Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!
Chapter 298 298: Smiling Down From The Heavens

Cassius sat there for a moment longer, still cross-legged on the ground, watching her silently as she tried to compose herself. Then, almost too casually, he leaned back slightly, his tone soft but with that knowing firmness that somehow made every word feel heavier.

"And it only makes sense, doesn't it?" He said, his voice calm yet meaningful.

Julie blinked, caught slightly off guard by how effortlessly he spoke, like he wasn't even trying to comfort her, yet every word still seemed to find its way into her heart.

He lifted one hand, gesturing vaguely as if the whole world was in his palm.

"I mean, you're the captain of the Holy Guard, Julie. The legion that not only the people of the Holyfield Estate look up to like they were their saviors, but the entire continent looks up to because of their righteous nature."

Julie's lips parted slightly as he continued, his eyes locking onto hers.

"You know it too, don't you? Every single person in the Holyfield Estate feels safe because of you. Because they know, with you and your legion by their side, they're protected from evil, from war, from things they can't even see coming."

Her cheeks began to warm, the faintest blush creeping in as she turned her eyes away.

"Cassius...don't say it like that. You're making it sound like I'm some kind of saint or something."

But Cassius wasn't done. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing just enough to make his next words hit even harder.

"That same legion?" He said as he raised his finger and pointed it right at her chest. "That wasn't created by anyone else, Julie. That wasn't a gift. That wasn't fate."

She froze as his finger stayed there, like he was drilling those words straight into her soul.

"It was you who made it all happen."

Her lips quivered slightly, and she looked down, feeling a rush of heat in her face. "Cassius...stop it. You're embarrassing me…"

But Cassius smirked faintly, his voice softening as he withdrew his hand. "Without you, there wouldn't be a Holy Guard. Without you, there wouldn't be anyone for the people to trust. Without you…" His voice lingered, almost a whisper now. "...there wouldn't be hope."

Julie's heart thudded violently in her chest, her fingers gripping her skirt tighter as she tried not to let her emotions betray her.

"You're not just a girl with a sword." Cassius said quietly, his gaze gentling as he looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. "You're a wonderful girl. An amazing, brilliant girl who made all of this happen. You're the reason why people can sleep peacefully at night."

Julie's blush deepened further, spreading all the way to her ears. "C-Cassius...you don't have to say all that…"

But he wasn't stopping. His eyes flicked upward toward the sky, the sunlight catching in his lashes as he spoke.

"That's why I think...even if your mother isn't here anymore, and she's already in the heavens, I'm certain that if she could see you now, she'd be so proud."

Julie gasped softly, her lips parting in surprise.

Cassius's smile grew faintly wistful as he continued, "So proud in fact...that if she were still here she wouldn't stop talking about her daughter."

"I can just imagine it, her telling all her friends, her sisters, her family about you nonstop...She'd probably talk about you to your father so much that even he would get frustrated from how obsessed she is over her daughter's greatness."

Julie let out a shaky laugh, her face burning. "Y-You're really...saying these things so easily, huh?"

Cassius's gaze returned to her, and for a moment, there was only silence between them. Then, his gentle smile softened even further as he spoke again.

"That's why I believe..." He said slowly, firmly. "...that even though you keep saying you have to make your mother proud...and you have to do her good...you're wrong."

Julie blinked at him, startled.

"Because you've already done it, Julie...Long ago."

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him with wide, teary eyes.

"Right now, in this very moment, whether she's here or not, your mother is the proudest woman in the world...Proud to have a daughter as great as you."

Julie felt her heart clench so tightly she thought she couldn't breathe.

"And if she were standing right here by your side..." Cassius added, his voice dropping even softer. "...I can promise you that there wouldn't be a moment, not even one, where she wouldn't be looking at you with pride shining in her eyes."

Julie's lips trembled as her vision blurred with unshed tears.

"And probably..." Cassius went on with a quiet chuckle. "Even at her last moment...as she looked at her tiny little daughter, I'm sure she already knew."

"...She already knew her daughter was going to grow up to be someone she could be proud of."

Julie's heart pounded so hard in her chest it hurt. Her breath hitched as tears finally spilled down her cheeks.

"C-Cassius…" She stammered, her voice trembling to which he tilted his head slightly, his expression tender as he watched her fall apart.

"Do you really…" She choked out, her voice breaking as she wiped at her wet cheeks with shaking hands. "Do you really think my mother...is proud of me? Right now? Smiling all the way from the heavens?"

Cassius didn't answer her right away. Instead, he leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees as he watched her trembling hands fidget in her lap.

Then, with a calmness that made her chest tighten, he reached out and gently took hold of her hands. His fingers were warm and steady, wrapping over hers as though he were anchoring her to the earth.

Julie flinched slightly at the contact, her eyes wide and glassy as she stared down at their joined hands.

"Julie…" Cassius said softly, his voice low and deep, carrying a weight that made her chest ache.

She didn't dare look up at him. She felt like if she did, she might crumble completely.

"You're asking me if your mother is proud of you."

His thumbs rubbed soothingly over the backs of her hands, his touch patient and steady.

"I promise you...she is."

Julie's breath caught in her throat, her whole body trembling as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"I swear it, Julie. On my life, on my soul, and on everything I've ever held dear, I promise you, your mother is smiling down at you right now...Smiling so wide, the heavens themselves are probably brighter because of her."

Julie squeezed her eyes shut as more tears streamed down her face. Her lips wobbled, and she tried to speak, but her voice cracked too hard for words to come out.

Cassius's voice softened even more, tender and unwavering.

"You've spent all these years thinking you had to earn her pride. Thinking you had to prove yourself. But, Julie…"

He gently tilted her chin up with his finger, forcing her to meet his gaze. His eyes, calm, steady, and warm, held her in place as though the whole world had gone quiet.

"You were already enough. From the moment you were born, you were already everything she could ever dream of."

Julie's breath came out in a shaky sob, her shoulders trembling.

"And now?" Cassius continued, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Now you've grown into a woman so incredible, so kind, so strong, and so determined that there's no doubt in my mind she's bursting with pride."

"She's probably telling everyone up there in heaven, over and over again, about her daughter, the captain of the Holy Guard, the protector of thousands, the woman who carries her family's name with honor."

Julie let out a broken little laugh, her tears falling faster now as she shook her head weakly.

"Cassius...stop it...I-I can't...If you keep saying things like that, I—"

Before she could finish, Cassius reached out and pulled her gently forward. She gasped softly as he guided her down from the tree stump and onto the grass, sitting her right onto his lap.

Julie stiffened for a brief moment in surprise, but the warmth of his arms as they wrapped securely around her made her resistance melt almost instantly.

"There's no need to hold it in anymore."

Cassius murmured against the top of her head, his voice low and soothing as he rested his chin lightly there.

"Let it all out, Julie...You've been carrying this weight for far too long."

Julie's hands hesitated for a moment in the air before she finally, shakily, wrapped them around his back. Her fingers clutched at his shirt as though she were scared he might disappear.

...And then she broke.

The tears she had been holding back for years came spilling out all at once, her body trembling violently as she buried her face into his chest.

Cassius held her tighter, one hand gently cradling the back of her head while the other rubbed soothingly along her back.

Gone was the fierce captain of the Holy Guard, the warrior who had once stood unshaken against entire armies.

Here, in his arms, was just Julie.

A fragile, hurting woman who wanted nothing more than to feel like a daughter her mother could be proud of.

"I...I really wanted her to be proud of me…" Julie sobbed into his chest, her voice muffled and shaking. "I-I tried so hard...no matter how many times I failed...I just wanted to be like her…"

Cassius closed his eyes, pressing his forehead gently against her hair.

"She's proud of you, Julie." He said again, his voice so calm and sure that it made her chest ache even more. "So proud that words wouldn't even be enough to describe it."

Julie's fingers gripped his back tighter as her sobs came harder.

"And me?" He added quietly after a moment. "I'm proud of you too."

Julie choked out a tiny, broken laugh in between her tears, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You really...know how to say the perfect things, don't you, Cassius…?"

Cassius chuckled softly, his hand never stopping its gentle movements on her back.

"I'm just telling the truth." He murmured. "You're worth every word and more."

Julie stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, her tears soaking into his shirt as the tension she had carried for so many years slowly bled away.

Cassius didn't rush her. He didn't try to pull away or tell her to stop crying.

He just held her, patient and warm, like he had all the time in the world.

And for the first time in her life, Julie felt like she wasn't carrying that burden alone anymore and had someone by her side, who didn't just carry it along with her, but picked it off her back and threw it aside make her feel more free and unrestrained then she had ever been before...