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 smelliest 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 same level." She said, her voice bright with triumph. "Now, we can talk properly now, sir. So, please, speak your mind tell me 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 come, my lady." He murmured, his white hair shining in the fading light. "This problem of mine—it's not something 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 come to me 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 mean it."

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

"A-Alright, my lady. Forgive me 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 time. Tell me 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 me about my stinky feet, telling me 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 memories.

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

"Neighbors wouldn't look me in the eye, whispered behind my back, mocked me when they thought I couldn't hear. Called me Dungman, worse names too. It hurt me 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 me all the time."

"...Made me 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 came into my life, my lady—my Lila."

"I met her on a delivery, carting manure to a farmer'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 time we met, though, wasn't exactly romantic and was more tragic."

He chuckled, shaking his head.

"She actually took one whiff of me 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 amusement.

"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 shame 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 memory.

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

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

"...She shoved it in front of me and told me 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 me, but now she's feeding me?...So I asked her—had to know, why she was doing it...Said it didn't make sense, her being kind after calling me 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 me going off on an empty stomach."

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

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

"She looked away, all flustered, and then to my shock, she blurted out that she thought I was handsome. Said she liked me—really liked me and wanted to talk to me more, so she used the meal as an excuse to get me 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.

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

"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 me, 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 me 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 me.'"

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

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

Even the senior maid who had also arrived, the same 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...