Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 71: Cursed To Oblivion

Portia’s usually calm and composed expression had twisted into a frown, her brows knitting together as though she had just realized she had failed in her duties.

While still dutifully feeding Cassius grapes, she hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice laced with quiet frustration.

"Master, I had already instructed the maids to keep their mouths shut about that night." She muttered, pressing a grape to his lips with a little more force than necessary. "It was for your sake. I made it very clear that no one was to speak a word of it. And yet…someone still went against my orders."

"...Someone ignored me and spread those lies—worse lies than I ever could have imagined."

Her voice trembled with controlled anger, and she popped another grape into his mouth a bit harder than she probably meant to.

Cassius barely chewed before he felt a sharp voice chime in from his side.

"Those big bad liars!" Isabelle barked, her small body practically shaking with indignation.

She was mid-slice, preparing sandwiches, but now she was swinging the butter knife in the air with a little too much enthusiasm, as if imagining giving those maids a little stab for their betrayal.

"I saw them, Portia!" Isabelle declared, waving the knife in an impassioned fury. "Sleeping like babies! Satisfied beyond belief! How dare they spread lies about our Master after all he did for them! If I knew who it was, I’d—"

Cassius immediately sat up, eyes narrowing in alarm. "Lucious, take away the knife."

Lucious, who had been silently observing with tired amusement, didn’t even hesitate. He smoothly plucked the butter knife from Isabelle’s hands before she could accidentally stab someone in the eye.

Isabelle pouted, but Cassius only let out a relieved sigh and laid back down, adjusting his posture comfortably. His lips twitched as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "You’re far too cute to be making threats, Isabelle." He teased.

Isabelle huffed and folded her arms, turning her nose up. "I was serious."

Cassius only chuckled at her, then turned his attention back to Portia and gave her a lazy, reassuring smile. "It’s fine, really. I don’t mind." He said, waving a hand as if to brush the whole thing away like an insignificant speck of dust.

"It is NOT fine!" Isabelle and Portia both snapped at the same time.

Cassius blinked.

Portia’s eyes flashed with rage, and she clenched the fabric of her skirt so tightly it looked like she was restraining herself from outright marching into the mansion and wringing someone’s neck.

"Master..." She hissed. "You may not care because of your magnimity, but I do. Those ungrateful wretches should be crawling at your feet in gratitude for the mercy you showed them!"

Isabelle furiously nodded in agreement, still pouting as she huffed.

"Exactly! You could have thrown them out! You could have ruined them! But noooo, Master is too kind and merciful—he let them keep their jobs! And this is how they repay you? By spitting on your kindness and tarnishing your name?" She huffed again. "I hope they stub their toe really, really hard."

Portia, still trembling in anger, scoffed. "A stubbed toe?" She echoed calmly with a cold, sadistic gaze in her eyes. "No, no, no, Isabelle, that’s not nearly enough suffering for them. I hope they get a horrible death."

"...A slow, painful one—maybe trampled under the hooves of a maddened horse or burned alive in an oil fire. Perhaps they’ll fall into a sewer and drown in filth like the rats they are."

"A sewer?" Isabelle wrinkled her nose, unimpressed. "I don’t know about that. I just want them to step on a really sharp pebble first thing in the morning...Preferably before breakfast."

Cassius, who had been quietly listening with an unreadable expression, felt his lips twitch.

Lucious, meanwhile, let out the deepest sigh of the evening.

Because the truth was…none of the maids had spread a single word about what had happened.

Not a single one.

If anything, after that night—after witnessing the true nature of their Young Master, the son of the beloved Lady Florence—the maids had grown even more devoted to him. When they realized they weren’t going to be punished or thrown out, but instead given a second chance, their loyalty to Cassius had solidified into something unshakable.

None of them had betrayed him.

None of them had whispered a single word of their experience.

Because the only person who had spread the rumors…was Cassius himself.

And now here he was—turning pale and looking away as Isabelle and Portia unknowingly cursed him to death for his own actions.

Lucious, to his immense amusement, watched as his master averted his gaze, clearly sweating under their indirect scolding. It was rare to see Cassius genuinely uncomfortable, but the way he was slowly sinking back into the grass as if trying to disappear was priceless.

Lucious had to bite back a chuckle.

Cassius, on the other hand, had reached his limit.

Without a word, he suddenly rolled over and plopped his head directly onto Portia’s lap.

Portia let out a surprised gasp as her master’s weight settled against her thighs. "M-Master?!" She stammered, her face momentarily flustered as she instinctively placed her hands on his head for balance.

Cassius ignored her shock entirely and simply gazed up at her, his head resting comfortably against the plushness of her lap.

From his vantage point, he could see the mountainous view above him, but he wisely kept his eyes on her face instead. He knew if he stared too much he’d drag her straight to bed and never walk out until night, which would be wasteful when it was such a beautiful day.

Instead, he let out a dramatic sigh and asked, "So I heard your husband left you after these rumors started spreading." His voice was casual, but his sharp eyes studied her reaction carefully. "Are you alright?"

Portia blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. She stared at him for a brief moment before letting out a soft, almost amused breath. A tender smile graced her lips as her fingers instinctively moved to stroke his dark hair, combing through it with a featherlight touch.

"It’s fine, Master." She said gently. "It’s for the best, really. That marriage was never meant to last."

Cassius tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Oh?" He twirled a lock of her hair between his fingers. "And what makes you say that?" He asked even though he already knew exactly what happened and was simply asking to see if his maid had any regrets with her decisions.

Portia exhaled, her fingers continuing their soothing motions through his hair. "Because when I realized that I didn’t feel the slightest sadness when he told me he was leaving…I knew it meant I was already free from him." She smiled, but it was a smile laced with quiet acceptance. "I think deep down, I had been waiting for this for a long time."

Cassius studied her face carefully, searching for any traces of lingering sorrow. But there was none.

Only relief.

He let the silence stretch for a moment before he asked. "What made him leave?" His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge to it.

Portia’s fingers stilled for a brief moment before resuming their slow strokes.

"After the rumors spread, I realized that if the public was going to demand a victim, it would be better to take the blame onto myself rather than let all the maids suffer. Society would never believe that nothing happened at all—it would be impossible to erase the scandal completely."

She sighed softly, almost to herself.

"So I told the maids that if they were ever questioned by their loved ones, they should just say that the rumors were exaggerated. That they were never touched." Her eyes darkened slightly. "That only one maid was involved, and that she alone took the fall."

Cassius’s fingers stopped twirling her hair. "And that one maid…" He trailed off, already knowing the answer.

Portia gave a small, bittersweet smile. "Me."

Cassius didn’t react immediately, but a faint tension crept into his jaw.

"The other maids protested at first." She continued, her voice carrying the memory of their outcry. "They didn’t want to push the blame onto me. They said it was cowardly. That they could handle the consequences together."

Her smile softened at the recollection.

"But I told them that if we all claimed innocence, people would force an answer out of us. It would be easier if only one person bore the brunt of the rumors. It was the second-best option…after complete erasure."

Cassius exhaled slowly. "So you made yourself the villain in their eyes."

Portia nodded, her expression unreadable. "It was easier that way."

But Cassius knew better. He knew that while it may have been easier, it wasn’t fair.

"And your husband?" His voice lowered slightly, a dangerous undertone slipping into it. "What did he do once he heard?"

Portia let out a small, humorless chuckle. "He didn’t even ask for my side of the story." She murmured. "Didn’t ask if I was forced, didn’t ask if it was true. He simply looked at me and said, ’I’m leaving’" Her voice carried neither bitterness nor grief—only quiet acceptance. "That was it."

Cassius sighed thinking how unstable and fragile the relationships in this world were.

"But it doesn’t matter, Master." Portia said with a small, reassuring smile. "If anything…" Her cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her gaze. "Ever since he left, I feel more alive than I have in years." She looked down at Cassius, her fingers gently caressing his scalp. "I feel happier serving you than I ever did as his wife."

Cassius opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a soft clinking sound caught his attention.

Isabelle had arrived, carefully balancing a silver tray of tea and neatly arranged sandwiches. She knelt beside them, setting the tray down before offering a pleased smile.

"I agree." Isabelle chimed in as she arranged the cups. "Serving our Master is the greatest thing in the world!" She looked up at Cassius, her expression calm and utterly devoted. "You really don’t have to worry about Portia, Master. She seems to be having plenty of fun with you…" A mischievous glint entered her eye. "Especially with all the lewd sounds I hear at night."

Portia froze.

Her cheeks turned an instant shade of crimson as she turned to glare at Isabelle, who was looking at her with an all-too-innocent smile.

"I-Isabelle!" Portia hissed, her voice strangled.

Isabelle simply stuck her tongue out playfully. "I’m just telling the truth, Portia~."

Cassius, meanwhile, smirked lazily from his very comfortable position on Portia’s lap. "Well..." He mused. "It’s not my fault that the head maid is so dedicated to her Master’s needs."

Portia’s blush deepened.

Lucious, still sitting off to the side, watching this ridiculous exchange unfold, let out yet another sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Cassius stretched, finally rising from Portia’s lap as he reached for one of the sandwiches on the tray. He took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before humming in satisfaction.

"Delicious." He said, his smirk widening as he glanced at Isabelle, who immediately perked up at his praise.

"Really?!" She beamed, leaning forward slightly with eager anticipation. "I tried to make sure the seasoning was just right this time!"

"Mhm." Cassius nodded, swallowing his bite before reaching for another. "The spread is well-balanced, not too overwhelming, just enough to complement the bread and fillings perfectly...A splendid dish indeed."

Isabelle’s face lit up with pure joy, her cheeks turning rosy at the compliment.

Cassius chuckled, picking up another sandwich, but before he could take another bite, Lucious suddenly cleared his throat loudly, crossing his arms and tilting his head slightly. "Ahem."

Cassius raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Lucious shifted, looking slightly pouty. "I also helped a little." He admitted, trying to sound casual but clearly wanting to be acknowledged.

Cassius smirked, biting into another sandwich and giving him a half-lidded look. "Oh? So you want praise too?"

Lucious huffed, looking to the side. "Not particularly…"

Cassius snorted, chewing. "Well, good job, then. I suppose you can have a tiny bit of credit."

Lucious puffed out his chest slightly, satisfied. "As expected of me." He said smugly.

Cassius rolled his eyes, taking another sandwich into his hand. But just as he was about to take another bite—

THUNDEROUS GALLOPING~

The sound of multiple horses charging through the estate grounds shook the very earth beneath them, the intensity of their approach growing louder with every second.

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Cassius’s casual demeanor didn’t change, but the others immediately snapped their heads toward the source of the noise.

Portia stiffened, her hand instinctively moving to her hip as if searching for a weapon. Isabelle’s brows furrowed in confusion, while Lucious’s eyes darkened with calculated sharpness at the distant cloud of dust that was approaching...