Cry, Even Better if you Beg

For a long time, Leyla thought she was hallucinating.1

Leyla often did. Because of her bad eyesight, she saw the fruit that fell from the tree as a squirrel and she often got startled thinking a tree branch floating in the water was a person.

But this time, the visible silhouette was no doubt, a person. And it was a man. A tall, naked man. When his wet, black hair came into view, she could no longer cling onto her self-justification that it was an illusion.

Right now, that thing floating on the current was undeniably Duke Matthias von Herhardt.

The bewildered Leyla dropped the newspaper in her hand. If she hadn’t reflexively grasped the tree branch, she would have fallen to the ground along with her newspaper.

Her conscious told her.

Close your eyes right now. No, get off the tree as fast as you can and leave this forest. Or at least scream in shock.

But all Leyla could do was speechlessly stare at the man without any clothes on. It was indeed Duke Herhardt. The man just stared back at Leyla with no intention of hiding his naked body while still floating in the water.

I hope he’ll just wash away with the current!

By the time the wind started to eagerly blow, the duke suddenly began to swim towards the shore of the river, where Leyla was.

“Ah, no!”

Leyla’s scream reverberated high into the clear sky.

“No! Don’t come! You can’t come!”

Shrieking with fear, Leyla frantically descended from the tree.

She didn’t bother to show her courtesy towards the duke. She couldn’t think of anything. Leyla discarded her basket as well as her hat and simply ran. She ran without realizing how swift how legs moved into the forest.

“Leyla!”

Around the middle of the trail leading to the cabin, Leyla came across Kyle. The puzzled Kyle caught Leyla, who almost fell over.

“Where have you been? I was on my way to find you because you weren’t at home.”

“Kyle, Kyle, what should I do?”

Leyla’s hoarsely muttered as she breathed heavily like a half-crazy person.

“Why? What’s going on? Did you come across a wild animal?”

When Leyla vigorously shook her head, Kyle looked further beyond the road. There wasn’t anything in sight. There was just an ordinary forest in front of them.

“Then what is it? Why are you so surprised?”

“…… What should I do?”

Leyla collapsed to the ground in tears. She used her apron hem to cover her face and shook her head several times.

She didn’t want to remember, but the image of his well-built body kept appearing in her head.

Leyla clasped her hair.

“What should I do? What should I do, Kyle?”

“I’ll answer you if you could just tell me what the problem is. What the hell is it?”

Kyle frowned as he kneeled down in front of Leyla. It wasn’t long before Leyla’s face turned as red as a ripe raspberry.

“Hey, what the hell did you see? Did you see a ghost?”

Kyle began to giggle.

No.

Leyla wanted to say but her lips did not budge.

Something scarier than that.1

The words she quietly muttered poured out through her hot gasps.

~~~~

The wild scene that had occurred front of him was so unbelievable, Matthias lost his breath. Drops of water from the wet end of his hair trickled down his nose.

After swimming to the dock of the annex, Matthias got dressed and returned towards the tree. It was all after Leyla had dumped all her luggage and ran off.

Matthias looked through Leyla’s traces. A large basket and a hat underneath the tree. A newspaper on the floor. A wet handkerchief.

He let out a false laugh after scanning the basket full of raspberries. Was she planning to exterminate all the raspberries growing in the Arvis forest? He was amazed to imagine that girl carrying such a huge basket with her slim arms.

Come to think of it, this was the exact tree where he almost shot that little child.

Matthias glanced up at the beautiful tree. He also remembered the time when the little face, sitting on the branch, vacantly stared at him. He burst into laughter.

No way, she still plays around climbing trees.

He was thinking of chasing after her but he changed his mind and headed towards the mansion.

Matthias was scheduled to meet the directors of his family company this afternoon. Although he wasn’t directly involved in the management of the company, it was his job to look over their plans. He also had to oversee the overall structure and the work quality of his subordinates.

The Herhardt family expanded their scope to trade and resources based on their land assets. Matthias’s grandfather, who acquired a huge fortune for the family, had made the bold choice to invest in the oil fields in the new empire.

All the honor and authority that had been built through the previous owners of the Herhardt household were now in the hands of Matthias.

Matthias was well aware of that and he knew it was his greatest duty to maintain the honor and authority and pass them onto the next Herhardt. He was confident that he would perform his duty more perfect than anyone else. He had never doubted himself.

Matthias headed straight to the bedroom after he arrived in the mansion. He changed his clothes and cleaned up his disheveled hair.

After all that preparation, Matthias obliquely leaned against the chair positioned by the window on the west side of the bedroom. There was still an hour remaining until his next appointment.

Judging that it was a waste to simply sit and wait, he was about to rise from his chair until he heard a bird’s cry.

Matthias headed his gaze towards the direction of the sound. The canary in the birdcage was singing on the table. He had used to believe the bird didn’t know how to sing because it was so quiet but now, the canary sang beautifully enough to overshadow his past thoughts.

Matthias slowly approached and opened the birdcage door. The canary, who stopped singing, flapped its clipped wings and escaped the cage.

He was thinking of leaving the bedroom but had changed his mind and observed the bird while leaning against the window frame. The tiny thing was very diligent. It flew a little, fell, and then hovered around the room without taking a break.

The canary eventually got exhausted and gently sat down on the chair’s  armrest. Matthias picked the bird up to put it back into the cage. Instead of struggling and letting out an ear-splitting cry, the canary obediently entrusted itself to its owner.

Matthias was fascinated by the change in the bird’s attitude so he tried placing the bird on his finger. He thought the bird would’ve run away but it unexpectedly stayed still as it boldly stared back at him.

“It feels like I’ve met a new world.”

Leyla absent-mindedly whispered in shock. The gray-haired optician laughed heartily.

“It’s understandable. Your eyesight was pretty bad. You must’ve had a hard time.”

“No, it wasn’t all that bad. Except for when I had to read a book.”

Leyla cheerfully answered while putting down her glasses after she had lifted them up. The cloudy world magically became clear. Leyla was once again thrilled by the obvious.

The numerous raspberries the forest provided turned into jam through Leyla’s fingertips. When she had enough money to match her glasses, Leyla rode her bike downtown. She easily found the optician’s shop that she used to frequently pass by.

After conversing with the optician for a few more minutes, she left the store. The scenery outside became too crystal-clear that it was a little foreign, but amazing.

Leyla expressed her gratitude and love towards the wild fruits of the Arvis forest, which shined brightly in the summer sunlight. She also thanked herself for stirring raspberry jam in front of the fire underneath the scorching sun.

But why was she remembered of that terrible memory on such a happy day?

Leyla suddenly frowned upon the day she unintentionally saw the duke’s naked body.

How embarrassed and scared she was.

Leyla hadn’t dared to go back to pick up her basket and hat until the sun came down.

When she finally went back, the forest was serene and the river peacefully glistened.

The relieved Leyla hurriedly left the river with her basket and hat. But her cheeks had continued to burn. She was so distracted that she didn’t even how heavy the basket was in her arms. After that day, she was embarrassed to even look at Uncle Bill and Kyle.

Even though it’s his estate, how could he swim nude in the river? In the broad daylight?

Leyla shook her head to shake off the hateful memory.

I shouldn’t go to the riverside until the duke leaves this estate.

Leyla made a pledge to herself and was about head towards the direction of the cabin until she heard a familiar voice.

“…… Leyla?”

This high, clear voice was undoubtedly Claudin von Brandt’s.

Yep. That’s her alright.

Leyla collected her breath and slowly turned herself around. She prepared herself with a courteous smile. But when she unexpectedly met eyes with Duke Herhardt, the man who had disturbed Leyla’s mind just a few moments ago, she froze.

Leyla could clearly see the man standing in front of her.

Leyla frantically turned her eyes over to Claudine, who stood beside him. While Duke Herhardt was out working as an officer in the overseas front, Claudine didn’t visit Arvis as much as she used to. It had been quite a while ever since Leyla saw the lady. Claudine had matured into a flawless woman.

Leyla politely gave her respects and the two gracefully nodded to accept her greeting.

“When did you start wearing glasses? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Leyla hoped for her to leave but Claudine spoke again.

Leyla faced her with a prepared smile. She tried hard to not meet eyes with Duke Herhardt.

“Have you been well?”

Claudine meticulously examined Leyla with her thinly opened eyes.

“Yes, Miss.”

“We were on our way for tea.”

Claudine pointed to the hotel across the street with her eyes.

Yes, Miss. Or I see, Miss.

Leyla was contemplating over which response to answer when Claudine generously said,

“Let’s go together, Leyla.”

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“What?”

“It’s been a long time since we met, so I’d like to have a cup of tea with you. It that alright, Duke Herhardt?”

Claudine asked Matthias. Matthias expressed his consent with a slight grin at the tip of his lips. They didn’t seem to care about what Leyla had to say. As usual.

The two began to start their walk as Leyla followed from behind. The servants who accompanied them quietly followed suit.

Leyla sighed and dragged her bicycle. The creaking sound of the old wheel mingled to the sound of the footsteps.