The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 84
Throughout the Founding Festival, Fezin’s face remained a permanent mask of irritation as the Empress relentlessly badgered him.
Emily Lilyhill, the Empress, linked her arm with Fezin’s as they enjoyed the festivities, her expression radiant with happiness.
“What kind of leverage do they have on you that you actually agreed to attend an event like this?”
“I’ve always liked these kinds of gatherings,” Fezin replied.
“It’s written all over your face—you’re bored to death.”
At Emily’s remark, Fezin shot back with a look of feigned injustice.
“Wait, you knew that and you still dragged me around like this?”
“Yes, because your reactions are so entertaining.”
“What on earth did His Majesty find so charming about such a mischievous woman?”
“Goodness, child, how can an Emperor marry for love? You marry because it’s been decided for you.”
“I’ve watched someone whose marriage was decided for them from the front row, so I know. When they hate it, it shows. When they like it, that shows too.”
Fezin gestured with his chin toward the Emperor, and Emily let out a girlish giggle, playfully swatting his arm.
“Honestly, how do people put up with such an audacious brat like you?”
“Are you talking about yourself?”
“Yes, I am, you rascal.”
The Empress felt that neither of her two sons was particularly easy to talk to. Fezin, on the other hand, despite his constant audacity, was actually quite a good listener.
Moreover, he didn’t just let her words go in one ear and out the other; he remembered them. On her birthday, while her sons had forgotten she’d even mentioned it, he had gifted her a brooch shaped like the very flower she said she loved.
The Empress had always thought of the people from the Grand Duchy as a lot who took pride in their own savagery. She had even seriously wondered if their lack of economic power was due to that very barbarism.
But Fezin was different. He was an exceptional man. Therefore, he had to settle in this land. She wanted him integrated as a member of the Imperial Family.
Fortunately, the Emperor had many siblings, and they had many daughters. If it meant marrying Fezin, there would surely be a daughter willing to leave her house behind; it was just a matter of finding someone compatible.
Emily stopped in her tracks and took both of Fezin’s hands in hers.
“Fezin.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you pay the Lunos girl’s debt?”
At the sudden question, the corners of Fezin’s mouth, which had been set in a look of boredom, stiffened.
Emily continued, stroking his hands.
“I know that you… are different from your brother. Placing a nanny’s daughter in the seat of the Grand Duchess—it was an utterly preposterous thing to do.”
“For my hyung, love came first.”
“You mustn’t be like that. Why would you make such a nonsensical choice when you have the chance to become a member of the Imperial Family?”
“I won’t.”
Fezin gave a noncommittal answer, but Emily wouldn’t let it slide so easily.
“You know how much I adore you, don’t you? Have I ever, even once, not acted in your best interest?”
“No. You haven’t.”
“I don’t know what the leverage is, but my husband is finally helping me for once. You just need to find love here today.”
Emily spoke tenderly, caressing Fezin’s handsome face.
His long eyelashes slowly fluttered shut. He was the type of child who would act out but turn docile the moment he was pampered. Emily hoped this affection would reach him.
From then on, Fezin appeared to enjoy the festival just as she wished. Now, she simply waited for one of the Imperial women to capture the heart of this wild colt.
However, that hope was short-lived.
The wild colt soon ran off to meet with the Police officials and engaged in the sort of incomprehensible behavior men always seem to gravitate toward—like suddenly starting an arm-wrestling match.
As Emily massaged her temples in exasperation, the Emperor, August Lilyhill, laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“That’s just how men are.”
“I thought my sons were the most disobedient people in the world, but there’s someone even worse.”
“He only acts that way because he knows you dote on him. Fezin is a smart lad; he’ll take care of himself.”
“I suppose so?”
Emily asked back with a deep sigh.
“Fezin.”
Fezin opened his eyes at the voice of Lian Ragnar, the Emperor’s nephew and his Military Academy classmate.
Throughout the Founding Festival, everyone he met had offered him a drink. Fezin hadn’t refused a single one, downing them all.
For a week, he had barely managed to cling to his senses long enough to return home every night.
Finally, the festival the Emperor had ordered him to attend was over.
Lian, who had barged straight into Fezin’s bedroom, burst into laughter as he saw Fezin swear and roll over away from him.
“You look like a mess.”
“Why are you fine? You were drinking right alongside me.”
“I’m just a better drinker.”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“I knew when to hold back. If I’d drunk like you, I’d be dead in a ditch by now.”
Lian shrugged and handed Fezin a newspaper.
“Look at this first.”
“What is it?”
“Ah, put some clothes on!”
As Fezin rolled over, Lian covered his eyes in mock agony.
“We bathed together all through our cadet days, why are you acting like this now?”
Fezin said as he grabbed the paper. He let out a yawn and looked at the front page. It was an article about how many Imperial women he had danced with at the festival parties.
The paper featured a photo of him accompanied by text filled with descriptions so flowery they were hard to believe for a news report. It also included exaggerations about how much the Emperor and Empress cherished him.
After checking the article, Fezin spoke.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“I don’t know why His Majesty is pushing you into the spotlight like this.”
At Lian’s grumbling, Fezin lit a cigarette from the nightstand and sneered.
“Jealousy is a bad look on you. It’s obviously for propaganda.”
“Still, you’re becoming famous.”
“If you want to be famous, go achieve something. You know, catch some famous criminals.”
“If they were that easy to catch, would they be famous?”
“They let themselves get caught by me.”
“Who let themselves get caught? Out of all the families in the House of Lords, whether in the Empire or the Grand Duchy, you were the only one who went undercover. Paul and Logan only did it because of you.”
“Since my rival is a member of the Imperial Family, I have to work hard.”
Lian had plenty to say in response to Fezin dragging him into it. The Emperor’s favoritism was overwhelmingly tilted toward Fezin over him.
Even so, Fezin wasn’t wrong.
Inside the Imperial Military Academy, family backgrounds were strictly ignored, but once they stepped outside, family became everything in their lives as Police officers.
Friends who laughed and joked together inside the academy found themselves strictly ranked by family status outside. But since that was only natural, they had all expressed their feelings of camaraderie and hatred without reservation as mere classmates during their cadet days.
Looking back after leaving school, those immature emotions and the actions they triggered were embarrassing, yet at the same time, he missed them.
It is almost impossible to miss a feeling of shame, but nostalgia for youth made that impossible feat possible.
Fezin soon discovered a slip of paper tucked between the pages of the newspaper Lian had given him. A location was written on it.
[Noster Monastery, Drawer 35]
“Ah, the drawer,” Fezin muttered with a sneer.
No matter how many people Fezin hired to search, he could never find where the previous Head of the Family of Lunos and his wife were buried.
In the first place, there was no record of anyone ever burying the bodies.
Even if they had been buried like common criminals, there was no way no evidence would remain regarding the bodies of people like the Lunos couple.
Fezin re-read the unbelievable sentence on the note Lian had given him.
[Recovered the bodies found at the bottom of the cliff and cremated them.]
After searching and searching, he finally learned that his always-kind older brother—Miller Dieus—had thrown the bodies of the previous Lunos Head and his wife off a cliff.
