The Escape of Layla

But such a perfect routine collapses in the wake of an accident.

Early in the summer, when Layla was 16, she was in an unfortunate accident when she was about to go out and get kicked by an excited horse.

When I heard the news, I first wondered if Leila would have any scratches. He said it was his forehead that got kicked. If you hide it well with your forehead, will you manage, even if it leaves a trace?

I'm in trouble. I can't believe I've grown it perfectly by hand salt so far, and now that's ruined. With a slight resentment for Layla, who was casually kicked by a horse, I went for her bedroom that Layla had been transported.

It's been a long time since I've been in Leila's bedroom. Seeing a bunch of bookshelves installed on one side of the wall and parchment paper accumulated on the desk, I kind of think it's more of a killing landscape than a lady's room, like a hall room. It seemed that only the anemone flowers, decorated to the extent of my apologies, claimed that this was the lady's room.

"... how's Leila doing? No way, it won't leave a scratch."

"Ah... ma'am, ma'am..."

I tried visiting Leila's condition to a maid who was close enough to enter the room, but the maid just cries and doesn't return a decent reply. What a big deal. Maid with Layla shouldn't because there's something about spoiling Layla too much.

The doctors, the nurses, the bunch of beds, I moved on. As we approach, there is a slight smell of blood.

No way, you're not hurt like that, are you?

What is that thought? A heartbeat on the back begins to strike an early bell. The doctors seemed to notice my presence, but they didn't try to get out of the bedside. Instructions are flying in some pressing fashion, as I would say there is very little room for that.

Over one short old doctor, I saw Leila's face. At that moment, I remember the shock of holding my breath.

Is that really Leila?

The beautiful and clean face had red and black blood sticking on it. My forehead is scratched up and I see a vivid scratch on my white forehead. Even the skin, which was just white, had no blood, and by the time it was pathological, it was blue and white.

"... Layla?

To my call, Leila doesn't move one eyelid. No matter how sleepy you are, you can answer my queries instantly, you know, Layla.

"Layla?"

The frustration of not knowing what it was against came in twists and turns. No, Leila's not the one who's supposed to have this fate. She is a special princess of the Duke's family, a perfect courtesan who should be married to the royal family and loved from all over the country.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but please step back a little!

Before I knew it, I guess I was getting closer to Leila. I sweated on my forehead and was cautioned by a physician in desperate shape to be stared at. He, also a doctor in the Duke's arms, always says he is a gentleman who creates a calm and intelligent atmosphere, but what is this way of disturbing him?

No, I don't want to. I don't want to think about it. Leila, Leila's not the kid you're supposed to see.

Someone supported my shoulder, which retreated after a flutter. I was disturbed again, too, to the point where I couldn't pay attention to such a thing, although it would be someone in the servant.

Oh, please, God. Don't end Leila's days here, where everything has been going on perfectly. She's not the kind of person who can fall asleep here.

Did prayer make sense, Leila took her life. Sleeping Leila's face is calm, although the bandage is wrapped around to cover the wound.

I can't believe I haven't seen Leila sleep in years.

I looked at Leila's beautiful face as she stuck to her bedside so that Leila could wake up whenever she wanted. Really, he's so clean and pathetic that I don't think he's my own daughter.

The husband's similar flax hair also seems to have grown considerably, spreading neatly on the bed without disturbing that it was after such an accident. I didn't realize Leila's hair was so beautiful because I just watched her tie it up like a lady.

But I'm not comfortable not seeing those flax eyes. Those intelligent, loving eyes.

"... Lydia, take a break"

"Huh?"

If my husband accidentally spoke to me and looked out the window, the night would have dawned at some point. Is it true that I've been staring at Leila all night? To the point that I couldn't notice that, I seemed worried about Leila. Even though it's about me, I'm kind of wondering.

"... but Leila might wake up while she's resting"

"I'll be sure to wake you up when I wake up, so you need to rest a little. Because I'm watching instead."

"... sir"

If I stood up as I was told, my body savings hurt whether it was because I was in the same position all the time. Soon the maid stopped by my side, but I look back at Leila.

There's no way you're not gonna wake up like this. I can't believe you're never gonna see that kid's eyes again, can you?

I stare at Leila as if she were cursing me. Layla, please, wake up quickly.

A servant takes me out of the room half-forced, not quite trying to move the spot. I don't usually imitate such disrespectful maids, so maybe my complexion was so bad that I had to be forced. I left Leila's bedroom behind, somewhere blurry.

The words the doctor told me afterwards were too cruel.

Leila may never wake up again.

When I heard that, I accidentally tried to cling to Layla and cried. Of course I was sad to never see Leila's eyes again, but maybe it was harder than that that that an end was struck to Leila's perfect routine. I was just so proud of Leila, I even had the feeling that she had betrayed my expectations.

I know. It's not Leila's fault. But still, I can't stop feeling how I'm falling asleep now.

The truth was, I understood that I should mourn the misfortune that had befallen her as Leila's mother, not as the Duchess. But I've been in a relationship with the Duchess for years now. I was really hesitant to change that now because I felt it would lead to Leila giving up the perfect days she was supposed to walk.

It was when the royal family officially told me to break the engagement between His Highness and Leila that I could finally worry about Leila as my mother. In addition to the thought that the house giving birth to the Crown Princess would avoid more confusion than changing, Rose became his new fiancée from the standpoint that His Royal Highness and Rose seemed to like each other, but at that time he couldn't care less about Rose than strangely. More than that, my head was full of Leila.

Leila, who was abandoned by the royal family and just kept sleeping, was too miserable. I remember seeing that and not being able to stop crying. Her talents and my educational achievements are no longer worthwhile.

At the earliest possible moment, a pitiful emotion arose as I stared at Layla's sleeping face, which kept me asleep as one unfortunate girl, not as the perfect Duke's Lady.

If this were to happen, I wouldn't have had to push for a rigorous education until I cut parents' and children's time. One day my husband tells me, "Don't be too harsh on Leila" pierces me as sharply deep in my heart as a knife. That was probably the first pain as a mother that had sprung up in years.

I spent as much time with Leila as I could, as if exploring the art of relieving that pain somehow. It's not like how much I love Rose, but I couldn't leave Leila alone.

Besides, while I was telling Leila that I didn't have any other love to sleep with, or decorating and doing Anemone flowers that I like Leila, I got used to seeing Leila not as a Duke's Warrant, but as one cute little boy. There is no longer a need to marry the royal family, but for Layla, who just keeps sleeping, rigour is only the earliest unnecessary.

He was also braved by the appearance of the servants applying the massage he had heard from his doctor to Leila, believing that Leila would wake up one day. It became apparent to me that I could live up to the faint expectations that I had no certainty about.

From then on, I gave Leila a daily massage while the maids taught me. It's also been a few years since I've touched Layla when I think about it, and I feel strange and calm. For the first time at this time, I realized that I enjoyed contact with Leila purely as a parent and child.

Maybe that's how it came to seem, because both me and Leila were freed from the weight of "being perfect". I swore I'd have to raise Leila to be the perfect warrant, feeling her release a little bit from that obsessive-compulsive sentiment as well.

If Leila wakes up now, I'm sure I'll be able to speak to Leila as her mother for the first time. As much as I thought so, little by little, my love for Leila grew.

But Leila woke up at the worst possible time, as if to mock my slow change of heart.

One early summer day, roughly two years after the accident, Layla suddenly woke up. I was having breakfast with my husband, and I went up to the point where I accidentally dropped a fork when I heard the news.

But at the same time, it's also true that I was worried about how I should communicate this current situation to Leila.

Now Rose has a son in her belly. Before the wedding, but that's all Rose was giving His Royal Highness's favor, so until now, I only thought it was pleasant news. But if Leila wakes up, it's not the story.

What would Leila think if she found out there was a new life between her former fiancée and her sister? I couldn't imagine whether I would be happy to have a new life in the royal family, or whether I would be outraged that my own fiancée had been taken. In me, it is noticed that Leila as the Duke's Lady and Leila as my daughter were as separate as that. Now that she has woken up from two years of sleep, which one the hell is Leila?

I stopped breakfast on the way and my husband and I quickly headed to Leila's room. Leila's bedroom, where the sun's light plunges in, is full of hints of disinfectant and wraps up an atmosphere no different from that of yesterday.

The decisive difference in that is that Layla was staring at us with those beautiful flax eyes.

Oh, Layla, you're really awake.

... good, really good.

That's not a lie I thought so. Again, I'm really happy to be able to look at this gentle flax color.

But when Layla uttered the subject of her wedding with Her Royal Highness, she felt the joy cooling at once. I felt like my heart would freeze.

What should I do? Should I now explain myself as Duchess? Or should I treat you as Layla's mother?

When Leila woke up, I'm sure she was going to say something as a mother, but only this topic has to be considered carefully. I was desperately searching for the best possible solution while jamming my words.

But my husband, who I saw, offered me a help boat. My husband calmly begins to explain as the owner of the Duke's house. Still, in between, my suffering as a father did give me a peek in the face.

"... for once I ask, will my awakening not revoke the marriage between Rose and Her Highness"

Leila remained calm even when she heard about the engagement of Her Royal Highness and her fruitful sister. Calm down, there was plenty of room to ask that back.

The boulder, Leila, hasn't faded a bit in her behavior as a perfect courtesan, even after two years of sleep.

"... if the situation wasn't a situation, it could have been..."

My husband, too, must be hard to say about Rose's pregnancy. I've been on tour for a while, choosing words.

But Leila raised her voice to see how we were doing and cut the numbness. That was Leila's first loud voice to ask in years.

"Go ahead, say it clearly! A once wounded courtier says she can't marry a sacred royal family anymore...? Well, you don't know how much more beautiful Rose would be for a royal family than me."

Unexpectedly, I open my eyes and stare at Leila. So sarcastic, I've never seen a humble Leila anywhere. Even though Leila always has a poor smile and a tranquil atmosphere.

"No, Leila! It's not..."

Leila's appearance absurd her voice was scary, as if she were a stranger. Unexpectedly I speak up too, blocking her from speaking. No, you shouldn't hide it poorly. It's useless to hide things from a wise Leila.

"Eh... Rose's belly has His Highness's son..."

I told him with a trembling voice as I pressed the handkerchief I had in my hand into my eyes. Tears overflow one after another because of the way Leila looks so painful in front of her.

"... so the wedding will be quicker. To keep your stomach out of sight, we're supposed to have a ceremony in February and a little later..."

I couldn't see Leila's face anymore. I lean over and let my tears seep into my handkerchief so as to escape the flax color that sways in confusion and anger.

This can't be helped anymore, no matter how much Layla cries and gets angry. Because I think so, I was just ready to wake up and take Leila's emotions that were poked at the harsh reality early on.

That's how when Layla gets tired of crying, I'm sure I'll give her a hug as her mother. That's all I have left to do now.

But I was watching Leila sweetly. She betrayed my expectations and squealed pompously.

"... is that right? Congratulations…"

Though he was a trembling voice, he leans over and opens his eyes to Leila, who spun the perfect word as the Duke's Lady.

... Oh, yeah, I did. Leila is a brilliant and beautiful special courtier. There's no way you can leave it to anger to imitate it like a cry.

Even in the face of such a harsh reality, my chest trembled with emotion at Leila's appearance, which would be perfect. Unexpectedly, so many tears.

Really, I didn't think enough. How rude of Leila to spoil her. Leila says she's such a strong, broad-minded kid. I may have forgotten over the past two years that she's a wonderful daughter who can be perfect without my help.

Good thing I noticed before I made a mistake. In my heart I thanked Leila for her strength and talent at birth.

I wiped my tears with a handkerchief as I pardoned Leila, who had just woken up and looked confused, with the right words. I know, I'm sure this mess is the only time. Leila, who could return all those exemplary words to Rose's birth control news, would soon recover as the perfect Duke's Lady.

It's okay, Leila can start over now. Even if you can't be Princess Wang, let everyone live a life of envy. Prepare your special Layla for the days she deserves right now.

All I could do was still be there. As long as Leila tries to be perfect, I'm obliged to respond to it. I haven't chewed up that pleasure in two years.

It was such a perfect Layla, but when Rose went to visit, it seemed to hit her hard. It was Leila trying to be perfect, but in front of Rose, she might not have been able to contain her emotions successfully. Normally, I almost scold you harshly, but it was enough to draw Leila's feelings and gently flatter her. Leila is still confused. It wouldn't be a good idea to blame him too much either.

Since Leila woke up, I was desperate to let Leila walk through the perfect days again. Every day I let my surroundings know that Layla is about to return to the social world and look for the palace that Layla's new fiancée deserves.

Leila was also Leila, who exercised indispensably every day and seemed to be trying to get back to her original life as soon as possible. I need to get you the life you deserve right away for Leila, who will try to be perfect. Just even with that thought, I was biting off Leila's joy of exploring the possibilities.

I felt the light finally shining on the Duke's house as if it was clouding more and more. Immediately, I believed and did not doubt at this time that those perfect and happy days would come, just like two years ago.

And yet Leila betrayed me. I let them hold my expectations as long as I could, and I ran away somewhere by myself.

When I heard the news, I didn't understand the meaning of the word for a while. How could Leila, who would have been so perfect, escape? Didn't you desperately exercise every day to get back into the social world?

I couldn't help but wonder that Leila, the perfect warrant lady, would do that, but you just have to ask Leila directly why. Perhaps the reason for this is also the motive that an unknown courtier might think of for admiring freedom under the influence of the book. Neither can I because when I was young, there was a time when something called "freedom" couldn't help but look glorious.

Besides, even though Layla escaped, I wasn't too worried. It's the perfect Layla in a cage called the aristocratic society, but if the stage turns into the outside world, she's just a worldless boxed daughter. There's no way Leila, such a raw lady, could live in the outside world. Even if he entered the convent, he would return soon surprised by his too qualitative life.

I wonder if this would be a good experience for the Duke's Lady.

With all that swallowing in mind, I waited for her return as I glanced over Leila's fiancée candidate paperwork.

But after a few days, I couldn't find Leila. If it's too late to go home, I'll be in a hurry with the boulders. The possibility of kidnapping must also be put into perspective.

He broadened his search hand and followed Leila's whereabouts by raising the total power of the Duke's house. Such a beautiful face, such an atmospheric girl as a nobleman's warrant. Even though it wasn't strange to have a lot of sightings, it was just too unreliable to say that when it came to the information obtained, Leila saw a seemingly ill Leila in Wangdu square the day she escaped.

When this happens, there's also the possibility that Layla is already dead, although I don't want to think about it. There can't be any such thing as the art of making money on your own, so unless you're being looked after by someone who's extra kind, it's not very realistic to think you're alive. I understood it well with my head, but still couldn't accept it from me.

Yet, nearly a month after Layla was gone, my husband finally said I should be ready. That's how I started turning down the conversations that were coming to Leila, one by one.

No, I can't believe that Leila, who endured such an unfortunate accident and embraced an unusual reality, died uninhabited. I don't even want to think about it.

Oh, Layla. Leila, where are you? What are you doing? Without you, the perfect and happy routine at the Duke of Ashbury's will not begin. Because I have a kind husband, an angelically adorable Rose, and a brilliant and special you, and I can tell you that for the first time I have a family.

Good thing, Leila. The end of a freely scorched caged bird's escape is always terrible.

So hurry up and get back here. Our family's waiting, at this Duke's house.

Because you are a noble and special princess who can only shine on the stage of an aristocratic society.