Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 538: Women Of The Night

The carriage finally came to a halt before the sprawling Holyfield mansion. The air smelled faintly of roses and wet soil, freshly watered from the garden fountains nearby.

All three women stepped down one after another—Aqua first, her expression shining with joy and anticipation; Joy followed, composed but sharp, her gaze scanning everything like a hawk; and Maria last, stepping gracefully, her eyes full of curiosity.

Each of them carried their own emotion, their own purpose for being there.

Aqua’s heart fluttered as she clutched her skirt.

’Finally...I can see him again.’

She could almost picture Cassius’s calm smile, his voice, his warmth. She wanted to run to him and hug him tightly, to make up for all the time they had lost.

Joy, on the other hand, had no such tender thoughts. Her eyes were keen, her face still as stone.

’The devil in human form.’ She thought. ’Let’s see what kind of man could earn such a reputation.’

Her mind was already calculating, judging, preparing for the investigation to come.

Maria, meanwhile, stood between the two, her hands gently clasped.

’Cassius Vindictus Holyfield...’ She repeated the name silently, intrigued.

She wanted to see the truth for herself, whether he was the sinner the world whispered of or something far more complex.

But just as the three of them were about to step forward toward the gates, a sound broke the evening’s stillness.

A faint, rhythmic noise—

Tap...Tap...Swish...Thump

—followed by a high, playful voice.

They stopped on the spot before they all turned toward the direction of the sound, toward the gardens in the front yard.

And what they saw made even Joy, the woman who had seen miracles and horrors alike, blink in disbelief.

There, in the middle of the garden was a beautiful lamia—her long white-scaled tail coiled elegantly on the grass, her upper body gleaming with smooth blue skin that shimmered faintly under the light.

Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her golden eyes sparkled mischievously as she laughed to herself.

But what truly caught their attention wasn’t her beauty.

It was...what she was doing.

At the very tip of her long, graceful tail was a tiny puppet—or rather, a doll—securely fixed in place.

She was controlling it with perfect precision, her tail moving like a practiced hand.

And she was actually...putting on a show.

"Yes, yes, my dear Baron! But you can’t just kiss the lady like that!" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She said in a dramatic, high-pitched voice, making the puppet waggle its head.

Then, switching to a deeper, booming voice, she pulled the doll out before putting another doll on it.

"Oh, come now, my sweet countess! I merely wished to express my gratitude!"

One moment she played a lovestruck nobleman, the next a dramatic heroine fainting in despair.

Then she was even acting out the jester of the court.

Her long tail also twisted and moved like a snake-dancer’s ribbon, perfectly animating the small figures.

"Lady Giselle! I cannot live without you!" She cried in a manly voice.

"Oh, you brute! My husband will have your head!" She replied in a falsetto tone.

She even made her tail smack the ground dramatically, as if mimicking applause.

Aqua, Maria, and Joy stood there, the entire sight so surreal that none of them could even speak.

Nala, meanwhile, was clearly lost in her performance, her tail spinning one puppet upside down while another appeared from her bag.

"Ahh! The scandal! The passion! The tragedy!" She twirled around, hissing in a whisper.

It was like watching a one-woman—or rather, one-lamia—play, complete with sound effects, poses, and exaggerated voices.

And then...she suddenly stopped.

Her tail froze mid-air, the puppet dangling from it awkwardly as she blinked once, twice...then turned her head sharply toward them.

There was a long, heavy silence.

Aqua’s mouth was slightly open in astonishment, Maria had her hand over her lips trying not to giggle, and even Joy’s normally expressionless face looked...utterly lost for words.

Nala stared back at them, her bright eyes widening. Then, after a heartbeat, her face flushed blue.

"Ah—" She squeaked, her tail twitching awkwardly. "I— I didn’t see you there!"

But before she could say anything else, Aqua snapped out of her daze and started clapping.

"Bravo, Nala! Encore!" She suddenly burst out laughing, clapping her hands in delight.

Maria too quickly recovered and covered her mouth but couldn’t stop herself from chuckling.

"Oh, heavens...I wasn’t expecting a performance the moment we arrived." She said between soft laughs.

Even Joy blinked a few times

"So this...is one of Cassius’s companions? How bizzare."

Nala on the other hand was utterly flustered, as she tried to hide her tail behind her, mumbling.

"I-It’s not what it looks like! I was just...practicing! For the children! For the festival!"

"Oh? Practicing?" Aqua grinned mischievously. "With romantic dialogue and all?"

"I-It’s part of the story!" Nala protested, her tail flicking nervously as the puppet dangled helplessly behind her.

She couldn’t believe this was happening.

’Out of all times.’ She thought furiously to herself. ’They had to catch me doing a puppet show...with my tail...in my own garden!’

Her entire body trembled with embarrassment as Aqua and Maria looked at her with amused smiles, and the cold woman with the frighteningly calm expression simply stared at her like she was some kind of strange creature.

For a second, she felt like shrinking into her coils and hiding under a bush forever.

But then something inside her clicked.

’Hold up, Nala. Hold up. Wait a damn minute.’

She straightened slightly, her golden eyes narrowing.

’Why am I even embarrassed?’ She scolded herself. ’This is my home. My garden. My stage. And I—I’m one of the mistresses of this entire estate!’

Her tail slowly uncoiled, rising higher as her confidence returned.

’I’m not some random maid or visitor. I live here. I belong here. If anyone should be questioning anyone, it’s me!’

With a spark of renewed boldness, she suddenly slithered forward fast.

But she didn’t stop right in front of them and instead Nala began circling them—her long tail curling around their feet like a slow-moving serpent.

Her eyes also scanned each of them from head to toe as if she were inspecting rare animals brought into her territory until finally her voice came out sharp, curious, and commanding all at once.

"Who exactly are you three?"

She asked, her tone laced with suspicion.

"I’ve never seen you around here before. And trust me, I know everyone who steps foot in this garden. It’s strange...very strange and suspicious."

Aqua opened her mouth to reply, but Nala didn’t give her a chance.

Her gaze landed on Joy, and her expression shifted into something between awe and judgment.

"You." She said, narrowing her eyes. "You look like a nun, or a sister of the goddess, but your eyes—"

She leaned closer, her voice dropping slightly.

"—your eyes don’t match your clothes."

"Excuse me?" Joy raised an eyebrow, her tone calm but faintly edged.

"You heard me." Nala said bluntly, her tail flicking behind her. "Those eyes are too cold. Too sharp. You look like someone who’s seen death—or caused it. Not a holy sister, but a reaper in disguise."

Joy’s eyes narrowed dangerously, the faintest hint of annoyance crossing her face.

Nala smirked.

"See? That glare. That’s not the look of mercy. That’s the look of someone who wants to slice me in two."

Joy crossed her arms, muttering under her breath.

"Keep talking and I just might."

Nala gave a gasp, clasping her hands dramatically.

"Oh, terrifying! A nun with a death threat! How scandalous!"

Aqua snorted into her hand, trying not to laugh.

But then Nala’s attention shifted toward her instead.

"And you.." She said, her tail flicking behind her as she gestured toward Aqua. "At first glance, I’d say you’re a mage. And not just any mage—a powerful one. You’ve got that aura about you."

"Thank you." Aqua said with a playful smile, adjusting her hat.

"But..." Nala continued, leaning in closer. "What kind of mage wears a hat like that and shows that much skin?"

Aqua blinked, her smile faltering slightly. "Huh?"

"I mean really." Nala said, pointing boldly at Aqua’s chest. "Who casts spells while practically showing half their cleavage?!"

Nala then folded her arms, looking very serious as she went on to say,

"I mean I get it, I get it—you have a big chest. Fine. So do I."

She gave her own chest a teasing jiggle, completely shameless.

"But there’s a limit, woman! No self-respecting mage walks around like that! It’s distracting!"

Aqua giggled, clearly amused by the lamia’s outburst.

"Oh, come on now. It’s just part of my charm. Besides..." She winked playfully. "...a little distraction can be a powerful weapon too, you know."

Nala stared at her in disbelief, then groaned dramatically.

"Unbelievable! You really are shameless just like I thought!"

That earned a snicker from Maria and even Stella, who had been watching silently, had to look away to hide a grin.

Finally, Nala turned toward Maria, narrowing her eyes as if studying her carefully.

"And you..." She said slowly, her voice dropping an octave.

"Me?" Maria blinked and placed a hand on her chest.

"Yes, you." Nala said, coiling her tail lazily around herself. "You...are the most suspicious one of all."

"What? Why me?" Maria tilted her head, confused.

Nala pointed accusingly.

"Because even though you wear the robes of purity, serenity, and divine compassion—your body screams sin!"

"E-Excuse me?!" Maria froze, blushing deeply as her hands instinctively tried to cover herself.

"Oh don’t play innocent!" Nala said, circling her again. "That chest, those hips. And don’t even get me started on how round your butt is—there’s no way any nun is that blessed! It’s outrageous!"

"The Goddess must’ve used all her blessings on you and left the rest of us dry!"

Aqua burst into full laughter, while even Joy had to look away, shaking her head in disbelief.

Maria’s face went redder by the second as she stammered.

"T-That’s not—! I-It’s just how I was born!"

"Exactly my point!" Nala nodded seriously. "And with a body like that, wearing that robe...No. Something doesn’t add up."

Then, lifting her head proudly, she declared.

"In fact, none of you add up! You all look too suspicious, too strange and I think I’ve figured out exactly what you are."

Aqua, wiping a tear from her eye, looked up and asked with a grin.

"Oh? And what do you think we are, then?"

Nala grinned back, smugly crossing her arms before finally saying,

"Women of the night."

The words dropped like a hammer.

Aqua froze mid-smile. Joy blinked once, her expression unreadable. Maria’s face turned crimson.

"W-What?!" Aqua finally sputtered, her voice pitching high.

"Oh yes." Nala said, grinning as she pointed at each of them. "You’ve all got these nice, sexy bodies— showing off just enough to tempt people—and those fancy clothes? Total giveaways!"

"You’re wearing costumes, aren’t you? Probably to make your...uh...performances more interesting."

"Performances—?!" Maria gasped. "I beg your pardon!"

But Nala just continued, unbothered, her grin widening.

"Don’t worry, I’m not judging! Honestly, I get it. Cassius probably called you here himself."

"Huh?!" Aqua yelled, looking horrified.

"I mean, come on." Nala said with a shrug. "It makes sense! He’s a man with plenty of stamina— everyone knows that and he’s got plenty of women in the house already, but maybe he wanted something new. A little variety, you know?"

Joy’s eyebrow twitched dangerously. Maria nearly fainted from embarrassment.

Aqua’s mouth hung open, speechless.

"Anyway." Nala went on nonchalantly. "If that’s the case, you should just go ask one of the attendants to lead you to him. He’s inside. And I’m sure he’ll be very happy to see you three."

She flashed them an innocent smile as if she hadn’t just given the worst insult to some of the most powerful women in the continent in the span of a minute.