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

Chapter 764: Isolated From Love

But eventually, Aqua realized that what her brother said was true. He really had nothing else to do.

Even though she felt indignant, even though she wanted his attention all on her—she turned around with a sullen look on her face and went back to practicing her domain.

But this time, the excitement was gone.

She was somber. Quiet. Her heart wasn’t in it.

She kept glancing back, hoping Cassius would look at her.

But he never did. He was fully focused on Maria, constantly teasing her, playing with her, making her giggle.

It made Aqua sad.

But she couldn’t let her stupid pride get in the way.

He had done so much for her. The least she could do was focus.

So, she continued to read more pages.

She didn’t stop at water. She moved to wind, then earth, then fire.

She had all five elements at her command, and she practiced each one meticulously.

Spells came to her effortlessly—new combinations, new techniques, entire sequences of magic that she had never even dreamed of before.

She created a whirlwind that danced across the grass without disturbing a single blade.

She raised a pillar of earth that bloomed into a flower made of stone.

She conjured flames that burned in impossible colors—blue, green, violet without heat, without danger.

She looked back again.

Cassius wasn’t watching.

He was kissing Maria now. Openly. Brazenly.

Aqua bit her lip.

She returned to her practice.

—

Soon, other women began to arrive.

Isabelle came first. She sat on Cassius’s lap and whispered something in his ear that made him laugh.

Portia followed, shyly approaching until Cassius pulled her into his arms.

Vivi skipped over, demanding piggyback rides, and Cassius obliged.

Nala slithered up, coiling around him like a snake, her tongue flicking out to tease his ear.

Skadi bounded over, tackled him, and demanded head scratches.

Diana also arrived, looking elegant and composed—until Cassius grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap too.

One by one, they all came.

And every single one of them received his attention.

Flirty dialogue for some. Casual conversation for others. Full-on lovemaking for the rest.

Maids came too. Cooks. Gardeners. Even a few of the sisters who had recovered from their ordeals.

It was as if the entire mansion had gathered just for Cassius.

And Aqua remained isolated.

She practiced her magic alone.

—

To her credit, the rest of the mansion did notice her.

They cheered from the sidelines, clapping and shouting encouragement.

Skadi did backflips, her tail wagging furiously.

Vivi made a small poster that read: "GO SISTER-IN-LAW!" and held it up with both hands.

Aqua felt warm from the encouragement.

But it wasn’t what she wanted.

She wanted Cassius’s attention.

And that was completely absent.

He never looked at her. Never called out to her.

Never acknowledged her existence.

Her mood went down with every passing moment.

Maria noticed.

She leaned close to Cassius’s ear.

"She looks so sad, Cassius. Maybe you should go talk to her."

Cassius smiled, a knowing smile.

"It’s alright."

Maria didn’t understand, but she trusted him. She chose to believe that he knew what he was doing.

So she kept quiet.

And the afternoon stretched on.

Aqua practiced. Cassius flirted. The women laughed. The sun moved across the sky.

This went on for so long that Aqua eventually grew used to it.

She told herself it was fine. She convinced herself that she should simply be happy.

After all, she was going to become a Supreme Mage, and in the future, she would get to spend time with her brother without being forced into a marriage she didn’t want.

That thought brought her comfort. It was enough. It had to be enough.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and decided to let go of her petty need for attention.

She would practice her domain, master her new powers, and be grateful for what she had.

But then she glanced back one more time.

And the moment she did, all those feelings of acceptance, of letting go, of being content to watch from the sidelines—they evaporated instantly.

This was because someone else had taken a seat on Cassius’s lap.

It was the last person she had expected.

Carmela!

And she wasn’t just sitting there.

They were even more intimate than a normal couple!

Cassius had his face buried in Carmela’s neck, and from the way his head moved, he was clearly nibbling on her skin. Biting. Sucking.

Meanwhile, Carmela was completely covered in a dark cloak—she was a vampire, after all, and the sunlight, even in the late afternoon, still bothered her sensitive skin.

But despite the cloak, Aqua could clearly see that even though Carmela was saying, "No, stop it." Her voice weak and breathless, she was blushing.

Her cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, and she wasn’t pushing him away. She was letting him nibble on her neck.

It looked like he was giving her a hickey. A very obvious, very intimate hickey.

This was the final straw.

When it came to the other women in the household, Aqua could understand.

They had all surrendered to Cassius’s charms long ago.

But Carmela was different.

Carmela was supposed to be her companion. Her fellow holdout.

The only other person in this mansion who hadn’t taken the final step with Cassius.

And now, here she was, succumbing to Cassius’s seduction like everyone else.

Flirting with him on his lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Letting him nibble on her neck like some lovesick schoolgirl.

Aqua couldn’t handle it anymore.

"CARMELA!"

Her voice rang across the garden, sharp with indignation.

Carmela jerked upright instantly. Her face went from flushed to crimson.

She scrambled off Cassius’s lap, nearly tripping over her own feet, and tried desperately to regain her composure—smoothing down her cloak, adjusting her hood, looking anywhere but at Aqua.

But it was too late as Aqua marched over, her eyes blazing.

"What are you doing with my brother!?"

Carmela’s long, pointed ears turned red—a dead giveaway that she was caught. Still, she tried to fight back, stammering out an excuse.

"It’s...It’s not what you think! I was just hungry! I wanted some blood, and your brother offered, and I had no choice but to sit close to him!"

She pointed at Cassius, shifting the blame.

"H-He said he wouldn’t give me any unless I sat on his lap! What was I supposed to do?"

Aqua’s eyes narrowed.

"It’s fine if you’re sucking his blood. But why was my brother sucking on your neck?"

Carmela’s ears somehow got even redder.

"He—he said he wanted to know what it felt like! To suck blood, I mean! He wanted to practice, and I was the only one available, so—"

Aqua crossed her arms. "And you just happened to let him?"

"I didn’t have a choice!"

Aqua narrowed her eyes.

"No choice? What do you mean, no choice? You were obviously enjoying it."

"What? No! No, I wasn’t!" Carmela’s voice pitched higher. "Not one bit! I wanted to get up at all costs!"

"I could see the smile on your face." Aqua said flatly. "The blushing. The way you leaned into him."

"...You most definitely were enjoying it."

Carmela opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Because she had been enjoying it.

The truth was, she had been watching from the corner of the garden for a while now.

She had observed Cassius flirting with all the other women.

And watching them had made her feel...jealous.

A small, quiet jealousy that had grown and grown until she couldn’t ignore it anymore.

So she had approached Cassius under the pretense of needing blood. But he had seen right through her.

He had pulled her onto his lap and started playing with her, teasing her, nibbling on her neck—and she hadn’t minded.

She had liked it.

But now that she had been caught, she was completely flustered. She had no idea what to say.

But before she could formulate a response, Cassius grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his embrace.

"Ahh—!" She landed on his lap with a surprised yelp.

He held her there, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist, and looked up at Aqua with a challenging smile.

"What about it, Aqua? Carmela wanted some lovey-dovey time with me. And I wanted the same as well. So we did."

He tilted his head. "What are you going to do about it?"

Carmela tried to protest. "I don’t—don’t put words in my—"

Cassius pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her.

He kept his eyes on Aqua.

"Come on, Aqua. What is it to you? Why are you so against your brother playing with other women?"

Aqua’s face contorted with frustration.

"What is it to me? What is it to me? Well, I—I—"

She stopped.

She didn’t know what to say.

Because Cassius was right.

He was minding his own business. He wasn’t bothering her. He wasn’t doing anything wrong.

The only problem was that he was giving all his attention to other women instead of her.

But she couldn’t admit that.

She couldn’t admit that she was a needy sister desperate for her brother’s attention.

She couldn’t admit that watching him flirt with others made her burn with jealousy

She couldn’t admit that she wanted to be the one sitting on his lap, the one he nibbled on, the one he whispered sweet nothings to.

She couldn’t say any of that.

So she didn’t.

She just stood there, frozen, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

Cassius’s smirk widened.

Aqua’s face burned. Until—

"CASSIUS, YOU BIG DUMMY!"

She kicked him in the shin, then spun around and stormed off, her footsteps heavy with anger and indignation.

—

She walked until she couldn’t see her brother anymore.

She found a small fountain tucked away in a quiet corner of the garden, surrounded by flowering bushes that blocked her from view.

She slumped onto the stone edge and splashed water onto her face.

Spash!

The cool liquid dripped down her cheeks, mixing with the tears she refused to acknowledge.

She didn’t know what she was feeling anymore.

She had made a decision, a firm, resolute decision to cut off any wrong feelings toward her brother.

To maintain a proper sibling relationship and be content with being his sister and nothing more.

But ever since this morning, Cassius had been treating her differently.

Not badly. Not cruelly. Just...not the way she wanted.

He wasn’t treating her like a woman at all. He was ignoring her, focusing his attention on everyone else, giving them the love and affection she craved.

And it made sense. She was his sister. Of course he treated her differently.

But that didn’t stop it from hurting.

She wanted to be the one sitting on his lap.

She wanted to be the one he flirted with, teased, kissed.

She wanted to feel his arms around her, his lips on her skin.

But she couldn’t.

So watching others do what she couldn’t—watching them receive the love she desperately wanted made her feel completely left out.

Isolated.

Alone.

In that moment, she hated being his sister.

Because being his sister stopped her from loving him the way she wanted to love him.