Rosalia — POV
"Hahaha! What an incredible duo."
"Boss, you and Miss Rosalia—each of you is more jealous than the other."
"What a pair."
"You can look now. Everyone’s gotten dressed—don’t worry. There’s nothing your partner shouldn’t see."
The laughter hit like pebbles thrown against thin glass—sharp, annoying, impossible to ignore.
Cassel’s subordinates—and the other people—were enjoying this far too much.
Cassel himself, however, remained silent.
The weight of his presence behind was heavier than their mocking voices combined.
Only then did the full extent of the humiliation sink in.
Slowly. Painfully.
God.
I had acted like a child. No—worse. Like an irrational, territorial fool who let emotions override reason.
In front of everyone.
In front of his people.
My fingers curled involuntarily.
But then I felt it—Cassel’s hand, steady and warm, still covering my eyes. Firm, protective.
As if he were shielding from more than just sight.
And just like that, my racing heart slowed.
In the end, I wasn’t the only one who had embarrassed herself today.
That thought eased the sting, if only a little.
When Cassel finally withdrew his hand, I stepped away at once, retreating to my seat as though the chair were the only safe place left in the room.
I sat stiffly, spine straight, eyes carefully lowered.
I did not look at him.
I absolutely refused to look at him.
Even though I could feel his gaze burning into the side of my face, relentless and impossible to ignore.
"Hello, lovebirds," a woman’s voice cut through the tension, light and almost cheerful.
"Do you happen to have any extra food? My team didn’t manage to bring much, unfortunately."
Caroline.
The leader of the third team.
I lifted my eyes at last, studying her openly.
Her group was small—barely fifteen people.
No children.
No elderly.
Just capable n and won hardened by survival.
Unlike other leaders, she didn’t hide behind smiles or a veneer of politeness.
She struck as the straightforward type.
The kind of woman who hated openly and loved openly.
No pretenses. No knives hidden behind her back.
People like her were easy to deal with.
Not like the heroine—the kind who smiled sweetly while secretly celebrating your suffering.
Cassel was watching Caroline too, his expression unreadable.
We had food. Plenty of it.
Even without Cassel’s spatial ability, our vehicles were well stocked. Still, this wasn’t my decision to make.
Cassel was the leader. His word was law.
I stayed silent.
That was when soone moved.
Swift footsteps approached from behind Caroline—light, confident, unrestrained.
The air shifted subtly, as if everyone sensed trouble before it fully arrived.
"Hello there, handso," a sweet voice purred. "We et again."
I froze.
The voice was pleasant.
Too pleasant.
Carefully polished to sound seductive.
The kind that slithered under your skin before you realized it was poison.
And the clothing—
Two buttons are undone.
Far too undone.
Her chest was practically spilling free, deliberately displayed for everyone to see.
...
Fuck it.
The mont I saw her face, my anger surged back with a vengeance, hot and uncontrollable.
Emily.
Of course, it was Emily.
The canon fodder who dread of bearing the villain’s child.
The woman who believed survival ant clinging to power through a man’s bed.
This bitch.
Before I could stop myself, I watched her extend a hand toward Cassel’s shoulder, her eyes glinting with unmistakable intent.
"Keep your hand to yourself if you don’t want to lose it," Cassel said coldly.
His voice was sharp.
Dangerous.
The pressure in the room spiked instantly.
Emily stiffened, color draining from her face as she stumbled back two full steps, fear flashing unmistakably across her features.
Good.
That was what she deserved.
Yet my anger didn’t subside.
If anything, it intensified.
Do I really have to fight both the heroine and this woman now too?
Why does it feel like I’ve transmigrated into so twisted ancient harem novel instead of a post-apocalyptic wasteland?
I shot Cassel a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
This is your fault.
He caught it imdiately.
His expression shifted, brows knitting together as he looked genuinely—almost pathetically—wronged.
"I really don’t know her," he said quietly. "Don’t look at like that."
"Oh, you don’t know her?" I replied sweetly. Too sweetly.
"She’s the woman who wants to carry your child, my dear."
Venom dripped from every word.
Before anyone could react, I moved.
In one smooth motion, I sat down directly on Cassel’s lap.
Gasps echoed around the room.
I grabbed his collar and yanked him close until our noses brushed, our breaths tangling.
"Now that you know her," I whispered, eyes blazing, "stay away from this woman... or else."
I didn’t need to finish the sentence.
The murderous intent in my eyes said enough.
If Cassel hadn’t already shoved Emily away earlier—if he’d allowed her even a second more—I might have truly killed them both.
Then—
Cassel leaned in.
And kissed .
It wasn’t deep. It wasn’t demanding.
Just a simple, light kiss.
Intimate.
Intentional.
The corner of his lips curved into a faint, infuriating smile as he murmured, "Wife, don’t be angry."
This man.
He’s doing this on purpose.
I rembered the last ti—how I’d called him husband in front of Emily, without hesitation, without concern for consequences.
Before I could snap back, Caroline spoke again.
"Is there so kind of misunderstanding between you?"
Her words were neutral, but her gaze was anything but.
Sharp and piercing, it was fixed squarely on Emily.
She knew.
She understood exactly what kind of woman her subordinate was.
"I—I didn’t do anything," Emily stamred.
"Boss Caro, this is only the second ti I’ve ever seen them."
Liar.
Cassel’s hands slid shalessly over my waist, possessive and unapologetic.
I pinched him hard in warning—but I didn’t stand up.
Maybe I was marking my territory.
Maybe I was just too angry to care.
"Of course you didn’t do much," I said calmly, eyes locked on Emily. "Aside from constantly trying to seduce my man."
Caroline pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
Then she turned to Emily.
"Go help the others prepare the food."
"But, Boss Caro—"
"Move. Now," Caroline snapped. "Are you disobeying my orders?"
Fear flickered across Emily’s face. She clenched her fists, then turned and hurried away without daring to look back.
I watched her go, cold satisfaction settling in my chest.
Caroline was strong.
Very strong.
Yet I couldn’t recall her role in the novel at all.
Did she die early?
Or had she been erased before she could matter?
"My dear," Cassel murmured near my ear, voice low and dangerous, "how long are you planning to sit on , hmm?"
Heat flared instantly.
I caught the look in his eyes—dark, heated, predatory.
I shot up from his lap as if burned.
This beast is always like this. In a heat. Anyti. Anywhere.
"So you’re just going to use and throw away?" he teased.
"How cruel, wifey."
"Shut up."
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