Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Translation: godsn
Mrs. Etman had laid out a table full of food and beautiful decorations to express her warm welcome for the guest she had invited. It was an unexpectedly lavish hospitality that surprised not only Leila but also Dr. Etman and Kyle.
"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Etman."
With a greeting she had practiced dozens of times throughout the day, Leila handed over the gifts she had prepared—a jar of pickled peaches in a pretty glass bottle and a bouquet of roses.
"How thoughtful of you."
Mrs. Etman accepted the gifts graciously. As Leila smiled in relief, a grin finally spread across Kyle's lips. Watching her son, Mrs. Etman's eyes momentarily darkened before regaining their usual warmth.
Dr. Etman had suggested that the two children should marry once the university acceptance letters arrived. Kyle's admission was practically guaranteed, and Leila's was all but certain—so the marriage might as well have been set in stone already.
That girl, and my son, in this manner...
Mrs. Etman clenched her hands tightly under the table. It was utterly infuriating, but she no longer voiced her opposition. She knew exactly what kind of people her husband and son were. Stubborn resistance would only backfire.
"Eat well, Leila. I made sure to prepare all your favorites."
After steadying her breath, Mrs. Etman faced Leila with an even gentler expression. Leila blinked in surprise, then beamed brightly. That lovely face stirred an inexplicable anger in Mrs. Etman.
That face, that smile—that must be how she ensnared my son.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine, and she hastily grabbed her glass of water. The cold sip sliding down her throat felt unnervingly vivid.
"Thank you so much."
With genuine gratitude, Leila offered another soft smile.
She really is such a kind, good girl. Mrs. Etman knew that fact all too well. And that very fact had become another major reason she absolutely did not want Leila as her daughter-in-law.
If only the girl had some flaw—something to hate her for—it might have been easier. If there were justifiable reasons to despise her, at least I wouldn't feel like such a wretched, pathetic person.
Now, Mrs. Etman detested everything about Leila Lewellin—her kindness, her intelligence, even that pitiable background of hers.
"Leila, I heard Dr. Lorenz at Ratz University is an authority in avian biology."
Noticing his wife's stiffening expression, Dr. Etman abruptly changed the subject.
"Once you're admitted, you should definitely take his classes. Having a scholar like him as your mentor would be a tremendous advantage."
"Honestly, dear. You're talking as if Leila has already been accepted."
Mrs. Etman, who had been watching anxiously, blurted out without thinking. Dr. Etman and Kyle turned to her with puzzled expressions.
"There's no way Leila would fail."
"Exactly. Mom, there's no chance Leila wouldn't get in."
How could they be so alike—their faces, their words, even their feelings toward that girl? Swallowing the words rising in her throat, Mrs. Etman forced another sweet smile.
"Well, that's true. Leila has always been exceptionally bright."
As she smiled, Leila, seated across from her, returned a shy smile of her own.
Bill Remmer had kept his lips sealed about the past of the girl left behind in Lovita. All the people at Arvis knew was that Leila had lost her parents overnight, wandered between relatives' homes, and eventually ended up in Berg.
Linda Etman despised that fact most of all. A family without a single decent relative to take in and raise the child. A child abandoned over and over, drifting all the way across the border. Just imagining how utterly worthless her origins must be made Linda's skin crawl.
It wasn't as if she was asking for anything grand.
Had Leila simply been from an ordinary family, Linda wouldn't have resorted to such petty means to keep the two children apart. But how could a girl raised with such questionable roots ever become a proper mistress of a household? The girl's stubborn insistence on attending university grated on her nerves all the same. Seeing her harbor dreams far beyond her station only proved how insatiably ambitious she must be. There was no way Kyle could be happy with a wife like that.
So she had to stop it.
Mrs. Etman clenched her hands tightly beneath the table.
She absolutely had to prevent this marriage. By any means necessary.
The news of Leila Lewellin's university acceptance arrived via the very same postman who had delivered little Leila to Arvis all those years ago.
Bill Remmer stood motionless for a long while after receiving the notification, which arrived while Leila was out for her walk in the woods.
"Mr. Remmer?"
The postman watched him with concern when even congratulations elicited no response. The gardener's face, perfectly composed moments before, had turned beet red.
"Are you all right, Mr. Remmer?"
"...Ah, no need for fuss."
Bill roughly rubbed his eyes with thick fingers.
"Just lost in thought for a moment."
Though he barked the words louder than necessary, Bill's eyes were already glistening wet. Knowing well the tender heart beneath the gruff exterior of Arvis's head gardener, the postman tactfully pretended not to notice and nodded along.
"Congratulations all the same. To think Leila will be attending the Empire's finest university—it warms my heart too."
After repeating his congratulations, the postman took his leave from the cabin.
Clutching the acceptance letter carefully, Bill returned to the porch. Sitting in his chair, he read the notice over and over, occasionally running his fingers gently across its surface. His flushed face gradually returned to its normal color as he took deep breaths. That was when Leila returned.
"Uncle!"
Spotting him, Leila began running toward him, waving enthusiastically. The worn leather bag slung over her shoulder swung cheerfully with each step.
"That damn bag."
Bill chuckled wryly under his breath. It was the same tool bag he'd given her during her first summer at the cabin. Despite having received several finer bags since, Leila always reached for this battered old thing whenever she went walking in the woods.
"When exactly do you plan to throw that relic away?"
Bill found himself grumbling pointlessly at Leila as she sat beside him.
"Throw it away? It's still perfectly usable!"
"For heaven's sake, just toss it. That bag's been through enough abuse—it'll start cursing you soon."
"Just a little while longer."
Leila fiddled with the badly worn leather straps and gave a sheepish smile.
"I'd feel empty without it."
Honestly, what a sentimental fool.
Swallowing the remark he'd been about to make, Bill abruptly thrust the letter toward Leila.
"What's this, Uncle?"
"You'll know when you look."
Leila took the notice with round, questioning eyes. Bill expected her to burst into joyful cheers, but as she read through the acceptance letter, her expression grew increasingly calm instead.
"...Leila?"
Worried by her excessively subdued reaction, Bill was the first to break the silence. Only then did Leila lift her head to look at him. Her face was quietly smiling.
She could stand to act a bit more like a young lady at times like this.
Bill scratched the back of his neck roughly, flustered by Leila's mature demeanor—so composed it made his own choked-up emotions seem awkward in comparison. Watching him, a sudden, overwhelming smile bloomed across Leila's face. By the time Bill noticed, she had already thrown her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Such a fuss," he muttered indifferently.
Yet despite his words, the hand patting Leila's back as she clung to him was tender.
"Thank you," Leila whispered after a long moment, her voice thick with moisture."Really... thank you, Uncle."
Her eyes brimming with tears, she beamed up at him."It's all because of you."
"What nonsense are you spouting now?"
Bill took a deep breath and counted numbers silently. He mentally listed the tasks that needed finishing before sunset. Still, the heat behind his eyelids showed no sign of fading. He was now certain—this little one must have brought her tear ducts all the way from Lovita.
"You studied. You took the exam and passed. What did I do?"
"No. No, Uncle."
Leila shook her head vigorously and grasped Bill's hand. Her small hands—so tiny they could barely wrap around one of his even when clasped together—were soft and warm as they fidgeted with his fingers.
"I... Uncle, if it weren't for you, I would've—"
Leila's face looked ready to burst into sobs on this happy day. Nothing frightened Bill more than that. Even tears of joy—he never wanted to see Leila cry.
He always wished for her to keep smiling brightly. All the affection and care he'd poured into the flowers and trees he'd nurtured over a lifetime couldn't compare to what he felt for this one child. Bill knew no plant or blossom more precious than her.
Somehow, that had become true.
And he accepted it without resistance.
"Let's go to the Capital together next weekend," Bill said with forced cheerfulness, clearing his throat to steady his emotions.
"Just the two of us? To Latz?"
Leila's eyes widened in surprise.
"You got into university, so we'll pay the tuition and register. Might as well see the Capital while we're at it. Haven't taken you anywhere proper before now, so... two birds with one stone."
"Really?"
Leila's tear-filled eyes sparkled with anticipation."We're going on a trip together? Really?"
"Trip? We're just going to pay your fees."
"But still!"
Bill's gaze held a tinge of regret as he watched Leila nearly beside herself with joy.
I should've listened to Mrs. Mona's nagging sooner about not knowing how to raise a girl. He should've taken her somewhere nearby, shown her nice things, treated her to good food. Why was he only thinking of this now, when the day she'd leave his care drew near?
"It's a considerable sum, and no matter how much they're engaged, leaving you alone with that Kyle boy again doesn't sit right with me, so there's no choice but—"
Growing increasingly flustered, Bill rambled on before finally bursting into a sheepish laugh as Leila hugged him tightly once more.
"See, Leila? Wasn't I right?"
Stroking her hair with gentler hands, Bill smiled contentedly."Didn't I say you'd grow into quite the fine adult?"
Though his feelings couldn't be contained by mere words, Bill—unable to find adequate ones—simply kept smoothing Leila's hair.
To avoid an unsightly sniffle, Bill Remmer found himself counting much higher numbers than before.