Chapter 63

✧Pretty✧

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

The play performed by the lower year students had come to an end, which drew most of the audience’s attention and laughter. Everyone clapped as the children bowed on stage with Miss Lewellin and they all exited the stage to give way to the upper years.

Each child immediately went where their families were located, those who had older siblings had to stay behind and watch the remaining plays, while the rest of the children had to go home for their bedtimes, leaving the town hall with fewer audiences.

“We apologise so much for Monica’s behaviour!” The little girl’s parents repeatedly apologised to Leyla, who was escorting them to their carriage.

“Please, it’s fine!” Leyla tried to reassure them, “It’s my duty as their teacher to be there for them.”

“Still, because Monica couldn’t continue with the play, then Miss Lewellin had to endure getting laughed at during the play.” interjected Monica’s grandmother.

At the reminder of the humiliation she had to go through, Leyla flinched slightly, effectively silencing both Leyla and the apologetic parents. Eventually they settled in their carriage, bidding Leyla goodbye. Once they were out of sight, Leyla sighed in relief.

“Miss Lewellin, shall we get a cup of hot coffee?” Mrs. Grever immediately offered with a kind smile as she neared Leyla, finally finding her alone. Leyla jolted at her unexpected appearance, before gently shaking her head, smiling back politely.

“Oh, thank you, but I’m fine.” she reassured, “I think I should get a breather alone for a while.”

“Oh well, that’s understandable.” Mrs. Grever agreed, before patting Leyla on the shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly, “For what it’s worth, I think you make quite a cute fairy, and I enjoyed the play a lot more because of you.”

Leyla giggled softly, “That really doesn’t make me feel that much better.” she jokingly, and both of them chuckled.

“I know it doesn’t sound that much better, but it is the truth.” Mrs. Grever said, “Usually the nobles that attend these events rarely pay attention, or even get entertained, but you did. You made them enjoy it, and not make it feel like just a publicity stunt for them.” she sighed and squeezed both of Leyla’s hands this time, “So you did an amazing job today.”

The words were meant to be comforting, and any other time Leyla might have found comfort in them, but not in this instance. She fought back a grimace as she thought about someone who most certainly was in the audience…

‘Oh, I bet he really was entertained back there. Oh god.’ she despaired in her thoughts.

“Also, because of you, the principal predicts our donations will also increase. Which makes her so pleased with you as well.” At the mention of the principal, Leyla couldn’t help but groan.

“Ugh, I really hate her right now.” she sighed, before they both giggled once more. They both know how overbearing the principal could be when she wanted to. Leyla then proceeded to tell Mrs. Grever, that she would be fine on her own, prompting the missus to go back inside ahead of her.

Satisfied that no one was trying to approach or speak to her, Leyla began to trudge along the park, which was located right behind the town hall. She needed time for herself. Each breath she took felt as though she was leaving pieces of her soul behind as she embraced the chill in the night air.

The park was indeed devoid of anyone. She sat down on one of the nearest benches and gingerly took off her shoes.

‘What have I done?’ she thought as she rubbed her painful feet. White puffs of air escaped as she leaned her head back to look up at the night skies. She let out a long deep breath as she did so…

She was surprised she was still alive after that shameful display. Something was building up inside her, threatening to burst!

“AAAAHHHHH!” she screamed into the open air, letting her breath turn white as though they carried her soul with them.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

Matthias found Leyla at the very place he had predicted her to be.

He had predicted after being humiliated like that, she would run off to a secluded place. Additionally, she had been wearing heels tonight, she wouldn’t go far and find somewhere to sit. Add to the fact she was a bit of a coward, she would stay by a well-lit place, and still be nearby despite the seclusion. Which could only be the park right behind the town hall.

And indeed she was right there, sitting as she looked up at the night sky, seemingly lost in thought. She was barefoot, heels hung by the tips of her fingers instead. She was sitting on a bench by a massive tree, with a street lamp lit up right next to her.

He walked slowly with steady steps, his footsteps almost silent in the quiet night and stopped when his shadow loomed over her unsuspecting figure. “I expected you to be here.” he announced, making her gasp in surprise.

Leyla whipped her head around, eyes widening at the sight of him within arm’s length.

“Ho-how did you-” she stuttered, staring up at him before her eyes were darting around them both in a panic. Immediately she grabbed both of her heels tightly before hastily putting them back on, remembering the time when her shoes were snatched away from her.

Matthias found himself grinning at the wary look on her face. He looked down, staring pointedly at her shoes, which she was securing to her feet, he hummed as he took a step closer.

“You really think that’s going to stop me from taking your shoes?” he asked her teasingly. Leyla only huffed out a breath, before locking the last of the straps securely and jumped up from her seat, looking a little relieved she managed to completely put them back on.

Looking at her now, well, it seemed like he didn’t have to be so worried if her injuries were still bothering her. They seemed to have healed up rather nicely, judging by how fast she was moving compared to before.

“Don’t get up on my account.” Matthias tried convincing her to sit back down, but she shook her head, now standing right next to the street lamp.

“No thank you, I’ve sat enough.” Leyla refused politely. Matthias eyes’ narrowed at her for a moment, before pushing down his irritation at her resistance. The street light shone down on her much like the stage lights did just a while back.

It wasn’t such a bad sight either, as he continued to roam his eyes appreciatively over her.

“You should’ve been an actress instead of a teacher, Leyla,” he pointed out with a wide smile, “I’ve never seen such an actress who’s able to make that large of a crowd laugh so much in one sitting.” he praised.

Leyla’s arms tightened around herself, hands gripping tight as she bit her lips and looked down on the ground resolutely. She swallowed her pride before trying to politely reply back to him…

“Y-yes, my acting was quite clumsy, wasn’t it?” she laughed nervously, trying to pass it off nonchalantly.

‘It might even be the reason you sought me out tonight, isn’t it?’ she thought scornfully, but refused to voice it out.

“Hm, it was, just a little,” he chuckled, eyes watching as her body began to tremble in the continued embarrassment despite their play being over. Leyla began to shift nervously before finally finding the strength to move.

“Well, then, I must get going now Duke…” she began to move away..

“So pretty.” Matthias slipped out, making Leyla freeze and look up at him in shock. Her face flushed against the cold at the unexpected complement he had given her. He held her gaze as she struggled to find a reply…

‘Should I say thank you? No, it’s too ridiculous! Not at all duke? Not that one either.’ she fully bit her lower lip as she struggled to find the right words, squirming underneath his observation.

‘Should I just leave? But he’ll catch up to me anyway!’

She could feel the way his eyes trailed all over her. From her flushed cheeks, down to her pale neck, and onto her dazzling emerald necklace adorning her neck. She watched as his lips spread out into a pleased smile the more he looked down at her, eyes locked at her necklace.

“U-uncle Bill bought them for me.” Leyla finally said, careful to keep ample distance between them. Perhaps he wasn’t talking specifically about her, but her clothes, or maybe her necklace! Yes right, he must be talking about her necklace.

‘I also got a few compliments before about my necklace.’ she added as an afterthought. He hummed, before lifting his gaze back to her eyes, watching her for reactions.

“Do you like it?” he inquired, making her blink.

“What?”

“The necklace,” Matthias gestured back down before returning his gaze to look into hers, “Do you like it?”

A frown marred her face, she was confused as to why that mattered.

“Uh, of course.” she answered honestly, and Matthias chuckled, making her more confused. What was so amusing? Still she had been surprised to see and hear his laughter. She hadn’t seen him like this…

And his laughter… it sounded low, like his voice, but soft and velvety to the ears.

She stared at him in a guarded manner, wary of this new side he was showing her. Eventually he stopped laughing, before locking eyes with her once more. There was tension between them as they both stared each other down…

The pregnant silence between the two was broken when there was a sudden chirp, and a bird flapped away from the tree branch near them. Leyla was caught in a surprise, yelping at the sudden disturbance as she whipped around in alarm, just in time to watch the bird fly off into the night.

She knew she had to get away quickly from him before they could be seen together. Unfortunately her foot twisted in an awkward manner as she turned to step away from the unexpected intrusion.

Leyla tried to right herself back to a balanced position, but Matthias was quicker, swiftly grabbing her by her waist, and pulling her flush to his body.

“Ah!” she exclaimed as he turned her around, their chests pressed together as he pushed her back into the cold steel of the lamp. He loomed, tall and firm, over her, eyes glinting dangerously.

“I-I’m going to scream for help.” she softly threatened, breath quivering in terror. Leyla could feel the tears pooling in her eyelids as she pushed her palms on his chest in an attempt to get him away from her.

“Do as you wish.” he dared her, eyes still softly admiring her unwaveringly. Matthias cupped her face with one hand, keeping her gaze on him. “Where do you hide it?” he asked her as she struggled.

Leyla frowned as she looked up at him.

“Hide? What do you mean? Hide what?” her voice shook as she tried to push him away with all her might. Her eyes looked at him inquiringly, not understanding what he wanted to know from her this time. Matthias kept looking at her, before sighing disappointedly.

He thought he’d catch a glimpse of those feelings again, but alas, he was mistaken as it disappeared too quickly this time. Which was frustrating because her beautiful face was enough to erase his growing desire.

He lowered his hand slowly, gently caressing her cheeks, grazing the back of his knuckles against her jawline, before resting an open palm around her slender neck. His fingers gingerly wrapped around it, fingertips grazing the pearls of the necklace as she gulped nervously at him.

He could feel the way her throat bobbed up and down as she swallowed. She’s so sensitive here…

It was so easy to leave his mark all over her body. Just a little pressure on her neck would probably be enough for his hand to leave its mark on that pale skin. Or perhaps he should kiss it deep enough it would leave a mark to stay for days?

‘How easy it would be, from the top of her head down to the tip of her toes, to leave my mark all over her…’ he thought, entranced by her pale skin, ‘Then, everyone will know she’s mine, only mine.’

He could do it to her, but eventually decided against it as he let out another despondent sigh. Finally, Matthias pulled his hand away from her neck, making Leyla breathe in a sigh of relief, before he was replacing them against her cheeks once more.

His fingers touched her lips, rubbing against it’s warm moistness.

‘If I touch you in there*, would they feel like this too?’ he wondered out loud. Leyla opened her mouth to protest, but Matthias was already pushing fingers in her mouth, drowning out her resistance.

The pads of his fingers rubbed against her tongue, fondling the inside of her mouth as they both breathed heavily against each other. His fingers went deeper, reaching the back of her throat…

And with all her strength, Leyla bit down on his fingers. Hard.

But Matthias only laughed at such a weak display of strength. He barely even felt it now that his fingers were so deep inside her mouth. He smiled at her feeble attempts to get free.

“You should bite harder, Leyla.” he mused as he watched the way her teeth met his skin. “Harder than that, and then I’ll feel the pain.” he whispered against her, his warm breath hitting her face.

The only thought that ran in Leyla’s mind aside from indignation, was how out of his mind the Duke really was.

‘He’s insane!’

She was appalled by the way Matthias was grinning down at her that she could feel her temper spike.

And so she loosened up. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to make it hurt, he wouldn’t back off.

Seeing her calm down, Matthias gave her a victorious smirk before pulling his fingers out of her mouth, before he stroked her lips with his wet fingers.

‘If I would kiss you, no doubt you’d protest once again.’ he thought as he rubbed her plush lips. It would be an easy thing to do too. He knew by now how to quickly snuff out any form of resistance from Leyla.

How easy it would be for him to satisfy his lust and greed for her as he’d done so before. However, he found himself unable to do so as he stared at the way she was trapped in his arms. So willing, and so submissive as her hands were now only pressed on his chest, neither pushing or hitting him away from her.

He thought of the dreamy moment that had passed by and the joy he had felt.

He trailed his hands lower once more, resting it against her neck as he stroked the pale skin again. He found himself at a loss on what to currently do. Unconsciously, he swallowed his mouth dry.

‘Goddamnit.’ he thought, the curse threatening to escape from his lips. He found himself clenching and unclenching his other fist, before bringing up both hands this time to cup Leyla’s face.

With a quiet sigh, Matthias finally pulled away, letting her go. Leyla felt puzzled about it, though she was absolutely relieved to be free of him as he took a step back from her.

Matthias expected her to flee by now, but she remained rooted to the spot, blinking at him in a dazed manner as she frowned in a deep thought. They stayed that way for some time, Matthias content in observing her through it all.

While Leyla had been pondering about his strangeness tonight, she failed to notice when something cold and wet skewed her vision a little, making her blink in surprise. She raised her head, leaning her head back to look at the sky, Matthias following in suit.

The first snowfall was finally here.

*.·:·.✧.·:·.*

By the time the second half of the event was done, the night had gotten darker, and the audience soon began to leave. Meanwhile the organisers were busying themselves in cleaning up the place and some last minute checks that everything was fine.

Leyla was just finishing up, gathering the last of her belongings before deeming herself done for the day. Her feet wobbled as she walked past her colleagues, bidding them goodbye as she quickly walked through the halls.

The heels she wore dug painfully on her soles, it was best she took them off once she boarded the bus or a stagecoach passing through Arvis. She quickly checked the time, noting it won’t be long before the last of the transport would leave. She picked up her pace, eager to catch the last ride home.

“Excuse me, Miss Lewellin!” called out someone from behind her. Surprised, she quickly turned around, towards the town hall, where she heard her name be called out. She recognized that voice.

“Ah, Mr. Pat!” she exclaimed as she saw just who called for her. Mr. Pat was a friend of her Uncle Bill, he was also known as the coachman of Arvis. He waved towards her with quick strides, before stopping right in front of her.

“I apologise for the late notice, but you’ve been invited to ride with us.” he told her, gesturing to the nearby coach. It was unmistakable, the carriage of Herhardt household was parked where he was pointing at.

Leyla reflexively began to decline, shaking her head as she saw the emblem imprinted by the side of the carriage.

“Oh please, there’s no need for that-”

“Madam Norma insists, Miss Leyla.” Mr. Pat said kindly, halting Leyla in surprise.

“The madam insists as you are returning home to Arvis as well, you can ride with both of the house Herhardt tonight.” Mr. Pat finished as he once more gestured for Leyla to go along with them.

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