The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 92
It felt as though the volume of stones being hurled at the mansion had suddenly surged since this morning.
April offered a silent prayer of thanks for the fact that Fezin was monitoring the Lunos estate, even if it was technically under the guise of surveillance.
If not for him, the house would have been torn apart by the swarming citizens. Moreover, she had purchased a mountain of luxury goods for the funeral, all of which were currently ripe for the taking if anyone dared to loot them.
Realizing this only reinforced her conviction: she desperately needed guards for this mansion.
In truth, the estate had historically been protected by seafarers.
Whenever the trade ships returned, the Heads of the Lunos family would host the sailors for days, keeping them well-fed. Providing the alcohol and meals for those gatherings had once been a primary livelihood for the people of this territory.
She buried her face in her hands and muttered, “This is driving me crazy, seriously.”
“Young lady…”
Hearing her murmur, Fred gently tugged at the hem of April’s dress, his face etched with worry for her well-being.
Meanwhile, Hannah tore the newspaper into shreds, stomping on them with a loud thud.
“We shouldn’t do a single thing for people who just come around to throw rocks and start fires!”
Is that child… actually cut out for the police?
April felt a flicker of concern, but she tried to stay positive, figuring that spending time around other officers would naturally instill a sense of justice in her.
Knowing Hannah’s temperament, Fred had already anticipated the newspaper’s destruction and pulled a fresh copy from his bag. April took it and headed back into the mansion.
Deciding this was a matter that needed immediate resolution, April began preparing to go out at once.
As soon as the carriage emerged from the Lunos mansion, the citizens of the Right Island swarmed it.
Shouts erupted, calling her more than just a witch—now she was a demon, followed by screams telling her to rot in hell.
The claim that she had created the fog was something that could be debated on a rational level, but the accusation that she knew how to survive the fog and had withheld that information was an entirely different matter.
Inevitably, the carriage was surrounded and forced to a halt.
Inside, April sat lost in thought for a moment. She could hear them screaming, “You should have died when your parents did!”
“Wh-whoa! What are you doing! I’m just the coachman!”
“If you have a conscience, how can you take money to work for a witch!”
“I’ll—I’ll get down, just let go! You’re going to kill me!”
The coachman was eventually dragged down by the mob, and the carriage door was wrenched open.
Someone hauled April out of the carriage and struck her across the face so hard the world seemed to tilt.
Then, April screamed.
“Go ahead, kill me! If I die, the fog will only get worse, and it’ll kill every single person on this island!”
Her shouting caused the people who had been beating and spitting on her to freeze.
Battered and disheveled, April pointed a cold gaze at an old man in the crowd.
“That old man there will be the first to die. Then the children. Just like it’s been until now. After that, even the healthy ones will all die, because they don’t know what I know.”
“Take her away! She’ll talk before she burns to death!”
As someone shouted that, April cut them off before the sentence was even finished.
“How can I tell you something I don’t know? I know what tools are needed, but because the Grand Duke killed my parents, I don’t know how to obtain them! Whether you burn me or beat me to death, I can’t tell you what I don’t know! I’m about to go find out how to get them right now, but if you kill me, no one will ever find out, will they?”
Having screamed her piece, April felt a strange sense of relief and burst into laughter.
She brushed the dirt from her hair and pulled a knife from her luggage. Pressing it against her own heart, she spoke.
“I won’t die by anyone else’s hand. I’ll die by my own. I won’t let others dictate my life! If you don’t back off right now, every person on this island will end up dead in that fog!”
Her voice rang out through the air, piercing and clear.
It carried the weight of all her pent-up resentment, and the people could instinctively hear the raw emotion behind her words.
“L-let’s just move aside for now. If she doesn’t know the way, taking her won’t do anything…”
“If we lay a hand on a noblewoman, we’re the ones who’ll end up dead!”
One by one, the crowd regained their sense of reality.
April did not lower the knife until they had moved back. Only after the crowd had fully dispersed did her hands begin to tremble violently.
She was so terrified she felt like she might die.
Just then, a police officer came running from the distance. Seeing the uniform of the Grand Duchy Police, she gripped the knife tighter, unsure of what they might do.
However, the officer’s attitude was different from any Grand Duchy Police she had encountered before.
“I heard a crowd had gathered! Are you all right, Miss Lunos?”
“…I’m fine.”
“I’ll take you to the hospital immediately and then inform Superintendent Fezin.”
“No, I’m going to the Grand Ducal Residence. To see Miller.”
“The Grand Duke is currently at the lake. Shall I take you there? I’ll drive the carriage.”
April didn’t answer immediately, suspicious of the officer’s excessive kindness. The policeman quickly added, “I am simply trying to assist a citizen of the Grand Duchy.”
Only then did April nod.
“Then… I’ll accept your help.”
April got back into the carriage, and the officer took the reins.
When they arrived at the lake a short while later, the officer escorted her out and bowed politely.
“The Superintendent should be on his way here as well. It’s a day for the Dieus family members to gather. I’ll explain the situation to him when he arrives.”
April furrowed her brow and asked, “I’ve been wondering, why are you reporting my situation to Fezin? And you’re a Grand Duchy Police officer, aren’t you?”
“It is because I am the Superintendent’s man.”
“…The Grand Duchy Police?”
“Yes. The Superintendent is a man with ambitions for promotion. He places great importance on expanding his influence.”
“Ah, so that’s why he drinks so much…”
April finally understood why Fezin was so often absent from his office, drowning himself in booze.
She remarked with a hint of disdain, “Tell him that a policeman should think about getting promoted by working hard at his job, rather than being so busy playing politics. Since you’re going to see him anyway.”
Because April spoke in a joking tone, the officer replied with a cheerful laugh.
“Yes, I shall deliver the message exactly as you said.”
As the officer departed, April stopped what she was doing and scanned the people watching her.
The members of the Dieus family out on their boats, as well as the nobles strolling along the lakeside flirting with one another, had all come to a standstill.
She figured she must look ridiculous in her current state, but she didn’t care. In fact, she thought it was better this way.
