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✧ The Duke Changed His Mind ✧
Kyle Etman’s presence was no different from the school’s streetlamps as he stood in front of the main gate of Gillis Women’s Academy.
The female students thought so, as they cast an imposing gaze over the young man who waited for someone.
Kyle showed a playful smirk as he looked over the gate. He could see a young lady dragging her bicycle from afar.
The lady’s elegant and gentlemanly walk helped him to recognize her.
But it wasn’t just her walking style that made him notice the girl; it was also her face, which was always full of rich expressions and her gentle and delicate body gestures.
Kyle cherished her whole existence dearly.
After their encounter in the summer, under the shade of the willow tree-he had realized that there was no other girl just like her.
“Leyla!”
When she heard someone call her name loudly, Leyla stalled her steps and squinted her eyes in the direction of the boy approaching her.
Kyle relished those moments.
The moment her steps became faster after she discovered who he was.
The moment she came up to him and smiled at him sweetly.
“Why did you come here again? It would’ve been more convenient for you to meet me at the cottage.”
“Well, I had plenty of time anyway.”
That was a lie, to speak the truth. He had left his tennis club mates behind to return home from school with her.
~Tomorrow’s problems must be resolved tomorrow. It will all be resolved.~
So Kyle was not worried at all. Even if his seniors might be waiting for him the next day with a racket in their hands.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
On a busy street, Kyle and Leyla walked side by side. They bought some ice cream when they arrived at the shopping area, then stopped in front of a dusty bookstore.
Leyla was always laughing. Kyle Etman believed that, aside from Uncle Bill, he was the only one in this world who knew how often Leyla laughed and how radiant her smile was.
The wind became colder as they entered the Arvis territory road.
After their conversation turned to the latest school exam, Leyla’s eyes narrowed.  When the topic of geometry was mentioned, her eyes swiftly glowed with a hint of despair.
Kyle paid close attention to the subtle changes in her facial gestures.
Not yet.
He swallowed the heart-fluttering words that were about to escape his lips. Kyle didn’t want his flippant confession to make their friendship become awkward.
He then wondered, whether it was necessary to ask her out when he was already planning to marry her.
‘Leyla Etman. That sounds nice.’
“Why are you laughing?” Leyla asked him as she frowned.
She was grumbling about her low geometry grades until she looked dazedly at Kyle giggling by himself.
“Huh…… Oh! I heard Duke Herhardt is coming back?” Kyle abruptly changed the conversation’s topic to something else. “It’s been a long time. When is he returning?”
“I don’t know.”
“Everyone has been talking about Duke Herhardt coming back, but you don’t seem to care.”
Leyla tightened her grip on the handlebars of her bicycle. She and Duke Herhardt had never had any contact in the last few years. They just exchanged greetings when they ran into each other in the woods or when Claudine called her to the mansion.
Just passing by the Duke made her feel nervous, so Leyla tried to stay away from him at all costs.
To put it bluntly, she didn’t want to see him.
Since the day Duke Herhardt stopped her spinning gold coin with his foot that summer evening, she had never wanted to see him again.
Claudine invited her then abandoned her, but it was the Duke who made her know; how worthless Leyla Lewellin was in that strange, colorful world.
That encounter left a scar that was different from the mistreatment she had received at Lovita.
It was a recollection she desperately tried to erase. But whenever she came face to face with the Duke, he always caused her to remember that awful day.
Leyla despised him.
The Duke’s appearance always reminded her how meaningless she was in that beautiful estate.
Leyla sought to keep her unsteady breathing, at the same timing as a black car drove by.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
Duchess Norma, the Duke’s grandmother, never rode a car. So Leyla believed it was Duchess Elysse, who had returned from a social gathering.
“Arvis must be busy for a while now that the Duke has returned.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh yes, Leyla. Should I try pursuing a career as an officer too?” Kyle started walking backward while facing Leyla. “Like Duke Herhardt, I’d like to be awarded a medal. Captain Etman, a genius sniper capable of taking out any foe with a single shot.” He pretended to fire an imaginary gun and grinning like a naughty kid.
“Geez, look at yourself, Mr. Etman. You can’t even kill a chicken.”
With a smirk, Leyla walked forward. Kyle was unable to counter her, although his pride had taken a hit.
He boldly insisted last year that he would pay for his meals in the cottage by helping out. Uncle Bill then told him to catch a chicken for dinner, but he couldn’t even get a single feather out when he got inside the hencoop.
And after that, Kyle Etman earned the unflattering moniker of “the gluttonous herbivore.”
“Kyle Etman, my sweet friend. That’s why I like you.”
Kyle’s upset face brought a smile from Leyla.
“I hope, instead of killing others, you use your hands to save them.”
“Uh…… Of course. I’m planning to become a doctor.” Kyle placed his hand on his cheek in an awkward pose. “Then should I be a military doctor? Military doctors receive awards, too, right?
“Wouldn’t they give you one if you save a ton of people? It’s a more great achievement than murder.”
“Really?”
During their chat, the two finally came to a fork in the street. Etman’s house was located at the end of the left-hand lane.
Suddenly, Kyle’s brow furrowed as he realized something, “Ah! I forgot to bring you the geometry notes I promised to lend you.”
“Then come back later for dinner. Make sure you bring your notes with you.”
“Hey, will you wait for me or for the notes?”
“The notes.”
Leyla boldly responded, then burst out laughing mischievously, so Kyle began rushing back to his house.
“Kyle, there’s no need to rush! Preparing dinner takes time!” Leyla loudly shouted towards his back.
“Don’t bother! After picking up my notes, I’m heading straight to your house!” But Kyle’s retort was far more vehement.
Leyla only shook her head at his stubbornness and began riding her bike towards the Platanus road leading to the Arvis mansion.
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
The butler and the driver were both startled by their master’s sudden return when the black car came to a complete stop in front of the mansion driveway.
Duke Herhardt’s arrival was unexpected.
The Arvis servants and tenants were busy desperately rushing around to brace for his early arrival. As a result, the Duke’s scheduled social meetings with the nobility were all pushed up.
Butler Hessen with his dried mouth gulped out of nervousness. “Master, we still haven’t…..”
“I want to take a walk.”
Matthias cut off the butler’s words with his calm tone. The driver hesitantly got off his seat and opened the back seat door.
“Don’t.” He briefly shook his head towards Hessen, who was about to follow him out. “I’ll see you at the mansion,” Matthias smiled as he turned his back.
At his order, Hessen returned to the car while the driver quickly got back to his seat. After they drove away, the road became silent again.
Matthias took a leisurely stroll under the tree shade, holding his officer’s hat in one hand. The sound of his boots coupled with the swaying leaves in the breeze created a unique yet thrilling melody.
Matthias von Herhardt was the image of perfection as a child, a student, and an officer.
And now, he was about to marry a perfect woman and become a perfect father.
All of these facets of his life were so perfect that he began to feel a little bored.
Matthias slowed the tempo of his steps. The bright stream of ray poured through the gaps in the tree leaves illuminated the edge of his slightly slanted eyes. His golden belt buckle,  and the gleaming insignia decorated his blue-gray uniform were then softly bathed in the light.
‘You will get engaged this summer.’
Matthias had happily listened to his mother’s wishes. Merely, because it was his rightful duty to marry and give birth to a successor at the proper time.
‘I believe Claudine is the most suitable candidate for the role of Duchess of Arvis.’
He had even graciously welcomed his grandmother’s consent, precisely because Claudine von Brandt was a well-qualified bride with a reputable pedigree.
But, nothing had ever sparked Matthias’ desire.
Since everything had already been put in his grasp before he even knew it, the desire was a far-off feeling that he discarded as fictitious.
So was his marriage.
Matthias wished for a perfect union. Marriage was nothing more than a stepping stone for him to strengthen his world. So, there was no reason to waste all needless feelings in a bond called marriage.
He believed Claudine von Brandt was his most fair companion. She was adequate for him, so he didn’t care for anything else, and he didn’t feel obligated to do so.
The shattered sunshine pierced his vision as he lifted his head.
Matthias paused in the middle of the road the moment he felt the mysterious appearance of a girl.
His attention was attracted to a girl on a bicycle who was heading in his direction. Her fine golden cotton hair fluttered across the breeze like a gentle wave.
He slowly backed away when the woman passed by his left.
“Leyla Lewellin?”
That girl flicked her head towards him as soon as Matthias remembered her name.
When she met his gaze, her green eyes widened.
“Aahhh!”
That girl lost her balance and fell from her bicycle. Her cries could be heard when the bike clashed with the pavement.
The bicycle’s wheels continued to spin wildly long after she collapsed. Matthias marched quickly up to her, who had fallen on the ground.
Under his looming shadow, that girl lifted her head.
Without a doubt, she was Leyla Lewellin.
The bird-lover maniac little girl.
*
“……Oh, I’m sorry, my lord.”
Leyla hurriedly bent her head in apologies and waited for him to pass on by her.
Matthias was about to leave when he got distracted by Leyla’s outfit.
Blood was seeping from her ripped stockings, and her school uniform was caked with dust.
Silence fell over the two when the spinning bicycle wheel stilled.
Leyla raised her finely frowned eyebrows and sent Matthias a sidelong look. Her face rendered an oddly soft image, even though she was showing an insolent expression.
‘Seems this girl grew as well.’
Although it was natural for the child to grow as time went by, her change in appearance had somehow made him feel like scratching his nerves.
Leyla Lewellin was nothing more than a little child to Matthias.
The girl who tried everything she could to stay away from him at all costs. The girl he regarded as meaningless.
But now, he couldn’t correlate that meaningless girl he remembered with the Leyla Lewellin who was standing in front of him right now.
Her rosy cheeks, soft hair, and sweet body scent was borne by the wind.
Her slender lines of her body that were visible under the tight, summer school uniform, were no longer those of a skinny child.
Matthias sensed a curious discomfort as Leyla struggled to get up. She took a step back and braided her shoelaces before dusting off her school dress.
Although Leyla was now an adult, she was still too short of reaching the tip of his chin.
“Leyla Lewellin.”
Matthias called her name on the spur of the moment. The tone of his accent made Leyla’s shoulders flinch.
“I’m sorry, my lord.”
Leyla crouched beneath his feet, uttering the same lines repeatedly while she started gathering up her dropped belongings; the bag, books, notes.
Matthias’ focus was drawn to the delicate, pale hands, which were coated with dust and blood. When he watched Leyla collecting her things, his gaze was lured to a pen that she softly nudged.
Slowly, Matthias walked forward and stepped on her pen on purpose.
Leyla glanced up and saw Matthias was staring at her with irritation in his eyes.
“Leyla Lewellin.”
He called her name once more.
“I’m talking to you.”
“…..Yes, my lord.” Leyla answered, as she shut her eyes tightly.
Matthias didn’t budge when she tried to get the pen out of his stepping shoes.
“I’m listening.”
Leyla said quite confidently even though her body trembled. Her green eyes, which had resembled the vibrant summer forest, twinkled with anger and humiliation.
Her memory flashed back to the moment the duke stepped on her gold coin. He looked down at her with the same expression and gaze on that day as he was now.
Matthias finally lifted his foot and casually passed by her after letting out a short laugh.
As if nothing had happened, he put on his officer’s hat and began sauntering down the road.
Leyla could only stare at the back of Duke Herhardt from afar while the pen in her hands quivered.
She wondered. Why would the Duke do something like that if he wasn’t planning on saying anything?
Would the people of Arvis believe that Duke Herhardt, the perfect aristocrat, would act in such a way?
She was willing to stake her entire savings that no one would believe her.
Everyone would have thought she was insane.
Leyla pulled her bicycle up and closed her lips tightly. She made sure to wipe her pen clean before putting it in her bag and began following the duke, who was walking ahead slowly.
Leyla was sure the duke wouldn’t look back. Still, she tried to walk properly even though her skin that had got rubbed off was in horrible pain and flexed her leg muscles to keep herself from limping.
‘It will be great if he uses those long legs to walk faster.’
Leyla was about to sigh with annoyance, when Duke Herhardt suddenly turned around towards her.
The sudden gust of wind rattled the tree leaves, and the pattern of sunshine dripping through the leaves danced in a slow rhythm over the road.
Startled, Leyla stood still like a statue. But, Matthias’ gaze was already drawn to her beautiful features.
His eyes moved downwards.
First to her long, wavy hair, then to her enthralled body.
To her upright chest which was panting up and down unevenly. And, to her pasty hand gripping the pedals of the bicycle.
The sylph-like ankle and her petite feet.
And then to her alluring eyes.
For a long time, Matthias stood in grim silence, peering into Leyla’s emerald-colored eyes.
She was an orphan residing in his estate’s lodge, but one crucial fact seemed to have changed everything.
That little girl grew older as time went by.
Matthias noticed her as he acknowledged the fact.
She was no longer a child.
She was a woman, Leyla Lewellin.