Chapter 64
Chapter 64
Translation: godsn
The heavy snowfall made it difficult for the carriage to pick up speed. As Leila Lewellin peered out the window, traces of poorly concealed restlessness flickered in her gaze.
"There's no need to be so nervous, child."
Katharina von Herhardt, seated across from Leila, smiled warmly, the creases at the corners of her mouth deepening with kindness.
"O-oh no, my lady. It's not that at all..."
"It may not be the most comfortable situation, but there's no need to be so tense. We didn't bring you along in this carriage to torment you."
A faint warmth seemed to emanate from the elderly lady's sparkling eyes. Only then did Leila allow herself to relax slightly.
"First snow and already so temperamental. It seems we're in for quite a snowy winter this year too. Don't you think so, Matthias?"
Following the old lady's gaze toward her grandson, Leila instinctively turned her head as well. The briefest exchange of glances with the Duke sent her heart into an erratic flutter.
"Yes, Grandmother."
Matthias answered with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Katharina von Herhardt skillfully steered the conversation, inquiring about Leila's school life and praising today's charity performance. When the topic drifted to the play performed by Leila's class, the old lady's smile deepened.
"It must have been more than a little awkward, yet you handled it remarkably well."
The comforting praise brought a flush to Leila's cheeks.
"Thank you, my lady."
Now even the tips of her ears burned crimson—a hue so vivid it looked as sweet as perfectly ripened fruit.
Matthias watched Leila while suppressing another laugh at the memory of that utterly bewildering performance. Her hands, neatly folded on her lap, fidgeted restlessly.
A woman incapable of hiding her emotions. Terrible at lying too. No wonder she'd been forced into such an atrocious acting performance.
Leaning deeper into his seat, Matthias stretched his legs slightly further—just enough for the tip of his polished shoe to brush against Leila's. Though she flinched and pulled her foot away, he remained undeterred.
As the carriage veered off the well-maintained road, the rattling grew more pronounced.
Leila stared miserably at the carriage floor. No matter how many times she retreated, Matthias persistently maneuvered his shoe back against hers. Though it was merely that slight contact, Leila felt as exposed as if she'd been stripped bare.
"You're remarkably good with children for someone so young."
When the old lady spoke again, Leila hurriedly lifted her head. Realizing that continued evasion would only arouse suspicion, she resolved to think no more about the Duke's shoe still touching hers.
"Do you like children?"
"...Yes, my lady."
"Clever and fond of children—what excellent teacher material you are. Don't you agree, Matthias?"
Katharina von Herhardt shifted her approving gaze from Leila to her grandson. After a brief glance at Leila, Matthias readily nodded.
"Yes, Grandmother."
The faint amusement lacing his reply made Leila's eyes widen. Though surely just a polite response, it was unexpectedly cordial. She'd expected nothing more than a dry acknowledgment—after all, that was the Duke of Herhardt she knew.
"The winter break approaches soon, Miss Lewellin."
When their eyes met, the Duke posed his question with perfect courtesy.
"...Yes, Your Grace."
Leila cautiously lifted the gaze she'd been desperately avoiding and faced Matthias. Steady yourself, she urged internally. Don't appear strange. Just act like the family member of a servant receiving the ducal household. That's all you need to be.
"How do you plan to spend your holiday?"
As Leila struggled to maintain her composure, Matthias grew even more deliberately nonchalant.
"Pardon? Oh, that is..."
Though an utterly ordinary question, Leila's mind blanked, leaving her momentarily speechless. Amused, Matthias allowed the slightest quirk at one corner of his mouth.
"I'll study, help Uncle Bill with his work, and also..."
As she hesitated, the tip of Matthias's shoe—which had been resting motionless—gave hers a deliberate tap. Nearly gasping aloud, Leila hurriedly continued her sentence.
"I—I plan to prepare for the next semester as well!"
In her fluster, she unwittingly raised her voice without realizing it.
Having blurted out such an obvious statement about preparing for the next semester as if it were some solemn declaration, Leila could only stare blankly as the Dowager burst into a hearty, delighted laugh.
"Well, Leila. That's a sound plan for your break. Bill Remmer has truly raised you into such a proper young lady."
"You flatter me, my lady."
Leila whispered meekly, her face burning with the urge to crawl into a mouse hole and hide. Matthias crossed his legs with an air of nonchalance, his shameless composure only deepening her embarrassment.
"Truly an excellent tutor, Miss Lewellin."
Though his teasing was unmistakable, the Duke's tone remained impeccably courteous. Suppressing the urge to stomp on his foot with her heel, Leila maintained the same polite demeanor she had shown the Dowager and bowed slightly.
"......Thank you, Your Grace."
She had resolved not to look at him again, but in the cramped confines of the carriage, avoiding the gaze of the man seated across from her was no easy feat.
When their eyes inevitably met once more, Leila flinched and hunched her shoulders without thinking. The playful glint from earlier had vanished without a trace—now, the Duke's eyes were devoid of emotion, deep and still, like the summer river that had once swallowed her whole.
The carriage finally turned onto the road leading to Arvis after what felt like twice the usual travel time.
Inside the carriage, now steeped in silence as Katharina von Herhardt began nodding off, only the faint clatter of hooves and the rhythmic creaking of the wheels marked the passage of time.
Matthias, who had been gazing out the window, turned his eyes back to Leila. At some point, she too had begun dozing off. She struggled to stay awake, but her head kept lolling forward before she would jerk upright again in surprise.
His gaze lingered on Leila's closed eyes before slowly drifting downward. Even in the dim carriage, the necklace he had given her emitted a faint glow. Bit by bit, his eyes traveled lower until they settled on the carriage floor. Beside his polished shoes, Leila's small slippers looked almost like doll shoes. He found it oddly fascinating that those tiny feet carried her tirelessly about with such energy—until the carriage lurched to an abrupt halt.
"Bill! What are you doing all the way out here?"
At the coachman's booming voice, Leila's eyes flew open. Still groggy, she hastily peered out the window.
"With the weather like this, I was worried about Leila."
"Leila's in this carriage. Her Ladyship was kind enough to take her under her wing."
"Leila's here?"
As the muffled conversation between the two men drifted in, Katharina von Herhardt also stirred from her nap.
"My—My lady...?"
Leila turned to the Dowager, her face now bright with a radiant smile. Reading the girl's heart, Katharina von Herhardt nodded indulgently.
"Go on, Leila. Go see Bill Remmer."
"Meeting Bill Remmer was that child's greatest blessing."
Katharina murmured with deep satisfaction.
"Yes, Grandmother."
Responding out of habit, Matthias glanced at the now-empty seat across from him.
The moment she spotted Bill Remmer waiting outside, Leila left the carriage without hesitation. Watching helplessly as she flew into the gardener's arms, her figure darting away like a bird in flight, Matthias felt an unpleasant twinge—the sour taste of something being taken from him.
"He wouldn't even act like that with his own daughter. Who knew Bill Remmer had such a tender side? I doubt even the gods could have predicted he'd turn out this well."
She continued marveling aloud about the gardener and his adopted daughter.
"So for Bill's sake, it would be best if she stayed at Arvis. Why on earth would she insist on transferring?"
The Dowager's idle chatter, which had been drifting aimlessly, suddenly sharpened into a jagged fragment that scraped against his consciousness.
"Leila Lewellin... is transferring?"
"Yes. She wants to move to another city, they say. I can't understand why all these young ladies are so desperate to leave their hometowns. Once you've lived a little, you'll realize there's no place like home."
Katharina von Herhardt clicked her tongue briefly.
"The principal of the village school mentioned it earlier. The children adore her and the parents think highly of her, so they're trying everything to keep her at that school, but she insists on transferring. Considering her broken engagement with Kyle Etman, I can understand her wanting to leave, but still—when they're so attached to each other, how could she bear to live apart?"
"...I see."
"The principal said he'd asked her to think deeply until early next year before making a final decision, so nothing's settled yet. But I truly hope Leila will choose to stay by Bill Remmer's side."
Her expression was genuinely troubled.
"The principal has a distant relative who runs a large general store in town, and apparently they've taken a liking to Leila as a potential match for their son. It's common enough for young people to have one broken engagement, and though her circumstances aren't ideal, she's quite pretty and clever—more than suitable as a merchant's wife. The principal seems intent on playing matchmaker himself, thinking she might change her mind if she finds a good prospect."
"Yes."
"If Bill Remmer finds that arrangement unsatisfactory, I might step in myself. I should ask Hessen if he knows any cultured, respectable young men not too far from Arvis. Getting married, starting a family, living near Bill Remmer while continuing to teach—that would be the best path for that poor girl's life. Don't you agree, Matthias?"
As Katharina von Herhardt prattled on, the carriage came to a stop before the mansion.
Rather than repeating his usual polite response, Matthias opened the carriage door and stepped out. The footman who had approached to open it startled and retreated.
Matthias had already begun slowly straightening the lapels of his impeccably tailored coat before turning away.
"Shall we go, Grandmother?"
His expression and posture as he offered his hand to Katharina were as courteous and elegant as ever.
Katharina von Herhardt gladly took his hand and alighted from the carriage. The sound of their footsteps echoed through the marble hall of the lobby, reverberating through the late-night stillness of the mansion.
Bill Remmer and Leila Lewellin entered Arvis hand-in-hand only after the ducal carriage had departed from the front drive, when the freshly fallen snow had already begun to obscure its tracks.
"I never thought you'd be the one laughing at me, Uncle!"
When Bill burst into endless laughter upon hearing about the disastrous play, Leila huffed indignantly. It wasn't the most effective rebuttal—it only made Bill laugh harder.
"It's alright, Leila. I'm sure you were adorable. Very much so."
"Not all audience members are as kind as you!"
Though she grumbled, Leila couldn't help giggling. Somehow, Bill's reassurance made everything truly feel alright.
Chattering away, the two soon turned onto the path skirting the rose garden. Bill, who had been sneaking glances at Leila's shoes, cleared his throat conspicuously and stopped walking.
"Want a piggyback ride?"
"Huh? No!"
Leila burst into peals of laughter at the absurd suggestion.
"What am I, a child? I'm fine, Uncle."
"It's for my sake. That limping of yours is grating on my nerves."
With gruff insistence, Bill turned and presented his broad back to her.
"Uncle..."
"Either climb on or I'll toss you over my shoulder."
"But you'll strain yourself."
"What do you take me for? I may be getting on in years, but I could still carry five of you little things without breaking a sweat."
Faced with his immovable stubbornness, Leila reluctantly climbed onto his back. Bill stood effortlessly, making her worry seem foolish, and began striding down the forest path. Though Leila remained stiff with awkwardness at first, she soon relaxed into laughter again.
White puffs of breath escaped Leila's chattering lips, dispersing among the snowflakes. Bill's hearty laughter followed as naturally as ever.
The footsteps that had walked side by side now merged into one, as thicker snowflakes drifted quietly down upon their shared path.