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

The late-night silence had descended upon the village, a stark contrast to the lively noise of the tavern just hours ago. The only sounds were the soft lapping of the lake against the shore and the gentle chirping of crickets.

In a small, neat bedroom on the second floor of Wanda's tavern, a different kind of silence had taken over.

Julie, Aisha, and Skadi stood awkwardly in their silky nightclothes, the material rustling softly with every nervous shift of their weight. Their hair was damp, and their skin had a fresh, clean sheen from a much-needed bath, a luxury after days of camping.

But the comfort of the bed and the clean room was overshadowed by the undeniable tension in the air.

Normally, on a night like this, they would be laughing and chattering, celebrating the simple joy of a real bed. But tonight was different.

Tonight, they weren't alone.

Cassius sat in a chair by the window, completely at ease. He was casually peeling an apple, the small, sharp knife glinting in the dim moonlight. His presence filled the room, making it feel both smaller and infinitely more charged.

This was the problem Julie had mentioned to Cassius. The tavern only had one spare room at the moment, and it had a single bed.

All of them would have to sleep together. And while the thought of sleeping next to Cassius wasn't a problem for anyone, the presence of the other girls made the situation feel strange and embarrassing for all of them.

Just as the silence threatened to suffocate them, Cassius finally spoke, taking a bite of his apple.

"Tomorrow, I won't be available." He said, his voice a low, casual rumble. "I'm going out with Nala. She's going to show me around the village. If you have any plans, don't include me."

Julie jolted as if she'd been caught doing something wrong, then nodded too quickly.

"F-Fine...fine. It's fine. We'll be busy anyway."

Cassius raised a brow. "Busy?"

Aisha cleared her throat, seizing the chance to steady her nerves by explaining.

"Granny Wanda mentioned the Leviathan problem. Apparently, this isn't the first time it's appeared here. The first sighting was about a month ago. It came out of nowhere, right in this village."

"No one got hurt that time, but it swallowed some cows and goats before slipping back under. Since then, it's appeared in other villages around the lake, terrorizing them. People have been killed."

Her voice grew grim.

"Because of this the other villages and this one are too scared to fish. The merchants are also too scared to approach. And without trade, every settlement around here is struggling. It's...bad."

Cassius's expression darkened. "And no one reported it? No reinforcements from the authorities?"

Aisha gave a bitter smile. "This is still Valheim territory. You know what that means. No matter how many pleas they send, no one comes. The villagers have been left to fend for themselves."

Julie nodded, her eyes sharpening. "That's why tomorrow we'll survey the situation. See what we can do about the Leviathan ourselves."

Cassius leaned back, tossing the apple core onto a plate. "Sounds dangerous. Should I postpone my...plans with Nala and come with you?"

Before Julie could answer, Skadi scoffed.

"What are you talking about, Master? We're not delicate maidens who need protecting. Sure, you're strong, but we're not weaklings either. We may not slay the Leviathan outright, but we can face it head-on."

Aisha puffed her chest out proudly. "Exactly."

Julie, though still flustered, nodded in agreement, her usual steel surfacing in her voice.

"Right, I forgot." Cassius chuckled, amused by their fiery confidence. "You're some of the top warriors on the continent. I get so used to seeing your softer sides, I forget you can each annihilate armies if you want."

That compliment made all three of them blush, their gazes sliding away. Then Cassius reached into his storage ring and pulled out a small crystalline card.

He handed it to Aisha. "Still, just in case...if anything happens, snap this. I'll know where you are and come."

Aisha accepted it with a nod. "Thanks. But we won't need it."

"Humor me." Cassius replied with a smile.

And just like that silence settled once more. The three women shifted nervously, glancing at the bed, then at each other, then at Cassius.

They were fearless in front of a legendary beast like the Leviathan, but sharing a bedroom, sharing a bed, with him was somehow scarier.

Cassius also noticed the silence stretch. At first, he considered ignoring it, but their stiff posture made it impossible. With a sigh, he set the knife and plate aside, leaning back in his chair.

"You don't have to stand there like statues all night." He said evenly.

All three turned toward him, startled.

"I know you're nervous." He continued, his gaze soft but steady. "Sharing a room with me...and the same bed. It's only natural, especially since you've never done anything like this before."

Their throats bobbed in unison as they swallowed. He'd hit the mark dead on.

"But..." He added. "You don't need to worry. I wasn't planning to sleep in the bed anyway. I found an extra mattress in the closet. I'll set it up on the floor, and you can have the bed to yourselves. Problem solved."

That caught them completely off guard. Their eyes widened, and instead of relief, a flicker of frustration crossed their faces.

"What?!" Aisha blurted, indignant. "Why in the world would you sleep on the floor when there's a perfectly good bed right here? It's big enough for all of us!"

"Exactly, Master." Skadi crossed her arms, glaring fiercely. "Even if it's tight, we'll adjust. I won't let you sleep on the ground like some stray dog."

"And what about all that nervousness earlier?" Cassius arched a brow. "You were clearly flustered at the thought of sharing a bed with me."

"It's not like that! I wasn't scared of you." Aisha shook her head, cheeks flushing. "I just...I actually wanted to sleep with you. To cuddle."

Julie nearly choked on air, her face turning warm.

Aisha pressed on boldly, "What made me nervous wasn't you, it was sleeping next to Julie. I didn't know how to feel about that."

"Exactly!" Skadi snorted. "I've shared a bed with Aisha before, no problem. And I'd love to sleep next to you, Master, you'd make a damn fine pillow."

"But knowing that stupid cat would be right there watching me get all fluffy and cuddly? That's what's weird."

"Oh please." Aisha shot back, ears flicking. "Like I want you watching me snuggle with Cassius either, mutt."

Still, both of them turned back toward Cassius with flushed determination.

"But those are small issues." Aisha finished firmly. "The point is, we don't want you on the floor. We'd rather you stay with us."

Cassius looked between the two of them, an amused grin on his face.

"So the two of you have reached an agreement. Good for you." His eyes slid toward Julie, who had been silent all this time, her face burning. "But what about her? What does our Captain say?"

Julie froze, caught in the crossfire, while Aisha and Skadi turned to her.

"If the Captain has a problem with it, then she should deal with it herself." Aisha said with a smug scoff. "She should be the one who should sleep on the mattress instead."

"Yes, what Aisha said!" Skadi added, her voice full of gleeful malice. "Majority counts! If three people are willing to sleep together, and one person isn't, then they should be the one kicked out! They should be the one sent to the mattress instead!"

Julie's face turned pale in disbelief.

"Wait, all of you! How could you say all of this?" She cried out, her voice filled with outrage. "We've been traveling together and going on so many missions for so long, and out of nowhere a man comes, and you're ready to kick your beloved sister away? How could you?!"

She stared at them, but they both simply looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.

Julie's gaze then fell on Cassius, as if it were all his fault. But before he could say that he has nothing to do with this, her expression softened, and she looked at him with a shy, embarrassed expression.

"And you're all making it out to be as if I'm some sort of villain."

She murmured, before looking at all of them, and to their complete shock, she said,

"But honestly...I also wouldn't mind Cassius sleeping on the same bed. I-I don't mind him sleeping with us."

All three of them froze, their eyes wide as if Julie had just declared she'd joined a rival kingdom.

Aisha was the first to recover, leaning forward with disbelief. "Really? Really, Captain? You actually don't mind Cassius sleeping with us in the same bed?"

Skadi blinked rapidly, her mouth half open. "Is that...really true, Captain? Or do you maybe have a fever right now? Because this doesn't sound like you at all."

Julie's cheeks burned as she shook her head quickly, strands of her damp hair brushing her flushed face.

"N-No! It's not like that at all. I'm not delirious or making some heresy decision." She took a small breath, fidgeting with the hem of her silky nightgown. "It's...it's a rational decision. One I made on my own."

She then looked back at Aisha and Skadi, her voice softening.

"It's not like I want to push him away and throw him out of the room or anything. That would be so cruel, especially since he has been such a good host throughout this journey, letting us have such a nice tent while he himself slept in a shabby one."

"I would be the most cruel woman in the world if I still let him sleep on a mattress. There's no way I would do something like that."

Aisha, still reeling from the unexpected turn of events, just stared. "Wait...so you're basically telling me that you don't mind all three of us sleeping together on the same bed?"

Julie looked at her and nodded, a shy, almost imperceptible dip of her head.

Aisha and Skadi exchanged a look of pure relief, a collective smile breaking out on their faces. The problem was sorted out.

The unspoken war over who would get to share the bed with Cassius, and who would have to sleep alone, was over. Everyone could be close to him.

Cassius, however, saw the subtle shift in their demeanor. He realized that not only did they not mind sleeping with him, but they actually preferred it. They had wanted him to sleep with them all along.

A slow, sly smile spread across his face as he decided to take full advantage of the situation...