Cry, Even Better if you Beg - Chapter 14

Matthias sighted Leyla, who was shaking all over in fear.

Since she was a little girl, nothing had changed about her. Though she often pretended to put on a show of bravery, she was a lily-livered who was always easily frightened.

Matthias kept walking towards her while his mind was running over the memories of the young girl he remembered.

He stopped before her with a few paces left in between when he noticed Leyla’s eyes locking on his outstretched hand. To the glasses clutched in his hand.

“I’m….. sorry.”

Leyla opened her mouth just somewhat. She apologized politely enough though her eyes were overflowing with indignation.

“I didn’t expect you to be here. I am so sorry…”

“What if I didn’t have it? Did you think it was okay to sneak in?”

Matthias cocked his head to confront her. Leyla’s eyes grew redder with each blink, but she stood still and unwavering, whereas she seemed to be about to tear up.

“Like… a thief?”

He sneered lowly, rendering Leyla’s beetroot-red cheeks plainly visible even in the dark.

“I only tried to get what was rightfully mine.”

“Ah. This?”

Leyla’s face flushed even more as Matthias lifted her glasses. Her ears were flaming red as well, as he looked at her face more closely.

“Yes.”

She fearlessly answered his question without flinching.

“My glasses that you hid.”

‘Even though you’re trembling that much.’

Matthias sauntered towards the window. It was the same window where he had thrown her hat over, but this time he had her glasses in his grip.

“D-Don’t… !”

Stupefied. Leyla’s face started to get paler and she chased after him.

“Give it back! Please!”

The lace shawl that had been draped over her shoulder fell to the floor. Leyla heaved her arms to cover her cleavage, which was revealed beneath her v-neck pajamas.

“Isn’t it hilarious that you’re making a fuss over your sleepwear when you’ve already seen my whole body?”

Leyla’s blush flushed down to the nape of her neck at his flout.

“…That. That couldn’t be helped!” She shook her head. “It wasn’t what I wanted, but I had no choi-“

“Did you think I wanted it?”

“What? No….. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Leyla quickly grabbed the shawl and wrapped it around her shoulders and chest. At that sight, Matthias softly chuckled, finding her half-kayoed expression was somewhat comedic-gold.

“Why are you now behaving like a lady? You said that you weren’t a lady.”

“….. Regardless of who I am, you’re still a nobleman.”

Matthias chuckled some more, looking at her arrogant yet respectful refusal to succumb to his words.

“Well.” Matthias dropped his tone a little lower as his laughter subsided, “I don’t know, Leyla. Maybe I’m not a nobleman.”

“Oh…No!” Leyla exclaimed urgently as she tightly bound the end of her shawl. “You’re a nobleman!”

“Really?”

“Yes! You’re the greatest nobleman in the Berg Empire!”

“You’re quite generous in appraising me.”

“Everyone who knows you would think that.”

“Isn’t that different from your thoughts?”

“…… No.”

Yes! 

Although Leyla wanted, to be frank, she kept her innermost thoughts secret by vigorously shaking her head.

“I don’t think that way…”

Only for tonight, Leyla decided to sell her soul for her glasses.

“So, your grace, please give it back to me.”

She was about to cry because she was too upset, but Leyla persuaded herself not to.

“It’s very important and precious to me.”

She begged him again, bowing her head and suffering the humiliation.

Leyla wanted to stomp on all the stones in the forest to vent her anger. But she was mindful of how much she was actually at a disadvantage in this situation.

If the duke courted the matter further, he could’ve turned her into a criminal or he could’ve thrown her glasses out the window into the river.

His simple acts, no matter which one, were both fatal to her.

So, Leyla had to put up with it.

Matthias marched up to her. He began throwing the glasses up, and the gap between them closed. Soon, they were at a near enough distance, where they could sense each other’s body temperature.

Leyla batted her eyes in surprise when Matthias glanced down at her with his deep and placid eyes.

His eyes resembled a bottomless river.

A vast and icy river that had devoured her on that sunny afternoon when all her misfortune began.

Leyla was deep in thoughts as her previously blurry vision became crystal-clear all of a sudden. Matthias had put her glasses on her face. His palms that were covering her cheeks were so smooth and warm, like sand that had been steamed by the sun.

Just his face could be seen in contrast with the rest of his surroundings that were veiled in the darkness.

Leyla was restless. She attempted to shun his eyes, but Matthias held her face by giving some strength into his caressing hands.

Why…..?

She wanted to ask him that, before a peculiar and terrifying feeling suddenly surged through her when his long fingers started to fondle the tip of her lips.

Calmly, Matthias’ fingers come to rest between the crease of Leyla’s lip. His thrilling sigh tickled her forehead.

Leyla could feel his breath tasted hot and had a sweet scent, same as the touch of his fingers.

Matthias locked his raven’s blue eyes on her.

Slowly but surely, he started to nuzzle the delicate skin of her wet bottom lip. In a sensual motion, he moved his finger in and out of her mouth until the tips of his trim nails were nearly touching her lower white teeth.

Leyla seemed to have long forgotten how to flee. Innocently froze, enduring both his gaze and touch.

Matthias tardily closed his eyes. His insane, illogical conduct almost brought Leyla to tears. The hands that had embraced her cheeks tenderly strengthened, but then, Matthias loosened his hold and let her go.

Eventually, his hands freed her.

Leyla lost her footing and staggered backward. Her body trembled violently as she struggled to breathe.

Matthias opened his crystalline-azure eyes; a pair of stunning eyes that had caused her shame and dread.

He looked at Leyla for quite some time, then gave a silent order.

“Get out….”

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Leyla had no recollection of what had happened after she left the annex.

After saying her goodbyes, she turned around and walked out. All of her memories of that time seemed hazy.

Only after she heard the grass bugs sing, felt the cold breeze blowing against her body, and saw her silhouette walking under the moonlight, Leyla did realize she had reached the end of the forest path.

Still bewildered, Leyla made her way to the cottage. She didn’t lash out at the stones and tree branches, nor did she run away.

She literally walked.

With her slower-than-usual stride, as light as a ghost on a stroll.

Leyla pumped the water from a spigot in the corner of her yard and washed her face. She unconsciously rubbed her lips until they were swollen and reddish. And though her skin had already peeled off, the water couldn’t clean the unpleasant feeling that still lingered on her mouth.

Leyla’s face, shawl, and the front of her nightgown were all soaked with cold water when she returned to her room. Without thinking of drying them, she sat on her bed, perched up on edge.

Leyla didn’t know what she had been through, but she was sure of one thing.

That she didn’t want to see him ever again.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The canary that had been sitting peacefully in its cage flew towards Matthias when he clicked his fingertips.

Matthias leaned back against the windowsill and extended his hands towards the bird. The canary perched naturally on his finger.

It’s wings needed to be trimmed a bit as it had grown long enough to be able to fly a little distance. But Matthias didn’t feel the need to cut it as short as he did before.

As he listened to the canary singing, Matthias lowered his gaze and peered out the window.

The gardener, Bill Remmer, was in the thick of his job of weeding the garden. But for several days, he didn’t see Leyla Lewellin, which was strange, since she was usually there to help him out.

She had been absent and nowhere to be seen after the night she went looking for her glasses.

But, Matthias was conscious that Leyla began to avoid him like the plague.

After returning the canary to its cage, Matthias clothed himself in a carmine red hunting jacket.

He desired her. 

Matthias came to realize what this feeling was called.

That woman, Leyla Lewellin. He craved her.

There was no longer any need to deny that she had grown up to be a beautiful woman. Beautiful enough to pique a man’s interest.

But Matthias knew, this form of desire was supposed to fade quickly.

So, he wondered.

Did she need to leave a stain on his life just to satisfy that desire?

Matthias replayed the events of that night in his mind. About the woman in front of him, Leyla. And he concluded.

No.

Leyla Lewellin wasn’t a woman worth his desire to be kept in his palm.

Then why.

That night, he let Leyla go.

Still, if she were to behave in this way after he had set her free, then he would have no choice.

“I’ve prepared for your hunting session, master.”

Hessen approached politely. Matthias nodded, took the gun Hessen had given him, and exited the room.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“Did something happen?”

Kyle asked, a little concernedly.

Leyla, who was affixing the well-dried flower into her diary with glue, lifted her head and faced him calmly.

“No.” She said, with a lively voice as usual. “Do I seem that way?”

Leyla dropped her voice and whispered, narrowing her eyes.

Kyle was mystified to see her face was red as if something hot had been put on her neck and burnt her skin.

“You’ve been cooped up in the cottage for a few days now. That’s strange.”

Kyle shrugged.

Leyla blinked in a daze a couple of times before showing her usual cheerful smile. Her lips curved into a faint grin and her eyes twinkled brightly.

“You should go out more now that you’ve found your glasses. But what you’re doing right now is the polar opposite.”

Kyle rested his chin on his hand while staring at Leyla. But she only laughed a little and began carefully writing down the locations and characteristics of the flower petals she had found in her diary.

Leyla would usually sketch and paste unknown flower petals onto her notebook before going to the library to look up their names.

Kyle often accompanied her simply to watch her expression when she discovered the names of the flowers.

She was a young woman who was intrigued by the names of all the birds and flowers in the world and Kyle was a huge lover of her geekiness.

Her face looked small in the gleam of the reading glasses she had recently gotten back. Leyla made sure that she didn’t press the notebook hard with a blotter because she didn’t want the ink to smudge.

“Do you want to take a walk? Let’s go to that tree you like, the one right in front of the river.”

“No,”

Leyla replied immediately right after Kyle ended his sentence.

“Didn’t you used to go there all the time?  What happened? Did you see something scary in the woods again?”

“No, it isn’t like that. I can’t go into the forest today anyways.”

“How come? Ah, is it the duke’s hunting day today?”

After moving the book to the far end of the table, Leyla nodded. Soon after, she could hear a distant thunderous sound of horses’ footsteps coming from a distance.

“Wow. That’s cool.”

Kyle dashed in front of the window, admiring Duke Herhardt and his group of men as they headed to enter the forest through a road beside the cottage.

The five young men were riding their horses with the greyhounds at the lead.

Kyle and Leyla both looked out the window. The duke was mounted on a lustrous horse today, with fur that was the color of a pitch-soaked wood barrel. His red jacket and shining shotgun also attracted her eyes.

Kyle suddenly changed his expression after admiring the duke.

“But don’t worry, Leyla. I’m not an animal hunter. I’m not going to hunt for the remainder of my life.”

At that moment, Duke Herhadt also turned his head towards the cottage. Leyla quickly jumped away from the window even though she was already hidden behind the curtains.

She had spent the past ten days trying to evade him. She didn’t go by the river, and she didn’t even go for a walk in the woods.

Leyla felt sorry for uncle Bill, who had recently gone out to handle the garden by himself. She only helped him while the duke was away from the estate and quickly left the garden when he returned.

Leyla planned to endure this discomfort until the end of summer. By the time autumn would land, Matthias would have already been engaged and would be moving to the capital. Then Arvis would regain his previous state of tranquility.

“Layla, are you feeling under the weather? Do you want to come over to my place?” Kyle asked while looking at Leyla’s pallid countenance.

“No, Kyle. I’m fine.” Leyla leaned back in her chair which faced the dinner table and shook her head. “The hunt will end tonight, anyways.”

Bang!

Another gunshots rang out the moment she thoughtlessly opened her journal. The sound was then followed by the dogs barking and the horses bolting.

Leyla flipped her book’s pages, which she couldn’t read properly with her fist clenched.

She felt compelled to go to the woods this evening.

Some unfortunate birds had to be buried.