Chapter 658: Let’s Go On A Date

The moment Cassius stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, Maria’s expression changed.

Gone was the secretive, almost mischievous look she had worn while summoning him.

In its place was something far more serious—a determined, focused gaze that reminded him, briefly, of Diana when she was about to deliver difficult news.

After all, she had brought him here for a reason.

A specific reason.

Ever since her conversation with Diana at the hospital, one thought had been running through her mind on an endless loop:

Cassius is suffering. Cassius is depressed. Cassius might be hurting himself.

She had heard it from Diana’s own lips.

The sadness in his eyes. The sleepless nights.

The moment on the terrace that had made her blood run cold.

So, she needed to see for herself.

Needed to make sure the poor boy was alright.

So, she took a breath and was just about to speak—

When something completely unexpected happened.

Without hesitation, Cassius walked past her toward the bed, and before she could process what was happening, his hands went to his shirt.

Buttons began to undo.

Maria’s brain stuttered.

’He’s just hot.’ She told herself frantically. ’It’s warm in here. He’s just going to undo the top button. Maybe two. That’s all.’

But he kept going.

Button after button after button.

The fabric parted, and beneath it—

A chiseled chest.

Perfectly defined abs.

A body that looked like it had been sculpted by the gods themselves.

Maria’s mouth went dry.

For a moment—just a single, treacherous moment the woman inside her, the woman she had suppressed for decades beneath robes and vows and duty, stirred to life.

Oh my.

But then her training kicked in.

“W-Wait—!”

She rushed forward immediately, grabbing the front of his shirt and yanking it closed.

“What are you doing, Cassius?!”

Her voice came out flustered and breathless.

She tugged the shirt tighter, desperately covering his chest.

Her eyes betrayed her, however.

They flicked downward for half a second before she quickly forced them upward again.

“Why are you stripping in front of me?!”

Cassius looked down at her with an expression of pure, innocent confusion.

But there was something in his eyes.

A glint. A spark of mischief that Maria was too flustered to notice.

“What are you asking about, Maria?” He tilted his head. “Isn’t this what people usually do in this scenario?”

Maria blinked. “What scenario?”

“Well, think about it…”

He leaned down slightly, bringing his face closer to hers, and a slow, teasing smile spread across his lips.

“You invited me into a room. In secret. You made sure no one would see us.”

His voice dropped to something warm and suggestive.

“Doesn’t that usually mean you want to do something…naughty?”

Maria broke out in a fluster.

“Wha—N-No!”

She squeaked, shoving at his chest—which was a mistake, because now her hands were on his bare skin, and it was warm and firm and very distracting.

“No, no, no! What are you talking about?! There’s no way I would do something like that!”

She finally managed to step back, putting distance between them, and fixed him with what she hoped was an angry glare.

But it just looked adorable.

“I’m a servant of the Goddess!” She went on to protest. “There’s no way I can do something naughty with you!”

Hearing this, Cassius’s expression shifted to one of exaggerated innocence.

“Oh, sorry, sorry. My mistake.” He held up his hands in mock surrender before slyly adding, “But you really can’t blame me, you know.”

“A beautiful woman calls a man into her bedroom in the middle of the night, makes sure no one sees them together…” He shrugged. “It’s only natural that my thoughts would go to certain places.”

Maria looked like she might explode.

Her ears burned.

Her cheeks burned.

Everything burned.

This boy…!

She couldn’t believe the audacity.

Flirting so shamelessly with someone her age.

But then again—

This was Cassius.

A man infamous across the kingdom as a shameless playboy who treated flirting like breathing.

Still—

Maria suddenly realized something important.

She was being completely swept up in his rhythm.

She had brought him here to examine him.

To question him.

To check his condition.

But somehow—

He had turned the situation around.

And now it felt like he was the one controlling everything.

That was unacceptable.

So suddenly—

Maria’s expression changed.

Drawing on every ounce of maternal authority she possessed, she straightened her spine and fixed Cassius with her sternest, strictest look.

The one that made even Joy pause.

“Sit down, Cassius.”

He blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in her tone.

“What?”

She pointed at the bed.

“Sit down. Right there.”

He opened his mouth to ask why, to protest, to do something—but before he could get a word out, she narrowed her eyes in a way that brooked absolutely no argument.

“I said sit, didn’t I?” Her voice was firm, commanding. “Sit over there before I give you a spanking.”

Cassius was caught off guard.

Spanking?

Maria?

Spanking him?

The sheer absurdity of it, combined with the unexpected authority in her voice, left him utterly stunned.

He couldn’t have formed a coherent sentence if his life depended on it.

So instead, he simply walked over to the bed and sat down. Obediently. Like a scolded child.

Maria followed him, her expression still stern, and began her interrogation.

“How have you been lately?” She demanded. “Any headaches? Fevers? Colds? Is your stomach feeling alright?”

Cassius stared at her, completely bewildered.

“Uh…no? I’m fine—”

“Appetite?” She pressed. “Have you been eating properly? Any dizziness? Anything unusual?”

“No, I—”

Before he could finish, Maria’s hand came up and pressed gently against his forehead.

Cassius froze.

Her palm was warm. Soft. It rested against his skin with a tenderness that made his heart do something strange.

’She’s checking my temperature.’ He realized. ’Like a patient.’

“No fever.” Maria murmured to herself, her brow furrowed in concentration. “Your face looks pale, but it has enough color…”

Her hand moved from his forehead to his wrist, fingers pressing lightly to find his pulse.

“Pulse is normal too.” She continued, speaking her thoughts aloud. “Overall condition doesn’t seem too bad.”

Cassius watched her, utterly fascinated.

She was so focused. So intense. All that fiery energy she usually directed toward teasing or gossiping or being generally wonderful was now channeled entirely into examining him.

It was strangely endearing.

“But there could be other things.” She whispered, thinking hard. “Hidden things. Dangerous things.”

She looked up at him sharply.

“Show me your arms, Cassius. Your forearms. Specifically.”

Cassius blinked.

“My…forearms?”

“Now.”

There was no room for argument in that voice.

So he did as instructed. He pulled up his sleeves—both of them and held out his forearms for her inspection.

Maria looked down.

And immediately regretted it.

Because his forearms were…substantial.

She already knew he was well-built. The chest had made that abundantly clear.

But his hands—his wrists—the way the muscles and veins corded beneath his skin—

They were thick.

Strong.

Veins ran along them in a way that was almost obscenely masculine.

She gulped.

’Focus.’ She reminded herself harshly. ’Focus. You’re looking for self-harm. For marks. For anything that would indicate he’s hurting himself.’

She forced her attention to the task at hand, scanning his skin carefully.

No cuts.

No scars.

No bruises.

Just smooth, healthy, very attractive forearms.

She let out a small sigh of relief.

But then another thought occurred to her. A darker thought. One that made her stomach clench.

Self-harm wasn’t limited to arms.

If he was truly in the state Diana described, if he was truly struggling that much…

She needed to be thorough.

She took a breath.

Then, with as much clinical detachment as she could muster, she met his eyes.

“Now show me your thighs, Cassius.”

“I want to see them as well.”

Cassius sat there, utterly bewildered by the words that had just left Maria’s mouth.

“Show you my…thighs?”

He actually felt heat creeping up his neck—something that almost never happened to him.

“What do you want with my thighs?”

He covered his lower body with his hands, genuinely embarrassed as this was strange territory for him.

Normally, when it came to women, he was the one making them blush.

He was the teaser, the charmer, the one who could fluster even the most composed ladies with a well-placed word or look.

And even on the rare occasions when someone managed to affect him, he never showed it.

But this?

Maria was a sister of the church. A woman he deeply respected. Someone he had genuinely opened his heart to.

To hear her suddenly say something so provocative, with such a straight face, had completely thrown him off balance.

Maria, however, seemed entirely unbothered by his reaction.

Her expression remained stern like a doctor who had seen everything a thousand times before.

“Show me your thighs, Cassius.” Her voice was firm. “I want to see them right now.”

He hesitated, and she noticed.

Her eyes narrowed.

“If you don’t.” She said calmly. “I’ll take off your pants myself.”

Cassius’s jaw dropped.

“Or would you prefer that?” She tilted her head, completely unfazed. “Do you want me to do it for you? Not to mention that you’re a big boy, a strong boy—maybe I can’t even manage it myself.”

She glanced toward the door.

“Should I go get some of your wives to help? We could all work together to get your pants off.”

“That would be quite the scene, wouldn’t it?”

The mental image alone was enough to make Cassius’s soul leave his body.

Him, pinned down, embarrassed, while a group of women worked together to strip him for some examination.

Absolutely not.

“Fine, fine!” He grabbed her hand before she could move toward the door. “Just—just give me a second. I’ll do it.”

Maria simply nodded, as if this had been the most reasonable outcome all along.

Cassius sighed and slowly stood up. He unbuckled his belt and began lowering his trousers slightly, exposing his thighs.

But halfway through the motion, a thought struck him.

’What if she sees the bulge down there.’

He was trying to be respectful to Maria because of his deep respect for her and his road bump was not something he wanted to show her.

His movements stiffened.

Maria, however, remained completely focused. She looked like a doctor examining a patient rather than a woman standing in a private room with a half-undressed man.

If anything, Cassius felt even more embarrassed because of that.

It really did feel like he was being examined by a physician.

A very pretty physician he would rather not reveal too much to.

Maria leaned forward slightly and examined his thighs carefully.

They were thick.

Firm.

Powerful muscles clearly visible beneath the skin.

For a brief moment she bit her lip unconsciously.

’Focus.’

She quickly composed herself.

But more importantly—

There were no scratches.

No scars.

No signs of self-harm.

Maria quietly let out a small sigh of relief.

Then she realized she had been staring at his thighs for perhaps a moment too long.

She coughed.

“You can…cover up now.”

Cassius didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled his pants up quickly, his fingers fumbling with the belt.

For once, he didn’t tease. Didn’t make a joke. He was still too confused about what was happening.

Finally, he managed a somewhat normal smile.

“So.” He said carefully. “What exactly was all that for? Did the doctors at the hospital send you to check on me or something?”

He attempted a light laugh.

“Because if you’re making house calls, there’s a maid who got a rash on her knees from gardening. Much more urgent situation, really.”

But Maria didn’t respond.

She was lost in her own thoughts.

His body was perfect. No signs of harm. Physically, he was in excellent condition.

But that wasn’t what worried her.

Diana had said his mind was suffering. And sometimes, that was far more dangerous.

Even if he wasn’t at the stage of hurting himself now, depression could worsen. Could fester. Could lead to darker places.

She looked at him with soft, concerned eyes.

“Cassius.” She asked gently. “How have you been feeling lately?”

He blinked at the sudden shift in tone.

“I mean…your moods.” She clarified. “Have you been happy? Sad? Uneasy about anything?”

Cassius considered the question seriously.

“I think I’m completely alright.” He said after a moment. “I’m not happy all the time, nobody is.”

“When something sad happens, I feel sad. When something good happens, I feel happy. But overall? I’m in pretty good condition. Nothing to complain about.”

Maria nodded slowly, then pressed further.

“Have you had any…thoughts lately? The kind that make you restless?”

She chose her words carefully.

“When you’re on high bridges, or near tall buildings, or close to deep water—do you ever feel any negative emotions? Any strange urges?”

Cassius thought about it.

Then shook his head.

“Not really. When I’m in places like that, I usually think the scenery is beautiful. I like admiring the view.” He smiled. “Probably the last place I’d feel negative emotions, honestly.”

To him, it was a perfectly normal answer.

To Maria, it sounded like denial.

In her mind, he was hiding it. Covering up the pain Diana had described.

Even now, looking at his face, she couldn’t see any sadness—which only meant he was exceptionally good at hiding it.

Her heart ached.

He was suffering so much, and it was all because of her.

Because she had rejected him.

Because she had pushed him away.

And here he was, trying to be strong, trying to pretend everything was fine.

She couldn’t let this continue.

A look of determination settled over her features. Kindness bloomed in her heart—the genuine desire to help someone in pain.

“Cassius.”

He looked at her, curious.

“I think we should go on a date together.”

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