"M-My lord?"
Isabelle stuttered, unsure if she was hearing him correctly. The warmth of the dying fire was nothing compared to the heat now flooding her cheeks.
Cassius rested his chin on his hand, smiling as though they were discussing nothing more serious than the weather.
"I'm simply suggesting..." He said like he were innocent. "...That your presence here could serve an additional purpose. After all, what's warmer than the company of a devoted maid?...Don't you think your young master deserves to have his lap warmed by someone so eager to atone for her sins?"
The audacity of his suggestion left Isabelle speechless. Her mind raced, torn between indignation, embarrassment, and the knowledge that refusing him outright could risk offending him further.
She glanced nervously at Edmund, who had been chewing on his overly salted meal in quiet misery.
For once, his attention was no longer on his own humiliation but on the exchange unfolding before him. His jaw dropped, and his wide-eyed expression made it clear that he was just as shocked as she was.
"Y-Young master. Isabelle finally managed, clasping her hands together nervously. "Surely you jest..."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Cassius tilted his head, his smile growing wider. "You were so quick to clarify your loyalty to your fiancee just moments ago, yet here you are hesitating to do a small favor for me...Don't you want to make amends, Isabelle?...Don't you want to do acts of forgiveness for trying to kill a innocent man?"
Her breath hitched. There it was, that teasing, manipulative tone that somehow left no room for argument.
Isabelle felt trapped, like a mouse cornered by a cat, yet there was no malice in his expression. He was enjoying this far too much, she realized. She lowered her gaze, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to find the words to defuse the situation without outright refusing him.
"I-I of course I want to atone, young master." she murmured, avoiding his eyes. "But...surely there must be another way."
"Another way?" Cassius echoed, feigning contemplation as he tapped his chin with a finger. He then gestured lazily toward Edmund, who flinched at the implication and continued saying, "Hmm...I suppose I could let you fetch the firewood after all, but that would mean leaving me here alone with him."
Isabelle's eyes darted between the two men, her heart sinking.
If she left the room now, there was no telling what Cassius might do to Edmund in her absence. She couldn't risk it, not after everything that had already happened.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself, forcing her gaze back to Cassius.
"If... if that is truly what you desire, young master." She said hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Then I will comply."
"Good girl. Come, then. Let's see if you're as warm as you are obedient." Cassius's grin widened, his satisfaction evident as he patted his lap invitingly.
Isabelle's hands clenched into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she stepped toward him. Her heart pounded furiously, and she could feel Edmund's horrified gaze burning into her back.
But she couldn't afford to think about anything else now—not her embarrassment, not Edmund's judgment, not even her own pride. For now, all that mattered was surviving this moment and ensuring that Cassius's anger didn't spiral out of control.
As she reached Cassius, she hesitated for the briefest moment before lowering her fat bottom onto his lap.
Sit~
The interaction between two soft buns that felt so warm that they felt like they came fresh out of the oven and the stiff lap that was starting to get cold was sublime.
Her fleshy bottom didn't even leave any space behind and sank into the gap between his legs because of how much of excess fat there was on her rear, which was just as developed as her chest.
His arm also immediately wrapped around her waist, steadying her as though she might try to escape. The heat of his body against hers was both startling and strangely comforting, despite the mortifying circumstances.
She kept her gaze fixed on the ground, too humiliated to meet his eyes she wiggled her ass around in embarrassment.
"There." Cassius said with a chuckle, his voice low and teasing. "Doesn't this feel better already?...I must say, Isabelle, you're quite good at following orders when you set your mind to it."
Isabelle bit her lip, refusing to respond. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, afraid that her voice might betray the tumult of emotions raging within her.
Cassius's hand rested lightly on her hip, his touch casual yet possessive, as though he were merely staking his claim.
Edmund, meanwhile, looked as though he might combust from sheer indignation.
"You...You bastard!" He hissed through gritted teeth, his fists trembling with suppressed rage. "Let her go this instant! She's not some toy for you to play with! She's mine!"
Cassius glanced at him, his expression turning icy in an instant.
"Careful, Edmund." He said in a tone that sent shivers down Isabelle's spine. "You're in no position to make demands right now...Or have you forgotten who holds the power here?"
"...If I hear a single word come out from your mouth again while I eat my dinner with your future wife, I'll make sure to use your worthless corpse as fuel for the fire."
Edmund faltered, his bravado crumbling under Cassius's piercing gaze. Isabelle felt a pang of pity for him, despite everything he had done.
She turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of Cassius's profile. His eyes, though cold and calculating, held a glimmer of something else—amusement, perhaps, or even satisfaction at having asserted his dominance once again.
As the silence stretched on, Isabelle forced herself to take a deep breath, willing her heart to calm. This, she reminded herself, was just another trial she had to endure. If playing along with Cassius's whims meant ensuring her safety, and Edmund's, then so be it.
"Now, coming back to our topic Isabelle..." Cassius suddenly said with a friendly smile on his face. "...Let's talk about your ass, shall we?"
Once again, Isabelle was thrown off guard as her dainty little ears turned a shade of red.
This wasn't because he was asking such lewd questions that one normally couldn't ask a proper lady, since she was actually used to people in higher positions talking about her in such a way.
Living as beautiful maid in a household where even the servants who were a little higher in position had a ego, it was only natural that she would hear vile comments about her figure that even she knew was appealing to the eye.
Every day she would walk down the hallways and she could see the butlers glancing at her with evils eyes, while she simply ignored them and moved.
Sometimes they would even make a comment out loud which would make her grit her teeth, since she was unable to do anything back because of the position she was in.
But suprisingly, the questions that her young master was asking didn't make her feel that way at all.
Usually, people went out of their way to indirectly talk about her in such a dirty manner and never actually confronted her with those words since they didn't have the balls to do the same.
But her young master was different.
He went straight to the point without thinking of any reprecussions whatsoever. Many would say that he was using his status as a noble to take advantage of her. But in her eyes, it was more like he was simply saying such brazen words to see her reaction and how she would respond for his own amusement.
Like, as much as she did believe that he had crude thoughts about her, she also believed that he was teasing her for his joy and was expecting her to respond back.
What especially made her feel that way was his blood red eyes which looked a little evil at the moment.
Even though they looked a little menacing, so close up, Isabelle could clearly see that there was no lust in his eyes and only admiration. She had witnessed the ugly looks several people around her on a daily basis and she could for sure tell that her young master wasn't looking at her like she was a piece of meat, or a toy, rather he was marveling at her like she was a rare piece of art that he couldn't take his eyes off.
Even if he were to be staring at her plump butt, she would be sure that he wouldn't simply be thinking of lustful thoughts, but also the beauty of the curves and the tone of her flawless rear like he was looking at her through the eyes of a artist.
That was why, at this moment, she wasn't completely offended by his question and was rather intrigued by it which made her ask him a question of her own...