Ch.6: Canary

On the surface, Claudine von Brandt's visit to Arvis was treated as a standard early-summer visit to a relative's estate. However, everyone knew that there was another reason for her visit.

The two families were meeting to negotiate details and grow closer before the engagement was publicly announced. This goal was clear to all, and no one tried to conceal it, least of all Claudine herself.

"Hello, Duke Herhardt," Claudine said, curtsying to Matthias with perfect etiquette.

Matthias saw no trace of the young, immature cousin he remembered from years earlier. "Welcome, Lady Claudine," he replied, bowing in response to her curtsy. It was as if he were greeting a lady he had just met for the first time. They exchanged graceful smiles.

There was nothing much new or surprising for them to discuss. They had never been particularly close, but they knew each other fairly well after seeing each other countless times over the years. They knew that each of them, Matthias von Herhardt and Claudine von Brandt both, were nobles to the core. This was the biggest and most straightforward reason why they had chosen each other.

Matthias deftly escorted Claudine to the greenhouse attached to the back side of the mansion. His mother, Elise von Herhardt, had asked the servants to prepare their afternoon tea in the greenhouse, because she knew how much Claudine liked it.

"I'm always struck by the beauty of this greenhouse. It's as if Lady Herhardt borrowed a bit of heaven and is storing it in here,"

Claudine joyfully remarked after taking a sip of tea and setting her cup down without a sound. She was speaking in the cheerful yet restrained manner expected of a young noblewoman.

"I've put my heart and soul into selecting and arranging everything in here. I'm looking forward to passing it on to a lady of the house who will appreciate its value," Elise softly replied.

Hearing this, Countess Brandt looked proudly at her daughter. Claudine smiled modestly, saying nothing in response.

"Matthias, you should give Claudine a tour of Arvis's heaven," Elise whispered to her son as the teatime was drawing to a close.

It seemed that it was time for negotiations to begin between the families. Matthias extended his hand to Claudine, who then lightly placed her hand in his. Gazing down at the young lady's hand, which was inside an elegant white-glove made of translucent lace, Matthias was briefly reminded of Leyla's small hands, stained with dirt and blood.

They conversed on suitable topics as they strolled along. A gentle jet of water babbled in the marble fountain that was the centerpiece of the greenhouse. Meanwhile, the clear sound of birdsong brightened the languid afternoon mood.

Claudine observed Matthias out of the corner of her eye. Despite the gentle smile on his face, it was impossible to discern his inner feelings, or his attitude about the world. He had flawless manners, but at his core, he was a man full of arrogance that came from never having had to bow down or submit to anyone in his life. Claudine liked this aspect of him.

"The birds in here are so pretty," she commented, admiring the many colorful birds perched on tree branches in the greenhouse. Matthias hadn't even noticed that there were birds in the greenhouse until Claudine had pointed them out.

His mother, who was still Arvis's lady of the house, loved birds every bit as much as she loved roses. Just as she kept a gardener on staff to tend the roses, she had hired a bird-keeper to look after the birds. Her own role, as she saw it, was to enjoy the products of their work. That was her outlook on life in general-to her the world was a lovely place full of things prepared by others for her enjoyment.

"This one is so obedient. It's remarkable. I wonder what the secret is," Claudine exclaimed, smiling at the small bird that had just landed on her extended hand.

Matthias glanced around the greenhouse and realized that the birds in it were incredibly docile. The windows were wide open, and yet none of them were flying away. They were content to remain in the peaceful world of the greenhouse, singing beautiful melodies.

He watched a parrot shuffle along its perch, then looked at the finch warbling as it sat on Claudine's hand. He turned and made a gesture to the bird-keeper who was politely standing in wait nearby. The gray-haired man quietly approached and stood beside Claudine, then explained, "I clip the birds' wings, Miss. That makes it so that they can't fly very far, so that they won't escape. It also makes them more obedient. Birds capable of flying freely are almost impossible to tame."

"You clip their wings?" she asked. "Doesn't that hurt them?"

"No, it's just their feathers, so it doesn't hurt. It's good for them, in fact, because it keeps them from flying away and getting lost or injured. If you're interested, I could show you how I do it."

"Would that be all right, Duke Herhardt?" she asked excitedly.

"As you wish, My Lady," Matthias readily replied.

The bird-keeper then led them to a very large birdcage at one end of the greenhouse. It contained young birds that hadn't yet had their wings clipped. He reached in and retrieved a bright-yellow bird, the most beautiful bird of the bunch, and brought it to his worktable.

"What kind of bird is that?" Matthias asked.

"It's a canary, Your Grace. It's a songbird that sings beautifully."

The bird-keeper proceeded to place a small handkerchief over the bird's head, and used one hand to gently spread apart the feathers of one of its wings. With his other hand, he picked up a small pair of scissors and immediately made a few quick clips. The feathers fluttered down onto his worktable. He did the same to the other wing and then set the bird down.

The canary flapped its wings desperately, but was only able to fly a short distance before flopping down on the ground. Still not accepting that it could no longer fly, it tried a few more times, with the same result.
Matthias reached down and picked up the bird from the edge of the flowerbed. The bird squirmed in his hand and started to cry, making sounds closer to shrieks than to song.

"They don't become tame right away, Your Grace. It takes time for them to get used to having clipped wings," the bird-keeper said as Matthias handed him back the canary, which he then gently stroked to calm it down.

"Would you like to try doing it yourself, Miss?" the bird-keeper asked Claudine.

"No, just seeing it is enough for me. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity." She then turned away. "Let's go back to the tea-table," she said, extending her hand to Matthias. Once again, as Matthias looked at her smooth, beautiful hand, his mind flashed back momentarily to the image of Leyla's dirty, bloody hands.

Before they walked away from the bird-keeper, Matthias gave him an impulsive command. "Bring that to my bedroom."

"Pardon...?" the bird-keeper asked, looking surprised.

"That bird," Matthias replied, glancing with narrowed eyes at the bird. "My canary."

Leylaput her neatly combed blonde hair into a ponytail. She then put on her apron and grabbed her big basket. "I'd better finish it today," she muttered to herself with a serious look on her face.

Not only had Duke Herhardt returned, but Lady Claudine had come to visit Arvis a few days earlier. This had made Leylafeel more pressed for time. She needed to gather enough raspberries before the duke started venturing into the woods, and before Lady Claudine started summoning her. Luckily, she hadn't seen much of either of them yet. Presumably this was because they were busy planning their engagement.

With the wide brim of her straw hat pulled low, she took off, walking quickly towards the woods. The raspberry bushes were covered with berries. No matter how many raspberries the residents of Arvis and the forest animals ate, there were always so many left over that countless berries would become overripe and fall to the ground.

Diligently making her way from bush to bush, she had already filled her basket before noon. Her heart felt light as a feather with joy, even though the basket was so heavy that it felt like the arm she was holding it with was going to fall off.

She tossed the basket in the shade of a tree and dashed over to the river, where she thoroughly rinsed her hands to remove all traces of raspberry juice from them. She washed her face as well.

The Schulter River wrapped around the Herhardt estate's forest and ravine. There was a decent view of the river from downtown, but the best place from which to view it was Arvis, where the Herhardt estate was located. The way the Arvis forest blended with the shimmering water of the river was breathtakingly beautiful.

Leyla took a handkerchief from the pocket of her apron and used it to dry her face. The water of the river, which stayed cool even in
the summer, felt very refreshing. She thought about dipping her feet in the water, but then shook her head.

In her aunt's house, the first place she had been sent as an orphan, there had been five cousins older than her. They were very rough and mischievous. One day they had grabbed the young Leyla and thrown her into a river. They had said that this was a hazing ritual that she would have to go through if she wanted to live there. If a neighbor hadn't heard her screams and rescued her, she might have drowned and become a water spirit.

Even though it had clearly been her cousin's fault, Leyla had been the one beaten by her drunken aunt that night. And only a few weeks later, her aunt had sent her off to the next relative's home, saying that she couldn't take care of a child who didn't behave.

This had felt unfair to Leyla, but she didn't mind it once she realized that the next home was an improvement over the first one. She felt the same way about the following home, and the one after that. Considering that she had ultimately ended up at Bill's cottage, it seemed that she was right, things had improved.

With a bright smile on her face, she walked back over to the tree where she had set down her basket. She retrieved the newspaper that she had stuck in the basket and put it in the pocket of her apron, then started quickly climbing up the tree. She wasn't as quick or nimble as she had been as a child, but she knew more tricks for getting around cleverly now. Bill had taught them to her.
She skillfully took her place on a branch that was as snug and cozy as a comfortable chair. Looking down at the Schulter River, she was certain that it was the most beautiful river in the world. Kyle, who had traveled to many different cities, agreed with her, which she felt established her opinion as an objective fact.

She gazed intently at the waterfowl diving into the dappled surface of the river for fish, and at the dense foliage on either side of the river. This lovely scenery made her look forward to the rest of the summer. Even considering the added element of Duke Herhardt, she knew that this summer would be just as beautiful a season as ever.

She then took the newspaper from her apron pocket and opened it to the page where the next installment of the mystery novel was printed. The detective was about to figure out the culprit by using his impressive intellect. She started reading with gusto.

Matthias came up for air after remaining underwater for a considerable length of time. His prominent Adam's apple rose and fell quickly as he caught his breath. His wet, sturdy body looked nice alongside the trees reflected in the river. He had been about to head back to the mansion, but then he changed his mind and started swimming in the direction of the current.

He loved the Schulter River and the Arvis forest. He had had the boathouse next to the dock converted into a cabin, from which the entire view could be taken in at once. His grandmother and mother rarely visited the riverside, so that area was a private world that he had to himself.

When there were no guests at the mansion, he would often visit the cabin, where he would gaze at the scenery out the window, read a book, or simply take a nap. It was a nice place to be no matter what he was doing. His favorite thing of all about that place was the feeling of submerging his body into the water, as he was doing now.

Floating on his back, he gazed up at the green tree branches, and the blue sky peeking through them. The sound of the flowing water blended with the sound of the leaves swishing in the breeze and the birds chirping. The mansion had been full of noisy activity for the past few days, which made him all the more able to appreciate the calm stillness of the river.

The marriage negotiation process between the Herhardt and Brandt families had gone smoothly. If there were no unforeseenincidents, his engagement to Claudine would be announced before the end of the summer.

The Brandt family had proposed a one-year engagement period, and Matthias had agreed to it. If he could earn enough honor as Duke Herhardt, there was no need for him to continue his duties as a military officer for very long. Spending one or two more years as an imperial guard before being discharged and getting married sounded just right. After that, he planned to devote all his attention to the affairs of his family. His life with his new family would flow gently along like the water of this river.

With his eyes closed, he let his body sink down into the water again. At that moment, he felt like the warm sunlight, the cool water, and the sound of the water splashing near his ears were all there was to this world. However, when he opened his eyes again, this perfect tranquility was broken.

There was a woman sitting on a branch of a large tree by the river. In an instant, he knew who she was. Just then, she folded the newspaper she had been reading and turned in his direction.

Sure enough, it was that annoying girl, Leyla Llewellyn.

Chapter end