Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Translation: godsn
Mrs. Etman, who had been standing still while gazing at Leila for a moment, slowly approached and took a seat across from her. Sitting upright with perfect posture, she placed her removed hat on the adjacent chair. Seeing this familiar woman who she'd known for years suddenly feel like a stranger made Leila tense up without realizing it.
"On your way back from the police station, I presume? What did they say?"
Fortunately, Mrs. Etman was the first to break the silence.
"They said they haven't found any significant leads yet. But since it's not over, I don't intend to give up."
"Well, Leila. I don't think that's a very wise choice."
"Pardon?"
Just as a startled Leila was about to respond, their ordered tea arrived. An awkward silence lingered between them until the waiter, who had roughly set down the teacups, departed. Leila was the one who broke it first.
"May I ask what you mean by that?"
"I have that money."
Staring indifferently at the steaming teacup, Mrs. Etman enunciated each word clearly. Though the statement was unmistakable—impossible to mishear—Leila gaped as if she'd heard an auditory hallucination.
"I'm the one who took your tuition money."
Lifting her gaze to meet Leila's directly, Mrs. Etman emphasized her words once more.
"That can't be. How could Mrs. Etman possibly...?"
Leila tried to force a smile, but her lips wouldn't obey. She couldn't comprehend Mrs. Etman making such a cruel joke, yet the woman simply stared at her without so much as a flicker of movement.
"I hid it. Knowing it was wrong, I did it anyway because I wanted to prevent you from going to university with Kyle."
"That's impossible..."
"It's theft. Pathetic, cruel theft. And yet I did it. Because I wanted to separate you from Kyle."
Though her mind had gone blank, Leila could no longer deny reality. Mrs. Etman was telling the truth. That much was terrifyingly clear.
"Leila, I despise you so much."
Her ashen eyes, fixed on Leila, radiated profound disillusionment and exhaustion.
"I'd rather become this wretched version of myself than ever accept you as Kyle's partner. That's how much I detest you."
"M-Mrs. Etman."
"I thought you at least knew your place—that you were a decent girl. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you'd harbor such absurd ambitions and try to use Kyle."
"Use him? No. That's not—I would never—how could I possibly—no."
Leila shook her head frantically. Her hands gripping the edge of the table trembled uncontrollably, as did her entire body, but she had no presence of mind left to notice.
"Was this your plan all along? To cling to Kyle's side? To use him to get into university, to become his wife and escape your miserable life?"
Knowing it was a baseless accusation only made Mrs. Etman press more viciously.
She knew. Leila's feelings for Kyle had never strayed far beyond camaraderie or friendship. If anything, it was her own foolish son, Kyle, who was always the one pining. Had it not been for that idiot boy, Leila would never have dared entertain such presumptuous hopes. That fact had always wounded her pride, and now it only fueled her hatred for Leila further.
"My hatred for you turned me into a thief, Leila. I loathe you enough to commit such an act. This truth will never change. Do you really think people like us could ever become family?"
"What... what exactly are you trying to say to me?"
Though her voice had begun to tremble, Leila didn't avert her gaze.
"You already know. You're a clever girl."
Mrs. Etman's icy stare, shifting between the untouched cheap teacup and Leila, was as cold as a frozen lake.
"If you have something to say, then say it."
The sunlight fell upon Leila's pallid face. Her large, tear-filled eyes glistened in the light. That face now filled Mrs. Etman with such revulsion it made her skin crawl.
"Go ahead and tell Kyle—no, tell the whole world—that I'm going to such lengths to stop your marriage."
You'd never dare. Because she knew this all too well, Mrs. Etman could speak with confidence.
"If you tell Kyle, he'll be deeply disappointed in me. Our relationship will sour, and perhaps even our once-harmonious family will fall apart."
Mrs. Etman's expression grew even colder as she watched Leila stiffen.
"But now that this has happened, you and Kyle can never marry. Whether you hide this or confess everything to him, nothing will change. That's all I need."
"Am I... truly so detestable that you must go this far?"
"Didn't I already say it, Leila? I despise you."
Leaving Leila behind, Mrs. Etman rose from her seat first.
"Yes. Enough to make such an extreme choice. Enough to throw away even the barest pretense of dignity in front of you. That's how much I loathe you."
The undisguised contempt in Mrs. Etman's eyes was like a frost-laden wind.
"The money I've set aside will be returned to you after the registration date passes."
So instead of poking your nose where it doesn't belong, you'd better wisely give up on Kyle.
She swallowed the words she most wanted to say. By now, Leila must have understood everything.
"Today, I can't help but resent Mr. Remmer."
As she turned to leave, Mrs. Etman sighed and lowered her gaze.
"Why did he keep you at Arvis, creating this tragedy?"
Leila's frozen, glass-like pupils told her that those last words had struck the deepest blow.
Leaving behind the stubborn child who refused to cry until the end, Mrs. Etman leisurely exited the tea room. A mingled sense of self-loathing and relief clung to her footsteps like a shadow.
He saw Leila.
At the edge of the path leading to the mansion, she was crouched small beneath a towering plane tree, hugging her knees.
Matthias, who had been idly gazing out the carriage window, recognized Leila at once. Though only her back was visible, there was no mistaking her.
"That child under the tree—isn't that Mr. Remmer's Leila?"
The driver, who seemed to have recognized her as well, cautiously broached the subject.
"Is she unwell?"
Mark Evers, the attendant, also added a concerned remark. Meanwhile, the carriage drew slightly closer to the hunched figure of Leila. Sensing their approach, she staggered to her feet and stood straight. Though her deeply bowed head made it impossible to see her face clearly, it was obvious she wasn't well.
The attendant, who had been stealing glances out the window, turned his head toward the back seat. Though he couldn't bring himself to ask outright, his eyes were full of the unspoken desire to stop the carriage and help Leila. The driver, sharing the sentiment, gradually slowed the vehicle.
Matthias let his gaze drift to the scenery crawling past the window. Leila, standing by the tree, stubbornly kept her head bowed so deeply it seemed almost defiant.
She's crying.
The moment he sensed it, Matthias harbored not a shred of doubt. He might very well be the person in this world who knew Leila Lewellin's tears best.
Without a word, Matthias answered by withdrawing his gaze from the window. The attendant, wearing a pained expression, could say no more. The driver, too, obediently picked up speed again.
Leila's tears had always brought Matthias pleasure, but that joy was meant for him alone. The thought of someone else interfering—well. That was hardly welcome.
The carriage that had left Leila Lewellin behind as she walked alone in tears soon passed through the estate's gates. By the time Matthias stepped out, his demeanor had noticeably relaxed.
Had Linda Etman made her move?
The only thing that could make Leila weep so uncontrollably that she could barely stand was likely that. The proof came in the form of Hessen approaching with an awkward expression.
"There's something I must report."
Matching his master's pace, the butler spoke in a hushed, deliberately lowered voice.
"It's such an unbelievable matter that I scarcely know how to phrase it..."
The faint tremor in the usually unflappable butler's voice told Matthias everything. Mrs. Etman had lived up to his expectations.
"Let's continue in the study."
Matthias's reply was calm, his voice low and smooth.
"A summer cold? This is all that thief's doing. She's worked herself sick worrying about it."
Bill paced anxiously beside Leila's bed, utterly at a loss.
He'd been uneasy since last night when Leila went to bed early, complaining of feeling unwell—and now she'd fallen properly ill. Though she insisted it was just a cold that would pass with rest, Bill could tell this was no ordinary ailment.
"I can't just watch this. I'm calling Dr. Etman—"
"No."
As Bill turned to leave, Leila struggled to sit up. Despite the sweltering morning heat, she shivered violently beneath thick pajamas. Overnight, she'd become a shadow of herself.
"Please don't, Uncle."
"But you're ill! Why not? Did you quarrel with Kyle?"
"No."
"Even if you fought, Dr. Etman would—"
"Please."
Leila's sweat-dampened hand clutched at Bill's sleeve.
"I just... want to rest. That's all I need. Let me have that."
"Leila..."
"If you do, I'll get better. Okay?"
Her desperate plea broke Bill's resolve. Clearly something had happened with Kyle, but this wasn't the time to press.
When Bill reluctantly nodded, relief washed over Leila's face. The way she collapsed back onto the pillows made Bill's heart sink again.
"You should've eaten properly! Slept properly! I'd have handled everything. Working yourself sick like this!"
Though his voice boomed like thunder, his calloused hands moved with surprising gentleness as he tucked the blankets around her and placed a cool cloth on her fevered brow.
"Don't fret, lass. Even if I can't catch that thieving bastard, I'll find a way for your tuition—"
"Uncle."
Leila's thin voice threaded through her labored, feverish breaths.
"I want to stay here. Don't send me away."
"There you go with that softhearted talk again."
"I'm sorry, Uncle."
"Now what nonsense is this?"
"It's because of me."
"Keep talking like that and I'll get angry."
"I promise I'll come back."
Bill exhaled a long, silent sigh as he watched Leila ramble disjointedly.
"Just rest now, Leila. I'll be back soon."
He closed her window and drew the curtains, but even while trembling with chills in midsummer, Leila begged him to reopen it.
"It's stifling... Just a little, please."
Even at death's door, Leila wouldn't yield.
Once again, Bill found himself defeated. When he cracked the window halfway and parted the curtains slightly, Leila finally closed her eyes obediently.
"If your fever hasn't broken by afternoon, I'm calling Dr. Etman no matter what you say. Understood?"
Though he delivered this ultimatum, Leila gave no response, as if she hadn't heard.
Leaving Leila sleeping like one who'd lost consciousness, Bill reluctantly departed the cabin.
His steps quickened automatically as he thought of hurrying through his morning chores.