Chapter 6: Feigned Interest

The feigned laughter of everyone echoed across the hall after hearing the Viscount's last words.

Emily props her head down, feeling smaller as she evades their looks. She has never been this insulted before. The words of the Viscount were rather harsh, but she propelled herself to believe that their words didn't matter.

She's not from here, so who cares?

By then, a pair of black shoes peeked into her vision. The cold touch of someone brought in a burning passion. 'How dare he?' Emily thought while the Viscount reached for her chin. He slowly lifted her face as he held her gently.

Their eyes met, and for a second, their orbs glimmered.

Finding herself in a trance, Emily swallowed. Viscount Clyde must've been the most beautiful man she has ever seen. His broad shoulders, prominent nose, flawless complexion, and lustrous hair… It left her tingles at unknown points.

His dark hazel eyes sucked her in. That chiseled jaw and rosy lips were also inviting. And though his face was noticeably pale, the presence of a reddish hue gave it a glow.

Unbeknownst to her, the man felt something of the same aspect. The only difference was that he had a keener distaste. Clyde shook his head and looked away after letting her go, adding, "Not to mention her grotesque physique, I'm certain you'll wretch with a mere kiss."

Emily's jaw dropped. 'Did he just call me ugly in old English?!' her annoyance blared, but the heat simmered up instead. His harsh words were supposed to be insulting, downright repugnant, but rather than dejection, she felt more irritated.

Deep down, she could admit that his mean stance turned her on, especially with a voice like that. 'No, Emily… Shut up! Remember, you're a woman of the 20th century. Enough with bad boys!'

She convinced herself but still tried to catch a glimpse of Clyde, only to be met with his alluring stare. Igniting with passion, she felt herself dripping.

"How dare you look at him?" Victoria asked. "The Viscount isn't for your eyes to cease."

Emily looked at Victoria. "Right…" She stepped back and quickly threw her head down, muttering, "I'll bring you a change of clothes, milady. Excuse me."

Then, she frantically showed herself out by running across the dining hall and exiting through the back door.

Lady Victoria frowned but quickly shifted her expression to a tantalizing leer. "Viscount Clyde, it's an honor to be invited here."

Her earlier indifference was nowhere to be found. It was instead swept away with fraudulent sweetness. She showed off her charming side in hopes of stealing the attention of the gorgeous man. Just then, Clyde grabbed her hand, pulling it closer and kissing the back of her palm without breaking eye contact. It was enough to swoon the lady.

"No, Lady Berrycloth. It's my pleasure that I'm in the presence of such beauty."

"Oh, perhaps, a marriage would be underway between the two of you before you start discussing what we're here for," Count Levi said out loud, filling the room with a guffaw.

Clyde composed himself, standing before them in elegance as he bid his greeting.

"Apologies for the display, Count Levi. I hope you enjoyed your meal," he chuckled. "I'll be discussing the coinage for the upcoming summit but before that..." He gazed at the Lady with a stained petticoat, "I shall escort Lady Victoria to my spare room to change."

The young ladies exchanged meaningful stares, feeling envious that they even thought of pouring something into their overpriced corsets. "It'll be my pleasure," Lady Victoria replied with a winning grin.

"Please, excuse us. I'd have my men escort you to the Mead Hall," Viscount Clyde announced as he grabbed the Lady by her hand.

The two exited the dining hall and made their way upstairs, leaving the young nobles stirred.

They never thought that he was this upright, even in person.

"Well, Casanova of Glasgow indeed!" Cyrus hemmed.

Viscount Clyde is a very private figure; he rose in power years ago, reclaiming several bankrupted businesses upon his arrival here in Osborn, Glasgow. He was known to be an heir of a rich family, but it's been said that he chose not to associate himself with them.

A rebellious young man with a brain. Quite uncommon.

Lady Victoria couldn't help but smile as they entered a room on the second floor. A triumphant feeling took over her as she scanned around the quarter sufficed with an exorbitant interior. This man is a catch. He might even be richer than she could imagine with all the gold figurines hanging around this guest chamber.

"I'll have your servant called here, milady. Please, feel at home," Clyde uttered with a smile as he proceeded to kiss her by the hand once more. Lady Victoria eyed him with hunger before stepping closer.

"Clyde…" she whispered. "What a beautiful name." She playfully placed her hand by his chest.

Feeling the woman's assertion, the man smiled back, leaned closer, and hungrily snatched her lips.

They shared a passionate kiss, an exchange thought to be immoral for those with no union. Clyde pushed his probing tongue out, entering her mouth like a predator. Victoria's eyes rolled all the way.

For a noblewoman, pleasure is not something she takes lightly. Sexual intercourse has been in her vocabulary ever since her father thought she was old enough, something one wouldn't expect for women her age were ought to be innocent.

"Hmm…" She moaned as he began to lower his kiss down her neck. "I never thought you'd be this playful, Viscount…"

Clyde chuckled in between his kisses. He made his way back to her ear and nibbled it as his hand slid across her clothed chest, giving it a light squeeze in exchange for her whimper.

"Pleasuring women is my passion," he whispered before pulling away. "But I figured that it's time to bring about a change," he added.

"What do you mean?"

Clyde tucked a few strands of loose hair behind Victoria's ear. "I've always fancied you, Lady Berrycloth," he mentioned with sincerity, eyes glimmering with passion.

"Y—you do?" she asked back with shaking pupils.

"Do you want me to prove it?" he questioned, and she answered with a nod.

"Marchesi Roset…"

Those words made the woman freeze.

"What?" She raised a brow.

"You hate it, don't you? Despite that product being your primary export, it's a wine you despise. I know that because I have my eyes on you all this time."

Victoria's eyes widened. "Y—you knew?" She never thought that she'd hear that from someone else. It's a secret she's been hiding; how come he knows about it? No, it's not the wine... His clear hesitance made her aware that he was speaking of another fact.

"Has he been touching you until now?" Clyde asked discreetly.

Her tears came flowing, gasping in peril before a hesitant nod.

"I can help you. Marry me, and I'll put you out on your misery," Clyde offered, pertaining to Victoria's greatest nightmare: her father, Lord Frank Berrycloth. He's an old geezer so powerful he does blatant abuse to his own daughter for fun and whenever he's drunk on the powerful Marchesi Roset wine.

He was also the man who went ahead on his way to pass a law that forbids offspring from suing their parents. At this frame, he's also on a pursuit to have a bill passed via nepotism, marrying one's own child. Victoria feared the day of this happening, so having Clyde offer such an arrangement was like her saving grace.

At this point, it didn't even matter to her how he knew about her father's abuse. All she wanted was to escape from the Berrycloth manor, away from Frank, away from that monster.

"Yes… marry me!" Lady Victoria nodded, quickly locking her lips with his and wrapping her hands around his neck.

But before it got any deeper, a loud knock came on the door. They stopped and stared at each other, "Let's continue this later. Do you mind spending the night here?"

Lady Victoria shook her head. "I don't. I don't mind at all!"

Clyde nodded and chuckled deeply. He let go of her and walked to the door, pulling the latch open to see the very same woman he despised. Emily jeered at him with a startled look. His expression quickly changed from warm to cold as he felt the obvious thirst of the lady before him. He then stepped out, passing the astounded young maiden.

But before he makes his way to the hall leading to the mead room, he comes to a halt. Breathing heavily and thinking to himself, Clyde sighed in resonance. "No, it can't be. But if it is… then it's worth taking the risk."

He clenched his fist, turning his head back on the closed guest door.

...

Emily frantically took the case, which contained a spare dress. It's a good thing Ruth packed one to avoid troubles. She then closed the door of the carriage, struggling to lift the heavy suitcase, but that's a price she had to pay for messing up earlier.

"Shit! I can't believe I'm going to be humbled this much! I can't wait to go back or wake up from this God-forbidden dream!" Her grunts traveled through the wind.

She was holding an umbrella in her other hand since the rain hadn't stopped. It made matters worse if she's being honest. "Sorry, horsey," she murmured to the white horse that brought them there. She felt bad, but there was nothing she could do about it; the roofed lot was occupied by the grand carriages of other nobles. "Shame that cars haven't been invented yet," she muttered and struggled to pass the slippery grassland, peeking at the chauffers hanging on their master's carriages.

Earlier, before they came here, Emily was tasked to be the chariot. She was hesitant at first, but Ruth urged her that she knew how to do such a task because she had been trained for this. Pressured, Emily sat on the saddle, and surprisingly, it turns out that she does know how to navigate a stallion. It seemed that Agatha's skills had seeped into this body. How did things play out like this? Emily had no idea.

She slowly made her way across the yard with great caution and entered through the back door where the other servants were currently cleaning.

"Oh, do you need help?" asked a man in a white victorian suit. Emily smiled and shook her head lightly. 'Does he think I need help just because I'm a woman, therefore, I'm weak?! Get lost.'

"No, it's okay," she replied without a fuss and was about to spin away. However, the man insisted by extending his hand and taking the case gently. "It's not okay. Lady Victoria is in the guest room on the second-floor left wing. You might get lost on your way there, so follow me," he said.

Emily bit her lips and slowly bobbed her head to hide how she really felt. "Alright, thanks… I guess."

The two made their way back to the hall. She noticed that the guests were not in the dining area anymore. "They're in the Mead Hall to discuss business privately. You know, without the presence of us peasants," the man chuckled. Emily awkwardly laughed along with him.

"What's your name?" the man suddenly asked. "I'm Louis, by the way."

"Emi—" she almost said her real name, but she figured that using Agatha would cause less confusion for the people who already knew her beforehand. "Agatha," she replied as they stepped up the lavish stairs.

"Lovely name. Here we are, Agatha. I'll be heading down now. I have to prepare for departure."

They stopped in front of a golden door by the end of the hallway.

"Departure?" Emily asked curiously. She thought that these people work for Clyde's manor, so speaking about departure made her baffled. "Where are you going?"

Louis shrugged. "Home. The Viscount called off all his servants yesterday. Today would be the last day of our stay. I don't know why, but we can't do anything, can we? It's a shame that I won't have a job anymore, though," he said with a faded smile.

"Oh, that's… sad." Emily brushed her nape. She thought that mass layoffs only existed in her time, but it turned out that it's been happening since the 18th century.

"Right. It was sudden. 30 people at once." He sighed and continued, "Well, I'll be heading now." Louis then turned away and walked down the stairs. Emily felt bad and remembered her father. He was also fired after he was hospitalized. It really brought her back. 'Dad must be so worried for me… But let's focus on this for now.'

Emily stepped closer to the door, breathing deeply before knocking. Not knowing what to expect, her eyes widened. She met that same eyes again once the door opened. She flinched upon seeing the coldness in Clyde's gaze, electricity running through her body.

However, Viscount Clyde just faced her with evident annoyance. He blew past her, seemingly not minding. Emily swallowed the lump forming in her throat. 'What ethereal beauty masked by conceit. Freaking douche!' she thought before snapping into reality when Lady Victoria's furious look enthralled her.

Emily rushed inside. Closing the door, she faced the ruthless lady and apologized against her will once more.