Sunday...

It was a good Sunday. Passengers did everything to destroy the boring atmosphere inside the train while traveling to Sheffield. While thinking about the letter, she wrote down the things inscribed on the paper.

"Made of mud, clay, or wood... What's is it?" Victoria bit her lip and tapped her cheek with the pen.

"Can you guess what it was?"

"I think we can have the answer if we get there. I'm sure my Granny can answer it!"

Adam furrowed his eyebrows. He went back reading the letter a hundred times. Then he took a quick look on Victoria who got her mouth open while sleeping. Well she fell asleep.

He could feel the weight on his shoulder. Her head leaned heavily. Adam didn't tend to move because he was afraid of the creature beside his legs.

Of course it's Peppa.

She snored deeply but not in her bass tone. Her lashes were long and beautiful to match her skin tone. She might have other diverse blood mixed in her genes. He thinks that she might have Southwest Asian blend with European blood. He was wondering if Victoria knew her diverse ancestry.

His eyes became drowsy to stare at her. Adam's head leaned over her's, like an old college couple sleeping in the English train. Then he dreamed, a man in Edwardan suit appears in his mind.

"Lucy! Lucy!" A man in 18th century suit called the woman. The woman was wearing in maidservant attire. "Yes my lord?"

"I want to ride with... Get the horse and prepare it on the gateway."

He heard him saying her name, but it isn't clear to hear. Waking up from his nap, he turned around to see Victoria dropping her saliva. Adam wiped it from his hankerchief and chuckled silently.

The letter was still stuck in his hand. He shoved it in his bag. His neck craned to the window. His mind went back to the man in his dream. He had blond hair slipped back neatly with trimmed beard and sparkling blue eyes. His accent was too deep that few people can catch the words he said. "Was he the Lord of Sheffield?" Adam asked.

The synchronized voice bombed through the speakers as it was saying that they're now in Derby. The weight on his shoulder lightened when Victoria woke up, scratching her eyes with her pinky finger.
"Adam, where are we now?" She asked groggily.

"Derby, We're now near to Sheffield."

Victoria took her phone out of her pocket and typed on the screen. "My brother will pick us up to Granny's house."
"So we'll start the research tomorrow?"

"Maybe early this night."

"Okay." Adam shot a glance at Peppa who was still sitting beside his leg. "Why do you call this big dog Peppa?"

"Because I really don't like Peppa pig on the TV. But it doesn't mean that I hate it. Well, I have another taste of childhood stuff."

"What do you mean?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. This girl didn't like Peppa pig and it's weird to reason out why you called your giant dog with that name. Maybe she was raised in a foreign home or grew up with her strict parents. Unfortunately, he found out about this girl when she speaks the truth.

"I'd like to play with the boys. Machine guns. Knight in shining armour. Some boy's stuff." She rubs her nose. "And I was nicknamed as Vic for I am the only daughter of my family. And I have four brothers."

"How do you get yourself dressed in women's clothing?"

"It started when my cousin from Ireland came over to my house and changed my taste. But even I mostly wear clothes, I secretly play with my brothers' tree house after she went to sleep." She continued typing on her screen without looking at him.

"We are now in the city of Sheffield. Thank you for your wonderful time traveling and don't forget to bring your belongings. Thank you." Another voice spoke through the speakers.

"Now we're here! C'mon guys, let's go!" Victoria grabbed Peppa's leash while Adam carried his bag with their luggages on his both hands.

∞

Adam wasn't sure if he is able to greet people who were completely strangers. He never went to school and was homeschooled from his toddlers to teens. No kids have ever played with him. Only Harry, Mrs. Dockins, and Courtney were his friends inside the circle.

But he only knew Victoria a little. They met each other last Friday and yesterday. Today they need to stay at her grandmother's house as they will have their research. Victoria hopped on the pavement when a guy, somewhere in thirty's, stood beside the Toyota Tundra nearby.

"Vic!" The man screamed. Yes she's right and he assumed that everyone in the house still call her Vic. Adam saw her swept into his arms.

"Hey brother, missed you so much!" She chirped. Apparently, he had much same as Victoria's but in male version. She took each other away and raised her hand to me. "This is Adam Earldon!"

"You mean he's the Lord of Sheffield's great-grandson?"

"Too much great. It's about six greats to consider." Adam joked dryly. Victoria and her brother laughed a lot. But he only kept his smile shut.

"I'm Kevin." He raised his hand to shake. Adam held it and shook respectively. "Peppa's old now." Kevin cooed as he looked down at the dog.

"Kevin, I bet we should go now because it's already twelve in the noon." Victoria groaned. She went to front seat and sat there while the two boys shove the bags into the trunk of the van. Adam found that Peppa will be sitting next to him.

He never told Victoria about his fear of dogs. Adam sat on the backseat, buckled up and sighed. Peppa saw him no stranger and placed her head on his lap. "Don't worry, she's too old to bite you." Victoria reassures.

"But it has mouth!"

"Yet no teeth to stuck into." Kevin added as he turned on the ignition switch. The car roared into life. "Welcome to your Ancestral land, Adam!" The siblings said in chorus.

"Thanks."

∞

Sheffield was an old city for Victoria. The surroundings was changed and some structures were unfamiliar with her. She never been to the city since she moved to Oxford to study History.

Houses lined up beside the street with numbers on the doorpost. On the corner lies a huge gate with high bush fences. The gate opened when they arrived and revealed a massive house. It was elegant and beautiful in Adam's naked eyes.

The house door swung open, a boy with a teddy bear under his armpit. He waved at the car and smiled happily. "Daddy!" He beamed.

Kevin, Victoria, and Adam got out of the car. The boy ran into Kevin's arms. Kevin carried him and pointed out to Victoria. "This is your aunt Victoria but just call her Auntie Vic."

Adam looks at the boy and the boy caught his attention. He smiled awkwardly, wiggling his eyebrows. "This is Adam, Aunte Vic's boyfriend." Kevin introduced. Adam and Victoria dropped their jaws in shock. She slapped Kevin's biceps and yelled. "He's not really my boyfriend!"

"But you never ever dated any boys since birth!" Kevin chuckled. "By the way, Adam. This is my son, Trevor."

Trevor waved his little hand. His dad places his son to the ground. He rushed into the manor, shouting. Victoria approached Adam, clasping her hands. "Well... welcome to the Knight-Stilton Manor."

The manor was huge for Adam as he roamed around the hallway. Victoria babbled, explaining the history of the Knight Manor. Pictures of every Manor lords and ladies were hanged up on the wall.

Until she stopped in front of the picture. A beautiful woman in regency attire with curly auburn hair and silver eyes. Adam took a quick look at the painting and swallowed. "She looks like you. Lovely."

"She's my great-grandmother. Lady Vivorie Annabeth of Norway."

"So you have Norwegian ancestry?"

"Yup. And Hispanic from my father."

"That's why you looks like something mixed."

Victoria realized that he was having a difficulty in English and asked without thinking what she wants to say. "Where did you go to school?"

Adam lifted his head up to view the painting. "Homeschooled."

"Oh... I see." Victoria shrugged and embarrassed, blushing. She looked at the picture of Lady Vivorie Annabeth and smiled faintly. "I didn't realize that I asked you something-"

"Never mind. Did she married to someone?"

"Oh yes! Twice. Duke of Norway and Lord of Birmingham."

"She's just a commoner marrying the Duke." She added. Sighed, she walked away slowly. Adam followed her to the Ballroom. There was a woman standing by the window. Not very old but somewhere in early fifties. When they got there, she greeted them with warm smile plastered on her face.

"Vicky! Hello my darling! How are you?" She hugged Victoria and released her. "Who's this lad? Boyfriend?"

"Granny! This is Adam Earldon."

"Earldon? Sounds familiar..." Her Granny bit her lip, thinking of something in her mind.

"Anyway I'm Vine Annie Knight." She said. "Just call me Vine instead."

"Okay..." Adam felt the awkwardness in his moment with Vine. When her grandmother left the room, they both faced each other and burst out laughing.

"Why everyone thought that I am your boyfriend?"

"Because they're expecting me to have one. I'm now twenty-seven years old." She smiled sweetly. "For God's sake, I don't want to have one like in those novels!"

"But most of them are romantic."

"But they aren't real. Too idealistic."

"Like prince charming?"

Victoria of course, she doesn't want to have those whirling romance. Her view of love was different. "No. Not everyone can be like that."

His mind draws back to Courtney. Did she left him? No calls or texts. Even gifts?

So he decided to change the subject. "Do you know where I can sleep?"

"How about here?" Victoria opened her arms and twirled around.

"Are you kidding me? You want me to sleep on the 100 year old couch?"

"I'm just kidding. C'mon Adam, let's go!" She turned and went out.

Adam was stucked with this noisy brat named Victoria.

∞

"Here!" Victoria raised her arms to the door. It opened, revealing a maid nodding at her. Her teeth showed up the most beautiful scenery he'd ever seen. Because she smiled.

The room was elegant with gold. But not all. In the middle there was a king-size bed. There's also changing room and a little balcony.

"Here! What do you think?"

Adam was filled with awe. His eyes wasn't locked on everything inside but on the beautiful creature standing in front.

Victoria.

"Adam?" She snapped her fingertips. He woke up from his long stare.

"Good but too elegant for me."

"Who cares?" She rolled her eyes. Victoria flopped on the bed and snuggled with the pillow.

"Okay." He sighed softly. When he turned around, right in his eyes he saw something on the desk.

A jar.

It was engraved with flowers and vines. Beautifully made. He went over it and looked sternly at the jar.

1843

He gasped. He turned around and saw Victoria sleeping silently. Adam faced back to the jar and looked inside. A letter. He took it out and read the back of it.

To my darling

Then the in front. The letter was written by his great-grandfather. Victoria woke up from a nap and frowned.

"What's that?"

"A letter. From this jar."

"Jar! Yes! It's the answer from the first letter!" She shrilled and got up from the bed.

"Oh yeah... Let's read the letter-"

"Aunt Vic! Adam! Can you join us for a game?" Trevor's voice hollered through the room before he read the letter.

"Uh..." Victoria looked at Adam and he only shrugged back. Trevor stomps his feet and clasps his hands.

"Pleeaassee!"

"I can join! What about you Vic?" His lips tingled when he called her nickname.

"I'd better prepare some snacks for us." She placed her hands on her hips. "He'll be joining you Trevor."

With joy, Trevor happily went to the hallway. Victoria shook her head and smiled. "This guy is a hype champ."

He is... Adam answered back only in his mind.