Ch.8: A safe world

The doorman looked very flustered.

Layla nodded to him, as if she understood that his surprise was due to the fact that this hotel, the finest hotel in the city, was not the type of place where people with ratty old bicycles would normally come.

The doorman looked warily at Layla, then glanced at Duke Herhardt and Claudine, then back at Layla a few times. Finally, he reluctantly let Layla enter and had a bellhop take her bicycle to storage. Layla thanked him and walked into the hotel.

Coming with his quick steps, the manager guided them to the terrace that was headed to the riverside. Leyla was the last to sit at the table. Her seat had happened to be facing right across Duke Herhardt.

Leyla hurriedly focused her eyes on her legs in order to avoid his vacant stare. The thin, gold-rimmed glasses glistened in the summer sun.

Shouldn’t the person who was seen naked be more embarrassed than the person who saw it?

Leyla was amazed at the duke who continued to casually look at Leyla as if nothing had ever happened at the river.

It was understandable. To the aristocrats, commoners and servants were nothing more than furniture or painting. No one was ashamed of being naked in front of a furniture. And there wasn’t a furniture that was ashamed to see a naked person.

When Leyla reached her conclusion, the tea-table was set up. Even though Duke Herhardt didn’t order anything, there was a cup of strong-scented coffee placed in front of him. His fingers holding the teacup were very smooth and long.

Claudine and Matthias continued their own conversation as if they had completely forgotten about Leyla’s presence. The exhibition they saw today. An update on their relatives. A weekend party at the mansion. Matthias’s soft, low tone and Claudine’s fluttering, high tone crossed at regular intervals.

Leyla wondered why they decided to bring her along if they were going to converse among themselves. Lady Brandt’s actions were largely beyond Leyla’s understanding. She never understood her ever since the first summer they met.2

“So, Leyla. How’s school? Are you having fun?”

Claudine’s voice was suddenly heard along with the sound of the cup being laid down on the saucer. Although she was only a year older than Leyla, she always spoke as if she was talking to a child in an adult-like way.

“Yes, Miss.”

For Uncle Bill. Leyla incanted in her head while she answered Claudine.

With a satisfied nod, Claudine formally asked a few more questions about Leyla’s school life and Leila repeatedly answered with a consistent smile.

‘Yes, Miss’ was what Claudine had only expected from Leyla’s responses. And Leyla was accustomed to answering that way.

“You’ll be graduating next year right?”

Although she had a dull look, Claudin’s tone was rather amiable.

“Yes, Miss.”

Leyla continued to answer faithfully.

“What are you planning to do after graduation?”

“I’m taking a class preparing for a teacher certification.”

“A teacher…”

Claudine stretched the corners of lips as she grasped the teacup. The ribbon and the corsage that decorated her small hat shook along with her nods.

“Good girl, Leyla. That’s a great goal. I think it would suit you very well.”

Claudine smiled again, praising the commendable child.

“Isn’t that right, Duke Herhardt?”

Leyla inadvertently turned her eyes towards Matthias. With her glasses on, his eyes gave off a more lucid blue color. When Leyla realized that she had been staring at the duke for too long, she hurriedly dropped her gaze.

“I see.”

He casually expressed his agreement. After that, Leyla’s presence faded away again. Leyla was relieved. She simply wanted this uncomfortable teatime to quickly end.

She was supposed to meet Kyle in town, who had gone out to play tennis. She was worried was late for her promise.

The anxious Leyla raised her head. At the same time, Matthias turned his eyes and met hers. Instead of avoiding eye contact like before, Leyla looked back at him in silence.

When she was young, she thought his blue colored eyes would make a clear, tingling sound. They resembled her of a round, sapphire-colored glass candy. Leyla shook her head at her young self’s absurd thoughts.

“Well, pardon me, Duke Herhardt and Lady Claudine.”

Leyla could no longer stand waiting in silence and opened her sweet lips.

“May I be excused?”

After she moved her gaze from Matthias’s eyes to Claudine’s face, she felt like she could breathe again.

“I have made a promise to meet my friend later today.”

Leyla nervously but impatiently said.

Claudine smiled and gave her permission with a nod. Leyla relieved her tensed up face.

After she gave her polite farewell, Leyla hurried out of the hotel and pedaled her bicycle frantically across the busy streets. However, the further she pedaled away from the man, the more vivid his face appeared in her head.

It’s because of the glasses. Leyla thought with a heavy breath. She believed her glasses was the main reason why she was bewitched by the duke. It was natural to have her breath taken away at the sight of the duke with her improved eyesight.

When she was about to feel faint and dizzy from all that pedaling, Leyla arrived at her appointment. Kyle was there first. He broadly smiled and waved towards Leyla.1

She had entered her safe world.

“She’s grown up quite a bit, hasn’t she? She seems like a lady now.”

Claudine looked towards the direction Leyla had left. She sounded like Leyla was her daughter even though she was only a year older.

“Because she is a lady.”

Matthias gave a moderate, impassive answer with his proper smile.

“Yes. Because she is one.”

Claudine, lost in thought for a moment, then smiled as brightly as the summer sun.

“Oh. Did you hear? Riette had recently bought a nice new car.”

Claudine skillfully changed the subject.

The two resumed their conversation in the world they shared. It was as if Leyla Lewellin, who used to sit on the opposite side of their table, had never been there in the first place. But Leyla had revealed herself in front of Matthias again at an unexpected place.

After having a relaxing tea time, Matthias was on his way back to his mansion. The road was congested so his car was stopped. Matthias casually glanced out of the car window. Leyla was there. While dragging her bicycle, she was walking along the street with a boy. It seemed like the friend she had promised to meet.

Matthias then remembered the name of the boy with a familiar face. The doctor’s son. Kyle Etman.

Leyla Lewellin shouted at the boy who kept tapping on her glasses but the boy’s mischief became more naughty. Leyla sighed in frustration and then laughed.

After a long time of laughing and joking around, the two stopped in front of the library stairs. Leyla parked her bicycle and sat at the end of the stairs. The boy followed her with a paper bag. Two bottles of soda and a sandwich came out of the bag.

Leyla Lewellin and the boy sat side by side and shared their food. Every time the boy said something, Leyla laughed. And when Leyla laughed, the boy laughed along with her. In the meanwhile, the congested road started to clear out.

When the car started running again, Matthias moved his gaze away and turned towards Claudine, who was sitting on the opposite side of the car window.

The two smiled at each other and once again, their proper conversation began. At that moment, Matthias unconsciously recalled his memory during their teatime. Leyla Lewellin never touched the teacup in front of her. She sat still in an upright position with her hands on her knees and then left quietly.

She left me for the boy.

The painful truth evoked his recollection of Leyla’s nervous and agonized expression.

She wanted to go to the boy.

When his thoughts reached that point, his memory of Leyla’s back, which was leaving the hotel terrace, was revived. She had hurried as if she was running away.

She left me, to go to the boy.1

The car carrying the two had already entered the platanus road leading to the Arvis estate.

When Claudine and Matthias passed by the very road where Leyla had fallen from her bicycle, Matthias admitted. Leyla Lewellin couldn’t dare to be anything to him. Yet, he was not very happy about this emotion he was experiencing.

~~~~

“Since I ate your sandwich, I’ll buy you ice cream.”

Leyla stood up from the library stairs with a light smile. She carefully packed the empty paper bag along with the bottled drinks and placed them into her bicycle basket.

“No thanks. You don’t have to owe me.”

Kyle got on Leyla’s bike with a slightly awkward smile. Leyla naturally sat on the back seat of the bike. He could clearly feel Leyla’s body temperature being transmitted to his back even in the midday heat.

Kyle started pedaling, trying to cool off the warmth from his cheeks.

She can hold onto me a little tighter.

Leyla held his shirt so gently that it seemed like she was tantalizing him. But he was still satisfied with her grip.

He had purposely left his bike behind in order to ride Leyla’s bike with her. Of course, Leyla was oblivious of his intentions.

“You know what, Kyle.”

Leyla’s soft voice permeated through the rushing wind.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll still buy you ice cream.”

He was wondering about what she had to say so he laughed at her sudden offer.

“Tell me honestly. You just want to eat ice cream, don’t you?

“….. It’s not like that.”

It was like that.

Kyle pulled up his bike in front of the ice cream shop while Leyla ran inside.

He was about to follow her inside but he changed his mind and leaned against the store wall to cool off underneath the shade. Leyla soon came out with two vanilla ice cream cones in both her hands.

The two ate ice cream alongside each other. Although this was one of their daily routines, Kyle kept gazing at Leyla. Her new glasses seemed unfamiliar to him.

“Leyla.”

Kyle softly whispered her name. When Leyla turned her head, her cheeks were red. Although her cheeks were red because of the hot weather, Kyle’s heart palpitated loudly. After nervously swallowing his saliva, he gulped down his ice cream in one big bite.2

“It’s delicious. The ice cream.”

Leyla smiled after waiting for Kyle’s words.

“I know right? Vanilla’s my favorite flavor.”

Leyla looked up at the clear summer sky. Kyle stared at Leyla’s long, thin neck as he started to eat his ice cream again.

It was cold and sweet.

Chapter end