Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble! Chapter 67 By Your Side

Cassius drew in a slow breath, steeling himself, dreading the eruption that must co. "Go on." He muttered under his breath, low enough that she might not hear. "Shout at , curse , do whatever you need. I deserve it."

But the outburst he feared never ca.

Instead, from behind him, there was only a light sound of…relief? He thought it might have been his imagination at first, but then, clear as day, he heard her exhale—a long, audible sigh.

"Oh, thank goodness." Isabelle said out loud, her tone so unexpectedly calm that Cassius stiffened. "I was worried it was going to be sothing far worse. For a mont, I feared you were banishing from your side or sothing like that...But it turned out to be sothing as insignificant as handling my punishnt...What a relief."

Cassius's eyes flashed wide, and in the sa instant, he spun around. His gaze fell on Isabelle—still standing there, no tears, no trembling fury.

If anything, she looked almost…comforted. He felt an odd twist in his stomach, a mix of shock and disbelief.

"T-That's… all?" He managed, voice catching in his throat. "You're not angry? You're not sad that I broke the promise we made? You're not…furious with for b-betraying you like this?"

"Betraying ?" Isabelle repeated the word with a faint tilt of her head, as though she hadn't heard him correctly. Her expression remained perplexed. "When exactly did you betray , Master?"

Cassius's lips parted. "When…W-What do you an when?" He paused, uncertain how she could not see it. "When I declared there'd be no punishnt, but then I did precisely that." He explained, the confusion knotting his brow. "Surely you rember saying you'd be spared?"

But to his surprise, Isabelle simply shook her head, the smallest of gentle smiles tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"No, Master. I think that's where you're mistaken...You never promised to abolish my cris altogether. You only promised to spare my life. That night, you said you'd keep from facing certain execution so I could live. And you did exactly that." She bowed her head, recalling the mont he intervened on her behalf. "I'm beyond grateful for it, truly."

Cassius drew back a fraction, taken aback by her matter-of-fact reply.

"But I…I have effectively ripped away everything you've worked for." He insisted, the desperate edge in his tone betraying his unease. "You saved and scrimped for years to open a restaurant. I've condemned you to a public that will never trust you...Doesn't that make your blood boil?"

She regarded him calmly, as though she was cataloging his words and carefully considering them.

"Yes, that restaurant dream was the most precious thing I had." She admitted softly. "I used to wake up every morning, motivated by the thought that I'd bring genuine joy to the masses through my cooking. It gave a reason to keep going." A wistful note crept into her voice.

"...But that was...until the mont I decided to kill you."

"Until…that mont?" Cassius felt an odd jolt of both confusion and sothing like hope.

She nodded, resolute.

"You see, when I chose to assassinate you, I knew there was a very real chance I'd be caught and executed. That was the natural consequence of my decision. At that point, I'd already made peace with the idea that I'd never see my dream realized. I prioritized what I believed was a greater good—preventing other girls from eting a tragic fate in your hands and altering the lives what could've potentially been a countless number of innocent lives lost." Her gaze flickered, as though recalling old convictions. "So even if I died, I would have died knowing that I saved soone that still had her entire life worth living ."

His breath caught. He'd learned bits and pieces of her motive before, but seeing her calm resolve laid out so plainly left him montarily speechless.

anwhile, Isabelle pressed on, almost as if to reassure him. "Since I'd already resigned myself to losing my dream back then, this punishnt about having no chance to open a restaurant doesn't co as a surprise. In fact..." She added, lips curving with a subdued smile. "...it's kinder than I expected. I'm alive, free to stay in the estate—free to go, if I ever wish. I'd call that rcy, not betrayal."

Cassius didn't know what to say, so he latched onto the next point.

"But what about the…rumors? I told everyone you tried to kill . That's going to follow you no matter where you go, Isabelle. Don't you realize that ans you can't just run off and build a new life? No one's going to want to hire soone with such a reputation. Surely you see how that's not…well, kind."

To his continued astonishnt, she let out a little laugh, albeit a subdued one.

"Actually, Master, if you want the truth, it's sowhat of a blessing since I was dreading the upcoming marriage with Edmund." She pursed her lips briefly. "You know how I have no interest in him at all, and I wasn't looking forward to that future, especially after what happened. So, now that word of my assassination attempt has spread, I'm quite certain my father will rescind the arrangent out of sha. Edmund alos wouldn't want to marry a rumored murderer. And that suits just fine."

Cassius felt his jaw slacken. He grasped for composure, but the conversation had taken such an unexpected turn that his carefully nurtured guilt and self-loathing were now overshadowed by the surreal sense that none of this was going as planned.

"Oh, and sothing else." She added brightly, clasping her hands in front of her as though sharing a pleasant bit of gossip. "I used to get hit on constantly wherever I went, and it beca quite tireso." A mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. "Now, though, with everyone thinking I'm so deadly assassin, I doubt anyone will be brave enough to pester . It's like a blessing in disguise, Master!"

She giggled, her expression so at odds with the gravity of the conversation that Cassius could only stare in disbelief.

He blinked, montarily forgetting his self-reproach. "Wait, you're…glad that rumor is out there because it keeps suitors away?"

Isabelle shrugged with an amused smile. "Well, it spares the headache of rejecting unwanted advances. I never liked that sort of attention anyway, so I don't mind one bit."

Cassius's composure threatened to unravel further. He had expected tears, rage—anything but this breezy acceptance.

Still, he managed to piece together a question. "But…this ans finding work outside these walls will be nearly impossible. If, at so point, you wanted a fresh start—"

She shook her head, cutting him off with uncharacteristic boldness. "I've never thought about leaving your side, Master...Not once."

Those words struck him like a sudden gust of wind. Sothing in his chest tightened at the revelation. "You…never considered leaving? Even after all this?"

Isabelle's cheeks ward, a flush creeping across her face as she realized how ambitious her statent sounded.

But she pressed on, determined not to lose montum.

"That's right." She confird softly. "To be honest…from the mont I truly got to know you, I stopped thinking about going anywhere else. I want to remain by your side until…well, until the end of ti, if you'd let ."

She paused, as if weighing the impact of her words. A faint tremor ran through her posture—an endearing sign of nerves—but she lifted her chin, deciding to follow through.

"Maybe that sounds foolish, or naive. But you see, my purpose in life used to be cooking and spreading happiness with my dishes. Then it shifted to sothing darker—taking another life in hopes of protecting many more lives. And now…"

For a mont, her gaze flickered upward, catching Cassius's eyes. She steeled herself with a breath, cheeks afla.

"Now, my purpose has changed again, because of you. Because you're…well, you're soone I want to serve." She said, voice trembling slightly with earnestness. "Soone who fascinates , who keeps guessing. Soone I find worth knowing—worth dedicating myself to. Soone I…I can't help but want to be near at all tis."

She swallowed, forcing herself to et his astonished stare.

"After eting you, realizing how you think, how you carry yourself, how you look after people even when you pretend not to…I felt drawn in. It's like I'd finally found a new direction for my heart. And so, if I must define my purpose now..." Her voice dipped to a gentle hush. "...it's to stay by your side as your maid, or servant, or whatever title best fits—and make sure every single one of your needs is t."

A glimr of conviction shone in her eyes.

"I…I don't fully understand it, either." She admitted. "I can't explain why I feel so strongly about this, only that I do. It makes happy to imagine taking care of you, ensuring you have what you need—maybe even being part of your journey if you'll let ."

As the last of her words faded into the quiet night air, Isabelle slowly lowered her gaze, her nerves finally catching up to her. Her heart pounded so loudly that she half-expected Cassius to hear it.

Yet a sense of resolve mingled with her embarrassnt. She'd co this far, said things she'd never dared voice, and though it terrified her, it also felt incredibly…right.

For his part, Cassius stared at her, the tension in his posture shifting from guilt-ridden bracing to pure, unfeigned astonishnt.

He'd spent countless hours anticipating how this confrontation might play out, and not once had he imagined a scenario where Isabelle ended up offering—so eagerly, so earnestly—to remain with him.

Words failed him in that mont.

He opened his mouth, but found nothing coherent waiting on his tongue. The myriad emotions in his chest—regret, relief, confusion, a faint flutter of an unnad warmth—swirled together, leaving him acutely aware of how fragile and vital this mont was.