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

The tavern was lively when they arrived, lanterns swaying gently, laughter and drunken chatter filling the smoky air, the smell of roasted fish and ale mixing with the salt of the lake breeze.

Cassius had already given the group a short explanation of the Leviathan encounter on the way, carefully trimming away every shameless detail Nala would want buried forever.

She had kept glancing back at him with wide, pleading eyes, silently begging him not to reveal how far she had gone with her wild declarations, and he had simply smiled to himself and stayed quiet.

Now, seated at a corner table in the busy tavern, Cassius finally had a moment to eat in peace.

A wide wooden plate of grilled fish, steaming bread, and strong-smelling pickled vegetables sat before him, along with a mug of frothy ale.

Aisha ate slowly and primly, though her sharp gaze flicked between Cassius and the others, still clearly waiting for answers.

Skadi, on the other hand, seemed completely lost to the world, gnawing through her third helping of grilled meat with childlike enthusiasm, her tail occasionally swishing under the table as if she'd forgotten all about the earlier drama.

But Julie hadn't forgotten. Not even for a second.

She leaned forward across the table, her elbow nearly landing in Cassius's bread, and poked him in the shoulder with the fork she was holding.

"Cassius. Come on. Tell me what happened."

Cassius didn't even look up, calmly tearing off a piece of fish and popping it into his mouth.

Julie frowned.

"Don't ignore me! You can't just pretend none of that happened." She jabbed him with her fork again, though not hard enough to hurt. "You were naked in the middle of the forest when we found you. Naked, Cassius. And then—"

She gestured wildly toward the ceiling with her fork.

"...you're shouting about being some lamia's husband! And she's blushing, and she's yelling at you, and she looked ready to cry. What am I supposed to think about that? I deserve to know what happened."

Cassius calmly sipped his ale, completely unbothered by her desperate tone.

"I wouldn't mind telling the story if it was just about me." He said casually. "But this isn't just about me. Nala is involved. If I tell you what happened, she'd probably roll herself into a little croissant and die of embarrassment. I don't think she'd forgive me."

Julie slammed her fork down onto her plate, scandalized.

"That only makes me want to know more!" She leaned in closer, her eyes practically sparkling with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "You're telling me you were out of our sight for maybe half an hour, half an hour, and in that time you got naked, fought a Leviathan, and ended up calling some strange girl your wife?!"

"Cassius! You can't just drop a bomb like that and then sit there eating grilled fish like nothing happened. You have to tell me! This is gossip of the century!"

Cassius swallowed, then leaned slightly toward her, his smile turning mischievous. "Let's just say one thing led to another...and after some unexpected turns, we ended up choosing each other as partners. We're married now or rather financees."

Julie almost fell off her chair. "Fiancees?!" She yelped, startling a few nearby patrons.

Cassius's grin widened. "Mm. And I'm not lying, either. She was the one who said it first. Proclaimed it loud and clear, in fact. Told the whole world she wanted me to be her husband…"

He leaned even closer and dropped his voice just enough for Julie to hear over the tavern noise.

"…and that she wanted my babies."

Julie froze mid-bite, the sausage on her fork wobbling dangerously. "She—WHAT?!"

Cassius leaned back in his chair with a smug expression, sipping his ale while Julie slammed her fork back onto her plate again.

"You can't just say that and not explain how it happened!" She cried. "That's the best part!"

Cassius only laughed softly, refusing to elaborate.

Julie's face twisted in frustration before she turned sharply toward the other two. "What about you two?" She demanded, pointing at Aisha and Skadi. "Don't you want to know what happened? Aren't you at least a little bit curious?"

Skadi didn't even look up. Her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk, stuffed with golden fried fish as she held a mug of beer in one hand.

"Nope." She said flatly through a mouthful, then swallowed with an audible gulp. "Don't care about that, Captain. This fish is the only thing I care about right now."

She speared another piece, shoved it into her mouth, and groaned in delight.

"Oh gods, this is so good. Even while I'm still chewing, I'm already waiting for the next bite! Whatever they're putting in this batter, it's gotta be some kind of potion, nothing tastes this good by accident."

She grabbed another piece eagerly, licking her fingers.

"I'm bringing some back home. And I saw they've got dried sardines hanging by the counter, I'm buying a whole bag before we leave."

Julie groaned and slapped her forehead. "Useless...Why do I even bother asking you?"

She then turned to Aisha, who was calmly dabbing at her lips with a napkin, her expression serene.

"What about you, Aisha? You have to have an opinion about this, right?"

Aisha raised a brow, tilting her head slightly as if the question was odd and just as Julie was expecting for her to agree with her, she asked something else entirely.

"Is this really surprising, Captain?" She asked calmly.

Julie blinked. "What do you mean, 'not surprising'?!"

"This is Cassius we're talking about." Aisha went on as she glanced at Cassius with a faint, knowing smile. "It's not the first time he's stumbled into a situation like this. We've seen his records, remember? How he's managed to charm women left and right?"

She shrugged delicately.

"If we didn't know him personally, it might be shocking. But we do know him. So no, I'm not surprised that some lamia girl he just met is suddenly his wife."

Seeing how well she knew him, Cassius reached over and slung an arm around Aisha's shoulder, pulling her in playfully. "That's my girl. Knows me better than anyone."

Aisha's cheeks flushed pink as she quickly stuffed another bite of food into her mouth, pretending not to notice how close he was.

Julie stared at them both, flustered.

"Aisha! Doesn't this bother you at least a little?" She blurted out, sounding more embarrassed than accusatory. "I-I mean...Y-You two just got together! And now he's already going after another woman, d-doesn't that vex you?"

Hearing this accusation, Aisha simply stared at Julie for a second before letting out a small sigh, setting her fork down.

"When I chose to be with him, I knew exactly what kind of man he was." She said softly but firmly. "Cassius was never the type to bind himself to one woman, and I accepted that from the start. He already has a harem back home, Captain. I prepared myself for this the moment I said yes."

Julie's mouth fell open slightly, but Aisha kept going, her gaze firm.

"But I don't really care since as long as he gives me the love I deserve, I'm fine with whatever other relationships he has along the way...Because I know that what he and I share is something unique. Something no one else can replace."

Hearing this, Cassius's grin softened into something warmer as he turned her face toward him and peppered her cheek with playful kisses.

"Oh, you're too adorable today, Aisha...So freaking adorable." He murmured.

"Stop, stop, Cassius!" She protested, half-laughing, half-hiding her face, but her tail was wagging happily against the floor.

Meanwhile, Julie sat frozen, watching with her face burning red. This was the same little sister who once swore she'd never marry, now melting under the affection of a man who seemed impossible to pin down. It twisted something strange in Julie's chest that she didn't dare name.

But Aisha recovered quickly, lifting her gaze again and fixing Cassius with an intent look.

"Rather than that, I want to know more about the Leviathan." She said seriously. "I still can't believe you actually met it. I thought it was just a legend! How did it look? Was it terrifying?"

Cassius only smirked. "Not terrifying at all. In fact...I thought it was pretty cute."

Aisha blinked. "Cute? How could something that massive and dangerous be cute?"

Instead of answering, Cassius suddenly reached behind her, catching her tail before she could react and pulling it into view.

"C-Cassius!" She yelped, her tail bristling in surprise.

"When I saw it..." He said with a grin, stroking along the silky fur. "...it reminded me of this. Your tail. The Leviathan's movements were just like this, smooth, graceful." He gently rubbed the tip, making her squirm. "See? Just like this."

Her face burned crimson as she whispered, "Y-you can't just...touch me like that...it's sensitive…"

Cassius only chuckled and let his hand slide lower, to where the base of her tail met the curve of her back. "If the tip is this sensitive...." He murmured mischievously. "...then what about right here…?"

Aisha bit her lip as he traced his fingers near her butt where fur met skin, making her shiver.

"N-Not here…! Everyone's watching…" She protested weakly, but he only teased her more, letting his fingers graze lower toward the swell of her perky butt.

Witnessing this happen right in front of her, Skadi, let out a huff and deliberately turned her attention back to her fish, loudly crunching into another piece as if to block out the scene.

Meanwhile, Julie sat frozen, staring with a deep blush, unsure if she should look away or stop them, since as embarrassing as it was, she couldn't help but wonder if she herself had the same flustered face when he was playing with her own butt...