Translator: Nox

The Mansion Awaits Spring

Chapter 57

When silence fell after their conversation, April checked the clock and spoke.

“I promised to finish Hannah’s exam before midnight.”

“Ah, the goal was to have her reading before the year ends, right?”

“I don’t understand it. She’s studied so hard until now, but when it comes time for the actual test, she won’t even open the book.”

At April’s worried grumble, Fezin stood up first and spoke.

“It’s because she’s ambitious.”

“More like she’s scared.”

“Is she scared because she’s so ambitious?”

“Could that be it?”

April wore a thoroughly frustrated expression.

Fezin stood up and said,

“Let’s go. Time for the exam.”

“She’s already terrified when it’s just me. What if you come along too?”

“What are you talking about? That kid is way more afraid of you than she is of me.”

“Why me?”

When April asked back in confusion, Fezin gave a wry laugh.

“It’s the same way we fear God.”

“What?”

“You’re that kid’s savior.”

“…….”

“Between a stranger like me and her savior, whose abandonment do you think she’d fear more?”

April froze at Fezin’s words.

Until now, she had thought of herself as merely an employer or a teacher. She had never considered the idea that she had saved Hannah from something.

Fezin walked ahead, knocked, and opened the door.

“Kid.”

“Hello, Inspector-nim.”

“You’re good with animals, right? Great reflexes, too.”

“Yes.”

“Lately, I’ve been asking every kid I see to become a police officer… but this time, I’m a bit more serious. We’re always looking for officers who can handle police dogs.”

“……Really?”

“Of course, you can do whatever you want later, but for that, a basic education is absolutely necessary.”

As Fezin spoke, he pulled a chair over to one side. He placed another chair on the opposite end, checked his pocket watch, and said,

“Run from there to here. Five times. I want to check your physical coordination.”

“Okay!”

Hannah, who loved running around, took a ready stance at one chair. As soon as Fezin signaled the start by swinging his watch, she began sprinting between the two chairs.

April stood by with her arms crossed, sighing at the absurd test. She couldn’t fathom why he was making the girl do such a thing.

It wasn’t until Hannah had completed the five laps that April realized the reason for this shuttle run.

After the vigorous exercise, color had returned to Hannah’s face. The girl, who had been pale with nerves the whole time, was now even giggling.

Fezin checked the time and said,

“Excellent. You’d pass the physical exam by a landslide.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, your results are superior for someone your age.”

“Whoa!”

To think the child who had been so tense could smile so easily.

Unable to believe it, April whispered to Fezin so only he could hear.

“How did you do that?”

“What?”

“Hannah’s smiling.”

“Ah.”

Fezin shrugged nonchalantly.

“Kids usually smile when they run.”

“……Is it really that simple?”

“Even so, that kid is on the complex side.”

By making her run, Fezin had completely broken through Hannah’s tension.

April still found it hard to believe, and even after she sat across from Hannah to start the exam again, she wore a look of bewilderment. Then, remembering the sight of Hannah’s joyful face while running, she let out a burst of laughter.

At the sound of April’s laughter, Hannah looked at her, eyes wide.

“Did you think of something funny, My Lady?”

“Yes. I just remembered… how I always wanted to run when I was little.”

“You did, My Lady? Really?”

“Every day, I begged my grandmother. Asking if I could run.”

At those words, Hannah’s expression brightened even further.

“I love running too!”

“Yes, I knew that since the time you cleared out the swarm of rats on the third floor.”

April recalled what Fezin had said—that Hannah might find her more difficult to approach than him.

She met Hannah’s eyes and said,

“Hannah.”

“Yes!”

“Until you came to the Lunos mansion, I was alone. It’s not about family; you’re simply the only person who has truly interacted with me.”

April spoke each word slowly, wanting to convey her feelings fully to the child.

“I don’t know what I am to you, but I am deeply grateful to you. That’s why I want you to go to school. Unlike me, I want you to learn much about the world.”

“…….”

“I want you to do well, Hannah.”

Hannah listened intently to April’s words, then gave a beaming smile.

As expected, the running had been worth it. Hannah’s smiling face was infinitely bright.

“I’ll do well. I’ll read hard, learn hard, and run hard!”

“And become a magnificent police officer.”

When Fezin chimed in, April scolded him.

“This child will become whatever she wants to be. Don’t interfere.”

“It’s not interference; I’m desperately scouting.”

Listening to the exchange between the two, Hannah tilted her head and asked,

“What does scouting mean?”

“Looking for something.”

“Choosing something.”

Fezin explained it as ‘looking for,’ and April answered as ‘choosing.’

Hannah looked back and forth between the two, then opened her book and said,

“Hmm, I guess even adults don’t know everything.”

At that, both adults burst into laughter.

Fezin sat with his arms crossed and said,

“You hit the nail on the head. Actually, most adults have a pretty loose understanding of what many words mean.”

“And here I thought adults knew everything perfectly.”

“Not at all. Maybe scholars do.”

The idea that they only had a ‘loose understanding’ seemed to give Hannah even more confidence.

Hannah began to read the scriptures vigorously. She guessed the meanings of words as she pleased and added her own arbitrary interpretations to the sentences, but it was a splendid reading nonetheless.

“You’re doing great. I don’t know why you were so scared.”

After praising her, April continued.

“Now, let’s get ready for you to start school next autumn.”

“Whoa!”

As soon as she heard that, Hannah’s face lit up even more.

“I’m going to go tell Fred!”

“All right.”

Hannah bolted out of her seat and ran out.

When she opened the door, Fred was standing there, waiting anxiously.

“Let’s go to school together next year, Fred!”

“Really? Whoa!”

The two children jumped up and down, then ran down the stairs to share the happy news with Bauman.

Bauman, who had been woken up by many people today, felt even happier than the children upon hearing the news in his half-asleep state and made celebratory pancakes for them.

---

Now that Hannah’s exam was over, April felt completely drained of energy.

As April slumped over the desk, Fezin stood up and spoke.

“There are only thirty minutes left until the New Year. Are you really going to sleep?”

“The New Year comes every year anyway.”

With that, April actually tried to drift off.

Fezin didn’t wake her immediately. He sat across from her, waiting out the final thirty minutes of the year. Eventually, he leaned over the desk just as April had. Their faces were level, looking at each other.

Fezin didn’t think he had any particularly special affection for the Grand Duchy.

He simply wanted safety for himself, his brother, and his sister-in-law. And success as a policeman.

Fezin’s life was that simple.

Yet April’s life was a bit more complicated than that.

The moment he let her into his life even a little, his world became instantly and intricately tangled.

It was the same now. He was sharing thoughts with April that he hadn’t even realized he was having.

Only after speaking them aloud did he realize he was worried about the food situation in the Grand Duchy.

On the Right Island, a massive industrial zone had now been formed.

From the beginning, the Right Island had very few temperate areas that could be called a breadbasket. Since they had cleared what little land there was to build factories, the food imported from the Empire was nothing short of a lifeline.

When there were about five minutes left until the New Year, Fezin picked April up. Half-awakened from her deep sleep by the movement, April grumbled sleepily.

Fezin teased her.

“Good heavens, what kind of noble lady sleeps like this?”

April was utterly exhausted from her conversation with Fezin and Hannah’s exam. Far from retorting to his teasing, she merely buried her face into his chest and tried to fall back into a deeper sleep.

Fezin walked carefully so as not to chase away her slumber and laid April down on the bed in her room.