Chapter 58
Play With Me

A dry chuckle slipped from the headmaster’s thin lips. Across from him, Layla sat properly, her gaze polite yet firm.

“Are you serious about this, Miss Llewellyn?”

“Yes. That’s what I wish to do.”

Her reply was steady, not something blurted on impulse. Of course—she wasn’t the sort of person to recklessly declare she wanted to transfer to a faraway school.

“I can’t quite understand. The closest school to your home is here, isn’t it?”

The young teacher who pedaled to school on her bicycle each day wasn’t outstanding, but she was diligent and persistent. The headmaster liked her well enough. Considering her circumstances, this school in the village was surely the most practical option.

“You do realize, if you move, there won’t be any positions available in Karlsbar. You’d have to go to another city farther away, correct?”

“Yes, I know.”

“If something’s happened here, you should tell me. If it’s something I can resolve, I’ll gladly do it.”

“It’s nothing like that. Everyone’s been kind, and I get along with the children. It’s just…”

“Just?”

“Just that I want to experience a broader world. That’s why I’ve decided this.”

Her answer wavered briefly, but she managed to deliver the explanation she’d prepared.

The headmaster laughed again. Karlsbar was one of the empire’s most prosperous cities, rivaling even the capital—so the excuse sounded flimsy. Still, Layla couldn’t come up with anything better. Fortunately, the headmaster didn’t press further and gave a nod.

“There are plenty of teachers who want a post in Karlsbar, so finding your replacement won’t be difficult. Still, there’s time until next term—think carefully before deciding.”

She knew her decision wouldn’t change, but she accepted the headmaster’s kindness with gratitude.

Leaving his office, she let out the long sigh she had held in.

At the empty classroom window, Layla leaned against the sill. Outside, the great oak had shed nearly all its leaves. Its bare branches stretched inward like shadows reaching for her.

Leave Arvis.

After restless nights and mistakes born of distraction, that was the conclusion she’d come to. Her heart ached at the thought of leaving Uncle Bill, but losing Kyle had taught her something. Clinging too tightly might destroy more in the end.

It wasn’t running away—it was only returning to her original plan.

Even if she taught in a neighboring town, she could still see Uncle Bill on weekends. Boarding would be costly, her university preparations might slow, but that was fine.

If it meant leaving Arvis—and leaving him—behind.

“I’ll be fine.”

She smiled faintly and walked back to her desk.

She remembered her powerless childhood, shuffled between relatives’ homes, left alone in the world. Compared to then, she could endure anything. She was an adult now. She had someone she loved. She would be fine.

Unconsciously rubbing her lips, she quickly put on her coat and gathered her bag. For a moment her eyes lingered on the Duke’s handkerchief lying inside, but she forced the thought away.

Mounting her bicycle, she pedaled with her usual determination.

Riette spotted her just as she turned onto the road leading to Arvis.

Layla Llewellyn had parked her bicycle between the trees and stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, as though waiting for someone.

And who could she possibly be waiting for?

Riette thought he already knew—and found the idea amusing. He pulled over to the roadside. Startled, Layla looked up, then immediately stiffened. Realizing it wasn’t the person she expected, she shrank back.

“Hello, Miss Llewellyn.”

Riette greeted her with an easy smile, leaning against his car door. Layla glanced around nervously, then took another step back.

“Good afternoon, Marquis.”

The words came late, heavy with tension and wariness.

“What are you doing out here?”

“…”

Her expression showed fierce inner conflict, but no answer came. That silence was answer enough. Riette chuckled again.

“So it’s not the doctor’s son. Must be the Duke you’re waiting for.”

Her head jerked up. Behind her glasses, her eyes pinched tight, her cheeks flushed red. Embarrassment and shame were plain on her face.

“The man you’re waiting for… it’s Matthias, isn’t it?”

Riette strolled right up to her, hands folded behind his back.

Her palms were damp with sweat as she clutched the strap of her bag. Inside was the Duke’s handkerchief, making her uneasy as though holding a ticking bomb. She had meant to return it, but she hadn’t wanted to seek him out herself. Waiting here had seemed the safest way.

“Why won’t you answer? Ah, I must’ve hit the mark.”

“Step aside, Marquis.”

She shifted her bag behind her back and turned to go. But Riette was quicker, stepping into her path.

“You haven’t even seen Matthias yet. Leaving already?”

“Step aside!”

“Do you even know where the Duke is? He’s gone to fetch his fiancée, poor Miss Llewellyn.”

What began as a teasing game grew sharper. She didn’t know where Matthias was—so she’d stand here waiting, with no promise he’d come. Riette found it pathetic, irritating, and oddly pitiful too. Maybe because he saw a reflection of himself.

He had felt the same sting when Claudine announced she’d be visiting Arvis, and Matthias left immediately to meet her. He’d smiled, waved, and then driven aimlessly away, hiding the ache in his chest. The resemblance left a bitter taste.

“Matthias… doesn’t he bore you?”

He cut off her retreat again, one hand gripping her bicycle’s handlebars.

“He probably treats you no differently than he treats his mistress.”

“W-what did you say?”

Her face went white. Riette grinned.

“Too crude? My apologies, Miss Llewellyn.”

“Give me my bicycle!”

“And here I thought I’d be the one exception. The doctor’s son likes you, the Duke likes you, and only I get this frosty reception. A little unfair, don’t you think?”

With a shrug, he released the handlebars—only to snatch her bag instead. Layla gasped, lunging at him in panic.

“What about me, hm?”

He lifted the bag high over his head.

“Maybe the doctor’s son has his charms, but I guarantee I’d be more fun than Matthias.”

“Give it back!”

“You and I—don’t you think we’re similar? Not quite a Herhardt Duke, but enough that I wouldn’t disappoint you.”

Layla grabbed at his arm, desperate, lips trembling with fear and fury.

“Why not leave the boring Duke to his boring fiancée, and play with me instead, Miss Llewellyn?”

Whatever she was protecting in that bag, she fought for it fiercely. Amused, Riette finally let go. She clutched it tight and bolted, leaving her bicycle behind, running blindly away from Arvis’s gates. One shoe flew off, abandoned on the road, but she didn’t even notice.

“Sorry, Miss Llewellyn! I was only teasing!”

He called after her, but she didn’t stop.

With a sigh, Riette bent to pick up the shoe and followed at a slower pace. That was when the screech of brakes and a heavy thud split the air.

Alarmed, he broke into a run. A black car stood stopped in the road, and a woman lay crumpled before it. Layla.

The driver and attendants rushed out first. Then the rear door opened, and Matthias stepped down—Claudine at his side.

“My God! Layla!”

Claudine cried out in shock.

Matthias’s gaze moved past the trembling Layla, still clutching her bag, to Riette standing frozen in the headlights.

Fortunately, the accident wasn’t severe. Layla had been knocked down hard, but she got back to her feet. She stubbornly refused a hospital visit, shaking her head no to every suggestion. Once it was clear she could ride her bicycle on her own, Matthias ended the commotion.

“Let’s go back.”

He spoke calmly, directing the restless bystanders. He betrayed no hint of anger, no questions about why Marquis Lindmann had been chasing her down the road.

“Yes, that’s best.”

Claudine gave Riette a fleeting glance before echoing her fiancé’s words.

And that was that. Matthias returned to the car with Claudine, and Riette trudged back to where his own car waited. Both vehicles passed Layla on the road, entering the Arvis gates ahead of her.

“She took quite a blow. It’s a miracle she wasn’t hurt.”

Claudine sighed, watching the dark countryside roll past the window.

Seeing Layla flee like hunted prey and end up struck by a car had startled her badly. Then, catching sight of Riette behind her holding Layla’s shoe… it had nearly cracked her mask of composure.

But Riette, reckless to the point of foolishness? She hadn’t expected that.

Anxiously, Claudine studied Matthias. Yet his expression revealed nothing—not concern for his woman, not anger toward the man who had endangered her. He was the same imperturbable Duke of Herhardt as ever.

That truth, oddly enough, made Claudine pity Layla all the more.

The car rolled to a stop before the grand doors of the Herhardt estate.