My Arrogant and Insolent Shadow - Chapter 49

The sharp corner of the manuscript left a thin cut on Cassian’s palm.

Still, his grip didn’t loosen.

The veins on his wrist stood out, tense and rigid.

After all that effort to sort and hand it over quickly, now she asked if he was leaving Alphonse. It was almost laughable.

And yet, the way she said it, her voice trembling and full of hesitation, almost sounded like she didn’t want him to go.

It was the kind of voice that could make someone think there was still hope.

But she wasn’t the one holding on.

“Yes. Even if I die, I’ll do it with dignity. That’s what it means to be a Blanchet.”

“…”

“Wouldn’t it be more fitting for a Blanchet to die in the capital?”

“When… are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

Her green eyes widened. She clearly hadn’t expected it to be that soon.

A crack spread across her expression, subtle but visible.

As if the news truly shocked her.

“You’re leaving tomorrow?”

The way she said the word felt heavy, like it carried a sense of betrayal.

It sounded like she had just been told, out of nowhere, that someone she cared about was leaving the next day without warning.

Yurisiel stood frozen, her face turning pale as if the life had drained from her.

Cassian quietly watched her as she trembled.

He took in every detail.

A dark, cruel desire stirred in him, the urge to push her even further, to watch her completely fall apart.

Just a moment ago, he had resolved to let go of everything.

But that kind of resolve always seemed to collapse when he was in front of her.

His life had always followed strict plans, never once straying. But now, a single girl had created a crack in that order, widening it little by little.

“Yes. Tomorrow.”

His voice was steady, but his gaze bore into her like it was crushing her.

Yurisiel opened her mouth, but no words came out.

How could someone say something like that so casually?

If she hadn’t asked, she would have never known. Not even until after he was gone.

All the emotions that had swirled in her heart just before stepping into the room now felt like nothing, stomped into the ground.

Her mind cooled, and she could see her future clearly.

A broken home. A lord who would no doubt go after her mother the moment Cassian left. And then, her mother’s medicine…

Everything she had just been feeling was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

She had nothing left to hide behind. Feelings like that were only for people who had the freedom to feel them.

The young master said nothing. He just looked at her, silent and unreadable.

“Young master…”

Yurisiel’s thoughts spun into chaos.

What about her mother’s medicine?

There was only one answer. No one else could give it to her. Only him.

Panic began to rise inside her.

But he wasn’t the kind of person who would act just because someone begged.

If he were, he wouldn’t have waited until today to tell her he was leaving tomorrow.

It was clear. He planned to leave everything about Alphonse behind.

Now that she was no longer of use, there was no reason for him to grant her anything.

Still, she couldn’t just let it end here.

A desperate idea came to her. She remembered what he had said back in the prison.

He told her she should at least ask how he was doing before making a request.

If his goal was to forget, then she would make sure he never could.

Whether it worked or not didn’t matter. To anyone else, this might seem absurd. But to her, it was everything.

She was willing to do anything to get that medicine.

“Can I come with you?”

He stared at her quietly.

“I’ll do anything you ask.”

Cassian’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Yurisiel clinging to him.

“I thought you’d be dancing with joy once I left. Why the change?”

“…”

“Didn’t you want to be free of me?”

Yurisiel’s tear-filled emerald eyes slowly rose to meet his.

She would probably ask for her mother’s medicine.

And he would probably play the fool one last time, acting like a gentleman from Blanchet.

But then her lips parted, soft and trembling.

“I like you.”

His eyes widened, silent in surprise.

Cassian’s day went on like usual.

Except for the fact that Yurisiel had come and completely turned it upside down.

As always, the royal physician entered and delivered his checkup and prescriptions.

There was only one notable difference.

Today, for the first time in a long while, the diagnosis carried good news.

“Your heart rate is much closer to normal than before.”

It still wasn’t perfectly stable, but considering how weak and sluggish it had been, the improvement was undeniable.

“Something good must have happened, I assume?”

The physician always had a habit of linking a person’s emotional state to their physical condition.

And honestly, he wasn’t wrong. Cassian couldn’t deny it—ever since Yurisiel had blurted out something so bold and ridiculous, his mood had improved, whether he liked it or not.

“You’ll be going to the capital soon, and now that the medicine has been developed, I believe, with just a little more time, you’ll make a full recovery.”

Even after that, the physician, still unaware of the deeper truth, continued to ramble on with hopeful remarks, as if Cassian’s improvement was thanks to the upcoming journey.

Amid the physician’s diagnosis, she came to mind again.

That girl, saying she liked him.

Absurd.

Even after the doctor left, the memory lingered. Cassian leaned back into his armchair, closing his eyes in silence.

When he opened them again, he reached into his coat and pulled out a smooth, polished recording stone.

Running his fingers along the engraved surface, it clicked softly and began to turn.

Then, her voice spilled into the room.

“I like you, Cassian.”

Click.

“Come back alive.”

Click.

Her voice repeated again and again.

Because he’d told her not to call him “Young Master,” she had used his name. And she had done exactly what he asked.

In a way, he had managed to capture everything he’d wanted to hear.

No, more than that.

He never would have imagined a girl like her saying something like that. Not in his wildest thoughts.

Sweet, perfect words, spoken with such ease while hiding her true intentions behind a calm expression.

It was ridiculous. And yet, like a fool, he had let it pass.

By the time her voice had repeated itself dozens of times, Cassian pulled the bell cord.

Lanod entered, ready as ever, and began to take notes as Cassian spoke.

“Don’t touch anything in her rooms. Leave them as they are.”

“Yes, sir.”

“This room, too. The one I’ve used. Don’t change it.”

“Are you planning to return here after the treatment, sir?”

The room fell into silence.

Lanod looked up, sensing the tension in the air, and immediately lowered his eyes again when he met Cassian’s piercing red gaze.

The pressure was overwhelming. Without a doubt, this was the rightful heir of Blanchet.

If the newly developed medicine truly worked, and Cassian survived to claim his title, the Blanchet family, already powerful, would become stronger than ever before.

Lanod swallowed hard and felt sure of one thing.

He had thought Cassian would leave and forget all about Alphonse.

But asking to leave the room untouched—it could only mean one thing. That he intended to come back.

If the Lord of the estate overheard this, he’d probably keel over in shock. He had been waiting eagerly for the day Cassian left for good.

Lanod forced himself to stay composed and bowed.

“My apologies.”

When he looked up again, Cassian was staring silently out the window.

He really did plan to return to Alphonse.

Could he truly be thinking of taking that girl as his mistress?

With her low status, she would never legally become a noblewoman under the empire’s law. That path was impossible.

At first, Lanod had assumed she was just a passing amusement, something to occupy Cassian for a while.

But clearly, she meant more than that.

From now on, Lanod realized, he would have to pay more attention to her.

With that, he began his report, humming a tune to himself in the back of his mind, thinking this might be the last one he ever gave.

He covered the chaos stirred by the arrival of the Duchess of Blanchet, the extensive preparations for her visit, and the effort poured into clearing the Lord’s route.

Cassian, who had been quietly listening with his eyes closed, finally opened his mouth during the part about the Lord’s efforts.

“What about the one with silver hair?”

Lanod, a bit disappointed that he couldn’t finish listing the Lord’s achievements, quickly understood who Cassian meant, Hael.

Come to think of it, the silver-haired boy hadn’t returned to the estate since that day. And yesterday would have been his last chance to be considered on leave.

“Sir Hael was deeply shaken after what happened and left Alphonse without a word.”

Cassian’s lips curled into a faint smile as expected.

After what Lady Catherine had done, it was easy to imagine what the atmosphere in that household must be like.

The broken engagement between Hael and the Viscountess’s daughter was a bit unfortunate, perhaps, but seeing him leave both Alphonse and Yurisiel behind was satisfying enough.

Now, she would be left alone.

Left to live with her own words, her confession.

Even if she didn’t miss him, she would at least remember him.

That’s what people did when they liked someone.

The moment she had looked him in the eyes and said those ridiculous words returned to him again.

Just like the unexpected kiss, it had been absurd.

So absurd it made him want to laugh just thinking about it.

Of course, he knew what it really meant.

He knew her words were an act of desperation, a plea for her mother’s medicine.

And still, he had decided to give it to her.

That gave him the right to hear those lies. Didn’t it?

If her confession had been false, he was the only one hurt by it. If he was fooled, the pain was his alone.

A faint smile tugged at Cassian’s lips, softer than usual.

Lanod, startled by the odd expression, happened to notice the recording stone in Cassian’s hand.

So, he had used it, after all.

He had once ordered it, insisting that it be bought from a rare merchant caravan that passed through only once every few years. It had cost more than a mansion.

And now, Lanod finally saw it in use.

He was curious, of course, but he also knew better than to ask.

Understanding his place, Lanod bowed quickly and exited the room.

Once the door closed behind him, silence fell like a blanket.

A crimson sunset spread across the sky.

Cassian, wordless, stared quietly at the sky above, then slowly shifted his gaze to the shadow that had taken root below it.

Still within his sight for now, but by tomorrow, it would be gone from view.

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