Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!
Chapter 300 300: I'm Not One Of Those Stupid Girls

But even then, she couldn't let the silence stretch too long. She needed to say something, anything, to distract from the way her heart was pounding.

"W-Wait a minute." She muttered, her voice quiet but tinged with suspicion. "This handkerchief...isn't this the same one you used to wipe the log earlier? You're not secretly smearing mud on my face as a joke, are you?"

Cassius's lips twitched into the faintest smirk. He paused, then shook his head slightly as he gently dabbed at her nose.

"Not at all." He said evenly. "I would never do something so cruel to such a pretty face."

Julie felt her chest tighten, her heart stuttering for a second as a small, unbidden flutter crept into her stomach.

"I-It's not like my face is that pretty…" She mumbled under her breath, looking away sharply.

Cassius ignored her flustered response and continued. "This is my second handkerchief, by the way."

"Second?" Julie repeated, blinking at him. "Why do you even carry two handkerchiefs?"

He gave her a calm, almost mischievous look.

"One is for my personal use, wiping dirt, dust, or any...irregular activities." He said casually. "The second one is for wiping away the tears of girls."

Julie's eyes widened, and then, unexpectedly, she let out a small giggle.

"You...You seriously keep a handkerchief on hand just for that?" She asked incredulously, her voice trembling between amusement and embarrassment.

"Of course." Cassius said without missing a beat as he smoothed the fabric gently across her cheeks. "A gentleman should always be prepared for anything when it comes to comforting a lady."

Julie shook her head slightly, her lips tugging upward into a reluctant smile. "You really are completely prepared for anything that involves girls, aren't you?"

"Always."

"Unbelievable." She muttered, her giggle slipping out again before she could stop it.

Cassius glanced at her with a faint, playful smirk.

"It's why the rumors call me the biggest playboy to ever exist. As a noble, I have to live up to the words of the common people, don't I? Naturally, it requires...some preparation."

Julie rolled her eyes, unable to suppress her smile. "You're hopeless."

"Hopelessly charming, I hope." He corrected smoothly, making her laugh softly.

Before she realized it, he had finished wiping her face, and his hands dropped gently to his sides.

"There." He said softly, looking at her with quiet satisfaction. "All clean."

Julie blinked, her hand instinctively rising to her cheek as if to test his words.

And then it hit her...She was still sitting on his lap.

Her entire body stiffened as her mind screamed at her, and she shot up so quickly she nearly lost her balance.

Cassius reached out instinctively to steady her, but she waved him off with a flustered shake of her head.

For some reason, as she stood there, there was the faintest trace of reluctance in her chest, like a strange, fleeting sense that she didn't want to leave the warmth of his arms.

'What on earth am I thinking?!' She scolded herself, shaking her head to clear it.

She turned to face him, her expression still faintly embarrassed but determined as she stepped forward slightly, her fingers fidgeting at her sides.

"I…" She began, her voice faltering for a moment before she forced herself to meet his gaze. "I need to apologize."

Cassius tilted his head slightly, his expression calm and unreadable.

"I made you see such a pathetic sight." She said softly, her eyes glimmering with guilt. "And I...I clung to you like some helpless child. It was...embarrassing. I shouldn't have let you see me like that."

"Julie—" Cassius started gently, but she quickly raised a hand to cut him off.

"And don't get the wrong idea." She said firmly, her cheeks flushing. "You'll never see such a sight again. Ever. I never cry in front of others, and the last time I did something like that was when I was a little girl, when my mother passed away."

"I cried on my father's lap back then...but after that, I swore I'd never cry like that again."

Her voice softened slightly, her eyes dropping to the grass. "Yet somehow...I broke that vow today. With you."

Cassius's lips curved faintly upward, his expression warm and calm, while Julie's hands clenched slightly at her sides as she took a deep breath.

"Thank you..." She said quietly, her voice soft but full of emotion. "Thank you for embracing me in my time of need. Thank you for saying all those words."

"I didn't even realize how much I needed to let all those feelings out until now. But because of you, I feel...lighter."

Her eyes lifted hesitantly to meet his. "So...thank you. Truly."

Cassius tilted his head slightly, his eyes warm and steady as he looked at her. Then, with a soft chuckle, he shook his head.

"You don't need to thank me." His voice was calm, almost too casual. "And you definitely don't need to apologize."

Julie blinked at him, slightly caught off guard.

"I was simply helping the captain of my Knight Brigade with her troubles." He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "That's all there is to it. Especially since there's no need for thanks between...family members."

Julie's breath hitched faintly.

Family?

Hearing him call her that left her unsure of what to feel. There was a strange tightness in her chest, one she couldn't easily name.

She didn't know if she wanted to smile or argue, but she also knew she didn't want to deny him, not when he'd gone so far as to say something like that.

But before she could speak, Cassius leaned in closer. His movement was so sudden, so smooth, that her breath caught in her throat.

"Besides…" He said with a mischievous glint in his eye, his smile curling at the edges. "I'm actually very happy."

Julie stiffened. "H-Happy? About what?"

"That I got much closer to you today." His voice dropped slightly, warm and teasing. "All that effort...holding you as you cried, letting you soak my shirt with your tears…" He tapped his chest lightly where the fabric had darkened. "…worth it."

"Worth it?" She asked, wondering what exactly he was talking about.

Cassius didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned back slightly and grinned as if he was entirely in control.

"Of course. You don't get to have a moment like that with just anyone, right?" His grin softened into a playful smile. "You said it yourself. The last time you hugged someone and cried in their lap was when you were a little girl with your father. And now…"

Julie's mouth went dry as his words sank in.

"…you did the same thing with me. Doesn't that mean I've reached the same level of closeness to you as your father?"

Her entire body stiffened as her jaw dropped slightly.

"N-Not at all!" She blurted out, her voice shrill as she jumped to her feet. Her hands flailed slightly as her hair swished around her flushed face.

"I-I…!" Julie pointed at him accusingly. "You—! Don't even say something so ridiculous!"

"And don't you dare start thinking you're special or anything!" She shouted at his back, her voice slightly cracking. "I-I would have hugged and cried like that on anyone else too, if the situation called for it! So don't get any strange ideas in that big, stupid head of yours!"

"Ah...so I'm just like everyone else, huh?" Cassius said with a sigh, placing a hand dramatically over his chest. "What a pity."

Then he chuckled softly to himself and walked back toward the cooking site, his hands slipping into his pockets as if he wasn't fazed at all.

Julie stood rooted to the spot, her hands trembling faintly, not out of anger but from the confusing storm of emotions swirling inside her.

'That's right...he's not special.' She thought fiercely, her cheeks still burning. 'Not even a little. He's just a shameless playboy who probably says those same things to every girl he meets.'

She shook her head hard, as if trying to physically knock the thoughts away.

'There's no way I'd fall for someone like him. No way. I'm not one of those stupid girls who swoon over his tricks...I won't be.'

But even as she told herself that, her fingers curled slightly at her sides, and her heart betrayed her by thumping harder in her chest.

Deep down, a warmth had begun to bloom in her, small and fragile for now, but growing in ways she didn't yet understand.

Little did she know...that she was already halfway to becoming one of those "stupid girls" she kept mocking, the ones who fall head over heels for Cassius before they even realize it...