The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 38
“The Superintendent will be arriving shortly.”
As Paul moved to step away, April offered him a parting word.
“Thank you. For giving me my first dance.”
“Pardon?”
“I know it wasn’t an easy thing to do, even if it was an order.”
At the smile April gave him, Paul replied with a polite, albeit bashful, expression.
“The honor was all mine.”
* * *
The year-end charity party held at the Grand Ducal Residence was a significant event, attended mostly by influential figures from minor noble families and their children. To blend into such a gathering naturally, a greeting from the hosts was essential—especially for April, who was returning to society after seven years.
Fezin headed toward the table where the Dieus couple was seated.
Seats had been prepared for Fezin and his companion at the table reserved for those the couple trusted most.
Fezin had informed Heidi in advance that April would be accompanying him. Despite this, she was currently looking away, acting as if she had only just learned of an unwelcome guest’s presence.
Fezin was lenient with her; consequently, he never uttered a word that might harm Heidi. Instead, he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“You should at least greet her.”
“I’m sorry.”
When Heidi offered that apology, Miller called out to Fezin in a low, heavy voice.
“Fezin, have you lost your mind?”
“We can’t know if a Runos is actually up to something if she’s just kept tucked away in the manor. I have to bring her out where there are people. Specifically, where there are many people she dislikes.”
“Why does it have to be here?”
“Because the person she hates most is here.”
“That’s exactly why this is reckless. What if someone gets hurt?”
“Honestly, who could she possibly hurt? Besides, the police are constantly watching her. Stop worrying.”
At Fezin’s firm stance, Miller massaged his throbbing forehead and spoke.
“It’s not too late. If the police can’t handle it, the Church—”
Miller trailed off, realizing his slip of the tongue. As expected, Fezin was staring back at him. Miller hurried to apologize.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to disparage the police.”
“I know you’ve always looked down on us.”
Then, Shafer Meyer, the brothers’ maternal cousin who was seated at the table, spoke up.
“You dragged in the wench who tried to have Miller-hyung killed, and now you’re throwing a tantrum? Who do you think you are?”
With an Imperial Princess for a mother and the Chief of Police of the Grand Duchy for a father, Shafer Meyer had lived a life of unchecked arrogance since childhood.
With his flashy blonde hair and his legs clad in riding breeches so tight his thigh muscles were clearly visible, he was a constant source of irritation to Fezin.
“I just explained why I brought her. Does that head of yours still fail to grasp things the first time they’re said?”
“Why, you—!”
The hot-tempered Shafer stood up with a loud, aggressive thud.
While many guests were hoping for the party’s first brawl, a fight between these two lifelong rivals could very well end the festivities then and there.
Heidi rose to intervene, gently stroking his shoulder.
“Fine, I’ll offer the greeting.”
The moment she placed her hand on his shoulder, Fezin ceased the confrontation and replied.
“Thank you.”
“In exchange, will you have the first dance with me today?”
At her request, Fezin looked at Heidi in silence.
“Well?”
When Heidi pressed him again, Fezin finally answered.
“I will.”
Having secured his promise, Heidi gave her husband a kiss on the forehead before asking Fezin to escort her.
Miller, taking the kiss as a sign to wait patiently, slowly regained his composure and resumed his conversation with the other guests.
Heidi, however, could not find such peace.
Miller’s hatred for April was not pure. He viewed April as an obstacle to his love, but his perception of the Runos family as political rivals carried more weight.
But Heidi Dieus hated April Runos with every fiber of her being.
Furthermore, she never forgot one simple truth.
Everything she had built until now rested on precarious sand—on the fact that Heidi Basanta had stolen another woman’s fiancé.
She lived in fear that people would one day realize this was a problem. For now, April was playing the role of the villain perfectly, but there was no telling which way the fickle ears of high society might turn.
Many in the social circles secretly anticipated the fall of its most successful woman. Much like the joy they found in the downfall of April Runos, it was merely a matter of entertainment to them.
As she walked, escorted by Fezin, Heidi murmured under her breath.
“She’s pretty.”
The twenty-two-year-old April Runos, watching her former romantic rival approach on Fezin’s arm, possessed a face that was hauntingly beautiful.
She was the spitting image of her father, the man so many women had fought over during his lifetime. And she had inherited that vivid gaze of Madame Runos—the winner of those battles—a gaze that left burn marks on every heart it touched.
Heidi Dieus’s old wounds throbbed.
「The daughter of a family of pirates.」
「Stealing from others must be your family tradition.」
「Just like what you did.」
The look and voice of that young, fourteen-year-old girl looking down on her echoed in her mind.
When she finally stood before April with a heavy heart, Heidi noticed April’s chest heaving slightly.
‘Ah, she’s angry.’
Heidi eventually let out a small laugh.
Just being in the same space as the Dieus couple seemed to cause April Runos a pain as sharp as a lightning strike within her body.
In the end, she was the victor of this war. After all, Heidi was the one who had claimed the name ‘Dieus.’
Instead of a formal greeting, she quietly pulled April into an embrace and whispered low.
“Now, only the pirate family remains.”
“…….”
“You poor thing.”
She could feel April’s rage within her arms. It surged as if her veins might burst. She could almost hear the pounding of April’s heart.
Though she had tried to forget and had never once wished for a reunion, Heidi Dieus could not wipe the smile from her face.
Only after holding April Runos like this did Heidi realize she had been waiting for this moment.
She was curious to hear what April would say. She slowly released her hold and looked into her eyes. Seeing that the fire in them hadn’t faded, she felt a sense of anticipation.
April opened her mouth.
“As long as I am here, Runos remains unchanged.”
Could love ever be as intense as this emotion?
“So, as long as Your Grace the Grand Duchess is alive, Basanta remains as well.”
If thousands of years passed and one had to choose between forgetting an eternal love or an eternal hate, she honestly thought it would be the love that faded.
Heidi replied in a sweet voice.
“Basanta? I am a Dieus. I married Miller.”
Heidi reminded April of what she had stolen from her. She even turned to Fezin, who was standing beside her, and asked:
“Isn’t that right, Fezin?”
Fezin smiled.
“Yes, the Grand Duchess is a member of the Dieus family now.”
“Well then.”
Heidi held out her hand.
“Will you dance with me as promised?”
Fezin knew Heidi had asked for this dance specifically for this moment, but he took her hand without a word and led her to the center of the ballroom where others were dancing.
As they danced with practiced grace, Heidi asked him,
“Are you disappointed in me?”
Fezin shook his head and replied.
“You did well.”
“Did well?”
“I saw firsthand how arrogantly April was behaving. And besides...”
“Besides?”
“It was exactly the kind of behavior I’d expect from the Grand Duchess I know. I liked that Heidi Basanta.”
At his nonchalant answer, Heidi accidentally missed a step, but Fezin caught her by the waist with both hands as if he had expected it, preventing her from falling.
He steadied the startled Heidi and spoke.
“So, you may use me for now, but don’t do it again.”
Heidi hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
Seen from this close, he had grown up much more than she had realized.
