The Mansion Awaits Spring - Chapter 113

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 113
While Miller sat lost in thought, Paul Soar, the director of Special Investigation Headquarters Section 1, entered alongside Pejin and the dye they had gone to fetch.
Miller smiled and spoke.
“Did the investigation go smoothly?”
“Yes, thanks to you, all went well. Commissioner Pejin is in good health as well.”
After exchanging these brief pleasantries, Paul continued.
“I am here to report on the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Bureau regarding methods to protect the citizens of the Dieusz Grand Duchy from the Fog.”
“What of it?”
“They obtained no information whatsoever.”
“……They couldn’t obtain any information?”
“Correct. They found nothing, and therefore have nothing additional to report.”
At Paul’s words—that they had found nothing—Miller’s expression darkened without his realizing it. A week spent following them to such a distant and treacherous place, only to discover nothing, made no sense.
Miller confirmed again, his face hardening.
“Is that what you’ll report to the Empire Police as well? That they found nothing?”
“Yes, that is what they instructed me to report.”
Paul’s own face betrayed skepticism at having to convey such a message.
Miller let out a groan and pressed his hand to his forehead.
* * *
There was not much for Kayani to do while maintaining the Lunos Grand Residence. Since the funeral, more people had been coming to work, albeit on an irregular basis.
April had asked him to keep an eye out for trustworthy candidates among them, as she would gradually hire from this pool.
Kayani could scarcely imagine what April’s days had been like during those years when even these helpers were absent. Though he himself was introverted and preferred reading at home, the thought of living alone in this place for seven years was agony to contemplate.
It was for April’s sake that he applied himself so dutifully to his duties as acting Head of House—including her mathematical education.
“Bauman, Grandmother, have you seen where Hannah and Fred went?”
“These rascals have run off again? You go prepare yourself, young master. Bauman and I will drag them back.”
Fred’s grandmother spoke as she rolled up her sleeves.
Hannah and Fred, who had been wary of Kayani at first, had quickly let down their guard—so quickly, in fact, that he sometimes wondered if they’d dropped it too fast.
The only moment in the day when things became hectic was when he had to catch Hannah and Fred as they fled to avoid mathematics lessons.
Seeing their behavior, it was clear April had been quite permissive with them. Fortunately, Bauman and Fred’s grandmother, both enthusiastic about the children’s education, managed to catch the two and drag them to the Study Room, where Hannah and Fred began to whine.
“We hate math!”
“Can’t you tell us a fun story instead?”
Why would they dislike mathematics when it was so enjoyable?
Kayani felt a pang of hurt at being seemingly unloved, but spoke to the two children who squirmed the moment they were seated.
“The Head of House specifically asked me to teach you mathematics. If I can’t teach you anything, I’ll have no face to show her.”
“Why did the young lady want us to learn this stuff?”
As Hannah complained, Kayani answered.
“She wants you to become familiar with numbers. Once you learn them, they’ll help you greatly in life.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Has the young lady ever asked you to do anything wrong?”
“No. Never, ever.”
His last words seemed to land, for Hannah answered firmly. He thought he should have said that from the start.
Having persuaded them and finally begun to make progress on the mathematics lesson, Kayani caught the eye of Bauman, who was peering in through the doorway.
Since the first day, Bauman had shown even more interest in mathematics than the children themselves. Building, after all, required calculation. During the time Kayani stayed at the Lunos Residence, he had taught the children Basic Arithmetic Operations in order. Today, after assigning them problems that mixed these operations, he turned to Bauman.
“Bauman.”
“Yes, young master. I’m keeping watch here to make sure the little ones don’t run away.”
“In that case, would you come in and join us?”
Kayani pulled out an Algebra Textbook and offered it.
“While the children work on their problems, wouldn’t the time pass pleasantly for us if we examined this?”
“Oh my…….”
Bauman opened the textbook and traced the characters one by one with his finger.
Having lost his mother early and lacking anyone to care for him, Bauman had learned construction by following his father—he had never had the opportunity to study.
Even as he taught the children architecture, Bauman envied the knowledge that Hannah and Fred were accumulating at an overwhelming pace day by day.
While Hannah and Fred worked on their problems, Kayani began explaining algebra to Bauman.
He was a good teacher. Because Bauman himself was a craftsman, he understood better than anyone how vast a store of knowledge one must possess to teach well.
Bauman studied under Kayani’s instruction without noticing that his hands were becoming blackened with graphite, until he finally spoke with some embarrassment.
“What’s an old man like me doing here, diving in like this…… I find myself taking a liking to it, young master.”
“Please don’t say such things.”
Kayani shook his head vigorously and continued.
“If you find enjoyment in something, that’s a hobby, isn’t it? Mathematics is my hobby as well.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, so whenever you wish, I would be delighted to discuss mathematics with you about anything at all.”
Kayani spoke with a gentle smile.
Bauman laughed in turn and nodded.
“The Lunos Family, truly—sometimes they’re so mature it startles me.”
“You mean the young lady?”
“You as well…… Yes, Miss April.”
Bauman continued with an affectionate expression.
“I find myself thinking every day that she ought to be happy. She has more people she can trust now, and there are those who would care for her even without this old man.”
But Bauman stopped mid-sentence as two small heads suddenly thrust themselves into his view.
The two children, having heard his words, came rushing over to peer at his face.
“We don’t want days when grandfather isn’t here.”
“That’s right…….”
Fred echoed Hannah’s words, tears already streaming down his cheeks.
Kayani rose from his seat, turned the children around, and sent them back to their places.
“Don’t get up just to say obvious things—finish solving all of these first.”
“Can’t we do just this one and then go play together?”
“Can we go fishing, young master?”
“All right, all right. Once you finish this, we’ll go.”
As he was coaxing them, Kayani heard footsteps and turned.
Seeing April returning from her journey, her eyes narrowed with observation, the two children quickly pretended to study, and Bauman hastily rose to his feet.
“Welcome back, Miss.”
“Keep studying.”
April gestured for Bauman to sit back down, then walked toward Hannah and Fred.
Kayani realized that the freedom Hannah and Fred had felt so unusually was due to April’s absence.
The children, who had been caught squirming in their resistance to studying, became instantly well-behaved the moment she appeared. Yet April, looking down at their Problem Sheet, spoke.
“The subject isn’t the problem. The subject is a problem, of course, but this is a matter of perseverance.”
The children glanced up at April. She continued.
“Learn perseverance here, before you go to school, before you go out into the world and work.”
“Once I’m at school, I’ll do well.”
“I probably will too…….”
At the children’s response, April removed her Gloves and spoke.
“Perseverance isn’t something you do with your mind—it’s something you do with your body. You don’t change it by suddenly deciding to try hard one moment. Keep sitting there with your rear end in that chair. Make perseverance into a habit.”
Having said this, April gestured for Kayani to follow her outside. As they walked together, she smiled.
“I’ve imposed an unreasonable request on you—I didn’t realize those two would be so defiant.”
“It’s fine. I’ve actually been enjoying it.”
“What about Bauman?”
“Oh, he’s taken a liking to mathematics.”
At the cheerfulness in Kayani’s voice, April laughed and nodded.
She spoke.
“Pejin needs to leave soon, so I’ll see him off. Continue the lesson.”
“Yes, young lady. I will.”
“It’s reassuring to have you here.”
April made this polite remark and headed toward the Dining Hall.
Since she had helped him obtain the Mineral, she had sent her men to the Dining Hall with instructions to eat their fill, but now Shaper Meyer and Pejin’s subordinates had formed rival factions and were snarling at each other.
April folded her arms and muttered.
“They’re wasting energy on pointless things again.”
And notably, the leader of these factions was nowhere to be seen.
April first asked Logan, who had been leading the group in place of Paul’s report to the Grand Duke’s Residence, “Where are Pejin and Shaper?”
“Where are Pejin and Shaper?”
“Oh, they’re Across from the Residence. They said they had something to discuss.”
“I see.”
April glanced toward the Residence, then hastened in that direction.
She recalled that Shaper had been wanting to tell her something all along. It occurred to her, without much thought, that Pejin seemed to be silencing him.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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