Cry, Or Better Yet Beg
chapter 6

There are always small meetings scheduled at the Herhardt family home every summer. But this year, everyone knows that Claudine von Brandt did not visit Arvis just for that simple reason.

The meeting was made for both families to pre-negotiate and enhance the friendship between the various parties before announcing the engagement to the public. The purpose of the meeting between the two families was clear and neither side was trying to hide it. Especially Claudine.

“Halo, Duke Herhardt.”

Claudine greeted Matthias with courtesy. The cousin standing in front of Matthias had grown into a civilized woman. He could barely see the trace of the short and crybaby girl.

“Welcome, Miss Brandt.”

Matthias also officially welcomed back Claudine.

The two gracefully smiled at each other.

Nothing new happened between the two. Although they were not very close or familiar, they had met for a long time, so they both knew: how aristocratic Matthias von Herhardt and Claudine von Brandt were. And that's the biggest and most obvious reason why they chose each other.

Matthias skillfully escorted Claudine. Elysse von Herhardt had ordered his servants to prepare their afternoon tea in a glass greenhouse connected to the back of the mansion. It was one way to show Elysse's concern for Claudine because she loved greenhouses.

“This glass house is always beautiful every time I visit. It was as if Duchess Elysse had moved heaven here.”

Claudine, who drank the tea without a sound, happily praised. She spoke cheerfully, yet calmly like a polite woman.

“I have spent a lot of time decorating this place. I can't wait to pass it on to the hostess who knows its value.”

Elysse von Herhardt replied in a soft voice. Countess Brandt looked at her daughter with a proud and emotional gaze. Claudine smiled moderately and shyly.

“Matthias, take Claudine around Arvis.” paradise

Elysse von Herhardt whispered at the end of their tea. Full-scale negotiations seem to have begun.

As Matthias extended his hand, Claudine gently placed her hand that was sheathed with translucent lace on top of Matthias' hand. The sudden image of a pale white hand, covered in dust and blood, reappeared briefly on Matthias' head and then disappeared.

The two walked along the road while conversing on a moderate topic. A stream of water slowly flowed from the marble fountain that adorned the center of the greenhouse. The screams of birds chirping melted the mood of a lethargic afternoon.

Claudine secretly glanced at Matthias. Although he always smiled peacefully, it was hard to read his true emotions. And his attitude towards the world.

He was a man of perfect politeness but he was also an arrogant man who had never prostrated to anyone in his entire life. He's a pretty interesting subject to observe, according to Claudine.

“Birds in this greenhouse are very beautiful.”

Claudine was amazed at the colorful birds perched on the branches. Matthias was only now aware of the existence of these birds in the glass greenhouse.

Arvis' current hostess, Elysse von Herhardt, loved birds as much as he loved roses. Just like the gardener who is in charge of planting roses, the zookeeper is also in charge of caring for birds in the greenhouse. The role of Elysse is simply to enjoy the scenery.

This is how Elysse von Herhardt saw his beautiful world.

Enjoy the work that others have done for her.

“I don't believe it. This one is very obedient. What's your secret?”

Claudine asked with a smile looking at the little bird that perched in her hand.

Matthias casually looked around. The birds in this greenhouse turned out to be very docile. Although the windows were wide open, the birds did not dare to fly. They continued to sing beautifully in a quiet environment.

Matthias watched the parrot walk over his perch and the Bengal finch sang in Claudine's hand. He then focused his attention on the grey-haired zookeeper. The zookeeper slowly walked in front of Claudine and replied.

“I cut off his wings, Miss. Then, they could not fly or escape so they became submissive. If I let his wings not be cut off, I will not be able to tame him.”

"Wings? Wouldn't that hurt them?”

“I just cut off the fur so as not to feel pain. This is actually good for birds as it will prevent them from flying to dangerous places and getting injured by accident. Do you want me to demonstrate it?”

“Is it okay, Mr Herhardt?”

Claudine asked with sparkling eyes.

“Terupon You, Mistress.”

When Matthias is willing to give his permission, the zookeeper escorts them to a large enclosure located at the end of the greenhouse. There are birds whose wings have not been cut off.

The zookeeper took out a beautiful yellowish bird among the flock and approached the work desk.

“What kind of bird is it?”

Matthias asked while watching the bird.

“That's a canary, sir. Birds that sing beautifully.”

The zoo keeper answered briefly while closing the bird's eyes with a small handkerchief and then spread his wings with his left hand. The zoo keeper quickly picked up the sharp scissors with the rest of his hands.

The zoo keeper moved his scissor blade without hesitation. Cut wing feathers scattered on the workbench. He finished his work by cutting off the other side of the wing and leaving the bird free.1

The bird flapped its wings desperately, but did not fly far away and slowly sank. As if the bird could not deny the fact that it could not fly anymore, it tried to fly a few more times, but the result remained the same.

While watching, Matthias leaned his waist forward and picked up the breathless yellow bird that was resting at the end of the flower bed. The little bird trapped in his grasp began to thrash and chirp, but his chirping sounded more like a scream than a song.

“It is not easy to tame, sir. It takes time for the bird to get used to the clipping.”

Matthias handed the bird over to the zookeeper.

“Do you want to try taming it, Miss?”

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The zoo keeper gently stroked the bird to calm it down.

“I'm interested in observing animals, not taming them. Thank you for resolving my curiosity.”

Claudine politely declined and turned around.

“Come back to tea table now.”

This time, Claudine extended her hand first. Memories of beautiful hands like a dirty statue with dust and blood appeared briefly in Matthias' mind once again and then disappeared.

Before leaving the area with Claudine, Matthias left an impulsive order.

"….. Pardon?"

The eyes of the zoo keeper widened upon hearing that unexpected remark.

“The cage.”1

Matthias pointed at the bird with his eyes open thinly.

“My.”

Leyla neatly tied up her blonde hair that was combed into one ponytail. After which, he put on an apron and did not forget to take his big basket.

“I'll end this.”

Leyla's face, as she muttered to herself, was quite serious.

In addition to Duke Herhardt's arrival, Lady Brandt also visited Arvis a few days ago. As a result, Leyla was in a hurry. He must gather all the raspberries in the forest before he meets the Duke or before he is summoned by Lady Brandt. Fortunately, both are busy. Looks like they are getting ready to announce their engagement to the public.

Wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, Leyla stepped swiftly towards the forest. There, he found a thriving raspberry bush. No matter how hard the people of Arvis and the forest animals worked and ate, there were still many fruits that fell to the floor and rotted.

The diligent Leyla wandered around the forest, filling the baskets before noon. Although she felt her arms would be loose due to the heavy weight of the basket, she felt light.

Leyla threw her basket into the shade of the tree. He then quickly headed to the river to remove any traces of the pungent raspberry scent and color from his hands and face.

The Schulter River encloses Herhardt's garden and its valley. The river looks beautiful from the city center, but the place where the Schulter River looks best is at the Arvis cemetery.

Leyla took out a handkerchief from her apron and wiped away the water droplets that had soaked her face. The refreshing river plays a big role in cooling the scorching weather during the summer. Leyla thought of dipping her feet into the river but she then shook her head.

There are five older cousins from Leyla at her aunt's house, where she first lived before being sent out. Everyone is rude and naughty. One day, his cousin dragged Leyla into the river. They justified themselves by declaring that it was his initiation ceremony into the household. If it wasn't for her neighbor who saved her after hearing her scream, Leyla would have been carried away by the water ghost.

Though her cousin was guilty, it was Leyla who was beaten that night by her drunken uncle. And within a few weeks, he was expelled and transferred to the next relative's house. They say they can't take care of a child who takes their kindness for granted.

Although unfair, Leyla decided to take it as a good thing because she was sure the next relative's house would be better for her.

Next house. The house after next. Every time he moved from one place to another, he hoped to get better treatment. She thought her earnest wish came true when she finally settled into Uncle Bill's cabin.

So everything's fine.

Leyla turned around and headed down the tree. He stuffed the newspaper taped to the corner of the basket into his apron pocket and started climbing up the tree. Although he was not as fast and nimble as before, he had his skills. He learned it from Uncle Bill.

Leyla sat comfortably on the tree branch like a fitting chair. He firmly believed the Schulter River was the most beautiful river in the world. Kyle, who was used to traveling to many cities, agreed to his words. Leyla considers her opinion to be an objective fact.

He watched the water birds foraging while the fresh scent of the river seeped into his nose. Summer is definitely a heavenly season.

Leyla, with a determined expression on her face, suddenly opened the newspaper from her apron pocket and opened the pages of the mystery serial novel. The detective, with his brilliant brain, was about to uncover the criminal through his deduction.

He began to read the novel.

It was only a short while later that Matthias emerged from the surface of the water.

His typical jakun moves up and down to the rhythm of his heavy breathing. The naked healthy body of the man was reflected in the stream.

As he was about to return home, Matthias changed his mind and started swimming towards the direction of the current.

Matthias, who loved the Schulter River and the Arvis forest, moved to the boathouse next to the pier, where he could see the whole scene in the mini pavilion. His grandmother and mother rarely walked near the riverbank so the place was Matthias' private world.

When no visitors stop by the mansion, Matthias often visits the pavilion to stare blankly at the view behind the window, read a book, or even take a nap if bored. It was the most comfortable place to do anything. Of course, the thing he liked the most was when he immersed his body into the river like now.

While lying in the water, Matthias looked up at the sky covered by green branches. The wind permeated the sound of the leaves swaying and the sound of water gurgling accompanied by the chirping of birds. He could feel the calmness of the river today as his mansion was noisy for the past few days.

The marriage negotiation contract that the Herhardt and Brandt families were about to sign went smoothly. If nothing strange comes up, her engagement to Claudine will be announced before the end of this summer.

Matthias agreed his engagement period lasted about a year.

If he had enough honor as Duke of Arvis, he would no longer need to maintain his position as an officer. After spending about a year or two in the military division, he was at the most opportune time to get out of the military and get married. He plans to focus all his attention on his family business after marriage.

It was a life that he would live like a stream of calm currents.

Matthias handed his body to the river while closing his eyes. The warm sunlight, the cold currents, and the rippling sounds that broke in his ears felt as if that was everything in his world. But the moment he opened his eyes again, his perfect peace was interrupted.

There was a woman sitting on a sturdy tree branch standing by the river. Before he could blink, Matthias immediately recognized the identity of the woman. At the same time, the woman who was folding the newspaper she was reading turned her head towards him.\+

That shitty woman, Leyla Lewellin.