Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 162: You Made This?!

Lucius, still reeling from the sight, clasped his hands together, his voice a fervent whisper.

"Master, you're...You're incredible! Hugging him like that? You've got a heart as big as Lady Vivi's!" He paused, then added with a grin. "Though I'll never let you live down that 'washing your own shit' line, pure poetry I would say!"

The senior maid, her shock giving way to a reluctant smile, shook her head. "Young Master, you're a scandal waiting to happen." She murmured, but her tone was warm, her respect for him deepened by his actions.

The old man stepped back, his face glowing with gratitude, his voice hoarse but steady. "My lord...My lady...I never thought I'd see the day."

"...You're both like my Lila—hearts that don't judge, that see past the dirt. I'll carry this moment with me, always."

Cassius clapped him on the shoulder, his smirk returning but softer, tinged with sincerity. "Good. Now go home, take care of those grandkids like Lila wanted. And don't make me come check on you—I've got a reputation to uphold."

The old man laughed, a sound of pure joy, and nodded, tucking the letter into his coat. "I will, my lord. Thank you...both of you." He said before departing with a satisfied heart.

Vivi, still flushed, gave a radiant smile as she looked at Cassius. "You're full of surprises, Young Master Cassius." She said, her voice playful but earnest. "I thought I knew you, but...thank you, for proving me right about you."

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Cassius's eyes glinted, as he met her gaze. "Don't go thinking you've got me all figured out, Vivi." He said, his tone teasing but laced with an edge that made her heart skip. "...I'm not that predictable."

"Of course." She said, her voice light but earnest, a playful glint in her eyes. "I'd probably have to spend the rest of my life by your side, noting down every little thing you do, just to figure out how complex you are, Young Master Cassius."

"...Every time I think I've got you pinned down, you go and change it for the better."

Cassius raised a brow, his smirk deepening as he leaned down, bringing his face level with hers as she sat in her chair. His eyes locked onto hers, a teasing tone in his voice that sent a shiver down her spine.

"What was that, Vivi? Sounds like you're indirectly proposing marriage, talking about spending your life with me just to 'figure me out'...Care to clarify?"

Vivi's cheeks blazed, her hands flying up to wave frantically as a flustered squeak escaped her.

"N-Not at all! Not at all!" She stammered, her voice high-pitched with embarrassment.

The whimsical thought of being by his side had crossed her mind, but it was a fleeting fancy, not a serious notion—she hadn't meant it that way!

Desperate to change the subject, she turned to the senior maid, her voice rushed. "Miss Elma, I'm feeling cold! Can we go to my room now, please?"

Cassius chuckled, clearly enjoying her flustered state, while the senior maid smiled, her eyes twinkling at Vivi's adorable reaction.

"Of course, my lady."

The maid said, her tone fond as she moved to fetch the wooden wheelchair placed near the trunk of the tree they were under—a sleek, intricately crafted contraption, its polished oak gleaming and having wheels designed for smooth movement. She guided it to Vivi's side, positioning it carefully.

But Lucius, catching sight of the wheelchair, lit up with excitement for some reason, his earlier restraint forgotten as he pointed at it, practically bouncing.

"Look, Young Master, look! It's the thing you made—the chair with wheels! You worked all night on it, didn't you? How'd it get here? It's working just like you planned!"

Hearing this, Vivi's head snapped around, her eyes widening in shock as she processed Lucius's words.

"Wait...What?" She asked, her voice laced with disbelief as she looked from Lucius to Cassius. "Young Master Cassius made this? He didn't just buy it somewhere?"

Lucius nodded eagerly, his pride in his master bubbling over.

"Of course he didn't buy it as he made it himself! I thought it was the strangest thing when he started working on it—a chair with wheels? Sounded like a funny idea, I'll admit."

"...But Master stayed up all night, carving the wood, fitting the wheels, making sure every piece was perfect. I kept asking him why he was building such a weird contraption, who it was for—"

Cassius's expression darkened, a flash of irritation crossing his face as he shot Lucius a sharp look.

"Lucius, shut it." He snapped, his tone low but edged with waming, clearly not wanting the full story aired in front of Vivi.

But Vivi, her curiosity piqued, leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with determination as she shook her head.

"No, no, let him speak!" She said, her voice firm despite her flush. "I want to know, Lucius—go on, tell me!"

Lucius hesitated, glancing at Cassius's glare, but Vivi's earnest gaze and stubborn pout won him over. With a proud grin, he pressed on, ignoring his master's annoyance.

"Well, when I kept pestering him about it, Master finally said he was making it for an...angel out there—one who'd lost her wings and couldn't walk properly on her own."

"...He said it wouldn't be able to give her the beautiful wings she deserved, but it'd at least let her move around, live a bit more freely."

Vivi's breath caught, her eyes widening as she stared at Cassius, the word "angel" echoing in her mind. Her lips parted, a soft, "Angel...Wings." escaping under her breath, her voice trembling with awe and disbelief.

Not only had Cassius crafted this wheelchair for her a device so perfectly suited to her needs, allowing her to move beyond the confines of her bed—but he'd called her an angel without wings, a phrase so achingly romantic it set her heart racing.

She froze, her gaze locked on him, while Cassius glared at Lucius, his expression full of irritation and resignation, as if silently promising to deal with his loose-lipped attendant later.

The senior maid, catching the exchange, stifled a smile, her eyes softening with affection for Vivi's reaction, while Vivi's flush deepened, her thoughts spiraling as Lucius's words sank in.

She then snapped out of her daze, her voice rising with surprise and indignation.

"Young Master, last week when you brought this to the house, you told me you'd bought it from some merchant in a far-off land! I was suspicious even then it's too perfect, like it was made just for me, and I'd never seen anything like it before."

"...But now Lucius says you made it? Why did you hide the truth?"

Cassius scoffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back, his tone dismissive but tinged with a faint, almost Imperceptible shyness.

"It's not a big deal, Vivi. Don't make a fuss. I threw it together, that's all. Easier to say I bought it than deal with...whatever this is."

He shot another glare at Lucius, who looked away, whistling innocently as if he hadn't just spilled his master's secret.

Vivi's eyes narrowed, her stubborn streak flaring as she pushed her chair closer to Cassius, her wide, pleading gaze fixed on him.

"No, no, that's not good enough!" She insisted, her voice earnest but playful. "I want to know why, really. Why hide it? It's such a wonderful thing you did and my admiration for you would only grow if I'd known you made it, so why did you hide it from me!"

Cassius sighed, his smirk faltering as he rubbed the back of his neck, a rare hint of discomfort flickering across his face. Vivi's earnestness, her big, shining eyes, and her unyielding determination wore him down.

"Fine." He muttered, his voice quieter, almost shy. "It's not some grand reason. It's just...less embarrassing to say I bought it since I didn't want you making a big deal out of it, alright? Can we drop it now?"

Vivi's lips curled into a teasing, mischievous smile, her eyes glinting as she caught the subtext of his words.

"My lord..." She said, her voice light but pointed. "Is it possible you were shy about giving me such a heartfelt gift? Since, you know, not everyone would spend an entire night crafting something so thoughtful, so perfect, for another person."

"...Are you possibly blushing and feeling shy because of that?"

Cassius's eyes widened, a scoff escaping him as he straightened, his tone indignant.

"Blushing? Me? Not a chance, Vivi. I was just...wondering if you'd even accept it if you knew I made it. That's all." He glared at Lucius again, his voice dropping to a icey tone. "And you—keep your mouth shut next time, or you're cleaning the stables for a month."

Lucius yelped, stepping back with a sheepish grin, his hands raised in surrender. "Sorry, Master! But it's true, Isn't it? You made it for her, and it's utterly perfect for her needs!"

Vivi's smile softened, her eyes gleaming with gratitude as she rested her hands on the arms of the wooden wheelchair, her fingers tracing the polished grain with a tender reverence.

"It truly is perfect..." She said, her voice warm and earnest. "Before you gave me this, I relied on the maids for everything—moving around, going anywhere. They'd carry me, support me, and I always felt so guilty for it."

"I didn't want them straining themselves just for me, but I couldn't do much on my own. I even used to dream of moving by myself, even if it meant dragging myself along, but the maids—bless them, wouldn't hear of it. They insisted on helping me everywhere."

Her cheeks flushed a faint pink, her voice dropping to a shy murmur as she glanced down.

"Even...Even when I needed to use the bathroom, they had to come with me. It was so embarrassing, feeling like I couldn't have that bit of privacy."

She looked up at Cassius, her expression brightening, her eyes sparkling with newfound freedom.

"But now, with this wheelchair you made, I can go anywhere I want on my own. I don't need to lean on anyone...And for the first time in my life—since I was a child, too sick to walk properly, I've explored my own house!"

"...Places I'd never seen before, corners I only heard about, like they were new lands to discover. It's been a...magical experience."

She paused, a mischievous glint flickering in her eyes as she leaned forward slightly.

"And, well, there've been nights when I couldn't sleep, so I'd sneak out—yes, sneak and wheel myself to the garden, just to sit under the stars. All by myself, thanks to this."

The senior maid's eyes widened, a silent gasp of surprise betraying her thoughts as she processed her lady's secret escapades.

'Naughty girl.' She thought, a fond smile tugging at her lips, though she kept her composure, adjusting Vivi's blanket with a gentle hand.

Vivi's gaze returned to Cassius, her voice trembling with sincerity. "This is all because of you, my lord. Without this gift, I'd still be in bed, waiting for a maid every time I wanted to move...Words can't express how thankful I am for this, for everything you've done."

"...That's why I'm saying you shouldn't hide what you did. You should say it with pride, because it's such a good, wonderful thing."

Cassius looked away, as he rubbed the back of his neck, his usual confidence faltering under her earnest praise.

"It's nothing." He muttered, his voice gruff. "Just a chair with wheels...Don't make it a big deal."

But Vivi's eyes lit up with sudden realization, her voice tinged with excitement as she clasped her hands together.

"Wait...That's it!"

She exclaimed, her gaze darting from the wheelchair to Cassius.

"It all makes sense now! Mother said she had received blueprints for this wheelchair design so that it could be utilised to build more of them for use in the hospital and she said that you had given to her on one of your visits."

"And even I knew you were behind the donation, I couldn't figure out how you'd gotten such a perfect design in your hands...Now I understand you didn't just find the blueprints, you created them, because you made this amazing apparatus yourself!"

"It's not that big of deal..." He muttered, like he didn't really care much about what he had done and prefer if she kept quiet about it.

"But it is!" She insisted, her voice brimming with excitement. "It is a big deal as not only are you a genius doctor, saving lives with your methods, but you're a master craftsman as well!..I mean you made this wheelchair that's so perfect, so thoughtful, made for people just like me on a whim." She caressed the wood gently, her touch tender, as if it were a treasure. "So, if that not considered being immensely talented I don't know what is!"

Lucius, unable to resist, stepped forward, his voice bursting with pride. "That's right, my lady! Master's good at everything! First at whatever he tries—medicine, crafting, you name it! There's no one in the land as talented as him. Why, I remember when he—"

His words cut off with a yelp as Cassius smacked the back of his head. "Shut it, Lucius...I've had enough of your yapping for today." Lucius rubbed his head, grinning sheepishly, but his eyes still sparkled with loyalty.

Cassius then glanced at the setting sun, its last rays painting the garden in hues of violet and gold.

"Enough of this." He said, his tone brisk but not unkind. "It's getting late. Let's get inside before Vivi catches a chill."

Vivi watched him, her smile softening as a quiet realization settled over her. Despite the terrifying rumors that swirled around Cassius—tales of depravity, of a man who conquered hearts and broke rules with reckless abandon, she saw something else in him now.

Beneath his confident swagger, his sharp wit, there was a shyness, a vulnerability that surfaced in moments like this, when his kindness was laid bare.

It was endearing, utterly charming, and it made her heart skip in a way she couldn't quite name.

'He's not what they say.' She thought, her gaze lingering on him as he pulled on Lucious's ear and scolded him to his hearts content. 'He's something more...something that I want to unravel and see more off.'