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

The fire had finally died.

What remained in the pit was no longer a blaze but a smoldering grave. The flames had eaten everything they could, leaving only curling smoke and the grotesque remnants of what once were men.

Some had been burned so completely that only ash remained, nothing but dark stains scattered across the charred earth. Others were half-consumed, their twisted bodies frozen in their last desperate struggles.

A blackened hand reaching upward, fingers curled as if pleading for someone, anyone, to drag them out. A face half-burnt away, mouth locked wide in a scream that would never end.

The pit had become a gallery of horror, a grotesque canvas of justice and vengeance.

Around the rim of the pit, the crowd began to quiet.

The roar of voices and chants, the wailing and sobbing, dulled into softer sounds. Many had collapsed to their knees, overcome with emotion, their tears pouring freely as they buried their faces into the shoulders of loved ones.

Some broke down entirely, clutching their neighbors as they wept. Families held each other close, finally realizing, finally believing, that retribution had been given.

That those who had stolen, tortured, murdered, and destroyed their lives were gone forever.

Some of the victims, however, did not linger.

They ran. Tears streaming down their faces, feet pounding against the cobblestone, they sprinted back towards their homes. For word had already spread through the crowd, hostages, kidnapped children and missing family members, had been found alive.

And so, like the wind, they tore through the streets, desperate to hold again those they thought lost forever. Their tears this time were not only of sorrow but of relief, of joy, of reunion waiting just beyond the horizon.

And through all of this, they thought of that scarfed man.

The man who had orchestrated it. The man whose name no one even know, only that he bore ties to the Holyfield family. In their hearts, they thanked him, even those who feared him.

But the scarfed man, Cassius himself was not at ease.

He climbed slowly from the pit, each step slow, heavy. His eyes lowered, his breath unsteady. His thoughts spiraled as he ascended, carrying the weight of what he had done. What he had shown them.

This had begun as a gift...A birthday gift for Aisha.

A grand gesture to show her that he could grant her wish, that he could rid the land of those who preyed on innocents, that he could give her a memory she would never forget. He had wanted to protect, to save, to honor.

But now?...Now, as he looked back at the charred remains and thought of the screams that had filled the air, he saw the truth.

It hadn't just been justice. It had been a massacre.

A massacre of hundreds, set ablaze before her eyes. Aisha's birthday, her day, was now marked not by joy, not by simple happiness, but by fire and blood and shrieking horror.

He could have given her jewelry. A dress. Something small and sweet, something she could smile at without weight.

But instead...this.

And the thought loomed him inside.

Would she see him now as a monster? As someone too dangerous, too ruthless to love?

Would Julie, or even Skadi, step back from him, deciding at last that he was too much?

He had felt, these past days, as though they were growing closer, bonded not just by battle, but by something gentler. And yet, in one rash decision, perhaps he had destroyed it all.

As he reached the top of the pit, he paused, heart thundering against his ribs. His prayer slipped out silently in his head:

Goddess of Debauchery, if you're watching me, don't let them look at me like I'm a demon. Please...not them.

He then pulled himself up, landing on the solid ground outside the pit. Smoke clung to his clothes, the scent of burnt flesh hanging heavy in the air around him.

And there they were.

Julie. Skadi. Aisha.

All three of them staring at him.

Especially Aisha.

Her eyes locked onto his, wide, unblinking, her expression unreadable and his chest tightened. He opened his mouth, fumbling for words, for some way to explain himself, an apology, a justification, a joke, something.

"Hey, Aisha…" He said softly, forcing a half-hearted smile.

But then she moved to his surprise.

Whoosh!

Aisha suddenly dashed forward, her small frame a blur of determination and Cassius froze, his heart leaping into his throat.

She was coming at him fast, her face set with intensity, and he thought for certain, this is it. She's going to slap him, kick him, scream at him.

He also thought he deserved it. He wouldn't block it. He wouldn't fight it. He'd let her do whatever she needed to.

But what came next was not a slap.

It was an embrace.

Hug!

Aisha leapt onto him, legs wrapping tightly around his waist, arms locking around his neck. Cassius staggered back a step in shock, staring at her in disbelief.

For one suspended moment, she held him there, her eyes meeting his, burning with something he couldn't place.

And then she kissed him.

"Kiss!♡~"

Not a gentle kiss, not a hesitant brush of lips, but a deep, passionate, claiming kiss.

"Mmm!♡~ Mmm!♡~ Smack!♡~ Mmm!♡~ Lick!♡~"

Her mouth crashed against his, fierce and insistent, pouring everything she had into him. Her tongue slipped boldly past his lips, taking him by surprise, forcing him into the moment whether he was ready or not.

"Kiss!♡~ Kiss!♡~ Mwah!♡~ Kiss!♡~ Sip!♡~"

Cassius's eyes widened, mind blank, caught in a haze of shock as Aisha kissed him with reckless abandon.

She wasn't just kissing him, she was showing him, proving to him, that no matter what he had done, no matter what horrors had passed, she wasn't afraid...She was his.

And she didn't care who saw it.

Julie's cheeks flushed, her hands trembling as she turned her gaze away, eyes darting desperately around as if trying to find anywhere else to look. Her lips parted slightly, breath caught in her throat, stunned at the sight.

Skadi, on the other hand, did not look away. Her eyes narrowed, then gleamed with sharp amusement. Her lips curled into a sly, almost taunting smile.

There was jealousy there, yes, but also challenge. A silent message burning in her gaze as she watched: So that's how it is, rival? Fine. Then show me how far you'll go.

But Aisha didn't care. Not for Julie's flustered reaction. Not for Skadi's knowing smirk.

And instead she kissed Cassius like she wanted the whole world to see.

Finally, she pulled back, breathless, sliding down to the ground, her lips still warm against his.

She looked up at him with a tender smile, her cheeks pink, her eyes shimmering with a love she could no longer hide, while Cassius himself blinked, still reeling, his heart pounding as if he had just fought a war.

He stared down at her, speechless, his lips tingling with her taste.

"…What was that, Aisha?"

He asked, frustration and disbelief tangled in his voice.

"What was that all about? You...You just jumped on me and kissed me like you'd gone crazy! What was that, were you in heat or something?"

Her cheeks flared even redder. She balled her hand into a fist and gently punched him in the chest.

"You idiot." She said, flustered but smiling shyly. "Of course not! I'm not some cat. I don't go into heat."

She lowered her gaze for a moment, then lifted it again, softer, her voice trembling with honesty.

"It's just...after what you did tonight. After the gift you gave me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to thank you."

"You went so far, just for me, to make me happy, to make my wish come true. You gave me justice I never thought I'd see. You gave so many families peace and knowing how you did all of that for me, I wanted to do something in return, but didn't know what to do."

Her voice cracked. Her eyes glistened.

"But then when I looked at you...right in front of me...I just knew what I wanted to do. I couldn't stop myself. So I kissed you. Like that."

She took a tiny step closer, her gaze shy but unwavering as it lifted to his.

"D-Did you hate it, Cassius?" She whispered. "Did you hate the way I kissed you? Was it too sudden?"

Cassius froze when he heard her whisper, her voice trembling yet certain.

For a heartbeat, he was too stunned to even answer. But then, almost frantically, he shook his head, his hair falling into his face as he spoke quickly, earnestly.

"No, no, Aisha, not at all. Not even a little. I loved it. I loved your kiss..I'd even say I'm honoured!"

Her lips curved into a small smile at that, her shoulders easing in relief. But before she could say anything more, Cassius continued, his voice heavier now, quieter.

"It's just...I thought for sure you'd be scared of me. After what I did. I mean...I know you're a soldier, I know you've seen war, but to watch a man burn so many people alive, right in front of you, just to give you a birthday gift...I thought you'd see me as a ghoul. Or a demon."

He gave a short, self-deprecating laugh and looked away.

"Maybe that's what I am...That's what everyone called me in past world and I can even hear a few people whispering those exact words right now."

"...So, maybe I really am someone that's meant to be feared for the rest of my life. Maybe I am the monster they treat me as."

Cassius whispered to himself, not even realising that he was bringing up past feelings of remorse that still hadn't been left behind and were all brought to this world like unwanted luggage...