The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 59
“You’re keeping up, right?”
“Yeah.”
Entering the lighthouse with Joshua, who seemed relieved by Fezin’s response, they found the relatives of the Dieus family gathered together.
Fezin handed Joshua back to a delighted Heidi and pulled aside Miller, who was merrily tossing back wine.
Fezin spoke.
“I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“The remains of the Head of the Runos family and his wife—what did you do with them?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because I think April will be looking for them soon.”
Miller faltered at Fezin’s words.
Fezin tightened his grip on Miller’s arm and pressed him.
“You handled them properly, didn’t you?”
Miller’s face was blank, as if he couldn’t recall immediately.
Fortunately, however, he remembered the answer before long.
“They were buried in the public cemetery.”
“……You buried the bodies of the Runos family in a public cemetery?”
“I figured there would be no one looking for them.”
“Even so, you should have prepared for the possibility of returning the bodies to the Runos family!”
“How was I to know April Runos would still be alive after seven years?”
If they were buried in the public cemetery, it was a serious problem.
Criminals were often buried alongside those with no known kin. They were deliberately placed in incredibly remote and rugged areas, making it difficult for the families of the criminals to visit.
It wasn't even certain if a headstone had been erected, and even if there was one, the lack of foot traffic meant there was a high probability that animals had scavenged the grave or that it had been buried under soil washed down by the rain.
Fezin spoke through gritted teeth.
“If we can’t find those bodies, it’s going to be a massive problem for you, hyung.”
“Dammit……”
“At the very least, we need to know where they’re buried, so find the person who buried them. I’ll help with the search.”
After saying that, Fezin gulped down the liquor sitting on the table to soothe his throbbing headache.
He started to head out again, but then, pressing his hand to his temple, he approached Joshua.
Come to think of it, the kid seemed to know Shafer Meyer’s whereabouts.
He didn't know what the man was up to, but the phrase 'he told me to keep it a secret' poked at the professional instincts Fezin had developed as a police inspector.
Fezin said to Joshua.
“What did Shafer tell you to keep secret?”
“Um…… it’s a secret.”
“Joshua.”
Fezin knelt down to meet the child’s eyes.
With a stern face that showed no intention of coddling him, he said,
“If Shafer Meyer causes trouble, you’ll end up going to prison too.”
Joshua flinched at the word 'prison.'
Fezin continued.
“I’m a police officer, you know. I can send anyone to prison.”
“He, he said it wasn’t a problem……”
“So, what is it?”
“Uncle Shafer…… said he’s going to find the jewels of the Runos estate.”
Fezin froze at those words.
Terrified by the way Fezin’s expression twisted further, Joshua burst into tears.
“He said…… Uncle Shafer said we have to recover things that belong to bad…… bad people……”
Fezin stood up abruptly.
He had set out for here the moment he saw April fall asleep, yet he had only arrived after sunrise. With the snow piling up and freezing over, it was certain that it would take even longer to get from here back to the Runos family estate.
Because the police force was concentrated in the east, there were currently fewer than five people guarding the Runos mansion.
Fezin turned around. He had to send word to the Runos estate.
*
*
*
It was broad daylight, making it difficult to signal the lighthouse.
As Fezin prepared to leave immediately, Heidi blocked his path.
“You’ve only just arrived, where are you going? There are so many people I need to introduce you to.”
“I’ve heard Shafer intends to seek out the Runos family jewels.”
“Is he trying to cause trouble again?”
Heidi didn't take the news very seriously. In fact, her expression looked as if she found it to be a rather amusing prank.
She grabbed Fezin’s arm as he tried to leave and said,
“There are police there, too. What could possibly happen?”
“If anything happens at the Runos estate, it’s on me.”
“Fezin.”
Heidi spoke with a slightly firmer voice.
“Don’t you think you’re worrying a bit too much?”
At her words, Fezin’s anxiety subsided for a few seconds. He looked back on whether his anxiety was indeed excessive.
If anyone other than Heidi had said it, he would have scoffed and ignored them. It was only because it was Heidi Dieus—out of the lingering affection he held for her—that he reflected on himself.
But even after reconsidering, the answer remained the same.
“When it comes to Shafer, there’s no such thing as worrying too much.”
“Well……”
“He’s talking about looking for jewels in a house where the Head of the Family is alive and well. What do you think that implies?”
“……”
“It means he intends to pass judgment.”
Miller, who had been talking to others but had approached them upon sensing trouble with his younger brother, came to a halt.
Fezin sensed his brother’s presence and turned as he continued.
“The Church is doing the exact same thing Shafer is doing, so it’s no surprise that idiot mistakes such injustice for a sense of justice.”
He said his piece and walked straight out of the lighthouse.
Miller stood there watching the direction Fezin had gone, before regaining his smile and opening his arms toward Joshua.
“My son.”
Joshua ran into his arms with a beaming smile.
As he was held, Joshua said,
“Uncle said if Uncle Shafer does something wrong, I might go to prison too……”
“Fezin said that?”
Joshua nodded.
Miller patted the back of the worried Joshua and stared in the direction Fezin had departed.
*
*
*
Waking up early in the morning, April remembered falling asleep by Fezin’s side the night before and sat up with a start.
It was still snowing outside, and Fezin was gone. She recalled how she had clung to him to keep him from leaving.
She felt as though she could suppress any emotion if she used her reason, but when she was tired or emotional, it didn't work well. Last night had been exactly like that. She hadn't wanted Fezin to leave her room.
She told herself it was just because it was cold and she didn't want to be alone. Fezin must have stayed by her side with that same thought in mind.
April noticed a note stuck to the window.
[On duty]
He had left a single word with zero effort.
“What’s this?”
April got out of bed and walked over to the mirror, where she found another note.
[Off Sunday]
She peeled the note off, only to find another one stuck to her forehead.
“This brat……”
Frowning, she peeled it off to see what was written.
[Let’s have dinner in the capital, friend.]
“Why play a prank like this? He’s not a child.”
April muttered to herself, but a smile tugged at her lips despite her best efforts. She felt like she shouldn't be smiling, but she couldn't help it.
April threw the curtains wide.
January 1st.
The Academy’s forecast that there would be heavy snow was accurate.
She sighed at the snow pouring down as if someone were shaking out bags of flour in the sky.
Her vision was mostly blocked by the blizzard, but every so often when the snowfall thinned, she could see into the distance—everything was covered in pure white snow.
Snow was truly a loathsome thing on the Right Island.
It fell for months on end. No one living on this island could deny that this land possessed a truly harsh nature. This was true even for the Runos mansion, which had been built in one of the few places on the Right Island with decent weather.
“I hope the snow stops before Sunday.”
If the snow didn't stop, it seemed impossible for Fezin to make his way to this isolated hill.
April realized that she had been quite indifferent to the weather for the past seven years.
She had lived through the heat as it came and the cold as it went. She had never hoped for anything.
It was truly the first time in seven years that she found herself wishing for good weather.
Looking out the window and thinking about her tasks for the year, April soon found herself sighing involuntarily as she recalled her conversation with Fezin yesterday.
“If the Runos family starts sailing merchant ships again, to what extent can we escape the Empire’s influence?”
It was a question she had never expected to receive from Fezin. Yet, it was a question that April desperately needed.
Ultimately, April wanted the Runos family to regain its former glory.
If the Right Island fell, the idea of only reviving the Runos family was absurd.
“I have to set the merchant ships afloat.”
In the end, that was what she had to do as a member of the Runos family.
To reconnect the Right Island with the world once again.
