Chapter 70
Chapter 70
Translation: godsn
"You've made a wise decision, Miss Lewellin. There's truly no better place than the school in your hometown."
The Principal's face blossomed with a thoroughly pleased smile. Sitting across the low tea table, Leila lowered her gaze with a faint smile, seemingly embarrassed by her own capriciousness.
"I'm truly sorry for troubling you with such unnecessary words."
"Trouble? What trouble? The important thing is that you've decided to stay at our school. By the way, Miss Lewellin... have you completely closed your heart to seeing Theo again?"
"Theo? Oh—!"
Only belatedly did Leila recall the name of the general store owner's son. She was rescued from her predicament when the Principal's wife entered carrying a tea tray.
"Dear, don't pressure her. Can't you see how uncomfortable Miss Lewellin is?"
"It's not pressure, just regret. Theo is such a solid, fine young man after all."
The Principal studied Leila's expression with reluctant eyes. It seemed he still held hopes, but Leila maintained only an awkward silence.
Perhaps the young woman who'd once been considered for marriage with Dr. Etman's son found this match unsatisfactory. But surely she knew by now that reaching beyond her station would only lead to misfortune.
After a thoughtful pause, the Principal awkwardly laughed and shifted the mood.
"Ah, Miss Lewellin—if we stage a play at next year's event, how about you taking the lead role? I'm certain we'd raise tremendous donations."
At the Principal's weak joke, Leila unconsciously let out a quiet chuckle. It was her first genuine smile in a long while.
After sharing tea and discussing the school, the children, and plans for the next semester, Leila took her leave. Outside, she walked slowly through streets where pedestrians hunched against the winter blast, moving in quick, shuffling steps. The cold gnawed at her flesh, yet she felt no particular urge to hurry back to Arvis.
She wandered aimlessly through shopping districts, staring blankly at shop windows without seeing them, until her footsteps halted abruptly in the central station plaza.
What if... she just boarded a train and disappeared?
Even as this meaningless impulse surged through her, Leila knew the truth—there was no escape. How could she leave Uncle Bill behind? Where would she go? Even if she persuaded Uncle Bill to leave Arvis together, the Duke would never relent. Provoking him further might only bring greater suffering.
Cutting off the spiraling thoughts, Leila closed her eyes briefly before turning back with heavy steps.
The Duke's true intentions in keeping Uncle Bill as Arvis's head gardener were transparent. But ultimately, it was nothing more than petty desire—something that would lose its novelty once obtained, then be discarded. Leila felt more certain of this than ever. That night, the man had made it excruciatingly clear what Leila Lewellin meant to Duke Herhardt.
Please let him discard me soon.
As she turned onto Platanus Road, Kyle's letters suddenly came to mind.
To my beloved Leila...
That morning, she had read and reread dozens of letters all beginning with the same greeting. She didn't need to ask Uncle Bill why none had reached her—she already knew. Understanding even the unspoken reasons behind it only deepened her sorrow.
'Th-those letters that were here, Leila...'
The morning after returning from the police station, Uncle Bill had stammered the question at the breakfast table.
'I'm sorry.'
Watching Leila smile silently in response, Bill Remmer's face had darkened with gloom.
'I... I've no right to face you after everything.'
Whether from the pale winter sunlight or not, Bill's hair had looked strikingly white that day. Now that she thought of it, his streaks of gray had multiplied noticeably.
"If, Leila, your heart still feels the same as Kyle's, I will stand by both of you."
Bill Remmer's gaze held a resolute determination as he looked at Leila.
"It was foolish of me to unilaterally decide what path was best for you. I'm sorry it took me this long to realize that."
He spoke at length, offering repeated apologies, but his words failed to reach the depths of Leila's consciousness, scattering into emptiness.
"I'm alright."
In the end, that was the only response Leila could muster.
"Let's have breakfast, Uncle."
Bill Remmer silently watched Leila as she smiled with reddened eyes, unable to continue speaking. He merely nodded. That morning, neither of them managed to finish even half of their plates.
Before passing through the gates of Arvis, Leila took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
Just as I am nothing to you, you are nothing to me.
Every time the memory of that night resurfaced, Leila repeated it to herself. I will never let myself be hurt by someone who means nothing to me.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat dampened her clenched fists, but she refused to stop, forcing herself forward. Perhaps because she had walked faster than usual, by the time she reached the cabin, her breath was ragged, rising to the very edge of her throat.
Slipping inside, she exhaled a long sigh of relief. Bill Remmer, determined to repay the mercy he had been shown, had been tirelessly working on restoring the greenhouse from dawn till dusk, leaving the house empty.
Staggering into her room, Leila collapsed onto the bed.
My beloved Leila.
She shut her eyes tightly, trying to erase Kyle's letters from her mind, but the memories of that night assaulted her instead. Just as she was on the verge of breaking into sobs, a soft tap-tap sounded against the window. Once, that noise had made her heart flutter—now, it filled her with dread.
With trembling, ice-cold hands, Leila drew back the curtain and opened the window. There stood Phoebe, bearing a letter from the Duke.
"Is there really any need to keep that gardener at Arvis indefinitely?"
Claudine's voice was soft, her smile unwavering as she posed the question. The eyes of everyone gathered in the drawing room turned toward her at once.
Claudine, really!
Beside her, Countess Brandt silently chastised her with a sharp look, but Claudine remained unmoved.
"Granting that foolish gardener clemency was a noble decision, but I must admit, I find it somewhat concerning to keep him at Arvis, Duke Herhardt. A dull-witted man who has already caused one accident cannot be trusted not to repeat his mistakes."
"I understand your concerns, but Bill Remmer was the very gardener who designed the glass greenhouse that you so adored, my lady. There is no one more suited to restoring it to its former glory."
Matthias, too, regarded Claudine with a faint smile. His tone was calm and measured, but Claudine could sense it—Duke Herhardt would never reconsider a decision once made.
"Of course, I adore the heavenly gardens of Arvis. If the greenhouse can be restored to its former beauty... Well, I suppose enduring that gardener a little longer wouldn't be so terrible."
Claudine decided to retreat at this point. Countess Brandt finally allowed herself to relax.
The health of the injured Dowager, the public praise for the Herhardt family's mercy toward a servant's grave mistake, and the preparations for the wedding—Claudine skillfully navigated the conversation with refined grace, never once letting her smile falter. All the while, she made sure no one could guess the thoughts churning in her mind—thoughts that lingered on the name Leila Lewellin.
Claudine was certain Matthias had taken Leila for himself.
He was that kind of man. A cold-blooded creature who would stop at nothing to possess what he desired. Someone as insignificant as Leila could never escape his grasp.
When news of the accident at Arvis had reached her, Claudine had tasted two conflicting emotions at once—grief and relief. The destruction of the beloved glass greenhouse had pained her, but she had been comforted by the knowledge that the gardener would be banished from Arvis. And with the gardener gone, Leila would disappear as well.
Of course, Claudine knew full well that being expelled from Arvis wouldn't necessarily mean the end of Leila's relationship with Matthias. But that was between those two. All Claudine wanted was for Leila to be gone from Arvis—the world that would soon be hers.
The very idea of living in the same estate as her husband's mistress—what kind of duchess would that make her?
She had thought Matthias would never stoop to something so vulgar and undignified, but now, the fear crept in that if she didn't act, she might very well end up in that absurd predicament.
"If I were you, Claudine, I wouldn't go out of my way to provoke Matthias."
That was what Liet had said when they met not long ago.
"If their affair is already over, then good. If not... the best thing you can do is leave it alone."
His tone had been uncharacteristically grave, his words utterly incomprehensible to her. Claudine could neither understand nor agree with them.
It was obvious who Matthias's decision to keep the gardener—the very one responsible for such a massive accident—was really for. To think the Duke of Herhardt could be so easily swayed. That innocent face of hers must hide quite the skill in handling men.
Disgusted by her own increasingly petty thoughts, Claudine steeled herself and maintained an immaculate, graceful demeanor throughout the banquet. By the time dinner neared its end, exhaustion weighed so heavily on her that her lips trembled faintly. Fortunately, both the Dowager Duchess and Katharina expressed their intention to retire early, allowing the banquet to conclude sooner than usual.
"I held my tongue earlier because Matthias was there, but I agree. Why on earth would they keep employing a gardener who caused such an accident? It just goes to show even the Herhardts have their soft spots."
Countess Brandt, who had come to her daughter's guest bedroom, clicked her tongue in disapproval. Claudine turned away from the window, where the shattered glass greenhouse and sprawling gardens lay beyond, her smile composed.
"Don't worry, Mother. That gardener won't be staying in Arvis past next summer at the latest."
"What do you mean, Claudine? Surely you're not planning to dismiss a gardener trusted by both the Dowager Duchess and Matthias?"
Though her mother startled, Claudine remained unruffled.
"A new duchess will naturally require a new gardener."
"As you instructed, everything has been prepared."
Hessen approached Matthias as he entered the annex's drawing room, his voice hushed. Matthias's gaze flickered downward to the table, where a large silver dome dish sat.
"Good work."
With that brief acknowledgment, he settled into the sofa as usual.
Hessen handed over the day's mail before taking his leave. Most were invitations to the various parties and social events held at year's end. Among them was a letter announcing the Crown Prince and Princess's visit to Arvis early next year during their northern imperial tour.
Matthias retrieved the fountain pen tucked in his jacket and began methodically drafting replies. Once he finished signing the last one and capped the pen, a hollow laugh escaped him.
Leila Lewellin.
The golden name engraved on the cap glimmered faintly in the lamplight. Since last autumn, he had carried it with him as though it were the most natural thing. At first, it had been out of amusement. Later, he stopped thinking about it altogether.
"Why do you keep stealing my things?"
The memory of Leila, indignant over him taking her pen, never failed to make him smile.
"Really... are you actually a crow?"
That absurd question was no different.
Twirling the pen between his long fingers, Matthias checked his wristwatch. The moment the thought crossed his mind—right about now—a familiar knock sounded at the door.
Returning the pen to its place, Matthias rose and made his way to the entrance. And there, just as expected, stood the face he had been waiting for.
His woman.
Leila.