Cry, or Better Yet, Beg by Solche volume 2

Orphaned Layla Llewellyn grows up on the picturesque Arvis estate in the Berg Empire, living a modest yet peaceful life with her uncle Bill. She spends her time recording local wildlife and watching birds.

Her life changes with the return of Duke Matthias von Herhardt, the cold and privileged master of Arvis. While Matthias is formally engaged to Claudine von Brandt, he becomes fixated on Layla. Unlike his appreciation for birds as targets for hunting, his interest in Layla stems from a sadistic desire to manipulate, corner, and force emotional reactions out of her.

The story navigates heavy class disparities, intense psychological tension, the pressure of aristocratic expectations, and a toxic, obsessive dynamic between Matthias and Layla as she is torn between the safety of a conventional life (such as with Kyle) and the suffocating gravity of the Duke's attention.