It must have been quite some time since noon, but no one approached her or pretended to know her. After another ten minutes or so, Leila, who had been tense and nervous, was finally exhausted.
She sat down on an empty bench. It was then.
“I am sorry for sending you a rude letter.”
Leila was startled by the sudden voice. Her body shook. But then she quickly turned her head towards the sound.
“I would like to apologize first before conveying the matter.”
The first thing she noticed was the shabby eyepatch.
The next thing she noticed was that the owner of the eye patch was a man with brown hair.
He looked tall and robust. At the moment he was hunched over with his elbows on his thighs. Leila cringed without realizing it.
“And thank you. Thank you for coming out on this impolite matter,” The man’s words continued.
At first, his appearance was not very appealing because of his messy brown hair.
But as time passed, the features visible through his hair became clear enough to tell that he was very handsome. For some reason, Leila felt she was familiar with him.
“Who are you? And how did you know? No, why did you send me such a letter?”
Leila, who glanced at the man while he was speaking, spoke quickly.
“I will tell you one by one. First of all, I am from an aristocratic family.”
Only then did Leila know why she thought she was familiar with this stranger.
She had been following her parents in and out of social circles since her childhood.
Her mother married a commoner, but since her maternal family was originally a noble family, she was acquainted with several ladies.
Thanks to that, Leila often attended big and small parties, and she was able to get acquainted with many aristocrats.
Judging from the man’s outer appearance, he didn’t look like it, but his gait was that of a nobleman.
Leila thought he didn’t look that much older from her, and that she could’ve met him once in the past.
No, they might have met quite a few times, given that she thought he was familiar.
“From which noble family are you?”
However, it was not familiar enough to quickly identify this man’s identity.
“Sorry. I can’t tell you that.”
It wasn’t a question she thought she’d get an answer to, but it didn’t feel good, nonetheless.
He would have visited her house politely if he ever had the thought of letting her know.
“So why did you go snooping around people’s backgrounds?”
Even with that thought, sharp words came out of her mouth.
Leila deserved to get angry about her privacy being invaded.
But she wasn’t just full of anger in her words.
Purpose. She had to know the purpose of this person.
At least if this person is a sane person, there must be a reason for taking this approach.
Unless it’s just a madman trying to torment her.
“I’ll help you get to the Kingdom of Sronakia.”
At the man’s words, Leila grabbed the hem of her dress tightly.
‘Was I under surveillance?’
‘Since when? What is the purpose of sending me there?’
“You can also go somewhere else if you want to. No matter where your destination is, we’re here to help. If you want to settle down, we’ll help you with that too.”
Leila bit her lip, looking down at her own pale white hands and the crumpled hem of her dress.
“Of course, you shouldn’t tell the Marquis. All you have to do is keep this a secret.”
The man’s words continued.
‘Is he the Marquis’ wife’s person?’
Of course, the only person who wants the woman who has a child of the Marquis to leave must be the Marquis’ wife.
‘I should say thank you for this.’
A laugh that is like a sob came out of Leila’s mouth.
The man who was sitting a little away from her, turned his head in bewilderment.
But Leila, who was preoccupied with her thoughts, did not notice it.
She didn’t threaten her, didn’t make a fuss, didn’t kick her out blindly.
As if Leila’s not worth dealing with like this, she just sent someone to help her go somewhere else.
It was so shameful to be at the grace of the noble lady who was an elegant and dignified princess.
“Can I just keep it a secret from the Marquis and leave quietly and live with my mouth shut?”
Leila asked with her head bowed.
“Without revealing who this child’s father is all his life.”
She wanted to leave this position of a mistress, give up her life as a mistress, to rise again from her foolishness, to end everything.
That’s why she’s still hesitant to raise the child with her own hands.
Because this child was the best proof that she was nothing more than Theon’s mistress.
If she leaves with the help of the Marquis’ wife, she will not be able to finish everything.
With someone watching, she will constantly remember that she’s just a mistress in hiding. She knew that, but she couldn’t reject this offer.
“Is there anything else you want?”
Because it was the most generous and merciful offer she could ever receive.
Leila slowly lowered her head, and the man quickly turned his head.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
This time, Leila turned her head towards the man.
If she had been a little faster, she would have been able to see the man’s face head-on, but unfortunately, the man’s actions were faster.
“The reason we are here to help you is… ”
The man muffled his speech.
In an instant, fifty thousand thoughts ran through Leila’s mind.
If his interest is not from the Marquis’ wife, then why would he want to help her without revealing his name?
Perhaps it’s pure help. Perhaps it was her acquaintance or her parents’ acquaintance who knew her.
In the past, they couldn’t help her, but they constantly monitor Leila’s well-being and reach out when she needs help the most.
“For a deal.”
Leila was dazed. ‘So that wasn’t like that after all?’
‘Wait, a deal?’
A deal is exchanging what each other needs.
But Leila had nothing.
“… With what?”
As she asked, her chin trembled slightly. Those deep and beautiful blue eyes resembling a lake were filled with fear.
The dark memories of her past crawled from far away to the square and tickled her toes.
There was only one thing she had in the past, and still is now.
And in the past, she had received such shameful deals because of it.
The man’s mouth was sweet. His Adam’s apple moved up and down several times, swallowing his saliva.
‘I have to tell Theon.’
In an instant, cold sweat drenched her whole body. Her heart was beating fast.
She couldn’t even think properly because of the cold creeping up her feet.
It felt like someone might grab her body at any moment.
Leila then remembers her only protector, Theon, as her fear overshadowed her resolve to leave his side.
She then struggled to move her trembling body to get up from her seat.
She had to run away.
“Your child. That’s what we want.”
The moment the man finished speaking, Leila had already stood up.
It had been difficult to stand up, but when she heard the absurd words, her body moved by itself.
She quickly walked away without looking behind.
What the hell is he talking about now? Sell the child? Does he mean to sell her child to buy her freedom?
‘…Nonsense.’
Her stomach is still flat, and the realization that there is life in this stomach hasn’t hit her yet.
She doesn’t want a child, and she’s hoping they will go away on their own.
She thought if she really had a child, why is there no such thing as motherhood?
Isn’t motherhood a basic element for women?
There must be something lacking in her.
That’s why she had the thought of sending the child somewhere else.
Is it true happiness for a child to grow up under a parent who denied the child’s existence and tried to kill them?
She doesn’t have the confidence to love. She doesn’t have the confidence to make them happy.
Looking at the child and remembering the past, she does not have the confidence not to hate the child.
If it’s a family like this, maybe it’ll be better to not have it at all.
Would leaving their side not make the child happier?
‘If it’s a life that must be born, I hope that at least they will be loved and grow up happily.’
For her who thinks like that, selling her child was something she could not have dared to imagine.
‘What is he going to do to the child? I don’t even know what his purpose is.’
If she can’t love or make them happy, what capacity would she have to sell this child to live her own life?
“I heard you wanted to get rid of it.”
The man blocked Leila’s way.
“Shut up and get out of the way.”
Leila looked at the chest of the man in front of her and spit out her words as if chewing them.
“We will never harm you or your child.”
Leila clenched her teeth and lifted her head.
There was no more fear in her eyes. There was only anger.
“…!”
But the moment she saw the man’s face before her, anger faded from Leila’s eyes.
Distress slowly filled her eyes.
“You will be able to live your life, and your child will be brought up in a wealthy and affluent environment.”
Despite Leila’s response, the man continued his words.
“As long as you keep it a secret, we can keep you informed about the child. We can even make you stay with the child for a while.”
Leila took a step back.
“If you can’t decide right now, I’ll give you time to think.”
“…”
“I’ll see you at this time tomorrow.”
Leila’s reaction was not normal, so the man soon realized that whatever he said was meaningless.
“One piece of advice, please don’t tell anyone else.”
He leaned back, then slowly backed away before he disappeared among the people.
“… What the hell… is this.”
Leila, who was left alone, stuttered with a face as white as a blank sheet of paper.
She wondered about the man she just saw. Why is he here?
No, it was certainly not him. It wasn’t like him, but…
‘Harsian…’
That man was very similar to Duke Harsian Khan Serios.