Translator: Nox

The Mansion Awaits Spring

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

*

*

*

Pezin and April sat facing each other in an empty room on the third floor, with only two chairs between them.

As Pezin sat there with his legs crossed, watching her, April spoke up.

「Are you going to stare at me like that for the next three days?」

「I have to receive reports. Especially if there are casualties.」

「Do you really think this mist is because of me?」

「I don’t know, so I’m not making a judgment yet. Officers have already been dispatched to the place where the mist was first sighted.」

April faltered at his words.

Seeing this, Pezin pulled out a cigarette and chided her.

「What are you so surprised for?」

「I thought you were certain I was a witch.」

「I wish I were; it would make the investigation end a lot faster. Can’t a man dream?」

With that, he lit his cigarette.

The fireplace, which the officers had started earlier, gave off the scent of burning wood, and the cigarette Pezin smoked carried a similar aroma.

Soon, the mansion was completely enveloped in black mist.

As several hours passed, the sound of hacking coughs began to echo from various corners of the house.

It was a different kind of terror from war or pestilence.

The darkness surrounding the Lunos estate made it impossible to tell the time. Even when it was time for the sun to rise, it did not.

There was nothing humans could do. Nothing but pray to God.

When the terrified people inside the Lunos mansion fell into a heavy silence, Logan stood up.

「Well then, I shall show you all a magic trick.」

「Sit down.」

「Yes, sir.」

Logan sat right back down at Paul’s command.

April, who had been cradling her forehead with a weary face, spoke up.

「Why? Let him try.」

「Finally, an audience for me!」

「Do you really have to see this, my lady?」

Paul looked pained, but since April looked back at him with eyes that clearly said, 'I want to see it, so what?' he had no choice but to back down like a gentleman.

April asked for Hannah, who had been playing with the chicks, to be called so she could watch the magic too, and the young girl soon came running down.

Now that he had two interested spectators, Logan grew a bit nervous. He rubbed his sweaty palms together and pulled out a deck of cards to perform a card trick on the floor.

Pezin, who had been suppressing his boredom out of professional decorum, scowled at the sight.

「You had cards this whole time and didn't bring them out?」

Logan took on a serious expression and hugged the cards to his chest.

「These are for magic. They aren't meant for gambling.」

「How is it gambling if we don't bet money?」

「You'll still want to bet something.」

「How about we bet one hard slap?」

Before Pezin could even finish his sentence, Paul raised his hand high.

「I'm in!」

「Me too,」 April added from the side.

Pezin clicked his tongue, but considering his usual conduct, it wasn't surprising that they swarmed like moths to a flame for a chance to hit him.

Pezin was well aware that his way of speaking wasn't nearly as pretty as his face. Of course, he had no intention of changing it.

Putting the game aside for a moment, Logan began his card trick since Hannah was fidgeting, worried the performance might be canceled.

It wasn't a grand illusion, but Hannah's eyes went wide with admiration, and April—having spent seven years with nothing particularly fun to do—watched with a fairly intrigued expression.

Logan got excited by the audience's reaction and tried to start another trick, but Paul stopped him.

「Quit while you're ahead, Logan.」

「But they like it!」

「That's why I'm telling you to stop while they still like it.」

Having been shut down, Logan even had his cards confiscated for the game.

Fortunately, Logan didn't dislike card games either, so he joined the table.

Hannah went back to her chicks, and the four of them—April, Pezin, Paul, and Logan—sat down at the bridge table and started the game.

Since three of the four were smokers, April set a condition from the start.

「Only five cigarettes between the three of you.」

「No, My Lady. If you put it that way, the one with the highest rank will smoke all five. Please divide them up.」

Paul spoke with a solemnity that suggested his very life was at stake.

As Pezin went to pull out a new cigarette, Logan spoke up, already sounding anxious.

「Save it. I'm saying this for your own sake, Superintendent-nim...」

「...」

Pezin clicked his tongue, but he conceded to Logan's point and just laid the cigarette down on the table.

At a game table in the Grand Duchy, a lady's word was an absolute command, so no one could complain about April's condition.

And even more important than following orders was the task of entertaining the noblewoman.

All three officers here were reasonably well-acquainted with the Empire's social circles.

Being a police officer or a soldier was considered honorable work, making them the most preferred grooms for the people of the Empire.

They generally knew what kind of stories would entertain a woman in Imperial society.

However, the situation was different now. After thinking for a while about a topic that would suit April, Logan spoke up.

「Hasn't so much changed since the Grand Duchy started importing coal? As more factories opened up, jobs increased as well. Thanks to the Empire's efforts, the prosperity of the Grand Duchy continues. Is there anything you're curious about regarding that?」

「Plenty,」 April replied immediately.

She had been curious about many things anyway. She was grateful to the quick-witted Logan for bringing up a topic she wanted to hear about.

Logan, with his brown hair and small head, had features that seemed to fill his entire face.

Whenever Logan stared with those innocent eyes, it strangely lifted her mood.

The other officers were busy pretending to ignore or tease him whenever he spoke, but beneath that lay a constant gratitude for his presence as a mood-maker.

April asked various questions, Logan answered enthusiastically, and Paul constantly chimed in to correct him.

「These days, even fried foods have become widely available. I saw them being sold at the market just the other day. They used to be such high-end delicacies.」

「What do you know about 'the old days'? You're just a brat.」

「It might be short, but I have a past of my own.」

Paul was twenty-two and Logan was twenty, so both were equally green, but by Military Academy standards, a two-year seniority meant a junior couldn't even meet a senior's eyes.

Overcoming that gap, Logan skillfully mingled with his seniors.

Between Pezin Dieus and Lian Ragnar, there were quite a few who had sprinted at full speed, even skipping grades like Logan did, just to get on Pezin’s track.

If one chose a side and failed, an early retirement awaited, but if one chose neither, they would likely live out their career as an officer, promoted at a normal pace.

In that sense, Logan had chosen the former.

While they talked, the first round ended. It was April Lunos's victory.

Then the second round, and the third round—all were April's victories.

Paul, unable to accept it, asked April.

「How can you possibly win every single time?」

At that question, April stood up and said,

「Because I'm focusing on winning.」

「And did I intend to lose?」

「You weren't trying your absolute hardest to win.」

After saying that, April turned toward Pezin.

「Get up. We had a bet.」

「It'll be exhausting trying to hit three people; just have someone else do it for you.」

「No, just you is enough.」

Pezin clicked his tongue, but since it was a bet he had proposed himself, he stood up obediently.

April said,

「Follow me.」

As soon as they entered the adjacent maid's room and closed the door, April abruptly slapped him across the face.

She had finally done what she couldn't do earlier.

After being struck by a hand swinging with all its might, a red flush spread across Pezin's exceptionally pale cheek.

Pezin could have blocked it this time too, but he didn't. Because it was a bet.

Afterward, April’s shoulders trembled.

She recalled the scene from long ago when she had poured wine over the Grand Duchess at the Church.

Back then, April had not regretted her actions.

She had been certain she was in the right, and she hadn't felt remorse, guilt, or fear of the consequences that would follow.

Even now, after her life had been torn up by the roots, April Lunos still did what she felt she had to do.

The only difference was that now, fear followed. It wasn't the same as before.