My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 45

Episode 45
2024.01.14.

Lanod swallowed hard.

The young master didn’t look like someone who had been unconscious for three days. It was as if he had heard everything all along.

As expected, the reason the lord had decided to release Yurisiel had nothing to do with leniency or justice.

Over the past few days, the widow named Jane had come and gone from the lord’s room several times, begging for her daughter’s release.

The lord, who had shown interest in Jane before, wouldn’t pass up such a convenient opportunity. Normally, a noble wouldn’t need any excuse to take a commoner as a mistress. Still, for some reason, he had waited patiently for her to crawl to him of her own will.

And since the victim of the alleged theft was Lady Catherine—a woman of relatively low influence—the lord had no reason to hesitate.

Yesterday, he finally got what he wanted.

“She agreed to become the lord’s mistress. In three days, after she prepares herself, she’ll be brought to his chambers.”

Lanod chose his words carefully, but that was the cleanest version he could manage.

Cassian’s face twisted in disgust, as if something filthy had touched him. Then, he let out a quiet laugh.

The sudden change in expression was unsettling.

Cassian lazily spun the water glass in his hand.

Things were turning out even more interesting than he had expected. Now he couldn’t simply stand back and watch.

After a long pause, he stopped spinning the glass and looked at Lanod, who was standing stiff with anxiety.

“Tell her everything.”

“Excuse me?” Lanod asked, blinking.

“Everything you know. Don’t leave anything out.”

Lanod’s breath caught in his throat.

Did he really mean everything? Was he supposed to tell Yurisiel that her own mother had agreed to become the lord’s mistress just to get her out?

Did he have to go that far?

Even so, Lanod could only nod. Orders were orders.

“Understood,” he said, bowing deeply before hurrying out of the room.

The door closed with a soft click, and silence filled the space.

Cassian leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes.

Three days. It had already been three days since she was imprisoned, and since he collapsed.

She probably didn’t even know he had been bedridden.

By now, that silver-haired boy must have figured everything out. Still, he hadn’t stepped foot in the prison.

That, at least, was satisfying.

Surely, Yurisiel had realized no one was coming to save her.

Behind his closed eyes, he saw her pale face. The way she had pleaded for her innocence. The way resignation eventually took over.

He pictured her sitting on the cold floor of her cell, crying.

A prickly discomfort settled in his chest, like a splinter under the skin.

Why did this bother him?

Was it because he knew she hadn’t stolen anything? Or was it the image of her mother being dragged into the lord’s arms, while Yurisiel suffered alone, that disgusted him?

How ridiculous.

Since when did he care about right or wrong?

He was a Blanchet. Justice wasn’t something he could afford to care about.

There had always been women who ended up in the lord’s bed through coercion. Servants accused and discarded over false claims. His own father had done it countless times.

And he, who inherited that same blood, had no right to act disgusted now.

This time was no different. He could have stopped it. Solved it easily.

But he let it unfold this way, in the most cruel and humiliating way possible.

He had always been the villain. That fact had never changed.

Yurisiel, with her burnt-out heart, would eventually come to him.

She would realize there was no one else who could get her out of that cold, miserable place.

She would cry, cling to him, and beg him to save her.

And when that happened, he would take what he wanted, nothing more.

The prison cell remained cold and dark, with not even a sliver of light.

Yurisiel sat curled up alone, trying to figure out why the lord had suddenly changed his mind.

The more she thought about it, the more her thoughts spiraled downward.

Just as dread began to settle over her completely, the guard’s voice echoed.

“Visitor.”

Visitor? She blinked, unsure if she had heard right.

Only when she heard the footsteps approaching did she realize it was meant for her.

The guards escorted her to the visitation room once again.

Could it be her mother?

No, that didn’t make sense. Her mother had just come earlier. She wouldn’t have returned so soon.

Then who? Could it be… Hael?

Yurisiel truly believed it might be Hael this time.

That was why she felt genuinely surprised when she stepped out and saw Lanod the steward standing there instead.

Still, remembering what her mother had said, she quickly reminded herself it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

“He must be here to tell me I’m being released soon.”

She wasn’t sure how it had happened, but maybe if she asked, he would explain. Of course, knowing Lanod’s usual blunt manner, he likely wouldn’t.

Still, it was worth trying. She had nothing to lose.

“I heard the Lord has pardoned me. Is that true?”

“…Yes. In three days, you’ll be released.”

Lanod looked as weary as always. But something had changed. This time, he wouldn’t even meet her eyes.

It felt as though he were standing in front of someone he didn’t want to face. His demeanor carried a faint trace of guilt, yet he remained as detached as ever.

“Do you know why the Lord is letting me go?”

She had barely asked the question before she already gave up on expecting an answer.

To her surprise, Lanod responded.

“Your mother pleaded with him. She begged the Lord to let you go.”

His willingness to offer such a detailed reply was out of character, but Yurisiel barely noticed.

Her thoughts were overwhelmed by one thing.

The Lord was not someone who granted mercy because of a servant’s plea. That simply wasn’t who he was.

She knew the stories. He was the type of noble who seduced maids and discarded them without remorse, especially if his wife caught wind of it.

She had seen the look in his eyes when he stared at her mother. That darkness hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“No… that can’t be.”

Yurisiel’s face turned pale as she lifted her gaze to Lanod.

Still avoiding her eyes, he spoke again, as if reading from a prepared script.

“Lady Jane will become the Lord’s mistress in three days.”

Mistress.

Yurisiel repeated the word over and over in her mind.

Had she heard that correctly?

Now, Lanod’s refusal to meet her eyes made perfect sense.

Stunned, unable to fully process it, she finally whispered in a hoarse voice.

“A mistress…?”

Lanod felt uncomfortable delivering such a cruel message. It felt like rubbing salt into an open wound. And to say it to someone so young only made it worse.

But he had no choice. The young master had ordered it, and the Lord had already made his decision. There was nothing Lanod could do to change that.

“That was the condition. For your release.”

“What are you talking about…”

Yurisiel’s hands gripped the iron bars tightly, her knuckles going white.

The metal clanged as she shook it, her desperation echoing through the small space.

“I don’t need to be released. Please, tell my mother. Tell her she doesn’t have to do this. That I don’t want her to do it because of me. Please, just tell her that.”

Feeling like a criminal, Lanod couldn’t bring himself to respond. He simply turned and walked away.

He had done what he came to do. There was no reason to stay and watch her fall apart.

Besides, he wasn’t in any position to grant her request.

After Lanod left, the guards took Yurisiel back to her cell. She wept the entire way.

Eventually, her strength gave out, and she fainted.

When she woke again, it was late at night.

The cold floor beneath her reminded her that none of it had been a dream.

Time had continued moving forward. She asked the guards what day it was and found out it was the first of the month.

Tonight, her mother would become the Lord’s mistress.

“I wish all of this were just a nightmare.”

It felt like someone was deliberately toying with her life, dragging her deeper into despair just to see how far she could fall.

The thought of her mother being defiled just to save her made Yurisiel want to die.

Wouldn’t it be better to end it now? That way, her mother wouldn’t have to go through any of this.

But she couldn’t die. She had to live, because leaving her mother behind would be an even greater sin.

It felt as though some cruel god was forcing her to watch her own downfall, unable to look away.

Her eyes were dry now, as if even her tears had abandoned her.

Regret crashed over her like a wave. Meeting Hael. Taking that job for just a bit more pay. Getting involved with the young master. Everything.

And then it happened.

A loud crash broke the silence. The door swung open.

A flood of white light poured into the cell, and Yurisiel shut her eyes tightly against it.

She heard the sound of heels clicking against the stone floor, growing closer and closer.

When the door finally closed and the light receded, someone stood before her.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“The young master…?”

For a moment, she thought she must be dreaming.

But when the shadow cleared, and he stepped fully into view, there was no doubt.

It was Cassian de Blanchet.

Despite the rumors of his collapse, he stood perfectly healthy. More than that, he radiated cold authority.

His posture, his stride, everything about him carried the dignity of a Blanchet.

His expression was unreadable as always, filled with quiet pride and distance.

But his eyes were different.

This time, they trembled. They were filled with only one thing.

Yurisiel.

She was thinner, more broken, like a twisted branch stripped bare.

Cassian’s red eyes burned, glowing like fire as they focused on her.

Support