The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 90
“Let’s have just one drink. Then I’ll go. Don’t even sit down; let’s just stand here.”
“Fine, just one drink standing right here.”
“Once we finish, it’s over. Promise me we won’t try to hold each other back.”
“I promise.”
“None of that look in your eyes either.”
“What look?”
“That look. No expressions or gestures telling me not to go. None of it.”
“I’m not sure what you want from me, but I’ll try. The eyes, the expression, the gestures.”
April, hiding her joy behind a demure tone, mimicked his words as she took the glass from him.
As he poured a small amount of the strong liquor into her glass, April spoke up.
“Fill it up.”
“You’re too tired for that.”
“I want to stand here a little longer. Since I’m only allowed one glass.”
Fezin let out a dry chuckle at her remark. As if he had no choice, he filled both her glass and his own to the brim.
They stood facing each other, glasses in hand, taking slow sips of the alcohol.
Once things grew quiet, April spoke up as if a thought had just occurred to her.
“When I was in the Empire… they managed to recreate the fog exactly.”
“Yeah.”
“Does that mean the Empire figured out the cause?”
Fezin gave a noncommittal shake of his head before answering.
“Who knows? Scholars do complicated work. Maybe they just created something similar, even if it wasn’t a perfect match.”
“I suppose. It’s not like they’d know the cause and just pretend they didn’t…”
April nodded, murmuring to herself. Then, noticing Fezin’s glass was emptying far too quickly, she gave his arm a sharp slap.
“Drink slowly.”
“I told you, I’m busy.”
At his words, April covered the top of Fezin’s glass with her hand.
“I don’t want you to leave so soon.”
“We agreed not to do that, remember?”
“We agreed not to do it once we’re finished drinking. Doesn’t that mean I can do it while we’re still in the middle of it?”
Defeated by her logic, Fezin set the bottle and his glass down on a table against the wall. He pulled her by the waist and kissed her.
Because it was a cherry brandy, the scent of cherries hung heavy between them.
It was an unbearably lovely, yet strangely erotic fragrance.
April wound her arms around his neck and kissed him until she was breathless. When he finally let her go, she gasped for air and chided him.
“What are you doing drinking cherry brandy? It doesn’t suit you at all.”
“I brought it for you, but I haven’t been able to give it to you because you’ve been acting like a brat.”
“Has there ever been a time when I wasn’t a brat?”
“Never. I suppose that’s why I like you, though.”
Fezin cursed under his breath and buried his face in her shoulder, muttering.
“Isn’t there something for a policeman to do for his record around here?”
“Arrest me, then.”
“Don’t say such horrible things. I’m the man who went all the way to the Empire to bring you back.”
April nodded slightly at his words and stroked the nape of his neck. Then, she gave him a gentle push and said,
“Go now. Can you make it to the funeral?”
“I’m not sure if I should. Since I’m a Dieus, I think everyone will hate it.”
“I sent an invitation to Miller, too.”
“What?”
“I want to show them that the Runos Family still exists.”
Fezin let out a short, dry laugh at her declaration.
He nodded, kissed April on the cheek, and left the estate.
After he was gone, April poured another glass of the liquor Fezin had left behind and headed for the bed.
She sat on the bed, taking small sips. The joy of being together was so tranquil, yet the tangled mess of emotions she felt when apart from him made her feel as though she were constantly plummeting down a precipice.
She didn’t want to feel the void of his absence, so every time the scent of cherries began to fade, she took another sip, and then another.
* * *
The person who woke Fezin from his hard-won sleep was someone truly unexpected.
“Fezin, are you awake?”
Since dreaming of his first love wasn’t exactly an unusual occurrence, Fezin assumed the voice coming from outside was just a part of his dream.
But the voice called out to him again.
“Fezin.”
Only then did he recognize Heidi Dieus’s voice and snap his eyes open.
Exhausted, he threw on a robe and stepped out to find Heidi standing at his door, eyeing him pointedly.
Fezin crossed his arms and leaned his head against the wall.
“What is it?”
“‘What is it?’ Are you going through puberty?”
“This is the standard reaction when you wake someone up.”
“Then why are you still sleeping? Do you know what time it is? More importantly, haven’t you lost weight lately? Are you even eating?”
“I haven’t lost weight, and I’m eating just fine. Please just get to the point. I want to go back to sleep.”
“But you look thin…”
Heidi murmured with concern, then sighed and got to the point.
“Miller wants to talk to you about the young lady of the Lunos family.”
“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s not like I’m planning on making a move or anything.”
“You’re not planning on making a move, yet you paid off that massive debt for her and used your own people to search for the bodies?”
“Because I can’t have her anyway, I’m just doing everything I can for her. Is that not allowed?”
“I don’t understand. Doing everything for someone when you have no hope for a future together—is that really love? Isn’t it just pity?”
Heidi was a good person. Fezin had known her for a long time and was certain of her kindness.
But at the same time, he knew the anxiety, inferiority, and hatred she harbored toward everything involving April.
She was like a small red bird perched on white snow. She was a presence that could not help but be vividly seen by both those who loved her and those she loved.
Fezin replied with a face that shifted from nonchalance to a faint, mocking smile.
“Wasn’t my brother the same? Doing everything for you when he had no hope for a future?”
“Why would he have no hope? We’re a married couple now.”
“If the Runos couple hadn’t sent people to try and kill him, that marriage never would have happened.”
“…”
“Because that wasn’t something he achieved. If that hadn’t happened, he would have just ended up married to April. Isn’t that right?”
Heidi faltered at Fezin’s words, her teeth gnawing at her lip.
He thought she might cry, and then a tear actually fell.
Fezin sighed.
“Don’t cry. You’re making me look like a piece of trash who makes his sister-in-law weep.”
“Why do you have to say it like that?”
“I was like this when we were kids, too. It’s a bit late to be surprised.”
Fezin spoke as he turned toward a vase and rummaged through the flowers. He pulled out a single Dahlia and held it out to Heidi.
“Is this a Chilson’s Pride?”
“…You remember?”
Heidi loved Dahlias, so Fezin and Miller had naturally picked up various bits of knowledge about the flower.
He had learned enough to recognize specific varieties, like the light pink Chilson’s Pride.
Fezin asked her, trying to change the subject.
“Why do you like Dahlias so much?”
“If you stop anyone in the Grand Duchy and ask what their favorite flower is, Dahlias would probably be the most common answer.”
Having comforted Heidi, Fezin went to find his uniform to prepare for his meeting with Miller. As he dressed, he found himself wondering what kind of flowers April liked.
Fortunately, the man he was about to meet knew the answer to that question.
The moment Fezin saw Miller’s stern face waiting for him, he asked,
“Do you know what kind of flowers April likes?”
“Is that really the first thing you’re asking?”
“If you tell me, I’ll answer every single question you have for me.”
“She doesn’t really like flowers. She said she hates watching them wither, so she doesn’t even like them when they’re in bloom.”
It was such an unexpected answer that Fezin was actually impressed.
“…Wow. Adolescent April Runos was something else, wasn’t she?”
“Sit down.”
“I guess we have a lot to talk about.”
Fezin let out a dry laugh at the sight of the bottles the Chamberlain had set out. Clearly, the plan was for the two of them to drink until they dropped.
As Fezin took his seat, he said,
“Can’t we brothers just talk without alcohol for once?”
“What do two men have to talk about without alcohol?”
“I was asking if you could make an exception for your younger brother.”
Fezin spoke as he filled his glass to the brim.
As he poured, he momentarily squeezed his eyes shut. The memory of April’s voice asking him to fill her glass had surfaced.
He’d only just woken up, and this was already the second time he was thinking about that woman. This, he thought, was exactly why you shouldn’t fall for someone so easily. It made life far too exhausting.
