Cry, Even Better if you Beg

✧Bring Her In✧

Even though the sun was sweltering hot, the place under the shade of the tree was refreshingly cool. Leyla sat down bundled in a blanket with her arms wrapped around her knees. Meanwhile, Bill and the other gardeners were busy digging up the wilting rose tree.
The roses in the garden behind the mansion seemed to be of varying kinds. The rose was said to be the Berg Empire’s national flower, as well as a favorite of the Duke’s mother and grandmother.

The little Leyla wandered around the cottage nervously after hearing another sound of a gunshot from the woods.  Uncle Bill had noticed her nervousness and wanted to take her to the garden with him. Only when the sound of gunfire faded away did her mind finally calm down.

‘Is it really okay for me to take a nap as Uncle Bill toils away in the hot sun?’
Bill drew an uneasy stare from Leyla. She let out a slight sigh as she slowly closed her eyes. But Bill had threatened her that he’d become angry if she helped him. He also told her that he despised children who refused to listen. So, she opted to wait for him until he finished his work, even though Leyla’s heart wasn’t at ease.
When she opened her eyes again with reluctance, Leyla was suddenly startled by an unfamiliar figure. In front of her stood a well-dressed teenage boy who seemed to be about Leyla’s age.

“Hello.”

As their gazes met, the good-looking boy with platinum blonde hair greeted her with a lovely smile.

“Do you live here?”

The fellow boy surveyed his surroundings and asked humbly.

“Yes. I live with uncle Bill.”

Leyla replied with her eyes squinted.

“Mr. Bill? Do you mean the scary gardener guy?”

“He’s not scary.”

“Really? He seems like a scary person to me.”

The boy sat down next to Leyla with a tilted head.

“And you? Do you live here too?”

The boy chuckled and shook his head when Leyla asked him cautiously.

“No.” He said. “I just followed my father. He’s the family doctor at the Herhardt household. He’s come to see Madam Norma for a medical checkup. I sometimes come here with my father. Madam Norma said she was okay.”

“I see.”

“How old are you?”

“Twelve.”

“Same. But you’re kinda tiny.”

The boy who was looking at Leyla started laughing and Leyla’s cheeks began to blush bright red with anger.

“You’re tiny too.”

“Well, I’m the tallest student in my class.”
To show his tall stature, the boy stretched out his body. Certainly, he seemed to be a couple of inches taller than his actual age.
“However… You’re still not as tall as uncle Bill.”
Leyla muttered to herself, causing the boy to giggle once more. He seemed to be a cheerful kid.

“Hey, finding a child or even an adult taller than Mr. Bill is impossible.”

“I’m not so sure about that.”

For no apparent reason, Leyla plucked at the grass growing near her blanket and her tiny fingers became soiled with a bluish-green color. She wished the boy would get up and leave immediately, but he showed no signs of doing so.

Leyla then shifted her attention to the peach poised on the blanket’s edge and asked the boy at the spur of the moment.

“Do you want some?”