Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble! Chapter 158: A Perfect Match, You And I

The old man, now seated close, ducked his head, his voice low with apology.

"I'm sorry if I...If I stink, my lady. Can't help it, after all these years."

Vivi's eyes sparkled with mischief, and she leaned forward, her tone teasing.

"Oh, don't you worry—I've got a cold today, so even if you were the slliest man in the world, I wouldn't notice a thing. It's no big deal at all!"

She winked, her playfulness drawing a hesitant chuckle from the old man, his tension easing under her charm.

Cassius, still lounging in his chair, let out a silent chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly as he watched Vivi's performance.

'Mischievous and noble all at once.' He thought, his admiration deepening.

Vivi then leaned back, her smile warm and inviting as she folded her hands neatly in her lap.

"There we go, now we're on the sa level." She said, her voice bright with triumph. "Now, we can talk properly now, sir. So, please, speak your mind tell whatever's weighing on you...I'm here for it all."

Hearing this, the old man hesitated, his gnarled hands fidgeting as he glanced down, his voice low and uncertain.

"I...I'm not sure I should've co, my lady." He murmured, his white hair shining in the fading light. "This problem of mine—it's not sothing to bother a fine young lady like you with. Maybe I ought to just go."

Vivi's eyes sparkled with gentle insistence as she waved a hand dismissively.

"Not at all! Anyone can co to with any problem, big or small—a tiny fight, a great tragedy, doesn't matter. I'm here to face them all, and I want to hear yours. Please, go on—I an it."

Her sincerity broke through his doubt, and the old man sighed, his shoulders slumping as he nodded.

"A-Alright, my lady. Forgive if it's a long story." He said, his voice softening with apology. "It's actually about my wife—well, my late wife, I should say...Still not used to saying that." His lips twitched in a sad smile, and Vivi's face fell, her eyes brimming with empathy.

"I'm so sorry for your loss." She said, her voice gentle but steady. "It's alright to take your ti. Tell about her."

He nodded, his gaze distant as he smiled faintly.

"Thank you...And it's actually been a few months since she passed, but...feels like just yesterday she was scolding about my stinky feet, telling to wash 'em proper." He chuckled, the sound rough but warm, tinged with love. "Even now, it doesn't seem real she's gone."

Vivi's smile returned, soft and encouraging, as she leaned closer. "She sounds like she kept you on your toes...What was she like?"

The old man's eyes lit up, his voice warming as he slipped into his mories.

"When I was young, I started working as a cleaner—carting off noble folks' waste, cleaning their outhouses, selling the manure to farrs. Sa as my father did, and his father before him...Dirty work, filthy work, and the world let know it."

"Neighbors wouldn't look in the eye, whispered behind my back, mocked when they thought I couldn't hear. Called Dungman, worse nas too. It hurt fiercely, especially when I was a lad."

"The thing was I was actually proud of what I did—kept things clean, helped the land grow, but sadly no one saw that and made fun of all the ti."

"...Made feel lost, like I didn't know why I was even living, with no respect from nobody."

Vivi's brow furrowed, a flicker of pity crossing her face as she listened, her hands tightening slightly in her lap. Lucius, standing behind Cassius, felt a pang of sympathy, his usual chatter stilled by the weight of the man's words. Even Cassius's smirk softened, his gaze steady as he took in the story.

"But then..." The old man continued, his voice lifting, a spark of joy breaking through. "She ca into my life, my lady—my Lila."

"I t her on a delivery, carting manure to a farr's field. She was his daughter, working the land, tending the pigs. Prettiest thing I ever saw—hair like wheat, eyes that laughed even when her mouth didn't...But the first ti we t, though, wasn't exactly romantic and was more tragic."

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"She actually took one whiff of and wrinkled her nose, said I stank worse than a pig—maybe worse than her pigs! Held her nose and all, like I was a walking cesspit."

Vivi's lips twitched, a soft giggle escaping as she imagined the scene. "Oh, that must've stung!" She said, her voice warm with amusent.

"It did." He admitted, his smile wistful. "Fell for her right then, you see, I thought she was the loveliest girl I'd ever laid eyes on...But her words cut deep, and I felt so small, like I'd never be good enough. Wanted to cry, run off and hide."

"And then, to make it worse, my stomach started rumbling—loud, mind you, because I hadn't eaten all day. Thought I'd die of sha right there, standing in her father's field with my cart of manure."

Lucius let out a quiet snort, quickly covering his mouth, while Vivi leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "What happened next?"

The old man's smile grew, his voice softening with the mory.

"I was ready to bolt because I couldn't handle the embarrassnt, but then she grabbed my hand. Stopped dead in my tracks and looked right in the eye and said, 'You're hungry, aren't you? Co inside, have a al with .'"

"Hearing that, I was dumbfounded, my lady—didn't know what to say. One minute she's calling stinky, the next she's dragging into her house, insisting I eat. Her father also wasn't ho at that ti, but she didn't care—she sat at their table, piled a plate with bread and stew, and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"...She shoved it in front of and told to eat, like she was scolding a child."

Vivi's giggle bubbled up again, her eyes sparkling. "She sounds like quite a force!"

"Oh, she was." He said, his voice thick with affection. "I sat there, eating, confused as all get—out. She'd just insulted , but now she's feeding ?...So I asked her—had to know, why she was doing it...Said it didn't make sense, her being kind after calling a pig."

"And hearing my doubt, she actually blushed then, red as a beet, and she tried to say it was just because I was hungry and she didn't want going off on an empty stomach."

"...But I didn't buy it—thought there had to be so trick, so motive. So, I kept pushing, asking why, 'til she finally cracked."

He paused, his smile turning tender, his eyes distant as he relived the mont.

"She looked away, all flustered, and then to my shock, she blurted out that she thought I was handso. Said she liked —really liked and wanted to talk to more, so she used the al as an excuse to get inside. Said she'd never pulled a lad into her house like that before, that I was the first to make her feel that way."

Vivi's eyes widened, a delighted gasp escaping her, while Lucius's jaw dropped, his hands freezing on Cassius's shoulders. Cassius raised a brow, as he leaned forward slightly, caught off guard by the twist.

"Well, damn..." He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Lucius to hear.

The old man chuckled, seeing Vivi's surprise.

"Aye, I felt the sa, my lady. Thought she was joking—, handso?...With my job, stinking of manure, carting filth for a living?...I told her it was impossible, that no girl could love soone like ...Said she was playing with my feelings, trying to make a fool of ."

"But she got mad—proper mad—when I said that. Stomped her foot, cheeks all red, and swore it was true. Said she didn't care about my job, that she'd never felt this way about anyone else and even insisted I was the only one she'd ever dragged into her house like that."

He shook his head, his voice softening.

"And in utter confusion I asked her why—why , with my filthy work, when she could have any lad she wanted. And she just...shook her head, like it was the simplest thing in the world and said she didn't care about what I did and that she just liked for for who I was and the she even went on to say that she raised pigs for a living, and that was dirty work too—cleaning out pens, feeding slop, knee—deep in mud most days."

"...Then she smiled—this smile, my lady, so beautiful I can still see it clear as day and said, 'We both got filthy jobs, don't we?...Makes us a perfect match, you and .'"

Vivi's smile widened, her eyes shimring with warmth as she clasped her hands together, utterly chard.

Lucius let out a soft, "Oh" his heart lting at the heartwarming tale, while Cassius's smirk softened into a genuine smile, his usual cynicism giving way to a rare mont of appreciation for the story's simple beauty.

Even the senior maid who had also arrived, the sa who insisted that she send the old man away, dabbed at her eyes, her blanket forgotten in her hands as she listened, caught up in the old man's love story...