/
Leyla stood gawking. Her eyes shook the moment she stared at Kyle’s peaky face with his tousled hair and wrinkly clothes.
“Don’t be like this, Kyle. We’re now
”
“Let’s go anywhere. Let’s go somewhere where just the two of us can become happy. Let’s do that.” Kyle harshly grabbed her hand and dragged her while mumbling like a lost person, closing his ears.
Leyla’s fierce resistance only made Kyle widen his stride ahead without budging.
“Mr. Remmer! Mr. Remmer! Look over there! Leyla is being dragged away!”
A gardener who happened to be nearby witnessed the scene and exclaimed. Bill shifted his gaze to the direction he pointed at.
Straightway, his face heated up.
Bill threw his pruning shears and frantically chased after Kyle. The baffled employees in tandem quickly joined the bandwagon.
“Kyle Etman! Let go of her hand right now!?”
Bill shouted, as anger rose to the crown of his head, struck a chord like thunder. He slammed a punch in Kyle’s face without delay. Kyle slumped and fell, but he dared not release his grip on Leyla’s wrist.
In the gusts of wind, Leyla’s body also hit the dirt of the rose bed.
“Leyla!”
Bill screamed in shock and hurried to assist Leyla in getting up. She had scratches on both of her cheeks and the back of her hands from thorny roses.
Kyle’s spaced-out eyes began to gradually regain their focus. He got to his feet, ghastly-faced, after seeing Leyla’s face smeared with blood in his sightline.
“Le-Leyla! Are you okay? Blood
.”
“I’m fine.”
Leyla pushed Kyle’s hand away from her face.
“You look more hurt.”
“No. I’m not 
.”
Kyle then looked at his shirt and bleeding hands. He felt a throbbing pain in his cheek and the back of his neck, but he ignored it.
“Uncle. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Leyla hurried to stop Bill before he approached Kyle again.
“Kyle.”
She carefully spoke. Her swollen, glassy eyes captured his face.
“There is no such place.”
Leyla’s smiling lips quivered slightly at the corners. Her soothing tone of voice concealed her crimson eyes and heated cheeks.
“There is no such place in the world, Kyle. There’s nowhere in this world where just the two of us can be happy.”
“Leyla
”
“It’s too hard for me if you insist like this. I don’t know how much longer I can stand it.”
“Please, Leyla
.”
“So take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine too.”
“How could I be fine without you?”
“Go to college as planned
..study hard, and stay healthy. Then, become a good doctor.”
Leyla gave Kyle’s wounded eyes a good stare. Bitter tears that trickled down her cheeks had glistened her face in sadness.
“My Kyle. My good friend, Kyle Etman. I want to see you in that light.”
A single drop of grief welled up from the corner of his eyes. Kyle swallowed the sobbing with his teeth gritted and stared at her with reddened eyes.
“If you’re doing well, I will be fine too. We might be able to greet each other with a smile as time passes by.”
“
Sorry. I’m sorry, Leyla
”
Kyle’s gut-wrenching sobs that tore apart his chest escaped from between his lips.
“I, it was all my fault. Because of me, you
 I’m so sorry.”
The sun’s piercing light descended on him like shards of broken glass. Kyle collapsed to his knees like crushed rose petals strewn over the ground.
Leyla shook her head and crouched before him.
“No, Kyle. Don’t say that. I don’t resent you. How can I hate you?”
“Leyla.”
“So, take care. You will, right?”
Kyle gasped as if he was being strangled and hugged her tightly.
His dread erupted in a torrent of uncontrolled sobs. Blood and tears dripping from his wounds marred Leyla’s white blouse.
Bill let out a long sigh. He withdrew his gaze, unable to bear the sight of the two youngsters hugging. The workers a few feet away also did the same.
With resentful eyes, Bill glanced at the sun blazing down on him in the blistering heat. He longed more than ever fqor this bitter summer to elapse ere long.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
Kyle Etman left for the capital sooner than scheduled.
The Etman household put forward a flimsy reason that they had to prepare for college entrance, but no one believed it.
On the morning of Kyle’s departure, Leyla woke up earlier than usual.
Kukukukuku
.
A bird chirping could be heard from the outside. Leyla turned her head to follow the cries and saw Phoebe sitting on her window ledge.
She put her glasses on, ambled up to the window and flung it open.
The bird’s ankle was tied along with a scrap of paper. Phoebe was trained as a homey pigeon to fly between her window and Kyle’s room. Leyla didn’t have to candle who the letter was addressed to.
She hesitated a while before carefully opening the letter.
Leyla, I’m leaving for the capital today.
I’m travelling to where I was supposed to go with you. But like a coward I’m leaving alone.
I won’t say this is better for us by telling you a plausible lie. Eventually, I’m running away.
I’m turning a blind eye to the messed up reality and leaving you behind. I lack the courage to assure you that everything is fine.
I’m sorry.
I know very well that my apology can’t wash away your wounds. Still, I want to convey these words.
I’m sorry for all the pains my mother foisted on you and for my inability to stop her. I was too naive to think that everything could be sorted easily, deaf to your feelings, I ended up hurting you.
I’m sorry
.I realized my mistake.
But Leyla, I’ll be back.
I won’t be too late. I’ll make sure to return to you soon.
You may be right when you said that there’s nowhere in this world where only the two of us can be happy.
But Leyla, if there is no such place, I’ll ensure that I create one on my own. And I’ll bring you there.
Until that day, I will be doing good, just like you’ve asked of me.
So take care of yourself too.
My beloved Leyla, Goodbye.

.
Leyla read through Kyle’s handwritten letter slowly. The dawning wind ruffled her bushy blonde hair, which draped politely over her cheeks.
After a long pause, Leyla turned away from the window. She stowed the letter inside her desk drawer and hurriedly started her morning rounds.
***
It was an insanely hectic day. Leyla meticulously cleaned the entire house as if a single speck of dust wouldn’t be tolerated to stay on the surface of any place. Her kitchen was brimming with delectable food that she had cooked herself.
Before long, Bill returned to work after lunchtime, and a couple of Arvis’ workers who were close to them came to the cottage.
“Leyla, are you alright?”
Mrs. Mona worriedly asked as she handed out a basket full of luscious cookies and pastries.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Leyla flashed a smile and gladly embraced the gift. “Thank you, ma’am. Kindly go in and have a cup of tea.”
“Tea? Oh.. there’s no need to bother really.”
Mrs. Mona shook her head. Other coworkers nodded in tandem with her.
“That’s right! We just wanted to know whether you’re fine.”
“Yes Leyla, don’t be sad. First love doesn’t always come true. I’m sure you’ll find a better man than Kyle

.”
“Hey, it’s almost time! Let’s go back soon. I have to prepare for the duchess’ tea time.”
Mrs. Mona swiftly cut her off as she glared at the maid whose words were about to cross the line.
Leyla saw them off and went back to the kitchen with a heavy basket. She carefully took out the cookies and cakes from the basket one by one and arranged them nicely on the table.
Suddenly her hand stopped. She momentarily froze upon seeing a toasted cracker with a peach jam filling.
It was Kyle’s favourite cake.
Leyla vacantly looked across the table to the chair where Kyle was usually seated. The day when the three of them dined together at this table would never return.
That lone chair evoked pleasant memories in her thoughts. The time of their delicious good feasts, warm dim lights and loud chatter on the table. All of it had now gradually perished into a gulf of silence.
Leyla blinked and rushed to tidy up the basket before leaving the cottage. She grabbed her well-used sling bag and the hat hanging in front of the rear door and made her way to the forest trail.
**
Fennel. Yorkshire Fog. Buddleia.
Katydid. Green Linnet. Swallowtail.
Layla went along the path, whispering the names of the flowers that were blooming. The clinking sound of the stuff in her bag chimed along with the mumbled names of mother earth as a cradle song.
After a long trek, Leyla stopped at the foot of an idyllic tree standing on the banks of the Schulter River. She immediately began climbing it to the summit and perched between the thick branches of the wooden trunks.
Leyla stared at the bend of the blue Schulter River through her empty gaze.
The sparkles of the water scales made her eyes feel cold.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
“As you said, master, it has been handled well.”
Hessen, who turned back after a short phone call, said. Matthias gave the nod as he had grasped the meaning of the word without the butler’s explanation. His gaze remained patched on the river beyond the colossal window.
“They will notify us by telegram today.”
After concluding the report, Hessen moved on to the next agenda; the dinner scheduled for the following week and the guest list. The visit of Count Brandt. The issue of workforce expansion. Daily reports and Matthias’ pithy answers were sequentially layered on top of one another.
“Then sir, I’ll take my leave now.”
Hessen left the annex after everything was done.
Once alone, Matthias descended the stairs connecting to the bottom floor.
The pavilion was built in the shape of a floating house on stilts. Half of the ground level was devoted to a boat hangar, designed to be openly attached to the river. Matthias could simply cross the river anytime he pleased by untying their ropes and rowing over.
Matthias stripped off his clothes on the hangar’s floor and dived into the water. As he swam across the arched foyer, the dazzling sun soon devoured his nude body bathed under its light.
Matthias let the gentle stream of the river cling to his flesh. Through his flexible stroke, he looked like a part of the river at first glance.
The lingering attachment that he couldn’t have was bound to grow into a bigger and tougher desire beyond his control, even if he believed, he would soon become tired of it once he had it. And Leyla was no exception.
Breathing hard, Matthias reached that conclusion. He felt silly for getting carried away by the ephemeral hankering. Still, he graciously accepted the desire to have her.
And now, nothing could stand in his way.
He was free to do anything he pleased.
The male lead who failed to protect their puppy love had eventually left, and Leyla was abandoned in the forest at the end of their fairytale.
Everything in his world had been back to its proper place, in a perfect line, just as he wished.
By the time he turned around and began swimming back to the annex, the slanting rays of the setting sun had tinted the sky a warm orange.
Matthias’ eyes narrowed at the river’s edge when he saw the familiar, beautiful tree. Ridiculously, there was a woman present, where he casually cast his gaze.
Leyla Lewellin.
He chanted her name silently like a spell, sending ripples over the water’s surface.