Klaus had been pacing the room for half an hour, biting his nail in bitter frustration.
Meanwhile, the culprits—the kids—and his ever-useless siblings were doing whatever the hell they pleased.
Belial was quietly eating popcorn. Hecate was lounging with a smug look on her face. Isaac was playing cards with Rachel. Noah was watching a movie like nothing was wrong. Tatiana was painting her nails.
It was chaos… and none of them cared.
What the fuck… What in the actual fuuuck?! Klaus screamed internally, dragging his hands down his face. What is this bullshit!?
Gods, nooo!
Cassie opened the door with a soft smile.
"Hey, guys!"
She was wearing… well, damn.
Klaus grimaced, hiding his mouth behind his hand, trying not to show how stunned he was.
Cassie wore a black, casual coat—slightly oversized, effortlessly chic. Beneath it, a sleek black satin ensemble flowed with elegant ease. The top featured wide, loose sleeves and a relaxed fit, perfectly paired with high-waisted, wide-leg trousers that draped all the way to the floor.
The fabric shimmered subtly in the light, adding a gentle sheen to the all-black outfit. Combined with her golden, lustrous hair, the contrast made her look nothing short of bewitching.
Bold, black platform heels completed the look, enhancing the dramatic silhouette and giving her a sharp, commanding presence. And those eyes—sharp, pale blue and utterly aimless—added something else entirely. A cold, mysterious edge. Like she was there and not there at all.
Bloody hell… That's… fucking hot.
Tatiana gave Cassie an approving chuckle as she walked over, fussing with her clothes just a little—adjusting a sleeve here, smoothing a fold there—making her somehow look even more stunning, if that was even possible.
Finally, she stepped back with a proud smile, hands on her hips.
"Ahh, finally! You appreciate beauty too, Cas! That's marvellous!"
Cassie let out a small, awkward laugh, cheeks just slightly warm. As Tatiana fluttered away, she quietly borrowed Klaus's vision to see if he was looking at her.
Yep. He was looking. Right at her.
Something soft bloomed in her chest. A strange pressure she hadn't realized she was carrying just melted away, leaving only quiet relief and… satisfaction.
He likes it.
Hecate eyed Cassie with a narrowed gaze, like she was carefully sizing her up. Then she burst into a satisfied laugh.
"Well, Cas… you're gonna be Mom, no problem. You passed."
Cassie blinked. What…?
She turned to Klaus—only to find him looking like he'd just snapped out of devouring her with his eyes. He grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled in visible despair.
"Uhmm… What happened?" she asked, confused.
Klaus froze, then glanced at her. He hesitated for a second, face awkward—then in a blink, he was right in front of her.
He gently grabbed her hands, eyes wide and imploring like a kicked puppy. Not that she could see them—she was blind, after all—but she felt the intensity in his voice.
"Cas… will you marry me?"
"…Pardon?"
Twenty minutes later…
Cassie burst into laughter, leaning back on the couch and slapping her knee. It had been years since she'd heard something this stupid.
No—scratch that. Ever since she started spending time with this family of weirdos, ridiculous things happened daily. But this? This was still on another level.
"So… haha… so you were high, and Hecate—with Isaac's help—PFTHTHahaha!"
Klaus grimaced, recalling the humiliation. "That's not funny, honey."
Cassie shook her head, giving him a perfectly mocking look.
"And let me ask… what level of idiot are you again?"
Klaus scowled. He remembered asking her the exact same thing once.
"Who do you think I am?! I maxed out that sta—stat—fuck!"
Cassie smiled sweetly, gently patting his head. "So all of this happened… I'm actually impressed, to be honest. So, Hecate and Isaac… I see…"
Klaus shot her a dark, resentful glare and snorted. "You ain't seeing shit! Stop lying!"
Cassie's eyes widened in disbelief. This bastard…!
Without a word, she grabbed a fork and stabbed it straight into his shoulder.
Normally, a fork couldn't pierce his Ascended body. Heck, even a nuclear bomb probably couldn't kill him.
But he just had to be the idiot who made their utensils out of nightmare creature carcasses, didn't he?
Klaus stared at her, unimpressed. Than sighed and slowly pulled the fork out as the wound began to close.
Cassie tried to stop laughing, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye as she coughed awkwardly, trying to compose herself.
"Well, what's done is done. Congratulations, you're a father now… Pftthh—"
She couldn't help it—another giggle slipped out.
Klaus sighed dramatically and took a long gulp of his scotch.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want… But sooner or later, you'll be their mom."
Cassie froze mid-laugh, staring at him like he'd just grown a second head.
M-Mom?! Whaaat?
Wait… did he mean…?
So he was serious when he asked...?
A flush bloomed on her cheeks and she quickly looked away, suddenly flustered.
"I–I… I mean, wait… What do you—?! Bloody hell!"
Klaus smirked, leaning back like he'd just won a bet.
"Too late, sweetheart. You're already halfway there. They like you."
Cassie buried her face in her hands, groaning into them. "This is ridiculous…"
Klaus grinned, giving her an exaggerated look of affection before pulling her into a kiss and flopping onto the couch with her in his arms.
He looked down at her, grinning like a mischievous child, while Cassie squirmed to get free.
"Let me go, you damn orphan!" she huffed, trying to sound serious—an insult she clearly picked up from Hecate.
Klaus froze.
He looked at her with wide, glassy eyes, like a kicked puppy. Cassie, still seeing through his eyes, froze too.
Wait… why are his eyes watery!? Was he—was he actually hurt?!
"Nik… I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"Kekekehahaha!!" he burst out laughing, suddenly breaking character. "'Nik, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—'" he mocked in a high-pitched voice, mimicking her perfectly.
"Pftthhh… Retard."
Cassie's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
"Klaus!"
"What? It was a flawless performance," he said proudly, snickering.
Cassie bit his arm hard, making Klaus hiss in pain.
"Damn—ascended teeth!" he groaned, trying to wiggle free. "Okay, okay, time out! But seriously, sooner or later, that is going to happen!"
Cassie paused mid-bite, blinking. Then slowly let go, her expression thoughtful.
Wait… is that the taste of iron?
She licked her lips subtly. Oh? Are my teeth really that sharp now?
Her lips curled into a mysterious, vaguely ominous smile.
That could be surprisingly useful in… ahem… critical situations.
Klaus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why are you smiling like that? That's the 'someone's gonna suffer' smile."
Cassie just leaned back innocently. "No reason. Just thinking about… teeth."
But then she snapped out of her daydream, remembering what he said.
Them together…
It was quite the dream.
Yet doubt crept in. After all, she was destined to die. Everyone she loved would die. It was an inevitable prophecy.
But with Klaus...
He could change fate.
She reassured herself, a strange pride swelling inside her.
He's the only one who can do it—without tricks, without shortcuts.
His spirit was unshakable. Endless. Everlasting. Everchanging.
An idiot who dreams of endless chaos...
Should I tell him?
She bit her lip but still decided against telling him.
She didn't know how that knowledge would affect him—or worse, if it would drive him to do something reckless, something dangerous.
She still remembered the day he came back from his battle against Amelia.
His jaw hung slack, his entire face—from neck to right cheek—was ripped apart, twisted into a grotesque, disturbing smile.
She had never seen him so badly injured in her entire life.
Even when Cormac had torn off his arms, Klaus had remained composed.
But that day, after Amelia defeated him, he was furious—burning with raw, murderous will. It was like his entire being was focused on one thing: killing Amelia for the humiliation he'd suffered.
If she was honest, she had been truly worried.
Though she acted confident, pretending it was nothing, deep down, she knew the truth.
But others were different.
Klaus wasn't just their leader—he was both the face and the hidden hand behind it all.
He was officially the de facto ruler, known as the enigmatic and ruthless Smiling Man. But in truth, he was also the Joker—the mysterious, near-mythical figure said to control the Ascendancy from the shadows.
No one knew Klaus held both titles.
To most, Joker was a powerful recluse, rarely seen, pulling strings from afar. Klaus was believed to be merely his student, acting as the public face and commander of the organization.
And so, people followed him with absolute confidence, never questioning his safety—never realizing that their trust in two different legends rested on the shoulders of just one man.
And Cassie…
She wasn't just a member of the Ascendancy.
She was his, as much as he was hers.
That's why the anxiety never fully left her—especially when his fate shifted and twisted as chaotically as he did.
Klaus was ambitious. Ruthlessly so. If he ever learned the truth… there was no telling what reckless, impossible thing he'd try next.
And that's what she hated most.
He never stopped to think about how she felt when he threw himself headfirst into madness. Whether it was plunging into impossible odds, challenging Transcendents, or risking everything for the thrill of the unknown—it felt like he enjoyed it.
Like it gave him some sort of twisted pleasure.
And when she confronted him, he always gave the same damn answer:
"I do it for the love of the game."
Cassie scowled at the thought, a fire sparking in her heart.
I'll protect him… even if he hates me for it. I'll do it. Even if I have to sacrifice everything… I'll keep him alive.
Klaus, lying beneath her, glanced up with a flicker of confusion as he felt the tension in her body.
"You alright?" he asked, half-joking, raising an eyebrow. "You're all tense and scowling like you're plotting something. What, living with me isn't that bad, is it? I mean, at least you're never bored."
Cassie exhaled softly, the tension melting from her features as a dreamy smile bloomed on her lips. She leaned closer, her voice quiet but sure.
"It's nothing... I was just wondering what it would be like if we had our own child."
Klaus blinked, stunned.
He quickly covered his face with both hands, turning away as a wave of heat rushed up his neck.
Wait—what the hell!? Am I blushing?! No, no way… definitely imagining it.
"W-what the hell kinda timing is that?" he muttered behind his hands. "You can't just say stuff like that so casually, woman!"
Cassie chuckled softly. "See? Told you you're never boring."
He glanced at her again, fingers gently caressing her hair.
Damn it... now I want to...
Cassie shifted slightly atop him, clearly aware—her expression a mix of amusement and awkwardness.
"Nik…" she murmured, raising an eyebrow with a teasing smirk. "I think your little friend is getting mischievous again… down there."
Klaus grimaced, shooting her a dark, wounded look—like she had just insulted his entire bloodline. But, of course, he feigned cheerfulness, voice light and wicked.
"Oh yeah? Doesn't really matter, y'know. With Faceless, my little friend can grow as big as I want... or vanish completely. Poof! Gone! Oh? Maybe you want me to become a woman again. Wasn't that fun? When we got a little freaky and—"
Cassie slapped her hands over his mouth, eyes wide in disbelief, lips parted in silent horror.
This absolute madman! Why was he remembering that of all things!?
"Don't ever talk about that," she hissed, cheeks burning. "You are forbidden to ever mention that… incident. Yes. Incident."
Klaus mumbled something smugly behind her hands.
She glared. "I swear, if I even hear the word 'freaky' again, I'm biting you."
He blinked. "...Kinda worth it."
Cassie groaned and buried her face in his shoulder.
Klaus smirked, clearly ready to tease her more—but then they both froze for a second.
And then, as if something snapped, they burst into laughter.
It was easy, warm. The kind of laugh you only share with someone who truly gets you.
But just as Klaus sat up, hands gripping Cassie's thighs and leaning in—
Boom!
"Hey, Klaus! Whatcha doing!?"
Hecate's voice boomed as she kicked the door open and immediately froze mid-step.
She stood there, blinking...
This was the second time she had interrupted something!
What the hell is wrong with people in this house!? Lock the damn doors! Why the hell are you in the living room, anyway!? There are like eight people living here! Plus guards! Plus servants! For spell's sake, what a fuck!?
Cassie coughed awkwardly, immediately fixing her clothes and hair while trying to look composed.
Klaus, on the other hand, slowly turned his head toward Hecate with a look of such dark, simmering resentment that even the shadows seemed to back away.
You punk… his eyes promised violence.
You better run to another continent…
You're about to become Mordret-Lite!