Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!
Chapter 235 - 235: For Their Happiness...

Wayne's voice grew softer, tinged with a lonely ache. "That's when it hit me." He said, his gaze dropping to the floor. "One glance, and I knew the truth. They weren't kidnapped. They weren't coerced. They came here to your mansion, my lord, because they wanted to. They chose this place chose you over me."

He let out another sigh, heavy and weary, as if the words were a weight he'd carried too long.

"I don't know how deep your relationship with them is, or how it even started. I don't know what you did to make them feel so...content, so at home here."

"But it was clear as day: being in your presence, in this mansion, makes them happier than I ever could."

"Wait, so you're saying...they're here because they like it? They're happy with him?" Aisha gestured at Cassius, her tone full of disbelief and frustration. "That's...that's insane! With his reputation? The stories? Why would they choose this place over their own home?"

Wayne's smile turned bitter, his eyes meeting hers with a quiet resignation. "That's what I asked myself, too." He said. "But then I realized...I never gave them a home...Not really."

"I was always gone, buried in work, serving the patriarch, chasing power and duty. I left them alone, emotionally, physically. I wasn't there when Vivi was sick, when Diana needed me. I failed them, and they found something someone...someone better." He turned to Cassius, his voice steady but laced with pain. "The rumors are true, in a way. You did steal them from me, my lord."

"...But not their bodies, but their hearts."

Hearing this, Cassius's eyes narrowed, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk as he studied Wayne, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"You're a surprising man, Wayne." He said, his voice low and thoughtful. "I'll admit, I expected you to come in here swinging, demanding their return, maybe even threatening to burn this place down. I was ready for a fight, maybe even looking forward to it." His smile widened, a glint of mischief returning. "But you...you already knew the truth, and you're just...accepting it?"

Wayne chuckled, a dry, humorless sound.

"Accepting it? I don't know if that's the word. But fighting you? That's a battle I'd lose before it started." His shook his head at that impossible task, before looking back at him. "And seeing them yesterday, smiling like that...it made me realize I've already lost them."

"...Not to chains or threats, but to something I could never give them."

But Cassius wasn't done. He leaned forward, his voice low but insistent, a provocation woven into his words.

"Wayne, you're a man of duty, I'll give you that. But you could fight for them. For Diana, for Vivi. You could change, be better, give them the husband and father they deserve...I'd make sure of it, you know. I'd hold you to it." His tone was almost encouraging, though a faint smirk played at his lips, as if testing Wayne's resolve.

But to such a offer Wayne simply shook his head, his wry smile returning, though it was tinged with a bone-deep weariness.

"Change?" He said, his voice rough but steady. "My lord, I'm a capable man when it comes to my work. I'd even say I'm the best in the continent at what I do, managing the Holyfield family's affairs, serving the patriarch...That's my strength, my pride."

"...But family? Love? Those...those are foreign to me."

He paused, his swollen eyes glistening as he met Cassius's gaze.

"No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I want to change, I know I could never give them the happiness you've given them...I've even seen it, their smiles, their contentment. I can't match that. I never could."

He stopped, his gaze dropping to the floor as he clenched his hands briefly.

"But it's not just that." He continued, his voice softening, almost introspective. "It's not about my failure, not entirely. What matters to me now what I care about is their happiness."

"For the first time in years, maybe ever, I saw them truly happy yesterday. Diana, Vivi...they were radiant in your courtyard, Cassius. I never gave them that. I never even came close."

He looked up, his eyes steady despite the pain in them.

"So why would I fight to drag them back to a life with me? They're here because they want to be. They're happy. That's enough for me. I'm...I'm fine with them staying, as long as they're smiling like that."

Cassius tilted his head, his smile fading into something more thoughtful, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "And what about you, Wayne?" He asked, his voice low and probing. "What will you do now? Just walk away and leave them here?"

Wayne's lips twitched into a faint, resigned smile.

"I'll do what I've always done." He said simply. "I'll serve the patriarch, the Holyfield family, just as my father did, and his father before him. It's what I know, what I'm good at. I'll work until my last breath, keeping the family's legacy strong. That's my place." His voice was steady, but there was a quiet sorrow in it, a man accepting his lot with no illusions.

His eyes hardened then, a sudden firmness replacing the resignation as he fixed Cassius with a piercing stare.

"But there's one thing I need to know, Young Master." He said, his voice low but unyielding. "One thing I have to hear from you. Do you truly love them, Diana and Vivi? Do you cherish them, not as...as toys to play with and discard, but as the loves of your life?"

"...Because if you're just toying with them, using them for your amusement, I swear, I'll—"

Cassius raised a hand, his expression shifting to one of rare solemnity. The playful glint in his eyes vanished, replaced by a steady intensity.

"Wayne." He said, his voice quiet but firm, cutting through the older man's words. "I love them with every fiber of my being. My heart, my soul, it's theirs."

"Every moment, every thought I have, is about making them smile, making them happier than they were the day before. Seeing their joy, it's what drives me...So, you don't need to doubt that."

Wayne studied him, his eyes searching Cassius's face for any trace of deceit and after a long moment, Wayne let out a sigh, a sound of relief so profound it seemed to lighten his haggard frame.

"I'm glad." He said softly, his voice trembling slightly. "I'm glad you love them that much...I'm glad you can give them what I never could."

He paused, then looked at Cassius again, his gaze steady but softer now.

"One more thing, my lord." He said, his voice almost a whisper. "Can I...can I trust you to keep them safe? To protect them, always? To make sure no harm comes to them, for as long as they're with you?"

Cassius's smile returned, warm and assured, though his eyes remained solemn.

"I swear it, Wayne." He said, his voice unwavering. "As long as I draw breath, not a single hair on their heads will be harmed. I'll protect them with my life." He leaned forward, his tone taking on a darker tone, though his smile didn't falter. "And if I fail, if anything happens to them, you have my permission to come for me."

"Just like that night with my father, when he paid the price for his sins. You can take my head and mount it as a trophy for my failure."

The room froze, a ripple of confusion passing through everyone except Wayne.

Aisha's ears twitched, her eyes wide with shock as she whispered to Julie. "What's he talking about? Cutting off heads? Is he crazy?"

Julie's brow furrowed, while Skadi's tail tucked slightly, her eyes darting to the desk as if expecting it to reveal some dark secret.

Even Isabelle and Portia raised their brows, exchanging a glance, their composed facades faltering for a moment at Cassius's words.

Wayne, however, smiled, a small, genuine smile that softened the lines of his haggard face.

"I'm glad to hear such a strong promise." He said, his voice steady. "And I hope it never comes to that, Young Master. I hope I never have to see you fail them."

Cassius chuckled, a low, warm sound that broke the tension. "Let's hope so, Wayne...I'd rather keep my head where it is."

Wayne nodded, his shoulders relaxing as if a massive weight had been lifted. He glanced at Julie, then at Aisha and Skadi, his expression softening further.

"I've said what I came to say." He said, his voice quiet but resolute. "I won't delay you any longer, Captain. Your business with the Young Master is important, and I've taken enough of your time."

He turned to leave, his boots scuffing softly against the rug, but Cassius's voice stopped him.

"Wayne." He called, his tone softer now, almost compassionate. "Before you go...don't you want to see them? Diana, Vivi, one last time? Tell them how you feel, maybe make your peace?"

Wayne paused, his hand on the door handle, his back to the room. For a moment, he stood still, his shoulders tense, as if wrestling with the offer until he finally spoke.

"No." He said, turning slightly to look at Cassius, his smile sad but resolute. "I don't know how I'd face them now. I don't...I don't deserve it. Let them remember me as a distant memory, something from the past they don't need to dwell on." He paused, his eyes glistening. "But...please, Young Master, tell them I'm sorry. For everything. For the years I wasn't there, for the husband and father I failed to be."

"...Tell them that I hope they can forgive me."

Cassius nodded, his smile gentle but unwavering.

"I'll pass on your message, Wayne." He said softly. "You have my word."

Wayne let out another sigh, a sound of relief and release, as if the last of his burdens had slipped from his shoulders. He opened the door, the heavy oak creaking softly, and stepped out, closing it behind him with a quiet thud.

The room fell silent, the weight of the departure of the man who has given up his family for the saw of their happiness lingering like a fading echo...