Chapter 39
Chapter 39
Translation: godsn
As expected, that child was clever.
Looking at her son's firmly shut bedroom door, Mrs. Etman felt relieved.
A few days ago in the afternoon, Kyle had gone out to meet Leila and returned utterly devastated, as if he'd lost his soul. Seeing her son holed up in his room with tightly sealed lips, Mrs. Etman could easily guess what conversation had transpired between the two children that day.
"Madam, the young master refused his meal again today."
The housekeeper reported with a worried expression upon seeing her descend from the second floor.
"Leave him be. Eating must feel like a chore when one's heart is troubled."
The housekeeper Mrs. Becker's eyes widened at this unexpected response from the woman who would normally fret over her son skipping even a single meal. But knowing her mistress wouldn't easily reveal her true feelings even if pressed, she simply nodded and withdrew.
Mrs. Etman went out to the garden after a long time to tend the flower beds.
The Etman family garden was filled with precious varieties of roses brought from the Arvis rose garden. These were roses that Elise von Herhardt only gave to her closest acquaintances, and Mrs. Etman had received quite a generous number of them.
In Carlsbar, she was the only commoner who maintained friendships with both noble ladies of the Herhardt family. She couldn't begin to describe how much pride that gave her. She firmly believed that if Kyle married a young lady from a lower noble family introduced by Lady Norma, the Etman family's standing would become even more secure.
After all the effort she'd poured into reaching this point, her husband and son were trying to ruin everything. All for the sake of that girl Leila.
She had committed a grave wrong against that pitiful child.
Linda Etman readily acknowledged that fact.
Yet she felt no regret. For Kyle's sake, she could endure things ten times more cruel without hesitation. Finding a suitable groom of proper standing would ultimately be better for Leila too.
Mrs. Etman gathered an armful of roses in harmonizing colors and returned to the drawing room. As she was beautifully arranging the roses in a vase, Dr. Etman returned home.
"How's Kyle? Still like that?"
"Yes. He must have much to ponder."
"It seems something must have happened with Leila."
"I'll go see Leila myself," Mrs. Etman said breezily as she placed the vase at the center of the table.
"You?"
"Have you forgotten? He happens to be my son too."
She rose with a smile on her face.
"The son I love several times more than you do."
When Mrs. Etman arrived, Leila was sitting in a corner of the yard scrubbing a large cauldron. The powerful stream from the pump had splashed everywhere, soaking not just her apron but her sleeves and the ends of her hair as well.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Etman."
Leila rose without particular alarm to greet her.
"Shall we go inside—"
"No need for that."
Mrs. Etman slowly looked Leila over from head to toe before shaking her head and extending a leather pouch. Leila didn't need to look inside to know what it contained.
Thank you. She nearly let the habitual words slip out but swallowed them, calmly accepting the money pouch instead. As Leila stared straight ahead with tightly pressed lips, Mrs. Etman's brow furrowed in displeasure at her gaze.
"You look like you have much to say."
"Yes."
Leila answered without hesitation. Though her heart began racing when Mrs. Etman chuckled softly, she didn't want to bow her head like she had that time in the tea room.
"Well. That's understandable. I'll allow it."
Though she smiled as if bestowing kindness, Mrs. Etman's lips remained stiff and unyielding.
"It seems you've finished your conversation with Kyle."
"I assume that's why you're returning our money."
"What did you say to him?"
Mrs. Etman's gaze wavered with unease at Leila's markedly different demeanor.
"I didn't say anything you'd be concerned about."
"Concerned?"
"Yes. Because you must be worried I might have told Kyle exactly what happened that day."
"Hah. I never imagined you'd be this brazen of a child."
"If it seemed impudent, I apologize. I merely wanted to convey that Kyle doesn't know about that day."
Leila bowed her head in apology. Yet when she looked up at Mrs. Etman again, her gaze had grown even clearer and more resolute.
"I didn't tell Kyle. And I never will. Never to Kyle."
Just saying Kyle's name made Leila's chest ache. The sight of his retreating back by the stream that day would likely remain a lifelong thorn in her heart.
"I'll do this for no one else but Kyle."
"For Kyle?"
Though Mrs. Etman repeated the words mockingly, Leila stood firm.
"Yes. I know how much Kyle loves his mother. No matter who you are to me, you're Kyle's precious mother. I want to protect the mother Kyle knows."
"How did such an insolent, audacious child manage to wear such an innocent, docile face all this time?"
"If that's how I seemed, I apologize."
Leila bowed politely again. The gesture felt so much like mockery that Mrs. Etman's cheeks flushed crimson.
"But my feelings are sincere. That's why I wanted to tell you there's no need for concern."
"Since you're making promises with such confidence, I suppose I'll trust you this once."
Mrs. Etman concealed her relief with a slight frown.
"If you care for Kyle that much, I'll trust you to explain the broken engagement in a way that minimizes his pain."
"Yes, I will. But Mrs. Etman—"
Leila, who had been looking down at the money pouch, slowly raised her gaze.
"There's one thing you need to apologize for."
"...What? An apology?"
"Yes. Whatever you said to me, I can accept even if it wasn't true. But you must apologize for what you said to Uncle Bill."
Her hand clutching the pouch turned deathly pale, but Leila didn't back down.
"For saying that taking me in was Uncle Bill's tragedy. For saying you resented him."
When Mrs. Etman snorted in disbelief, Leila clearly repeated the woman's final words from that day.
"I beg you to apologize for those words."
Leila's voice, carrying quiet strength, rode the cool evening breeze.
Matthias, who had unexpectedly eavesdropped on this entertaining conversation, chuckled softly as he leaned against the wall.
He'd been on his way back from swimming. On impulse, he'd changed course toward the mansion, intending to watch Leila cry. Finding something more amusing than tears turned out to be quite the fortunate choice.
He wanted to see Mrs. Etman's expression, but Matthias exercised patience. His appearance would only bring this delightful play to an abrupt end.
Leaning against the windowsill outside Leila's room facing the backyard, Matthias watched a white pigeon pecking at seeds on the ledge while waiting for Linda Etman's response.
"This is why blood will always tell."
After a stretch of silence, Linda Etman's voice trembled with barely contained fury.
"An apology? I'd rather pity Mr. Remmer. That poor man who took in and raised a child like you."
As expected. Matthias, satisfied at having predicted correctly once again, gently stroked the docile pigeon.
Suddenly, the image of Leila he'd seen through the window that day flashed through his mind—drenched in cold sweat, sobbing pitifully. Unable to even breathe properly, her body trembling violently, reduced to such a wretched state.
How pathetic.
Matthias's lips curled into a smile, glowing crimson.
Go ahead and boast all you want—just say the word and it'll all be over.
"Right?"
Whispering low to the pigeon, Matthias left the now-dull amusement behind and departed the cabin.
If Leila couldn't provide entertainment, then he'd simply create his own.
The origin of the rumor was Mrs. Mona.
"Has everyone heard? About why the engagement between Leila and Kyle fell through?"
Every time she encountered the servants of the ducal residence, Mrs. Mona would angrily recount this astonishing story.
"It was Mrs. Etman who stole Leila's tuition money from the Remmer household! The postman, Mr. Berger, just told me. She apparently had someone steal the money to make Leila give up on university—all so she'd break off the engagement with Kyle!"
Pausing dramatically for effect, Mrs. Mona then dropped her bombshell like a firecracker, making everyone laugh incredulously as if on cue. Of course, being no idle gossip, Mrs. Mona had prepared countermeasures for disbelief.
"I know. Hard to believe, isn't it? I felt the same at first. But the man who stole the money under Mrs. Etman's orders was caught by the police. Mr. Berger saw it himself when he made a delivery to the station, and even heard the details from the officers. You'd all be shocked if you knew who it was!"
When she reached the most intriguing part, Mrs. Mona deliberately lowered her voice.
"You all know Mr. Rayner, don't you? Mrs. Etman's cousin, that businessman. Good heavens, they say he was the thief."
"Mr. Rayner? You don't mean Daniel Rayner?"
"Yes! That very Mr. Rayner!"
As voices rose in disbelief, Mrs. Mona's tone grew even more heated.
"And after all that, Mrs. Etman supposedly called Leila aside and accused her of stealing the money, then berated her—'How dare you still think of marrying my son?' Some gentleman overheard and found it suspicious, so he reported it to the police, and that's how they got caught."
From there, the story exploded like fireworks across the night sky—spectacular and dazzling.
Can you imagine? Such wickedness, doing that to that poor girl!
As Mrs. Mona's voice rose with indignation, the listeners' faces grew increasingly aghast.
"I knew it. There's no way Leila would just give up on both university and marriage for no reason."
"No matter what, how could anyone commit such cruelty? And from that refined Mrs. Etman, no less!"
The excited crowd chimed in, soon becoming as fervent orators as Mrs. Mona herself, spreading the truth of the incident.
It took less than half a day for the story to spread throughout Arvis. By the time Mrs. Mona, seemingly having vented her anger, caught sight of Bill Remmer silently working in the late afternoon, she assumed the dull man still didn't know.
Even for Mrs. Mona, delivering news that would drive a stake through someone's heart wasn't pleasant. But who was Bill Remmer? Wasn't he practically Leila's father? If anyone deserved to know the truth clearly, it was him.
"Well. No choice but to step up."
Resolved, Mrs. Mona began trotting toward the garden.