The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 104
April laughed so joyfully that even Bauman looked outside, a pleased expression on his face.
“It is wonderful to see you laughing so much lately, My Lady.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. Somehow, you look much lighter.”
It was just as Bauman said.
On the day of the funeral, April felt as though she had truly let go of her parents in her heart.
They were finally able to rest in the monastery where all the previous Heads of the Lunos family slept. But more than anything, it was because the memories she had struggled so hard to suppress had finally burst forth.
She had tried not to think about the happy times with her parents. Yet, at some point, those memories revived, and April allowed herself to fully recall a childhood where she was deeply loved.
The relatives who attended the funeral were busy talking about money all day, but whenever they spoke a few words about the late Head and his wife, the story was always the same.
How much the couple had adored their only daughter, whom they had gained with such difficulty. From the day she was conceived to the day she was born, and everything that followed—an endless stream of anecdotes poured out.
April Runos had been a child who was loved that much.
She decided not to deny that fact anymore. And now, the memories were less painful.
April did not deny that Fezin’s influence played a part in her being able to bring these memories back out.
Strangely, when she was with him, no matter what they talked about, it hurt less. It was less agonizing. Because of that, she became able to talk about anything.
While she was lost in thought, she saw a police carriage approaching from the distance.
Logan was the first to hop out. He greeted the two ladies politely before dashing over to Sebio.
“Sebio! I missed you!”
Logan had been the one shouting not to kill Sebio from the very beginning.
As if recognizing his efforts, Sebio wagged his tail, welcoming Logan warmly.
Logan looked at Sebio’s raincoat, deeply moved.
“How did you ever think to put a raincoat on a dog?”
“Fred’s grandmother made it for him.”
“How can someone be so kind!”
While Logan was completely Smitten with Sebio, Hannah tapped him on the shoulder.
“Officer, I’m going to be a police officer too.”
“Ah, I heard. I feel safer already.”
“What do I need to study to become a police officer?”
“Now that you mention it, you’ll be starting school soon…. Shall we talk about it while we take Sebio for a walk?”
“Yes! And show me some magic tricks too!”
“I’ve prepared a new trick just for today…. Hah, to think there’s someone waiting for my magic outside the station. Should I quit the force…?”
After Logan wandered off for a walk with Sebio and Hannah while muttering wistfully, Irsa stepped out of the carriage.
Irsa looked around the Runos estate, lush and green from the spring rain, as if she had arrived in paradise.
“Am I actually alive?”
Muttering to herself, she spotted April waiting in front of the mansion and walked over with a smirk.
“I heard you saved me?”
“Yes, because I needed you.”
“Whether it was because you needed me or whatever, I suppose I should thank you for the rescue.”
Irsa spoke with satisfaction as she followed April.
Looking around the grand mansion, Irsa’s eyes went wide.
“You were incredibly rich, weren’t you?”
“Supposedly.”
“Supposedly? What kind of answer is that? Anyway, this whole massive mansion is yours?”
“Yes.”
April nodded and led the way toward the backyard.
After walking quite a distance from the mansion atop the hill, the path began to slope downward. April stopped halfway down the hill and pointed toward a rectangular wooden building on the path leading to the canyon.
“You can stay there. Only one person lives there now, so you can stay in whichever room you like. Oh, and if that person asks you any questions, just answer them.”
“That building?”
“Yes. In our family, we called that house the Sailor’s House. You said you’re someone who lives on ships. Just think of this as a ship too. A place to stay whenever you want to stay.”
Irsa blinked, looking down at the building. It was a structure built for sailors, designed to resemble a ship.
Irsa gripped the bag containing her meager belongings tightly.
“I like it a lot.”
“I did a rough cleaning, but it’ll be a mess.”
“Still, it’s a house for me to live in.”
“That’s right.”
While admiring the building with delight, Irsa soon tilted her head and turned back to April.
“By the way, what do you need me for that you’re providing a house and everything?”
April let out a small ‘Ah’ of realization.
Her characteristically calm, cool voice reached Irsa’s ears, mingling with the sound of the rain.
“I’ve acquired a ship. A Clipper.”
“Oh, a Clipper. I know those well.”
“That is my first merchant ship.”
“I knew it! You called me here to put me on a ship!”
Irsa stomped her feet in excitement. However, her joyful movements came to a halt at April’s next words.
“I want you to be the captain.”
“……What?”
Her eyes wide at the word ‘captain,’ Irsa asked again.
“Do you…… not really know what a captain is?”
“Hardly.”
“……You’re going to make me a captain? A southpaw? There are no left-handed captains on the Right Island.”
To the protesting Irsa, April replied.
“You said it yourself. When you went to the Left Island with me and we returned safely, you said I wasn’t a witch.”
“I…… did.”
“It’s the same for me. Since I went to the Left Island and back with you safely, you are a proven sailor to me.”
“That’s different! To send a merchant ship from here, you have to pass through those sea mists and the seamounts beneath the waves!”
“If a lack of skill is the problem, then forget it.”
“I have the skill. No one has more than me. But there are more than enough sailors with far more experience than me; how can I take the role of captain?”
It was a reaction that made it hard to tell if she was happy or upset.
Regardless of Irsa’s reaction, April decided to say what she had to say.
“You said it yourself. You have to be bold to sail a merchant ship of the Lunos family.”
“Well, that’s obvious.”
April continued, looking toward the direction of the sea beyond the canyon.
“I kept thinking about those words. And you were right. My decision to launch a ship is already far from a cautious one. So how could I entrust the ship to a cautious captain?”
“Hmm…….”
“What I need right now is a bold decision.”
At April’s words, Irsa’s excitement gradually cooled. She looked in the same direction April was staring.
Irsa was certain that April had spent a long time standing in this exact spot, looking down at the canyon in this direction. Because she had been a wanderer all her life, she was able to recognize it.
April Runos wanted her ship to go out to that sea.
She wanted some mad captain to break through that maddening sea with a single swift ship.
So that she could claim that sea route as her own.
Irsa asked.
“What do you want me to bring back from the sea? Jewels?”
“Food.”
“Food? Plenty of that comes in from the Left Island.”
“Yes. So, food that isn’t from the Left Island.”
Irsa couldn’t understand why April wanted to bring food from so far away, but it didn’t matter. The destination was for the ship owner to decide, anyway.
Irsa answered.
“What about the navigator?”
“There’s the navigator who went to find you. He’ll be going with you. Gather the sailors and study the sea routes. I’ll leave both the departure and the return to you.”
“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”
Irsa looked up at the sky and took a deep breath.
Rain fell into her mouth, coolly wetting her throat. She then turned back to April and spoke.
“I’ll do it. Why the hell not. You saved a life that was going to die anyway.”
