My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 22

It was a bold, but not unreasonable response.
Refusing his offer could seriously damage the reputation of House Blanchet.

Technically, he could force it, but for nobles, desire always came second to honor.

And as long as he was alive, Cassian carried the blood of Blanchet.
He had to act accordingly.

But this girl only understood part of the game.

If it can’t be done one way, then find another.
That was how nobles in the capital operated, elegant on the surface, ruthless underneath.

“I see,” Cassian said quietly, his voice curling into a dangerous smile.

“Maybe that house wasn’t so important after all. I guess I worried for nothing.”

Yurisiel swallowed back tears again, just as she always did.

Crying in front of the man who crushed her desperation time and time again was the most foolish thing she could do.

She was finally starting to understand.
This young master wanted her to cry.
That was the point of all this.

But she had no intention of becoming his personal clown.

So, she just had to endure a little longer. Just a little more.

Still, the image of her house, now destroyed—flashed through her mind again.

The place where she and her mother had lived, the home they had built with so much effort, was now in ruins.

It had been pieced together through tireless effort.
Her mother had skipped meals, saving every coin to buy the logs.
She had swallowed her pride, begging Hael’s mother for a bit of clay.
She had worked as a party assistant, called cheap and foreign, just to earn enough for the wooden boards.

Every part of that house was mixed with her mother’s sweat and blood.

Back when her mother had still been healthy, she used to look at the house with pride, smiling as if it reminded her of better days.

Even after falling ill, her mother would often gaze at the house and smile quietly to herself,
remembering the version of her that had once been strong.

It wasn’t just a house.

But now it was gone.

Destroyed simply because Yurisiel had refused to play the role of Cassian’s jester.

Her pride, which had held out for the sake of saying no, shattered and sank like a stone.

“Give it back,” she said.

“What?” Cassian replied, his calm expression beginning to crack.

He already knew what she meant.

She wanted him to rebuild the house.
To undo what had already been destroyed.

He had no intention of doing that. Not even a little.

Still, he didn’t stop her from speaking.

He hated seeing her look relieved.

He hated the idea that she could walk away from him, heal, and live happily,
as if none of this had ever touched her.

It was always like this with her. She brought out the worst in him.

And just as expected, she said the same predictable words.

“That house meant everything to my family.”

She paused for a moment.

“I’m not like you, young master.”

Her trembling voice stirred something like pity.

“You may have done it as if it meant nothing, but to someone like me…”

It was life or death. That was what she had said the first time she came here.

Just like that day, when she begged for a drop of Blanchet’s grace, she stood before him now with the same face, speaking as if this pain was new.

“So what?”

Cassian’s voice sounded bored, as if her words barely held his attention.

Yurisiel felt the last bit of hope crumble inside her.

Her life had always been miserable, but this was the lowest it had ever been.

Even her mother’s final days were being trampled like this.

“Please,” she whispered. “Give it back.”

Her face finally broke, and tears streamed down without end.

“I told you,” Cassian said, “just stay here.”

It was a dangerous and cruel offer, and Yurisiel was still clear-headed enough to see it.

Just setting foot in this place had already brought disaster,
as if chaos followed her here like a shadow.

And if her mother were ever to be seen by this man.

If they ended up here, inside this house, What then?

She swallowed her fear and stood firmly.

“So, in the end, you never had any intention of giving it back.”

Cassian slowly lifted his head at the sound of her dry, cracked voice.

“I’ll be going now,” she said.

Even as she bowed politely, there was a hint of defiance in her posture.

Cassian let out a sharp breath and spoke impulsively.

“What, planning to run back to that silver-haired boy again?”

The moment she heard that, Yurisiel’s face turned pale.

Her green eyes, wide with shock, began to tremble.

And just like that, cracks formed in Cassian’s expression too.

Just hearing about that silver-haired boy sent this girl into a panic.

Would that boy give her his home, just because hers had been destroyed?

The perfect, well-mannered Hael, who couldn’t even bring himself to mention the medicine?

And yet this girl still wanted to protect him.
How ridiculous.

Someone like her, so low in Cassian’s eyes, was far too good for someone like Hael.

“You think that silver-haired boy will help you?”

Yurisiel flinched.

Hael’s name should never have come from this man’s mouth.

Would Hael be dragged into this mess too, just because of her?

Even that aside, how had Cassian found out about her and Hael?

Fear swept through her body.

Then came the shame.
Because deep down, she knew, just as Cassian had said that the only person in this village who could help her now was Hael.

But Hael…

Of course, the young master couldn’t have known all the details.
Still, Yurisiel felt like he had exposed a wound she had tried so hard to hide.

The trembling in her hands gave way to a surge of angry frustration.

“Isn’t this something you shouldn’t be involved in, young master?”

Cassian’s face lit up with a smug grin, as if he had been waiting for her to say it.

“Of course, it’s none of my business.”

His cold, gray smile sent a chill through Yurisiel.

Cassian stared at her for a moment, then reached into his coat and pulled something out. He let it drop onto the table with a soft thud.

Clink.

Inside the glass bottle sat a single, smooth, golden pill.

“What… is this?”

“Isn’t this what you were so desperate to find?”

“Then this is… the medicine made from Leaf?”

Her eyes locked on the vial, wide and trembling.

“How did you… how did you get this?”

Without realizing it, Yurisiel reached toward the glass.

Cassian watched silently, then suddenly stepped on the vial with his shoe.

His smile twisted into something cruel.

“Now you’re finally interested?”

In the end, she broke—just like he knew she would.

Her face twisted in desperation as she dropped to her knees and begged him.

She didn’t even ask for her house back.
She just said she would do anything.

Cassian felt a strange, overwhelming satisfaction.

Why should it matter if she came to live here or not?

He couldn’t believe how much his own mood shifted over something so small.

Still, soon enough, she would be living in this estate.

Without his permission, she wouldn’t be able to leave.

And as for her mother’s medicine— it would be handed out once a month, no more.

That would continue until the day he died.

And after that… well, who knew?

Until then, that devoted daughter would be trapped, doing exactly what he wanted.

And oddly enough, he found the thought,  entertaining.

A few days later, the mother and daughter arrived at the estate.

Cassian happened to look out toward the garden just as he closed a dull book,
and saw them walking in with their small bundle of belongings.

From the window, he watched them cross the garden together.
The scene almost looked like a painting—something from a fairytale.

Even though they had been driven from their broken-down home, Yurisiel’s mother wore a gentle smile on her face.

Her hands moved kindly, adjusting Yurisiel’s clothes.
Even from a distance, the affection was clear.
The soft smile on her lips looked just like the one that used to appear on Yurisiel’s.

It made sense. They were mother and daughter.

But what surprised Cassian most was Yurisiel herself.

The girl who always looked like a lifeless doll in front of him
was now smiling and talking freely beside her mother.

Of course, she had smiled like that around the silver-haired boy too.
But somehow, this felt different.

And strangely, that difference satisfied him.

While he was still watching them, the butler’s voice quietly entered the room like background noise.

“Everything is prepared, just as you ordered. The furniture is from the Cassandra line. We went with a white base and pink accents, and the chandelier…”

As he spoke, the butler kept glancing nervously at Cassian’s face.

Normally, the young master didn’t care at all about others, but this time, he seemed oddly invested.

Just yesterday, during a walk, Cassian had paused outside the room prepared for Yurisiel.
He had glanced inside for just a moment.

It wasn’t long, but the butler had served him long enough to know how rare it was for Cassian to care about anything at all.

What surprised him more was Cassian’s reaction when he mentioned how much effort the lord and lady had put into preparing the room.

Cassian had looked so indifferent, as if it didn’t concern him at all.

Had he already lost interest?

Then again, for someone like Cassian, his attention had lasted quite a while already.

The butler thought the lord and lady would probably feel a bit disappointed if they saw how aloof he was acting now.

Still, he continued his report.

Cassian didn’t interrupt.

And once the report was finished, he gave a quiet, simple response.

“That’s fine.”

Not praise. Just a decision.

Even then, Cassian’s gaze never left Yurisiel.

Then, her eyes met his for a brief moment.

But just like before, she immediately looked away.

So, she still thought she could avoid him, even after coming this far?

Cassian let out a soft laugh.

It wasn’t even funny anymore.

That crooked smile returned to his lips.

The butler, catching sight of it, swallowed nervously.

“Send her up once she’s finished unpacking.”

“I’m sorry? Oh, you mean Lady Yurisiel?”

Cassian didn’t answer with words.
He just gave a nod.

The maid who had first greeted them handed them over to the butler and quickly disappeared.

As Yurisiel followed the butler through the corridor,
she couldn’t hide the uneasiness growing inside her.

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