(y/n) - your name

(s/n) - sisters name

(y/f/n) - your full name

(s/f/n) - sisters full name

(l/n) - last name

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"(y/n)!" Lady Grace suddenly pops up next to the girl and holds her arm, excited to pull her away. "Come with me, I must introduce you to the Queen and the Princess!"

The Queen and the Princess!?

Despite (y/n)'s refusal to see the Royals due to sheer social anxiety and nervousness, she was still found standing in front of royalty with her little sister. "Lady Grace, a delightful ball but believe that my soiree later this week will be much more exclusive."

"Your majesty, no one would think to compare." Lady Grace says, both her and the Queen smiling in friendship. "May I please present my special guests, Viscountess (y/f/n) and her younger sister, miss (s/f/n)." the sisters both bow to the Queen and the Princess as Lady Grace explains how she is sponsoring the youngest for this year's Social Season.

"A high honour indeed. Though I believe it is a shame that the Viscountess is not participating in this season." (Y/n) grinds her jaw, fed up with everyone saying this over and over again. "But I do hope you both enjoy the festivities that are yet to come." The Queen and the Princess walk away and (s/n) frowns as she sees her older sister frustrated.

"Don't mind them. I know you don't see yourself getting married so just enjoy the evening."

"I know." (y/n) sighs out, quickly grabbing a glass of champaign when a young man walks towards the sisters.

"Lord Corning. I was hoping to see you this evening." Lady Grace greets the Lord, introducing the sisters.

"It is a pleasure. Miss (s/n), would you honour me with a dance?" The soft-spoken Lord asks and the younger sister looks up to her elder.

"Go, you know you don't need my permission. Have fun." (y/n) whispers and grins seeing her little sister say yes and take the Lord's hand as he leads her to the dancefloor. She watches her sister dance with the Lord, looking over the other couples on the dancefloor before her gaze stops on Five. He had an annoyed expression on his face as the miss he was with kept stepping on his feet. He soon gave up the dance, bowing before the miss and leaving the dancefloor to go outside.

Probably to get some fresh air.

(y/n) looks around for anyone watching her before snatching two glasses and a bottle of whiskey from the buffet table, sneaking out to the gardens to search for Five who probably needed a drink like she did.

She walked down the steps, hidden behind the bushes when she hears some men talk. "Is one lady unlike any other? Simply pick the least objectionable and get her wed, bed, and bred. And then you can turn to more pleasurable pursuits." (y/n) holds in her gasp at how the men thought of women, utterly disgusted by the notion of seeing females as a baby-making factory.

"And more pleasurable partners."

These fucking assholes!

"You may be cavalier, but if I must leg-shackle myself in marriage, the lady in question should have more to recommend her." Five speaks up and (y/n) didn't like how this conversation was going.

"Do not tell us you are hoping for a love match?"

"Love is the last thing I desire. But if my children are to be good stock, then their mother must be of impeccable quality. A pleasing face, an acceptable wit, genteel manners enough to credit a Viscountess." (y/n) fumed, gripping the bottle in her hand tightly at the absolute filth that fell from Lord Hargreeves mouth.

"You want the best. Perhaps the Queen will finally name a Diamond of this Season. Save you some trouble. At least, of choosing her."

"Wooing the piece will be a different story indeed."

"I shall have no problem there." Five smirks as the men chuckle at his remark. They all decide to meet up in the smoking room, leaving Five outside and that's when (y/n) steps out from behind the bushes with a glare that could send anyone to their demise.

"You foul, sick pig-headed bastard of a man!" She hisses out and Five jumps to see (y/n) standing in front of him at the bottom of the garden porch steps. "How dare you think of women as just objects to keep around like a trophy and to just fuck for an heir!" the girl truly thought that maybe she and the Lord would maybe share a companionship, like friends while her stay here in London but to truly realise what he thought of women, of her sister made her furious.

"Lady (y/n)-"

"-It's Viscountess to you!" Five purses his lips. "What? You can't dare to speak to me the same way you spoke to your men? Is my wit not acceptable, my manners genteel?"

"You were eavesdropping." Five narrowed his eyes at the woman before him who showed him disrespect despite standing with the same title as him. Something about her speaking back to him with such fury sparked an angry fire in him.

"It was hardly an effort seeing as you were proclaiming your many requirements for a wife loud enough for the entire party to hear!"

"You take issue with my requirements?"

"Take issue? Take issue!?" (y/n) laughs out. "Of course I do! I take issue with any disrespectful man that looks down on women as mere chattels and breeding stock! Is that how you think of your own sister!? I would be ashamed!" Five freezes when the Viscountess mentioned his sister.

"None of that was meant-"

"-Sir Hargreeves," (y/n) seethes out, purposefully not using the Viscount's true title to belittle him. "When you manage to find the woman that somehow fits your requirements, whatever makes you think she'll accept you? Are all the young ladies in London that truly easily won with a pleasing smile and nothing more?"

"So you find my smile pleasing?" Five smirks out, taking a step towards (y/n) as she narrows her eyes at him. She pushes him back with a finger on his chest.

"Please, as if you can try to keep my silence with your non-existing charm." She hisses out, smacking the glasses into Five's chest as he quickly holds them. "Unless you find a way to change your disgusting character, stay away from my sister. I will not let a fucking bastard manchild ruin her virtue." (y/n) quickly walks away from Five while downing the whiskey from the bottle while he watched her with shock, mind reeling from the confrontation.

It had been a glorious few days for most misses and mamas with successful callings of Lords, some being the unlucky few who did not receive any such promise for their season. One of these lucky few ladies however was Miss (s/n) who received many callings from various Lords, filling the Hargreeves' painting room like it was a gentlemen club. (y/n) made sure to stay by her sister to keep her safe and to watch the men for any red flags and discard them as a viable match for her sister.

The Hargreeves were a huge help to keep the callings under control, aiding (y/n) with whatever she may need. It was quite a bustling few days but even with everyone being busy, anyone could easily notice the tension between the Viscountess and Viscount Five Hargreeves. No one could escape the biting cold glares shared between the two or subtle mockery in their sarcastic remarks to each other. (y/n) made it her mission to avoid Five as much as she could, even going out of her way to ensure her sister didn't interact with him.

Five did the same, avoiding the sisters when possible except for family gatherings to promenade, during meal times or during family game weekends out in the back gardens when he was forced to interact with them. He was not going to take the disrespect from the Viscountess while he was already stressed about his responsibilities, plus the added stress of going on calls for numerous young misses that his mother forced him to go to. There was none such young lady that met his high standards, needing to find a wife that fit the role of a Viscount's wife and to marry only for duty. He did not care for a love match, only a match that fit his role and to have the pressure of his family's expectations finally lifted.

He was finally relieved to have some peace and quiet for once, sitting on a chair in the painting room while reading a newspaper while the sisters and his mother talked to the town's famous seamstress. "Lady Goring was quite taken with (s/n)'s dress for the first Season ball, Madam Delacroix." Lady Grace smiles as she looks at the various new fabrics to make the young girl's new gowns for the future of the season.

"She would keep saying how well it complemented her complexion." (y/n) pipes up as she read from her book, sipping some tea from her spot on the couch next to Lady Grace.

"Really now, thought that you would be too drunk that night to be able to comprehend simple sentences like an imbecile." Five retorts, smirking at her who glares at him. Lady Grace frowns at the two not getting along, disregarding the fact that (y/n) was drinking.

(y/n) bit her tongue to not ridicule Lady Grace's son in front of her, but it was becoming exceedingly difficult not to. "I think that'll be all Madam Delacroix. That fabric is perfect." she thanks the Madam before the seamstress leaves.

"Five, you do know that you might enjoy the next ball if you, in fact, danced with someone." Lady Grace says, trying to ease the tension in the room.

"Yes, what fun it would be to be swept away by many nimble-footed young ladies, Sir Hargreeves?" (y/n) jests and Five raises a brow at her.

"I can barely feel my toes. I thought you ladies were taught to dance." he says, putting down the newspaper while the Viscountess rolls her eyes at him.

"And I thought you gentlemen capable of worthwhile conversation."

"We would if the ladies had any worthwhile topics to converse with besides their needlework or their classes."

"Now we all know why you haven't found a wife yet, don't we? Planning to offend every single girl until there's none left?" (y/n) scoffs at the young Lord who grinds his jaw in fury.

"I have some tasks I must attend to." Five quickly stands up and (y/n) smiles happily in her cup to know she won this round, Lady Grace running after her son leaving the sisters alone.

"I understand that you do not like him, but try to be kinder-"

"-be kinder to that ass? Please, he doesn't deserve even a pinch of kindness." (y/n) hisses out as her younger sister frowns at her, seeing her truly hate someone for the first time ever.

"We are The Hargreeves' guests and they have been looking after us, it is not wise to be on one of the family member's bad side." (s/n) says and her sister takes in a deep breath to try and calm herself.

"You are right, I will go and apologise to Lord Hargreeves. You, however, must get ready for the Queens soiree this evening." (y/n) bids her sister goodbye, leaving the painting room to go to her bedroom. Of course, she wasn't going to apologise, why would she? She would not back down from this petty rivalry until she becomes victorious.

As (y/n) nears a corner, she hears Lady Grace and her son talking. "I am looking for perfection mother, and you should be too. The woman I marry shall be the Viscountess Hargreeves. Lady of this household, responsible for looking after my family and bearing my children. This is the duty I must fulfil."

"You will end up alone with such expectations." (y/n) steps away from the corner, not wanting to be found eavesdropping again and quickly leaves again.