Translator: Nox

The Mansion Awaits Spring

Chapter 130

Chapter 130

* * *

April had liked Finn Tuss from the very beginning. It was because he had addressed her as the Head of Family. Doing so meant he recognized her as the rightful owner of the Lunos Territory.

April set down the beer brought by the uninvited guest. Bauman had taken it and placed it in a cool spot immediately upon receiving it, so it was pleasantly chilled and carried the roasted malt aroma of coffee. It was an excellent brew.

April expressed her admiration.

"It is delicious."

"Yes."

After giving that brief reply, he soon bowed deeply from the waist.

"Head of Family, I would like to apologize first for the rudeness of my fellow villagers."

"……."

"I am not asking for forgiveness. I am just, truly, so very sorry."

April stared intently at Finn Tuss.

The actual wrongdoers kept their mouths shut, while someone else was apologizing on their behalf.

He was not begging for forgiveness, but rather offering amends for merely standing by while others insulted her, which made April curious.

"Why are you apologizing? I told you that you could use Lunos Port for free, and the abandoned houses as well. You stand to gain nothing by apologizing."

"Yes, so it is not because I want something. Really, just……."

Without replying, April sat down and took another sip of the remaining beer. Even tasting it again, it was a truly superb brew.

Perhaps because she was slightly tipsy, or perhaps because she had received his apology, she was swept by a sudden urge to talk to someone.

April spoke.

"I understand. I will keep your sincerity in mind."

"Yes, Head of Family."

"But I am no saint. I have no intention of letting those who insulted me off easy, nor am I a person who lives altruistically."

April continued in a cold voice.

"If something is useful to me, I will use it; if not, I won't. Thank you for the information on the fishing boats. Especially since I am gathering and training many shipwrights for our upcoming departure. They will be perfect for them to practice on."

Even after saying that, April still seemed to have more to say, and Finn Tuss waited for her next words.

After a brief silence, April spoke.

"Quite a few fishermen have come here, but this is the first time I've ever received an apology."

"……Is that so?"

"Usually, they make threats."

Only after hearing April speak of it so casually did Finn Tuss understand why there had been repeated body searches on his way into the mansion.

April took another drink of the dark beer and asked,

"By the way, what must I do to keep receiving this?"

"It is a beer my older sister brews in small batches. I will let her know you are looking for it."

"Tell her to bring it to Lunos Port. I think the sailors will love it."

With their conversation finished, Finn Tuss left Lunos Mansion.

As he was letting out a sigh, just as April had said, a few fishermen were crossing into the Lunos Territory and climbing the hill. Walking with clenched fists and huffing with rage, they looked to be in an incredibly foul temper.

Noticing the well-dressed Finn Tuss, they scanned him up and down to see if he was a fellow fisherman. Then, they questioned him.

"Did you come to see that witch too?"

"Uh, yes, but."

"They say we can't settle at the port! She talked as if she'd welcome anyone, but then she scrutinized us like that and rejected us! She's playing with people! We came all this way!"

"She didn't reject you. And you keep calling her a witch, but do you have any proof of that?"

"Aren't we on our way to find out right now?!"

"To find out?"

Finn Tuss snorted. He thought April calling herself 'no saint' had been pure modesty.

He said,

"If I were the Head of Family of the Lunos Territory, and people came barging in empty-handed demanding things like this, I would have beaten them to death."

"W-What?"

"Did you think this family was giving things away out of the goodness of their hearts? Any sailor should know that Lunos is a family that invests only when they are certain of what they will gain."

"……."

"Do you think the Lunos family would change just because the Head of Family changed? No, how can people who earn their living from the sea dare to cross the Lunos family?"

Finn Tuss spun around, walked over to Bauman—who was standing on the porch with his hands behind his back, glaring at the newcomers—and said,

"Old gentleman, if you have a fishing rod or something, please give it to me. I need to chase those bastards away."

"I'm a builder, so I don't have a fishing rod, but there are tools over there."

Bauman gestured with his chin toward some tools drying in the bright sun.

"Get the hell out of here right now!"

Finn Tuss grabbed a hand saw and brandished it, chasing the fishermen away.

Those who lived off the sea and the Lunos family shared a symbiotic relationship.

By actually meeting April in person, even the last remaining shred of doubt that she might be the cause of the Fog or a witch was completely erased from his mind.

All that remained in its place was regret and apology.

Since he had already set aside the day, Finn Tuss began pouring out a year's worth of words in a single afternoon.

"The Lunos family's interest has always been in ships! Why on earth would they breed the Fog to kill you idiots! What would they gain from that! You absolute fools, once you start to see that it's not true, you should learn to admit it! Stop trying to force the truth into your wrong assumptions!"

Hearing the commotion outside, April, who had been heading to the study, looked out the window.

Finn Tuss continued to shout.

"What if the Head of Family here isn't a witch! How do you plan to pay for the sin of insulting her all this time, throwing a riot like this! Are you going to pay with your lives? Huh? Are you?!"

Perhaps because he rarely spoke much normally, his voice had already gone hoarse after shouting just a few sentences.

April quietly looked down at Finn Tuss.

She intended to live as a witch for the foreseeable future. Fezin rising to a key position in the Empire was of great importance to her.

But on the other hand, April also needed to confirm whether the people of the Grand Duchy, excluding herself, had any intention of resisting the Empire.

She wanted a free-market competition system.

To achieve that, they needed to become completely independent from the Empire economically.

She could not realize that wish if she turned every single person in the Grand Duchy into an enemy. Fortunately, every now and then, there were people like him who took her side.

She thought it was a wondrous thing.

* * *

As the Grand Duchy's school admission season began, the two children who had been running around Lunos Mansion also finished preparing for school.

Hannah was now eye-to-eye with April, and Fred was slightly taller than her.

Both were growing up to be very tall, just as Bauman had predicted when considering their parents.

Hannah and Fred dressed in their school uniforms for their first day of school.

Fred pleaded with Hannah with an earnest face.

"You have to play with me, okay? Don't just play with other friends……."

"I know, don't worry."

Chatting away, the two ran out to the porch.

Bauman was loading their luggage into the carriage, insisting that he must accompany them on their first day, and April was waiting for them.

She too was planning to leave the mansion in Kayani Morrow's hands and stay at Lunos Port until the day of the voyage. Since the school was far from Lunos Mansion and April would not be there either, both children had decided to stay in the dormitory.

Though it was only three months, it would be the longest period they had spent apart since meeting each other.

Fred, who had lived with his grandparents, was much better off, but Hannah was different. To the young girl, Lunos Mansion had become her entire world, and at its center was always April Lunos.

Hannah kept her head lowered, staring only at the floor, fearing she might burst into tears if she looked at April's face.

April pretended not to notice Hannah's distress and said,

"Learn a lot. And stay healthy."

She said only those two things and gestured to Bauman to take the children.

Bauman said,

"Alright, let's go."

At that moment, Hannah rushed toward April.

Forgetting that she had grown almost as tall as April, Hannah threw her arms around her waist like a much smaller child and buried her face in her chest.

"I don't think I want to go to school after all. I want to stay with you, My Lady."

April did not scold Hannah for her childishness. She knew that despite her words, she would go to school anyway.

April gently closed her eyes and said,

"I was truly glad to have you here."

April thought that if this child hadn't suddenly appeared in the territory, it would have been difficult to endure her life.

Whenever depression threatened to overwhelm her, she would think of this child waiting at home. Once she did, she found herself unable to end her life.

She had found it suffocating back then, but now that she had survived, she felt grateful for Hannah's presence by her side.

Hannah was someone who repaid trust, and therefore, she knew how to answer April's words.

"……I'll be back! I'll return during the break!"

"Yes, see you during the break."

April bid them farewell and sent the children on their way.