Julie stumbled backward, clutching the knitting needles like they were a sword.

"What...did you just say?"

She blinked once. Then twice. Her mouth was slightly ajar as if her brain couldn't quite keep up with what her ears had just heard.

She stared at Cassius in stunned disbelief, trying to parse the absurdity of the situation.

There was no way, absolutely no way, she was going to learn anything by sitting on his lap. That couldn't possibly be part of any serious training regimen. She was many things, but she wasn't an idiot like Skadi.

The only logical conclusion that filtered into her mind, no matter how much she tried to think otherwise, was that he was using this entire "training" thing as an excuse to cop a feel.

He was being utterly shameless. Completely brazen. Bold enough to make her wonder if this entire setup had been one big ruse to get her right where he wanted her. And if that really was the case…

Then why...why was a part of her still considering it?

Her grip on the knitting needles loosened as the memory of sitting on his lap just a short while ago came flooding back into her mind.

She remembered how safe it felt. How warm his arms had been around her. How, for once, she wasn't the one who had to be strong. The weight of the world hadn't been on her shoulders. She wasn't shouting commands or making life-or-death decisions.

No, in that moment...in that moment, she was just a woman wrapped in a cocoon of security. And it had been so long, far too long, since she'd felt something like that.

But no, she couldn't let herself think like that.

She shook her head hard.

"Stupid thoughts…" She muttered under her breath. "I'm getting infected by his charm. It's contagious. That's the only explanation."

She then pointed a shaking, accusatory finger at him, her voice rising with the beginnings of a dramatic rant.

"You—! You absolute—! This is outrageous! Do you think I'm just some helpless girl you can trick with—"

But before she could continue, Cassius calmly raised a single finger. A silent gesture for her to stop.

And, instinctively, she did as she blinked, mouth still halfway open.

He then exhaled, a long breath, and without looking flustered in the slightest, spoke in a tired tone.

"I know what you're thinking." He said simply. "You're thinking I'm trying to take advantage of you. That this whole thing is just a stupid excuse to feel you up or get close. You're standing there, about to yell at me, accuse me of being shameless."

Julie's expression twitched. She hadn't said it out loud, but she had been thinking exactly that.

But before she could speak again, he raised that finger once more.

"Let me finish first."

She crossed her arms but stayed quiet.

"If I wanted to take advantage of you." He said slowly, meeting her gaze. "I could've done it a long time ago. You do remember that I'm technically your superior officer who basically saved your entire brigade, right? That if I ordered you to come to my room, you wouldn't exactly have much of a choice?"

Her face flushed instantly at the insinuation.

"Not that I would do that." He added quickly with a casual shrug. "But it'd be easier than dragging this out with some weird 'lap training' excuse. I could've made a move back then. But I didn't. Because I respect you, Julie."

She didn't speak. She couldn't. Her heart was thudding wildly in her chest, and she hated that his words made sense. They shouldn't, but they did. Damn it.

"Look." He said, sighing as he leaned back, still seated cross-legged on the floor. "I could stand here and explain exactly what I'm doing, and how it all connects step by step. But I won't."

Julie raised a brow.

"I want you to trust me." He said simply. "Trust that I'm not just messing around. Trust that what I'm asking is part of something real. That I'm trying to help. And if you really meant what you said last night, about being thankful to me, about seeing me differently, then prove it."

He spread his arms slightly, then patted his lap once more. "Sit down."

Julie froze. Just like that, the ball was back in her court.

"If you trust me..." He continued. "..sit. If you don't...you can walk away."

He smiled, maddeningly casual. Like he already knew the outcome.

Julie stood still for a long moment. Her heart thudded louder in her chest.

She didn't like this. She didn't like being the one forced to make the decision. To choose whether to leap forward or retreat.

But when it came to the question of whether she trusted him...Well, there was really only one answer, wasn't there?

Her body moved on its own. She took one slow step forward. Then another.

With measured calm, she approached him. She didn't speak a word. Didn't break eye contact.

And then...she stopped just in front of him. Paused. Turned around slowly.

And after a tense breath, like she was preparing herself for a battlefield charge, she slowly crouched down and sat. Her body stiff, movements hesitant...until finally, her weight settled on his lap.

Cassius blinked, feeling the full weight of her on him. And as much as he had mentally prepared for this, the sensation still caught him off guard.

Her butt was soft, unmistakably so. Cushiony and warm with a slight bounce, and yet, there was also a surprising firmness beneath that softness, like years of strength and training had carved it into a perfect combination of plushness and power.

His legs involuntarily tensed as he swallowed slightly, quickly redirecting his thoughts.

"Wow." He murmured, leaning slightly to the side to glance at her face. "You really went and did it."

Julie's ears were practically glowing pink, though she didn't say a word. Her spine was rigid like a soldier on parade, and she held herself in such a way that she clearly didn't want any unnecessary physical contact.

Cassius chuckled softly. "I'll admit, I didn't expect you to decide so quickly. I thought you'd argue for a while, throw a few rocks at me, maybe call me a pervert at least three times before even considering it. But instead..." He tilted his head. "You came and sat right down. Didn't think you trusted me that much."

At this, Julie turned her head slightly, her eyes sharp and serious despite the still-burning redness on her cheeks.

"Of course I trust you. Why else would I have let you stay in the tent last night? Do you think I would've done that with any other man?...You think I would've let any random guy sleep in the same tent where I and my little sisters were?"

The words seemed to linger in the air between them, and even Julie's expression shifted as she herself registered what she had just admitted.

"That meant something." She said, voice steadier now. "So don't question my trust again. If I say I trust you, then I trust you."

Cassius stared at her for a second, his smile slowly fading into something more sincere.

"...Sorry."

Julie blinked, her expression faltering slightly.

"I'm sorry for doubting you." He said again. "And for making you decide like this. I didn't mean to push you so suddenly, especially when this whole thing probably felt out of nowhere for you. It was my fault."

Julie's eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to apologize at all. In fact, the sincerity in his voice made her feel like she was the one who overreacted. She breathed out slowly, loosening her posture slightly.

"No...it's fine." She muttered. "I was hesitant. I mean, what was I supposed to think? One moment you're acting like a mentor, and the next you're telling me to sit on your lap. How else was I supposed to interpret that?"

He chuckled under his breath.

"And besides..." She went on with an indignant huff. "You don't exactly have the best reputation, you know."

"You might be a gentleman most of the time, sure, but you're also kind of known for being unable to keep your hands to yourself when it comes to women."

"So yeah, you can't blame me for having thoughts. No matter how much I trust you, that was an absurd request."

Cassius lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Totally understandable. Completely fair. If our roles were reversed, I would've thrown me across the tent."

"So, does that mean." He asked, grinning slightly. "You totally trust me now? Like, absolutely zero suspicion, no more doubts that I'm hiding some unsavory ulterior motive?"

Julie paused, her expression thoughtful. She glanced over her shoulder again, meeting his eyes with a quiet, unreadable look.

"I don't know." She said honestly. "I want to trust you. I do trust you...but whether you break that trust or not...that's up to you."

Cassius blinked.

"If you decide to take advantage of it..." She added with a low voice. "...then that's on you, not me."

There was a challenge in her tone now, an unspoken dare in her posture and voice.

And hearing this, Cassius felt a small thud in his chest, the corners of his lips tugging upward before he could stop them.

'Damn...I'm really starting to like this woman more and more by the second.'

He thought, watching her with fondness in his eyes as he was slowly starting to understand the incredibly strong but clumsy knight sitting on his lap...