The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 34
Sailing the winter seas had never once been a pleasant experience. The crossing usually took five hours, but in the winter, when the waves grew violent, it could easily take twice as long.
Fortunately, they reached the opposite shore in exactly five hours today. Pezin departed from the port on the Right Island and, as soon as he arrived on the Left Island, boarded a train heading for the provincial capital.
The Grand Duchy imitated the Rasa Empire in every conceivable way.
Pezin knew better than anyone that this 'imitation' was the direction his brother had pursued from the moment Miller first ascended to the position of Grand Duke and became the ruler of the territory. That was why it was so painful.
Ultimately, the Grand Duchy remained an inferior version of the Empire in all aspects.
Yet, Pezin had no choice but to support Miller in political matters.
To him, his brother was an irreplaceable existence.
For a man without parents, Miller had existed in Pezin's life as the sole, absolute figure who could replace them.
It was Pezin himself who felt the most disgust toward his own first love. That was why he had left the Grand Duchy of his own accord.
And then, when he faced Heidi Dieus again this time….
Pezin rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window.
The rapidly passing scenery slowly erased her beautiful face, which had been trying to surface in his mind.
Once this matter was settled, he intended never to return to the Grand Duchy again.
There was no reason left for him to stay there anyway.
He would remain a man of the Rasa Empire forever. And he would seize enough police power that even the Emperor could not treat him lightly.
As he thought of this, Pezin suddenly remembered the woman most obsessed with her roots among everyone he knew—April Runos. Simultaneously, he remembered that he had to buy her a dress.
If he didn't bring something proper, there was no telling what kind of insults he would hear.
Of course, she wouldn't actually spit out curses, but that peculiar look of pathetic disdain she gave him was certainly no better than having insults screamed into his ears.
Because of the dilemma over the dress, Pezin thought of April Runos throughout the entire train ride.
* * *
Logan, who accompanied Pezin, was one of the people who could most poignantly feel the difference between being in the Grand Duchy and arriving in Rasa.
When Pezin Dieus stepped off in the Imperial capital, where the terrifying cold of the Grand Duchy had softened, a massive number of police officers lined up with mechanical precision to greet him.
Pezin bypassed the officers, offering a simple wave of his hand to signal them to stand down instead of a formal greeting.
There was a vast difference in population between the Grand Duchy and the Empire. The Empire had more than twice the people, and the scale of the police and military forces was even more disparate. As for the quality of weaponry, the gap was so wide that multipliers became meaningless.
Logan was always curious about how Pezin felt when he first arrived in the Empire.
With what kind of eyes did that young boy behold this overwhelming difference in power?
“It’s hot, returning to the Empire. I might have to take off my coat.”
At Logan’s bravado, Pezin remarked,
“Take it off then.”
“Well, there’s such a thing as etiquette, isn’t there?”
“Since when did you care about etiquette? Take it off.”
“Actually, it’s a bit chilly. Can’t you just take it as a joke?”
“For some reason, I don’t feel like playing along with your jokes.”
Logan feigned a pout at Pezin’s words.
While Logan continued his antics by his side, they arrived at the Imperial Palace.
Waiting from the entrance was Lian Ragnar, Pezin’s rival and, at the same time, his close friend.
“Pezin.”
“We meet often.”
“Precisely. Let’s stop seeing each other, shall we?”
“We’re of one mind.”
Pezin spoke as he gripped Lian’s hand firmly in a handshake.
Lian patted Pezin on the back, expressing his delight at the reunion.
Only the two of them proceeded to the Emperor’s drawing room.
As they entered, the middle-aged Emperor stood up with a welcoming smile.
“My two most cherished police officers have arrived at the same time.”
The two greeted him simultaneously; Lian, a member of the Imperial family as the Emperor’s nephew, merely placed a hand over his heart without bowing his head, but Pezin of the Grand Ducal family bowed deeply in respect.
The Emperor first embraced Lian with one arm, then answered Pezin’s greeting with the same gesture.
However, since Pezin was the only one with a reason to report, Lian left first after sharing a pleasant private conversation over a cup of tea.
In the drawing room where only the Emperor and Pezin remained, the Emperor finally spoke.
“What is the situation with the fog?”
“It was not good. There were twenty casualties.”
“I see. So it was.”
The Emperor nodded and spoke in a heavy voice.
“I am considering ways to resolve the fog. I shall find a solution as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“You have many worries, don’t you? Stop by the Academy before you leave. The most capable scholars are searching for a way.”
Pezin sighed at the Emperor’s words.
“Would I even understand what the Academy scientists are saying?”
“This is why I maintain that the Military Academy should have taught more science.”
“I’m glad I graduated before that happened.”
“Unfortunately, there is such a thing as continuing education in this world.”
“You really mustn't do that. I’ll quit the force. You’ll be losing a capable officer all because of science studies.”
The Emperor, who enjoyed Pezin’s grumbling, let out a jovial laugh.
“Just you wait and see if you can quit as you please. You’ll be working as an Imperial officer until you see your great-grandchildren.”
“Please don’t say such horrible things. I’m afraid it might actually happen.”
After exchanging such jests, the Emperor followed Pezin out to see him off and asked,
“So, what about marriage?”
“I’m not interested. Who are you trying to set me up with now?”
“You need to get married quickly, lad. At this rate, I’ll be busy clearing away the corpses of young ladies dying of lovesickness.”
The Emperor looked truly concerned as he watched the unmarried noblewomen who, though they wanted to speak to Pezin, merely hid their faces behind fans and bowed as they withdrew because the Emperor was accompanying him.
Having escorted him to the door, the Emperor said to Pezin,
“When will you come next?”
“I won’t be coming in the winter, at the very least. Winter ships are dreadful.”
“I heard winter lasts for half a year there?”
“I shall see you in the summer.”
“How heartless the seasons are.”
The Emperor embraced Pezin tightly once more, sounding sincerely disappointed.
Holding Pezin, the Emperor said,
“Return soon. I miss you.”
The Emperor, who found both of his own sons quite unsatisfactory, truly cherished Pezin of the Grand Ducal family, which had continuously mixed its blood with the Imperial line.
However, that affection was something Pezin had earned.
From start to finish, every last bit of it was the result of Pezin’s own efforts.
The moment Pezin disappointed him, the Emperor would remember that fact.
He would remember how desperate this young man had been to win his heart.
* * *
The Academy was a beautiful place.
Reddish-brown dried ivy decorated the white stone walls, and a fragrant floral scent leaked from charming, open-work ceramic jars with lids.
Perhaps he had visited the Runos estate too often, for he even recalled how the shelves that should have held vases were empty there.
That mansion had come to smell of nothing but dust. If the late Lady Runos, who always made sure the scent of all kinds of roses lingered, were to know, she would have given him a stern scolding.
Thinking such thoughts, Pezin followed the Academy researcher and soon received a gas mask.
“Is it absolutely necessary to wear this?”
“Of course, Superintendent-nim. This fog is extremely toxic; even someone as robust as yourself could be in danger if exposed for too long.”
“Then why on earth is Runos perfectly fine?”
“I received the report from the 3rd Division that you sent, but we still do not know the reason. I give you my word that I will uncover it by the next time you visit.”
Following the researcher who made such a vow, Pezin entered a massive glass laboratory.
Inside, conditions identical to the fog in the Grand Duchy had been recreated.
