Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 548: Letβs Compare Stories
The sisters of the Order stood stiffly, their faces pale and their postures tense. ππ£π²ππ¨π²ππ»πΌπ―π²π.π°ππ¦
Every word Cassius had spoken had been true, and it stung. They knew it.
They had searched for weeks and all of it had led nowhere.
Not one accusation stuck. Not one soul had dared claim that Cassius Holyfield had wronged them.
Every lead they chased came back with glowing words about his charm, his generosity, his impossible kindness.
The sisters could still remember villagers smiling as they spoke of him, women gushing about how he treated them like royalty, and even priests murmuring that perhaps he was βblessed by fortune itself.β
It was maddening.
But none were more shaken than Stella.
She had seen the documents herself. She had seen the reports Joy had collected over the last monthβand then she had seen his version of it.
Lucius had casually walked up to her just now, handed her a small bundle of papers with that bright, too-innocent smile, and said,
"Oh, you might find this interesting, Sister Stella."
And when she had opened it...she had felt her breath stop.
Because every investigation they had carried outβthe names of the sisters who went to question villagers, the hours of their inquiries, even the exact questions they had askedβwere all documented there in his handwriting.
Every meeting. Every whisper. Every private discussion. All of it written in careful, flowing ink.
It was almost as if while they were spying on him, he had been spying on them as well
She didnβt know what frightened her moreβthat Cassius had been aware of everything they did, or that he had allowed them to continue just so he could watch.
She swallowed hard and glanced toward Lucius, the ever-cheerful butler standing faithfully behind his master.
There was something strange about him, something disarming.
He was cute, but the longer Stella stared, the more she couldnβt tell if he was truly a young man or a woman in disguise. Either way, he was far too clever for his own good.
βHe gathered all this himself...didnβt he?β She thought uneasily.
The realization spread across the sisterhood like wildfire, murmurs rising, soft and shaken. They had come here prepared to dismantle a corrupt noble, yet it was they who were being dissected piece by piece.
Everyone assumed Joy had lost.
Everyone assumed there was no way she could recover from this.
But thenβJoy took a long, deep breath.
It wasnβt her usual sharp inhale of frustration. It was slower, quieter like she was forcing herself to calm down, to suppress the growing irritation that this smug nobleman had managed to crawl under her skin.
Normally, she was unshakable. Few people ever angered her.
But something about Cassiusβhis confident tone, that lazy smileβmade her blood boil in a way she didnβt understand.
She exhaled, composed herself, and when she spoke again, her tone was controlled and measured, but laced with venom.
"Well..." She began, folding her hands together. "It seems youβre right about one thing. Every single investigation Iβve done has completely backfired."
"Everywhere I go, all I hear is praise about how wonderful you are. How generous. How brilliant. How the Goddess herself must have blessed your existence."
Her words dripped with sarcasm.
She tilted her head slightly, mock-sweet. "If I didnβt know any better, Iβd think I should give you a medal for being such a good nobleman. Perhaps even have a hymn written in your name."
Cassius smiled faintly, standing a little taller, smugness practically radiating off him.
But then Joyβs tone hardened.
"However..." She said, her gaze sharpening. "Unlike the other things youβve managed to cover upβpolishing your filth into something that looks saintlyβthereβs one thing you couldnβt hide. Something undeniable. Something that even you cannot lie your way out of."
Before anyone could speak, she turned her head slightly. "Stella."
"Yes, my lady." Stella said quickly, stepping forward.
"Bring it out."
At once, Stella hurried to one of the travel bags beside the other sisters, opening it carefully before taking out a peculiar-looking deviceβan enchanted projection orb encased in silver and glass.
She carried it to the long table and set it down gently.
Everyone leaned forward.
Stella pressed the activation rune. The orb hummed softly, and a moment later, a faint blue shimmer spread into the air before forming a large holographic projection against the far wall.
And then they all saw it.
A projection of Cassius himself, his face unmistakable, his voice clear standing in a room.
"I have enslaved these women." The image said coldly, his tone chilling. "Iβve kept them below the estate in the basement where no one will find them. They will serve me as long as I desire. Their obedience...will be absolute."
The room gasped, while Joyβs lips curled into a small, victorious smirk as she folded her arms.
"Well, well. What do you have to say about this, Lord Cassius?" She said coolly. "A perfect image, a perfect voice, and your own confession. This isnβt rumor or gossip. This is evidence."
She took a step forward. "And donβt even start with the usual excuses. Donβt tell me itβs false. Donβt say itβs fabricated or faked. You know as well as I doβno current magic or monotech can falsify a video projection. None."
She looked toward Aqua briefly, her expression sharp. "Your sister tried. She gathered scholars, engineers, even magicians to prove this false. But all her research led to one conclusionβnothing like that exists. So save your breath."
The holographic Cassius continued, smirking on the wall as he walked through the warehouse. His voice echoing.
"Soon the entire world will kneel. My servants, my slavesβthey will worship me."
The nuns murmured prayers under their breath, disgusted and vindicated at once. Aqua clenched her fists, while Maria whispered a horrified. "No..."
Joy raised her chin proudly. "So? What do you have to say now, Lord Cassius? Still innocent? Still the saintly young master your maids cheer for?"
Aqua looked at her brother with panic in her eyes, while Maria sat frozen, clasping her hands together tightly. The maids held their breath.
They thought he was done.
They thought he couldnβt answer.
But Cassius...
Cassius laughed.
A low, amused chuckle escaped him, echoing through the hall like a slow drumbeat.
Everyone stared.
Even Joy blinked in confusion.
When he finally stopped laughing, he looked up with that same infuriatingly calm smile, eyes glinting.
"You really think youβve got me, donβt you?" He said softly. "You really believe this one projectionβthis poor little recordingβis the nail in my coffin?"
He tilted his head slightly, almost pityingly. "You truly underestimate me, Saintess."
Lucius smirked behind him, arms folded proudly.
Even the maids seemed...strangely relaxed, as if this entire thing was a rehearsed performance.
Cassius spread his hands lazily. "Well then. Since youβve shown me one of your little videos..."
He leaned back, smiling wider.
"...Allow me to show you one of mine."
He turned slightly. "Lucius."
"Yes, Young Master!" Lucius said instantly, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Lucius darted out of the hall. The sisters watched in bewilderment, whispering nervously. Joy frowned, her instincts warning her that something wasnβt right.
A moment later, Lucius came running back, carrying a nearly identical device. He placed it right next to the one Joyβs nuns had brought and activated it without a word.
The projector flickered to life, casting a different scene on the opposite wall.
Cassius smiled knowingly. "Now then." He said. "Letβs compare stories, shall we?"
The projection flickered to life with a soft hum and at first, everyoneβJoy, the sisters, even Aquaβbraced themselves for Cassiusβs counterattack.
Surely this was where he would expose them.
Where heβd somehow unravel the supposed evidence and reveal how every video of him was fabricated, falsified, or twisted through some clever illusion.
Everyone expected him to explain it all away in that annoyingly tone of his.
But thenβ
The moment the image sharpened, they froze.
Instead of some report or justification, the projection showed a glittering banquet hall, filled with nobles dressed in velvet and silk.
Music played faintly in the background, laughter and the clinking of goblets echoing through the space.
And there, on the stage stood Cassius himself.
He was dressed elegantly, raising a golden chalice, his expression calm yet wickedly charming. The crowd below watched with admiration.
And then he spoke.
"Tomorrow." The Cassius in the projection began, his tone sharp, confident, chillingly arrogant. "I set out for the Southern Kingdom. But not to bring pride to our empire or glory to our banner."
The nobles in the crowd leaned forward.
"No." He continued with a evil grin. "I go there to kill their men, enslave their women, and bring them back to my estate. Iβve taken quite a liking to them, after all. Why should beauty go to waste in a dying kingdom?"
The room in the projection erupted into laughter.
The nobles raised their goblets in a toast, their smiles cruel and approving.
"TO CASSIUS VINDICTUS HOLYFIELD!" Someone shouted. "A true conqueror of hearts and lands alike!"
The Cassius in the video raised his glass, chuckled darkly, and clinked it against the nearest nobleβs.
"To conquest." He said.
The hall went dead silent.
Joyβs expression twisted; her breath caught in her throat.
The sisters gasped.
Maria covered her mouth.
Aquaβs entire body stiffened as if struck.
It was horrifying.
Cassius, the man who had just charmed them all with his demeanor, was now seen boasting about pillaging, murder, and enslavement as though it were nothing more than a sport.
But it didnβt stop there.
The next scene flashed into view.
