Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 633: You’re Not Supposed To Say That

After hugging for what felt like an eternity, Aisha finally pulled back in a fluster, her face flushed red.

"Okay, enough, enough, enough hugging already!" She said, pushing against Aqua’s arms.

Aqua reluctantly let go, though her expression clearly showed she would have preferred to keep holding on just a bit longer.

Aisha crossed her arms and huffed, trying to regain her composure.

"So." She said, narrowing her eyes at Aqua. "Why exactly did you come here? Weren’t you supposed to be at your brother’s house right now?"

Aqua blinked in surprise.

"Wait, hold on." She said, tilting her head. "You know I’m staying at my brother’s house? You know I’ve actually come back from the capital?"

Aisha gave her a smug look, lifting her chin slightly.

"Of course I know." She said haughtily. "Who do you think I am? I manage all the intelligence and security of this entire estate. I know who comes and who goes."

She waved a hand dismissively.

"So naturally, I know that you, Joy, and Lady Maria have arrived. I even know what Joy’s purpose here is. I know everything, so don’t underestimate me."

She said it in such a self-satisfied manner, as if she were showing off just how much power and influence she wielded in this place.

But Aqua didn’t seem impressed by that at all.

Instead, her expression shifted—her smile fading into something sadder, more disappointed.

"If you knew I was in town...." Aqua said quietly, her voice carrying a hint of hurt. "...and if you knew I was staying so close by..."

"...why didn’t you come visit me?"

Aisha’s smug expression faltered.

"You could have just come and said hi or something."

Aqua continued, her tone gentle but tinged with sadness.

"It’s been so long since we’ve met, Aisha. But you didn’t do any of that. Instead, it was me who had to come to you."

She looked down at her hands.

"What’s up with that?"

Aisha’s ears twitched. She looked like she wanted to say a lot of things—

But instead she looked away.

"There’s no way I was doing that."

She muttered before quickly adding,

"Did you not see what just happened? If I went to your estate, you would tease me, hug me, coddle me, make me do things I didn’t want to do."

"I wouldn’t be able to escape. You’d grab me and never let go. There’s no way I was risking that."

She said it with the intention of sounding indifferent.

Cold.

Like she didn’t care.

Like she didn’t want to see Aqua at all.

But to her complete surprise—

Aqua didn’t look hurt.

She didn’t look sad.

Instead—

Her frown slowly turned into a knowing smile.

She stepped forward and gently patted Aisha’s head.

"I know that’s not true, Aisha."

Aisha froze, while Aqua leaned down slightly, voice warm.

"The truth is...you were embarrassed, weren’t you?"

Aisha’s face immediately flushed.

"You didn’t know how to approach me, even though I was close by. It would’ve been embarrassing for you to just walk over and say hi. So you were probably waiting for me to come to you the whole time."

The moment she said that, Aisha froze.

Because that was exactly what she’d been thinking.

Her blush deepened even further, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

"I-I was not waiting for you!" She stammered, flustered beyond belief. "There’s no chance—there’s no way something like that would—!"

But she couldn’t even finish her sentence properly, her words stumbling over themselves.

Seeing this only made Aqua want to cherish her even more.

"Oh my gods, you really are so adorable." Aqua cooed, pulling Aisha into another hug.

"Enough! Enough of all this nonsense already!"

She shoved Aqua away and quickly retreated to her chair, sitting down stiffly behind her desk.

Aqua chuckled and took the seat opposite her.

Aisha cleared her throat.

"So...how’s your visit so far? How are you taking everything?"

Aqua leaned back with a satisfied sigh.

"Oh, it’s been amazing." She said happily, slumping into the chair opposite the desk like she belonged there. "The capital was suffocating me, Aisha. It felt like I couldn’t breathe."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"Everyone always talks about the capital like it’s paradise. Massive buildings, commerce, powerful mages everywhere...people dream of going there and staying there forever."

She leaned forward and said with conviction,

"But I hate it."

"There’s this constant pressure whenever I go. And because I’m in the upper class, it’s worse. I’m always surrounded by people judging me."

She grimaced.

"Judging my tone, judging my clothes, judging what spells I study, judging what I eat, judging who I talk to...it never ends."

"I totally understand." Aisha nodded immediately, understanding flashing in her eyes. "Even the few times I’ve been there, I felt that invisible pressure. I hated it."

"Exactly. Exactly that." Aqua snapped her fingers.

"That’s why the moment I came back here. After all, this is what dreams are truly made of."

She leaned back against the chair with a satisfied sigh.

"Fresh air. Happy people. No one staring at me like I’m a specimen. No one weighing my value with their eyes." She smiled softly. "I truly feel at home."

Aisha watched her quietly.

And despite herself, Aisha smiled.

Because she’d seen the letters.

She knew how Aqua had been struggling in the capital, how lonely she’d sounded between the jokes and bravado.

So seeing her here genuinely relaxed, genuinely happy—

It warmed something in Aisha’s chest.

But then Aqua’s eyes brightened again, excitement bubbling right back to the surface.

"Speaking of the capital." Aqua said, leaning forward eagerly. "Do you remember Sir Langford from the Tokes estate?"

Aisha’s curiosity flickered instantly, leaning in as well.

"...Yeah." She said slowly. "The one who made that ’three-scale drone method’ thing? The one who said he was going to revolutionize the magical industry?"

Aqua’s lips curled into a grin.

"Oh, that was an absolute joke."

She said, voice dropping like she was about to deliver the best gossip of the century.

"You should hear what happened."

Aisha leaned in closer with equal excitement.

"Tell me everything."

And just like that—

They fell into gossip.

Not idle noble gossip about affairs and cheating.

Not shallow rumor-mongering.

This was mage gossip.

Academic gossip.

The kind that made both of their eyes gleam with judgment and delight.

They talked about research discoveries that went wrong.

Arrogant mages who couldn’t live up to their grand declarations.

Public humiliations at symposiums.

Enchantments that exploded at the worst possible times.

Spell arrays that were supposed to ’change the world’ but ended up turning someone’s eyebrows purple for three days.

"His mana stabilization formula collapsed in under thirty seconds!"

"No, no, worse—he blamed ’atmospheric interference’!"

"That man couldn’t stabilize a candle flame!"

They laughed like conspirators.

Like professors watching another professor embarrass themselves in front of a lecture hall.

They judged everyone else with the pride only true academics carried.

And it felt good.

It felt familiar.

They also relived memories of the past.

They talked about what had happened back home.

They spoke about events they hadn’t been there to share with each other.

They teased each other, naturally—Aqua poking, Aisha snapping back.

And just like that two hours flew by like minutes.

Finally, Aqua leaned back and groaned dramatically.

"Okay, okay, I need air. We’ve talked for too long without a break."

She grabbed a cup of water and drank it down.

Aisha did the same.

"It’s been so long since I talked to another mage who actually understands what I’m saying."

Aisha admitted with a genuine smile on her face.

"Of course, everyone here is great and there isn’t a dull moment. But it’s different when someone truly comprehends the language of magic."

"Oh?" Aqua smirked. "So you missed me that much?"

Aisha rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it.

Aqua was about to tease her again—

When her gaze shifted.

She finally noticed the piles of papers covering Aisha’s desk.

Mana diagrams.

Annotations.

Circles drawn over calculations.

And then, slowly, a knowing smile spread across Aqua’s face.

’Ah.’ She thought. ’So that’s what’s going on.’

She knew this scene all too well.

Mages like them—true mages, the ones who breathed magic and dreamed in spell arrays—they were never satisfied with where they were.

There was always another peak to climb, another mystery to unravel, another discovery waiting just beyond the horizon.

They pushed and pushed, always reaching for higher levels through their own research, always trying to bring the art of magic to new realms.

And judging by this disaster of a desk, Aisha was deep in the middle of exactly that kind of pursuit.

That’s why she was so hyper-focused when I came in, Aqua realized.

She was completely in a realm of her own.

And then another thought struck her—a thought that made her eyes sparkle with mischievous delight.

This was an opportunity.

A perfect one.

In the past, Aqua had been one of Aisha’s very first mentors.

She had taught her magic when no one else would, guided her through the fundamentals, helped clear countless doubts.

And even though Aisha had done an impressive job self-learning and building on that foundation, there had always been moments when she got stuck.

Moments when she needed someone more experienced to point her in the right direction.

And back then, every time Aqua helped her, there had been...rewards.

Small ones, of course.

A hug here, a kiss there. Nothing too dramatic.

And Aisha had always been so reluctant about it, so flustered and embarrassed, but she’d done it anyway because she wanted to learn, because she needed that guidance.

Now, seeing Aisha in what looked like a similar situation, facing some kind of problem with her research—Aqua felt her heart swell with anticipation.

She leaned forward, placing her elbows on the desk and resting her chin on her hands. Her expression shifted into something knowing, almost smug.

"Aisha." She said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone.

Aisha looked up, surprised by the sudden change in demeanor.

"I see that you’re having a problem right here."

Aqua continued, glancing down at the papers before fixing her gaze back on Aisha.

"It’s so obvious. You’re going through something right now. Whatever formula, array, or conjuration you’re trying to work out—it’s not working, is it?"

Aisha’s ears twitched, but she said nothing.

"The fact that you were so hyper-focused when I came in..." Aqua pressed on. "...completely unaware of the outside world. And the fact that someone who normally organizes everything so meticulously has papers scattered all over the place like this?"

She gestured at the chaos surrounding them.

"It makes it pretty obvious that you’re struggling."

She paused, letting her words sink in.

Then she straightened up, pushing out her chest in a proud manner.

"But don’t worry." She declared. "Now that I’m here, you don’t need to worry about it at all. After all—"

She lifted her chin dramatically

"—I am an archmage."

She waited for the reaction.

In the past, she would always tease Aisha about being an archmage while Aisha was still learning, and it always got a reaction.

She would have scowled, snapped something back, refused to acknowledge Aqua’s superiority even as she secretly appreciated the help.

But this time—

Aisha just looked at her.

Calmly.

No reaction at all.

Aqua blinked, slightly thrown off, but she quickly recovered.

She probably just hadn’t provoked her enough yet.

Time to turn up the heat.

"And as one of the few Archmages in the world." She declared grandly. "I can of course guide my adorable little sister. And I know you’re reluctant. I know you like to do everything on your own."

She leaned closer.

"But if you accept my help...I’ll only ask for something small in return."

Her voice dropped playfully.

"A few hugs. Maybe a few kisses. Maybe a poem about how great I am. That’s not a big reward, is it?"

She grinned.

And waited for the explosion that always came.

But—

Aisha did not scowl.

She did not flare up.

Instead—

She smiled.

And leaned forward.

"Sure, Aqua. I’d be pleased if you help me."

Aqua blinked.

"...What?"

Aisha folded her hands calmly.

"If you really help me solve this problem..." She said casually. "...then I’ll most definitely do whatever you want. Hugs. Kisses. Even cuddling. If you want to sleep beside me, I’ll go along with it."

Aqua stared at her like she had just spoken in an unknown language.

"Hold on a second." Aqua said slowly. "You’re not supposed to say something like that."

"You normally refuse. You argue. You glare. You never accept it so easily."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What’s going on?"

Aisha simply shrugged.

"Nothing. I’ve just reached a mature understanding."

"A mature...what?"

"You’re trying to help me, Aqua." Aisha said plainly. "You’re offering valuable information. And as an Archmage, your knowledge is in demand."

"Normally, you’d ask for something extraordinary in return from anyone else. So, the fact that you’re asking for something so simple means I should be grateful."

She tilted her head slightly.

"So I’m accepting it. I’m accepting your help just like any reasonable person would."

Aqua stared at her.

This was...this was completely different from the Aisha she knew.

The Aisha she knew would never say something like this.

Would never admit to needing help so openly.

Would never agree to rewards so easily.

But the fact that she was accepting—

It made Aqua’s heart flutter.

The suspicion that had been building in her mind suddenly evaporated, replaced by a warm, giddy excitement.

If Aisha was really agreeing to this...

"If that’s the case." Aqua said, jumping up from her seat with renewed enthusiasm. "Then I won’t hesitate, Aisha!"

"I’ll solve this problem for you! I’ll teach you and guide you and do whatever you need, as long as I can just hug you and cuddle with you for hours!"

She was practically bouncing with excitement...

...not even realising that she had fallen for Aisha’s trap, that could only be possible because of a certain ’noble’ helping her out.