Chapter 7 Something Scarier Than That

For a long time, Leyla thought she was having hallucinations.

Leyla often felt that.

She sometimes mistook the fruit that dropped from the tree for a squirrel because of her poor eyesight. She was often frightened when she thought of a tree branch floating in the water as a person.

However, the visible silhouette that appeared from the water this time was unmistakably a human.

And it was a man.

A tall, bare-chested man.

Leyla couldn’t stick to her self-justification that it was all a trick of the light as his wet, black hair emerged into her view.

Right now, afloat on the river undoubtedly, was the Duke Matthias von Herhardt.

The flabbergasted Leyla threw down the newspaper she was holding.

She might have slumped to the ground along with her newspaper if she hadn’t immediately grabbed the tree branch.

Her intuition had taught her everything. -Close your eyes for the time being. No, get off the tree as quickly as you can and get out of this forest. -Or, at the very least, just shout in surprise-

But all Leyla could do was stare at the guy in his underwear, dumbstruck.

Beyond a doubt, it was Duke Herhardt. The man clearly returned Leyla’s stare, with no intention of hiding his nude body while still afloat in the river.

I’m hoping he’ll drift away!

By the time the breeze began to rage with gusto, the Duke had started to swim for the river’s edge, to the place where Leyla was.

“Ah, no!”

The cry of Leyla echoed up into the cloudless sky.

“No! Don’t come here! You can’t come!”

Leyla quickly climbed down from the oak, shrieking in panic. She couldn’t think of anything, so she didn’t even bother to greet the Duke with courtesy.

Leyla dropped her basket as well as her hat and bolted quickly. She raced through the forest without noticing how fast her legs ran.

“Leyla!”

Leyla bumped into Kyle around halfway up the path leading to the cottage. Kyle was flummoxed when he saw her and immediately caught Leyla, who almost fell.

“Where have you been? I was looking for you because you weren’t at home.”

“Kyle, Kyle, what should I do?”

Leyla muttered hoarsely; she gasped for breath like a half-crazed person.

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

Kyle moved his gaze beyond the road as Leyla shook her head vehemently. There was little to be found. In front of them, all he saw was just an ordinary forest.

“Then what is it? What is it that has shocked you so much?”

“…… What should I do?”

Leyla sobbed and fell to the ground, veiling her face with the hem of her apron and shook her head a couple of times.

She didn’t want to remember, but the image of the Duke’s muscular body kept flickering through her mind.

Leyla ruffled her hair with her fingers. “What should I do? What should I do, Kyle?”

“If you could tell me what your problem is, I’ll answer you. What the heck is it?” Kyle sighed as he kneeled in front of her.

In no time, Leyla’s face had rendered as crimson as a freshly-picked raspberry.

Kyle started giggling, “Hey, what things did you see? Did you see a ghost?”

No.

Leyla had everything she wanted to say, but her lips couldn’t open.

It’s something scarier than that ….

Her hot gasps split out the phrases she softly whispered.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Water dripped down his nose from the tip of his wet hair. Matthias was still bemused by the incredible scene that had happened in front of him.

He swam to his annex’s dock and wore his clothes. After that, Matthias approached the tree where Leyla had dumped all her belongings before she ran away.

Matthias looked through the traces left by Leyla. Near the tree, there was a big basket and a hat—a newspaper on the ground and a wet handkerchief.

After checking the basket full of raspberries, he let out a fake chuckle. He couldn’t believe that girl was carrying such a large basket with her slender arms.

Did she want to get rid of all the raspberries in the Arvis forest?

Matthies glanced up to the beautiful oak tree and realized that it was the same tree where he had almost shot that little girl a few years ago.

When he remembered the moment when her little face, sitting on the branch, looked at him vacantly, Matthias cracked out laughing.

Don’t tell me she still plays around climbing trees.

At first, he was thinking of chasing after her.

Matthias, however, changed his mind and returned to the mansion because this afternoon, he had a meeting with the board of directors of his family company.

Matthias wasn’t directly involved with the company’s management, but it was his responsibility to review their proposals.

He was, therefore, in charge of managing the overall structure of the organization and the efficiency of his subordinates’ jobs.

Based on their land and property assets, the Herhardt family broadened their trade and natural resources scope. Matthias’ grandfather, who had amassed a vast amount of wealth for the family, had taken the ambitious decision to invest in the emerging Empire’s oil fields.

Matthias now owned much of the Herhardt household’s honour and authority, which had been established over the years by the previous owners.

Matthias was fully conscious of this.

He understood that it was his most important duty to uphold the honour and authority of the Herhardt family and hand them onto the next Herhardt.

He’d never questioned his own abilities. So Matthias had great confidence that he would perform his duties better than anyone else.

Once Matthias finally arrived at the mansion, he went straight to his bedroom, and changed his attire then straightened his messy hair.

After all the preparation, the time before his next appointment was still an hour out. Matthias leaned against the chair by the window on the west side of his bedroom.

He was about to rise from his chair, thinking that sitting and waiting was a waste of time until he heard the sound of the chirping bird.

Matthias turned his eyes to the source of the noise. On the table, he found the canary inside the birdcage was humming.

He used to think it didn’t know how to sing because the bird was so quiet. So he was surprised when the canary was singing beautifully, enough to drown out his previous thoughts.

Matthias sauntered to the birdcage and unlocked its door. The canary inside stopped humming, and flailed its clipped wings and escaped from the cage.

He was about to leave the room when he changed his mind and leaned against the window frame to watch the bird.

That tiny creature was very diligent. It flew, fell, and then hovered around the room without pausing.

After a while, the canary grew tired and perched down peacefully on the armrest of the chair.

Matthias took the bird and put it back in the cage. The canary obediently entrusted itself to its owner rather than struggling and giving out a deafening chirp.

Matthias was intrigued by the bird’s personality change, so he tried putting it on his forefinger.

He wanted the bird to fly, but it surprisingly stayed still and kept looking at him.

“It feels like I’ve found a new world.”

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Looking at Leyla muttering something incomprehensible in shock. The grey-haired optician just let out a robust chuckle.

“I understand. Your eyesight is bad. You must be having a hard time.”

“No, it’s not that bad. Except when I have to read books. “

Leyla cheerfully answered while putting down her glasses on the table after she had adjusted them.

Her smoggy world miraculously became visible, and the clear view in front of her enthralled her once more.

Leyla’s fingertips had turned the harvest of raspberries produced by the forest into jam.

After saving up enough money to buy a pair of glasses, she rode her bike downtown. She quickly drove to the optometrist’s shop, where she used to visit frequently.

Leyla headed out of the shop after consulting with the optician for a few minutes longer. Through her glasses, the scenery on the outside now became so crystal-clear.

It seemed strange yet mesmerizing.

Leyla conveyed her gratitude and love for the Arvis forest’s wild fruits, which shone brilliantly in the warm sun. She also praised herself for the long hours she had spent stirring raspberry jam in front of the stove in the sweltering weather.

But why? Why did she still have those terrible memories on such joyous occasions?

Leyla sighed as she remembered the day she accidentally saw the Duke’s body nearly naked.

She was both ashamed and frightened, so Leyla had to wait until the sun had fallen before leaving to collect her basket and hat.

The forest when she returned was so placid, and the river glistened peacefully. Leyla felt relieved and hurriedly headed away from the river, with her basket and hat in hand.

However, her cheeks were still boiling hot. She was so flustered that she didn’t even realize how heavy the basket she was carrying was.

After that day, Leyla became embarrassed every time she saw guys, even to look at Uncle Bill and Kyle.

How could he swim naked in the river, even though it’s his estate? More so in broad daylight?

Leyla shook her head, trying to remove the traumatic memory from her mind.

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

Leyla committed to herself and was preparing to return to the estate until she heard a voice she recognized.

“…… Leyla?”

Well, it’s her.

Unmistakably, that loud-high voice belonged to Claudine von Brandt.

Leyla stopped to catch her breath before finally turning around.

Her face was lit up with a polite smile. But her body froze as she unexpectedly locked eyes with Duke Herhardt, the person who had just disturbed her mind just a few moments ago.

Leyla had a clear view of the man in front of her. She abruptly shifted her gaze to Claudine, who was standing alongside him.

Claudine didn’t visit Arvis as much as she used to when Duke Herhardt was away serving as an officer on the battlefield’s front lines.

It had been a long time since Leyla had seen her, and Claudine had grown into a gorgeous woman.

The two gracefully nodded to accept Leyla’s greeting after she courteously paid her respects to them.

“When did you start wearing glasses? I almost mistook you for someone else.”

Leyla hoped for her to leave, but Claudine spoke again. So, having no other choice, Leyla faced her with a prepared smile and tried hard not to look Duke Herhardt in the eyes.

“Have you been doing well?”

Through her slightly opened eyes, Claudine meticulously analyzed Leyla.

“Yes, Miss.”

“We were on our way to have some tea.”

Claudine used her eyes to guide Leyla’s attention to the hotel across the street.

Yes, Miss. Or I see, Miss.

Leyla was debating which response to give when Claudine generously said, “Let’s go together, Leyla.”

“What?”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, so I’d like to have a cup of tea with you. Is that fine with you, Duke Herhardt?”

Matthias conveyed his approval with a thin smile on the tip of his lips after Claudine asked him.

As usual, they seemed uninterested in what Leyla had to say.

Leyla sighed and began to follow them from behind as the two continued their stroll. The servants who were accompanying them also followed suit quietly.

The sound of footsteps was mingled with the clunking sound of the old wheel when Leyla dragged her bicycle behind them.

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