1 Chapter -1 : A delivered girl

The girl showed up one early-spring day , riding in the mail coach . It was a late afternoon, and Bill Remmer was busy planting rose seedlings .

"Are you Mr. Bill Remmer ?" the girl asked coutiously . Bill stared back at her in a daze . Her pronunciation was very smooth , but there was something off about her accent .

"Yeah , I'm Bill Remmer ," he replied .

The girl watched as Bill brushed the dirt off his hands and took off his Straw hat . She flinched when she saw his tab face , no longer obscured by the shadow from the wide brim of his hat .

The reaction was nothing new to Bill . Most people reacted similarly when first seeing his rugged feature and large build .

"Who are you ?" he asked , frowning . The frown made him look even more threatening .

"Hello , Uncle Bill . My name is Layla Llewellyn . I come from Lovita ." She spoke clearly and slowly .

Lovita....

Bill now realized why she spoke with a strange accent . "Did you cross the border and come all the way to Berg by yourself ?"

"Yes , I took the train ," she replied . Smiling awkwardly , she straightened her posture to an unnatural degree .

The mailman who had brought her walked up to them . "Ah , I see she's already met you , Mr. Remmer ."

"Good timing ," Bill replied . "Why did you bring her here ?"

"I saw her walking with her luggage all alone in front of train station . I asked her where she was headed , and she said she was on her way to find Mr. Bill Remmer , the gardener for the Herhardt family . I was on my way here to deliver mail anyway . So , I brought her along ," the mail man replied with a smile . Hi then handed Bill a letter . The envelope showed that the letter was from distant relatives of Bill's who lived in the neighbouring country of Lovita .

Bill immediately tore open the envelope and started reading the letter . It told the story of a orphaned child who had been taken in by a series of relatives , all of whom were too poor to able to fostering her . The child's name was Layla Llewellyn . Thus , it seemed that the little girl standing in front of him was the orphan mentioned in the letter . He let out a bewildered chuckle and grumbled ."Damn people . This news sure travelled fast ."

None of this little orphan's relatives in Lovita could foster her . Even though Bill was distantly related to her , his circumstance were better then any of theirs , so they had sent her to him . However , they had added that is his situation did not allow him to raise her , he could leave her at an orphanage .

"This people can drop dead . No matter what things were like , how could they send the little girl all the way here by herself ?" he muttered , crumpling up the letter and throwing it to the ground . Now that he had grasped the whole situation , his face grew red with anger . She had been passed from family to family like a hot potato , until there were no more families to take her in . Then , she had simply been handed the contact details of a distant relative living in a foreign country and Sent off across the border to him . It was like she was being banished from her home country.

Just then , the girl , who had been watching Bill quietly , said , "Excuse me , Uncle Bill . I'm not actually that young . I will be 12 in a few weeks ."she was being careful to speak in as mature a manner as she could , and had slightly raised her heels off the ground to make herself appear taller .

Even more bewildered then before , Bill late out another chuckle . She was so small ; he had first guessed her age to be around 10 . He was happy at least to learn that she was older than his guess .

Eventually , the male man who had delivered the troublesome girl left , leaving the two alone in the garden . Bill put his hand in hands and asked God for guidance . While he was technically related to the girls late father , he didn't see him over 20 years . To think , this daughter of a distant relative was left with him to raise her . This tiny little girl with the with widower Bill Remmer !

Although the early-Spring weather was still quit chilly , the girl was wearing only a flimsy outfit . She also looked thin as a rail . The only other aspects of her appearance that stood out were her big , green eyes , and her blonde hair , which looked like it was made of gold thread . Bill came to the firm conclusion that he could not take care of her . It then occurred to him that the only other option was to place her in an orphanage , the thought of which upset him just as much . He once again quietly cursed the relatives that has caused this mess. The girl flinched , but maintained a brave expression . However , she was unable to hide her quivering hands or her lip which had grown red because she had be chewing on it .

"Follow me ," he said , shaking his head as he started to walk . "Let's eat first and then I can think things through ." His curt words were carried away by the evening breeze . Layla , who had been standing in the same spot since she arrived , started following behind him . At first , she walked slowly and tentatively , but gradually her steps became light and joyful .

~~~~~~~~

"Is that all you're going to eat ?" Bill asked , frowning at the small portion the girl dished on to her plate .

"Yes , I only eat a little . Really ," she replied , smiling .

Bill grew slightly more frustrated then he already was . "Listen , kiddo , I hate kids with small appetites ."

The girl's eyes widened at this harsh comment. He had pulled up her sleeves , exposing her slender wrists to the light shining down from the table lamp .

"No matter what you're starved , you should eat lots , like a cow ," he said . His face grew more stern .

For a moment she started into space , blinking slowly as she considered his words . Then she took another piece of meat and slice of bread and placed them on her plate , then started sacrificing them them voraciously , making it seem like she had been quiet hungry after all . "maybe I can't quite it like a cow but I am a good eater , Uncle ,"she said , smiling at him with her breadcrum-covered lips .

"Yes , I can see that clearly now ," he replied , chuckling as he to a sip of liqueur . "Aren't you afraid of me ?" he then asked , intentionally making an intense grimace as he looked at her. However , she simply stared right back at him , not flinching or avoiding his gaze for a moment .

"Nope ," she replied . "You never yelled at me . You gave me all this delicious food . I'm grateful for those things . You seem like a good person ."

What kind of life she was leaving before this , that such simple things make her grateful ? He wondered . These gave him a bitter taste in his mouth , so he stood up and poured himself a large glass of beer . The letter has stated that the girl's mother had run away with another man , abandoning her daughter and her father . Her father had been so distraught by these that he became an alcoholic and ended up dying of alcohol poisoning . After that , the girl has been passed from relatives home to relatives home .

Pondering over all this , Bill realized that her life had been far from easy . Even so , he still thought it was out of the question for him to be the one to raise her .

As he swigged his beer , decided that he would make his decision by next week .

~~~~~~~

"Did everyone hear ? Bill Remmer , the gardener , has started taking care of a young girl ."

A young maid dashed into the lounge where the servants spent their leisure time . The servants who had been taking a break turned there attention to the young maid .

"A girl? Mr. Remmer ? It'd more reasonable if he choose to raise a lion or elephant instead ."

One of the servants made a snorting noise .

Bill Remmer , the Herhardt households gardener , was a man who possessed a natural talent for growing flowers . Despite his brusque temper , he had been able to keep his job as a gardener for the past 20 years , all thanks to his talent .

He was deeply trusted by Herhardt family . Specially Norma , the duchess. Because of her unique love for flowers , she understood and accepted Bill's gardening as well as tantrums . She also decided to give the gardener a cottage in the woods behind the manor house of Herhardt .

Life was easy for Bill Remmer .

He worked in the garden and returned to the cottage for a rest . Despite his time drinking with his fellow workers , he spent most of his time surrounded by flowers and trees . Even after his wife died , he never got attached to another woman .

The Bill Remmer raising a little girl ?

The servants who wear relaxing in the lounges came to an agreement that the rumour utter nonsense .

Until , one of the maid sitting by the window shouted , "oh my . It must be true ! Look over there ."

The maid pointed over the glass window with her eyes wide open . The servants all rushed to the window at the same time and their faces lit up with surprise . Bill Remmer was planting with his body hunched down on the other side of the garden , the rumoured petite girl was following in his footsteps .

As she churned along , the girl's golden hair , braided in a single strand , shook back and forth like a pendulum .

"I've still not decided ."

Bill repeatedly gave the same answer to any questions about the child .

"I can't leave her here , so l'll have to think about it ."

While Bill's thoughts went on through spring and into the summer , Layla Llewellyn became a permanent resident of the Herhardt estate .

The child's diligent stroll through the gardens and forests had already become a familiar scene for the Herhardt servants .

"I think she's grown a bit ." The Herhardt chef , Madam Mona , laughed as she started out the window . Layla was staring the grass and flowers behind the forest cottage that were just starting to bloom .

"She still has a long way to go . She's still smaller than average girls ."

"Bill Remmer , take a look at her . Kids are not the as your plants . They aren't going to grow in a day or two ." Madam Mona lowered her basket on to the table with a shake of her head .

"What's this ?"

"Cookies and cake . There was a tea party at the manor yesterday ."

"I hate sweets ."

"Really ? This is for Layla ."

Bill Remmer's dark brows furrowed at Madam Mona's abrupt response. That child was not supposed to be here, but the Duke's servants had started to look after Layla daily .

They would greet her, bring her food, and sometimes pay her a visit, and Bill Remmer was having a tough time dealing with it.

"You should buy some clothes for her. The young lady's skirt seems to be about to go up her knees now." Madam Mona asked him as she watched Leyla chasing a bird. Bill was unable to refute. Even in his eyes, it seemed as if Leyla was wearing unfitted clothes.

"Oh my! Oh my! Look at her!"

Madam Mona was about to leave when she quickly pointed to Leyla and shouted in dismay.

Bill cast a queer glance in the direction Madam Mona was pointing. As the bird she had been chasing landed on a tree branch, Leyla began climbing up the tree swiftly, with athletic and light movements like a squirrel.

"She sure has a talent for climbing trees."

Bill's unconcerned response drew a scowl from Madam Mona. "Bill Remmer! You were aware of her habit of climbing trees and yet you chose to overlook it? How the hell are you raising your child?"

"As you can see, she's growing strong and well."

"You're raising that girl like a wild beast! My God." Madam Mona raised her voice and made a fuss. But Bill just snooped around the window deafeningly. He watched Leyla sit on a thin branch in the thicket, looking at the little birds playing around.

After watching over her for a few months, Leyla Lewellin had proven to be a curious girl who wanted to learn more about the world. Flowers and grass, birds and insects. Anything that caught her attention amazed her and piqued her curiosity.

One night when Leyla hadn't returned for dinner, Bill had gone deep into the forest to find her sitting by the river staring at a flock of water birds. She had been so engrossed in her observation that she hadn't even noticed Bill calling her name over and over.

Madam Mona had returned home after giving him a couple of more scathing lectures. After that, Bill took a leisurely stroll and went back to his cottage.

"Uncle!" Leyla welcomed him with a friendly wave.

The child came down the tree as quickly as she had climbed it and hurriedly approached Bill. Leyla was dressed in a ragged, dull gray one-piece dress with short sleeves. Since she was going to meet the duke later, her hand-me-down dresses seemed inappropriate, so Bill decided to buy her new clothes.

"Get ready and come out." Bill said impulsively when they arrived in front of the back door cottage.

"Ah. Uncle?"

"You don't have to look so puzzled. We're going downtown to buy you some clothes." Bill coughed and uncomfortably rubbed the back of his neck. "Duke Herhardt will be here soon, so welcoming him in your current appearance would be a little weird."

"The duke? You mean the owner of this estate, right?"

"Yes. Since it's his break, he'll be back."

"Break? Does the duke attend school?" Leyla tilted her head, frowning. Bill smiled as he stroked the child's unruly hair.

"The duke is only 18 years old so he has no choice but to attend school."

"What?!! 18 years old? The duke?"

Bill's guffaw grew louder in reaction to the child's shocked expression. He brushed the child's fluffy hair with his rough fingertips. It felt as soft as cotton.

~~~~~~~~~

At the Carlsbar station, a train from the capital had arrived on the platform.

The waiting servants made their way to the station's private section. A tall, slender boy descended onto the platform by the time they lined up in a straight line.

"Hello, Master."

All the other servants quickly bowed their heads towards the boy, starting with the butler Hessen's friendly greeting. Matthias replied to their greetings with a light yet silent gesture in a straight and elegant manner. His rosy lips were curved into a smile that was neither too wide nor too stiff.

The Herhardt's servants didn't start moving until Matthias took a couple of moves. The people in the crowd stood back quickly, allowing the young master to pass through. Matthias walked past the platform at a quick pace, showing no signs of slowing down.

"A carriage?" Matthias smirked as he left the station and spotted a carriage waiting for him.

"Ah….. Yes, master. Madam doesn't believe cars are trustworthy."

"I know. For grandmother, cars are nothing more than a hunk of iron that is unbearably vulgar and dangerous."

"My apologies. Next time…"

"No. 'Classic' things are not bad. Once in a while."

Matthias boarded the carriage in a composed manner. Slow but steady movements flowed from his long arms and legs.

As it passed through the busy shopping streets and the square, the carriage consistently picked up speed.

Matthias' luggage was transported in a separate wagon, which trailed behind the carriage engraved with a golden crest off into the distance.