Chapter 369: Shhh!!!
Shhh!!!
"Shhh." Cassidy soothed, kissing Mia’s temple softly. "I’m here, love. Thanks to him... I’m here."
The room was quiet. Mia’s stifled sobbing and Cassidy’s soft whisps were the only things heard. The weight of it all—fear, relief, residual heat from what had transpired—still hung in their air like smoke. Neither moved for this delicate instant. Mother and daughter held one another as if the years between them, away from and anxious for each other, could be undone in one hold.
Mia buried her face further into Cassidy’s shoulder, shivering, her little fingers grasping the robe of her mother as though releasing them would break it all apart. Cassidy enveloped her in a tighter hold, eyes shining. For the first time in so long, she wasn’t the poisoned warrior struggling just to live—she was just a mother, alive, breathing, whole enough to hold her child in her arms.
Then—
Cough. Cough.
The noise cut through the silence. Both Cassidy’s and Mia’s eyes snapped open at the same moment. Their heads jerked in the direction of the voice.
Leon stood at the end of the bed, cool as a whip, fully dressed now in his dark robe again. His hair was tidy, his face serene, as if he hadn’t just been the guy who had wracked Cassidy’s body with flames mere moments before.
For an instant, both mother and daughter just looked. The change—the man they had glimpsed naked, pinning Cassidy into the bedclothes, now standing before them as if just back from somewhere else—was sufficient to cause their brains to stumble.
Leon cocked his head to one side, an eyebrow raised, and a playful smile played on his lips. "What’s wrong? Why are you two staring at me like that?
His silent amusement broke their focus, causing both of them to blink and turn away.
Mia’s cheeks flushed immediately. She blurted out the words before she even considered them. "You... put that together so fast?"
The words rushed out awkwardly, and the moment they left her lips, her face burned bright red.
Leon’s eyebrow shot higher. "Mm? Why—" his smile grew slyly wide, "—are you disappointed I got all dressed up? Or did you want to keep seeing me. naughty, for a bit longer?"
Mia’s breath snagged, her blush burning so fiercely it crawled into her ears.
"Leon!" Cassidy interjected sharply, tugging her daughter closer, protective flash in her tone. "Don’t play around with my daughter like that."
He turned his gaze toward Cassidy, the amusement in his eyes doubling. "Oh? Now you’re against me too, wife? That’s very cruel. I’m hurt." He gave a playful pout, overacting it just enough to make the air lighter.
Cassidy blinked, speechless for a moment. Her mouth opened, then closed into a thin line before she finally sighed in defeat. "You’re... so dramatic, you know that?" She shook her head with a despairing sigh. "Sometimes I don’t know why I fell in love with you..."
The last words escaped more softly than she meant, almost a whisper.
But Leon caught them. Naturally, he did. His sly smile pared down to a sharp edge, his eyes glinting. "What was that? Did you just say you fell for me?"
Cassidy’s face flushed, heat climbing up her neck. She clicked her tongue and turned her head away in annoyance. "Tch... Don’t flatter yourself."
Mia, so close she could taste her mother’s breath, stiffened as she stared up at Cassidy with horror-stricken eyes, as if horns had just grown on her mother’s head. Her mother—her very own mother—just confessed something she never imagined she’d ever hear.
Leon, recognizing Cassidy’s prideful personality, didn’t push it. He merely chuckled to himself, the sort of laughter that settled in her chest and made her fidgety.
"Okay," he said lightly, smoothing his robe. "I should go."
He slowly shook his head, pretending to be disappointed. "Only hours ago you were so obedient. Now you’re already going rogue. Looks like the next time, I’ll have to work harder reminding you how to act, wifey."
Cassidy’s body jerked, a shiver running down her spine involuntarily. Her face flushed in an instant as memories of how she had pleaded with him earlier ran through her mind.
Mia saw. She saw it all—but she remained quiet, only casting down her eyes, burning cheeks.
Leon smiled smugly. "Tsk, tsk... By the way, I also have other wives to attend to. I must give them some attention too, don’t you agree? Just as I did to you."
Cassidy’s brow raised. She didn’t lash back—she knew too well by now what sort of man Leon was, and the word harem was already a reality she’d come to accept. Yet still, his words sent her heart stirring uncomfortably, even as she compelled herself to breathe normally.
Leon gave a small nod. "Good night, then. I’ll take my leave."
As he turned, Mia’s voice burst out immediately. "Leon... thanks—for healing my mother." She bowed her head deeply.
Cassidy followed a heartbeat later, dropping her head as well. "Yes. Thanks... for saving me."
Leon halted, his smile playing at his mouth. With a blithe gesture of his hand, his fingers swept the air as if erasing their movement. "No. Don’t bow. My wives do not bow to me." His eyes softened on them both. "Healing your mother is a husband’s responsibility, Mia. And don’t forget—tonight, I didn’t heal just your mother. I acquired another wife... and a family member."
The two women stood transfixed, shocked by the simplicity, by the warmth behind his words. Cassidy’s mouth opened, shocked, before slowly rising into the tiniest smile. Warmth spread through her chest in a way she had not experienced in years.
Leon wasn’t done, though. His gaze snapped back to Cassidy, slyness creeping into his voice once again. "But... your body isn’t quite healed yet. You’re only about forty-five percent recovered. If we leave here, the poison may not kill you again, but to be whole..." His smile grew thinner. "We’ll need many more rounds with each other. Don’t worry—I’ll see to that."
Cassidy’s gasp caught, her cheeks reddening to scarlet as she spun swiftly away. Mia’s also flushed equally red, though she suppressed a small, nervous smile.
Leon moved close enough to leave a quick kiss on Mia’s forehead, then another on Cassidy’s. By the time either of them could react, his presence dissolved like wind.
The door closed softly.
Cassidy and Mia sat immobile in the quiet he had left behind, their eyes wide in the empty space where he’d been standing. It was as if he’d never existed at all. Almost.
But for the heat still smoldering in their chests—and the echo of his voice, his words, and the pressure of the bond he’d just established.