Cassius and Maria had secured the best room in the Golden Barrel. It was certainly not up to the standards of Cassius’s mansion—the bed was smaller, the furniture less expensive, the paint slightly faded.

But compared to other taverns in the town, it was a palace. Clean, cozy, and surprisingly charming.

Currently, the sounds of water being poured could be heard from the bathroom, along with a gentle humming noise like a beautiful, soft song.

This was Maria, who was currently taking her bath. After Cassius had finished washing up and was now clean, it was Maria’s turn. She seemed to be having a wonderful time in there, singing quietly to herself the whole while.

Meanwhile, Cassius himself was sitting on the edge of the bed, surprisingly not happy at all.

Normally he would be smiling from ear to ear from hearing Maria’s beautiful singing, and he would even try to tease her or playfully threaten to come inside the bathroom.

But instead, he was sitting with a pensive look on his face, crouching over and holding both of his hands together like he was in a serious board meeting.

He was terribly confused right now.

It was all a blur in his mind: one moment he was taking Maria on a carefully planned date and thinking of returning her home safely, and the next, Maria herself was dragging him straight to a tavern and agreeing to get a room so they could wash up.

He was so confused at the way things were going, since this was not according to the plan at all.

But it made sense that he was not understanding what was happening right now.

Normally, when a girl took the initiative to drag him to a room like this, especially when it was already night and the sun had set, it was quite obvious what her intentions were.

She wanted to sleep with him and have a night full of passion with that person. That’s what anyone normally would think.

But Maria was different. She was a holy sister, someone who was supposed to keep herself pure and away from all the “evil” in the world.

So there was no way she would possibly do something like this and invite Cassius here with that intention in mind.

The only possible explanation was that she just wanted to genuinely wash herself up, and she simply trusted Cassius in the moment. She didn’t really think of him at all in that way.

And yet.

He had seen the way she looked at him earlier.

That hunger in her eyes, as if she wanted to pounce on him. He was usually quite perceptive about such things, and he could have sworn that Maria had been looking at him like prey.

But that didn’t make sense either.

Maria was pure. Even if she had feelings, she would take things slowly, step by step. She wouldn’t drag him to a tavern and take a bath in the next room.

Cassius flopped backward onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“What is going on?” He muttered to himself. “What do I do? Why is she messing with my head like this?”

He chuckled despite himself.

This wasn’t normal for him. Usually, he was the one leading. Guiding. Smiling confidently while his partner followed.

But Maria had completely mesmerized him. She was the one dragging him along, and he was just an obedient puppy following at her heels.

He had fallen for her so hard that he was acting like a fool.

But as he lay there, he realized something.

This was actually a weakness of his. Normally, he was bold and shameless, doing whatever it took to seduce a woman.

But when a woman pushed back, when she did something unexpected, something that confused him, he started overthinking. He became flustered. He ended up being led by the other person instead.

It had happened with Aqua. With Maria now. And even some other women.

In his past life, he was quite experienced with the ladies, but those relationships had been shallow—just fun, nothing serious. He had never truly gotten to know them.

But now, with these real relationships, where he was actually getting to know women before anything happened, he was discovering this weakness.

And strangely, it made him happy.

He had always felt like something different. Not quite human. An entity apart from everyone else.

But now, feeling this fluster, this confusion, this very human weakness—it made him feel closer to others. More normal.

Anyone else would hate having a weakness. They would want to be perfect, invincible.

But Cassius was tired of being perfect. He was tired of having no chinks in his armor. Discovering that he had this vulnerability made him feel alive.

He smiled, wide and genuine, staring at the ceiling.

Just then—the bathroom door opened.

“Why are you smiling like that, Cassius?” Maria’s voice was curious, amused.

Then she gasped.

“Don’t tell me you sneaked a peek! You saw me naked, didn’t you? That’s why you’re smiling so happily!”

Cassius jerked upright, his face flushing.

“No! Of course not!” He waved his hands defensively. “How could you accuse me of such a thing? I’m a noble—”

He stopped.

His mouth hung open.

His eyes went wide.

Maria stood before him in a white bathrobe that did very little to actually cover her.

Her long, milky legs were fully exposed, still glistening with moisture from the bath.

Droplets of water clung to her skin, tracing slow paths down her calves, her thighs, disappearing into the fabric of the robe.

Her cleavage was also on display—the robe’s neckline dipping low, revealing the soft swell of her breasts. Water droplets sparkled there too, caught in the hollow of her collarbone, trailing down into the shadows between.

But most striking was her face.

Rosy from the heat of the bath, slightly flushed, her lips parted. Her hair was damp, messy, falling in soft waves around her shoulders.

The usual pure, composed image of the saintess was gone. In its place was something else entirely—something seductive, almost devilish. She looked like an older woman trying to seduce her younger roommate, and the effect was devastating.

Maria noticed his gaze.

She looked down at herself, then back at him. But instead of getting flustered or angry, she simply walked closer.

She reached out and patted his head.

“What’s this? You really like my appearance, don’t you?” Her voice was warm, amused. “You’re looking at me even more intensely than when I wore that white dress earlier.”

Her floral scent washed over him—clean, fresh, intoxicating. She was so close now, looking down at him with those loving eyes, and Cassius felt his face burn.

“How could I not be mesmerized?” He managed, forcing a smile. “I get to see the Saintess of Compassion herself, fresh from her bath, looking like a white lily covered in dew. It’s impossible not to be tempted.”

He gave her a cheeky look.

“It’s almost as if you’re trying to seduce me.”

He expected her to push back. To tell him off. To call him shameless.

Instead, Maria leaned closer.

Her robe gaped slightly, revealing more of her cleavage, the soft curves pressing together as she moved. Her eyes glinted with something he couldn’t name.

“Maybe I am, Cassius.” Her voice was low, almost a whisper. “Maybe I am trying to seduce you.”

She tilted her head.

“What are you going to do about it?”

Cassius stared at her.

His brain short-circuited.

He opened his mouth to respond, to say something, anything—

But then Maria burst out laughing.

“I’m kidding, Cassius! I’m kidding!” She clutched her stomach, giggling. “I can’t believe you took that so seriously! The look on your face—priceless!”

Cassius let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

She had been joking. Of course she had been joking. For a moment there, he had thought—

Maria plopped down on the bed beside him, grabbing his hand and snuggling against his side.

“You’re really so cute, Cassius.” Her voice was warm, affectionate. “You act all high and mighty, but one little comment from me makes you freeze up on the spot.”

She squeezed his hand.

“You’re so adorable. I just want to cuddle you forever. I wish you were my son so I could tease you all the time.”

Cassius’s eye twitched.

“Maria. I told you not to call me your son.”

She giggled, completely unrepentant.

“Look, look, you’re getting all flustered again! You really are adorable!” She pinched his cheek. “Come here. Let mommy give you a kiss.”

He should have been offended. He was offended. But when she mentioned a kiss, his body moved on its own. He leaned toward her, and she pressed her lips to his forehead.

Soft. Warm. Gentle.

She pulled back, beaming.

“You like that, Cassius? You like mommy’s kiss on your forehead?”

He looked away, his cheeks burning.

Maria laughed, delighted.

But beneath her playful exterior, she was silently cursing herself.

She hadn’t been joking.

When she said she was seducing him, she had meant it. She had planned to go all the way—to say. “I am seducing you, and what are you going to do about it?” and then pounce on him.

But at the last moment, she had faltered. The words had caught in her throat. The boldness had drained out of her.

And to cover her embarrassment, she had turned it into a joke, teasing him instead.

It was pathetic.

The truth was, Maria had brought Cassius to this room with every intention of seducing him.

After everything he had done for her—after he had made her feel seen, understood, loved all her feelings had burst into the open. She couldn’t hold them back anymore.

And it wasn’t just a rush of new emotions. These were feelings that had been accumulating for years.

Even though she had Joy, even though she had her mission, she was still a woman. She had needs. Desires. A longing for love and romance that she had pushed down for so long.

Now, all of that had exploded to the surface.

She was burning with love. With romance. With lust.

Every time she looked at Cassius, a fire ignited in her belly. She wanted to kiss him, lick him, ravage him.

It was completely inappropriate for a sister of the church, but she couldn’t help it. She felt more like a devil than a saint.

That was why she had brought him here.

But even though her body was ready, even though she craved him—her mind was holding her back.

Years of purity, of devotion, of denying herself had created barriers she couldn’t simply tear down.

Every time she tried to be bold, her courage failed.

Every time she tried to make a move, embarrassment swallowed her.

Her body was screaming for Cassius. But her heart was too shy to reach for him.

And so she snuggled against him instead, pressing her body against his side, feeling the warmth of his skin through the thin fabric of her robe. Every touch sent shivers through her. Every breath she took filled her lungs with his scent.

She wanted him.

She just didn’t know how to take him.

But just as she was feeling so confused—berating herself in her mind for being so useless in this situation, thinking that she should have been reading proper romance literature or some of those dirty books the other sisters in the church read from time to time, instead of all those scriptures of the Goddess—she suddenly thought of something.

And when she put the pieces together, her eyes lit up.

The perfect plan formed in her mind, a way to get what she wanted without sounding like a lustful woman trying to devour a younger boy, while still saving her dignity.

She jerked up.

“Cassius, Cassius! Can you do me a favor right now?”

Cassius blinked, caught off guard by her sudden enthusiasm.

“Of course, Maria.” He chuckled. “I literally made an entire amusement park for you. Do you really think I wouldn’t do a favor?”

He tilted his head.

“What do you want me to do?”

He expected something small. A headpat. A hug. Another one of her “mommy” kisses.

Instead, Maria pushed closer to him, her eyes bright with eager intensity.

“Cassius, can you show me your penis right now?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep