The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 29
After they finished playing, it was time to go home, but Hannah and Fred clearly wanted to stay longer.
「I want to play more……」
「More play……」
Hannah and Fred took turns saying so, but since it was past midnight, both were so overcome with sleepiness that they could barely keep their eyes open, yawning incessantly.
Paul scooped up both children, who looked ready to fall asleep against any surface, one in each arm.
「Next time, you two save up your own money and come play by yourselves.」
「Aww……」
「Right now……」
As expected, the moment they found something to lean against, neither child could finish their sentence and fell fast asleep.
Logan stood nearby, clutching his stomach as he laughed.
「They fell asleep instantly; you must be quite soft, sunbae-nim. Don't you think you need to work out more?」
「Get lost, punk.」
When Paul made a show of kicking at him, Logan dramatically pretended to go flying back.
The police officers all left the amusement park in high spirits.
Fezin, being the gentleman he was regardless of everything else, took responsibility for the group that had started from the Runos estate and saw them right to the front door.
April spoke to Fezin as he prepared to return to his carriage.
「Stay the night. There are plenty of rooms.」
「In a house that isn't prepared for guests at all?」
「Hmm. What kind of preparations are needed again?」
「Did you change the bedsheets?」
「I should.」
「Did you even wash them?」
「I should.」
April realized anew that the thirty employees who used to work at the Runos mansion hadn't spent their days in vain. As expected, it would take hiring thirty people again to restore this mansion to its proper state.
Fezin let out a sigh and said,
「Invite me after you've washed the sheets.」
「The window is closed. I'm not inviting you anymore.」
「Wow, I couldn't be less disappointed.」
After marveling at that, Fezin waved his hand in farewell.
April hesitated for a moment before giving a small wave back, and for some reason, Fezin chuckled at the sight before disappearing into the darkness.
As she turned back from seeing Fezin off, Bauman, who had been standing behind the door, spoke with a pleased expression.
「You seem to have had a good time. Your face has brightened up.」
「It was fun.」
April recognized the kind of expectation hidden within Bauman's pleased look. So she shook her head. She shook it again and again, then laughed.
Her hatred for the Grand Duke couple had not faded in the slightest; she could not possibly want Pezin Dieus.
That was only natural.
That was exactly how it had to be.
* * *
Fezin had enjoyed himself too. He certainly had, yet after dropping April off and drinking with the officers, an inexplicable sense of melancholy surged within him.
He recalled his brother’s suggestion to stay at the Grand Ducal residence for a while. Upon arriving at the residence, he went straight to find his brother. In the early hours of the dawn, Miller, who had come out to the drawing room, grumbled as he adjusted his pajamas.
「Are you out of your mind? At this hour……」
Miller, who had been muttering, widened his eyes as he caught the scent of alcohol on Fezin even from a distance.
「Are you drunk?」
「A bit.」
Fezin slumped onto the sofa, then, unable to withstand the intoxication, he slid sideways and lay down.
Miller frowned and asked,
「Just how much did you drink?」
「People are multifaceted.」
「Well, that's true…… but why so suddenly?」
At Miller’s question, Fezin opened his closed eyes. However, he still wasn't looking at anything in particular.
Fezin murmured,
「Do you remember how I was after our parents passed away?」
At those words, the concern on Miller’s face hardened.
He leaned back against the sofa and said,
「I don't know. I don't even want to remember.」
「I remember.」
「You do?」
Fezin, who had been much younger than Hannah or Fred at the time, had cried every day, calling for their parents.
Miller hadn't had the chance to grieve their deaths. He had spent his days soothing Fezin, over and over again.
He remembered his parents' wish for him to marry a child of the Runos family, and amidst the chaos, he had begun sending out marriage proposals.
Fezin recalled Miller’s youthful face back then—he hadn't even been twenty, a boy by all accounts.
Miller had held the child in his arms, listening to Fezin’s wails that he didn't need anything else and just wanted his parents brought back before his eyes.
「I'm sorry. I can't do that for you. I'm sorry……」
His marriage to Heidi Basanta was perhaps the only non-negotiable thing in Miller Dieus's life.
Fezin knew that he himself was responsible for more than half of the resentment that had built up until the moment Miller decided to wipe the Runos family from the Grand Duchy.
Fezin pulled himself up. Then, leaning toward Miller, who wore a bitter expression at the memory of that past pain, he gave him a hug.
Miller burst into a bewildered laugh.
「What’s gotten into you? You really are wasted, aren't you?」
「I'm on your side, hyung. That's how it should be, of course.」
「I know. Why are you stating the obvious?」
Miller laughed and patted Fezin on the back, just as he had done for the child so long ago.
「I'm always on your side, too.」
Fezin buried his face in Miller’s shoulder and nodded.
He soon straightened up, and from that solid composure, Miller realized that Fezin wasn't as drunk as he had thought.
Consequently, Miller could see that his younger brother was currently trapped in some irreconcilable agony. He also knew that the pain stemmed from his brother’s devotion to him.
Miller said nothing about it.
He suppressed the words rising to his throat—the words telling him to do as he pleased, to follow his heart.
He instinctively sensed that the words that would set Fezin free would be the ones that would harm himself.
Fezin looked into Miller’s eyes and slowly read his intentions.
Afterward, he nodded and left the drawing room.
At the sound of the door closing as Fezin departed, Heidi woke up this time and walked out to the drawing room, wrapping her robe tight.
「What’s going on?」
「Fezin was here.」
「Fezin? At this hour?」
Heidi looked at the clock with a surprised expression.
Miller knew that Fezin had an appointment with April Runos today and had rented out the amusement park.
Therefore, it was certain that some part of his brother’s melancholy was caused by April.
「Heidi.」
「Yes?」
Miller spoke while staring at the door through which Fezin had exited.
「What kind of little girl was April Runos, again?」
At his question, Heidi sat down beside Miller and pondered for a moment.
In the meantime, the butler brought a new teacup.
It was such a cold day that despite the fireplace being well-stoked and the teacup being pre-warmed until it was hot, the handle had turned cold in an instant. The tea was lukewarm as well.
Heidi moistened her throat slightly and said,
「An arrogant, ill-mannered brat.」
「She was.」
「But she rarely said anything that wasn't true.」
「Did she?」
「Yes.」
Heidi gave a hollow laugh.
If every word out of that pretty mouth had been wrong, I wouldn't have hated her so much.
She thought this, but like Miller, she suppressed it deep within her throat for her own sake.
