Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!
Chapter 295 295: What Is Your Motivation Behind All This?

Cassius couldn't help but let out a long, slow exhale as his laughter finally died down. He shook his head in disbelief, his lips still twitching from the absurdity of what he had just witnessed, the squirrel's dying gasps, the mother and children mourning like it was some tragedy, and that one baby squirrel glaring at Julie with a hatred so pure it could've carved her name into history.

He stepped forward, patting Julie's shoulder with a surprisingly gentle hand. "Alright...let's leave that poor family alone now. They've suffered enough for one day."

Julie's lips parted as if she wanted to protest, her face full of shame and stubbornness, but before she could speak, Cassius shook his head firmly.

"No, Julie. It's better to let them have their moment. We don't need to make this harder for them than it already is."

With that, he turned and walked a few paces to the side as the morning breeze brushed past. Julie stood there for a second, staring at the mourning squirrel family, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she clenched her fists tightly.

Finally, with a heavy sigh, she trudged after Cassius.

When she caught up to him, he was standing under a tree, his expression calm but unreadable, his arms crossed loosely.

Julie faltered under his gaze. He wasn't glaring at her. He wasn't smirking. But there was a faint, almost pensive sharpness to his eyes as they rested on her, and that alone made her feel even smaller.

She huffed softly, her cheeks warm with embarrassment.

"W-What? If you want to scold me, or...or tell me how bad my cooking is, or how I'm terrible at this and I should just never try again…" Her voice cracked slightly as she hugged her elbows, looking away. "Then...just do it already. I get it. I know how horrible that was. I...I really tried, but…"

She bit her lip hard, her shoulders trembling faintly almost as if seeing all her efforts go to waste like that really hurt her.

For a moment, silence hung between them, the birds chirping softly in the distance.

But to her utter surprise, Cassius didn't laugh, didn't tease her, and didn't deliver the scathing remarks she had steeled herself for. Instead, he let out a small sigh and stepped forward.

"Julie…" His voice was calm, almost gentle, as he looked her directly in the eyes. "I'm not here to scold you. And I'm not going to make fun of you either. That's not the reason I brought you over here."

Julie blinked, her lips parting slightly. "Huh?"

"I want to know something." Cassius continued, taking another step forward. "Why? Why are you doing this? Why are you so desperate to learn cooking and sewing? What's your motivation, Julie?"

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "...What do you mean?"

He tilted his head slightly, his expression softening. "Aisha and Skadi, and probably even the others back at the Legion, they all probably think you're doing these things just because you want to help out. They might think you're just trying to lend a hand here and there."

Julie nodded faintly. "Well...Isn't that obvious? Of course I want to help—"

But Cassius raised a hand, cutting her off gently.

"No. That's not what I saw yesterday...and it's not what I saw today either. Julie, there's a fire in your eyes when you do these things. A certain passion. A determination. It's not just 'I want to help.' It's something deeper. You want to do this. You want to get better. And I can tell..."

He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering in quiet earnestness.

"...that no matter how badly it goes, no matter how frustrated you get, that fire doesn't die out. It burns brighter. Even when you fail, you push forward. And that...That's not something that comes from just wanting to help."

Julie froze. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart gave an odd, painful little twist.

"You had the same fire when you were knitting, too." Cassius went on. "Even though you were pricking your fingers and messing up every other second, I could see how badly you wanted to learn. How much it mattered to you."

He straightened, his expression calm but focused.

"So tell me, Julie...why? What's driving you? What's your real motivation?"

Julie's lips parted, but no words came out. She stared at him, her hands gripping her sleeves tightly.

No one, not Aisha, not Skadi, not anyone, had ever noticed this about her before. And now, standing there with Cassius's calm but piercing gaze fixed on her, she felt her throat tighten.

He noticed her hesitation, and his lips curved into a gentle smile.

"It's okay." He said softly. "I get it. It's not easy to talk about these things. But…" His voice grew quieter, almost tender. "I can tell you want to let it out. And if you tell me, I promise I'll understand you better. I might even be able to help you out. All I want, Julie, is to help, even if it's just a little."

Julie's breath shook. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, there wasn't even a trace of mockery there. For some reason, that made her chest ache even more.

She looked down at the ground, then back up at him, her cheeks flushed.

"…You're not going to tell Aisha or Skadi?" She asked softly.

Cassius raised a hand to his chest, crossing it as though taking an oath. "Not a word. I swear on it."

That finally earned a small, shaky sigh of relief from her. "…Alright." She murmured, her voice almost timid.

She hesitated for a moment longer, then glanced at him shyly. "C-Cassius...come over here."

She stepped aside and led him to a bag she had brought on the trip, a plain but slightly worn leather satchel sitting just beside the tree roots.

Cassius raised a brow as his eyes landed on the satchel Julie had pulled closer to her chest, almost like it was some priceless heirloom she'd die to protect. He let out a soft hum, his lips quirking in mild curiosity.

"Isn't this...the same bag you brought over on this trip?" He asked calmly, his sharp gaze locking on her flushed face. "The one you didn't want me to put in my storage ring no matter how many times I offered?"

Julie stiffened, her grip on the satchel tightening slightly. "…Yes." She admitted with a small nod.

He tilted his head slightly, his expression soft yet probing. "And you said there was a reason for that. That you didn't want me to see what was inside."

Julie glanced away quickly, her cheeks warming further under his quiet but steady gaze. "…Yes."

"What could possibly be inside that has the captain of the Holy Guard, one of the most terrifyingly strong people on the entire continent, so hesitant? Hm?" He asked lightly, though his eyes glimmered with amused intrigue.

Julie's fingers curled tighter around the strap of the bag. She opened her mouth once but no words came out. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, and it was clear she was struggling, wrestling with herself for courage.

It was strange to see her like this. This was the woman who had cut through hordes of enemies without blinking an eye. Yet here she was, standing in front of him, hesitant and fidgety like a schoolgirl confessing her first crush.

Finally, after a long moment, Julie sucked in a sharp breath and, as if bracing for battle, extended the bag toward him.

"Fine..." She muttered softly. "Here. But you're not allowed to laugh, Cassius."

He raised a brow at her warning but took the bag carefully anyway, handling it with surprising gentleness. "Me? Laugh? Julie, you wound me."

Slowly, he opened the flap and peered inside.

At first, he blinked in surprise.

Books.

One after another.

He reached inside and carefully lifted a few out, his sharp eyes scanning the elegant, gilded titles stamped across the covers.

"The Art of Grace: A Noble Lady's Guide to Dancing."

"A Hundred Flowers: Arrangements for Every Season."

"The woman's Stitch: Mastering Needlework and Embroidery."

"The Language of Makeup: Poise and Elegance in Every Brushstroke."

"The Noble Melody: Singing and Playing for Refinement."

"Mending and Knitting: A Lady's Practical Arts."

And more.

He set the books carefully on the ground beside him and looked back into the bag to see various trinkets tucked inside, spools of delicate yarn, embroidery nets, small instruments like a tiny flute and a miniature harp, a few pressed flowers, and even a slightly smudged makeup compact.

Cassius's brows slowly rose higher and higher as the pieces fell into place, while Julie stood there rigid, her face glowing red now as she watched him silently observe every detail.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "This is why I didn't want you to see it…" She muttered, her voice small but filled with embarrassment. "Now you probably think I'm ridiculous."

Cassius didn't answer immediately. He closed the bag, placed it carefully on the ground, and then sat back with his arms folded, a thoughtful look on his face.

Then he smirked.

"You know, if I didn't know any better." He said casually. "I would've thought you stole this bag from some noble girl on her way to etiquette school."

Julie's head snapped up in shock. "What?! Cassius! I would never—"

He raised a hand to cut her off, his expression softening as he chuckled.

"Relax. I'm joking. It's obvious you didn't steal it. Everything in here...It's yours. And it's just as obvious why."

Julie blinked, startled by his sudden shift in tone while he leaned forward slightly, his eyes meeting hers with a calm yet perceptive gaze.

"These books. These tools. Julie, they're not random. This isn't some hobby. This is noble etiquette in its entirety."

"Everything a lady of high birth would be trained to master from childhood, cooking, sewing, dancing, flower arranging, playing music...It's all here."

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He then gave her a small, knowing smile.

"Seeing all this, it's obvious you're trying your absolute best to learn noble etiquette. To master it. That's why you've been trying so hard at cooking and knitting, even though they don't come naturally to you. It's all connected."

Julie felt her breath catch in her throat. She hadn't expected him to figure it all out so quickly, most men wouldn't have understood even if she'd tried to explain.

"You…" She murmured softly, her voice dazed. "You figured all that out...just from looking at my bag?"

Cassius chuckled lowly. "Julie, if I was the kind of man who couldn't understand a woman's heart with just one glance, I would've already lost all my wives long ago."

Julie blinked at him, surprised by the casual confidence in his tone.

He leaned back slightly, his expression calm but sharp. "Women are fickle creatures in their own way. They won't always say their true desires out loud. It's a man's job to watch, to listen, and to understand."

"And with just one look at this bag and at you...It's clear to me that you're trying your hardest to embrace nobility in every sense of the word."

Julie's lips trembled faintly. She hadn't been prepared for this.

Cassius's eyes softened slightly as he tilted his head. "Now the only question left is...why? What's your motivation, Julie? Why are you pushing yourself so hard to learn these things?"

The faint smile on Julie's face faltered. Her fingers trembled slightly as she clutched the hem of her dress.

Cassius noticed the way she hesitated, her eyes darting nervously to the ground. Before she could retreat into silence, he stepped forward and gently caught her hand.

Julie's head shot up in surprise, her lips parting slightly. "C-Cassius…?"

"Come with me for a moment."

He guided her over to a nearby tree stump, pulling a handkerchief from his coat pocket and wiping the surface carefully until it was clean. Then, with a calm gesture, he motioned for her to sit.

Julie blinked at him, slightly flustered. But eventually, she lowered herself onto the stump, her hands resting tensely in her lap.

Cassius didn't sit immediately. Instead, he crouched slightly in front of her, his gaze steady and calm.

"Take your time." He said gently. "I'm listening. Every word. You can open your heart here, Julie."

Julie's chest tightened as she stared down at her trembling hands.

'Why does he make it feel so easy to trust him?' She thought bitterly.

Even Aisha and Skadi, her closest comrades, she couldn't imagine telling them about this. But with Cassius sitting there, looking at her like her words truly mattered...something inside her softened.

'What kind of charm does this man have…?'