NOVEL NEXT Chapter 349: Acceptance
Cassius's palm lingered on her searing flesh, his fingers spreading over the curve of her reddened cheek as he squeezed, kneading it as though testing the quality of a prize cut of meat.
Julie whimpered into her arm, her entire body trembling with the humiliation of being handled this way. Her ass throbbed from the repeated slaps, the heat spreading deeper, making her feel exposed in every sense.
His voice came low, mocking and sharp.
"Hnn...listen to you. Whimpering, shaking, begging. And yet this ass…" He gave her cheek a firm squeeze that made her gasp. "…it's still sticking up for me like it's proud to be displayed. You claim to be a role model...but tell me, Julie, what kind of commander wriggles her ass in a man's lap like a slut who's begging for it?"
Julie's breath caught, her voice pitching into a frantic whine. "N-No, don't call me that, Cassius! I'm not, I'm not a slut! I-It's just...I can't help it when you touch me there, it burns, it's too much!"
SMACK!
"Haughh!♡~"
She yelped, her body jerking violently, while Cassius chuckled darkly, his hand smoothing over the new bloom of heat.
"Oh, you can help it. You're just too weak to resist. And that weakness...that's why your fat ass is glowing under my hand." He leaned closer, lips brushing her ear. "It's why I'll keep spanking you until your pride is stripped away, until all that's left is a red, obedient ass that knows its place."
Julie's cheeks burned as much as her backside. "Ahnnn, p-please...Cassius...I swear I'll obey you from now on, I'll do anything you say, just don't, ahhhhnnn!♡~"
Another slap echoed, the sting sharp and immediate. Her body arched, her toes curling, a shameful moan slipping past her lips.
Cassius laughed softly, savoring it. "Mmm. That sound, did you hear yourself just now? That wasn't pain, Julie. That was a moan. You're starting to enjoy it, aren't you?"
"...The mighty knight commander with her juicy ass bared, moaning for her punishment like a bratty whore."
Her eyes filled with tears, her lips trembling.
"N-Nooo! D-don't say that...I'm not...I'm not enjoying it…" Her voice cracked, betraying her.
"But even though you say that, your body disagrees." His fingers pressed down into her flesh, spreading her cheeks slightly as he examined the darkening blush across her skin. "Look at this ass, tight, hot, pulsing under my hand. Every slap makes it jiggle like it was made to be smacked."
"...You've been parading around with this perfect ass all these years, and finally it's being used for what it's good for. Discipline."
Julie shook her head, shame and arousal crashing together inside her. "Ahhh, it's too much, too mean...I can't, ahn, I can't take any more…"
Cassius tilted his head, mockery in every word.
"Can't take more? And yet you still lift your ass for me every time my hand rises. Look at you...arching for me without even realizing. Tell me, Julie, is this the proud knight commander I'm spanking, or a needy girl whose fat ass was always waiting for someone to tame it?"
Her sobs turned into pitiful moans as she looked back at him with watery eyes. "P-Please...don't call me that...I'm not needy, I'm not...ahhhhnnnn!♡~"
Another brutal crack landed, his handprint burning into the flesh. Julie let out a sharp cry, her legs kicking helplessly, her voice breaking.
"Every time you deny it, I'll spank you harder." Cassius's smirk deepened as he traced the fresh welt. "Until you admit the truth. That you're nothing more than a brat who needed her big ass blistered to learn obedience."
Julie's body shook with sobs, her voice desperate. "O-Okay! Okay! I'll admit it! I-I was wrong, I was stubborn, I-I needed to be punished!"
His voice dropped lower, harsher. "Say it clearer."
Her blush deepened until it spread down her throat, humiliation choking her. But she obeyed. "I-I'm a bad girl...I'm a bad girl who needs my u-useless butt needed to be punished…"
Cassius's chuckle was dark, pleased. His hand rubbed slowly over her raw cheeks, soothing only to make her squirm at the sensitivity.
"That's better. Maybe you're not completely hopeless. Maybe with enough discipline this ass of yours will learn to behave."
Julie buried her face in her arms, trembling as his words branded themselves into her mind. She hated the way her body tingled under his touch, hated how her moans betrayed her.
But worse, she hated how a part of her wondered what it would feel like if he didn't stop. If he spanked her harder, longer, until she truly broke.
And Cassius could see it, the crack in her pride, the blush across her ass, the shame trembling in her voice. He knew she was already halfway there, so he shifted, his weight moving just slightly, and Julie instantly flinched, her breath hitching in panic.
Her mind braced for the sting of another brutal slap, her whole body tensing, her ass lifting higher without her even realizing it.
She thought she was preparing herself to take it better, to dull the pain by angling her backside just so, but to anyone watching, it looked shameless, as if she were presenting herself, offering her ass to be spanked again. That realization made her cheeks burn hotter than the welts across her flesh.
Yet the strike never came.
Instead, Cassius's hand rose, not to punish, but to thread gently through her hair. His fingers stroked softly, sweeping through the strands in a way so tender it disarmed her completely.
Julie blinked, stunned, as the humiliation in her chest loosened for a heartbeat. Slowly, she turned her head, her lashes wet, to find him gazing down at her with an expression she hadn't expected, gentle, steady, and achingly warm.
"You're doing so good, Julie." Cassius said softly, his palm continuing its slow caress along her scalp. "You're doing such a good job taking all those spankings with such a courageous heart."
His smile deepened, calm and tender, even after all the harsh words he had unleashed before.
"Even though I told you earlier that you weren't a good knight...you're most definitely one of the bravest knights I've ever seen. You've borne your punishment with strength, and I'm grateful for that."
Julie's throat tightened, her chest heaving with a shaky breath. She wanted to scoff, to tell herself this was some cheap line he was throwing at her to soften her up, but her body betrayed her.
Every cruel word, every degrading taunt he had hurled at her minutes before had cut her pride open, leaving her raw. And now, this sudden wave of tenderness washed over her like cool water on a burn.
Her whole body felt warm, not from shame this time, but from a comfort she couldn't remember feeling in years.
She turned more fully toward him, her eyes wide and wet, shimmering like a child desperate for reassurance. Her voice broke into a whisper, soft and fragile.
"…Really? I'm...really not a bad knight like you said? I'm...a good knight, Cassius?"
Cassius's smile broadened, and he moved his hand from her hair to her flushed cheek, cupping it gently. His thumb brushed her damp skin as he murmured.
"Of course, Julie. Of course. You're the bravest, cutest, most beautiful, most utterly adorable knight I've ever met in my life." His eyes softened as he tilted her face slightly toward him. "Every bit of you is precious."
Her heart thundered at his words, racing so fast it felt as though it might burst. The humiliation, the shame, the burning sting of her ass, all of it blurred under the sudden glow those words lit inside her.
She let out a tiny, broken laugh, one she might normally use to scoff off such a "cheap compliment" but right now it didn't feel cheap at all. It felt glorious, intoxicating, impossible to dismiss.
He leaned closer, his voice dropping into that firm yet tender register that made her knees weak.
"Not to mention…" He stroked her buttcheeks with his thumb. "…you most definitely have the greatest rear a knight could have. You're exemplary in every way."
Hearing this, Julie's lips parted, her smile blooming despite the tears still streaking her face. She wanted to argue, to deny, to push back, but instead, she let the warmth fill her, basking in it like it was sunlight.
"And now, Julie...you've already apologized." Cassius looked down at her with that same calm gaze, his voice carrying weight again. "You've admitted your mistake. That part of the punishment is over." He gave her cheek one last gentle stroke before letting his hand trail down her back. "The next part...is acceptance."
Her brow furrowed slightly, her breath catching as she whispered. "…Acceptance?"
"Yes." He nodded, his expression serious but not cruel. "Acceptance of the sin you committed. Acceptance of the punishment that follows. Which means...instead of refusing the spanking, instead of fighting it, you must accept it. Embrace it. Crave it as if you yourself wanted it."
Julie's eyes widened, panic fluttering through her chest again.
"Crave...it?"
She echoed, her voice breaking. The sting still burning across her cheeks screamed against the idea. She didn't crave the punishment at all, it hurt too much, it was humiliating, and she had wanted it to stop from the very first strike.
But when she looked up at him again, saw those gentle eyes, felt the careful way his hands caressed her, she felt her will falter. A warmth curled through her belly, a deceptive safety that confused her heart.
Her voice came trembling, uncertain. "…Really? Then...if I do that, if I accept everything the way you say...does that mean...you'll be less angry with me? That you'll forget about what I did?"
Cassius chuckled softly, his lips curving into a fond smile.
"Julie...I've already forgotten my anger. Do you think I could ever stay angry at such a pretty face?"
His thumb stroked her cheek again, and her blush deepened instantly, her lips parting in a gasp.
"But..." He continued, lowering his voice. "If you do as I say, if you accept it all, then not only will I never be angry at you...I'll be proud of you." His palm spread across her back, steadying her. "Proud of you for being such a good girl. Proud of you for taking your punishment like a knight, noble and true."
Her heart pounded, her shame and fear twisting into something else, something desperate. She wanted that. She wanted his pride. She wanted to erase the stain of disappointment she'd put in his eyes and replace it with admiration.
Her voice trembled as she whispered, "Th-Then… what should I do? Tell me… what should I do to make you proud of me?"
Cassius's eyes gleamed faintly, his smile curving into something both warm and commanding as his hand returned to her sore, reddened ass, stroking gently.
"That's simple, Julie," he said, voice low, deliberate. "You stop begging me to stop. You stop denying what you're feeling. You raise your ass willingly for me, accept every strike as your due, and let me see your pride transform into obedience."
"...That's how you'll make me proud."
Julie's heart leapt, her lips trembling as she absorbed his words. The fire on her cheeks burned hotter than the sting on her butt. And she realized, he wasn't just punishing her. He was reshaping her.
And she had to decide… whether she would resist, or finally, fully accept.