Chapter 2 A Beautiful Bird Slayer

Matthias’s relatives who were expected to spend the summer in Arvis paid him a visit. It was a social gathering meant to discuss insurance issues for the trade ship sailing next month.

Matthias sat in the back of the carriage, staring out of the window. His butler, Hessen, briefed him about the pending problems of his family. He responded to Hessen’s words with just quick nods or brief replies.

The business was run by the directors, and although Matthias’ mother and grandmother were in charge of the family affairs, it was up to him as the Duke of Herhardt to make the final decision. Matthias had been playing that role since he was a child of twelve.

Hessen’s report had ended by the time Matthias arrived on the Platanus road leading to the Herhardt estate.

Matthias was seated with his head tilted at an angle, gazing at the familiar scenery. Both sides of the roadway were lined with tall trees that were arched as if they were holding hands. The path was embroidered with an exquisite pattern designed by the shattered sunlight leaping through the fluttering leaves.

A white mansion with a blue-coloured rooftop revealed itself after passing through the road into the estate. Outside the front entrance, the mother and grandmother were waiting for their family patriarch. The door to the wagon opened as Matthias straightened the position of his already linear tie.

“Welcome home, Matthias.”

Norma Catharina von Herhardt, Dowager Duchess of Arvis, smiled brightly when she welcomed her grandson.

Matthias bowed his head and accepted a kiss from his grandmother.

He was approached with a much more straightforward attitude by Elysee von Herhardt, his mother, who stood behind them.

“You’ve grown taller.” She chuckled as she embraced him warmly. Her dark black hair gleamed in the early summer light, much like her son’s.

Matthias responded to his mother with the same smile. He shared similar greetings with the other servants in line. His polished manner and proper courtesy towards the servants showed that he was the perfect owner of this family,—He was Duke Herhardt.

Matthias took the lead and crossed the lobby area, standing between his two beloved women. He suddenly lifted his head and stared up at the huge chandelier that was lit up in the middle of the day before climbing the stairs.

Matthias looked at the Herhardt family’s crest that was imprinted on the ceiling just below the chandelier.

He was a Herhardt.

Herhardt, a euphemism for intellect, grace, and unflappable character. Matthias had never had any complaints or concerns regarding his own life. He was well aware of the kind of life he would have to live and accepted it. Handling his own life was as easy as breathing for him.

Matthias ascended the stairwell with long strides with his eyes fixed on the ground. The servants were finally able to breathe properly after the owner of the household entered the mansion safely.

The residents of Arvis had been preparing for days to meet Duke Herhardt in person. On his arrival, everything and everyone, including the people who lived in his estate, had to be flawless. The servants needed to present themselves in the best light possible.

Leyla Lewellin, the Arvis’ uninvited guest, wasn’t any different.

***

“Did the duke already arrive?”

Standing at the edge of the group of servants, Leyla murmured something in a disappointed tone. The creamy-white colour dress Bill had purchased for her flapped in sync with her movements.

“You’ll see Duke Herhardt in the woods. But I have to ask for permission first.” Bill Remmer spoke bluntly and began walking towards the woods. Leyla followed him at the back with zeal.

“Does the duke enjoy the woods as much as I do?”

“Well, yeah sure. Hunting is one of his favorite activities.”

“Hunting? In the woods?” Leyla’s pupils dilated, and her eyes widened. As he looked down at the child, Bill snorted.

“Isn’t it natural for the forest to be the hunting ground for this family?”

“Then… does he hunt birds too?”

“Upland hunting is the Duke’s favorite pastime.”

His irrelevant comment caused Leyla to halt in her stride. Bill coughed reflexively after realizing what he had said. He tried lying to her to convince her, but Duke Herhardt was due to arrive on the hunting grounds in a few days. He was concerned that if he tried to comfort the child with his white lies, he would cause Leyla even more distress.

“When you see the Duke’s shooting skills, you’ll be astonished. He’s only a teenager, but he’s a fantastic sharpshooter.” Bill started to babble because he felt compelled to say something to comfort the young girl. But Leyla, on the other hand, was on the verge of crying.

“Why does he like killing birds? There’s lots of food in the mansion…”

“Hunting is merely a means of recreation for the nobles. The most entertaining targets to shoot are birds, and…” Bill turned around to face Leyla after realizing what he had said, and Leyla’s upset expression came into his gaze.

‘Why do you like birds so much?!’

Bill was on the verge of yelling something at the top of his lungs. He didn’t understand why he was bothering to explain something to her while still having to be sensitive to the child’s feelings. Bill eventually chose to remain silent because Leyla seemed to be about to cry if he said even one more word.

The sobbing Leyla.

He hated seeing children crying.

Bill continued to walk again after a brief pause. Leyla’s shoulders were limp as she followed in his footsteps. The same child who had been excited to wear her new ivory-coloured dress was gone. It had been quite a sight to see her feeling so agitated about the dress she just received.

“I’m hoping the duke shows a dislike for hunting.”

After a long period of silence, she spoke up cautiously.

“Or maybe he’ll get tired of hunting?” Leyla looked up at Bill, her eyes sparkling with hope. But Bill could only scratch the back of his neck sheepishly as a response.

Leyla was optimistic that her prayers would be fulfilled.

***

Matthias was nowhere to be found near the hunting grounds a week after his return. He was busy tending to the guests who had flocked to the mansion to see him, so it was understandable.

The mansion was filled with clamorous parties every day, but the woods were deafeningly quiet. As the summer had come to an end, the eggs hatched, and the wild roses, which had been in the early stages of flowering, were now wholly bloomed. Leyla was enthralled by the minor changes taking place in the woods.

“Leyla, don’t go too far!” Bill raised his voice when Leyla excitedly left the cottage.

“Alright! I’m just going for a stroll along the river! Uncle, I’ll see you later!”

As she turned around, Leyla swung her arms frantically above her head. Her old leather bag, which she slung over her shoulder, shook along with her as she jumped.

Leyla was the first person to discover the newly hatched birds on a tree branch. The hairless baby birds were eagerly awaiting their mother’s arrival with their food. She scampered down from the tree and drew the picture of the baby birds on a scrap of paper which she pulled from her leather bag. Although her sketches were a little messy, she tried her hardest to portray the tiny birds in her drawings.

In her little diary, Leyla drew and wrote about everything she had seen in the woods. The land was more majestic than any other location she had ever seen. Leyla decided to jot down everything she saw. This was because she wanted to look back on her memories from the woods in her diary, after her departure from this mansion. She was saddened by the thought of leaving the place one day.

Leyla kept a steady record of the forest as she walked along the path leading to the river. She strewed pastel-coloured flower petals between the pages of her notebook and picked some strawberries along the way.

The sun was just starting to settle when she arrived at the glistening riverbank. Leyla climbed to the peak of a giant tree that stood at the forest’s edge, overlooking the river. Her favourite spot was a thick, long branch of the tree because it was as comfortable as a chair.

A faint clink of horseshoes could be heard from afar when Leyla was about to open her notebook. She stuffed her journal into her pocket as quickly as she could. In the meantime, the horse’s galloping sound became louder. Leyla held her breath while hugging the tree branch she was lying down on, terrified of the approaching intruder.

A horse with smooth dark hazel fur appeared not long after that. On its back, there was a man. He chose to rest his horse right under the tree, where Leyla was lying among all the places in the woods. From the moment that man had stepped off the horse, his movements had been smooth and light.

She thought it best to climb down, but the mysterious man was already leaning against the tree.

Leyla couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she just looked at the man who was lifting his hand to remove his hat. But at that moment, Leyla’s leather bag fell off her shoulders and slammed into the branch. For the next few seconds, her memory became hazy. The man reflectively turned his head towards the tree branch and met eyes with Leyla.

Leyla locked her gaze with his. His blue eyes were like clear glass beads, visible through the thick black hair that flowed over his forehead. By the time she tried to gather herself together, the man was already pointing his gun at her face.

The thought of being shot by the long, menacing gun made Leyla’s face turn pale. She remained motionless, hugging the tree as though it were her only friend. Her entire body was trembling with sweat.

Slowly, the man lowered his pistol and let out a silent sigh.

“Who are you…..?”

His twisted lips emitted a low, resonant voice.

“…..Leyla.”

As her golden hair fluttered in the wind, Leyla managed to keep her voice from breaking, even though she was on the verge of tears.

“What?” His pupils dilated even further, and Leyla hugged the tree so tightly that it hurt her fingertips.

“Leyla. I’m Leyla Lewellin.”

***

“Uncle! Uncle Bill!”

The sound of Leyla’s cry echoed through the woods.

Bill sat in front of his cottage warehouse, watching the sun setting down. At Leyla’s frantic call, he turned his head in bewilderment and looked at Leyla, who ran towards him with a crimson red face.

“What’s the matter?”

“Th-there’s a man in the woods! He was very tall!” Despite her abdominal pain, Leyla was excited to narrate her encounter with the mysterious man.

“You must’ve met the duke who came out for hunting.”

Bill replied while picking up the tools from the warehouse.

“His hair was jet black, and his eyes were a deep shade of blue. His voice sounded as light as a feather.”

Bill smirked with a snarl, “Without a doubt, it’s Duke Herhardt.”

Leyla stood in front of Bill, trying to catch her breath.

For a while, the stunning yet scary man in the distance had stared at Leyla and then turned away without saying anything. When he mounted his horse again, two more men appeared in the dense forest. The man turned his horse and followed the other two men further into the woods. When they were no longer visible, Leyla climbed down from the trees and fled to the cottage.

“Then the Duke…..”

Bang!

Just as Leyla was about to say something, a cold shot suddenly rang out, shaking the stillness of the forest.

Startled, Leyla turned her head towards the source of the noise. She soon witnessed surprised birds arising from the far side of the woods. One of the birds fell from the trees, with its wings drooped helplessly. The shots went on for a couple more rounds. So Bill patted Leyla on her shoulder to comfort the frightened child.

“Leyla.”

Leyla lifted her head with a long, deliberate motion. Bill unknowingly held his breath once their eyes met.

The little one was sobbing.

***

The beautiful bird slayer.

Leyla Lewellin decided to give him that title.

Everyone in the estate, including Bill Remmer, praised him for being the epitome of royalty. Matthias von Herhardt, who had exceptional qualities as the owner of this duchy, seemed to be loved and cared for by the people.

But not Leyla.

The mother bird had been missing since the day the Duke went out hunting. The newly hatched baby birds were separated from their mother, who fed them with food. Moreover, countless birds were no longer to be seen in the woods.

Why did the duke only hunt the tiny, beautiful birds instead of big, edible ones?

Leyla, who had been watching and agonizing over this for the past month, seemed to have figured out why.

For Duke Herhardt, the birds had become his moving target.

The smaller they were, the more challenging and fascinating it was to shoot them. The Duke didn’t even try to glance at the prey he had just killed.

On the days he went out hunting, after hitting his target, he would simply turn away, and Leyla would always bury the dead birds that were soaked in blood.

Bang-

Another round of gunfire could be heard in the distance.

Episodes
1 Chapter 1 Delivered Girl
2 Chapter 2 A Beautiful Bird Slayer
3 Chapter 3 Bring Her In
4 Chapter 4 After a Long Time
5 Chapter 5 The Duke Changed His Mind
6 Chapter 6 Canary
7 Chapter 7 Something Scarier Than That
8 Chapter 8 Safe World
9 Chapter 9 That Humble and Beautiful Girl
10 Chapter 10 Do You Think I’m Begging You?
11 Chapter 11 Deep Water
12 Chapter 12 The Raven Duke
13 Chapter 13 A Night Under the Moonlit
14 Chapter 14 Desirable Woman
15 Chapter 15 Friendly Hunting
16 Chapter 16 Something That Is Nothing
17 Chapter 17 Surprise Present
18 Chapter 18 Emerald
19 Chapter 19 Kiss Me Please
20 Chapter 20 Cry, Even Better If You Beg
21 Chapter 21 Time To Become An Adult
22 Chapter 22 Into The Blanket of Light
23 Chapter 23 Tore It Out, Crushed It Up, and Threw It
24 Chapter 24 Blue Candy
25 Chapter 25 The Color of My Sadness
26 Chapter 26 Let’s Get Married
27 Chapter 27 Season of Roses Without You
28 Chapter 28 Fly in The Spring Like A Bird
29 Chapter 29 A Failed Wish
30 Chapter 30
31 Chapter 31
32 Chapter 32
33 Chapter 33
34 Chapter 34
35 Chapter 35
36 Chapter 36 So, Then?
37 Chapter 37
38 Chapter 38
39 Chapter 39
40 Chapter 40
41 Chapter 41
42 Chapter 42
43 Chapter 43
44 Chapter 44
45 Chapter 45
46 Chapter 46
47 Chapter 47
48 Chapter 48
49 Chapter 49
50 Chapter 50
51 Chapter 51
52 Chapter 52
53 Chapter 53
54 Chapter 54
55 Chapter 55
56 Chapter 56
57 Chapter 57
58 Chapter 58
59 Chapter 59
60 Chapter 60
61 Chapter 61
62 Chapter 62
63 Chapter 63
64 Chapter 64
65 Chapter 65
66 Chapter 66
67 Chapter 67
68 Chapter 68
69 Chapter 69
70 Chapter 70
71 Chapter 71
72 Chapter 72
73 Chapter 73
74 Chapter 74
75 Chapter 75
76 Chapter 76
77 Chapter 77
78 Chapter 78
79 Chapter 79
80 Chapter 80
81 Chapter 81
82 Chapter 82
83 Chapter 83
84 Chapter 84
85 Chapter 85
86 Chapter 86
87 Chapter 87
88 Chapter 88
89 Chapter 89
90 Chapter 90
91 Chapter 91
92 Chapter 92
93 Chapter 93
94 Chapter 94
95 Chapter 95
96 Chapter 96
97 Chapter 97
98 Chapter 98
99 Chapter 99
100 Chapter 100
101 Chapter 101
102 Chapter 102
103 Chapter 103
104 Chapter 104
105 Chapter 105
106 Chapter 106
107 Chapter 107
108 Chapter 108
109 Chapter 109
110 Chapter 110
111 Chapter 111
112 Chapter 112
113 Chapter 113
114 Chapter 114
115 Chapter 115
116 Chapter 116
117 Chapter 117
118 Chapter 118
119 Chapter 119
120 Chapter 120
121 Chapter 121
122 Chapter 122
123 Chapter 123
124 Chapter 124
125 Chapter 125
126 Chapter 126
127 Chapter 127
128 Chapter 128
129 Chapter 129
130 Chapter 130
131 Chapter 131
132 Chapter 132
133 Chapter 133
134 Chapter 134
135 Chapter 135
136 Chapter 136
137 Chapter 137
138 Chapter 138
139 Chapter 139
140 Chapter 140
141 Chapter 141
142 Chapter 142
143 Chapter 143
144 Chapter 144
145 Chapter 145
146 Chapter 146
147 Chapter 147
148 Chapter 148 (END)
149 Epilog I
150 Epilog II
151 Epilog III
152 Epilog IV
153 Side Story 1
154 Side Story 2
155 Side Story 3
156 Side Story 4
157 Side Story 5
158 Side Story 6
159 Side Story 7
160 Side Story 8
161 Side Story 9
162 Side Story 10
163 Side Story 11
164 Side Story 12
165 Side Story 13
166 Side Story 14
167 Side Story 15
168 Side Story 16
169 Side Story 17
170 Side Story 18 (END)
Episodes

Updated 170 Episodes

1
Chapter 1 Delivered Girl
2
Chapter 2 A Beautiful Bird Slayer
3
Chapter 3 Bring Her In
4
Chapter 4 After a Long Time
5
Chapter 5 The Duke Changed His Mind
6
Chapter 6 Canary
7
Chapter 7 Something Scarier Than That
8
Chapter 8 Safe World
9
Chapter 9 That Humble and Beautiful Girl
10
Chapter 10 Do You Think I’m Begging You?
11
Chapter 11 Deep Water
12
Chapter 12 The Raven Duke
13
Chapter 13 A Night Under the Moonlit
14
Chapter 14 Desirable Woman
15
Chapter 15 Friendly Hunting
16
Chapter 16 Something That Is Nothing
17
Chapter 17 Surprise Present
18
Chapter 18 Emerald
19
Chapter 19 Kiss Me Please
20
Chapter 20 Cry, Even Better If You Beg
21
Chapter 21 Time To Become An Adult
22
Chapter 22 Into The Blanket of Light
23
Chapter 23 Tore It Out, Crushed It Up, and Threw It
24
Chapter 24 Blue Candy
25
Chapter 25 The Color of My Sadness
26
Chapter 26 Let’s Get Married
27
Chapter 27 Season of Roses Without You
28
Chapter 28 Fly in The Spring Like A Bird
29
Chapter 29 A Failed Wish
30
Chapter 30
31
Chapter 31
32
Chapter 32
33
Chapter 33
34
Chapter 34
35
Chapter 35
36
Chapter 36 So, Then?
37
Chapter 37
38
Chapter 38
39
Chapter 39
40
Chapter 40
41
Chapter 41
42
Chapter 42
43
Chapter 43
44
Chapter 44
45
Chapter 45
46
Chapter 46
47
Chapter 47
48
Chapter 48
49
Chapter 49
50
Chapter 50
51
Chapter 51
52
Chapter 52
53
Chapter 53
54
Chapter 54
55
Chapter 55
56
Chapter 56
57
Chapter 57
58
Chapter 58
59
Chapter 59
60
Chapter 60
61
Chapter 61
62
Chapter 62
63
Chapter 63
64
Chapter 64
65
Chapter 65
66
Chapter 66
67
Chapter 67
68
Chapter 68
69
Chapter 69
70
Chapter 70
71
Chapter 71
72
Chapter 72
73
Chapter 73
74
Chapter 74
75
Chapter 75
76
Chapter 76
77
Chapter 77
78
Chapter 78
79
Chapter 79
80
Chapter 80
81
Chapter 81
82
Chapter 82
83
Chapter 83
84
Chapter 84
85
Chapter 85
86
Chapter 86
87
Chapter 87
88
Chapter 88
89
Chapter 89
90
Chapter 90
91
Chapter 91
92
Chapter 92
93
Chapter 93
94
Chapter 94
95
Chapter 95
96
Chapter 96
97
Chapter 97
98
Chapter 98
99
Chapter 99
100
Chapter 100
101
Chapter 101
102
Chapter 102
103
Chapter 103
104
Chapter 104
105
Chapter 105
106
Chapter 106
107
Chapter 107
108
Chapter 108
109
Chapter 109
110
Chapter 110
111
Chapter 111
112
Chapter 112
113
Chapter 113
114
Chapter 114
115
Chapter 115
116
Chapter 116
117
Chapter 117
118
Chapter 118
119
Chapter 119
120
Chapter 120
121
Chapter 121
122
Chapter 122
123
Chapter 123
124
Chapter 124
125
Chapter 125
126
Chapter 126
127
Chapter 127
128
Chapter 128
129
Chapter 129
130
Chapter 130
131
Chapter 131
132
Chapter 132
133
Chapter 133
134
Chapter 134
135
Chapter 135
136
Chapter 136
137
Chapter 137
138
Chapter 138
139
Chapter 139
140
Chapter 140
141
Chapter 141
142
Chapter 142
143
Chapter 143
144
Chapter 144
145
Chapter 145
146
Chapter 146
147
Chapter 147
148
Chapter 148 (END)
149
Epilog I
150
Epilog II
151
Epilog III
152
Epilog IV
153
Side Story 1
154
Side Story 2
155
Side Story 3
156
Side Story 4
157
Side Story 5
158
Side Story 6
159
Side Story 7
160
Side Story 8
161
Side Story 9
162
Side Story 10
163
Side Story 11
164
Side Story 12
165
Side Story 13
166
Side Story 14
167
Side Story 15
168
Side Story 16
169
Side Story 17
170
Side Story 18 (END)

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