Chapter 13 A Night Under the Moonlit

Unlike the day she left the annex with anger, the Leyla right now was looking like a gentle and naive young lady.

Matthias eyed the ‘gentle’ Leyla while daintily leaning on the couch.

“I sincerely apologise for this sudden discourtesy, your grace.”

Leyla hesitated before speaking and kept her head down to avoid his eyes. Her long, thick eyelashes seemed to be the reason why she left a gentle impression when she lowered her eyes.

“Pardon me, but I’d like to ask you something.”

Leyla finally managed to open her lips after spending several seconds wetting them. But the phone started ringing at that precise moment.

Matthias slowly rose to his feet, passing by her to pick up the phone. It seemed to be a business call about a complex deal he needed to check up on.

Leyla looked a bit surprised when she saw him speaking on the phone. Matthias steered the conversation with finesse. Even with his fleeting smiles and courteous way of talking, she could tell that he held an aura of power and dignity that overwhelmed the person on the other end of the line. He appeared to be the perfect Duke of Arvis, whom everybody admired.

‘No way.’

She sighed. Her suspicion that a man like him had stolen her glasses sounded ludicrous right now.

‘I feel like I’m doing something useless….. Then was the culprit the raven?’

While counting how many ravens’ nests there might be in the forest, Leyla politely excused herself to the duke, who was on the phone and was about to leave.

“Wait.”

Matthias unexpectedly turned to her while still holding the phone’s mouthpiece. His short order sounded like it was someone else’s. His voice was nothing like that of the great Duke of Arvis she had heard while he was on the phone.

Leyla froze. Matthias then refocused on his vocation again as if nothing had happened.

She found another trait in Matthias von Herhardt while watching him.

His eyes remained calm even though he was having a professional talk. His smile was relaxed as well. His stance, on the other hand, was uniformly graceful and straight. Even if the phone caller couldn’t see him, Matthias maintained his posture as though it were a natural trait of his body and Leyla felt a twinge of admiration.

Matthias headed to the front of the table after keeping the call on hold a few more minutes and scribbled something down.

Leyla grasped her wriggling hands behind her back nervously. By the time she thought he had forgotten about her presence, Matthias’s attention finally turned to her.

“Tell me.”

“Pardon?”

“What do you want to ask.”

Matthias’s gaze made her anxious, so Leyla slowly lowered her eyes.

“Ah….. The thing is, my glasses. I was wondering, if you saw my glasses at the dock…..on the day I jumped into the river.”

“Well. I don’t think I’ve seen it…….” Matthias rose slowly from his seat and began approaching her. “It’s likely I hid it.”

“Huh….. What?”

Leyla’s head shot up in shock.

“My glasses. Did you really hide it?”

“What are your thoughts?”

“I don’t think you would’ve done something like that.”

Leyla answered with a slight frown.

“Why?”

Matthias cocked his head, amusement clear on his face. His black hair, which swayed gently on his forehead, resembled a raven’s feather.

“Because… that’s… that’s rude.”

Leyla curled up her feet, trying not to take a step back. She summoned the courage to come here after days of digging the ravens’ nests with Kyle.

Despite her dislike for the duke, she could at least communicate with him, unlike the ravens. Leyla felt like it would be better to quickly eliminate either one of the two suspects, the crow or the duke. But she wasn’t sure now.

Leyla wasn’t sure whether the duke, whose enigmatic remarks only added to her confusion, was really a person she could communicate with.

For a lengthy moment, they stared into each other’s eyes without saying a word. The moment would have lasted a little longer if the butler hadn’t returned to the annex with an urgent telegram and letter.

With a flush on her cheeks, Leyla made her way towards the window.

Matthias cast an abstruse glance her way after a low-key talk with the butler. Leyla couldn’t tell for sure because her glasses were missing, but his red lips seemed to be subtly curved.

“I……”

Leyla opened her mouth with all the bravery she could muster, but Matthias quickly cut her off by lifting his chin towards the door.

It was a succinct yet icy gesture, indicating he left no room for Leyla Lewellin.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

“A bird. Why has your hobby become so odd all of a sudden?”

Riette, Matthias’ cousin, had a confused smile as he looked at the yellow bird inside the beautiful golden cage.

“Are you going to raise a bird and shoot it yourself?”

The people gathered in the mansion suite reception room laughed at Riette’s jokes. Matthias let out a brief chuckle too, but his responses went unheard. Riette then inserted a couple more comedic phrases, along with the servants who came in with the champagne in their hands.

A grand dinner was being served at the Herhardts’ residence to celebrate the reunion of all the families who had spent the summer together. Matthias, Claudine, Riette, and other aristocrats of similar ages had moved to the reception area after finishing their meal.

They could rest in the master suite room, which Matthias only used, thanks to Claudine’s special request. Matthias, who never shared his private space, tended to be very accommodating to his fiance as he granted her his godly permission.

The relatives almost unanimously confirmed Matthias and Claudine’s marriage. It was plain why Countess Brandt came to Arvis every year with her only daughter and why the Herhardt family presented such a warm welcome to them whenever they visited their house.

None of the relatives were shocked by their marriage announcement.

It was as though one of nature’s dreams had come true. They would have been much more taken aback if Matthias had selected a different woman.

“That bird doesn’t seem to know Duke Herhardt’s real personality.”

The canary bird flew out of the open cage and landed on Matthias’ shoulder, causing Riette to crack up laughing.

“A bird in love with the master of bird hunting. Should I describe this as calvish or pitiful?”

Matthias reached out his hand, and the bird hopped over his finger.

“Claudine, what do you think?”

Following Riette’s question, everyone’s eyes were drawn to Claudine.

“Well. I don’t know.” Claudine cast a look at Matthias’s finger, which was decorated with a singing yellow bird. “You could call it a calvish but pitiful bird.”

Her compromise elicited yet another explosion of laughter.

The mood in the reception room was warm and friendly since they hadn’t seen each other in many years.

The names everyone knew, the world everyone shared, the same interests everyone had. It was an elite society where only they were permitted to join.

“That bird, what’s its name?” Claudine asked, wanting to know, in a pleasant tone. “Would you like me to name it for you if you don’t have one for it yet?”

Matthias turned his eyes to Claudine and smiled at her.

“It’s not worth your effort, my lady.”

His expression seemed to be the same as before, but it somehow had a subtle difference about it.

“A bird is just a bird.”

In contrast to his tender gaze to the singing bird on his fingers, his answer was cold and unfeeling.

“Such a stupid poor bird.” Riette sighed audibly, voicing his sympathy for the bird.

“That bird loves a hunter who doesn’t allow it to have its own name!”

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The group of people who had been laughing and joking over the champagne resided in the suite until late at night.

Matthias left the mansion for a night stroll alone, passing by the servants who had come in to tidy up the reception room. No more smiles on his lips; his face was as quiet as the night sky.

It was time to check the trap he laid.

She wasn’t a fool and must have noticed, but Matthias knew she wouldn’t give up.

That’s why he was confident she’d be caught.

Matthias walked through the rose garden. The wind grew colder as he got closer to the river and then through the forest. His steps came to a halt in front of the riverside annex.

The full moon shone a pure white light.

Matthias entered the annex’s reception room and approached the console table, opening the drawer. The neatly placed glasses glinted in the light of the moon.

He laid his sleepy body on the couch, holding the glasses as though it were his canary.

What do I want from the bait I’ve set up?

As he looked at the glasses, Matthias pondered something. He was having trouble coming up with an answer but he wasn’t impatient.

He believed he would find out once he apprehended her.

The night grew deeper as he repeatedly threw the glasses up and down.

It was a moonlit night.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

It was no less than a crazy act.

Leyla was really conscious. No one in their right state of mind would dare to sneak into the duke’s annex.

“Yeah. Let’s just sleep.”

Leyla flung herself into the bunk after circling the room. She swaddled herself in a thin blanket and squeezed her eyes firmly.

“My glasses…”

Yet, she didn’t get to sleep. Leyla felt certain in her action. Whereas she realized she was silly, she nevertheless kept on doing so.

She needed to get her glasses.

Leyla sprang to her feet. She speculated that Matthias could not have taken it to his mansion, so she believed her glasses were likely in the annex.

“Yes. It’s all right.”

With a compelling murmur to no one but her own self, Leyla opened the door. The cottage was shrouded with inky blackness. No other noise could be heard but for Uncle Bill’s snoring.

She took up a lace shawl that dangled on the wall and rushed out of the cabin. Whenever she had second thoughts, Leyla recalled all the fruits she had picked and all the jam she had cooked to afford the purchase of those glasses.

“After all, it’s my glasses.”

Leyla eased her fear by talking to herself as she saw the glittering Schulter River in the distance. Her light blonde hair, which hung down to her waist, wafted along with the fast-paced movement of her steps.

But the more she learned about it, the more she realized Duke Herhardt was a strange person.

Somehow, Leyla had an epiphany as she walked down the dock walkway linking to the annex.

‘Is he a lover of sparkly stuff like the raven?’

Amidst her questioning mixed with vexation, Leyla finally arrived in front of the annex, where her glasses were hidden.

She noticed she was still in her pajamas, but she brushed it off since it was the middle of the night and nobody was around to see her.

Lelya inhaled deeply as she took a step forward.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Exactly as he had expected.

Once again, the actions of Leyla Lewellin didn’t deviate from Matthias’ expectations.

Matthias’s breath became more pronounced and deliberate when he heard the footsteps ascending the stairs get closer.

Leyla had climbed in through the hallway window after wandering outside for a long time, even though he had left the door remaining open for easier entry.

She was a girl who never diverged from his expectations, but she always left him an impression. Matthias lay still on the sofa, letting her feet move closer.

Leyla’s sigh of relief came after she heard the hardwood floor creak smoothly.

Matthias scoffed silently and lowered his gaze from the ceiling.

It didn’t take long until Leyla entered the reception room. She eyed her surroundings stiffly, then she took a careful step forward and began to inspect places near the window.

Matthias’s eyes, already accustomed to the darkness, instantly captured her petite figure. The moonlight that flowed in through the window shone upon her, who stood in front of the table.

By the time Matthias narrowed his eyes, Leyla had moved to her following location, the cabinet.

The skirt wrapped around her slender calves shook along with her footsteps. The sheer white dress made of a see-through fabric exposed her torso line and made her seem like she was in her nightgown.

‘What do I want from the bait I’ve set up?’

Matthias caressed the glasses’ delicate frame with his fingertips. His consciousness was rendered clear by its cold, smooth texture. Meanwhile, Leyla had shifted to the front of the console table, which was angled opposite his sofa.

Matthias glanced over her moonlight-illuminated back.

‘That woman’.

He now got the answers he was searching for.

The reason for his unending patience in waiting when setting up this ridiculous trap.

To be able to have that woman.

That woman, Leyla Lewellin, who was no longer a little girl.

“Are you looking for this?”

Matthias broke the silence and shook the glasses in his hand slowly.

Leyla immediately turned around when she was about to open the console table’s drawer. She seemed to be on the brink of fainting.

She stumbled backward, with her shaking hands covering her mouth.

Matthias gradually lifted himself. The moonlight glistened across his profile, which was hidden in the shadows all along, as he sat, leaning against the sofa.

The two people’s gazes collided in the moonlit night.

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