Chapter 882: A Women Has Two Faces

Cassius groaned, his hips bucking upward to meet Isabelle’s rhythm.

"We could have...ah...gone back to the guest house...They set up that whole house for us...with a bed...and walls...and privacy..."

Isabelle looked down at him with a playful smile that was utterly at odds with the innocent image she’d presented all day.

"Why are you so shy today, darling?" She leaned forward, still slamming her hips down, and pinched his cheeks. "We’ve done this in bushes and behind trees countless times on this journey. What’s different about now?"

"The difference is that now we have an actual house to go to!"

"Oh!~ You look so cute when you’re embarrassed!" She kissed his nose. "Like a shy little boy."

"I’m not shy. I’m practical!" Cassius rolled his eyes even as he continued to thrust upward.

’There’s a comfortable bed waiting for us. Walls. A roof. We could be doing this in luxury instead of on damp grass in the middle of nowhere!"

Isabelle leaned down until their foreheads touched, her breasts pressing against his chest.

"Well, I’m sorry but I couldn’t help it, darling. I’ve been holding back all day. It’s entirely your fault."

"My fault?! What did I do?"

She began trailing kisses along his jaw, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper.

"All day long, you’ve been so incredible. Solving impossible problems. Helping everyone. Making me so proud to be your wife."

"And then at the feast..."

She nipped at his earlobe.

"Those wives wouldn’t stop talking about what an amazing husband you are. How lucky I am. How perfect we are together. The whole time, I was just thinking about how badly I wanted to jump on you!"

Cassius stared up at her with an expression of pure disbelief. "You got turned on by that?"

"I got turned on by you!" She corrected, grinding her hips in a slow circle that made him gasp. "Everything about you. All day long."

BAM!

Behind the bush, Ragnora practically slammed her hands over her mouth to muffle a gasp.

As a veteran commander who had witnessed countless wonders, she had never once lost her composure like this.

But seeing the sweet Isabelle literally begging her husband for his manhood was enough to send her mind spinning into complete chaos.

’Women really do have two entirely different personalities...’

She thought frantically, her mind reeling as she recalled an offhand comment her female captains had once made about married life.

’In public, she’s an angel...in private, she’s a feral beast devouring her mate!’

Ragnora wanted to flee in that moment.

Every instinct in her body screamed at her to retreat, to forget she had ever seen this, to erase the last five minutes from her memory entirely.

But before she could move, Isabelle spoke again.

"Commander Ragnora is so cool, isn’t she?"

Ragnora froze.

"She’s everything I dreamed she’d be and more." Isabelle continued, her voice dreamy despite the lewd activity. "Strong, noble, kind...and those muscles..." She shivered again. "I could stare at them all day."

"I noticed you staring." Cassius said dryly.

"Can you blame me? She’s magnificent!"

Ragnora felt her blush deepen impossibly further.

They were talking about her. While having sex. In the middle of the forest!

’I need to leave. I need to leave right now.’

"Darling." Isabelle whispered suddenly, her voice dropping even lower. "You should bring Commander Ragnora into our family."

Ragnora’s heart stopped.

’What?!’

"It would be so much fun having her by our side." Isabelle continued, completely oblivious to her idol’s presence. "Can you imagine? A woman like that, joining our household..."

Ragnora’s mind raced. ’Bring her into the family? What does that mean? Is she suggesting...?’

Cassius opened his mouth to respond—

But then, suddenly he turned his head like he noticed something.

And looked directly at her.

"Commander...Is that you?"

Her blue eyes met hers through the foliage, and there was no doubt in them. No confusion.

He was looking straight at her!

In that moment of complete, paralyzing shock, Ragnora’s foot slipped.

Her massive body, usually so perfectly controlled, stumbled backward.

BOOM!

The impact shook the ground. Just as she was rubbing her head thinking of she was acting as clumsy as Julie right now, she realised where she was and slowly turned her.

And it was just as she feared.

Cassius was staring at her with a look of mild confusion and dawning amusement.

Isabelle’s face on the other hand had gone through several shades of red in rapid succession until finally—

"COMMANDER RAGNORA?!" She shrieked.

Before Ragnora could form a single word of explanation, Isabelle had already scrambled off Cassius’s lap, grabbed the nearest piece of clothing, and bolted into the forest.

"PLEASE FORGET EVERYTHING YOU SAW! IT WASN’T ME! IT WAS A DOPPELGANGER!"

"A VERY HORNY DOPPELGANGER!"

—

Ragnora lay where she had fallen, her massive body sprawled across the crushed bushes.

Her face was burning. Her heart was pounding. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so completely, utterly mortified.

Slowly, mechanically, she lifted her head.

Cassius was still lying on the grass, completely naked, looking at her with an expression of mild amusement.

"I...I apologize." Ragnora stammered, pushing herself to her feet. "I didn’t mean to...I was investigating a...I thought there was..."

She couldn’t finish the sentence. What could she possibly say? That she’d mistaken their passionate lovemaking for an attack?!

She couldn’t take it anymore.

With a massive leap, she launched herself into the air, shouting one final apology over her shoulder:

"I’M SORRY FOR WHAT I’VE DONE!"

And then she was gone, leaving Cassius with a look of confusion on his face at what had just occurred.

Normally, his domain detection would alert him to any approaching entity miles in advance.

But Cassius possessed a subconscious habit: he completely lowered his guard around people he considered family or close allies.

And because he had come to view Ragnora as a trusted friend, his passive perception had simply ignored her presence until her heavy, panicked breathing had breached the clearing.

He rubbed his temples, letting out a long, wheezing sigh.

’What on earth just happened...? Why was she stalking us in the woods in the first place?’

He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head.

’I guess even the terrifying Great Spirit Commander can get flustered...How adorable.’

—

Three miles away, behind a dark, abandoned mineshaft at the edge of the estate.

Ragnora was slumped heavily against a rusty ore cart, her chest heaving as if she had just sprinted across the entire continent.

Her red face was glowing a deep, vibrant blue, and her golden eyes were wide with pure, lingering horror.

’What have I done?!’

She screamed internally, burying her face in her massive hands.

’I’m a commander of a realm! And I just peered in on my guests making love, got caught, and drove the poor girl naked into the woods!’

She felt a wave of deep, agonizing guilt wash over her.

Isabelle revered her as a heroic idol, and Ragnora had just shattered that innocent perception in the most scandalous way imaginable.

How was she supposed to face Isabelle tomorrow? What could she possibly say to apologize?!

And then there was the other thing.

Isabelle’s words echoed in her mind, refusing to fade:

"You really should bring Commander Ragnora into our family..."

What had she meant by that? What exactly was she suggesting?

Ragnora’s mind was a storm of conflicting thoughts.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, realization struck her.

’The killing intent. I completely forgot about it.’

She had been so thoroughly thrown off balance by the sight of Cassius and Isabelle tangled together that she had completely abandoned her original mission.

The mysterious threat was still out there somewhere, and she had let it slip away.

"Foolish." She muttered to herself, straightening her posture. "Absolutely foolish."

She pushed aside her personal feelings. She had to. Personal embarrassment was a luxury she couldn’t afford while a potential threat roamed free.

She was about to turn and retrace her steps when she heard it—a soft rustle, directly behind her.

She didn’t hesitate. Instinct older than thought seized her body.

Whoosh!

Her hand flew to the massive broadsword on her back, and she swung it around in a blur of steel.

She had only detected the sensation at the very last second, meaning whoever or whatever was behind her possessed terrifying stealth capabilities.

The only rational response was to strike first, to seize the advantage before the enemy could react.

The blade whistled through the air, moving at a speed that would have decapitated most opponents before they even registered the attack.

It closed the distance in a heartbeat—

And stopped.

The edge hovered a hair’s breadth from the person’s neck, frozen in place not by mercy, but by recognition.

Cassius stood there, perfectly still, looking down at the sword pressed against his throat with an expression of mild curiosity. If he was afraid, he didn’t show it. In fact, he looked almost amused.

"Commander." He said mildly. "If you wanted to silence me, you only had to ask. I’m quite good at keeping secrets."

Ragnora’s composure shattered. She yanked the sword back, the motion almost frantic, and shoved it into its sheath with a clatter.

"No—that’s not—I wasn’t—" She was stammering like a caught child, hating every syllable of it. "It was a threat! A threat, not you! I thought you were—I mean, I sensed someone—"

She pressed a hand to her face, groaning internally.

’By the gods, pull yourself together, woman!’

Cassius watched her flounder with undisguised delight. There was something genuinely endearing about watching this towering, muscle-bound warrior turn crimson and trip over her own words because she’d almost beheaded a guest.

Ragnora felt her carefully constructed image of iron composure crumbling around her like dry clay.

First the forest. Now this. She wanted to sink into the earth.

But she was still the commander, and commanders composed themselves.

She drew herself up to her full, formidable height, squared her massive shoulders, and met his gaze with as much dignity as she could muster.

Then she bowed. A deep, formal bow of genuine apology.

"Sir Cassius. I owe you an sincere apology for what I witnessed, and...for nearly striking you down just now."

Her voice was steadier now, the commander’s gravel returning.

"I had no intention of intruding upon your privacy. I was tracking a source of killing intent—a faint but potent pressure I detected near the town. I followed it here, and...well."

She glanced up at him, and a sliver of something shy flickered across her stern features before she looked away.

"I saw what I saw. That is the truth of it. I apologize from the bottom of my heart for my conduct."

But Cassius just raised his hands, his expression surprisingly gentle.

"There’s no need for that, Commander. Honestly..."

A rather lewd grin spread across his face.

"Having another woman watching from the corner was rather exciting. I didn’t mind at all."

Ragnora gasped. "Wh-what are you saying?!"

His words seemed to suggest she was an accomplice to their act, someone who had participated rather than intruded.

The implication made her head spin.

But Cassius’s expression shifted, becoming more serious. "Isabelle, on the other hand..."

"Isabelle!" Ragnora seized on the name with desperate concern. "How is she? Where is she right now?"

She looked around frantically, half-expecting the young woman to emerge from the shadows, still naked and mortified.

"She’s not here." Cassius said. "I already took her back to the guest house and put her to bed."

Ragnora sagged with relief. At least Isabelle wasn’t wandering the forest in her state.

But Cassius’s expression grew sheepish.

"The thing is...she’s wrapped herself in a blanket and made a cocoon of herself. She refuses to come out no matter how much I call."

"She says she’s going to live the rest of her life in there and never see anyone ever again. Especially her favourite Commander Ragnora."

Ragnora winced.

"So I think...it’s going to take some time for her to recover."

Ragnora groaned, rubbing her forehead with a hand large enough to palm a shield.

"I am so sorry. Truly, I am. I never meant to—"

"Please." Cassius cut in gently, shaking his head. "There’s no need to apologize, Commander. I’m the one who ought to be apologizing."

He looked genuinely embarrassed now, a rare crack in his confidence.

"You opened your home and your town to us, threw a festival in our honor...and we repaid you by doing something so brazen out in the open. That was my fault. I should have been more careful."

Ragnora opened her mouth to respond, then closed it, unsure what to even say to that.

Cassius tilted his head, curiosity replacing embarrassment. "But Commander, what threat were you tracking, exactly? Is it related to the mana beasts? And how did it lead you to us?"

Ragnora straightened, grateful for a topic she could actually speak on with authority.

"I was making my rounds near the town when I felt it, a killing intent unlike anything I’ve encountered. It flared out of nowhere—"

But before she could finish, voices echoed from somewhere nearby.

"Did you hear something?"

"Yeah, I thought I heard voices over here!"

"This area’s supposed to be abandoned. Let’s check it out."

The glow of lantern light appeared between the trees, growing brighter as the guards approached.

Ragnora froze.

Under normal circumstances, she would have simply announced her presence and sent the guards on their way.

But standing here with Cassius in the middle of the night, after everything she’d just witnessed...

Her mind conjured images of the rumors that might spread.

The Commander, sneaking around in the dark with a married man. The same man whose wife she’d just been watching in an extremely compromising position.

It would be a scandal of the highest order!

Without thinking, she grabbed Cassius’s hand.

"Come with me." She whispered urgently.

And then she moved.

Wind roared in his ears as Ragnora carried Cassius through the night at speeds that would have seemed impossible for someone of her size.

Trees and rocks became streaks of shadow, and the distant glow of Albrak’s walls flashed past in an instant.

When Cassius finally opened his eyes, he found himself standing in Ragnora’s living room.