The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 21
Once the fog lifted, the officers began to leave the mansion one by one.
April’s eyes met with those of the officer who had brandished the firewood; he glowered at her as he made his exit.
It was remarkable how she had managed to make an enemy in those mere three days when others would have hardly moved a muscle. She supposed it was simply her innate temperament.
After the fog had vanished and the last of the officers had departed, April stepped outside and looked up at the mansion.
Hannah came running out, leading the architect, Bauman, who was finally catching his breath.
“Agassi! Grandpa says he’s going to build a house for the chicks! A big, pretty one!”
“Is that so?”
“And a house for Sebio too.”
“Sebio?”
“Sebio!”
At Hannah’s call, the hound came running out, wagging its tail. April narrowed her eyes.
“What kind of hunting dog wags its tail at strangers like that? He’s utterly useless as a hound.”
“Is that why he was abandoned?”
“Most likely. He clearly has no talent for the hunt.”
April said as she leaned down.
Sebio immediately ran over and rubbed his head against April’s outstretched hand. He was clearly a dog accustomed to human touch.
He was so thin that he was practically skin and bones, suggesting someone had tried to starve him to death. Even though she had instructed Hannah to feed him plenty, the dog was still so gaunt that he wobbled as he walked.
Hannah asked with sparkling eyes.
“Can we keep him?”
“It’s not like you’d stop even if I said no. You won’t even leave yourself, even when told to.”
“That’s true.”
Bauman, who had been listening intently to their conversation, spoke up cautiously.
“Then, if I may, might I also make a request…?”
At Bauman’s words, April narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
Feeling the weight of her gaze, Bauman spoke hurriedly, his conscience pricked.
“It is true that I came here under a great misunderstanding, and for that, I offer my sincerest apologies. However, I beg you to look with pity upon my humble skills. I implore you to grant this feeble old man the fortune of contributing to this beautiful mansion.”
Bauman’s speech contained words that were difficult for Hannah to understand, and the child, distracted by a few specific terms, failed to grasp the overall meaning.
Still, she had the sense to realize she shouldn’t interrupt, looking back and forth between the two adults instead.
April looked up at the mansion. It was a house with far too many areas in need of repair.
And just in time, this architect guest was looking for a place where he could play a role.
A beautiful building with much to mend.
Their needs aligned too perfectly to cast him out simply because he had mistaken her for a witch.
If, as Bauman said, modern architects were only concerned with copying Imperial structures, then among the younger generation, there would be no one capable of restoring the majesty of this historic building, the Runos Mansion.
April reached that conclusion immediately, but she did not give an answer right away, just as her grandmother would have done.
Her grandmother, the Grand Duchess Runos, always appeared to deliberate deeply whenever the choice was hers to make.
For instance, when April had discovered a certain joy in running and asked the Grand Duchess if she ‘could run while wearing her riding habit,’ the woman had been lost in thought for a long time.
Then, the Grand Duchess had told April:
“You may run. However, ensure you run with the correct posture.”
It was a simple answer. Yet, because it was a response given after long reflection, April remembered how every single word of the Grand Duchess had felt more deliberate and significant to her heart.
She hadn’t been choosing her thoughts; she had been choosing her words.
It was only now, long after the Grand Duchess had passed, that April understood her intention.
Following the Grand Duchess’s example, April chose her words and said,
“Very well. There is much to fix.”
“Are… are you truly serious?”
“And someday, design a bridge for me.”
“You mean the bridge that crosses the Southern River?”
“I’m glad we understand each other.”
People must live in the territory of a family that deals in commerce. However, people no longer lived in the Runos family’s territory, and no markets were held there.
Even from the brief glimpse April had caught, the world had changed completely in the past seven years. The permanent market established in the heart of the Provincial Capital was teeming with people.
April knew that the concept of a territory she held in her mind had become outdated in that short span of time.
However, she intended to build a bridge to the south to make it easier for people to cross into her territory.
If a bridge were built, those coming up from the south would pass through the Runos territory.
Where people pass, shops are established, and money changes hands. April intended to first ensure that people would travel to and from this land.
“I want it to be a sturdy and magnificent bridge.”
“Yes, before this old man’s life reaches its end, I will certainly, most certainly, design it.”
Bauman vowed.
April nodded.
“Then I shall hire you.”
When April said those words, not only Bauman but Hannah as well jumped for joy. April herself felt a secret sense of relief at having found someone to work for her more easily than expected.
April Runos resolved to turn this territory into a place where more people and more wealth would flow.
* * *
However, from the very next day, April realized just how beautiful living alone had been.
Bauman woke her up in the morning with the sound of sawing, as he was already busy building the chicken coop.
Soon after, Hannah’s voice echoed from the hallway.
“I told you not to wake Agassi!”
The one Hannah was scolding was the hound, Sebio.
The dog had long since recognized who the master of this house was. Thus, he had just pushed open the bedroom door to come in and act cute for April.
As soon as Sebio entered, he climbed onto the bed and tried to settle down to sleep beside her; eventually, April could sleep no longer and sat up.
“Why are you doing this, honestly?”
April asked Sebio, but there was no way he could understand.
Hannah said from the side.
“Sebio says he wants to sleep here because he’s cold…. I told him he couldn’t!”
She thought children certainly had vivid imaginations. It was because Hannah frequently held conversations with the chickens, the chicks, and the dog.
Of course, there were times when she had the illusion that the animals strangely seemed to understand Hannah, or when she felt that the things Hannah reported the animals saying actually made sense.
April shook off such bizarre thoughts.
April wanted to kick Sebio out, but there was a problem. The dog was excessively warm. Once Sebio settled into the bed, it even felt cozy.
And Hannah even conveyed what April wanted to say out the window.
“Grandpa Bauman! I can hear the sawing all the way in here!”
“Wha—what? Oh dear, my ears must be failing me…. I’ll do it somewhere else, so please tell Agassi I’m sorry!”
“Okay!”
After that exchange, April was fortunately able to regain a sense of complete peace.
Having sent Hannah out while allowing Sebio to stay, April lay back down in bed.
“…You are quite warm, aren’t you?”
April said, stroking Sebio.
As usual, Sebio liked people far too much for a hunting dog and licked the hand stroking him until it was soaking wet.
April simply let Sebio be and tried to drift back to sleep.
