Ch.19: Kiss me

Kyle brought Leyla outside to the terrace that faced the rose garden. Only then did Leyla realize how noisy the fancy party inside had been. Leaning against the marble railing, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thanks, Kyle. Thank you so much."

Rather than smiling in response as she had expected, Kyle had a sour expression on his face.

"Kyle?"

"Why do you put up with that?"

"Huh?"

"She drags you around and shows you off to her friends like you're her pet. Why do you let her do that? It's not like the smart, self-respecting Leyla Llewellyn I know.

Unlike Kyle's uncharacteristic anger, Leyla smiled casually, "Who cares, Kyle? Anyway, nothing she said about me was untrue. I'm an orphan, I'm indebted to Uncle Bill, and I'm going to become a teacher."

"I thought I knew you, Leyla ..."

"I contain multitudes, Mr. Ettman.

This playful response finally elicited laughter from Kyle. "You're always saying silly things, Leyla ."

"You can go now, Kyle. I'm doing just fine. Really."

"Where would I go?"

"You must have lots of important people to meel. Not to mention all your friends who are here."

"No thanks," he replied with an irritated wave of his hand. He leaned against the railing next to her.

"Don't be like that, Kyle..."

"Leyla , I'm here at this party as your companion." He slowly turned his head towards her. The warm look in his brown eyes was visible even in the darkness. "So I'm going to stay with you." A smile slowly spread across his face. "That's what I want."

A gentle breeze brought the sweet smell of roses from the garden. She almost said something in response, then shut her mouth and ran her fingers over the railing.

"Why aren't you responding?" he gently asked.

She looked awkwardly down at the sharp tips of her shoes and replied, "I don't know."

"Are you embarrassed in front of me? I've never seen you like that."

"I'm not embarrassed, Kyle."

"I think you're blushing..."

"No!" She put her hands to her cheeks.

"Haha, fooled you," he said.

She laughed along with him. Just then, Mrs. Ettman, who had been roaming the hall looking for her son, found Kyle and Leyla outside on the terrace. Approaching them, she let out a sigh and asked, "Kyle, what are you doing out here?"

Leyla quickly straightened her posture, then lowered her head to greet Mrs. Ettman, who nodded briefly at her before turning back to her son. "There's a lot of people waiting to see you in there."

"They want to see Father, not me," Kyle replied, giggling.

Mrs. Ettman's face grew even sterner. "Kyle Ettman, do you think I'm kidding around?"

"You know that's not what I meant, Mom.”

"Let's go. Dowager Herhardt is looking for you. You don't want to make her wait, do you? It was clear that Mrs. Ettman was not going to put up with any more resistance.

"See you later, Kyle," Leyla sheepishly said. Dowager Herhardt adored the only son of the family doctor, and Leyla was well aware of how proud Mrs. Ettman was of this fact. "I'll wait here," she added, smiling brightly to reassure Kyle.

Finally smiling at her, Mrs. Ettman said, "Thank you, Leyla ." Her eyes were the same shade of brown as Kyle's, but they always looked at Leyla with a cold expression.

Leyla was well aware of this as well. Kyle reluctantly trudged away, looking over his shoulder back at Leyla several times. Leyla waved at him, keeping her hand near her side.

"Wait for me!" he shouted, frowning. "You have to wait for me, Leyla !"

Leyla wanted to tell him she would, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything. All she could manage was to smile and wave a little harder than before.

Once Kyle and his Mother were inside, the terrace was quiet again. Glancing through the windows into the hall, Leyla could sense the carefree atmosphere of the party, as the beautiful light of the chandelier blended with the muffled sounds of music and laughter. Her vision was blurry because she had left her glasses at home, but that only made the impression more dreamlike and picturesque.

Her work at the party was now done. She breathed a cheerful sigh of relief. Only now that she was able to relax did she become aware of her strange appearance. She moved her leg a bit, and the dress's skirt and the ribbon adorning its waist fluttered. This amused her, so she started raising herself onto her tiptoes and lowering back down again so that she could see the undulating motion of her dress.

The white dress embroidered with gold thread looked beautiful on this dreamy night. The smooth, soft fabric tickled her as it brushed against her skin. Then she became aware of the necklace. The timid smile left her face as she felt it with her hand.

Why did Lady Claudine say that?

She assumed that Claudine's comment about the necklace had been some sort of sophisticated way of putting her in her place, but she didn't mind. Uncle Bill's gift was dazzlingly pretty. No matter what anyone said, this was how Leyla felt, and that was enough for her.

Smiling again, she looked up and saw a tall man stepping out onto the terrace. Thinking Kyle had already returned, she got excited, but then she realized it wasn't him and her heart sank.

It was Duke Herhardt. And Lady Claudine was with him.

"The evening breeze is refreshing, isn't it?" Claudine asked, breathing in deeply. She was acting innocent, as if she had truly brought Matthias out onto the terrace just to feel the breeze. "I love summer because the nights are so beautiful. What about you, Duke Herhardt?" She lightly gripped the marble railing and smiled. Her eyes were pointed not at Matthias, but at her real reason for coming outside-Leyla , who was standing at the other end of the railing.

"I don't like the summer all that much, my lady," Matthias replied, standing next to Claudine. He surveyed the garden full of roses in full bloom, and his eyes quickly passed over Leyla 's face. He seemed flustered when he noticed the unexpected third party.

"Really? I always thought you liked the summer," Claudine replied. She was now facing Matthias, with her back to Leyla . "Now that I think about it, you're a rather aloof man, Duke. I hope you know I don't mean that as an insult, though." With her hands behind her back, she took a step towards him. They were now close enough to feel each other's breath. "To be honest, I like your aloofness," Claudine continued. "Your even temperament is very aristocratic and gentlemanly."

"I'm glad that you like it," he replied, not backing away from her.

Looking straight into his eyes, she boldly said, "Kiss me."

He looked silently back at her.

"While I do like your aloofness," she continued, "don't you think our relationship could do with a little passion as well?" She tilted her head, and the thick curls of her brown hair bobbed lightly. "After all, we're going to be engaged, and then married..."

"A little passion...?" Matthias narrowed his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Yes, that's reasonable." Without any seeming hesitancy, he reached out and held her cheeks in his hands.

Claudine looked startled at first, but soon closed her eyes naturally.

Observing the shadows cast on her face by her long eyelashes, Matthias's gaze drifted across to the other end of the terrace. Just then, Leyla , who had been anxiously standing in place, looked back at him.

Keeping his eyes fixed on Leyla , he slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to Claudine's..

Just as Claudine wanted, Leyla was faithfully fulfilling her role as onlooker, staring at them in a daze, her body frozen. Neither the considerable distance nor the darkness were enough to obscure her blushing cheeks.

Throughout the highly restrained kiss, Matthias's gaze remained on Leyla . Her eyes, staring helplessly straight back at him, were as bright and clear as the moonlight.

When she finally managed to look away, the light kiss ended as well. As Claudine slowly opened her eyes with a subtle smile, Leyla rushed down the steps leading to the garden.

Matthias courteously extended his hand to Claudine. "Let's go."

Claudine casually put her hand in his. "I'm certain, Duke Herhardt," she said as they re-entered the hall. "I'm certain that we will be a happy couple."

Leyla frantically ran down the stairs. She knew they wouldn't follow her, and yet she couldn't slow her pace.

The sound of her shoes' heels clicking against the paved walking path disturbed the tranquility of the night around the garden. She finally came to a stop once she reached the huge fountain at the center of the garden. As she caught her breath, the pain returned to her feet, which she had forgotten about while she was making her escape.

"Ah..." She winced in pain as she slipped the high-heeled shoe off one of her feet. Her foot was covered in scratches and blisters. The heel had started to bleed from a spot where the skin had been chafed away. She felt like running back to the cottage, but ultimately she decided against that and turned back towards the mansion.

She had promised Kyle that she would wait for him. If she was going to leave, she owed it to him to at least tell him first. However, she had no desire to go back into the strange, uncomfortable world inside that brightly-lit mansion.

Instead, she limped along to the right of the walking path, where the rose- covered pergola was located. She planned to wait in the garden until Kyle came outside again, at which time she would head back towards the mansion.

But would it be all right for me to sit down? she wondered, looking at the bench.

The pergola was covered with roses expertly cultivated by Uncle Bill, and yet she had never sat underneath it. The spot was off limits to staff.

But tonight I'm a guest, so it should be okay, right?

After deliberating for a long time, she finally sat cautionsly down on the edge of the bench. After some time passed, she worked up the courage to take off her shoes.

Leaning against the bench's armrest, she pulled her legs towards her and put her arms around her knees. When her feet touched the cool marble of the bench, the aching subsided somewhat. The shoes were beautiful to the eye, but they hurt her feet immensely, so much so that she shuddered to think of putting them back on.

If only I hadn't run in them, my heels would have been all right.

As she gingerly touched the most painful spots on her feet, a memory flashed into her mind.

She grimaced as she thought of Duke Herhardt staring at her as he kissed his fiancée. She was equally perplexed by the fact that Claudine had wanted the kiss in the first place, when she had clearly been aware that there was a third person on the terrace.

"Why did they do that?" she muttered, and unwittingly started rubbing her lips. "Ew..." She rubbed the inside of her lips with the back of her hand. Seeing the duke on the terrace had brought back memories from the traumatic encounter she had had with him on that moonlit night at his cabin. She kept rubbing and rubbing her lips, trying to rid herself of the memories.

Chapter end