Chapter 162: Tresspassing (Rewritten)

Nyxara hesitated briefly before stepping toward the bed. Climbing onto the mattress, she lay down beside Cassian, taking care to maintain a respectable distance between them.

Cassian watched her in amused silence as she shifted, clearly struggling to find a natural posture.

It was an entertaining sight, especially considering this was the same warrior who could face feral beasts without a single trace of hesitation.

"Is something wrong?" he asked smoothly.

"N-no, my Lord. Everything is fine."

"Is that so?"

Before Nyxara could react, Cassian slipped an arm around her narrow waist and pulled her firmly toward him.

Caught entirely off guard, the undead elf found herself positioned above him, her violet eyes widening in sheer shock.

"My Lord!"

Cassian offered a mischievous grin. "Next time, just admit you wanted an excuse to be around me."

Nyxara’s face flushed crimson. "I wasn’t—"

Her protest vanished as Cassian drew her down and kissed her.

For a heartbeat, she froze, overwhelmed by the sudden warmth. Then, closing her eyes, she returned the kiss, her hands settling softly against his shoulders as all remaining space between them vanished.

When Cassian finally pulled back, she stared down at him with a flustered mix of embarrassment and quiet anticipation.

Without giving her a chance to formulate a retort, Cassian gently guided her onto her back, settling beside her with an amused expression.

"You’re surprisingly easy to embarrass," he remarked.

Nyxara turned her face away.

"I am not embarrassed, my Lord."

"Really? Then why won’t you look at me?"

"I..."

Her voice trailed off.

Cassian chuckled before reaching out to brush a loose strand of silver hair away from her face.

"Relax, Nyxara. You don’t have to be so formal around me all the time."

The undead elf blinked.

"But you are my Lord."

"And?"

"And it would be inappropriate for me to forget my position."

Cassian sighed helplessly.

"You’re really a stubborn elf."

Nyxara lowered her eyes, looking somewhat troubled by his response.

Seeing this, Cassian’s expression softened.

"Listen, Nyxara. I know you’re loyal to me, and I appreciate that. But you don’t have to treat every moment we spend together like you’re standing guard outside a royal palace."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Sometimes, I just want you to be yourself."

Nyxara stared at him.

For someone who had spent so much of her existence following orders and fulfilling responsibilities, those words were unexpectedly difficult to comprehend.

Be herself?

What exactly did that mean?

She had been summoned to serve him. Her strength, her abilities, and even her continued existence were tied to him.

Yet here he was, asking her to set those things aside.

"My Lord..."

Cassian smiled.

"There’s that title again."

Nyxara’s lips parted, but no words emerged.

After several seconds, she finally gathered enough courage to speak.

"Then... what should I call you?"

"Cassian."

Her violet eyes widened.

"That would be far too disrespectful!"

"Only if I considered it disrespectful."

"But—"

"No buts."

Nyxara fell silent.

Cassian watched her struggle with the idea for a moment before laughing softly.

"Fine. We can work on that another time."

He shifted into a more comfortable position and extended an arm toward her.

"Come here."

This time, Nyxara didn’t hesitate.

She moved closer and rested her head against his chest, allowing his arm to settle around her shoulders.

For several moments, neither spoke.

The bedroom remained quiet, illuminated only by the faint glow filtering through the curtains.

Nyxara listened to the steady rhythm of Cassian’s heartbeat.

It was a strangely comforting sound.

As an undead, she had long since abandoned many of the sensations that once defined her existence. Yet somehow, lying beside him made her feel more alive than she had in a very long time.

Cassian glanced down at her.

"Feeling better?"

Nyxara nodded faintly.

"Yes, my Lord."

He shook his head with an amused smile.

"Hopeless."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

And for the first time that night, she seemed completely at ease.

Cassian closed his eyes, content to enjoy the rare moment of peace.

Neither of them noticed the faint movement of shadows along the bedroom walls.

Nor did they realize that someone else in the apartment had just awakened.

....

Ruby opened her eyes.

Something wasn’t right.

She remained still for several seconds, staring up at the ceiling as a strange feeling in her chest refused to fade.

She couldn’t explain it, but her sharp instincts were telling her that something important was happening, something she needed to investigate immediately.

After a moment, she threw back her covers and slipped out of bed.

The little girl stepped quietly into her slippers and crept toward the door, carefully turning the handle to avoid making a sound.

Her grandmother had explicitly ordered her to sleep, and getting caught wandering around the apartment in the middle of the night would undoubtedly earn her another lecture.

But Ruby had far more pressing concerns.

’That elf...’

Ever since Nyxara arrived, Ruby had felt something was off.

The undead elf was frighteningly close to her father. She followed him everywhere, executed his instructions without question, and seemed perfectly content to remain at his side.

Even worse, her father appeared unusually comfortable around her.

Ruby didn’t like it.

To be clear, she had nothing against Nyxara personally. The elf was strong, beautiful, and had never treated Ruby badly.

In fact, she had been remarkably polite since arriving at their home.

That wasn’t the issue.

The problem was that Nyxara was getting close to her father.

And Ruby knew better than anyone how dangerous that could be.

’I don’t want Dad to get hurt again.’

The thought surfaced so suddenly that Ruby froze in her tracks.

For an instant, the corridor around her seemed to fade away, replaced by a memory she desperately wanted to bury.

Her mother’s face flashed across her mind.

The image was brief, but the emotional weight it carried was not. A familiar ache settled deep in her chest, dragging up the uncomfortable recollection of a time when her father had been different, a time when the people he loved had not all remained by his side.

Ruby lowered her eyes, her small hands clenching into fists.

She didn’t want to think about it.

Shaking her head, she forcefully pushed the memory away and focused entirely on the present.

Whatever had happened before, she wouldn’t allow her father to suffer that kind of pain again.

And if protecting him meant keeping a hawk-like eye on Nyxara, then so be it.

With renewed determination, Ruby continued down the hallway.

She first peeked into the living room.

Empty.

The lights were dimmed, and the only sound was the faint, steady hum of the apartment’s climate control system.

Her grandmother was nowhere to be seen, which meant she had likely retired to her own bedroom.

Ruby considered turning back.

Then she remembered the intuitive tug that had awakened her in the first place.

’No. I need to investigate.’

Her father had taught her many things, even if he didn’t realize it.

Unfortunately, he had also taught her enough to make her deeply suspicious of anyone who suddenly became important to him.

Ruby tiptoed toward his bedroom door.

With every step, her curiosity burned brighter. She couldn’t hear a sound through the thick wood, but that didn’t reassure her.

If anything, the eerie silence made her more determined to discover what was happening inside.

Finally, she stood directly before the entrance.

Ruby glanced over her shoulder. The corridor remained dark and empty.

Satisfied that no one was watching, she slowly extended her small hand toward the handle.

Her fingers curled tightly around the cool metal.

Then, holding her breath, she began to turn it.