Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Translation: godsn
Through the carriage window where his gaze had absently drifted, Matthias saw Leila.
Dressed more carefully than usual, she was walking through the bustling streets with girls her own age. Among them was a face Matthias recognized—that teacher who had come to Arvis on a picnic with Leila. Greber, if he recalled the name correctly.
With narrowed eyes, Matthias watched Leila's brisk steps down the street. Though noticeably thinner, her expression was bright and soft. She smiled often, chattering away—so different from the way she appeared before him these days that it almost felt like he was looking at an entirely different woman.
The carriage carrying Matthias soon passed that street. Yet even after Leila disappeared from view, he continued to stare blankly out the window for some time.
At least she isn't wasting away pathetically like some dying creature.
He felt relieved, yet at the same time, strangely irritated.
For weeks now, the Leila Matthias had seen had been utterly listless. With the dull expression of someone performing tedious chores, she would come to the annex, undress herself, and sit motionless at the edge of the bed. Though she acted like some worn-out woman, she couldn't hide her fearful, anxious demeanor whenever he approached.
Matthias was more than happy to indulge his ridiculous mistress's wishes.
If she wanted to be treated like some paid courtesan, so be it. She had chosen this herself, after all. But sometimes—the more roughly he handled her, the more he humiliated her—Matthias couldn't shake the feeling that he was the one being trampled underfoot.
Only when the woman, who had been behaving like a doll with all her switches turned off, twisted her face in pain and shame did he feel at ease. At least it proved she couldn't treat him like some invisible ghost. And so he tormented her relentlessly until she cried, only to be flooded with both emptiness and satisfaction. But even that moment never lasted long. Once Leila, disheveled and gasping, slumped into silence, all that remained was Matthias himself—frustrated, helpless, unable to do anything with the woman he already possessed.
How dare you...
When cold, clear rage surged to the top of his head, he remembered that late spring night in Latz when the roses had been in full bloom. The night he had first wanted to kill someone—when he learned from his mother that Leila Lewellin was to marry Kyle Etman. Perhaps, he often thought in those moments when he gazed at Leila curled up with her back turned to him, it hadn't been the doctor's son he wanted to kill, but this woman instead.
Yet even so, he couldn't deny the sheer pleasure Leila Lewellin gave him. Though she provoked him with her insolent attitude only to freeze like a block of wood, trembling—Leila never failed to drive him mad. For Matthias, who had never prioritized this kind of desire nor been swayed by it before, it was bewildering. But undeniable.
"E-Excuse me... Master?"
At the cautious call, he turned his head to see the carriage door now open and his attendant standing beyond it.
Matthias steadied his breath before stepping out. The company executives, who had come out to the lobby to greet him, welcomed his arrival.
Before entering the grand, classically columned building, Matthias suddenly turned his head, gazing down at the sunlit street. Even though he already knew—there was no way Leila, smiling, would ever walk that path again.
With a brief, self-deprecating smile, he smoothed away his lingering thoughts and resumed his steps, his face once again composed into its usual calm expression.
Bill Remmer had left. Carrying a large travel bag, he had departed with the solemn steps of a soldier marching to war.
Leila had seen him off all the way to the end of Platanus Road. Since not just Bill Remmer but many of the garden workers were leaving as well, the usually quiet path was lively with chatter.
The shattered glass walls of the greenhouse, destroyed in the explosion, had been restored—but most of the plants had perished in the harsh winter cold that followed. With so many rare flowers and trees lost, replacing them wouldn't be easy. But Bill Remmer had a duty to see it done.
Leila was worried about him working day and night, but Uncle Bill said his mind was at ease precisely because this was how he could atone. That his words weren't false was evident just from looking at his expression.
"It's cold, Leila! Go inside!"
Just as he was about to turn the corner, Bill suddenly spun around and shouted.
Though she nodded, Leila couldn't bring herself to turn back immediately. They had to visit renowned horticulturists, botanical gardens, and noble greenhouses across the empire to procure the necessary plant varieties—a task that would take weeks at the very least. The thought of spending that long alone at Arvis made her vision blur with dread. She almost wished she could leave with Uncle Bill instead. But knowing how strange and suspicious that would sound, she couldn't bring herself to say it aloud.
Soon, the boisterous farewell came to an end.
Left alone on the road where the group of men had departed, Leila stood motionless, staring blankly at the empty path. What snapped her out of it was the sound of an approaching car from the far end of the street. Not wanting to encounter the Duke, she hastily turned and broke into a half-run, but there was no way she could outpace the speeding vehicle.
Before long, the black car brushed past Leila standing by the roadside. Clasping her hands tightly, she kept her head firmly turned away, waiting until the car had disappeared into Arvis.
It's nothing, really.
She repeated the words desperately, as if to match the frantic pounding of her heart. Uncle Bill's absence had nothing to do with the Duke.
Once the car was out of sight, Leila hurried back to the cabin. Cleaning and ironing inside the house eventually calmed her mind. These mundane routines had become her greatest solace lately. As long as life continued uneventfully, she could pretend that one man didn't matter at all.
Perhaps he'll discard me before the wedding, Leila had thought the day she saw Matthias with Claudine during her visit to Arvis. Standing side by side, they looked as though they were made for each other. Even from a distance, Leila could clearly see how much the Duke cherished and cared for Claudine. That day, she had taken a long detour back to the cabin to avoid catching their attention. Her cheeks had stayed flushed for a long time—perhaps because the weather had been particularly cold.
Phoebe landed on the windowsill just as Leila was about to sit at her desk, carrying a letter from the Duke. Though it was much earlier than usual, the man made his demand without hesitation.
After tearing the letter to shreds and tossing it into the fireplace, Leila hurriedly tended to the livestock and locked the doors. As she walked toward the annex—neither rushing nor hesitating—she habitually imagined a life free from the Duke's grasp.
She could leave with Uncle Bill for a distant city. Somewhere near the southern border with Lovita wouldn't be bad either. Someday, she and Uncle Bill could travel to tropical islands and icy lands to seek out birds, and someday after that, they could build a home together with a small garden to tend, and then...
Struggling to weave together the frayed threads of her thoughts, Leila eventually reached the path where the annex came into view. The riverside scenery bathed in sunset was beautiful. She decided to focus only on that.
After all, if this is temporary, then the pain is nothing. Enduring hardship was something she had done countless times since childhood—it was second nature now.
With her resolve hardened, Leila strode forward, her slender shadow stretching long behind her.
Except for the fact that the sun hadn't yet set, the scene in the annex bedroom was no different from usual. The massive bed. The fireplace casting its glow. The elegant, polished furniture and restrained decor. And the naked woman.
Matthias's gaze flickered briefly over the small figure that now felt like a fixture in this room before lowering back to the stack of documents on his lap.
The scale of the Herhardt family's enterprises had grown far beyond what could be contained within the estate walls. His grandfather and father, foreseeing the impossibility of managing it all, had poured their efforts into establishing a corporate structure—one that was now stable. Thus, Matthias's role was to oversee and make final decisions. Though he had been trained for this since boyhood, the world was rapidly changing, and the political landscape was turbulent.
Matthias meticulously reviewed the report concerning mining rights and oil fields in their overseas territories. Occasionally, he would lift his gaze to glance at the bed placed diagonally across from him and the naked woman seated at its edge, only to return to his work with practiced indifference. Instead of the usual moans and cries, the bedroom was filled with nothing but the peaceful sounds of crackling firewood and rustling paper.
Leila only raised her vacant eyes from staring at her own toes after the deepening darkness had completely erased the last traces of sunset. Normally, the Duke would have approached her by now to sate his desires, but today, for some reason, he treated her as if she were invisible.
Swallowing dryly, Leila weakly lifted her limp arms to cover her goosebump-ridden chest. A sidelong glance confirmed that the Duke remained seated by the fireplace, still engrossed in his documents. Though he had watched her undress upon entering the bedroom, that was all. For what felt like an eternity, he had focused solely on his own affairs.
The moment Matthias set down the thick stack of papers after jotting something down, their eyes met. Leila hunched her shoulders further and hastily lowered her head. When the Duke rose to his feet—perhaps having changed his mind—she felt, absurdly, a flicker of relief. The sooner she endured the pain, the sooner she could leave him behind.
Yet Matthias's footsteps carried him not toward Leila, but toward the bedroom door. Bewildered, she frowned as she watched him disappear in that direction. Through the half-open door, she could hear the low murmur of someone speaking on the phone. It sounded like a business call.
After issuing a few crisp, authoritative instructions in a tone both polite and firm, the Duke soon returned to the bedroom. Having momentarily forgotten to avert her gaze, Leila found herself locking eyes with him again, but he showed no particular reaction. His eyes held the detached pleasure of someone admiring a displayed artwork before he indifferently returned to his chair.
Stretching his long legs over the ottoman in a languid pose, the Duke picked up another document from the stack on the side table. Between the rustling pages, the faint melody of a waltz drifted in. When Leila realized the music was coming from the gramophone in the drawing room, her eyes wavered.
Just what in the world...?
Frowning deeply, Leila reached for the glasses she had left on the nightstand and put them on. The Duke, who had been idly twirling a pen while reading, turned his gaze toward her.
Even with the glasses, Leila still couldn't decipher the expression on his face. The only thing that grew clearer was the reality of the moment—and with that clarity came a sudden, unbearable shame.
Setting the documents on his lap, Matthias tilted his head slightly as he observed her.
Blushing furiously, Leila scrambled to put on her undergarments. She stole furtive glances at him—one, then another—and with each piece of clothing she fastened back on, her cheeks burned brighter.
What kind of absurdity was this? She had been so composed while naked, yet now that she was fully dressed, she seemed at a complete loss.
As Matthias tapped the documents in rhythm with the waltz, Leila—now flushed head to toe—rose from the bed.
Her lips parted, then closed as she bowed her head. She tried to speak again, only to avert her eyes with a flutter. Finally, after a long pause, she met his gaze squarely. Matthias, still twirling his pen, calmly returned her stare.
Backlit by the moonlight streaming through the half-open curtains, Leila spoke in a trembling yet clear voice, enunciating each word deliberately.
"What exactly are you doing right now?"