The death flag is flashing violently after hearing the name 'Evelina'.
If he loved her... If he were engaged to her... he died. He doesn't want to be with her. He doesn't want to die. Not again. He felt sweat form on his forehead as he nibbled on his fingernails.
"Oh god... fuck!"
He clamped his mouth shut.
The maid blinked. "Pardon?"
"Ahem. I mean, ah... heavens above. What tragic... news."
He placed a hand on his bare chest as he spoke.
The maid smiled as she pressed her hands together.
"You must not dawdle, Young Master Noel," she said. "You must wash up immediately. The Master has called for you."
"Me? My father?" He pointed at himself for the second time. He swallowed hard as he nodded at the maid to lead him to the bathroom.
It was bigger than he imagined, even better than the one on set. The tub was clean and sparkling. It was almost like a jacuzzi.
Since Noel was admiring the bathroom, he didn't realise the maid had finished making arrangements for his bath. He flinched when he felt a hand, taking off his nightwear.
He wanted to reject her help, but it would make him suspicious. It's normal for maids to do this.
'I'm sure she'll leave after taking it off.'
The shirt was folded and placed on a stool. Then, the maid knelt in front of him and lowered his pants without waiting for him. Noel felt his veins popping out as he squeezed his toes so he wouldn't react too much.
He looked left and right, wondering when the maid would leave, but her weird question caught his attention.
"Young master, since it's yet to be solid, should I proceed?"
Noel blinked in confusion, wondering what should be 'solid'.
'Is she perhaps, talking about a soap or something? I should just say yes for now, so she can leave.'
"Yes. You may proceed and hurry," he spoke nonchalantly, still a bit embarrassed from standing naked. His eyes suddenly widened in shock as he felt warm fingers wrapped around his dick. Well, not his real dick but... It's now his real dick.
He looked down and saw the maid, ready to shove it inside her mouth when he screamed and pushed himself off of her.
"What... What the hell is happening?" He asked.
'Why is this happening to an innocent gay like me? No wait, what kind of miserable life has Noel been living?'
The maid was shocked to the bone after what had just happened. She immediately crawled back as she banged her forehead on the bathroom tiles.
"Forgive me, young master. My body has failed to please you. Punish me!"
"Punish you? Hold on... I mean, remain still... I shall not lay a hand on you so you may leave now."
"Huh? You pardon me, Young Master?" She lifted her head to meet his eyes, and he walked closer to her, touching her swollen forehead.
"Yes, you have been pardoned. So, you may leave," he tried to be calm and not pretend his heart was racing in his chest.
"I'm honoured. If you're displeased with my service, I could perhaps call the other maids to..."
"Don't bother. From now on, I shall bathe myself. So, inform the other maids."
"Yes, Young Master. I... I shall take my leave." She said as she took a last glance at his limp dick and ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door closed.
Noel slumped inside the tub as he tried to forget the fact that his dick had just been grabbed by a maid. A girl. Judging by her attitude, he could tell it wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
'I was fully aware that the real Noel was a scumbag according to the script, but I didn't think it was up to this.'
He sighed and ran his fingers through his wet hair.
.
After a few minutes, he stepped out of the bathroom, wearing a clean robe he found close to his nightwear.
The same maid from earlier was waiting for him.
"This way, Young Master," She said as she led him to the massive walk-in closet.
Noel's eyes, however, were wide as he stepped in. His jaw nearly dropped. The room was a treasure trove of wealth: velvet-lined drawers, golden handles, silk shirts stacked neatly, and jewellery glinting in morning light. Rings, chains, cufflinks... so much that a person could drown in opulence.
'Oh, wow...' Noel's mind whispered. 'I could probably do a photoshoot here. Or a Vogue cover. Or three. Everything here is so colourful and expensive. Noel must have had a shitty attitude but his fashion sense was top-notch.'
So, he picked something simple yet fashionable. A light grey vest over a crisp white shirt, trousers that fit just right, and a pair of polished leather shoes. Subtle, but stylish. Celebrity-level effortless chic, even in the 19th century.
"Perfect, Master Noel," the maid said softly, clearly relieved he wasn't choosing something outrageous. "Shall we?"
Noel followed her, stepping lightly through the polished halls, until they reached the dining room. His stomach twisted out of nervousness. He kept looking around the house which was a reminder that he's dead and in another world.
They walked down the grand hallway toward the dining room, footsteps muted by plush carpets. Noel felt his heart thump harder with each step. In the original film, this breakfast scene was messy, loud, and dramatic... with the whole family present.
But when the maid opened the doors, he saw only one person seated at the table.
His father. He couldn't understand why or how it was possible. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he had the wrong breakfast scene.
Mr Hartwell sat at the head of the long table, back straight, expression carved from stone. His dark coat was tailored sharply, silver embroidery lining the cuffs. His hair was streaked with grey, yet his presence was cold, strong, and unyielding.
Noel stepped inside, trying his best to hide his nervousness.
"Good morning... Father," he said gently.
The old master didn't look up at first. He continued slicing his food with precise, mechanical movements. Only after an uncomfortable pause did his eyes finally lift.
"...Sit."
Noel obeyed quietly. A maid poured tea for him, and Noel clasped the warm cup between his hands, aware that his fingers were trembling slightly.
He made an attempt to talk a little but he didn't know what to say. In the original story, Noel wasn't close to any member of his father, especially his siblings. It's just his mother.
He even refused to eat with the members of the family after saying that their presence ruined his appetite. Noel coughed once trying not to remind himself about that. His father's stone face still didn't spare him a glance as he kept slicing his steak.
'God! I want to leave from here. Why the hell did he even call for me?'
He understood why the original Noel turned into a chaotic menace. If this were family bonding, then yes... villainy made sense.
After a long, tense moment, his father finally spoke.
"I did not call you here for breakfast," he said flatly. "Finish what you can. I have something to say."
Noel's appetite evaporated instantly as he placed his fork down. "Yes, Father. I'm listening."
The man didn't bother looking at him. He would rather look elsewhere than stare at his own son.
"You will go to the Ashford estate today."
Noel's stomach dropped when he heard that last name. He thought maybe there was another Ashford family around. He waited for him to finish what he had to say and he did.
"You will apologise to Lady Evelina. You have to resolve any conflict you have with her so it won't ruin the family cooperation."
Noel's throat tightened. He had hoped... truly hoped... to delay this as long as possible. Meeting the girl who killed him in the movie was not on his bucket list. He so badly wanted to stay away from her to avoid the red flag, stroke, and bad ending. However, he couldn't help it.
He nodded slowly at his father. "I... understand. I'll do as you have said."
"You will leave immediately after this meal," his father continued. "The carriage is already prepared."
Noel blinked. "So soon?"
His father's eyes snapped to him for the first time and it was cold and unreadable.
"Were you listening to me, Noel?"
His heart jumped. "...Yes. I was."
"Good." His Father stood. He did not touch his breakfast. He did not look at Noel again. "Do not embarrass this family any further. You are already a thorn in the rest of the family's life."
The words cut deeper than they should but it didn't affect Noel, after all, he isn't 'that' Noel.
"Yes, Father..." Noel whispered.
He pushed his plate away. He couldn't eat anymore, after seeing that terrifying look in his father's eyes. The room felt too cold and silent.
Acting kept him from breaking character, but inside he sighed heavily.
'If I want to survive in this world... I have to prove I'm different. To him and to everyone in the family.'
When he stepped out of the dining room, someone was already standing outside, straight-backed, arms folded, gaze like a knife. He looked every inch the perfect bodyguard... tall, intimidating, hair tied neatly and his pristine uniform.
Since he was living in the movie world, he's able to know who everyone is since he read and studied the script just to be able to perfect his role.
The man was Rowan Graves.
Rowan Graves was the very man Noel's father had assigned to Noel as a bodyguard... and clearly, Rowan was very annoyed. He wanted to work for one of the older young masters, not the last young master who was basically like a spoiled child.
So to say, just as Evelina loved Noel so much, that's how Rowan despised Noel.