Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!

Just like that, the training went on.

Julie was moving around the cooking site like she had done it all her life, though the sweat running down her face and the trembling in her hands told a very different story. She wasn't calm, she was terrified.

But somehow that very terror, that constant pressure pressing on her chest and bones, was making her body move in ways she had never been capable of before.

Her hand held the knife steady without a shake, slicing vegetables into even, neat pieces.

The meat was stripped into thin slices with precision and dropped into the pot at exactly the right time.

She stirred the mixture in slow circles, never letting it stick, and adjusted the flames without second-guessing herself.

Spices that once she would have tossed in randomly were now measured by instinct, each pinch exact, each addition perfect.

Julie herself was stunned.

'I've read these recipes a hundred times...I know them all by heart...but I never thought I could actually make them real.'

Her heart pounded, not just from the suffocating bloodlust crushing her lungs, but from pure excitement. Her eyes glowed faintly in the firelight as she worked.

"Cassius, look!" She blurted, almost bouncing on her knees as she stirred. "It's working, it's really working! I'm actually doing it, I'm cooking!"

Cassius, arms crossed, only narrowed his eyes and gave a small nod. "Don't get distracted. Focus." His voice was stern, but she could see a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth, pride he was trying to hide.

Julie wanted to chatter more, to share her joy, but every time she lost focus, her movements faltered and she made a small mistake, a slip of the knife, a drop of spice too close to being too much.

And every single time, Cassius would increase the pressure, letting that invisible weight bear down harder, until her hands were trembling violently and her face went pale.

The pressure was so strong now that the forest itself responded. Birds and small animals had fled far away. Even distant demonic beasts gave wide berth to the cooking site, their instincts warning them to stay away.

And Julie alone bore the full brunt of that monstrous aura.

Her breath came short and ragged, yet despite that, she smiled brightly through it all.

'This is what it means to grow...this is what it means to finally do something right.'

And finally, after what felt like hours, the stew was done.

The pot simmered gently over the fire, releasing a rich, savory smell that made even Cassius's expression soften for a moment.

He could hardly believe this was the same girl who yesterday nearly poisoned him with an inedible disaster.

Julie then leaned back, panting heavily, wiping sweat from her brow, and beamed at him.

"Cassius...look at it. I really made it this time. An actual stew. I didn't ruin it!"

Cassius let his sternness drop just enough to give her a nod. His chest swelled with quiet pride.

"Yes. You did well. This...This is, well....real cooking."

He even felt a sting behind his eyes, ridiculous, he thought, that he'd almost tear up over something like this.

But then—

Julie's hands tightened around a small basket beside her. Inside were berries and grapes she had foraged earlier. Her expression suddenly hardened with unusual stubbornness.

"And now that I've finished...I'm going to add these to give it some flair!" She declared, clutching the basket protectively.

Cassius froze, his eyes narrowing sharply. "…What?"

"These berries." Julie said quickly, her cheeks puffing out in determination. "I picked them earlier! They're fresh, and sweet, and I just know they'll make the stew better! It's like, like destiny, Cassius. I have to add them." She hugged the basket to her chest like a child clinging to a toy.

Cassius's shoulders tightened. He stepped forward, voice low and strict.

"No! Absolutely not! You finally made a proper stew. It smells good, it looks good...But if you throw those berries in, you'll ruin the entire thing. I won't allow it."

But Julie shook her head wildly, her hair bouncing with the motion.

"No, no, no! I want to add them! I need to! Please, Cassius, trust me on this. I feel it in my bones, it'll make everything better!"

His eyes hardened, the faint glow of his bloodlust sparking again.

"Julie. Don't be foolish...Cooking is not about what you feel like adding. It's about discipline. Precision. You put those in, and all your effort will be wasted."

But Julie's face scrunched up, her lips pursed stubbornly. She almost looked like she might cry, but her arms wrapped tighter around the basket.

"You don't understand! I found these in the forest earlier, and it felt special, like fate was telling me to use them. It has to be now!"

Cassius clenched his fist. He had forced her body to obey under pressure, made her hands steady, her movements perfect.

But this, this was different.

He couldn't force her decisions. Fear could not suppress her stubbornness.

His mind raced. 'If she dumps those berries in, all of it, everything she worked for, everything I pushed her through, it'll be wasted. But...I can't stop her with bloodlust alone. What do I do?'

Julie pouted up at him, her eyes shimmering with a mix of determination and pleading. "I'm going to add them, Cassius. I promise it'll be good. Just trust me for once, okay?"

Her fingers tilted the basket ever so slightly, the berries rolling towards the edge. The motion was slow, but enough to make Cassius's heart stop.

"Wait, stop!" He barked, his voice unusually sharp as his hand shot out, palm trembling like he was ready to catch hers at any moment. "Julie, don't you dare—!"

But she was stubborn, her lips tightening into a defiant line and he panicked.

He had never been this desperate to stop someone from doing something so...trivial, and yet, to him, it wasn't trivial at all.

This stew wasn't just food, it was proof of her growth, proof of everything he had pushed her through. If she ruined it now, all of that would be wasted.

In a split-second decision, he resorted to the threat he swore he would never use. He jabbed a finger at her, his eyes narrowing.

"You better not do that, Julie...or else."

The words cut through the tension, and Julie's hand froze mid-air, the basket hovering dangerously close to the pot. She blinked at him, wide-eyed.

"…Or else what?"

She asked slowly, her tone low, suspicious, like she was testing him. Her eyes darted between his face and his hand pointing at her.

"What are you going to do if I add them inside? Hm? What then?"

Cassius's throat tightened. He didn't actually want to say it. His fingers flexed, and he looked away for half a second, almost ashamed. But with no other choice, he muttered it out.

"…Or else…"

His voice grew firmer as he repeated it, and then he looked her dead in the eyes.

"Or else I'll spank your butt like I said earlier..."

"...Spank it so hard, Julie, just like your father would if you did something wrong...

"...Hard enough that you'll never, ever, ever try to screw up another dish again."

The words landed like a thunderclap and Julie's eyes widened in absolute shock.

She gasped so loudly she almost dropped the basket right then and there. Her cheeks burned red and her lips trembled before she managed to stammer.

"Y-You wouldn't. You wouldn't dare! You don't have the guts to do something like that to me!"

Cassius, instead of backing down, chuckled lowly. His smile was sharp, challenging.

"You think so? Believe me, I don't want to. But…" His eyes gleamed as his expression hardened. "To save this dish, the dish I've worked on with you from start to finish, I'll do anything. I won't let you ruin it. Not even for your stubborn whims."

He stepped closer, lowering his voice but making it colder.

"And if that means giving you a few tight slaps on your ass to teach you what you should and shouldn't do in a kitchen...then so be it."

Julie's heart skipped a beat. Her hands trembled as she held the basket over the stew. She bit her lip, eyes narrowing as her face burned even hotter.

"You...you're bluffing. You're bluffing, Cassius. There's no way...you wouldn't dare humiliate me like that."

Cassius only rubbed his hands together slowly, the sound making the air between them even heavier. He tilted his head slightly, his smile never wavering.

"Go ahead then. Try me. Drop them in, and you'll find out exactly how serious I am."

For a moment, silence reigned.

Julie's basket hovered above the pot, her eyes eyes locking with his crimson gaze. She bit her lip so hard it almost bled. Cassius stood across from her, calm yet terrifying, rubbing his palms like he was preparing himself for the punishment he swore he'd carry out.

A stalemate.

In his mind, Cassius was certain she'd back down. She's smarter than this. She's reasonable. She won't risk angering me for something this small. He waited, confident she'd put the berries away.

But Julie was trembling for a different reason.

'I'm letting him scare me. I'm letting a boy, someone younger than me, threaten me like this?'

'I'm the leader of one of the most powerful Knight Brigades on the continent! And I'm hesitating because of...this?'

'No. No, I won't let myself be bullied. Not now, not ever.'

And because of that thought, her lips curled into a stubborn line as her eyes eyes burned with courage.

And before Cassius could react and to prove her courage—

She gritted her teeth, glared at him with unshaken defiance, and in one bold motion, she tilted the basket and dropped the berries into the stew.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

The berries sank one after another into the simmering liquid, bursting slightly as they hit the hot surface. The sweet, fruity smell immediately mixed with the savory aroma, twisting it into something unrecognizable.

"Julie—!"

Cassius shouted, reaching his hands out as if to stop the motion, but it was already too late. His eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the dish he had protected, nurtured, and guided into existence defiled before his very eyes.

Julie's own chest heaved as she forced herself to hold his gaze.

"There. I did it." Her voice was shaky but defiant. "I...I won't let anyone, not even you, tell me what I can and can't add to my cooking."

She wanted to feel proud, but her hands trembled, her heart racing.

Because when she looked up—

Cassius wasn't smiling anymore.

He was staring down at her with those crimson eyes glowing cold and bright, his expression darkened into something terrifying.

It wasn't the casual, teasing look she had expected. It wasn't even the stern frown he usually gave when she made mistakes.

No...this was something else.

A cold, unyielding gaze she had only seen a handful of times before, at people who had crossed a line they should never have crossed. But never at her.

Until now.

Julie froze, her bravado crumbling in an instant. The air seemed to vanish from her lungs as she whispered.

"C-Cassius…?"

He didn't answer right away. His gaze bore into her, making her tremble more than his bloodlust ever had. For the first time that night, Julie realized, she wasn't in control. And she wasn't safe.

This wasn't just about cooking anymore.

This was about the one thing Cassius couldn't forgive: ruining what he cherished.

And Julie had just exactly that...