A Night of Desire

The two of them walked the rest of the way in silence, and sure enough, they didn’t run into anyone.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to Orchidia, and Clara found herself wishing the walk had been longer.

Seth didn’t put her down, so she didn’t get down. She simply looked up and read the name illuminated by the lamppost. "Orchidia."

Seth pushed the gate open, explaining, "Mhm. The estate has four courtyards in total: The Plumstead, Orchidia, Bamboo Court, and Maranthea. The main residence is The Plumstead, this is Orchidia, and my older sister’s is Bamboo Court—though she didn’t like the name and changed it to Serenis herself. Miles has Maranthea."

Clara softly repeated the names. "They all sound lovely."

"You think so? I was just thinking that if you didn’t like it, you could rename it. Something like ’Clara’s Court,’ or ’Grant Court,’ or even ’Clara Grant Court.’"

As Seth spoke, he carried her from the main gate to the living room door and pushed it open.

Clara scoffed. She was just about to tease him for his lack of creativity and poetic flair when she suddenly heard a voice call out, "Young Master, Young Madam."

She jolted and scrambled off his back. When she looked up, she saw two neat rows of servants standing just inside the door.

Their heads were slightly bowed, but they were all peeking up at her with amused smiles.

Embarrassed, Clara straightened her clothes and looked up at Seth. Seeing him watching her with a smile, she shot him a glare and mouthed, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Seth didn’t answer, simply taking her hand. He addressed the staff, "Alright, everyone. You all know who this is. From now on, she is the lady of this house. You are to follow her orders in all things."

"Yes, Young Master," the servants replied in unison.

Then, they all turned to Clara and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Young Madam."

Clara gave an awkward smile and nodded at them.

"From now on, if you need anything, just ask Mrs. Wyatt," Seth added, gesturing to the middle-aged woman at the front of the line on his right.

Mrs. Wyatt quickly smiled at Clara. "If there’s anything at all you need in the future, Young Madam, please don’t hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wyatt. I appreciate that," Clara said with a smile and a nod.

"Not at all, Young Madam. It’s my pleasure."

"Let’s go," Seth said, taking her hand and leading her upstairs.

Downstairs, the servants immediately huddled together and began to whisper among themselves.

"I’m telling you, the Young Master is really taken with the Young Madam. Have you ever seen him smile that widely before?"

"Exactly! And when have you ever seen the Young Master hold a woman’s hand? Let alone give one a piggyback ride!"

"That’s so true!"

"And you have to admit, our new Young Madam is completely different from... the last one."

"SHHH..." At the mention of Autumn Shelby, the others quickly shushed the speaker.

Everyone fell silent and looked toward Mrs. Wyatt.

Mrs. Wyatt’s expression didn’t change much. She simply said, "Alright, that’s enough idle chatter. Everyone get back to your duties. Finish up so you can go to bed."

Despite her words, no one moved. Instead, they all looked at her with even greater anticipation, as if waiting for her to say more.

After a two-second pause, Mrs. Wyatt’s gaze drifted toward the second floor, and she continued, "But I have to say, this Young Madam seems worthy of the Young Master’s affection. She looks very kind, and she seems to have a good temperament, too. Wouldn’t you agree?"

As she said the last few words, she brought her gaze back down, beaming at the others.

Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement.

The group chattered excitedly for a while longer before finally dispersing.