The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 54
That night, the two children entered the room on the third floor where April was waiting.
The room was a space April had requested from Bauman, now furnished with bookshelves and chairs for the children’s studies.
Seated at a table by the window, April turned to look at the two children.
“Have you memorized all the letters?”
“Yes…”
Neither child’s answer sounded particularly confident.
April began by pouring a cup of tea for both Hannah and Fred, treating them with the same courtesy she would an adult.
Since they had shared tea every time they studied together, both children had become quite adept at observing the etiquette of tea time.
Hannah had quickly become proficient at doing everything with her left hand. April thought it a relief that children were so adaptable.
April placed a book in front of each child. Noting that Fred looked the more composed of the two, she spoke to Hannah.
“You shall read second.”
“Yes…”
A frozen Hannah nodded.
Watching her, April simply assumed the girl was incredibly nervous about taking a test.
After lighting a kerosene lamp by the window, Fred began to read first. It was a religious scripture, by far the most widely read book by the people of the Right Island.
“What do you think the sentence you just read means? Try your best to guess.”
At April’s prompting, Fred pondered over the sentence he had just finished.
Even for Fred, there were many difficult words, so he could only read the text without easily grasping its full meaning. Nevertheless, he pieced together the words he did know to infer the content. Whether he was right or wrong, April’s expression brightened considerably.
April stroked Fred’s head and said, “Well done.”
“W-was I right?”
“Not everything was correct, but it was a logical deduction. You’ve worked hard.”
At April’s praise, Fred’s face lit up instantly, like the gas lamps lit throughout the Lunos mansion. However, sensing Hannah’s tension, he quickly stiffened his expression.
He knew how fearfully Hannah had studied leading up to today’s exam. He couldn’t bring himself to keep smiling just because he had done well.
April looked toward Hannah and said, “Now, Hannah, you read.”
Hannah remained frozen, unable to hear April’s words, staring blankly at her closed book.
Fred hurriedly made an excuse on her behalf.
“Hannah worked hard too. She’s just nervous.”
At that, April narrowed her eyes and tapped on Hannah’s book twice, like a knock on a door. Startled by the sound, Hannah snapped her head up.
Meeting Hannah’s eyes, April spoke.
“What is the point of preparing so hard if you ruin the exam?
Hannah hunched her shoulders at the sharp remark.
April didn’t think Hannah was the type to get this nervous over an exam. If anything, she was a bold child for her age. She suspected there was a specific reason why Hannah was so terrified.
She spoke to Fred.
“You may leave. Since you passed, I will send you to school.”
“Thank you.”
“Take the book with you. Read as much as you can before school starts. If there are parts you don’t understand, ask Mr. Bauman or me.”
“Yes. Then, I’ll be going…”
Fred answered, but unable to fully enjoy his joy, he bowed deeply and left the room.
April took a deep breath, rested her chin on her hand, and spoke to Hannah.
“Are you being greedy?”
“Pardon?”
When Hannah looked up in surprise, April continued.
“I’m not asking for perfection. I’m just trying to see if you can read the letters. If you don’t even try to read, how am I supposed to know if you worked hard or not?”
“I did work hard, but…”
Hannah’s voice grew smaller, too afraid to even open the book. She felt as though she would be kicked out of the house if she couldn’t read here.
While she was consumed by such worries, April heard Bauman’s voice from the entrance. It seemed a guest had arrived.
He couldn’t remember.
Pezin tried to recall why and when he had arrived at the Lunos estate, but he couldn’t. He was just there. At some point.
When he came to his senses, Pezin was walking up the hill toward the Lunos mansion.
Knowing from the start that it was impossible for an old man to manage the grounds alone, April had instead requested that the grass on the hill be allowed to grow wild.
For the time being, April intended to let the grim rumors surrounding her protect the Runos family. These tall grasses, overgrown and tangled and now frozen solid, added to that grim atmosphere.
Pezin took off his gloves and brushed the grass with his bare hands. The grass, frozen sharp as a blade, easily cut into his palm. Blood welled up instantly.
In the Lunos mansion, the light lit by April Runos at the same time every day was shining.
Pezin belatedly noticed his blood-stained hand, pulled his black gloves back on, and stood before the mansion.
At the sound of the knock, Bauman opened the door and asked in bewilderment.
“Wasn’t there a sponsorship event today?”
“It ended a short while ago.”
“…Did you walk here? In this winter weather?”
Come to think of it, today was December 31st, the last day of the year.
It was because of Heidi Dieus’s insistence that the sponsorship funds be returned to the victims of the fog before the year ended.
She was a good person.
She was Pezin Dieus’s first love.
If it hadn’t been for the person he loved most in the world, Miller Dieus, the boy’s heart might never have healed. Perhaps he might have even resolved to take her away, even now.
But he hadn’t. He couldn’t.
Pezin spoke in a daze.
“Ah. I just found myself walking… Where is April?”
“She is in her bedroom. I will tell her you’ve arrived, Young Master.”
“No. It’s fine. If she’s already turned in, let her be.”
“Then what will you do? It could be dangerous to head back at this hour. You should at least wait until sunrise before leaving.”
Pezin didn’t want to wake April and tried to convince Bauman that he would be fine if he walked back quickly.
However, Bauman was already heading up the stairs to inform April that a guest had arrived.
