From the previous several days, Leyla Lewellin's name was once again marching briskly through the tongues of Arvis's workers. This time, with a radically different narrative.
Now, the outline was; 'The gardener's cottage had been burgled.'
The news traveled fast around the Manor like a wildfire. The incident was met with people's doubts. Few believed a thief had the nerve to steal from Duke Herhardt's estate. Only until they saw a half-dazed Bill Remmer looking for the culprit did they believe the robbery really happened.
Matthias departed the Mansion at the peak of the clamor. The scheduled time had come, and he must leave now to avoid being late for lunch.
He wasn't the kind to chime in on gossipy talks, sensing something different upon passing the Arvis's driveway flanked by Platanus trees.
From the opposite side of the road, police officers on horseback were making their way toward the scene. Matthias didn't even have to make logical assumptions of where they were going since the route would lead them to the Arvis forest.
"They said a thief broke into the gardener's house."
The quick-witted aide answered first before Matthias could open his mouth to ask.
"At Bill Remmer's house?"
"Yes, he was in a big pickle since the funds he'd set aside for his daughter's College tuition were stolen."
Thief.
Tuition.
Leyla.
Matthias tilted his head to one side, elatedly repeating those three syllables.
Just as his vehicle exited the Platanus' shade, he recalled his unpleasant encounter with a strange man on the Schulter River this morning.
The guy introduced himself as Daniel Rayner, Mrs. Etman's cousin. He was in the neighborhood paying a visit to Etman's house and stopped by the Estate to congratulate Leyla.
His following few speeches were full of baloney; the investment firm he ran, the mining rights of overseas mines, the stock market, and other business-related matters. But most of them had been spilled and were now just a blot on Matthias' mind.
Matthias did, nevertheless, remembered a few details about the event. His wristwatch read nine o'clock in the morning when he met a middle-aged man drenched in sweat by the riverside.
It seemed strange for a well-heeled middle-class businessman to bother coming just to congratulate his cousin's future daughter-in-law at such an early hour.
Matthias, however, didn't mind it since it was irrelevant to him. He treated the thought as a passing interest until he overheard a ludicrous report of a burglar sneaking into the gardener's cottage.
But why?
As a civilized business person, sneaking into Arvis to steal the gardener's money seemed so wrong no matter how dire his financial circumstance was. If he were him, Matthias would instead steal from the house of his wealthy cousin sister.
"Linda Etman."
He was ready to quit on thinking such a nonsensical idea when he muttered that name without knowing.
After he inserted Linda Etman's name between that guy and Leyla, Matthias was able to draw a very plausible relationship line between the three of them.
He was just guessing. Yet, it was fascinating, how perfectly fit the jigsaw pieces were in place together.
The car finally reached their stop in front of the Hotel, where his appointment for the luncheon will take place. Before stepping out, Matthias issued a short order to his assistant.
"Evers…"
"Yes, Master."
"Find out about Daniel Rayner. ASAP."
The food on the dinner table was left nearly untouched, but it was hard to get up from the table where Bill and Kyle used to dine together.
Leyla, who was well aware of the cause, quietly cleaned the table.
Leaving his half-eaten plate, Bill Remmer went straight to the porch and lit up a cigarette. Since the thief broke in, the mood in their cottage had lost its thrill.
"It's all right, Leyla."
Kyle spoke cautiously as he helped her. Leyla's hardworking hands screeched to a pause, and she lifted her emerald eyes to meet his.
"That thief, I'm sure we can catch him."
"Even if we are unable to arrest him, don't fret about the tuition. My father said that he will also pay yours."
"Kyle."
"Don't try to say no. My father wanted to pay for it from the very beginning. But Uncle Bill was so stubborn that my father caved." Kyle firmly argued, "To get married means being family, Leyla. It's not about being in debt, it's about helping each other… Isn't that how families should be?"
Leyla lowered her gaze, stood still and finally nodded her head slowly. Her face had grown so gaunt in a matter of days, fueling Kyle with hatred for the robber who had despoiled the woodland's peacefulness.
"Anyway, just in case, let's just think about how to catch the thief first."
Kyle expressed his optimism by saying, even though he knew that the odds of catching the thief were very slim. Leyla gave a sliver smile.
"…Thanks, Kyle."
"Thank you? What did I do?"
"For everything…"
Once again, a grin crept on her lips, yet her smiling face caused Kyle's heart to feel heavy.
Kyle clearly remembered the tinge of happiness plastered on Leyla's face at the idea of coming to the Capital with Uncle Bill. Though Uncle Bill downplayed his trip by claiming it was to pay for her tuition, in truth, it was their very first Family Vacation.
Uncle Bill couldn't express his elation well, owing to his blunt personality, but undoubtedly, he was thrilled to go on a trip with Leyla, to the point that he teased her, and claimed that she would make an excellent guide for him since this would be her second visit to Ratz.
Places to visit, foods to try, and activities to do together were all must to do. Kyle almost got jealous at Uncle Bill witnessing how endearing was Leyla when she was talking with passion bad giddily with him.
But, the thief ruined everything.
Even if they could get the money back, Leyla and Uncle Bill couldn't go on a trip with such pleasure, and Kyle couldn't do anything about it.
Kyle shook off his boundless helplessness as he caught his breath and approached Bill who was sitting suddenly on the porch.
He cast a look at Kyle, who was seated next to him before he resumed heaving the cigar. Depression had been consuming him for the recent days. Inside him, a boiling hatred against the thief was brewing, to the point he devised hundreds of different methods to kill people.
After some silence, he spoke.
"It was all my fault."
His voice was choking.
"I left a lot of money at home, but didn't properly lock the door."
"You weren't at fault. Who would have thought someone would dare to steal in the Arvis Estate?"
"The payment deadline is next week, and I'm not sure if the thief will be caught before then."
"Don't worry about that. If there's no progress in catching the thief before then, my father said that he would pay Leyla's tuition as well. I've told Leyla about this."
Kyle's beaming face drove Bill Remmer's eyes to sink beyond a deep well.
"I will call the Police tomorrow. I will ask our Officer acquaintance to properly investigate this case."
"Thank you Kyle, I owe it all to your family."
"I feel bad to hear that, I haven't even paid half the price of the food I ate all this time."
At his witty, Bill could smile a bit, albeit, it was a weak smile.
"Please convey my gratitude to your parents. Ah no, please tell them I will pay them a visit once this matter is settled?" He squeezed Kyle's shoulder as he said so.
Kyle nodded, dissuading him from saying, 'You shouldn't.' He couldn't pinpoint why, but he had that unexplained feeling about Bill Remmer.
Kyle also didn't want to offend him in any way.
The Duke's manor had two study rooms.
The study on the second floor was a spacious, book-filled space that rivaled the scale of a public library. The second one, that was located at the end of the third floor next to the master bedroom, was less in size.
The library, that was loaded chiefly with history, politics, and economics books, had been used by Duke of Herhardt for generations as a place for receiving guests and conducting business meetings.
Similarly, Duke Matthias von Herhardt did.
Mark Evers, the Duke's aide, rushed off his feet to the third-floor office. He seemed in demand.
He had been Matthias's Assistant since he was fully fledged. But never once did the Duke give him orders in such haste like now.
All along, Matthias always presented him the image of an easy-going Master with an innately laid-back attitude. But soon, he realized. Perhaps, that was because nothing existed under the skies of the Berg Empire that could make Duke Herhardt chomp at the bit.* (To be very eager or impatient to do something)
Matthias von Herhardt was a man of influence.
He had it all.
And everything he did went as slick as a whistle.
Mark Evers deemed that his Master's generosity and kindness stemmed from there.
His calm-wolfish-predator persona led him to feel the air move slowly whenever he was around Matthias. It was Duke Herhardt, whom he was familiar with.
Hence, when Matthias added the term 'ASAP' to his order, Mark Evers briefly questioned his ears. After his brain processed hard, he quickly grew impatient and frantically began investigating Daniel Rayner.
"Master, this is Evers."
Mark Evers galloped to the Duke's Office on the third floor and knocked on the door. A light source glinted through the door plate, but no answer came from behind the closed jamb.
In other words, it meant 'Yes.'
He slowly threw open the door and entered the office. Matthias was sloping on the spacious leather sofa. It was a brisk night, yet he was still clad in formal attire from his previous meeting with a business partner.
"It's about Daniel Rayner, as you asked."
Mark Evers politely placed the file folder he was carrying on the table.
Matthias dropped his hand from his temple and took the document; he then started flipping the pages. His stance, attentively scanning the papers in his hands, was definitely that of the Duke Herhardt Mark Evers knew.
But the peace was short-lived, and Mark Evers was soon thrust into a direful scene.
Matthias busted a gut as he reached the last page of reading. He had no clue why misfortune was playing such a cruel joke on Daniel Rayner; enticed by foreign mining investment but duped, then detained and forced to give up his house as collateral, he invested a huge sum of money and ended up in Queer Street*. (T/N: In difficulty, typically by being in debt)
What a gut-wrenching loss!
"Daniel Rayner, it seems he has paid off all of his bank debt recently."
Matthias folded the document in his hand. One of his lips curled upward. His expressionless face was quite gentle, but when he giggled like it was entertaining, he portrayed an image of himself as a cold-hearted person.
"Yes, Master. I'd like to report it to you. He didn't pay off the whole balance, but it was big enough to save his house from being seized. It happened this afternoon, and therefore, I am unable to include it in the report."
"The amount of cash must come from Etman." said Matthias. He continued,
"Linda Etman."
Matthias spoke the name slowly and gave a Bronx cheer.
"So, what should I … ."
"Good job. Call Hessen."
Instead of responding, Matthias gave another command.
Although he looked puzzled, Mark Evers followed the call, and he didn't ask anything.