Reincarnate as the Villainess's Husband - Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Are you ready?
A week had passed since Cassandra’s arrival at the Oreoned Duchy and her official declaration as Neonidas’ concubine.

A week is the usual time for a concubine to settle into her new home, after which, with the family’s consent, she is accepted into the household. Since Zalira was Neonidas’ only family, she was the one who declared Cassandra’s acceptance. This meant that Cassandra could no longer belong to or be a member of any other house besides the Oreoned Duchy, even if she wanted to.

Her life, fate, and body belonged to Neonidas. This unjust life of concubines would remain so until Avelina’s reign, at least if everything went according to the original novel. But in the meantime, Neonidas treated Cassandra with utmost kindness. Every day, he asked if she needed anything and invited her to the table where he dined with his own family, which was unusual.

Normally, concubines were not welcomed at the family dining table, but Neonidas considered her one of them. Despite the fact that the belongings she brought from her family’s house were sufficient, he constantly sent gifts to Cassandra.

During this time, they did not share the same bed, as doing so in the first week was not considered proper, according to tradition. Yuanna’s situation was an exception; she was not officially taken as a concubine but rather as a kind of spoils of war.

However, tonight would be the first night Cassandra and Neonidas would be together. Therefore, Cassandra was currently being cleansed and adorned by servants in a rose-petal-filled bath.

Neonidas, as always, was occupied with his work in his study. Soldiers he had specifically recruited from his own lands had gathered at the temporary military headquarters outside the city. He already had ten or twenty thousand soldiers at his disposal. In two weeks, Allea’s troops would arrive, and by then, fifty thousand soldiers would have been gathered.

Supplying the army was a very costly undertaking, even for just a few weeks, but for now, everything was progressing perfectly. In the meantime, the donkeys Neonidas had requested had also been gathered. Approximately two thousand donkeys had been brought.

While Neonidas was immersed in maps and reports at his desk, his thoughts briefly drifted to Cassandra. There was, of course, a reason for him treating her so kindly. Neonidas’ main goal was to truly possess Cassandra and, if possible, make her fall in love with him.

After gathering the documents on his desk, he walked towards the window. The moonlight illuminated the lands of the Oreoned Duchy, and the lights from the distant military headquarters flickered slightly. His army was growing rapidly; he would have to set out in a few weeks.

He had already spent plenty of time with both Solara and Yuanna during this week. He also needed to visit the palace before going to war, and he planned to be with Velriona during that visit. Now that he thought about it, he had had many women in a very short time; he had now become the owner of a kind of harem.

Neonidas stood up and went out, heading down the long corridors towards Cassandra’s room.

When Neonidas entered Cassandra’s room, a faint scent of rosewater filled the air. The room was lit by candlelight and carefully decorated. Cassandra sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Neonidas, dressed in an elegant and thin fabric. The servants had left the room, leaving them alone.

Neonidas slowly closed the door behind him and took a few steps towards Cassandra. His eyes wandered over Cassandra’s delicate face. A slight tension and shyness could be read on the woman’s face, but there was also a submission, a fear of opposing Neonidas. Clearly, it was almost impossible to read Cassandra’s facial expression.

Neonidas took a few more steps and stood directly in front of Cassandra. When their eyes met, the tension on Cassandra’s face became more pronounced, but Neonidas was determined to handle this moment gently. He leaned in and said in a soft voice,

“I don’t want you to feel like a stranger here, Cassandra. If anything bothers you, please tell me.”

Cassandra nodded slightly, her voice a trembling whisper, “Thank you, Duke Neonidas. I am grateful for your kindness.” She lowered her eyes, but it was clear from her demeanor that there was a conflict within her.

Neonidas looked at her innocent reaction for a moment. He knew that Cassandra was different. He wanted to build a deeper connection with her, beyond just her being a concubine or a tool for the house. This connection could not be just Cassandra’s unwilling obedience; he had to win her over.

“Cassandra,” he continued, his voice lower but firm, “I want you to build a connection here, not just with me, but with this house and this family. Your comfort and happiness are important to me. Do we understand each other?”

Cassandra hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Neonidas. There was surprise and a hint of sadness in her eyes. This man, despite being aware of his power and authority, was treating her kindly. This was affecting Cassandra in a way she had not experienced before. “I understand,” she said with a slight smile.

Seeing her reaction, Neonidas nodded with a pleased expression on his face. Then he slowly sat next to her and enjoyed the silence in the room for a while. He gently took one of Cassandra’s hands and caressed it.

“Are you ready? If you feel uncomfortable right now, don’t hesitate to tell me.”

Cassandra was very impressed by this kindness that she was feeling now and for the rest of the week, but she had to fulfill her duty. “Yes, my Lord. I am ready.”

After Cassandra’s words, Neonidas looked into her eyes for a moment. These deep blue eyes seemed to hide the depths of an ocean within them. Cassandra’s golden hair fell over her shoulders, shining in the candlelight. Neonidas felt his breath catch for a moment at the beauty of this elegant woman before him.

He slowly moved his hand to Cassandra’s cheeks, touching her smooth and warm skin with his fingertips. Cassandra flinched with a momentary shiver, but did not pull away. There was a grace, a sensitivity in Neonidas’ touch.

Cassandra shyly lowered her head as if wanting to avoid his gaze, but Neonidas gently placed his hand under her chin and raised her head again. His face moved even closer to hers. Cassandra felt her heart racing, her breathing becoming irregular.

Neonidas gently brushed a strand of Cassandra’s golden hair back with his fingers and slowly brought his lips closer to hers. When their lips finally met, time seemed to stop. Neonidas’ kiss was soft and full of passion. Although Cassandra remained still in surprise at first, she soon gave in to this touch.

Neonidas was careful not to hurt Cassandra’s delicate body. As the kiss deepened, Cassandra involuntarily moved closer to him. As their lips intertwined, the scent of roses in the room, the flickering light of the candles, and the silence of the night made this moment even more magical.

Cassandra pushed Neonidas towards the bed with her small hands and then climbed on top of Neonidas, even though her heart was about to jump out of her chest. She was trying to undress Neonidas and expose his upper body. But the kiss had not stopped during all this time.

Then Cassandra surprisingly went further and stuck out her tongue and caught Neonidas’ tongue. She aggressively started attacking with her tongue, during all this process Neonidas remained passive. When Neonidas’ upper body was completely naked, Cassandra made the kiss even more aggressive.

When a few tears falling from Cassandra’s eyes fell on Neonidas’ face, there seemed to be no sign in the intensity of that moment that anything would go wrong. But that deep conflict hidden within Cassandra’s tears was ready to reveal the betrayal in a dark corner of her soul.

Cassandra’s elegant hands suddenly stiffened with a cold hardness. Black and insidious snakes emerging from her fingertips appeared like a shadow in the dim light of the room. The snakes’ eyes shone with venom, and the thin hisses coming from their tongues poisoned the peace in the room. While Neonidas was still under the influence of Cassandra’s warm touch, it seemed that he was delayed for a moment in understanding this sudden change.

The snakes moved quickly. They wrapped themselves around Neonidas’ body with a terrible speed and sank their sharp teeth into his skin. As each one attacked a different point, Cassandra’s face was slowly changing. Now, in place of that shy and delicate woman, there was another Cassandra, with an expression full of pain and anger in her eyes. Her tears flowed from her eyes like a bursting dam gnawing at her soul.

Neonidas flinched with a burning pain that suddenly spread throughout his body. The bite of each snake was strong enough to make his body tremble. Each venomous bite flowed like a fire in his veins.

When he opened his eyes at that moment, he realized the dark intention hidden behind the tears flowing from Cassandra’s eyes. When their eyes met, the sadness in Cassandra’s blue eyes had given way to a kind of ruthless determination.

“Cassandra…” Neonidas’ voice was weak but full of astonishment. “Why?”

“I’m sorry, Neonidas…” Cassandra’s voice trembled, tears now flowing down her cheeks like a waterfall. “I will never forgive myself for doing this… But my sister… Her life is in their hands! I had to betray you… I had to hurt you… To save her…”

The poison gradually spread throughout Neonidas’ body. He tried to control it. On the bed, the bed where they were supposed to be together tonight, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands of snakes. Each one was venomous, each one was a black, terrifying snake. By the order of their mistress, Cassandra, each one magically vanished after poisoning Neonidas. Neonidas could no longer speak, nor was there a light of life in his eyes.

But he was alive; after all, this poison was not meant to kill him, but to control him.