Chapter 21
Chapter 21
Translation: godsn
"I don't know if I should leave you here like this."
Bill let out a sigh with a face full of concern.
"Uncle, if you keep this up, you'll really miss your train."
Leila chided him affectionately while urging him on. Her composure made him feel both reassured and strangely wistful.
Yesterday afternoon, a death notice had arrived at the cabin. News that Bill's older brother had passed away. Though they weren't particularly close as siblings and had gone years without contact, he was still the last remaining blood relative in this world—not someone he could simply ignore.
In the end, Bill took a few days' leave to visit his hometown. That should have been the end of it, but leaving young Leila alone made his heart feel as heavy as a lump of iron.
"Make sure to lock up properly. Even if it's hot, keep the windows tightly shut."
Bill repeated the same instructions he'd been giving since last night.
"The hunting rifle is in my room—"
"Lock the doors and windows tight, bring the hunting rifle from your room to my bedside, and sleep with it there. If any bad people show up, I'll go 'bang' and shoot them."
Leila recited the memorized instructions calmly.
"I'll eat well, sleep well, and take good care of myself."
Though it would be just three days at most, Bill worried over Leila as if he'd be gone for months.
Though his eyes still showed unease, Bill reluctantly took his first steps. Leila followed to see him off all the way to the mansion's entrance.
"Leila, did something happen at that party the other day?"
Bill glanced at the imposing mansion building and asked cautiously.
"No. Nothing happened—it was fun. Really."
"That's good to hear... but somehow it feels like you've been keeping your distance from Kyle since that party."
"Me? And Kyle?"
Leila laughed as if the idea was absurd.
"Don't be silly. We've just both been busy lately."
"Can I trust that?"
"Yes. Why would I lie about that?"
"I suppose. There's no reason things should be awkward between you two. Well then, Leila, if you feel scared being alone, you can call Kyle—no, forget I said that."
Bill suddenly grew serious and waved his hand dismissively.
"That boy's the most dangerous one of all."
"Uncle—!"
"If that kid comes to visit, make sure to send him home before sunset. Remember that."
"Stop saying strange things now. Come on, have a safe trip."
Arriving at the mansion's front gate, Leila gave Bill's back an affectionate pat.
He kept turning back to repeat his warnings several times before finally disappearing down Platanus Road in the distance.
Leila remained in place until Bill was completely out of sight. Each time he turned back, she waved cheerfully with a big smile.
It was going to be a very long three days.
"Leila's avoiding me."
Kyle was certain of it now.
"I think it's because of what happened at that party."
The reason wasn't hard to figure out either.
"You think so too, don't you, Phoebe?"
Though Kyle asked seriously, Phoebe—perched on the windowsill and pecking at oats—paid no attention. Feeling ridiculous for seeking wisdom from a pigeon, Kyle let out a deep sigh.
Today too, Phoebe had brought another disappointing note from Leila. Uncle Bill would be visiting his hometown for a few days, and Leila planned to spend all day at the library, so the house would be empty.
For days now, the notes had been like this. Visiting another friend's house, having plans in town, being busy with orchard work. At first, he thought she was being considerate by warning him not to drop by unannounced, but by now it clearly seemed like nothing but excuses. Flimsy excuses to avoid Kyle Etman.
"And I can't blame her. I'd do the same."
Kyle grabbed fistfuls of his hair and exhaled sharply.
That day, he'd boasted about being her partner, about protecting her, then ended up leaving Leila alone. Only after hearing—through a Herhardt servant—that she'd gone home early did he come rushing out in a panic, but she'd already left the mansion grounds.
He didn't know why he couldn't have left that place sooner. After telling her to wait. After saying those words first. After making that promise.
As Kyle paced restlessly by the window, Phoebe—now full—took her leave. Staring blankly in the direction the pigeon flew, Kyle impulsively left his room.
He couldn't quite remember how he got on the bicycle or started pedaling. He thought of Leila, his breath coming in ragged gasps up to his chin, and then he thought of her again. By the time his chest felt ready to burst from the weight of those thoughts, Kyle had arrived at the cabin on the Arvis estate. The blazing sun, which had been relentless since morning, bore down on his heaving shoulders as he struggled to catch his breath.
White sheets and pillowcases, still dripping water, hung from the clothesline stretched across the yard. And beyond them, the slender, graceful silhouette of a woman was cast in shadow.
Simultaneously drained and relieved, Kyle slowly raked his sweat-damp hair back from his forehead. Only then did Leila seem to notice his presence, peeking cautiously from behind the sheet. Her pale green eyes widened in surprise when she spotted him.
"......Kyle."
The voice that slipped between her hesitant lips was sweet enough to make him forget the awkwardness of the situation.
"I'm sorry."
After sitting in silence at the table for a long while, Kyle finally spoke with a sigh. Across from him, Leila, who had been staring at her fingertips, startled and lifted her gaze.
"I'm really sorry. It was my fault."
"No, don't say that."
Flustered, Leila shook her head.
"I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry for lying."
"It's because of me. It's all my mistake."
"That's not true. I'm not angry or upset with you at all. Really, Kyle."
"Then is there another reason? For avoiding me... something I don't know about?"
"Kyle, you're like family to me, and I really care about you. That's why... well, I think we need to put some distance between us now."
Leila tried to pull her lips into a composed smile, but judging by Kyle's expression, it wasn't very successful.
It was true—she wasn't angry or upset with him. But that night, in the dreamlike haze of the party, Leila had seen a clear line. A boundary between her and Kyle, one she had ignored until now under the guise of friendship.
She had always known Kyle came from a distinguished family, one far above her station. But the gap between that vague awareness and the stark reality before her eyes was vast.
The heir to a respected medical family, someone who could mingle effortlessly with high nobility. The Kyle she saw that night in the dazzling halls of the ducal mansion belonged to a world beyond that clear line. And that Kyle Etman was no longer the child who used to run and play with her.
Why must children grow into adults?
That night, as she walked the dark forest path with her borrowed shoes in hand, Leila turned that transparent, crystalline sorrow over and over in her mind. And she made a decision. She would accept time as it was. And within that time, she would find a way to protect the precious friend she still had.
"You know what you're saying makes no sense, right?"
Kyle finally spoke after a long silence, his voice lower and calmer than usual.
"No. This is how I truly feel."
"If you care about me, why do we have to grow apart?"
"Because that's how we can stay good friends for a long, long time. Kyle, I don't want to lose you."
"Who said anything about losing you?"
Kyle's eyes, fixed on Leila, wavered.
"How could we—of all people—ever do that? That's impossible, Leila."
"Kyle."
"I'll never lose you. We'll never grow apart. How could we?"
Kyle, who had set down his glass, clenched his fist with all his might.
We can't, Kyle.
Instead of voicing the words, Leila forced a smile.
Because it was time to grow up.
Swallowing the thorny words, she stood up resolutely.
"Let's have lunch, Kyle."
Leila hastily tied the apron she had taken off earlier.
"As an apology for lying, I'll make you an amaaazing lunch."
"Matthias, don't you think it's about time you retired from active duty and focused on your family's affairs?"
Liet, who had been half-heartedly skimming the newspaper, stretched out on the sofa. Yawning, he turned his head to see Matthias sitting in a wingchair, absorbed in a book.
"Spending another year or two in the Royal Guard isn't so bad."
He flipped a page and answered leisurely. Even in the sweltering summer afternoon, he stubbornly wore his jacket and tie in his own bedroom.
"Indeed. That is the tradition of the Herhardt family, after all."
Liet stretched lazily as he murmured.
"Matthias von Herhardt will become the most perfect Duke Herhardt to ever surpass all his ancestors."
While he chuckled, the canary that had been quietly playing in its cage spread its wings. The small bird fluttered lightly and landed with a hop onto the pages of the book Matthias was reading.
Matthias gazed silently at the bird chirping as if speaking to him, a soft smile rising to his lips. To Liet, who had watched him for years without so much as a flicker of his brow while shooting down birds, the sight was nothing short of astonishing.
"I do hope that bird is female, Matthias."
Liet shook his head with a wry laugh.
"Otherwise, this would be quite a disturbing scene."
Matthias made no reply, merely extending his hand toward the bird. The small creature tilted its head left and right before gently pecking at the tip of his finger.
"Don't you think so too, Claudine?"
Liet shifted his gaze to Claudine, who sat across from Matthias, embroidering. She had been watching Matthias and his bird with her needlework tightly clutched in hand. When her eyes met Liet's, a faint smile touched her otherwise expressionless face.
"I've heard that birds with beautiful songs are usually male, you know?"
"Ugh. Please, Claudine. Let's just believe it's a female."
Liet shuddered playfully.
"Just imagining this as a scene between two males gives me the creeps."
"What does it matter, brother? It's just a bird."
Claudine gave a small laugh before picking up her needle again.
Matthias turned a page only after the bird, which had been hopping playfully across the book, pecked at him. He remained unfazed even as the bird flitted restlessly, touching his hand, his shoulder, and even his hair.
"You should wear a yellow dress to the engagement party, Claudine. Who knows? Duke Herhardt might dote on you just as prettily as he does that bird."
"No."
Claudine answered without hesitation.
"I dislike yellow."
She took a breath before stitching another thread.
"It feels rather vulgar to me."
She even added a slight laugh to her words.
A peculiar smile also rose to Liet's lips as he feigned innocence while hitting the mark. Deciding to drop the bird topic, he instead began chattering about Matthias's service in the Royal Guard and the upcoming engagement ceremony.
"Our little lady Claudine will soon become a noblewoman who has outshone even Her Imperial Highness."
"Such excessive praise is embarrassing, brother."
Though she frowned, Claudine smiled brightly.
It was an open secret that the Emperor of Berg coveted Duke Herhardt as a son-in-law.
The Emperor's love for his youngest daughter was boundless. Moreover, the princess was a noblewoman so beautiful she was called the flower of high society. Even Claudine, who had considered the position of Arvis's mistress her birthright since childhood, felt a sense of threat from the princess alone.
But in the end, Claudine had won. Not through love, of course.
Simply because.
The Herhardt family's reason for not forming ties with the imperial household could be summed up in that single, clipped word.
Their lineage was older than the Emperor's, and their wealth and prestige were no less. It was hardly unreasonable to judge that the inconvenience of seating a princess as Duchess would outweigh any benefits. Such arrogance, too, was understood when placed before the name Herhardt.
Thanks to that, Claudine Brandt had become the noblewoman who triumphed over the Emperor's daughter. The Herhardt family's reason for choosing her was clear. The only daughter of a prestigious count's family with no heir—in other words, a bride with lineage and dowry no less splendid than the princess's, yet one who wouldn't need to be treated with the deference owed to royalty.
But regardless of the circumstances, once the engagement was formalized, Claudine Brandt's name would rise to a position higher than the princess's in all of Berg. The thought made her feel as though she could love everything in this world. Even that vulgar little bird.
"To think your engagement is just around the corner. It's making me feel all sorts of strange things."
Liet stretched languidly as he sat up.
Claudine, who had been watching him quietly, lowered her gaze and resumed her stitching without another word.