Whenever summer came, Herhardt’s mansion always hosted a bunch of meetings. But Claudine von Brandt had another reason to visit Arvis this year, as everybody knew.
Before revealing the engagement to the public, a meeting was planned for the two families to pre-negotiate and foster friendship between them.
The meeting’s intent was obvious to both families, and neither party, particularly Claudine, had tried to conceal it.
“Hello, Duke Herhardt.”
Matthias was received politely by Claudine. His cousin in front of him had matured into a refined lady, and he couldn’t make out the outlines of that short, whiny girl from her anymore.
“Welcome, Lady Brandt.”
He returned Claudine’s formal greeting, and the two exchanged graceful smiles.
Between the two, there was nothing new to speak about. They were not very close or intimate, but they had known each other for a long time.
They both knew, how aristocratic Matthias von Herhardt and Claudine von Brandt were to the marrow. This was the most important and apparent reason why they chose each other.
Matthias escorted Claudine expertly. His mother, Elysse von Herhardt, instructed the servants to prepare their afternoon tea in the glass greenhouse attached to the mansion’s rear. Elysse adored the greenhouse, so in a way, it was also a form of expressing her affection for Claudine.
“Every time I visit this greenhouse, it never ceases to amaze me. It’s as if Duchess Elysse has migrated heaven into this place.”
Claudine sipped her tea quietly and gratefully complimented her. She talked in a pleasant yet excellent manner, as one might expect from a noblewoman.
“I’ve put a lot of effort into decorating this place. I’m looking forward to give it to a hostess who understands its worth.”
In hushed voices, Elysse spoke up. When Countess Brandt heard of it, she gave her daughter a proud and emotional glance, but Claudine just smiled shyly.
“Matthias, take Claudine on a tour of Arvis’s heaven.”
Elysse’s whisper to her son at the end of their tea break, marking the start of larger-scale deals between two-families.
Claudine smoothly laid her transparent lace-gloved hands over Matthias’s as he extended his hand.
Her fair-skinned image regained his memory of someone’s hand covered with dust and blood for a fleeting moment until it disappeared in the blink of an eye.
They talked about a mild topic as they walked along the road.
The clear chirping of birds melted away the languid mood of the afternoon in that place, where a stream of water gently flowed from the marble fountain that embellished the center of the greenhouse.
Matthias captured Claudine’s eye in a stealthy glimpse. It was difficult to interpret his inner emotions and his mindset toward the world, despite him often smiling peacefully.
For Claudine, he was an interesting object to look at.
Matthias was a gentleman, but he was also a haughty person who never had bowed down to anybody in his life.
“This greenhouse has many lovely birds.”
Claudine was mesmerized by the brightly colored birds perched on the tree branches, and Matthias had only seen those birds in the glass greenhouse now.
Elysse, the Arvis’ present hostess, was as fond of birds as she was of flowers.
The zookeepers were in charge of caring for the birds in the greenhouse, much as the gardeners were in charge of growing the roses.
And her job? It was to simply take in the scenery.
Elysse von Herhardt viewed her beautiful world in this light. –Take pride in the job that others have done for her-
“It’s unbelievable. This little one is exceptionally well-behaved. What’s your secret?” Claudine asked; a tiny bird landed on her palm and made her smile.
Matthias took a long, restful glance around him, realizing the birds in this greenhouse were surprisingly docile.
The birds didn’t dare to fly out, even if the window was wide open; instead, they continued to sing melodiously in this tranquil, beautiful prison.
His attention turned to the gray-haired zookeeper after seeing the parrot trundled over the windowsill, and the Bengalese finch warbled on Claudine’s hand.
The zookeeper then approached them,
“I clipped their wings, Miss. They are thus unwilling to fly or escape, and they become obedient. If I leave their wings uncut, they would be difficult to tame.”
The old man answered her question.
“Their wings? Wouldn’t that hurt them?”
“I just cut their feathers, so they don’t feel pain,” He continued to explain. “It’s also beneficial to the birds because it keeps them from going into dangerous places and being wounded. Would you like me to show it? “
“Would you mind it, Lord Herhardt, if I see that?” Claudine asked with her eyes twinkling.
“As you wish, my Lady.”
The zookeeper led them to a big cage at the end of the greenhouse after Matthias gladly granted his permission. There were birds inside whose wings hadn’t been trimmed yet.
“What kind of bird is it?” Matthias asked as he watched the bird.
“It’s a canary, my Lord. A lovely singing bird.”
The zookeeper stretched out the bird’s wings and covered its eyes with a small handkerchief. On his other hand, he quickly grabbed a pair of trimmer scissors.
Without hesitation, the elderly man moved the scissors’ blade. The cut canary’s fine feathers were scattered around the worktable.
He finished his task by trimming the other side of the wing and then releasing the bird.
The canary flailed its wings desperately, but it was unable to go far and fell slowly.
As if the bird couldn’t believe that it couldn’t fly anymore, it attempted to flap several times more, but the result remained the same the whole time.
Matthias, who leaned there watching, reached over and scooped up the shivering yellow bird at the end of the flower bed.
“Master, a canary is not easily tamed. The bird must get used to the clipping over time.”
The canary that had been stuck in his hands began to struggle and chirp. But it sounded more like a cry than a melody. So Matthias handed the bird back to the zookeeper.
“Would you like to try cutting one, Miss?” The zookeeper stroked the bird gently to make it calm.
“I like to observe animals rather than tame them. Thank you for bringing an end to my inquisitiveness.”
Claudine respectfully declined and walked away.
“Let us go back to the tea-table right now.”
Claudine took the initiative this time and offered her hand first. Matthias’s memory once again flashed back to the beautiful, sculpture-like hand that had been soiled with dust and blood and then faded away.
“Bring that to my bedroom.”
Matthias made a spontaneous order to the old man before leaving the area with Claudine.
The zookeeper’s eyes narrowed in surprise as he heard the sudden request. “….. Yes, my Lord?”
“That bird.”
Matthias pointed to the bird with his thinly opened eyes.
“My canary.”
*.·:·.✧.·:·.*
Leyla made a single ponytail out of her combed blonde hair. She then put on an apron and didn’t forget to pick up her huge basket.
“I have to finish it soon.”
Leyla’s expression was grave as she muttered to herself. Lady Brandt had paid a visit to Arvis a few days before Duke Herhardt’s arrival.
As a consequence, Leyla was pressed for time. Before she ran into the Duke again. Or was summoned by Lady Brandt, she had to pick all the raspberries in the woods.
However, those two people were fortunately occupied as they seemed to be preparing to announce their marriage.
Leyla took a short walk into the woods while wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat. She found a bush of overgrown raspberries there.
There were always lots of fruits dropping on the ground and rotting away, no matter how much the people of Arvis and the forest animals picked and ate it.
Before midday, Leyla tirelessly trekked the forest and loaded her big basket. She felt rollicking, although her arms felt like they were going to crumble down owing to the heavyweight of the basket.
She placed her basket under the shadow of a tree and dashed for the water to rinse the fierce raspberry smell and color from her hands and face.
The garden of Herhardt and its valleys was encircled by the Schulter River.
The river’s curve looked beautiful from the central city, but the Arvis cemetery had the best view of that river.
Leyla dug into her apron for a handkerchief and wiped the water droplets off her face.
Over the season, that refreshing river contributed a lot to mitigate the scorching weather. She thought of dipping her feet into the river, but she quickly discarded the notion.
In her aunt’s house, where she first lived before being shipped out, Leyla had five older cousins who were always rough and rude to her.
One day, she had been dragged and thrown into a river by her cousins. Leyla might have been taken by the water spirit if her neighbor didn’t hear her scream and rescued her from drowning.
However, her cousins defended their behavior by claiming it was her initiative as a ritual ceremony stepped into their household.
Even though her cousins were at fault, Leyla was the one who was beaten by her drunk uncle that night. She was driven out and relocated to her next relative’s house in the next few weeks, with an excuse that they couldn’t take care of a child who took their kindness for granted.
Although it was unfair, Leyla wanted to see it as a positive because she thought her next relative’s house would be better for her.
The following house.
The next house after that.
Leyla wished for better care any time she was transferred from one place to another.
And when she eventually settled down at Uncle Bill’s cottage, she felt her sincere dreams had been granted.
So far, it has gone well.
Leyla turned around and walked under the shade of the tree. She stuffed the newspaper pinned to the basket’s corner into her apron pocket and started climbing it.
Uncle Bill had taught her that. So she knew how to, even though she wasn’t as fast and flexible as she used to be.
Leyla perched like a well-fitted chair on the tree branch.
Looking down, she was confident that the Schulter River was the most beautiful river on the earth.
Kyle, who had traveled to a variety of cities before, also agreed with her. So Leyla believed her point of view had been validated by credible evidence.
Summer was, without a doubt, one of the most paradisal seasons of the year.
As the fresh scent of the river permeated through her nose, she watched the water birds hunting for food from the high tree.
Leyla took the newspaper from her apron pocket. She flipped to the mystery serial novel section with a focused look on her eyes. In this episode, the main detective was about to reveal the murderer by his brilliant analysis.
Leyla began to read the novel with zeal when Matthias suddenly raised his face from under the water’s surface.
His fit, naked body was displayed over the river water. His distinctive Adam’s apple went up and down to the beat of his rapid breathing.
Matthias had changed his mind and started swimming in the reverse direction of the stream just as he was about to return to his mansion.
Matthias enjoyed the Schulter River and the Arvis forest so much. He moved to the building next to the dock, where he could have a panoramic view of the whole scene from his small annex.
Matthias’s grandmother and mother never walked by the riverside. That’s why that place was like Matthias’s private world.
When there were no guests at the mansion, Matthias often visited the annex. Just to blankly stare at the landscape beyond the window, read a book, or even take a nap if he was bored.
It’s the most enjoyable place to do things.
Of course, his favorite thing to do, just as now, was to sink his body into the river.
Matthias looked up at the horizon obscured by the green branches when floating in the water.
The sound of swaying leaves and rippling water, as well as the birds’ chirp, they were both roiled by the gentle breeze.
The mansion had been noisy over the previous few days, so it was only today that he could deeply feel the river’s calmness.
The negotiation process for the marriage deal that Herhardt and the Brandt family were about to sign had gone smoothly.
His engagement to Claudine was scheduled to be confirmed by the end of the summer if nothing surprising happened.
Matthias agreed to a year-long engagement. He didn’t have to keep his job as an officer if he earned enough honor as the Duke of Arvis.
Moreover, he was at the most suitable time to discharge from the military and marry after serving about one or two years in the military division. So, after the wedding, he planned to devote his whole attention to his family’s business.
It was a life where he would glide along like a steady, calm stream.
With his eyes closed, Matthias surrendered his body to the river. Bright sunlight, melting water, and the sound of swirls breaking down in his ears seemed to be all that existed in his world.
But his utter peace was broken the second he opened his eyes again.
There’s a woman sitting on the limbs of the sturdy tree by the river.
Matthias recognized the woman’s features before he had a chance to blink his eyes.
At that exact moment, the woman who folded up her newspaper she was reading turned her head towards him.