Chapter 592: Shining Light In The Most Darkest Corners

A shocked silence followed her words.

Carmela raised an eyebrow. "Improved their lives? How in the world does a noble ’improve’ a brothel?"

Joy grimaced. "I’d rather not talk about it."

But before anyone could press further, Isabelle smiled brightly and said,

"Oh, I can certainly explain that part."

Joy shot her a deadly look, but Isabelle only laughed softly.

"Oh, don’t glare at me like that, Lady Joy. I’m only clarifying the truth for our dear Lady Aqua before she collapses from panic."

Aqua turned toward her immediately, eyes wide with hope.

"Very well." Isabelle began. "It all started a few months ago, when the Young Master decided to take over this entire district."

"Every establishment you see—the taverns, the brothels, the clubs were once owned by various nobles and merchants. Corrupt men who made fortunes by enslaving the women here."

"So, when Young Master announced his intention to purchase them all, everyone thought it was just another power grab."

She smiled faintly, eyes shimmering with remembrance.

"And when the women who worked here first heard about it, they were terrified. They’d seen what noble ownership meant—pain, humiliation, chains."

"They whispered to each other that this would be the end for them, that the next master would be worse than the last."

Carmela had a cold gaze in her eyes that no one noticed, almost as if hearing Isabelle’s words brought back memories of her own life.

"But..." Isabelle continued, her voice lowering with emotion. "...that wasn’t what happened."

She took a small breath and went on, her words steady but heartfelt.

"On the very first day after the takeover, the Young Master gathered every woman in the district—hundreds of them—right here in the central plaza."

"Everyone thought he was about to make an announcement declaring his new ownership."

"Some even feared he’d parade them like trophies."

"But when he stood before them..."

She smiled proudly.

"...he said something no one expected."

Maria leaned forward slightly, her curiosity piqued.

"What did he say?"

Isabelle’s voice softened with warmth.

"He told them, ’From this day onward, no woman here is bound by contract, coin, or coercion. You are free. Completely and unconditionally free. Whether you choose to stay here and work, or leave to start anew—it will be your choice and yours alone.’"

Aqua’s lips parted in awe, while Isabelle nodded slowly.

"He tore up every contract—every binding document that had enslaved those women. He paid off the debts they were trapped under, and personally burned the ledgers of their names and ownership."

"Then, he gave each of them a new parchment—proof of freedom. He told them they could take it anywhere, and no man would ever have the right to claim them again."

Carmela was stunned into silence. Maria’s hand rose to her mouth in disbelief.

Aqua felt tears of relief welling in her eyes.

"And it didn’t stop there." Isabelle continued proudly. "He raised their wages. He established proper medical care and living quarters for them."

"He brought in counselors and healers to help those who’d been hurt in body or spirit. And those who wanted to leave...he gave them enough gold to start fresh lives elsewhere."

"Some opened shops. Some became teachers. Some simply went home."

She smiled tenderly.

"But the ones who stayed? They stayed because they wanted to. Not because they had to."

"For the first time in their lives, their work became a matter of choice, not survival and it was all because of Young Master’s doings."

Everyone went silent after Isabelle’s words sank in, as none of them had expected a twist like that.

It made sense, at least to some extent for Cassius to have reformed the ordinary parts of his estate: the markets, the schools, the hospitals.

That was believable for a noble who was kind and just.

But this.

A Red Light district? Prostitutes and pleasure houses?

No one cared about them.

To nobles, they were filth—fallen women, outcasts, shamed by society and treated as irredeemable sinners.

To the Church, they were lost souls destined for damnation.

Even ordinary townsfolk turned their eyes away, pretending they didn’t exist.

So to hear that Cassius hadn’t just bought the entire district—but had freed the women, given them wages, rights, protection, and dignity was staggering.

It felt unreal.

Maria was the first to find her voice, though her tone trembled with disbelief.

She looked around at the women standing at doorways, their laughter and chatter echoing through the lively streets, and then turned to Isabelle.

"So, you’re telling me that all these girls here..."

"...they’re not forced to be here?"

Isabelle nodded proudly. "That’s right, Lady Maria. Every single woman here works of her own free will."

Carmela blinked, astonished. "That’s unheard of."

"It’s true." Isabelle continued. "They work because they choose to. And they’re paid fairly for it."

"They receive proper wages, far better than before and, unlike in the past, no one takes their earnings away. They accept clients only if they wish to, and never under pressure."

"Each establishment now also has its own physician, security, and a small rest-quarter built under Young Master’s orders. The women even have savings accounts set up in their own names, managed by the Holyfield treasury."

Aqua listened with wide eyes, still recovering from the initial shock.

"So...you mean, this isn’t some...exploitative operation? It’s actually a proper business?"

"Exactly." Isabelle said with calm conviction. "Before, it was exploitation. Now, it’s a structure."

"My Young Master isn’t naive—he’s kind, yes, but not foolish. He knows that such districts have always existed and always will. Pleasure, lust, vice—they’re part of human nature."

"You can’t erase them entirely."

"But what can be changed is the way they’re run. The harm, the cruelty, the suffering—that’s what he wanted to fix."

Carmela’s eyes narrowed with reluctant admiration.

"So instead of destroying it, he purified it."

Isabelle nodded knowingly. "That’s why he bought the whole district under his own name, so that he could directly regulate it, protect the women, and ensure fairness."

"Everything here now runs cleanly under his eyes. He turned something that once represented sin into something that represents security and survival."

Hearing this, Maria finally exhaled, feeling overwhelmed.

"So he truly...brought light even into the darkest corners." She said quietly. "Cassius...He’s far more divine than half the saints I’ve met."

"See? I told you! My brother can do no wrong!"

Aqua beamed suddenly, her earlier panic gone. She even puffed out her chest proudly.

"He’s the best man alive! Even here—he’s not exploiting them, he’s protecting them!"

Her confident voice earned a faint giggle from Isabelle.

"Oh, and before I forget..." Isabelle leaned slightly closer, lowering her voice with a conspiratorial grin. "You might be wondering why I’ve been wearing this scarf and hiding behind Lady Aqua all this time, yes?"

Maria blinked. "Now that you mention it, yes."

The others nodded. Isabelle had wrapped herself up from the moment they entered the district, her face half-hidden in Aqua’s breasts and her body tucked nervously behind Aqua’s arm.

They’d assumed she just didn’t want attention from the men nearby or she didn’t want to breath the same air as anyone here—but the smirk on her face now said otherwise.

"Well." Isabelle said. "it’s not just to avoid attention from men."

She paused for effect, eyes glinting with mischief.

"It’s to avoid chaos."

Aqua tilted her head. "Chaos?"

Isabelle nodded gravely, though her lips trembled from holding back laughter.

"If even one of the women here recognized me, the entire district would explode with excitement. They would come flooding out to ask about the Young Master—screaming, cheering, chanting his name."

Maria chuckled softly. "Oh dear...I take it Cassius is rather popular here as well."

Isabelle giggled.

"Popular would be an understatement." She leaned in closer. "Let’s just say, if Young Master Cassius himself ever set foot here again..."

"...he wouldn’t make it out in one piece."

That caught everyone’s attention.

Aqua blinked rapidly. "Wait—what? What do you mean?"

"Oh, I mean that quite literally." Isabelle said, laughing openly now. "It happened about a month ago. He came here quietly to check on things, wanted to make sure all the reforms were working."

"He tried to keep a low profile, but one of the girls spotted him from a window—and before anyone could react, the word spread like wildfire."

"Oh no..."

"Oh yes." Isabelle said, trying to suppress a laugh. "Within seconds, the entire district came alive. Hundreds of women rushed out—running from every doorway, every corner, every house. They swarmed him before his guards could even react!"

Maria gasped and then chuckled softly, a hand over her mouth.

"He tried to calm them down." Isabelle continued between laughs. "He kept saying, ’Ladies, please, there’s no need for this! Calm down!’ But they wouldn’t listen!"

"They were crying, laughing, hugging him, thanking him, kissing his hands, his face—everything!"

Carmela’s eyes widened slightly as Isabelle went on.

"In the end, they were so overjoyed that they started pulling on him—his cloak, his shirt—and by the time his guards managed to pull him away..."

Isabelle paused dramatically, grinning.

"...the poor Young Master was standing in the middle of the street wearing nothing but his underwear, covered from head to toe in kiss marks."

"W-What?! You’re kidding!" Aqua’s jaw dropped, then she burst out laughing.

"I’m not." Isabelle giggled. "He looked like a red monster—completely covered in lipstick marks! His face, his chest, even his arms. You couldn’t even see his skin!"

Maria was laughing so hard she had to hold her stomach.

"Oh, poor Cassius! The poor boy must have been mortified!"

Carmela tried to keep a straight face, but when she imagined the noble, dignified Cassius standing flustered and nearly naked while surrounded by adoring women, she couldn’t help but smirk and look away.

"That...would have been quite a sight."

Isabelle chuckled softly. "And that is why I’m covering myself today."

"If anyone recognized me as one of the Young Master’s maids, they’d cause another commotion just to get a message to him. I’d rather not be tackled by a hundred girls right now."

Aqua was still laughing, wiping her eyes. "I can’t believe that happened! That’s...so Cassius."

Maria, still giggling, nodded. "And that’s also why my daughter never took action against him, isn’t it?" She said with a sly smile.

Joy’s jaw tightened, as Isabelle turned to her with a sweet, teasing expression.

"Exactly. Because how could she? There’s nothing to act upon. Every single thing he’s done here has been good. And you can’t exactly punish a man for bringing salvation, can you?"

Aqua puffed her chest out proudly. "Of course not! I told you all from the start—my brother can do nothing wrong!"

Maria smiled warmly. "I have to admit, it’s admirable. Most nobles would just pretend such places didn’t exist, or worse, exploit them. But Cassius didn’t ignore the darkness—he changed it."

She looked around once more, her heart swelling with quiet admiration.

"He’s shedding light on even the darkest corners of society. The poor, the sick, the sinners—he helps them all."

"I’ve seen many men claim holiness, but Cassius..."

"...Cassius actually lives it."

Her voice became gentle as she looked toward the horizon.

"May the Goddess bless him for that."

Joy’s smile faded instantly, as her eyes hardened as she looked at her mother.

"The Goddess doesn’t bless him, Mother." She said sharply. "The Goddess condemns him."

Maria turned to her calmly, still smiling gently.

"Then tell me, Joy." She said softly. "What exactly is the Goddess condemning him for?"

"Tell me one thing that he’s done wrong and I’ll drop everything and support you in your endeavours."