Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 155: Absurd Rumours

Cassius moved with a cat's grace, his steps silent on the stone path as he approached Vivi from behind, his eyes glinting with a curiosity and mischief.

Lucius and the senior maid also trailed quietly, their steps cautious, but the assembled crowd, seated in rows of chairs, noticed Cassius the moment he drew near.

Their eyes widened, gasps catching in their throats as recognition hit like a thunderbolt.

There wasn't a soul in the Holyfield Estate who didn't know Cassius—his name a wildfire of rumors, each more outrageous than the last, whispered in taverns, markets, and hushed corners of every household.

They knew him as the man who'd seized his mansion in a single night, turning it into his personal playground, bedding every maid in the household—some said he'd done it all at once, a debauched feast that lasted days, leaving the maids stumbling and starry-eyed.

Others swore he'd tamed a rival lord's wife with a single glance, chaining her to his bed with nothing but his voice, or that he'd seduced an entire convent of nuns, convincing them to renounce their vows for a night of unholy revelry.

The lewdest tales claimed he'd invented a forbidden elixir, one drop of which could drive anyone mad with lust, and that he'd tested it on a village festival, turning it into an orgy that scandalized the continent.

And the most absurd?...That he'd once wrestled a bear into submission, then celebrated by bedding three noblewomen atop its pelt, all while the beast watched in defeat.

More recently, the rumors had grown even wilder.

Word had spread of his conquest of the Sacred Order, that righteous band of knights. They said he'd stormed their training grounds, not with a sword but with his charm, committing a lewd act with one of their fiercest commanders right in front of her legion, her moans echoing like a battle cry.

Whispers followed that he'd slipped into their barracks at night, teaching the knights "swordplay" of a different kind, leaving them flushed and sleepless, their vows of discipline in tatters.

With such rumours of depravity woven around him—some tales absurd, others shockingly obscene, it was no wonder the crowd recognized him instantly, those crimson eyes unmistakable, said to be painted in the blood of a virgin, a rumor as hilarious as it was absurd.

The crowd stirred, their hands rising to cover gasps, eyes darting between Cassius and Vivi, who remained blissfully unaware of the storm approaching behind her.

But before their murmurs could erupt, Cassius raised a finger to his lips, his smirk sharp and commanding as he gestured for silence.

The weight of his presence—his power, his reputation, pressed down like a physical force, and the crowd obeyed without question. A single word from him could ruin lives, topple families, or worse, draw his attention in ways they'd rather avoid.

So, they swallowed their shock, their lips sealed, though their wide eyes followed him as he stepped closer, a shadow looming over Vivi's delicate frame.

Even the middle-aged woman seated across from Vivi noticed him, her tear-streaked face paling as she caught sight of those infamous crimson eyes behind her confidante.

Her voice faltered mid-sob, but Cassius's gesture—a subtle nod, a silent command to continue—kept her talking, her words tumbling out in a rush of despair.

"I-It's my husband, Lady Vivi." She wailed, wringing her hands as tears spilled anew. "He's cheating on me, I know he is! He's gonna run off with her, I just know it, leave me and the kids behind! We'll have nowhere to go, left to rot in the streets, begging for scraps."

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"...My life's ruined—ruined! What am I supposed to do?!"

Hearing this dramatic moment, Lucius, standing just behind Cassius, expected Vivi to react as most might—with indignation, scolding the husband, rallying to the woman's side with fiery support, as any women would. He braced for her to call the man a scoundrel, to fuel the woman's anger with righteous fury.

But to his utter surprise, Vivi remained calm, her expression serene, her blue eyes soft with empathy. She leaned forward slightly, her gentle smile unwavering, a beacon of peace amidst the woman's storm.

"Oh, Mara, I hear how much this hurts." She said, her voice soothing, like a lullaby for a wounded heart. "It's okay to feel this way—your sadness, your fear, it's all real. But let's take a breath, alright? If we want to sort this out, we need to understand it from the start."

"...Can you tell me why you think he's cheating? Everything you've noticed, from the beginning. Then we can find a way forward together."

Her words, delivered with such quiet confidence, seemed to wrap around the woman like a warm blanket.

Mara's sobs slowed, her trembling hands wiping at her tear-filled cheeks as she took a shaky breath.

"I...I'm sorry, Lady Vivi." She mumbled, her voice thick with emotion. "I didn't mean to make a scene like that. Ilost myself there. It's just...It's so hard."

Vivi's smile widened, her head tilting as she reached out, resting a delicate hand near Mara's on the table, a gesture of comfort without intrusion.

"Nothing to apologize for." She said, her tone bright but sincere. "You're feeling something big, and it's okay to let it out. I'm here to listen, to help."

"...Now please, go on, tell me when did you start noticing these things? What's been happening?"

Mara's voice trembled as she leaned forward, her hands twisting nervously in her lap as she poured out her story to Vivi, her words heavy with pain.

"It started two months ago." She began, her voice low but steadying under Vivi's calming gaze. "I was joking with my husband one night—said my body's getting old, that the housework's wearing me down...Didn't mean much by it, just teasing, you know?"

"But the very next day, he comes home with a maid—a young one, barely an adult, fresh-faced and all. Says he hired her to help around the house, so I could rest. Told me we had money to spare, that he didn't mind spending it if it meant I was comfortable."

She paused, her lips tightening as she glanced down at the table, her fingers fidgeting.

"I was surprised, sure, but not shocked. My husband's always been kind—always doing little things to make me happy, to make me feel like I'm the best wife in the world...Flowers for no reason, fixing the creaky door before I even ask—he's that sort of man."

"But this? Bringing a maid into our home without even talking to me first? That caught me off guard...And not just any maid—she's young, Lady Vivi. Beautiful, too, with a pretty face, long brown hair that shines like silk."

"I'm over forty, starting to see wrinkles when I look in the mirror, feeling my appeal fade. So to have this...This girl barge into my house? I felt threatened, I won't lie. Like I wasn't enough anymore."

Vivi nodded, her eyes soft with understanding, her smile a gentle anchor as she listened without interrupting.

Mara took a shaky breath, her voice growing quieter. "I tried to trust him, you know? He's a good man, never given me reason to doubt him. So I let her stay, thinking nothing would come of it. Told myself he was just being his kind self, helping out. But that's when things started changing. He started acting...strange."

Lucius, standing just behind Cassius, perked up, his ears practically twitching with interest.

'Juicy gossip.' He thought, his usual restraint faltering as he leaned slightly closer, eager for the details.

The crowd, too, leaned in, their murmurs hushed but charged with anticipation, their pity for Mara already taking root.

Mara's voice grew tighter, her hands clenching as she continued.

"Turns out, this maid—her name's Clara, she's got no experience at all. Just a simple girl, barely out of childhood, desperate for work to support her little sister. No parents, no one else to help them."

"Apparently my husband felt bad for her, said he brought her on to give her a chance to earn some coin. But she didn't know how to do anything not cleaning, not cooking, not even washing dishes properly. So he...he took it upon himself to teach her...Everything."

"Showed her how to scrub the floors, how to fold the linens, step by step, like she was his apprentice. At first, I thought it was fine—kind of him, even. Teaching someone's not a crime, right?"

She shook her head, her voice trembling with frustration.

"But then I tried to step in, to show her myself, and he'd always stop me. 'Rest, Mara,' he'd say. 'You don't need to lift a finger—I'll handle it.' And he'd spend hours with her, teaching her, talking to her, while I was pushed aside, told to relax."

"It got worse later...You see, he's an educator at the school, teaches children their letters and numbers. So he started teaching Clara to read and write, saying she didn't know how, that it'd help. her future. He'd call her into his workroom, close the door, and they'd sit there for ages, just the two of them."

"...I'd hear them laughing sometimes, and it...It cut me, Lady Vivi. Like I was being replaced."

The crowd murmured softly, their sympathy for Mara deepening, a few shaking their heads in disapproval. Lucius's eyes widened, his mind racing with the scandal of it all, already half-convinced the husband was being unloyal.

'Teaching her to read? In his workroom?'

He thought, barely resisting the urge to whisper his outrage to Cassius.

Mara's voice cracked as she pressed on, her hands trembling now.

"It gets worse. He started giving her extra money—more than her salary. When I asked why, he said it was for her little sister's school fees, that he was paying in advance and it'd be reimbursed later. Brushed it off like it was nothing, but it felt...Wrong."

"Why's he so invested in this girl?...Why's he spending all his time with her? And then—oh, gods, this broke me...Last week, I was at the market, shopping for supper, and I saw them."

"...Him, Clara, and her little sister, in a gift shop, all laughing together, picking out little trinkets like they were...like they were a family. My husband, smiling at them, holding a tiny bracelet for the sister, looking happier than I've seen him in months..."

"...I stood there, frozen, and I knew he's cheating. There's no other explanation and that he's going to leave me, leave our kids, and run off with her. We'll be out on the streets, and I don't know what to do!"

Her voice broke into a sob, her hands covering her face as she slumped forward, the weight of her fear and betrayal spilling out.

—"Poor woman!" "That maid's a thief, stealing her man!" "What a wretched husband!"—

The crowd's murmurs grew louder, full of pity and anger as their voices buzzing with judgment.

Lucius, caught up in the drama, turned to Cassius, his mouth opening to mutter something about the pitiful state of Mara's marriage, but he stopped short.

Cassius's face wasn't what he expected.

Instead of the usual smirk or a gleam of amusement, his master wore a thoughtful expression, his crimson eyes narrowed as if piecing together a puzzle.

'He doesn't think that's the case.'

Lucius realized, glancing back at Vivi, who mirrored Cassius's look—a calm, neutral gaze, her smile soft but her eyes sharp with consideration, as if she, too, sensed there was more to the story.