The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 68
Before long, the carriage arrived at the winter market.
Stepping out, April faltered at the sight of the overwhelming crowd.
“I think my presence might cause a commotion.”
“Half the people there are tourists from the Empire. It’ll be better than other markets.”
“Is that so?”
Somewhat relieved by his words, April surveyed the market once more.
The winter market, lined with charming little shops, drew exclamations of wonder from the very entrance. The scent of cinnamon from warm mulled wine wafted through the streets.
Fezin asked, “What do you want to drink first?”
“Whiskey.”
“You’re definitely from the Right Island,” Fezin retorted as he bought a glass of whiskey for her and a cup of warm wine for himself. He waited, holding his wine, while she drank her whiskey.
April asked, “Aren’t you drinking that?”
“I’m waiting because I figured you’d ask for a sip.”
At his words, April smiled despite herself.
She reached out a hand, took the wine Fezin offered, and took a sip.
The bitter yet sweet liquid slid down her throat, leaving a fragrant trail in her mouth. It was a taste that made one fully savor the winter.
“It’s delicious.”
When April handed the cup back, Fezin gulped the rest of the drink down. After returning the cup to the stall, he waited for April to finish her whiskey, his attention caught by the smell of butter wafting through the air.
He suddenly darted off and returned with a loaf of freshly baked bread.
Fezin tore off a piece and held it out; April took it with a look of hesitation.
Eating something on the street seemed strange to her, but the rising steam and the aroma of butter were temptations too difficult to resist.
April popped the piece of bread into her mouth.
It was so delicious it made her laugh; even her lingering sour mood seemed to shift. The aroma of the whiskey and the freshly baked bread harmonized perfectly.
“Let’s go.”
Fezin moved first, and April followed in his wake.
The trees, covered in ice crystals, sparkled brilliantly. She wouldn’t have been surprised if fairies were hiding somewhere amidst the frost.
Just as Fezin had said, there were so many foreigners that no one seemed shocked to see her or called her a witch.
“Maybe it’s because of all the foreigners, but the people of the Grand Duchy don’t seem surprised to see me either.”
At April’s remark, Fezin asked something he had been curious about.
“Have you ever thought about living abroad? Or in the Empire?”
“How could I live abroad? The Lunos mansion is here.”
“You could sell the estate.”
April stopped in her tracks.
She looked as though she was hearing such a suggestion for the very first time in her life.
“Sell the estate?”
“People do it all the time. Plenty of nobles have already moved to the Empire.”
“I see. I didn’t know because I’ve been out of touch with the news,” April replied with a nod.
The bread was delicious, but there was so much to see and so many other things she wanted to try that she ended up holding the leftovers. Seeing this, Fezin finished his own portion and even polished off the rest of the alcohol April had left behind.
April watched him nonchalantly finish her leftovers with a look of fascination. She murmured, “Weren’t you incredibly sensitive and fastidious when you were young?”
“I still am. That’s separate from having a good appetite.”
“In my memory, you were definitely a picky eater… What on earth happened at the Military Academy? Was it a swarm of ants?”
“Ants are at least small. That place is full of oversized brutes.”
“Do they really eat that much?”
“In the lower years, you’re forced to stay in a six-person dorm. If one person messes up, all six get collective punishment. Then one day, one guy escaped the academy to go see his girlfriend and got hit with the academy’s ultimate penalty.”
“Was he beaten?”
“They starved us. I’d have preferred a beating.”
“Starving children? That’s horrible.”
When April’s expression turned serious, Fezin looked rather awkward.
“I meant it as a funny story.”
“What part of starving young children is funny?”
“I told you, he staged an escape to see his girlfriend. They weren’t exactly little children.”
“If they’re at an age where the school has to protect them, they’re children.”
“I suppose. You are looking after two who escaped from a factory, after all.”
Fezin nodded, finally understanding April’s perspective.
She still followed the laws of the era she knew. To April Runos, making children work in factories was never acceptable.
Fezin continued the story.
“Anyway, during mealtime, the six of us couldn’t go to the dining hall and had to clean the gym instead. But we found a moldy loaf of bread there…”
“Did you eat it?”
“Of course we did. Strangely enough, not a single one of us got sick. It’s like we digested the mold too. We ate it with such gusto that even after graduation, we’d debate whether mold actually suited our palates.”
Since April, who had never attended school, found the stories of the Military Academy interesting, Fezin shared the anecdotes he usually rolled out like a repertoire whenever he met his friends.
In the meantime, April bought various items at the winter market.
There were wooden dolls that moved with clockwork, colorful sparkling glass crafts, and candlesticks in shapes she had never seen in the Grand Duchy.
April wrote down the items and names one by one on a piece of paper. It seemed she planned to give gifts to everyone she knew.
Fezin asked, “What about yours?”
“These are all mine. I’m giving the gifts because I want to.”
As April said that, she began to do a final check on a bicycle-shaped flowerpot for Fezin’s garden.
Fezin was satisfied enough with it, but April spent a long time inspecting it to see if there were any cracks.
Assuming that most of the gazes directed at her would be filled with fear or anger toward a witch, she didn’t look back even when she felt eyes on her.
So Fezin spoke to her instead.
“The merchants are looking at you.”
“Yes, tell them to bear with it for a moment, I’ll be gone soon.”
“No, it’s not that kind of look.”
At his words, April finally turned her head.
Just as Fezin said, the merchants of the Grand Duchy were looking at her with faces that seemed to want to say something.
When their eyes met, the merchants began to approach one by one.
“Young Lady April, you might not remember me, but I worked with the Head of the Runos Family.”
“Me too. I was so busy surviving that I couldn’t repay the debt of gratitude…”
It was no exaggeration to say that this market had been created by the voyages of the Runos family’s merchant ships. Many of the merchants in the market had received help from the Runos family.
April exchanged greetings or spoke briefly with the merchants before heading to the carriage.
After loading her purchases onto the luggage cart, Fezin and April returned to their seats in the carriage.
Soon, the carriage departed for the Lunos estate.
There were more decent people than she had thought. To the point where she felt there might be more good people than bad.
Perhaps that was why the heavy feeling in April’s head after hearing Jeff’s story felt a bit lighter.
April turned toward Fezin.
“Fezin.”
“Yeah.”
“The profits from here… Miller takes them now, right?”
“Yeah,” Fezin replied calmly.
He didn’t say anything more, but April vaguely understood why Fezin had brought her here.
Originally, the winter market was held on Lunos land, and therefore, the profits from that market went to the Runos family. However, as the Lunos territory became uninhabitable, the market moved and was transformed into a business of the Grand Duchy.
Miller had built shopping districts so that the merchants wouldn’t move the market even if April’s pension ended, and he had even built a railway leading to the winter market.
He had also expanded the bridges so that many people could cross the river easily. It was undoubtedly a place that generated incredible profits.
April turned her head toward the window and spoke.
“I want to take it back.”
“You can’t. How would you?”
Fezin chided her. Since there was a coachman listening, it was the natural response.
April thought to herself that Fezin wouldn’t have brought her here by accident.
He truly, sincerely, wanted her to succeed.
