Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Translation: godsn
Matthias's smile vanished in an instant, his face twisting into a look of such ruthless coldness that Leila unconsciously held her breath.
"I will leave."
Unable to face him, Leila stared down at the teacup before her as she spoke.
"...What?"
"I will leave, so I no longer dare to tarnish your estate, Your Grace."
"You? Where to?"
"Anywhere."
Leila clenched her hands, which had begun to tremble uncontrollably. Don't be afraid. She tried to reassure herself, even though she knew it was futile.
"This world isn't so small that Arvis is the only place I can stay."
Her words were sharp with the sting of humiliation. Whether it was too petty or simply ridiculous to him, the Duke didn't bother to reply.
Though she wanted to stand up and leave immediately, the memory of last summer flashed through her mind—the day he had snatched her hat and thrown her into the icy river just because she refused to eat what he gave her. She couldn't endure that again.
Steeling herself, Leila hastily drank the still-warm coffee. She nearly choked but managed to swallow it down. Only when the cup was empty could she finally breathe properly again.
"Leila."
His voice was dangerously low when he called her name. Stiff with tension, Leila hurriedly pulled out the payment for the tea from her bag and placed it at the edge of the table.
"What is this?"
Matthias let out a dry laugh as he asked.
"The cost of the tea I drank."
Leila kept her eyes fixed on her own fingertips as she answered.
"Do I look like someone who needs to collect tea money from the likes of you?"
"I wouldn't know, but I have no desire to owe Your Grace for my tea."
Her hands grew colder, her nails turning deathly pale. Still, she wanted to make one thing clear—this wasn't Arvis, where Leila Lewellin lived as a dependent in his world.
"Look up."
"No."
"Look up, Leila."
"Don't order me around."
Leila raised her eyes to meet Matthias's, not bothering to hide her anger. A reckless surge of courage momentarily eclipsed her fear.
"I am not your maid."
"My maid?"
"I may be living at Arvis under Bill's care, but that doesn't make me your maid."
"Oh? Then what exactly are you?"
"...Nothing at all."
The rims of Leila's eyes reddened faintly.
"I've always been nothing, and I always will be."
Her tear-filled green eyes held his gaze—even as she dared to deny him.
Matthias silently gripped his teacup. The memory of that day when he had wanted to strangle Leila Lewellin resurfaced—the late summer afternoon when he had lost his mind over some insignificant girl, rolling in the dirt, his appearance as wretched as his foul mood.
What if he had gone through with it then?
At least it wouldn't have been as bad as this. Better than being swept up in this incomprehensible impulse, obsessing over some worthless woman like this.
Matthias picked up the money Leila had left and rose from his seat. Then, slowly, he let it drop onto the lap of the seated Leila.
"Take it back."
Leila's eyes, looking up at him, reddened further. Staring straight into them, Matthias tossed a few gold coins onto her skirt as well.
"And these."
"What in the...?"
"You should say thank you, Leila."
As Matthias smirked, Leila's eyes grew even more transparent with unshed tears.
"You take the money Claudine gives you just fine—gratefully, politely."
Leila's lips moved as if to retort, but no sound came out.
"If I'm taking up the time of someone who isn't even my maid, I ought to pay a fair wage for the trouble."
Even biting her lip hard, Leila couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
"If you don't like it, think of it as charity for a pitiful orphan."
Leila's falling tears sparkled like shards of gemstones.
"A woman who'd marry a man out of pity—shouldn't you find it laughable to cling to such petty pride over a few coins?"
Though Leila glared at him defiantly, her eyes brimmed with unstLietble tears that streamed endlessly down her cheeks.
Matthias left the café with a sense of relief. Leila never smiled in his presence, but neither could she ever hold back her tears.
If he couldn't make her smile, then making her cry would suffice. Whether laughter or tears, it mattered little to Matthias. If tears were all he could wring from her, then tears he would take. If wounds were all he could inflict, then wounds he would leave. At least then, you won't be able to dismiss me as nothing.
Before leaving, Matthias turned his head for one last look at Leila. She had removed her glasses and placed them at the edge of the table, weeping openly now.
As he walked away from the Natural History Museum with slow, measured steps, Matthias wished for two things: that Leila would marry the physician's son soon and vanish from his world, and that the tears and wounds he left upon her would last forever.
The sun was already setting, yet Leila hadn't returned to the hotel.
Kyle, who had come to her hotel hoping to share dinner, stepped out into the lobby with a face full of worry. Though Leila wasn't a child, this city was unfamiliar to her—and this unfamiliar city teemed with bad sorts lurking everywhere.
"Honestly. That tiny thing has no sense of fear at all."
Kyle sprinted down the street, anxiety gnawing at him. He'd assumed she'd be at the museum, but when he arrived, it was already closed. No matter how thoroughly he searched the area, there was no sign of Leila.
Had she gotten lost?
Kyle began running faster.
Or worse—had she run into trouble?
A horrifying thought flashed through his mind, and he nearly collapsed on the spot. That was when he spotted her. Leila stood before the fountain in the park at the end of Museum Street. Absurdly, she was tossing a coin toward the statue at the center of the fountain.
"Leila!"
At his loud call, she turned her head.
"Oh, Kyle?"
She wore the bewildered expression of someone who had just sent another person into a panic.
"What are you doing here?"
Kyle pushed back his sweat-dampened hair as he approached her.
"Why are you here? What about your exam prep?"
"Is that really the issue right now? You—honestly, you...!"
He grabbed her shoulders, his breath ragged. The metallic tang in his panting took a long while to subside.
"Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?"
Leila studied his face with eyes full of concern.
As if she's the one who should be worried about me.
Kyle cupped her face in his warm hands, letting out a hollow laugh that sounded more like a sigh. Only then did he notice the slight puffiness around her eyes.
"Leila, have you been crying?"
"No."
The way she answered before the words had even fully left his mouth confirmed it.
"Why were you crying?"
"I wasn't."
"Did someone make you cry?"
"I told you, it's nothing like that."
Leila gave a small laugh and gently pushed his hands away.
"I just... visited the museum. Took a walk in the park. Made a wish."
"A wish?"
"Yeah. People do it here."
She pointed toward the fountain, where cheerful visitors tossed coins into the water, their faces bright with smiles.
"I wished for you to pass your medical school exams too."
"Don't you have to land it in the bucket for it to work?"
Kyle chuckled, gesturing at the statue's water jug. Groans rose from those who had failed to land their coins inside.
"Of course I made it in."
Leila looked smug.
"I'm really good at this kind of thing."
"Oh, don't worry about it."
"It's already time for dinner. Are you hungry? Let's make one more wish before we go."
Leila, clutching a gleaming gold coin in her hand, trudged step by step toward the fountain. Startled, Kyle hurried after her.
"Leila! Don't tell me you were about to throw a gold coin in there? You, of all people—into that fountain?"
Instead of answering, Leila flung the coin with all her might. But it was a failure. The gold coin struck the edge of the water bucket and bounced right back out. Leila's face fell in dismay as she let out a gasp of frustration.
"I thought you said you were really good at this?"
"Why is this happening? I definitely got all the other coins in just fine!"
"Just how many gold coins have you thrown in there?"
Kyle couldn't help but laugh again at the sight of Leila acting so unlike herself.
"Well, since we're making a grand donation to the fountain of Latz today, I might as well join in."
"Don't you dare throw a coin!"
As Kyle reached for his money, Leila grabbed his hand with a stern expression.
"That's such a waste!"
"Says the person who just threw how many gold coins in there?"
"That was worthwhile money."
"There's worthwhile money and not worthwhile money?"
"Yes!"
Leila shut him down decisively.
"Don't throw it. It's a shame. If you're going to do that, let's just buy ice cream with it instead."
"Now that sounds like the real Leila Lewellin."
Kyle shrugged and slipped the coin back into his pocket.
"Let's go, Leila."
Even though he expected to be rejected, he tentatively held out his hand. Leila lightly tapped his palm as if giving a high-five, then strode ahead with light steps. Kyle quickened his pace to catch up.
"What did you wish for?"
"For Bill to stay healthy and happy. For you to get into medical school and become a great doctor. For me to grow into a decent adult. I scored all of those."
"Then what about the last one?"
"Huh?"
"The last wish that failed."
"That one..."
Leila's cheerful expression suddenly turned serious.
"That's a secret."
She shook her head as if shuddering, then lengthened her stride. Kyle hesitated, tempted to press further, but simply laughed brightly instead.
"Let's get something tasty, Leila. I'm starving from running around looking for you."
Dr. Etman sighed as he opened the bedroom door.
When he turned on the light, he saw his wife lying in bed. She had been like this ever since Kyle and Leila left for Latz to take their exams.
"Dinner's ready, dear. Let's go."
"Leave me alone."
Despite her weary appearance, her voice carried a sharp edge.
"I understand how you feel, but—"
"No. You don't understand. The magnanimous and kind Dr. Etman could never."
She sat up abruptly, her eyes flashing with anger.
"You liked Leila too, didn't you?"
"Yes. I know. Leila is a good girl. If it weren't for you and Kyle, I could've liked her forever."
"Even if they marry, Leila won't change, dear. It's just that Kyle will be marrying someone he truly loves—that good girl."
"You may think I'm an irredeemable snob, but marriage is reality. You've just allowed our son to marry beneath his station!"
"The world is changing, dear. Those notions of status will soon be relics of the past."
"No. Never."
Mrs. Etman gathered her disheveled hair and pinned it up neatly. Rising from the bed, she faced her husband with a strength that belied her days of near-starvation.
"Status will never disappear from the world we live in. Even if titles vanish, something else will take their place to divide people."
"Dear."
"And no matter what that standard becomes, the fact that Leila is not a suitable match for our Kyle will never change."
With those icy words, Mrs. Etman brushed past her husband.
Dr. Etman watched his wife's retreating figure as she headed toward the garden, then offered the housekeeper an awkward, faint smile.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Becker. Please clear the dinner table."
With a quiet sigh, Dr. Etman stepped into the dark garden, following his wife.