The Maid and The Usurper - Chapter 38
“What?”
Layla quickly counted the days on her fingers, her eyes widening in realization.
“I can’t believe you forgot your own birthday.”
“It’s just that I’ve been busy. Usually, my mom would fill the house with lilacs around this time, so I’d get a sense of it. But this year, with none of that, I just forgot.”
As she made a feeble excuse, Layla buried her face in the bouquet. The rich scent of lilacs tickled her nose.
“Thank you for the flowers.”
“And what about the clothes? You’re only thanking me for the flowers?”
“…Thank you for the clothes too.”
Leopold seemed unaware of her true feelings. Layla pretended to inhale the flower’s fragrance, burying her face in the bouquet. She needed to hide the blush rising to her cheeks.
‘In Esselbach, there’s a tradition that the kind of flowers given on one’s birthday holds a message from the giver, Layla.’
The words of a tavern owner from Esselbach echoed in her mind. Layla stole a glance at Leopold’s composed profile. His dark hair gently fluffed in the soft spring breeze.
“What is it, Layla? Are you that moved by the flowers?”
He tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand the situation. As usual, Layla quietly concealed her feelings.
The lilac’s meaning was first love.
* * *
The Rhineland summer villa was a small estate nestled by the lakeside, covered in ivy and tended by an elderly butler. The villa was challenging to maintain on his own, so dust had settled in various corners of the house.
“Layla, it looks like this place needs some dusting too,” the head maid said.
“Yes, I’ll get right to it.”
Layla brushed the dust off the railings and peered out the window. The corners of her mouth twitched upward at the sight of the sparkling blue lake. Despite her efforts to appear more mature and less like a country girl, she couldn’t quite manage to control her expression.
“What? Is this your first time seeing a lake, Layla?” the head maid asked, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Yes? It is my first time!” Layla eagerly nodded, her excitement making her seem like a child rather than the composed young woman she usually tried to be. The head maid couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of this usually serious girl finally acting her age.
“You’ve lived in the convent for too long. Now that you’re out, make sure to travel around a lot.”
“Yes.”
Layla nodded with a big smile. Instead of berating Layla for her joy, the stern Lady Wegener gently patted her on the head.
“This is the time in your life when you should be happy. You’ve worked hard looking after the Count, so make sure to enjoy yourself while you’re here.”
Lady Wegener readily supported Leopold’s suggestion, perhaps thinking it was the kind gesture a generous master would do for his servants. On a day like today, overthinking things felt stifling, so she decided to let it go.
“Thank you, Lady Wegener.”
A loud noise sounded from beyond Lady Wegener. The head maid, Lady Wegener, and Layla all turned in surprise toward the source of the sound.
“What was that?”
Layla, still young and fearless, poked her head through the crack in the door. The room was empty, except for a bucket rolling down the hall.
“Is there a cat living here, perhaps? It seems like a cat might have knocked it over by accident.”
“A cat? The butler hates fur, so he wouldn’t keep a cat here.”
The head maid shook her head. Layla, feeling goosebumps rise on her arms, asked the head maid and Lady Wegener with a frightened expression.
“Then could it be a ghost…?”
“I’ve never heard any rumors about this villa being haunted. Most likely, as you said, some small creature, like a rat, accidentally knocked something over.”
Lady Wegener concluded firmly. Despite the straightforward explanation, Layla still felt a chill and rubbed her arms nervously.
* * *
The lakeside was as clear and sapphire-blue as it had been when he visited with his mother as a child. Kneeling with his chin resting on his hands, he watched the water.
“Yes, this is my first time seeing it!”
The voice that slipped through the crack in the door made him instinctively hide in the shadows. In the dim light of the villa, the only brightness came from one source: Layla, who was laughing with such joy.
“She doesn’t laugh like that in front of me.”
Lady Wegener, despite her unease, could still coax that laughter from Layla, yet she rarely laughed so freely in his presence. Although her lively expression remained, he found himself longing for just a little more—perhaps just one genuine laugh. He often thought it foolish to cling to such a small thing, yet seeing Layla’s radiant laughter made him feel truly happy.
