Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Translation: godsn
"My goodness! Good gracious! Leila, again!"
At the shrill exclamation from beneath the tree, Leila nearly dropped the apple she'd been about to take a bite of.
Clutching the apple just in time, she looked down to see the expected face—Mrs. Mona staring up at her with wide eyes, arms crossed tightly.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Mona. Lovely weather, isn't it?"
Leila greeted her with practiced nonchalance as she packed the apple and her book into her bag. Watching Leila nimbly climb down the tree only deepened the frown lines between Mrs. Mona's brows. Just then, Bill Remmer happened to return to the cabin.
"This is all your doing, Mr. Remmer!"
Mrs. Mona clicked her tongue disapprovingly before rounding on Bill, who had just set down his cart.
"I told you repeatedly—as someone who raised three daughters—that she should be brought up as a proper young lady, but you always ignored my advice! And now look at this! A grown woman, a schoolteacher no less, climbing trees!"
"Since when is there a law saying teachers can't climb trees? A good teacher is good at whatever they do!"
Bill retorted loudly, his expression baffled as he assessed the situation. Since Leila had come to stay at Arvis, the two had never once seen eye-to-eye on child-rearing.
Leila hesitated, about to point out that she was already a grown adult, but instead cautiously sidled up to Uncle Bill while gauging the mood.
"See! This is exactly why it's unacceptable. You should've spanked some sense into that tomboy while you had the chance!"
At Mrs. Mona's ominous lament, Leila flinched and instinctively rubbed her backside. Even Bill, cowed by her intensity, had unconsciously assumed a penitent stance beside Leila like a soldier at attention.
After what felt like an eternity of nagging, Mrs. Mona finally handed over the basket of food she'd originally come to deliver and left. When their eyes met, Bill and Leila burst into laughter simultaneously.
"I feel like my backside got verbally spanked."
"This won't do, Leila. We'll have to climb trees when that woman isn't around. Her voice is so loud, if I hear much more of that scolding I'll go deaf."
"Yes. For your sake, Uncle, we should do that."
Nodding, Leila picked up the heavy basket and walked daintily toward the cabin. The worn tool bag slung over her shoulder clattered rhythmically with each step, swaying in time with her gait.
"Anyway, that damn old bag. I really ought to burn it one of these days."
Bill glared at the bag he kept vowing to discard but never could, his smile tinged with both relief and melancholy.
Contrary to Bill's worries, Leila had been living her days with remarkable resilience. When the new semester began, she took up teaching as a fledgling instructor. Though she'd fumbled and made mistakes at first, dampening her spirits, she quickly overcame them.
Lately, school seemed to have become quite enjoyable for her. Bill could finally breathe easier, having worried whether a child could properly teach children. But he also knew about the wounds and sorrows Leila must have tucked away in some corner of her heart.
She was the kind of girl who grew attached even to that worthless old bag, unable to bring herself to throw it away. No one understood better than Bill what Kyle must have meant to her. Before puppy love, he'd been her best friend—almost like family. The wound of losing him couldn't heal so quickly. And Leila wasn't one to easily let go of attachments.
So not yet.
Bill tucked Kyle's letter deeper into his pocket—the one he'd been agonizing over whether to deliver.
Even after leaving for Latz, Kyle had faithfully sent Leila a letter every week without fail. And the postman always made sure to deliver those letters to Bill. It was an arrangement Bill had specially requested, one the postman had been kind enough to understand.
He knew it was a cowardly and cruel thing to do. Unbecoming of an adult, too. But even as guilt and remorse over Kyle weighed heavily on his heart, protecting Leila was far more important to Bill now.
"Uncle!"
Leila, seated in a chair on the porch, waved her hand excitedly. Bill gave an awkward smile and approached her.
The two sat side by side, sharing an apple as they enjoyed the crisp, dry breeze. The forest had donned autumn's colors, now at its most vibrant.
"Oh, right. I think I need to speak with that butler. Could you pass along a message for me, Uncle?"
"The butler? You mean Hessen?"
"Yes. It's about school."
Leila carefully wiped the fruit juice from her fingers with a handkerchief she pulled from her apron pocket.
"I've been asked to inquire with the ducal household about whether the children can come to the Arvis forest for an autumn outing."
"Hessen will handle that himself and get you an answer. I'll pass it along for you."
"I'm a little worried it might be an impudent request."
"Impudent? The ladies of the ducal house are quite generous about such matters. They'll gladly permit it. Especially since they're patrons of your school."
"Patrons?"
Leila's eyes widened in surprise.
"The Herhardt family sponsors the school I attend?"
"You didn't know until now?"
Bill replied casually.
"Among the schools in this area, it's rare to find one that doesn't receive the Herhardts' patronage."
"I see..."
Leila murmured softly to herself. The sudden image of the Duke made her squeeze her eyes shut, as if to erase it.
In Carlsbar, it felt like there was nowhere she could go without being under the shadow of the Herhardt name. Then again, it wasn't just a feeling—it was reality.
The King of Carlsbar.
That was what the city's people called the Herhardt ducal family. One of the empire's highest-ranking nobles, whose prestige rivaled even the imperial household. They were the symbol—and pride—of Carlsbar.
"Why? Have you had any trouble with the ducal family? Did that stuck-up noble girl bother you again?"
At Bill's question, Leila flinched and shook her head.
"No, of course not."
Once again, the Duke's face, his gaze, the suffocating moments when she had faced him—they all resurfaced in her mind, one after another. But she couldn't bring herself to say a word.
"Let's have some tea, Uncle."
Leila abruptly stood up and hurried to the kitchen before Bill could respond. She set the water to boil and arranged slices of the cake Mrs. Mona had given them on a plate.
The days had grown shorter, and the house was already dim, but Leila didn't turn on the lights—as if she could hide her turmoil in the darkness.
There was no need to rush.
That was Matthias's view regarding Leila Lewellin. He intended to have her, but he felt no urge to act rashly in his eagerness.
"Ah, Miss Lewellin is coming this way."
Mark Evers, the attendant, remarked with a chuckle as he spotted Leila walking down Platanus Road with a group of children. Now that she had grown into a proper adult and taken up teaching, the people of Arvis had begun addressing her as Miss Lewellin.
"Today must be the day of their outing," the chauffeur added.
It had been the grandmother who granted permission for the village schoolchildren to visit Arvis for their autumn trip. The mother had also nodded in approval. Such matters traditionally fell under the lady of the house's purview, so Matthias respected their decision.
Leila was surrounded by lower-grade children, no taller than she had been when she first arrived at Arvis. Though she still scampered through the woods like a child herself, in front of her students, she carried herself with the dignified air of a proper adult.
Matthias let out a silent, hollow laugh and withdrew his gaze from the car window. Not long after, the car carrying him passed by Leila and the children. Yet the afterimage of Leila lingered in Matthias's consciousness for quite some time afterward.
Playing with Leila Lewellin had become Matthias's greatest amusement these days.
The more skillfully he tormented her, the more vividly Leila displayed her emotions. Though those emotions rarely strayed beyond bewilderment, anger, shame, and fear, the names of those feelings hardly mattered to him. Far more entertaining than her dull, obedient smiles were her flustered reactions, her temper, and her cheeky retorts.
Just last weekend, he had encountered her in the estate's glass greenhouse. Leila, who had been helping Bill Remmer tidy the flower beds, startled upon seeing him and promptly dropped the basket hooked over her arm. Dirt-covered bulbs tumbled in a cascade across the stone-paved walkway. Bill, working on a flower bed some distance away, didn't seem to notice the commotion.
Matthias approached her casually and stood before her. When he nudged the round bulbs away with the tip of his shoe, Leila jerked her head up in irritation. Though she was visibly anxious about being seen, the glare she shot him was nothing short of bold.
Matthias smirked at the thought of those who believed Leila Lewellin was a meek, gentle woman incapable of speaking a harsh word to anyone. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Matthias didn't know how to share what was his with others. So it was just as well that Leila remained, as she was now, a sharp-tongued little thing—only toward him.
The beautiful birds residing in Arvis's so-called "paradise greenhouse" sang with clear, bright voices. Leila, taking several deep breaths in quick succession, swiftly gathered the bulbs as if determined not to give Matthias another chance to interfere.
Her curt bow before attempting to flee had been an impulsive choice. When Matthias stuck out his foot, Leila staggered and nearly dropped the basket again, sending the bulbs scattering once more across the stone path. But she didn't fall—because Matthias's arm had hooked around her waist, pulling her sharply against him.
Clamping a hand over her own mouth to stifle what might have been a scream, Leila flailed wildly. Though it was already the season when all the roses had withered, a faint scent of roses still clung to her.
After releasing her, Matthias took a leisurely step back. When his gaze pointed politely at the scattered bulbs, Leila scowled deeply. Her eyes brimmed with defiance, but in the end, she had no choice but to obey.
Clenching her lips, she bent down again to gather the bulbs. And once more, Matthias used the tip of his shoe to roll them back toward her. The corners of Leila's eyes and her cheeks were flushed red. A pretty color.
He wouldn't have minded seeing her entire body dyed that shade. A pretty color. My color.
"What's the schedule for this afternoon?"
Matthias asked the question as they neared the city center.
"Your last engagement today is attending the Board of Directors meeting."
A satisfactory answer.
After checking his wristwatch, Matthias gave a short nod. At the latest, he would be able to return to Arvis by early afternoon.
As he stepped out of the car, Matthias tilted his head back to gaze at the high, cloudless blue sky. The sunlight was warm, the breeze cool.
It was a perfect autumn day for an outing.