The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 67
Eleanor, who had been listening and was always honest with her emotions, knit her brows.
“What do you mean by that?”
Jeff lifted his head and looked up at Eleanor.
Even after seven years of silence, she was still his wife; she could read his gaze perfectly.
“So, it’s a story I shouldn’t hear either?”
“In my judgment… yes.”
The reason Miller Dieus had to be sent away was that the story involved the Dieus family.
Consequently, the reason he wanted Eleanor Morrow, an Imperial, to leave was that the Rasa Empire was involved in this tale.
Eleanor nodded.
“Call me when you’re finished, April. I have plenty of things to talk about as well.”
“Yes, Auntie.”
After Eleanor excused herself, April looked at Jeff and spoke.
“Please tell me now. The story you intended to share.”
“I don’t know all the details myself. Both your father and mother were worried that others might get swept up in it, so they didn’t tell me the specifics.”
April thought for a moment at his words and then asked.
“Are you saying they intentionally excluded the rest of the Runos family?”
“Yes. They both likely knew their deaths were coming. If only they could save you….”
April couldn’t find the words to respond to that.
Jeff continued, understanding her silence.
“I don’t know the details, but Miller Dieus must have borrowed the strength of the Empire. Otherwise, there is no way he could have brought the Runos family down….”
Jeff’s voice trailed off slowly. He was startled by the look in April’s eyes as she listened.
Her eyes warmed, then cooled, then blazed with intensity again.
Could the same shade of red hold such a vast spectrum of emotion?
Jeff spoke once more.
“Holding a funeral is a very wise decision. Many members of the Runos family will want to attend.”
“But they’ll be afraid of the Grand Duke, won’t they?”
“Most likely.”
“Then I’ll just have to compel them.”
“Compel them?”
“Yes. I’ll have to make it so they come to the funeral because they’re more afraid of me.”
Jeff stared blankly at April as she spoke, then eventually broke into a smile.
“How is it that you take after both your parents so evenly?”
“Is that so?”
“The qualities I used to envy in them… are all in you.”
They say when the wind is strong, the grass lies flat and the tree breaks. But a person born to be a tree cannot lie down, even if they know it is safer.
His brother was born a tree, met a wife just like him, and had a child who resembled them both. Born as trees that could not lie down even when the wind blew, simply persisting in their own stubbornness.
When the wind blew again, April Runos would break while all the other members of the Runos family lay flat. Just as the others had.
Or, she might luckily endure. If so, she would live.
Jeff continued.
“That boy grew up in the Empire, didn’t he?”
“You mean Fezin? Yes, that’s right.”
“Keep a close eye on him. He surely knows the answer.”
“He knows the answer?”
“He is a member of the Dieus family who reached out to the Empire. Moreover, he grew up there himself. The Emperor will certainly try to use Fezin effectively. There will always be a purpose behind his actions.”
April glanced back toward where Fezin had exited.
She knew it too. That Fezin had a clear purpose, something she didn’t yet know.
She nodded.
“I’ll look into it.”
If the investigator from headquarters did what she asked, April would be able to find the answer.
After finishing her conversation with Jeff, April went to find Fezin.
He was out in the garden, perhaps feeling uncomfortable being alone inside.
April approached him and said, “Why are you out here? You’re sensitive to the cold.”
Fezin replied with a weary expression, “Are you going to tease me for the rest of my life just because I caught a cold once?”
Fezin grumbled as he took another drag of his cigarette and stubbed it out in an ashtray.
“If you’re done talking, let’s go. I’ll walk with you while I drop you off at the Runos mansion.”
“Is there anywhere to walk in this cold?”
“We can just dress warmly. And drink something hot.”
“Alright then.”
April agreed and was about to go inside to pack her things when she turned back to Fezin.
“Aren’t you going to ask what we talked about?”
“You wouldn’t tell me even if I asked.”
“True.”
“That’s why I’m not asking.”
April nodded in agreement and went back into the villa.
She returned to the study to say goodbye to Jeff and was seen off by Eleanor.
Eleanor said, “Come by often. If I have anything to tell you, I’ll send Kayani.”
“No. Until that child finds her place, the Runos family cannot be allowed to hold her back. From now on, we must continue to be on bad terms, Auntie.”
Choked up by her words, Eleanor replied, “That won’t do. How can I let you endure this alone?”
“Think of it as a promise for the future. One day, let’s all gather and spend New Year’s together.”
Recognizing she shouldn’t be stubborn in the face of April’s comforting words, Eleanor had no choice but to nod. After giving April a tight, soothing hug, she pointed toward Fezin waiting by the carriage.
“If that fellow causes you any grief, make sure to tell me that much. I’ll have a drink with you and curse him out.”
“Even though he’s just a friend?”
“Especially if he’s a friend.”
April smiled and nodded.
“I will.”
Having said her goodbyes, April returned to Fezin, who escorted her into the carriage.
The carriage set off, and the two remained silent for a while.
Fezin could more or less guess what kind of story Jeff Morrow had told April.
He didn’t know how much Jeff knew or how much he had said, but he was certain Jeff had told her to be wary of him—a Dieus and an Imperial policeman.
April was looking out the window at the blue sky that had finally appeared now that the snow had stopped.
The two of them had a mountain of questions for each other, yet neither could easily voice any of them.
Fezin sat with his legs crossed, staring straight ahead. He didn’t even look at the scenery outside.
It was April who broke the silence first.
“Where are we going for our walk?”
“The market.”
“The market?”
“The winter market. Near the southern river.”
“Is that still there?”
“Yeah, it’s outside the estate now. It’s actually gotten bigger.”
The winter market had been created back when merchant ships began traveling up the southern river to unload their cargo.
The high-quality goods were sent first to the department stores and shops in the provincial capital. Then, the miscellaneous items that were awkward to sell in such places—things that hadn’t been categorized for specific shops—began to be sold on the spot at low prices. That was the beginning of the winter market.
Originally located within the Runos estate, the market had moved south of the river following the fall of the Runos family, becoming one of the Grand Ducal family’s sources of income.
Now, thanks to the market’s popularity, it had undergone significant development. What used to be sold haphazardly off handcarts was now sold out of small, standardized stalls. As a result, it had grown so much that it was now a tourist attraction favored even by Imperials.
