Chapter 547: My Only Crime Is Being Too Charming!

Cassius leaned back slightly, a smug, satisfied smile curving at his lips.

The cheers of his maids still echoed through the hall and he looked utterly content with himself, like a man basking in the glow of victory.

The Saintess Joy, however, looked ready to burst.

Her cheeks hollowed and her eye twitched so visibly that even Aqua had to bite her lip to stop from laughing.

Cassius too was clearly enjoying her frustration.

"Ah." He sighed pleasantly. "The sound of righteousness crumbling under logic. Truly refreshing."

Before Joy could open her mouth to retort, another loud, overly dramatic voice broke the air—one that sounded as if it came from the heavens themselves.

"That’s my Young Master! That’s my Young Master right there!"

Everyone froze.

The nuns blinked in confusion, glancing around the room. Aqua’s brows shot up. Maria tilted her head in surprise.

The voice continued, passionately.

"Do you see how brilliant he is?! He’s the best Young Master in the entire world! He can commit no sin whatsoever! Nay, we should build a temple to worship him!"

"And I shall be the priest in charge of carrying out his faith!"

The comment was so absurdly exaggerated that it left everyone dumbstruck for a moment. Even Cassius’s maids, who had been cheering for him seconds ago, went silent, looking around with wide eyes.

"W-What in the world...?" Whispered one of the younger nuns.

"Where did that voice come from?" Another asked, spinning around.

"I think...from the wall?" Murmured Maria, pointing upward uncertainly.

Aqua frowned. "Wait...the wall?"

Everyone followed her gaze toward the far corner of the ceiling, where the sound seemed to echo from one of the ventilation ducts.

"Is it...inside the vents?" One of the maids whispered, clutching her tray.

Cassius’s face, meanwhile, darkened with grim recognition.

There was only one person in the entire world who would praise him in such a ridiculous, dramatic manner and also be insane enough to crawl through air vents just to do it.

With a heavy sigh, he tilted his head up toward the ventilation duct high on the wall.

"Lucius." He said loudly and firmly. "What the hell are you doing in the vents?"

A startled squeak came from above, followed by a suspiciously high-pitched, muffled voice.

"I am not Lucius!"

Cassius blinked once. "...Really?"

The voice hesitated, then continued nervously.

"Y–Yes! I’m someone else! Lucius is...uh...behind the door right now! Yes, that’s right! He’s waiting outside! I am merely...someone else entirely!"

Cassius sighed and rubbed his head in frustration.

"Lucius, if you don’t come down here in the next three seconds, I’m docking your pay and firing you on the spot."

There was a pause.

Then a desperate cry echoed from the vents.

"No, Young Master, nooo! Wait, I’m coming down!"

Before anyone could react, there was a loud metallic sound.

CLANG!

The vent hatch burst open, and sure enough, to everyone’s shock and dismay, a familiar cute head poked out—Lucius, with his tousled hair and that ever-cheerful, loyal grin.

"Wait, Young Master—just one second—I’m stuck—!"

With a sudden thump, he dropped straight down to the floor, landing in a heap before springing up with military precision and jumping over to Cassius.

"Lucius is here, Young Master!" He declared proudly, striking a ridiculous pose. "At your service! What do you need me to do?!"

Cassius just stared at him for a long moment.

Then, with a groan of utter disbelief he said,

"First...tell me what in the world you were doing inside the vent."

Lucius beamed.

"Well! Since you kicked me out earlier, I figured just because I was exiled from the room doesn’t mean I should abandon my duties! As your loyal butler, I must always stay by your side!"

"Danger could be anywhere, young master—so I took to the vents, like any wise man would, to guard you and listen in for any signs of trouble. All for you!"

Cassius blinked again, deadpan. "...You were spying on me through the vents."

"Protecting!" Lucius corrected quickly, smiling earnestly. "I was protecting you, Young Master! I couldn’t bear the thought of you being alone with all these dangerous strangers around!"

Aqua burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

Maria couldn’t stop a giggle behind her hand.

The nuns exchanged bewildered glances, whispering among themselves about where he got such a loyal and zealous butler.

Cassius slowly dragged a hand down his face.

"Lucius." He said tiredly. "I honestly should just kick you out again. But at the same time it would be useless because I know that even if I throw you out again, like a cockroach, you’ll just come crawling back."

Lucius’s eyes sparkled with pride. "Of course, Young Master! There are four more vents in this room alone! I know every route by heart!"

Cassius groaned, muttering. "I knew you’d say that..." before pointing a stern finger at him. "Fine. You can stay. But no more exaggerated cheers, no crawling through vents, and no screaming about temples."

Lucius saluted with the zeal of a soldier.

"Understood, Young Master! No more shouting, no more temples! I shall remain perfectly silent!"

"Good."

"Absolutely silent!"

"I heard you."

"Silent as a whisper, Young Master!"

"Lucius."

Lucius immediately clamped his mouth shut and nodded rapidly, standing proudly behind Cassius like an obedient shadow.

Cassius exhaled deeply and turned his attention back toward Joy, his expression shifting from mild irritation to calm seriousness once again.

"Now then." He said evenly, his voice carrying a faint edge. "Since you prefer directness, I’ll give you the same courtesy."

He folded his arms, his gaze steady and composed.

"I already know you’re not here for a pleasant visit." He continued, tone level but firm. "You’re here to judge me—to persecute me. You’ve come with the full intent of bringing me down, Saintess."

He paused, letting the silence stretch just long enough to make every nun, maid, and attendant in the room grow tense again. Then, he spoke with measured calm.

"But let me just inform you that just like you’ve been investigating me." He continued. "I’ve been investigating you, Saintess."

That statement alone made several of the nuns shift uncomfortably. Joy’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t interrupt.

"Yes." Cassius said, voice lowering. "I’ve done a little digging myself. Apparently, the Goddess above has whispered to you personally."

"She told you that I am some kind of sinner, a corrupter of women, a man drenched in lust and deceit who needs to be purified."

He tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion.

"Purified. That’s the word, she used isn’t it?"

There was a murmur among the nuns.

Stella’s eyes widened in particular, her composure cracking for a moment.

’How did he know that?’ She thought in disbelief.

The matter of divine revelation—that the goddess herself had declared Cassius marked for purification wasn’t something public.

Only a few of them in Joy’s inner circle were aware of it and he even seemed to know the exact content of what the goddess had said.

For him to have found that out meant he had resources, informants, or influence that far exceeded what anyone assumed.

And in that moment, it made her realise that Cassius was far more perceptive and far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

"So, according to you and your Goddess..." Cassius’s tone softened, but his words carried quiet weight. "...I’m some unholy creature to be purged. A sinner in human skin."

He let out a soft sigh, his expression turning oddly melancholic.

"But here’s the problem with that theory...Even I don’t know why she would say something like that."

He placed a hand over his heart.

"I’ve done many things, Saintess, I’ll admit that. Perhaps I’ve said too many charming words, made too many women blush, and indulged in pleasures I shouldn’t have. But that hardly makes me a criminal. That doesn’t make me evil."

He looked her straight in the eyes.

"And yet, for reasons beyond me, your Goddess seems to think I am the devil himself."

Joy’s eyes darkened. "Are you accusing the goddess of being wrong?"

"I’m saying..." Cassius replied coolly. "...that even gods can be misled."

That made several of the nuns gasp aloud.

But Cassius didn’t waver. He simply crossed his arms loosely over his chest and continued.

"Honestly, I don’t really know what your goddess is thinking. But..." He said carefully. "...what I do know is that despite all your investigations—every question, every report, every whisper—you haven’t been able to find a single piece of actual evidence against me."

"No testimonies. No witnesses. No records of a crime."

He gave a faint smile. "Nothing that could be used in court or by trial. You’ve spent all this time trying to condemn me, and yet...nothing."

He turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder.

"Isn’t that right, Lucius?"

Lucius, standing proudly like a soldier awaiting command, immediately straightened.

"Of course, Young Master!" He declared in a loud, cheerful voice. "Even with all their investigations, every single one of their leads went horribly wrong! Instead of finding anything incriminating, they kept stumbling upon glowing testimonials!"

He pulled out a notebook from his coat pocket and began flipping through it enthusiastically.

"Here! Look! These are the reports that they got—Lady Felmire of the eastern hills wrote that Young Master personally helped her husband recover from his gambling debts by lending him money and pushing him to a new path."

"The baker from the southern quarter? She said the Young Master bought out all her bread for the orphanage! And the mill worker’s daughter said she found her dream job because he gave her a letter of recommendation!"

Lucius slammed the notebook shut dramatically.

"Everywhere they looked, they found nothing but stories of kindness, charity, and overwhelming positivity!"

"Truly, the Goddess must have made a clerical error!"

That last remark nearly broke the composure of several people in the room.

Even Maria, a nun herself pressed her lips together to stifle a laugh, while Aqua’s shoulders trembled as she tried to hold back a proud grin.

Meanwhile, Joy’s face had gone pale from seeing frustration.

"You see?" Cassius looked back at her, his tone gentler now but still firm. "Even your people can’t find fault with me. Because there is none. You have no proof. No evidence. No justification for this crusade of yours...only rumors."

He gestured idly with one hand.

"And I’ve had rumors following me my entire life. People gossip. People exaggerate. They see what they want to see. A handsome man smiles at a woman, and suddenly, he’s a seducer."

"A noble treats his servants well, and they say he’s trying to lure them into his bed. Lies and whispers—they spread faster than the truth."

He met her eyes again, calm and unwavering.

"But just because there are rumors, Saintess, doesn’t mean there’s guilt. And you, of all people, should know that judgment without evidence is no judgment at all—it’s vengeance."

Joy didn’t answer. It was obvious she was trying to control herself, but even then her hands were trembling slightly at her sides.

Cassius took a step closer, his voice quiet but filled with finality.

"So here’s my conclusion. You have nothing against me, nothing except stories told by jealous nobles and envious priests who can’t stand that a man like me exists. This entire case of yours is built on smoke and gossip."

He spread his arms in surrender.

"So I suggest, Saintess Joy, that you drop this ridiculous investigation and enjoy your stay at the Holyfield estate like a proper guest."

"Have tea. Relax. Let my maids show you around. But stop wasting everyone’s time chasing a phantom crime that doesn’t exist."

He gave a faint, self-assured smile.

"Because I assure you, I am not the villain you’re looking for."

Lucius, ever loyal, raised a finger dramatically and declared, "That’s right! Our young master is the definition of innocence! If his charm were a sin, then hell is where he would and I wouldn’t hesitate to follow him there!"

The maids giggled softly, some even clapping again, while Aqua grinned wide and whispered to Maria.

"My little brother. He’s so cool when he talks like that, isn’t he?"

Maria, however, remained silent, her gaze fixed on him as her thoughts churned quietly beneath her composed exterior.

She had to admit it—he spoke with an ease and eloquence that naturally drew people toward him.

His words weren’t loud or forceful, yet they carried a confidence that made them difficult to dismiss.

Even she, Joy’s mother and someone who should have been on her guard, felt an unexpected urge to side with him.

It was unsettling. The rumors painted him as a dangerous, depraved noble, someone to be wary of at all times.

And yet, standing here, watching the effortless way he commanded the room, the loyalty he inspired, and the genuine fondness reflected in the eyes of those around him, Maria found it increasingly difficult to reconcile those whispers with the man before her.

Instead of fear or revulsion, what stirred within her was curiosity—deepening, persistent curiosity about what kind of man he truly was beneath the titles and rumors.