Chapter 21
Cassian let out a faint, amused smile when the butler informed him that Yurisiel had requested an audience.
“Let her in.”
The butler tilted his head, puzzled.
To be honest, he had never been able to figure out what this young master was thinking.
The one who had given the order to tear down that house was Cassian himself, sitting right in front of him.
That rundown house, tucked away where no one could even see it, had been targeted specifically for demolition.
And he had known full well that the girl lived there.
He had been receiving daily reports about everything happening near that home and about Yurisiel’s movements.
Sometimes, Cassian even followed her personally.
He had given strict orders for the carriage to avoid crossing paths with her workplace, which made the coachman complain endlessly.
Even when he did follow her, all Cassian ever did was stand quietly and watch from a distance.
With a blank expression, he would stare at her for a while, then turn back without saying a word.
It had happened more than once.
Today, the butler had even secured what Cassian had ordered, something Yurisiel had been desperate to get, her mother’s medicine.
And yet, he had also ordered the demolition of her home.
When the butler first heard it, he thought he had misunderstood.
Tearing down the only shelter of a girl living with her dying mother, especially when the girl was the one supporting the household, was no different from telling them to die out on the street.
Nobles might treat commoners like insects, but most of the time, they simply ignored them.
They didn’t go out of their way to target them with such attention and cruelty.
The butler couldn’t understand it.
If she had done something unforgivable, maybe it would make sense.
But then why bother giving her the medicine?
What confused him even more was how Cassian acted after she left.
Every single servant sent to assist him after that had been dismissed within an hour.
It was as if no one else could be allowed near him except for that girl.
The butler had been scolded by the lord again and again and had struggled to find new attendants.
Honestly, he was relieved that Yurisiel had returned.
But after seeing her tear-stained face, the butler felt a deep sense of pity.
He had not expected things to be this cruel.
Part of his sympathy came with a strange sense of relief that he had not been Cassian’s target.
Just remembering the way, the young master had glared at him and grabbed his collar sent shivers down his spine.
He was still haunted by it.
Today, once again, he had placed the perfect target in front of Cassian and quietly stepped away.
Yurisiel.
Just as he expected, she had come crawling back.
Her face carried the same look it had the day she left the mansion.
He remembered the way she had asked how he could treat her that way,
even though he knew the truth about that fake doctor.
He could still see the tears falling from her eyes.
She had said she would never come back.
But here she was again.
“See? In the end, you came back to me.”
Yurisiel’s lips trembled, but she looked straight at Cassian with unwavering eyes.
It was that same gaze, the one that had always stirred something in him.
How long was she going to stand in front of him like that, shaking but refusing to look away?
She always showed up only when she had something to confront him about.
And today, she had returned to his space, bold as ever.
“How could you give such a terrible order?”
Her voice shook with frustration, her face tense with anger.
So the demolition of that awful little house had really upset her.
Of course it had. That was the point.
He had been watching her over the past few days.
Busy from morning to night, doing everything she could to save her mother, she had grown dry and worn out.
Her face was almost always expressionless.
Except when that boy, Hael, was around.
Only then did she smile.
He had never seen such a pure smile before.
Her lips curled upward, soft and rosy.
Even the stable boy had gone so far as to bring her a doctor.
It almost looked like some kind of foolish love story,
but it had been strangely touching.
And that bothered him.
It bothered him so much that instead of turning away,
he followed her around, searching for the feeling that irritated him.
Like someone drowning in thirst, unable to stop.
Looking back, he felt like a complete fool.
Now, once again, he had done something chaotic just to relieve that craving.
Of course, Blanchet’s noble name would remain spotless.
The blame would fall entirely on the local lord.
Yurisiel stood tall in front of him now, refusing to back down.
She had asked how he could do something so heartless.
But it was all her fault.
As long as he was in this miserable place called Alphonse,
everything here fell under Blanchet’s control.
And yet, she had the nerve to provoke him in his own domain.
If she had really wanted to leave, she should have left without ever turning back.
Instead, she kept smiling as if she could be happy with anyone as long as it wasn’t him.
“Did my assistant not explain it properly? That shack was ruining the view.”
Yurisiel’s lips slowly parted, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“So, you’re saying… you tore down our house just because it was unpleasant to look at?”
Her voice trembled slightly, soft but firm.
“Why are you asking me? I’m sure it was the lord who said so.”
“The lord doesn’t care about things like that.”
Cassian placed the book down with a dull thud, as if he hadn’t been reading it in the first place.
Yurisiel watched the gesture with sharp, unwavering eyes and bit her lip hard.
Hard enough that it looked like she might draw blood.
“I don’t know what kind of grudge you hold against me, but please stop this.”
“Why should I?”
“Young master!”
Every time she ran out of words, she called him that.
Young master.
The way she said it sounded almost pleasant, like a delicate note from a refined orchestra.
Cassian didn’t stop her.
Her tearful expression pleased him in some twisted way.
But when her thin frame wobbled and she turned to leave, he finally spoke.
“Where are you going? It’s not like you have anywhere to go.”
His tone was dry, sarcastic, like a flat stone dropped into still water.
Completely different from Yurisiel’s voice, which trembled with emotion.
The sneer that curled across Cassian’s lips was plain in her view.
The air felt heavy.
Yurisiel stood frozen, unable to move, feeling like she couldn’t breathe.
How can someone be like this?
How can anyone treat another person’s life this way and still smile like it’s a game?
This young master…
He was a devil wearing the mask of an angel.
That phrase suited him perfectly.
She should have never met this man in the first place.
She should not have clung to the hope that her mother’s illness could be cured.
If not for that single thread of hope, her mother’s final days wouldn’t have become so miserable.
Everything felt like her fault, and all she could do was cry silently, tears falling without end.
She forced herself to stand, even as her legs trembled beneath her.
The only thing keeping her upright was her last shred of pride, a desperate wish not to show weakness in front of that man.
“I suppose I’ll have to leave. Since you destroyed my house.”
“Oh no,” Cassian replied, his voice dripping with mock sympathy, “As a noble of Blanchet, I simply can’t ignore a poor commoner’s misfortune.”
Yurisiel stared at him, confused and suspicious, as he flashed a smug smile.
Then he said, “Stay here.”
“What… what did you just say?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“I said, stay here.”
Her dress crumpled again as she took a step back.
He had destroyed her home without a second thought, and now he was offering her a place to stay, as if he were doing her a favor.
“Do you think this is funny?” she asked.
Cassian didn’t even look at her. He simply stared out the window, his expression as cold and detached as ever.
“Very.”
In truth, Yurisiel had nowhere to go if she left here.
But pride made her ignore reality for the moment.
“Then… pretend I didn’t hear your offer.”
Cassian’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
He looked almost wounded.
The angelic smirk he wore turned darker, more sinister—like a fallen angel showing his true colors.
That subtle shift made Yurisiel’s stomach churn even more.
From the look on his face, it seemed like she was the one at fault.
But she said nothing.
She couldn’t bring herself to lash out, not in front of Blanchet.
In that brief silence, Cassian’s face returned to its usual, emotionless expression.
“Did you really think I needed your opinion?”
His arrogant voice echoed through the room.
Cassian’s voice reminded even himself of someone he despised his own father.
That man had once spoken about a love from his youth, a woman more unforgettable than his lawful wife, even after living together for decades.
Yurisiel reminded him of that woman.
The one his father had never let go of.
The so-called first love.
Everyone called it puppy love, but Cassian knew better.
A woman who lingered in a man’s mind longer than the wife he spent his life with—that was not puppy love.
That was obsession.
That was power.
Had that woman worn the same look Yurisiel wore now?
Once, he had blamed his mother for resenting his father.
But now, looking at Yurisiel, it all seemed ridiculous.
He wasn’t any different.
No, he was different.
He would die before he ever felt anything like that.
Somewhere in the capital, his future wife, a noblewoman chosen by the Blanchet family, would one day cry not tears of heartbreak, but of relief.
She would never have to know what he felt now.
And so, he could live however he pleased.
Because all of this, every second—was limited.
That was why he had never needed Yurisiel’s opinion in the first place.
He hadn’t asked for her thoughts.
He had given an order.
She only needed to do what he wanted—cry, suffer, and grieve.
She was meant to mourn his dying life, not plan out her own future.
She was supposed to stay in the past.
Forever.
Of course, that wasn’t possible.
He knew that.
But at the very least, he would act like it was, while he was still alive.
But then she said, “Even if you’re the young master of Blanchet, you can’t keep me here against my will.”
