The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Jeff Morrow had traced his memories of the Twin Mountains thoroughly.
He knew well that his brother and his brother's wife had visited the Twin Mountains periodically.
There was a mineral vein hidden there, and they had mined the necessary minerals from it. He remembered them using those minerals to create dyes.
Among the siblings, Jeff had been the most introverted, the type who preferred sitting in a study reading books over wandering around outside. Knowing this, his brother rarely took him along to the Twin Mountains.
Even so, he remembered going there a few times himself. It was around the time April’s engagement had fallen through.
“Tell our daughter later, how to get here.”
He had let his brother’s words slide by back then.
The path to that mineral vein was so rugged, so incredibly grueling, that even back then—when he was considerably younger—he hadn’t possessed the physical stamina to pay attention to anyone else’s words.
Still, he had a fairly good head on his shoulders, so he had taken the necessary parts from those overheard words and summarized them into a code of his own making.
He had forgotten the code after not looking at it for so long, but a code inevitably retains the habits of its creator. After agonizing over it for several days, he finally deciphered the contents.
Now that he had found the location, he wished he could go with April. However, he knew that even when he was eight years younger, he had barely managed to climb that mountain. With leg muscles that hadn’t moved in years and now required a cane, he would be nothing but a burden.
Instead, he handed his notes to his son, Kayani, who was finishing his final semester.
Kayani was to deliver these notes to April in person and then remain behind to guard the Runos Mansion once the Head of the Family departed.
Jeff urged him repeatedly.
“Tell April to be careful, and… tell her to be careful again. You have no idea how treacherous that mountain is.”
Kayani smiled at Jeff’s concern and nodded.
“Yes, I understand, Father.”
“And make sure you guard the Runos Mansion well.”
“I will.”
“Yes, you’re all grown up, my son. Grown enough that the Head of the Family trusts you to look after her home.”
Jeff pulled Kayani into a tight hug and continued.
“How did you grow up to be such a fine man?”
Kayani smiled as his eyes met his mother’s; she was standing behind his father with a sullen expression.
Eleanor had been reluctant from the start about April—the daughter-figure she had only just gained—insisting on going to such a dangerous place.
She couldn't understand why the Head of the Family had to tread such a treacherous path herself.
Furthermore, given that Eleanor had hated the Runos Family the entire time Jeff remained silent, it was clear she found it difficult to accept that her youngest son was going off to guard the Runos Mansion.
Kayani spoke to Eleanor.
“I’m sorry, Mother. For having to leave like this.”
“I did a bit of research on the Runos Family.”
“…You did?”
“Apparently, they’ve always been like this. Honestly, a family that can’t seem to survive without doing something dangerous…”
Having made her own effort to understand, Eleanor looked at Kayani with a chilly face and continued.
“Don’t forget. You are also a member of the Morrow Family.”
Kayani had something he wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut.
Eleanor had come over to the Right Island with a dye factory as her dowry from the Morrow Family.
April had said that as soon as she finished her research on the dyes, she would entrust the extraction and dyeing process to the factory Eleanor owned. It was news that would surely please Eleanor.
However, the fact that they were going to fetch the dye materials was a secret from his mother, so he couldn’t mention it.
Kayani nodded with a smile.
“Yes, I will never forget.”
“Tell April this: even if she gets hurt, she must at least come back alive.”
“Yes, I’ll tell her.”
After giving his answer, Kayani left the house.
When he arrived at the Runos Mansion, a large group of Imperial Police had gathered.
Even though they were wearing civilian clothes in their own way, they were the kind of people who had ‘Police’ written all over their faces.
Since there were many wolves toward the mountain range, they were even carrying rifles; the group looked intimidating to say the least.
Kayani greeted April, informed her about the notes, and stepped back outside.
Fezin then approached him and struck up a conversation.
“You’ve grown every time I see you.”
Fezin’s words somehow sounded sarcastic.
However, Kayani, assuming that was just the man’s natural way of speaking, replied casually.
“Yes, I’m still growing.”
“No interest in joining the Police?”
“Actually, my unnie told me that if the inspector asked me to become a policeman, I should refuse.”
“Did she say refuse, or ignore?”
“…”
“Right, she probably said ignore. April Runos isn’t the type to use a word as pretty as ‘refuse.’”
…Why is this man saying such useless things?
Kayani thought to himself, but considering the Right Island’s characteristic culture of respecting elders, he chose not to talk back and tried to laugh it off.
Yet Fezin didn’t stop and kept pestering Kayani with questions.
“What about school?”
“I told them I wouldn’t be able to make it for about a fortnight. My professor agreed to visit the Runos Mansion instead.”
“Aren’t you graduating this year? You should be diligent about your attendance.”
“I’m a model student, so I’m always diligent.”
Why is he acting so friendly?
And why do I feel like he’s picking a fight?
While Kayani was thinking with a furrowed brow, April finished her preparations and came out.
Seeing April in a thin emerald dress with a cardigan knitted by Fred’s grandmother draped over her arm, Kayani broke into a smile.
“Did Fred’s grandmother knit that one too?”
“Yes. She knitted flowers on it since it’s spring.”
It was a season where temperatures dipped to 3 or 4 degrees at their lowest and barely reached 10 degrees at their highest, but for the people of the Right Island, it was a season where they could enjoy the spring weather in their own way.
In the Empire, people only went flower-viewing when all sorts of blossoms were in full bloom, but the people of the Grand Duchy began their flower-viewing as soon as a few wild buds appeared.
Conversely, in the Empire, all travel would cease if even a light dusting of snow fell without settling, whereas on the Right Island, people only gave up on going out when their houses were halfway buried. Thus, people of the Empire loved snow, and people of the Grand Duchy loved flowers.
Pointing to the garment embroidered with large yellow flowers, Fezin said,
“It suits you.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
When April shot him a look while asking that, Fezin extended his arm and grumbled,
“Why do you pick a fight even when I say it looks good?”
“Because when you give a compliment, I feel like you’re up to something.”
Kayani watched with a puzzled expression, wondering why this man was picking such fights with their Head of the Family. Yet, even as they bickered, seeing him offer his arm and her accepting his escort made them seem quite close.
Only then did Kayani realize why he had felt Fezin was picking a fight with him.
Even when talking to April, though his tone was the same as when he spoke to Kayani, his expression was completely different.
Fezin was smiling.
It wasn't a wide grin, but he was constantly expressing his amusement in small, subtle ways.
Kayani could tell just by looking for a moment that the man was in love with April.
The reason Fezin had tried to treat him like a child was likely because marriage between cousins was not uncommon within the Dieus family.
