My Insolent Shadow (22 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 3
“Even if you don’t die soon, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do, is there? After all, you’re a Blanchet.”
His face, turned toward me, was clouded with disbelief.
No wonder. No one had ever snapped back at a high-born young master like this before.
Everyone bows their head the moment they stand before a Blanchet.
“How amusing.”
A faint smile flickered across Cassian’s face and vanished just as quickly.
His eyes, filled with cold derision, locked onto mine.
“At the end of the day, you’re just here hoping to scavenge a single drop falling from the Blanchet family, aren’t you?”
Someone scavenging for that single drop from Blanchet.
That description fit me perfectly—it was a bland, unremarkable remark I’d usually let slide.
After all, countless commoners—or at the very least, everyone in Lord Alphonse’s territory of Clionleaf—lived exactly like that. What was so special about it?
A servant need only act according to their employer’s wishes.
Being the young master’s attendant, I should have sweetened my words with honey, careful not to cross him.
Why did I have to go and say such things? That I’m different.
That I came here to save you.
A few insincere, sugary lies would have sufficed.
Yet my tongue moved of its own accord.
“…You’re right. I came here hoping to scavenge something, anything.”
It was nearly an impulsive decision.
His eyes looked hollow—filled with such deep resignation that sweet, cotton-candy words simply wouldn’t come out.
Truly, it was a foolish choice.
What was I thinking, admitting that right here? What did I hope to accomplish by provoking the young master?
I always believed mixing emotion into work was something only fools did—yet, for a fleeting moment, I became exactly that.
Predictably, one of Cassian’s eyebrows arched neatly upward,
as if he’d just heard something distasteful.
Then he let out a soft “Ah,” and grinned slyly.
“But you don’t seem all that desperate, do you?”
Despite the sarcasm in his words, his tone was oddly sincere—so much so that it almost sounded like a genuine question.
Of course, it wasn’t.
My throat tightened.
Not once in my entire life had I ever been anything less than desperate.
Even now, at this very moment—every second since stepping into this place had to be desperate.
Because only desperation allowed me to scrape by day after day,
just to barely sustain the life I shared with Mother.
Indeed, today’s reckless behavior was unlike me.
Perhaps that’s why I seemed so distant from true desperation.
Those who are truly desperate dig their own wells and kneel before those who offer them scraps—it’s simply how the world works.
In that sense, I’d made a grave mistake today.
His crimson eyes pierced straight through me, steady and unwavering.
Every time I met that gaze, I felt as if my very bones were being penetrated. Even sitting perfectly upright, his mere presence overwhelmed me.
His stiff posture seemed to challenge me: “Go on, show me your desperation.”
And so, belatedly, I began digging my well.
“There’s no one in this village who isn’t desperate.”
Cassian’s eyebrow twitched upward again, as if surprised by my unexpected reply.
“To someone like me, even a single drop from Blanchet is life-giving water—enough to keep me alive for a day, no, an entire month.”
“…”
“And of course, Young Master, you’re the one controlling the source of that water.”
“Do you really expect me to care about your petty circumstances?”
The words were cruelly indifferent, yet coming from the young master’s lips, their meaning changed entirely.
It was cruel to ask a man with limited days left to interpret another’s life.
“You don’t need to.”
“…”
“I only wished to say that everyone is simply doing their best.”
An oppressive silence lingered in the air, drifting like a ghost.
Maybe I should’ve just tossed out a few honeyed words instead.
It seemed absurd to expect even a shred of “compassion” from someone for whom even understanding was a luxury.
Yet, upon closer inspection, the corner of Cassian’s mouth had lifted—just slightly.
‘Does he find this entertaining?’
His sharp voice, cutting through the thought instantly, erased that notion completely.
“Do I really look like I’m asking about the desperation of these villagers?”
“I’m one of those people, too.”
“Oh, then I’ll just find another desperate soul. Is that what you want?”
His scathing words choked me.
Despite all I’d endured—and despite dealing with people far more powerful than this young master—such simple words somehow trapped me.
Was it because of this man’s exalted status?
No. I hadn’t felt this way before when facing other nobles.
Many travelers, mostly idle nobles, occasionally visited this place, so encounters weren’t unheard of.
Most never openly showed displeasure in front of others. If they disliked someone, they simply remembered and dismissed them later.
But this man played with people as if they were toys.
He enjoyed the knowledge that everything hinged upon his fingertip—placing me on his pale palm and toying with me,
clutching my desperation firmly in his hand.
Why had I spoken the truth? Now I regret it.
I didn’t realize it would feed his arrogance. Or perhaps I did—and that made it even more foolish.
It was absurd that I only felt this way now, after saying everything I wanted to say.
But what’s done is done.
Dealing with the consequences is the responsibility of the one who caused them.
Humiliating, degrading words lingered on my lips before spilling out.
“What would you have me do?”
Cassian’s gaze, which had been fixed steadily on me, abruptly shifted to the bookshelf.
The turning pages fluttered slower than before.
“What? Truly willing to do anything?”
The young master lazily flicked his fingers.
With no choice, I stepped closer to his bedside. He gently grasped my chin.
His fair, slender hand held a surprising strength—nothing like the pallor of his face.
His crimson eyes slowly lowered, gleaming like the sun as they raked over me,
so close I could feel his breath.
“You must have so many things you’re eager to do with me—alone in this room.”
His fingers lazily traced my lips.
I tried to pull away in embarrassment, but my body had frozen stiff.
A tremor ran through me. I wasn’t so naive as to misunderstand what the young master implied.
It was said that women’s screams occasionally echoed from the lord’s mansion—and by the next day, those maids would vanish without a trace, removed quietly by the head lady.
This young master was utterly self-absorbed.
Countless thoughts raced through my mind.
Amidst them all, searing shame flooded my heart.
After what felt like an eternity in that fleeting moment,
Cassian finally released my face.
Afterward, he didn’t even glance my way—only turning the pages of his book,
as if the incident had already vanished from his memory.
All I could do was stand in place, watching him.
It was my duty, after all.
Annoyingly, Cassian now read a single book intently—unlike before—giving me no reason to move.
So I stood there, dazed, as time passed under blatant disregard.
His face, glimpsed occasionally between the bookshelves, remained utterly impassive.
It was even more humiliating that I alone seemed to have imagined something strange, trembling in foolish anticipation.
Time dragged on painfully and endlessly.
Above the shame, anxiety slowly rose.
‘Will I be dismissed now?’
Even in this moment, I hesitated—wondering if I should say something.
Hoping, perhaps, I might still change a noble young master’s mind.
Thinking maybe one mistake could still be undone.
Should I beg for forgiveness?
Or painstakingly explain my situation?
Thus, meaningless time stretched on endlessly.
Every second I spent standing in indecision tightened my breath.
A wave of guilt crashed over me—this was all my fault.
If this was his chosen method of punishment because I displeased him, then he’d certainly succeeded.
His languid face, visible over the thin pages, was infuriating.
This unbridgeable distance seemed to rigidly define the gap between Cassian and me,
as if sternly warning me never to forget my place.
Gradually, indignation at my humiliation turned to bitter self-awareness—enough time had passed for me to see my situation clearly.
Ah. Now I understand.
From the very beginning, he never intended to keep me.
He only needed a new toy to amuse himself with today—this haughty young master.
It was laughable that I, unaware, had briefly shown him sincerity.
The moment I realized this, the torture finally ended.
A knock sounded, and the butler who came to fetch me glanced at me warily.
He looked surprised—
likely thinking I’d lasted quite a while.
Indeed, before coming here, Aunt Mary had told me as much.
Others hadn’t even lasted a single watch before leaving.
That was why I’d dared to hope—though now, it all seemed futile.
The butler, assessing his master’s behavior with a returned glance, seemed to reach the same conclusion as me and hardened his expression.
His reaction confirmed it—the young master was genuinely furious.
I hadn’t realized it earlier, given how perfectly still he’d remained.
But what did it matter? I’d never see him again.
Only a fool wouldn’t understand the meaning of being left standing here without a word for this long.
The butler’s gaze, when it returned to me, instantly turned sharp.
Under that look, I felt as if I’d committed some terrible offense.
“Young Master, it’s time to rest now.”
At Cassian’s slight gesture, the butler quickly ushered me out.
As if I, an eyesore, needed to vanish from his sight as soon as possible.
The butler’s brisk pace finally halted only after rounding the doorway and passing far into the second corridor.
Turning back, his face was heavy with sighs.
His furrowed brow was no different than when he’d first brought me here.
I understood. He’d held a sliver of hope, and now he’d have to go find someone new—what a headache.
Knowing the problem lay with his master, he said nothing else—only handed me an envelope.
“It’s first-rate pay. The exit is over there.”
His tone, indicating the nearby door, was unusually heavy.
No more questions followed—neither about whether I’d made a mistake, nor why the young master’s expression had been so cold.
As if this were simply routine in this mansion.
Despite hearing Aunt Mary’s words, I’d arrogantly believed I’d be different—but now, shamefully, I’d become just another among countless rejected applicants.
Stepping outside, the pitch-black sky revealed how much time had slipped by unnoticed.
Standing at winter’s end, the still-ruthless night air swept coolly across my face—
just like my heart.
My spirit felt unbearably heavy, despite the generous pay no one else could offer.
Regret followed—thinking I could have done better.
That regret weighed heavily with every step I took.
Before cutting through the shrubbery toward the main gate, I paused at the cliff famed for its view—and saw the colorful rooftops clustered in the distance.
Somewhere among them was our house, one small hue among many.
There, Mother was likely boiling soup right now,
thinking nothing of her own well-being.
My steps hastened.
Unaware that someone above was watching me leave.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Damnnnnn why is this so interesting am I a masochist for liking this haha
I feel like the young master is probably going to get her back one way
I feel bad for Hael, he likes her so much but I feel like it’s hard for the FL to return that type of love