Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!
Chapter 315: That’s A Secret Between Me And Him

Chapter 315: That’s A Secret Between Me And Him

Julie’s eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, her arms folding slowly over her chest as she fixed a sharp, suspicious gaze on Aisha. Her voice was steady, but it carried a sting.

"Why do you even want to sit with him in the first place, Aisha?" She asked sharply. "Weren’t you the one who couldn’t stand him until recently?"

"You said a hundred terrible things about him. You glared at him every time he opened his mouth. You hated the way he talked, walked, even breathed."

She cocked her head, a brow raised.

"So it’s a little strange, don’t you think? That you suddenly want to ride with him. You don’t have a reason to."

"...So instead of suddenly acting like you’re best friends, maybe you should just graciously accept that I’m willing to sit with him."

Aisha didn’t back down, if anything, she looked more indignant than ever. She took a slow step forward, her own arms crossing as her tone turned firmer.

"I already told you yesterday, didn’t I, Captain?" She said sharply. "The past is done. Over. I’m not the same person I was back then. And maybe you’d understand if you weren’t so focused on yourself all the time."

She lifted her chin brazenly as she went on to explain herself.

"I spent some time with him last night on the horse. We talked. And I learned more about him in that short while than I ever did before."

Her gaze flickered toward Cassius briefly before returning to Julie.

"I learnt that he’s...he’s not what I thought. And because of that, I don’t mind riding with him at all."

Then her tone shifted, lips curling into a confident sneer as she stepped forward again.

"But if we’re talking about people who shouldn’t want to ride with him, then maybe it should be you who backs off."

Julie blinked, caught off guard. "What...?"

Aisha went on, relentless.

"You were the one who was always suspicious of him. Always talking about how he was a shameless playboy."

"You were the one going around telling everyone that you were above all that, that you’d never lower yourself to deal with someone like him." She tilted her head mockingly. "Didn’t you always act so proud? So high and mighty? Talking like you were some noble who didn’t have time for nonsense?"

Julie’s expression began to stiffen.

"But now look at you..." Aisha said, her voice taking on a mocking sweetness. "Suddenly you’re perfectly fine sitting with him. Smiling like a little girl. Acting exactly like the kind of girls you used to talk down to...So tell me, big sister, what changed?"

Julie’s face twitched. Flustered, yes, but she didn’t retreat. She straightened her posture, planting her feet firmly into the ground as she met Aisha’s challenge head-on.

"You talk like you’re any better." Julie snapped. "But fine. If we’re being honest, yeah, I spent some time with him this morning. And I found out he’s more likeable than I thought."

"...Still a playboy, yes. No denying that. I can vouch for it. He’s got a whole list of awful traits."

Cassius winced slightly at that, scratching his cheek with a wry smile.

"But..." Julie continued, not looking away. "I’d rather be around someone like him. Someone who’s a mess, yes, but at least he’s honest about it."

"I trust that way more than all those fake noblemen who dress up in manners and smooth words but are monsters underneath...He may be a flirt and a headache, but at least what you see is what you get."

She flicked her golden hair back, her eyes flashing.

"So no, I don’t mind riding with him. I want to. Because I’m closer to him now than I’ve ever been. And I’m not going to pretend otherwise."

It was a deliberate provocation, and Aisha knew it. Her brows lifted slightly, the corner of her lip curling upward into a slow, polite smile.

"Oh?" She said, her voice lilting sweetly. "Then, Captain...can I ask what exactly happened this morning that made the two of you so close all of a sudden?"

Julie stiffened.

"I mean..." Aisha continued innocently. "You don’t usually let just anyone get close to you. Especially not other nobles, right? So for him to get so close in one morning..." She smiled even wider. "What happened? What did he do? Or maybe...what did you do?"

Julie’s heart skipped, instantly replaying the blindfold, his words, the brush of his hands over hers, the warmth of his voice by her ear. Her face warmed, but she quickly regained her composure.

"I don’t mind talking about it." Julie replied coolly, though her voice had just the slightest edge of defense. "But there’s nothing that needs to be shared right now. That’s a private matter between me and Cassius. Nothing you need to worry about." She gave a short shrug. "Some things happened. And no, I’m not going to tell anyone about them. So keep your curiosity to yourself."

Aisha’s eyes gleamed mischievously, clearly not satisfied, but before she could speak again, Julie smirked.

"But since you’re asking questions, why don’t I ask you one too?" She said, lifting her chin. "What exactly happened between you and Cassius last night?"

"You’re always the scaredy-cat who hides behind me, never lets anyone touch you. You don’t even get that close to the people who’ve been by your side for years. And now suddenly you’re cozying up to Cassius? What happened?"

Aisha blinked. Then gave the same sweet, almost polite smile back.

"That’s none of your business either." She said smoothly. "That’s between Cassius and me."

Julie opened her mouth again, but Aisha held up a hand, feigning innocence.

"But...if you must know, yes, some things happened. Things that changed everything..." She smiled. "...Forever."

The meaning behind her words was obvious. And it landed hard.

Julie’s eye twitched, irritation boiling beneath her skin.

Meanwhile, Cassius, who had been standing awkwardly between the two like a man caught in the crossfire, slowly started edging backward. His eyes darted toward the treeline, calculating the best escape route.

Because hell no, he was not going to stand here and be the prize in this tug-of-war.

But just as tensions flared to catastrophic levels, Julie and Aisha looking like they were about to launch magical missiles at each other and Cassius doing his best to evaporate into thin air, a third chaotic element exploded into the scene with all the subtlety of a meteor crash.

"MAAAASTEEEER!!"

A blur barreled through the field like a hyperactive squirrel on six shots of espresso, arms flailing, eyes sparkling, and a wide, goofy smile plastered across her face.

Skadi.

Cassius barely had time to blink before,

THUMP!

She pounced like a wild animal, leaping through the air with the grace of a flying hammer, and latched onto him like a giant monkey.

"Master!! I don’t wanna ride with the captain today!!" She immediately declared dramatically, swinging off his shoulders as if she was trying to uproot him from the very ground he stood on.

"I was so lonely yesterday, Master!!" She whimpered dramatically, rubbing her face against his neck like an over-affectionate puppy. "Do you know what I had to deal with? huh?"

"Captain! She wouldn’t stop hugging me! And pulling me! She even tried to use me as a body pillow, Master!! A body pillow pillow and nearly pulled me off the poor horsey!!" She wailed in theatrical despair, throwing her head back like she’d endured a great personal tragedy.

"I can’t take it again!" She cried. "So that’s why today, I’m riding with you! No questions! No rejections! I even brought snacks! And we can share! I even brought the special ones shaped like fishies! We’ll ride and eat and maybe chase squirrels and roll down hills and maybe even..."

She paused dramatically and raised one finger like she was announcing divine revelation.

"...maybe even have a secret picnic under a tree with sandwiches that I made myself this morning!"

And with that, she snuggled into Cassius’s chest like a sleepy cat. "Mmm...I missed your scent, Master...smells like sunshine and roasted peanuts."

She waited, grinning expectantly for Cassius’s reply.

But Cassius...said nothing.

He just stood there. Stiff. Silent. Eyes vacant. Like his soul had quietly exited through the back door and left a cardboard cutout in his place.

"Master?" Skadi blinked.

But still no response. Just a slight tilt of the head...and a slow, deliberate turn away from her. As if silently praying, "If I don’t move, maybe they’ll think I’m a tree."

"...Master??" She asked again, now clearly confused.

And then she saw them.

Julie and Aisha.

Standing side by side.

Glowing...Radiating the kind of quiet, burning rage that could only be forged in the deepest pits of sibling rivalry and petty vengeance. Their glares locked onto her like twin cannons of death.

And for the first time in a long time, Skadi’s tail stood straight, her ears shot up, and her pupils shrank into pins of pure horror.

"U-Uh..." She squeaked, shrinking back slightly while still dangling off Cassius. "W-Why are you guys...looking at me like that...? I-I just wanted to ride with my Master."

Her voice cracked, the last syllable tumbling out like a dying bird. She clung to Cassius tighter like he was a flotation device and she was sinking in an ocean of death stares.

But the girls were advancing now, step by step, not even speaking, just glaring with the fury of two queens whose thrones had just been publicly usurped.

Skadi gulped. Her lips quivered. And with the most pitiful voice imaginable, she whispered,

"M-Master...h-help...?"