Cry, Or Better Yet Beg
chapter 63. Gorgeous

The drama that the lower-class students were playing had ended, which attracted the majority of the audience's attention and laughter. Everyone applauded as the children bowed on the stage with Miss Lewellin and they all walked off the stage to make way for the upper class students.

Every child immediately went to where his family was, those with older brothers had to stay and watch the rest of the show, while the other children had to go home to sleep, leave town hall with fewer spectators.

“We deeply apologize for Monica's behavior!” The little girl's parents repeatedly apologized to Leyla, who drove them to the train.

“Please, it's okay!” Leyla tried to convince them, “It is my duty as a teacher to always accompany them.”

“Stay, because Monica can not continue her game, then Miss Lewellin must refrain from being laughed at during the show.” interrupted Monica's grandmother.

Given the humiliation she had to endure, Leyla slightly flinched, effectively silencing Leyla and her apologizing parents. Finally they sat in their carriage, saying goodbye to Leyla. As soon as they were out of sight, Leyla heaved a sigh of relief.

“Nona Lewellin, can we have hot coffee?” Madame Grever immediately offered herself a friendly smile as she approached Leyla, and finally found her alone. Leyla flinched at her unexpected appearance, before shaking her head gently, smiling politely back.

“Oh, thank you, but I'm fine.” he assured, “I think I should take a break for a moment.”

“Oh well, it's understandable.” Mrs Grever agreed, before patting Leyla on the shoulder, squeezing her comfortably, “For whatever the value, I think you are a cute fairy, and I enjoy the game more because of you.”

Leyla giggled softly, “It didn't make me feel better.” she joked, and both of them laughed.

“I know it doesn't sound much better, but that's the reality.” Mrs Grever said, “Usually the nobles who attended this event rarely noticed, or even entertained, but you noticed it. You make them enjoy it, and not make it feel like a publicity stunt for them.” he sighed and squeezed both Leyla's hands this time, “So, you did an amazing job today.”

The words were meant to be comforting, and at other times Leyla might find comfort in them, but not in this case. He refrained from grimacing as he thought about someone who must be in the audience…

'Oh, I'm sure he's really amused there. Oh my God, he's desperate in his mind.

“Also because of you, the principal expects our donations will also increase. It also makes her very happy for you.” When he heard the name of the headmaster mentioned, Leyla could only groan.

“Ugh, I hate him so much now.” he sighed, before the two of them giggled once again. They both knew how arrogant the headmaster was when he wanted to be. Leyla then proceeded to tell Ms. Grever, that he will be fine, encourages his wife to go back inside ahead of him.

Satisfied that no one had tried to approach or talk to her, Leyla began to trudge through the park located right behind the town hall. He needs time for himself. Each of his breaths felt as if he was leaving behind a portion of his soul as he embraced the cold of the night air.

The park is completely deserted from anyone. He sat on one of the nearby benches and carefully removed his shoes.

'What have I done?' he thought while rubbing his sore leg. A white puff of air shot out as he leaned his head back to look at the night sky. He took a deep breath as he did so…

He was surprised he was still alive after that humiliating show. There was something piling up inside him, threatening to explode!

“AAAAHHHH!” he shouted into the open air, letting his breath whiten as if it was carrying his soul with him.

Matthias found Leyla right where he was expecting.

He had already predicted that after being humiliated like that, he would run to a secluded place. Besides, she had been wearing high heels tonight, she would not go far and look for a place to sit. Plus the fact that he was a bit of a coward, he would stay in a well-lit place, and remain nearby despite being in seclusion. That might just be a park right behind the town hall.

And indeed he was there, sitting while gazing at the night sky, seemingly deep in thought. He was barefoot, his heels hung on his fingertips. He was sitting on a bench near a big tree, with a street light lit right next to him.

He walked slowly with steady steps, his footsteps barely silent in the silent night and stopped as his shadow loomed over his unsuspecting figure. “I wish you were here.” he announced, making him gasp in surprise.

Leyla turned her head, her eyes widening as she saw the man within one arm.

“Ba-how are you-” he stuttered, staring at him before his eyes looked around the two of them in panic. Immediately he grabbed both of his heels tightly before hurriedly putting them back on, recalling the moment his shoes were snatched from him.

Matthias found himself grinning looking at the look of caution on his face. He looked down, staring intently at his shoes, which he tightened at his feet, he hummed as he stepped closer.

“You think it'll make me stop taking your shoes?” she asked him in a seductive tone. Leyla only sighed, before locking the final rope safely and jumping from her seat, looking a little relieved she managed to pair it back up completely.

Looking at him now, it seemed like he did not need to worry too much if his injuries were still bothering him. They seemed to have recovered well, judging by how fast he was moving compared to before.

“Don't log into my account.” Matthias tried to convince him to sit back, but he shook his head, now standing right beside the streetlight.

“No, thank you, I've had enough of a seat.” Leyla politely declined. Matthias' eyes narrowed for a moment, before suppressing his frustration at his resistance. The streetlight shone on him like a stage light some time ago.

It was also not a bad sight, as he continued to stare at her with great appreciation.

“You should have been an actress rather than a teacher, Leyla,” she showed with a big smile, “I've never seen such an actress who is able to make so many people laugh so much in one sitting.” she praises.

Leyla's arms hugged her tightly, her hands clutched tightly as she bit her lips and lowered her head to the ground firmly. He swallowed his pride before trying to reply to her politely…

“Y-yes, my acting is quite awkward, isn't it?” he laughed nervously, trying to convey it nonchalantly.

'Even that might be the reason you're looking for me tonight, right?' he thought in a scornful tone, but refused to voice it.

“Hm, earlier, just a little,” he chuckled, his eyes watching as his body began to tremble due to the continued embarrassment even though their game was over. Leyla began to move nervously before finally finding the strength to move.

“Then, I have to leave now, Duke.” he started to stay away..

"It's so pretty." Matthias sneaked out, making Leyla freeze and look at him in shock. Her face flushed red from the cold because of the unexpected praise the man had given her. He held his gaze as he struggled to find an answer…

'Should I say thank you? No, this is too ridiculous! Not the Duke at all? He bit his lower lip completely as he struggled to find the right words, writhing under his observation.

'Should I just go? But he'll keep coming after me!'

He could feel the way his eyes traced all over his body. From her flushed cheeks, to her pale neck, to the dazzling emerald necklace that adorned her neck. He watched as his lips expanded into a happy smile, the more he looked at her, his eyes fixated on her necklace.

“U-uncle Bill bought it for me.” Leyla finally said, be careful to keep some distance between them. Maybe he didn't speak specifically about her, but her clothes, or maybe her necklace! Yeah right, she must be talking about her necklace.

'I also got some compliments earlier about my necklace.' he added after thinking. He hummed, before raising his gaze back into his eyes, noticing his reaction.

"Do you like it?" he asked, making her blink.

"What?"

“That necklace,” Matthias pointed back down before looking back into her necklace, “Do you like it?”

Wrinkles adorned his face, he was confused as to why it was important.

And his laughter sounded soft, like his voice, yet soft and tender in the ear.

He looked at her with a cautious attitude, wary of the new side he was showing her. Finally he stopped laughing, before looking into his eyes once more. There was tension between them as the two of them stared at each other…

The silence between the two broke when suddenly a chirp sounded, and a bird flew away from the branch of a tree near them. Leyla was startled, screaming at the sudden disturbance and she turned around in alarm, just in time to watch the bird fly by at night.

He knew he had to get away from her before they were seen together. Unfortunately his legs twisted awkwardly as he turned to move away from the unexpected disturbance.

Leyla tried to get herself back into a balanced position, but Matthias quickly grabbed her waist, and pulled her all the way to her body.

"Aah!" as the man turned his back, their chests clung to each other as the man pushed him back into the cold steel of the lamp. He was looming, tall and sturdy, above him, his eyes glittering dangerously.

“I-I'll scream for help.” she gently threatens, her breath quivering in fear. Leyla could feel tears welling up on her eyelids as she pushed her palms against the man's chest in an attempt to keep him away from her.

"Do what you want." she challenged him, her eyes still gently admired him without hesitation. Matthias cupped his face with one hand, fixedly staring at him. “Where do you hide it?” he asked her as she struggled.

Leyla frowned as she looked at him.

"Hidden? Whatchu mean? Hide what?” his voice trembled as he tried to push her away with all his might. Her eyes looked at him curiously, not understanding what she wanted to know from him this time. Matthias continued to look at him, before sighing in disappointment.

He thought he would catch a glimpse of that feeling again, but unfortunately, he was wrong because the feeling disappeared too quickly this time. Which is frustrating because her pretty face is enough to erase her growing desire.

He lowered his hand slowly, gently stroking his cheek, touching the back of his knuckle to his jaw, before placing his open palm around his slender neck. His fingers carefully wrapped around the necklace, his fingertips touching the pearl of the necklace as he gulped towards it nervously.

He could feel his throat rising down as he swallowed. He's very sensitive here…

It was easy to leave marks all over his body. A slight pressure on his neck might have been enough to make his hand leave a mark on that pale skin. Or maybe he should kiss her deep enough to leave a mark for days?

'How easy it is, from the top of his head to the tip of his toe, to leave my marks all over his body.' he thought, fascinated by his pale skin, 'Then everyone will know he is mine, only mine. .'

He could do that to her, but finally decided not to do it while sighing sadly again. Finally, Matthias pulled her hand from her neck, making Leyla breathe a sigh of relief, before she stuck it back to her cheek once more.

His fingers touched his lips, rubbing his warm moisture.

'If I touch you there*, will they feel the same way too?' he wondered in a loud voice. Leyla opened her mouth to protest, but Matthias had already put a finger into her mouth, dampening her resistance.

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

And with all her strength, Leyla bit the man's finger. Strenuous.

But Matthias just laughed seeing such a weak power. He barely even felt it now that his fingers were already so deep inside his mouth. He smiled at his feeble attempts to gain freedom.

“You have to bite harder, Leyla.” she muses while watching the way her teeth meet her skin. “More difficult than that, and then I will feel the pain.” she whispered to him, her warm breath hitting her face.

The only thought that came to Leyla's mind other than anger, was how crazy the Duke was.

'He's crazy!'

He was surprised by the way Matthias grinned at him so he could feel his anger surging.

So he's relaxed. He knew that no matter how hard he tried to hurt her, he would not back down.

Seeing him calm down, Matthias gave him a triumphant grin before pulling his fingers out of his mouth, before he stroked his lips with his wet fingers.

'If I kiss you, surely you will protest once more.' he thought as he rubbed his luxurious lips. It's also an easy thing to do. He now knew how to quickly quell any form of resistance from Leyla.

How easy it was for him to satisfy his lust and greed like he had done before. However, he found himself unable to do so as he stared towards the woman who was trapped in his arms. So willing, and so obedient that his hand now rests only on the man's chest, neither pushing nor hitting him away from him.

He thought about the dream moment that had passed and the joy that he felt.

He lowered his hand once more, putting it on his neck as he stroked the pale skin again. He found himself at a loss as to what to do at the moment. Unknowingly, he swallowed his mouth dry.

'Fuckers.' he thought, a curse threatening to come out of his lips. He found himself clenching and releasing his other fist, before this time raising both of his hands to cupper Leyla's face.

Sighing softly, Matthias finally pulled away, letting go. Leyla felt confused about it, though she was completely relieved to be free from the man as the man took a step back from her.

Matthias thought he had escaped by now, but he remained glued to his spot, flashing towards him in a daze as he frowned while thinking hard. They remained that way for quite some time, Matthias was content to observe him through it all.

As Leyla pondered the man's strangeness tonight, she didn't notice when something cold and wet slightly disturbed her gaze, making her blink in surprise. He raised his head, leaning his head back to look up at the sky, Matthias followed him.

The first snow finally arrived.

By the time the second half of the show was over, the night was already getting darker, and the audience immediately started to leave it. The organisers were busy cleaning up the venue and the last few minutes were checking if everything was okay.

Leyla had just finished, collecting her last items before assuming she was done for the day. His legs trembled as he walked past his comrades, saying goodbye to them as he quickly walked through the hall.

The heels she wore were painful on her soles, it was best that she took them off once she boarded the bus or postal train past Arvis. He immediately checked the time, realizing that it would not be long before the last transport would depart. He sped up his pace, wanting to catch up on the last trip home.

“Excuse me, Miss Lewellin!” calling someone from behind him. Surprised, he immediately turned around, heading towards the town hall, where he heard his name called. He recognized that voice.

“Ah, Mr Pat!” he called out when he saw who called out to him. Mr. Pat is a friend of Uncle Bill, he is also known as the coachman of Arvis. He waved at her with quick steps, before stopping right in front of her.

“I'm sorry for the delay of this notice, but you have been invited to come with us.” he said to her, pointing to the nearest coach. Not wrong again, Herhardt's household carriage was parked at the spot he was pointing at.

Leyla reflexively began to decline, shaking her head as she looked at the emblem imprinted on the side of the carriage.

“Oh please, it's not necessary-”

“Mrs Norma insists, Miss Leyla.” Mr. Pat said kindly, stopping Leyla in surprise.

“Mrs insist because you will also go home to Arvis, you can drive with both houses Herhardt tonight.” Mr. Pat finished speaking while once again gesturing for Leyla to come with them.