Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 45: Get Out...

Cassius stepped further into the room, his calm gaze fleeting over the assembled group of women. He took in their faces, assessing them with quiet amusement.

Most of them were young or middle-aged, their expressions ranging from anxious to outright terrified. Not a single elderly woman was present.

Cassius let out a small sigh of relief, internally praising the Holyfield estate for maintaining high standards.

’At least I won’t have to enact tonight’s punishments on any old ladies.’ He thought, shivering slightly at the thought.

The idea alone was enough to make him grimace as the punishment he was going to give them was going to need them all to be quite ’intimate’ with them and he was really into the idea of a granny who’s teeth were starting to fall off getting too close to him.

As his expression subtly shifted, Lucious, ever the observant butler, noticed immediately. "My lord." He said, his voice quiet but inquisitive. "Is something the matter?"

Cassius blinked, then waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, no, no. Just...a stray thought." His tone was light, but Lucious narrowed his eyes slightly, unconvinced knowing that his master wouldn’t show such a expression unless something distressing happened.

Still, Cassius didn’t offer further explanation. Instead, he shifted his attention back to the gathered women. His gaze roamed the group, searching for one specific face.

And there she was.

Toward the back of the crowd, nearly hidden behind a few of the taller women, stood the one he had chosen as his example for this group.

Cassius’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. And with everything set, and a whole bunch of women standing before him, waiting in uneasy silence, he finally spoke.

"I’ll be honest with you." He began, his voice smooth and deceptively warm. "Just a short while ago, we finished our interrogation of the men in the household."

A ripple of nervous energy passed through the women, their hands clutching their skirts, their bodies unconsciously tensing.

"And." Cassius continued, his smile widening. "After some...extreme methods, they ended up spilling all their sins."

At those words, Lucious stepped forward with perfect timing, holding up a thick stack of papers. The sheer volume of confessions was enough to send a visible wave of panic through the crowd.

Gasps echoed through the room, followed by hushed whispers. Some of the women clutched their chests in fear. Others covered their mouths as they exchanged frantic glances.

"He’s serious." One woman muttered under her breath.

"They really confessed everything?" Another whispered, her voice trembling.

Cassius chuckled softly, the sound sending another wave of tension through the air. "Oh, you’d be surprised what people are willing to admit when they realize the alternative is far worse."

"Oh, you’d be surprised." He said, voice rich with joy like he enjoyed toying with those men. "Surprised at what people are willing to admit when they realize the alternative is far worse."

A few of the women stiffened, their gazes darting to one another in a silent exchange.

Lucious then took a step forward, his posture pristine as he adjusted his grip on the stack of confessions. His grey eyes swept over the group before he spoke, his voice polite but carrying the same chilling edge as his master’s.

"Among these confessions." He said, lifting the papers slightly. "Several of the men admitted that the women were also involved."

The reaction was immediate.

A wave of whispers broke out, hushed voices spilling in panic as the women exchanged frantic glances. Some of them tensed, their eyes flickering with barely concealed dread.

Others bit their lips, clearly debating whether they should speak up before things took a turn for the worse and say that there was no way that was true.

And yet, no one dared.

Not because they didn’t want to. But because all of them were guilty of something.

All except for one.

One girl stood in the crowd, her posture straight, her face composed. Unlike the others, she neither whispered nor fidgeted.

She simply stood, hands folded neatly in front of her, listening with quiet diligence.

And the others noticed.

Their gazes flickered toward her, some subtly, others openly, hope flickering in their wide eyes. Perhaps she would speak.

Perhaps she would be their voice.

But she didn’t.

She remained silent, her eyes calmly fixed on Cassius, as if waiting for him to continue.

A collective sigh rippled through the women, disappointment and resignation settling over them.

Cassius, who had been watching the silent exchange, let out a soft chuckle. "Ah, well." He sighed dramatically. "I had hoped one of you would step forward. But it seems even among traitors, loyalty holds strong."

He took a slow step forward, his presence like a weight pressing down on the room.

"Let me make this easy for you." He said, his voice carrying a lazy drawl. "I am exhausted. Truly. A lazy noble like myself isn’t used to such strenuous activities. Interrogating all those men. It’s taken quite a bit out of me."

Lucious, standing beside him, gave an approving nod, playing along with his master’s act.

"So." Cassius continued, stopping just short of the front row, his smirk widening. "I’d like to end this quickly."

The women stiffened, their breaths caught in their throats as they leaned closer to hear their master’s words.

"Here’s how this will go." Cassius said, his voice deceptively gentle. "You can simply admit your sins. Right here. Right now. I promise, the punishment will be...minimal."

He tilted his head slightly, his crimson gaze sweeping over them.

"Or." He added, his smirk deepening. "You can keep your mouths shut. And I can show you what happens when you do."

The whispering returned, louder this time.

"What should we do?"

"Maybe we should just confess."

"But what if he’s bluffing?"

"He wouldn’t actually—"

"Did the men really confess? Or is this some sort of trick?"

The murmuring grew more frantic, uncertainty rippling through them. Some of them looked genuinely afraid, shifting uncomfortably as they debated their choices.

But then someone scoffed.

A bolder woman with glasses, standing near the center, folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head. "Come on." She muttered, her voice just loud enough for others to hear. "Think about it. He’s him."

The realization hit like a spark to dry tinder.

Cassius could almost see it. The moment they remembered.

Remembered who he was...Cassius Holyfield.

The drunken wastrel...The good-for-nothing son of the Holyfield family.

The man who spent his days wasting money on alcohol and women, the man who stumbled through the estate like an embarrassment.

The master they never respected.

The fear in some of their eyes wavered. They exchanged glances, slowly straightening their postures.

"He couldn’t have actually gotten the men to confess." Another whispered, her voice gaining strength.

"Yeah. He’s bluffing."

"He’s just trying to scare us."

Their fear was still present, but something else was creeping in now. Doubt if what he was saying was true.

One by one, their expressions hardened, their bodies stiffening as they steeled themselves.

No. They silently agreed...We won’t fall for this. They weren’t going to say anything.

The realization hit Cassius like a sweet melody, his smirk widening ever so slightly.

He exhaled through his nose, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips.

’Ah. Perfect.’

This was exactly what he wanted.

He lifted his hand to his lips, stifling a soft laugh as he shook his head. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze back to them, his eyes gleaming with something dark and unreadable.

His voice, when he finally spoke, was barely above a whisper. But it sent a shiver through the room.

"Well then." He murmured. "I suppose I’ll just have to prove it to you."

The room fell deathly silent.

Lucious, standing at his side, smirked knowingly.

’The real fun was about to begin.’ Lucious thought as he stood at his master’s side, his eyes practically shimmering with excitement.

He had been impressed with how Cassius handled the men. But now, he was thrilled to see what tactics he would use on the women.

He could barely contain his giddy anticipation, already imagining the psychological games that were about to unfold.

’What will he do? What method will he use?’ Lucious thought, his fingers twitching slightly in eagerness. ’Will he break them down one by one? Or will he go for something grander?’

But just as Lucious was brimming with exhilaration, Cassius turned his head slightly and, without warning, spoke in a calm, almost lazy voice.

"Lucious."

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Lucious immediately straightened, his excitement sharpening into full attention. "Yes, Young Master?"

Cassius gave him a slow, unreadable look before casually stating, "I need you to leave the room."

The words hit like a slap.

Lucious blinked, his excitement vanishing instantly. "...What?"

Cassius sighed, waving a hand dismissively. "You heard me. Get out."

Lucious stared at him, utterly baffled. "But why?" His voice was edged with genuine disbelief. "My lord, I—I have to see what you’re going to do!"

Cassius chuckled, shaking his head as he turned back toward the crowd of women. "I simply don’t like having another man as a witness to what I’m about to do." His voice dropped to something more sly, his lips curling into a smirk. "You understand, don’t you? I’d like to admire my treasures and keep them all to myself."

Lucious’s eyes widened slightly, his face heating at his master’s suggestive tone. "M-My lord—!"

Cassius turned back toward him, his smirk widening. "Of course, unless…you’d like to admit something to me, Lucious?" His crimson eyes gleamed with mischief. "If you just confess that you’re actually a girl disguised as a boy, then I wouldn’t mind you staying to watch."

Lucious stiffened, his entire body going rigid as a deep blush spread across his face. His mouth opened, then closed again as he scoffed loudly, turning his head sharply away.

"Of course I’m a man!" He huffed, before immediately spinning on his heel and darting toward the door. "I’ll be waiting outside!"

With that, he practically fled the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Cassius blinked.

Then, slowly, a smirk crawled onto his lips as he chuckled under his breath.

’That reaction…was rather interesting to say the least.’

He had only been teasing, but now…he was starting to wonder.

Still, that was a mystery for another time.

Turning back to the crowd of women, Cassius rolled his shoulders lazily and let his sharp gaze roam over them. Their eyes flickered between the closed door and his face, nervous energy radiating from their stiff postures.

"Now then." He sighed, stretching his arms dramatically before letting them fall to his sides. "Since no one is willing to confess, I’m afraid I’ll have to take more ’drastic’ measures."