Chapter 35
What the Thief Stole

Layla Llewellyn’s name was still on every servant’s lips at the ducal estate these past few days—but the tone had shifted entirely.

A thief had broken into the gardener’s cottage.

The news spread quickly through the household. Most wondered what kind of fool would dare to sneak into the Herhardt estate, but the sight of Bill Remmer, half out of his wits as he scoured the grounds for the culprit, left no doubt that it was true.

At the height of the commotion, Matthias left the house. It was nearly time to depart if he was to arrive at luncheon on schedule.

Ordinarily indifferent to gossip, he noticed the unusual tension only as his car rolled down the plane-tree-lined drive. On the opposite side of the road, mounted police were approaching. Since the road led only to Arvis, there was no mistaking their destination.

“They say a thief broke into the gardener’s home,” one attendant offered before Matthias even asked.

“Bill Remmer’s?”

“Yes, my lord. The money saved for the girl’s university tuition was stolen.”

Thief. Tuition. Layla.

Matthias tilted his head, almost amused as he repeated the words in his mind. It was only when the car left the shadow of the trees that he recalled the stranger he had met that very morning along the Schulte River.

The man had introduced himself as Daniel Rayner, cousin to Mrs. Etman. He claimed to have stopped by to congratulate Layla on her acceptance, since he was visiting the Etman household anyway. After that he rambled on about his small investment firm, mining concessions overseas, shares on the stock market—all of which Matthias dismissed without listening.

What he did remember was the time. His wristwatch had pointed just before nine. Far too early an hour for a respectable middle-class businessman to come offering congratulations to his cousin’s future daughter-in-law.

But it hadn’t been his concern. He had passed by without interest—until he heard of the theft at the gardener’s cottage.

But why?

Even ruined, why would a man trek to distant Arvis only to steal a gardener’s savings? Surely it would make more sense to rob his wealthy cousin’s house.

“Linda Etman.”

The name slipped from Matthias’s lips before he realized it. Place her between that man and Layla, and the picture grew more coherent. Still speculation, but far more satisfying than before.

Before alighting from the car in front of the hotel, he gave a short order to his aide.

“Find out everything you can about Daniel Rayner. As quickly as possible.”

The supper table was left nearly untouched—an extraordinary thing when Bill and Kyle usually ate heartily.

Knowing why, Layla cleared the plates in silence. Bill left for the porch almost immediately, lighting cigarette after cigarette. Since the theft, the cottage had been wrapped in gloom.

“It’s all right, Layla.”

Kyle broke the silence gently. Layla stilled her hands and lifted her green eyes to him.

“They’ll catch the thief. I’m sure of it.”

“Yes.”

“And even if they don’t, don’t worry about the tuition. Father said he’ll cover it for you—he asked me to tell you so.”

“Kyle…”

“Don’t you dare refuse. He wanted to pay from the start. Uncle Bill was too stubborn, that’s all.”

Kyle’s tone was unusually firm.

“Marriage means we’ll be family, Layla. Not charity. Family. We help each other—that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Layla stood still for a long moment, then lowered her gaze and nodded faintly. In only a few days, her face had grown thinner, worn. Kyle’s hatred for the thief boiled hotter.

“In any case, let’s just focus on catching him.”

Though he knew the odds were slim, Kyle spoke as though full of hope. Only then did Layla manage a small smile.

“…Yes. Thank you, Kyle.”

“Don’t thank me. I haven’t done anything.”

“You have. Everything.”

Her faint laugh only made his heart heavier.

He remembered clearly how happy she had been when Bill told her they’d go to the capital together. The trip was just to pay her tuition, but to her it was a first family trip. She had sparkled like a child, teasing that she knew Latz well enough to guide him herself. Kyle had been swept along in her excitement.

The places she would go with him, the meals they would share, the things they would see together—she had chattered endlessly, and Kyle had loved her all the more for it. For a moment, he had even been jealous of Bill.

And now the thief had ruined everything. Even if the money were recovered, they could never take that journey with the same joy. That was something Kyle could not fix.

Suppressing his own helplessness, he joined Bill on the porch. The old man sat sullenly, chain-smoking. He almost seemed to miss the fury of the first days, when he had filled his head with murderous schemes for catching the thief.

“It’s all my fault.”

Bill’s voice finally broke the silence, weary and flat.

“I left that kind of money here and didn’t even lock the door.”

“It isn’t your fault, Uncle. Who would ever expect a thief in Arvis?”

“Next week is the registration deadline. What if that bastard isn’t caught by then?”

“You don’t need to worry. Father will pay if it comes to that. He already promised.”

Bill looked at him, eyes dark and deep.

“Tomorrow he’s going to ask a friend in the police to see that this case is properly handled.”

“Thank you, Kyle. It’s shameful, leaning on the Etmans for everything.”

“Don’t say that. I haven’t even repaid half the meals I’ve eaten in your house.”

Kyle’s lighthearted answer earned Bill a weary chuckle.

“Tell your parents my thanks. No—tell them I’ll come myself once this is settled.”

He gripped Kyle’s shoulder firmly.

Kyle swallowed back the words that it wasn’t necessary. Somehow, he felt Bill needed this. And Kyle wanted to protect that pride.

The ducal estate held two libraries. The one on the second floor was vast, almost a true public collection, but the smaller one at the end of the third floor served as the duke’s office. Stocked mainly with history, politics, and economics, it had been used for generations of Herhardts to conduct affairs. Matthias von Herhardt was no exception.

Now Mark Evers, his aide since Matthias’s coming of age, hurried down the corridor.

In all his years of service, he had never once been pressed with urgency. At first he had assumed his master’s temperament was simply unhurried. But he soon learned the truth: in the empire of Berck, nothing existed that could rattle the Duke of Herhardt.

He possessed everything. His life flowed without obstruction. Matthias knew he would overcome the world. His gentleness, his courtesy—they all stemmed from that certainty, the languid ease of a well-fed predator. Even the air felt slower around him.

That was the Duke as Evers had always known him.

So when Matthias had added the words as quickly as possible, Mark could hardly believe his ears. And once he realized it was true, panic had driven him to dig frantically into Daniel Rayner’s affairs.

“Master, it’s Evers.”

He arrived breathless at the office door, light spilling from within. Silence answered—permission to enter.

He opened the door carefully. Matthias lounged deep against the leather sofa, still dressed formally from his evening with the directors.

“The documents on Daniel Rayner, as requested.”

Mark placed the file on the table with reverence.

Matthias pressed a hand to his temple, then picked it up. Slowly, page by page, he read. His expression did not change.

Mark began to relax—until Matthias chuckled. Soft at first, then low laughter shaking his shoulders.

Mark could not imagine what there was to laugh at in the sorry tale of a man who had mortgaged his house, sunk a fortune into fraudulent mining rights overseas, lost everything, and now teetered on ruin.

“Daniel Rayner. No doubt he’s recently paid off his debts, hasn’t he?”

Matthias lifted his eyes. One corner of his mouth curved. His face, so mild when blank, looked cruel when amused.

“Yes, my lord. I meant to include it in the report. Not the full debt, but enough to keep the house from repossession. It happened this afternoon, so it isn’t in the papers yet.”

“And the money came from the Etmans.”

Matthias’s smile widened.

“Linda Etman.”

He savored the name, like a man tasting wine.

“How could you possibly…”

“Call Hessen.”

Matthias cut him off with calm command. Mark, bewildered, could only obey.