"Cry. Begging is Even Better"

"Orphaned at a young age, Layla Llewellyn feels like the luckiest girl in the world after she moves in with her uncle Bill, a gardener who lives on the scenic Arvis estate in the Berg Empire. To Layla, Arvis seems like paradise; she loves to explore the vast forest, always bringing her notebook to record the wildlife she encounters. She especially loves the birds, watching them with awe as they hatch and grow from fluffy chicks into beautiful birds. Duke Herhardt, the young, handsome lord of Arvis, is also interested in birds—and in Layla. But the difference, is he's interested in birds because he likes to hunt them... and he's interested in Layla because he likes to make her cry. She had been his lovely bird in a golden cage, and her tears had been his favorite melody.

He had clipped her wings.

He had locked her heart.

He had broken her freedom.

To keep her close, Matthias had done everything without hesitation. And because he hadn’t hesitated, he had never regretted. He had never reflected. He had never apologized.

When his lovely bird, Layla, opened the cage he built and flew away, Matthias had made his cruel decision:

“If I lose her forever and can’t get her back, I’d rather kill her.”