The Mansion Awaits Spring
Chapter 95
Madame Eve, who was staying at Fezin’s mansion, had likely nagged April incessantly upon hearing the news of Heidi’s arrival.
The only difference between an evening gown for a banquet and a gown for receiving guests indoors lay in their level of extravagance.
Indoor gowns featured no embroidery or jewels. Consequently, the focus shifted entirely to the material itself; if it wasn’t made from exceptionally fine fabric, the wearer would fail to stand out.
The pale yellow dress April wore blended harmoniously with her radiant hair, which was braided over one shoulder and adorned with crystals and ribbons fashioned from the same fabric as the dress.
Standing before April, Fezin spoke.
“I’ll come play with you in a bit, so stop sulking.”
At that, April—already irritated by Fezin’s insistence that she remain lying down—glared at him.
Fezin sighed at her look and asked, “What is it you want to do?”
“I want to go out.”
“You’ll walk a few steps and then complain your head hurts again.”
“I won’t tell you. I’ll just be in pain by myself.”
“You’d be terrible at trade. You have no idea how to negotiate.”
Fezin wrapped an arm around April as he spoke, then turned back to Heidi.
“I’m going to go put her back in her room.”
“Right, then I’ll be on my way.”
“I’ll come right back out to see you off.”
“No, it’s fine.”
Heidi bid them farewell with a smile, and Fezin moved toward the bedroom with April.
Left alone, Heidi finished the rest of her tea with a hollow laugh, muttering to herself.
“Just something he needs, is it?”
As he said, Fezin might indeed have a need for her. However, that was an entirely separate matter from the affection he held.
When April had come looking for Fezin, her eyes had met Heidi’s for a brief moment before she looked away as if she had no interest in her whatsoever.
The contempt April showed her was the same as always, but what had changed was the look in Fezin’s eyes as he coaxed April when she insisted on going out.
Heidi recalled the look in Fezin’s eyes back when he used to grab her hem and follow her around all day, chattering about his daily routine.
Because he was a child, she had thought it was merely a youthful crush.
Even when he handed her a small flower and crouched beside her to check her face while she hid and cried after being insulted by April—even when he boarded the ship to leave the Right Island and flashed her a grin as if telling her not to worry—
Pezin Dieus had truly loved Heidi.
It was that same look.
The look in his eyes from when love had ruined everything for Pezin Dieus.
Heidi stood up.
Miller was misreading the situation, but his judgment remained as clear now as it had been when he drove the Runos family to ruin.
He was planting seeds of anxiety in April’s heart and providing them with ample nourishment.
Just as he had when he planted those seeds of mist beneath the Lunos estate to bring that family down.
April, eventually dragged into the room by Fezin, glared at him in dissatisfaction.
“Who takes this much precaution over a minor concussion?”
“Fragile people like you.”
“Since when are there fragile people on the Right Island?”
April was right about that. Although Fezin was being extremely cautious regarding her condition, she was actually on the healthier side compared to those in the Empire.
She had survived for seven long years on essentially nothing but potatoes and eggs, and the fact that she had endured the mist safely—even with the help of dyes—was only possible because she was born with the characteristic hardiness of the Right Island people.
Fezin could logically acknowledge that, but his heart couldn’t accept it. In his eyes, April still seemed precariously fragile.
Fezin took April’s hand as she sat on the bed. When they first met by the lakeshore, her fingers had been deathly pale, but perhaps because she had eaten and rested well under his protection for two days, a peach-like pink hue had returned even to her fingertips.
After confirming this, Fezin let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“You’re right. Honestly, you’re quite healthy.”
“Of course I am.”
“I suppose I just didn’t like it. The idea of you going out.”
Fezin continued, toyed with her fingertips.
“If you stay only in my house, you won’t end up coming back in… that kind of state.”
April watched as Fezin rubbed the tips of her fingers with his own.
It felt strange, but since it didn’t seem like much of an action, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.
Fezin was absentmindedly absorbed in her fingers. The problem was, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
April spoke up.
“It wasn’t that you had to play with me; it was that I had to play with you.”
“That is slightly more accurate,” Fezin replied, agreeing with her point. Finally realizing he was being overly obsessed with her hand, he slowly lowered it onto the bed.
At that, April’s eyes darted between her hand and Fezin.
Seeing that pleading look, Fezin narrowed his eyes and asked, “Don’t let go?”
“…Yes.”
Whether she liked that slight tickling sensation, April nodded.
Fezin let out an involuntary laugh, then took her hand again and slowly guided it to stroke his cheek.
April’s gaze followed his movement, watching her own hand as it touched Fezin’s face.
She watched her fingers touch his eyes, his nose, and his lips. Before she knew it, they were slowly descending to his neck and chest.
At times, April couldn’t look directly and blinked rapidly, but she never once fully turned away.
When Fezin let go of her hand halfway, April began to caress the spots she desired on her own. When she unfastened a single button with one hand and signaled with her eyes, Fezin pulled off his shirt and braced his hands beside her.
Her gaze fixed on Fezin’s lips as they drew closer, April asked, “The doctor gave the okay?”
“He said it’s fine starting from yesterday.”
“You’re being awfully cautious.”
“It’s a matter of having a minimum conscience.”
Fezin laughed, and as April fell back under his advance, he supported her back with his hand, slowly laying her down.
“Actually, you aren’t really hurting that much.”
“I know. It’s my body; I know it better than anyone.”
April’s body settled completely onto the bed, her hands and her voluminous blonde hair spilling across the white, incredibly soft sheets.
Seeing the trembling of April’s nervous eyes, Fezin slowed his pace, which had been about to quicken.
Instead, April rebuked his teasing behavior.
“I know you’re impatient. Just hurry up.”
“What do you want me to do? I’m trying to match your pace.”
“Am I a glass cup or something? I won’t break.”
At April’s jab, one corner of Fezin’s mouth curled into a smirk.
“What’s your type? A total bastard?”
“Yes, you know yourself well.”
“Among all the people who say they like me, there isn’t a single woman who gets under my skin as much as you do.”
The two continued to bicker, but Fezin, who ultimately listened well despite his grumbling, soon revealed his true nature. He gripped her legs possessively and pulled her toward him.
He had returned to the Pezin Dieus that April knew—selfish, yet unnecessarily quick-witted. He noticed what she liked and what she couldn’t endure faster than she did herself. April also learned for the first time today that those two things could mean the same thing in bed.
The only downside was that he ruined her dress without a second thought, just like the young master he was, raised never knowing the value of anything.
