Last Born Of The Desdemona

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Jealousy

Chapter 149 – Jealousy

”My husband is tired.”

Mercury’s words settled gently around the enclosed room, bringing the First Sect Meeting of the Fallen Angel to its close. Without any concern for the gazes of the two women across from her, she drew her husband into her embrace and began — hopefully — to soothe him by moving her fingers through his hair.

At that point, it was clear there was nothing more to say. The two others could return, or at the very least give the couple a moment to themselves before they rejoined them.

Moon and Sun, however, did neither.

Moon — Sarah of Secrecy — watched Mercury and Earth from behind her mask with eyes full of a longing she kept carefully hidden.

After everything that had just happened — receiving a title recognised by Mother System herself, and learning the conditions for her Aspect to evolve to an entirely new level — Moon found her heart aching for someone to share the overwhelming happiness with.

She desperately wanted her Prince to be here. To celebrate this pivotal moment in her life alongside her.

No longer the useless maid, she wanted to show him.

Now she was Moon: faithful believer of the Queen of Fate, and core member of the Fallen Angel Sect.

That was not nothing.

But all her happiness and pride were already beginning to turn sour at the simple realisation that she had no one who would be genuinely happy for her.

No one.

’Maybe... maybe that is why I am so obsessed with my Prince.’ She wondered, smiling wryly to herself. ’Beyond wanting to be recognised and loved by someone greater than me...maybe I also just wanted someone to call my own. A family. Something I have never had. Something I don’t even know how to feel.’

Perhaps it really was that simple.

And that sudden clarity about this particular aspect of her feelings made Moon realise that her love for Raven was both deeply pure and deeply riddled with insecurity.

After days of watching Raven seek to know her, and days of watching him walk away from Anesthesia, she could admit it openly now: she loved him. But it was equally true that a part of her wanted his love because of what he represented — a glorious Prince. And another part of her wanted to be loved simply so she would no longer feel alone.

All of those things together had shaped the obsessive love she held for the Prince of Hood. A love prepared to do absolutely anything to satisfy itself.

Moon sighed wistfully, looking back at Mercury and Earth.

’In a world where most people love someone because of a broken part in themselves — because of beauty, prestige and status, because they want to fill a bottomless void that drains their heart dry — having someone love you for you, and not for what you represent or what you can give them, is something extraordinarily rare. If I want to be optimistic, anyway.’

A fond smile touched her lips beneath the mask.

’So I am happy for you, dear masters. Hopefully, one day, I will carry in my heart a love as pure as what you hold for each other. Hopefully. Yes... hopefully.’

Moon closed her eyes, set aside the ache in her heart, and rose from her chair.

Mercury and Earth glanced at her briefly, and Moon bowed her head with quiet respect and devotion.

”I shall wait outside, Lord Earth, Lady Mercury.” Moon said, then turned and walked out of the room.

Sun — Meadow — sighed at that. She had been hoping to stay and observe the couple a little longer for her upcoming romance novel. But now that Moon had gone, it would be inconsiderate to linger.

’What a shame.’ Sun clicked her tongue softly. ’I would have gathered such useful insight. But there is no need to rush. I already have enough material for the opening Chapters.’

And besides, this would not be their last time together. More opportunities would come.

Soothing herself with that thought, which brought a graceful, demure smile to her lips, Sun pushed back her chair and rose slowly.

”I suppose I will wait outside as well.” She said, only to be stopped by Mercury’s voice before she reached the door.

”I have a request before you go, Sun.” She said.

Sun turned back toward her.

”What kind of request?”

”I will need every piece of information you can find about the Tier Five Fractured Land called Bloods of the Unheard located in what we now call the Damned Village.” Mercury said, her hand still moving steadily through Earth’s hair. ”Can you do that? And if so, what compensation do you want?”

”The Damned Village.” Sun mused. ”You mean the one that originally belonged to the Revolutionary Army?”

”Aye.”

Sun’s brow furrowed. ”That is a dangerous place to consider entering.” She said with evident concern. ”I have heard there are many Wraiths lurking outside that Fractured Land.”

”I have heard the same.” Mercury nodded. ”But I need to go. There is something there I need. I would have liked to bring you both along, but neither of you are strong enough yet. And my husband will be returning to Storm City tomorrow or the day after. His family is calling.”

Sun paused, then nodded, acknowledging that as entirely true.

She looked at Earth, his eyes now closed, and found herself wondering briefly if this would be the last time they saw each other before the Academy.

’Weak, is it... I need to reach Imbued rank before then and acquire offensive skills. With my family’s connections and resources, getting a Tier Two ACS would only require a few billion and some rare materials. That’s nothing much.’

Her mind made up, she returned her attention to Mercury and gave a firm nod.

”I will look into it and send everything I find by message.” She said. ”As for compensation...this one is on me, Lady Mercury. Consider it my way of trying to build a real friendship with you.”

She smiled, turned and walked toward the door. ”Take your time together.”

And then she was gone, leaving Earth and Mercury entirely alone.

Isolde exhaled slowly. She waited a few breaths, then spoke.

”I am jealous.” She said directly, as though the words had been sitting at the edge of her tongue for the entire meeting, waiting to be released. ”I am jealous, husband, of your relationship with Lady Ananke.”

”Why is that, darling?” Cassius said, choosing to shed the persona of Earth entirely.

As if understanding his intent, the mask on his face dissolved and became a tattoo hidden beneath his tongue, bearing the same symbol as the Sect.

Isolde did the same.

”Because you are mine, Cass.” She said. ”And I dislike the fact that you are this close to another woman. So close that she dares to call you her Beloved.”

Her tone took a dark edge at those last words, her gaze drifting upward, as though she were addressing the Goddess herself.

Ananke was entirely unbothered, watching the scene the way a patient adult watches two children argue over something they don’t fully understand.

Her affection for Cassius was nothing like what Isolde was imagining. It was not even in the same category. She looked at Cassius the same way his own mother looked at him.

Sefira had never called Cassius by his name. To her, he had always been her baby from the day he was born.

To Ananke, Cassius was her Beloved Blessed. A troublesome, exasperating, cute almost-son. Someone she loved in spite of — and because of — everything.

This was something Isolde could probably have reasoned her way to on her own. But jealousy did not wait for reason before taking hold. It needed no logic to consume a heart, because a person deeply in love could even find themselves jealous of the love another person’s family holds for them.

To such people, the one they love must be entirely theirs. Even knowing such exclusivity was impossible, the ache for it remained.

That was Isolde Amaris. And Cassius understood it completely.

”There is nothing to be worried about.” He said, his voice quiet and soothing. ”I loved you even before I knew you were a real person in a real world. My heart, as you can see, is incapable of loving anyone else.”

He pushed himself gently upright from her lap, gritting his teeth against the heaviness of his body and the fog still clouding his mind.

Once up, he held Isolde’s gaze with his red eyes and smiled softly.

”My relationship with Ananke is nothing like my relationship with you. Don’t compare things that cannot be compared. Doing so is like comparing my love for my family to my love for you.”

’Is it selfish to want all your love — in every form and shape — only for me?’ Isolde wanted to ask. But she knew that asking it would push past a boundary she was not willing to cross.

She would never ask him not to love his family. Not even in her most private thoughts would she do that...because she loved him, and she wanted his happiness.

So she nodded and smiled gently, choosing to bury those irrational feelings somewhere quiet inside herself.

But Cassius could see plainly that something wasn’t right.

Isolde was unsettled.

”Alright, darling, let’s do this.” He said, taking her face gently between his palms, making Isolde blink with quiet surprise. ”Tell me what I can do to wash away those insecurities I can see peeking through your beautiful purple eyes.”

Isolde’s face flushed immediately.

”What are you—!”

”Just tell me, darling.” He cut in, smiling with quiet warmth. ”Whatever you want. Whatever would put your mind and heart at ease. Whatever it would take to convince you that even if the entire world and everything within and beyond it were destroyed — even if the very concept of love ceased to exist — my love and devotion for you would still survive in that loveless reality.”

Isolde’s heart skipped.

”Tell me how.” He said again, softer this time. ”And I will do it.”

Ananke, watching the scene, understood with perfect clarity that he meant it.

She could feel it from deep within that Cassius would, at that instant, do genuinely anything to ease whatever Isolde was feeling.

Isolde understood it too. And her heart overflowed with so much love that she thought she might actually choke from the excess and simply cease to exist from it.

Strangely, that thought pleased her.

If death were ever to claim her, she would want it to be exactly like this.

So she smiled — a full, bright, unguarded smile — and every insecurity, every small and irrational fear, dissolved completely, burned away by the sincerity of her husband’s love.

”The more you do this,” she began, taking his face between her own palms in return, ”the harder and deeper I fall for you, Cass. And the harder you are making our imminent separation.”

”Should I apologise for that?” he answered with a faint chuckle.

”It is I who should apologise.” She replied, then kissed him. ”But you must forgive me for wanting you entirely to myself.”

”I like this particular form of greed, darling.”

”Do you, really?”

”Aye. I do.”

”You won’t think me mad and completely delusional?”

”Do you perhaps mean cute and utterly devoted?”

She laughed softly. ”How do you always know exactly what to say and what to do?”

”I don’t.” He replied, with complete sincerity. ”But I know you well enough to try things that might ease you. Just don’t blame me if I fall short one day, darling. This is my first time too.”

Isolde was quiet for a moment, looking at him deeply. Then she exhaled long and slow.

”Cassius.”

”Yes?”

”Are there words stronger than ’I love you’ and ’I am deeply, profoundly obsessed with you’?”

”Is this a new kind of confession?”

Isolde grinned, and ran the tip of her tongue slowly across his lips.

”What do you think, husband?”

Cassius mirrored her grin.

And then they kissed, their hearts finding comfort in each other.

—End of Chapter 149—