ll tell you the truth! I’ll tell you the truth!"

Cassius stopped instantly, holding the books a safe distance from the heat, and looked at her expectantly.

Ragnora sagged, all the strength leaving her body. She felt exposed, raw, stripped bare in a way no battlefield had ever managed.

But as she looked at the patient, judgment-free patience in Cassius’s eyes, she felt, strangely, like he wouldn’t mock her. Like he wouldn’t laugh.

So, finally she sighed.

"Those books...they’re important to me." The words came out small, strangled. "They’re something I’ve been searching for, for a very long time. Something I never thought I’d find again."

She slumped, defeated, unable to meet his eyes.

"That’s why I wanted them. I’ve wanted them ever since I saw them. I apologize for lying, but I had no choice. How could I possibly admit—"

Her voice faded into nothing.

Hearing her confession, Cassius didn’t gloat. He simply pulled the books back from the flames, brushed a wisp of ash from the cover, and walked back to the table, settling the set before her.

"See?" He said gently. "That was much easier, wasn’t it? You should have told me from the start."

Reluctantly, Ragnora walked back over and sank into her chair as well, hanging her head like a disciplined child.

Cassius placed the books neatly between them, leaning forward with a fascinated, intense gaze.

"It was my mistake, thinking you wanted those daggers. But can you blame me?"

A playful glint appeared his eye.

"I never expected the commander of the Blood and Iron Brigade, a woman feared across the continent..."

"...to be interested in romance novels!"

Hearing her deepest, most guarded secret spoken aloud, Ragnora let out a low, agonizing groan from the back of her throat, burying her face in her hands.

Cassius grinned. Her reaction confirmed everything.

Earlier at the market, he had watched her carefully.

While pretending to look at weapons, her eyes had repeatedly darted back to the vintage book set.

That was when Cassius realized the truth—and decided to use it as the ultimate key to break through her exterior.

He picked up the top volume, casually flipping through its crisp pages.

"’The Starlight Countess’...written by Master Julian, published nearly eighty years ago. A legendary thirteen-part romance series from the distant past. Hardly anyone reads these anymore, given all the modern stories flooding the capital."

He looked up at her, his eyes twinkling.

"I never would have pegged you for a fan of vintage romance, Commander."

Ragnora shot her head up, opening her mouth to interject. "I was merely buying it for—"

"Please don’t tell me you were buying it for a friend or a subordinate." Cassius cut in smoothly, smiling wickedly. "I can spot a lie from a mile away."

Ragnora froze, the words dying in her throat. Under his gaze that felt like it was peering directly into her soul she realized she was completely cornered.

She let out a long, shuddering exhale. And at last, with the resignation of a fortress lowering its gates, she said:

"The truth is...I adore romance novels."

Cassion was silent, giving the words room to breathe.

"Ever since my teen years...they have been my escape."

Ragnora continued, her voice softer than he’d ever heard it.

"When I wasn’t training, when I wasn’t working, I’d sneak into the market, buy a novel in secret, and read it in some hidden corner where no one would find me. I’ve read thousands, Sir Cassius. Thousands."

A nostalgic, almost fragile smile crossed her severe face.

"Sometimes I buy new bindings to disguise them. Make them look like ledgers or strategic deployment records. Books no one would think twice about seeing in the commander’s hands."

"But inside..." She laughed, a low, self-conscious sound.

"Inside, they’re stories of foreign princes and imprisoned princesses."

"Of love between enemies."

"Of queens who fall for peasants, and kings who fall for...well, for women the world would call unworthy."

She pressed a hand over her face, hiding from the confession.

"I know how ridiculous it sounds. The commander of a legendary brigade, sneaking around reading stories little girls dream about. But they bring me comfort. They remind me that the world is more than battlefields and blood."

Cassius said nothing, and that silence was the kindest thing anyone had ever offered her.

She lowered her hand, reaching out to gently trace the spines.

"These books are treasure to me, Sir Cassius. Treasure."

"I’ve collected the first ten volumes of The Starlight Countess over the years, piece by piece, from markets across the continent. But the final three..."

She shook her head sadly. "I’ve searched every market, every bookseller, every traveling merchant who passed through. But no one has them. It’s as if the final volumes have simply vanished from the world."

She looked up, and for the first time, her eyes shone with something dangerously close to tears.

"So when I saw those final three volumes sitting on your table tonight, I thought my heart would leap out of my chest. I wanted them more than anything. But then—"

She gestured helplessly at herself. "

"I remembered who I am. The Commander of the Iron Blood Brigade...I couldn’t possibly let anyone see me buying such things. And that’s why..."

"...that’s why I made up those foolish lies."

She leaned back, taking a deep breath. A massive, invisible weight seemed to lift from her shoulders.

For the second time in her life, she had confessed her deepest secret to another living soul.

The only other person who had ever known had passed away long ago.

Yet, as the relief faded, anxiety crept back in.

Ragnora steeled herself, preparing for the inevitable mockery, the judgment, and the laughter.

A giant, battle-scarred warrior woman obsessing over sappy love stories meant for young noble girls—it was absurd!

But to her surprise that didn’t happen.

Instead, Cassius let out a long, sympathetic sigh.

"I understand, Commander. I truly, truly understand what you’re going through."

Her eyes flew up, stunned.

"Many times in my life, I’ve found a story I loved—only to have it cut short before the ending. Frustrating beyond words."

He rubbed his chin.

"Sometimes the creators want to finish, but the money runs out. Sometimes a performer leaves. Sometimes the work simply dies. And it leaves a small hole in your heart that nothing else can fill."

When he looked up, he found her staring at him as though he’d grown a second head.

"What?" He blinked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Then he caught himself.

"Ah. Right. Movies and serials like that don’t exist in this world, do they? Forgive me—my point is, I know what it feels like to lose a conclusion. To carry an unfinished story in your heart for years."

But Ragnora was shaking her head.

"No, no—I’m not staring because of that. I’m staring because..." Her confusion deepened. "Why aren’t you asking how someone like me, a commander, could read such silly books? Why...aren’t you mocking me, telling me I should be ashamed!?"

She genuinely seemed confused by her reaction, which made Cassius frown.

"Why should you feel ashamed?"

Ragnora stared at him like it was obvious.

"Because I’m supposed to be a warrior! A leader! Someone who inspires fear and respect!"

"What would my soldiers think if they knew I spent my free time reading stories about forbidden love and dramatic confessions?"

Cassius stared at her for a long moment.

Then he laughed.

Not cruelly, but with genuine warmth and amusement.

"Commander." He said, still chuckling. "Let me tell you something. In my travels, I’ve met kings who collected butterflies. Generals who wrote poetry. Warriors who painted landscapes. An assassin who raised prize-winning roses. And yes, a legendary commander who reads romance novels."

He leaned forward, meeting her eyes directly.

"But none of those things made them any less competent. None of those hobbies diminished their achievements. They were simply people who had found something that brought them happiness in a harsh world."

Ragnora’s breath caught.

"You spend every day protecting others." Cassius continued. "You fight monsters, defend the mines, watch over your soldiers and their families. You carry the weight of thousands of lives on your shoulders. If reading romance novels helps you bear that burden and gives you even a moment of peace, then I say read as much as you want."

He pushed the books toward her. "And if anyone tries to shame you for it, send them to me. I’ll set them straight!"

Ragnora stared at him, her golden eyes glistening with an emotion she couldn’t quite name.

No man had ever said something like that to her before. No one had ever defended her right to simply enjoy something without judgment other then her.

"...Though I have to admit, it caught me off guard at first."

Cassius suddenly said with a contemplative gaze.

"The image of the mighty Ragnora, slayer of dragons and terror of monsters, tucked up with a book about forbidden love? It’s not something I expected." He chuckled.

"Exactly!" Ragnara said, pouncing on the point. "So you see why I had to keep it secret—"

"But then, once the surprise passed." Cassius continued. "I realized: why not? Absolutely, why wouldn’t the commander of the Blood and Iron Brigade read romance novels?"

"It wasn’t a flaw, or a weakness, or something to be ashamed of. It was just...you. And honestly, Commander..." He grinned. "I found it rather cute."

Ragnora shocked. "C...Cute?"

Had she heard that right? She’d been called many things.

’Fearsome.’

’Unbeatable.’

’Monstrous when roused.’

But cute had never, in her entire life, been one of them. Not once!

The very concept of someone looking at her—all that muscle, those scars, that killing aura and thinking cute was so foreign it might as well have been another language.