The Mansion Awaits Spring - Chapter 190

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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 190
* * *
Sitting back-to-back with Miller, young Pejin, who had been crafting something intently all by himself, spoke.
“When I become a police officer, there are so many things I want to do.”
“Yeah?”
“See, when I become a police officer, there won’t be a single thief left on the streets. I’ll catch them all.”
“Wow, that’s reassuring.”
“Right? You just focus on what you need to do. I’ll become a police officer and protect you.”
After saying that, Pejin continued working busily for a while longer before poking Miller with his finger.
“All done.”
“What were you making so hard at… a Doll?”
Miller gazed at the Doll Pejin had made by stuffing cotton, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Pejin nodded.
“I’m going to boarding school, you know. When you miss me, look at this.”
On the white, round form, he had stitched on eyes, nose, and mouth using buttons and beads.
Pejin placed the Doll beside his face and asked.
“Does it look like me?”
“You’re much cuter.”
“What kind of obvious thing is that to say? I’m asking if it looks enough like me to stand in for me—that’s what I mean.”
Pejin answered without a hint of jest in his tone, and placed the Doll in front of his face as he spoke.
“Don’t leave me alone. Understand?”
Whether the Doll was meant to speak in his stead, or whether he was making the Doll speak what he himself wanted to say, Miller couldn’t tell—but he tapped the Doll’s head gently.
“That’ll never happen.”
Then Pejin’s eyes gleamed from behind the Doll as he asked.
“Really?”
“Of course. You’re my only family.”
“That’s true. I’m the most important thing to you—obviously.”
Only then did Pejin seem to relax, and he handed the Doll to Miller before dashing off to play with his friends.
* * *
Pejin recalled the day Miller had come to his boarding school.
The day when, upon spotting his brother, Pejin had rushed over in delight—only to be told to go to the Empire’s Military Academy.
“Is there no other way?”
“No. The Grand Duchy doesn’t have the strength.”
The instruction to go there and study the police system well before returning—Pejin had not let those words pass unheeded.
Right up until the moment of departure, Pejin had repeatedly promised Miller that he would return and become a police officer of the Grand Duchy.
After leaving for the Empire like that, he could never return to the Grand Duchy again. It didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t something he could control by will alone.
Fortunately, at some point he began to deceive himself by saying he remained in Rasa of his own accord. That way, he felt somewhat less sorry toward his younger self.
April gazed at Pejin, who had buried his face in her chest, with an awkward expression before lowering her head and asking.
“What’s wrong? Did you have a Nightmare?”
“No.”
“Sorry I’m late. The work was—”
“I heard why you were late. Don’t apologize. Instead of saying sorry, just love me more.”
“What are you, a puppy? Why would I love you?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a puppy or a chicken—just love me anyway.”
At such an absurd request, April made no effort to hide her exasperation.
In any case, since the fact remained that she was late, she relented for now and began to stroke his head with her hand.
“…Is this the right way?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Keep going.”
Sevio was a proud hunting dog and didn’t particularly enjoy being stroked. He merely recognized it as a gesture of praise, but didn’t actually take pleasure in the act itself.
In that sense, Pejin bore no resemblance to a hunting dog or any animal like that. He certainly wasn’t a chicken either. There was no common ground with chickens whatsoever.
As April continued to stroke his hair without understanding, he opened his mouth.
“I had a plan.”
“What plan?”
“A plan to look impressive. I was going to act mature. When I saw you.”
“You don’t look childish—you look like a puppy. Sevio is more mature.”
“Exactly. I ruined my plan the moment I saw you. It always happens like this.”
Pejin finally released April and flopped onto the bed. But immediately afterward, when he signaled with his eyes for her to lie down beside him, April let out a sigh and obliged.
When April sat down beside him, Pejin looked up at her and asked.
“Did you miss me?”
“I told you so. I wrote to you.”
“I wondered if there might be some hidden meaning I didn’t catch. I just couldn’t believe it.”
Even as Pejin smiled, he kept his gaze fixed on her face, wanting to see it for just a moment longer.
While he gazed at her with a disagreeable doll-like expression, seeking affection, April suddenly remembered something and struck his arm.
“Logan quit the Police Force.”
“Yeah. Suddenly decided he was going to become a Grand Duchy Police officer and went off to Right Island. I have no idea what that was about.”
“He said he was going to become your and Paul’s senior, didn’t he?”
April said it jokingly, but Pejin’s expression turned serious as he sat up straight.
Though he had meant to look like a puppy by slouching as much as possible, the moment Pejin suddenly sat upright, the angle of light shifted, making the shadows seem to stretch dramatically.
Even if acting mature had failed, his outward appearance never looked childish.
Pejin spoke as though speechless.
“That bastard’s been plotting something very clever, hasn’t he?”
“You’re taking this way too seriously.”
“I’m taking it too seriously. When I think about him acting the senior from now on and lording it over me…”
While Pejin grumbled with such seriousness, he suddenly lost his train of thought as April’s face drew closer, his gaze captured for a moment before he continued.
“No wait—why do you look so beautiful right now? I can’t see you every day.”
“What nonsense are you saying all of a sudden?”
He’d asked her to love him, and she’d actually done it—his spirits had lifted.
After drawing closer to April, Pejin now scrutinized her face with a dissatisfied expression.
April turned her head away, uncomfortable under his gaze.
“Eve told me to do well since we’re meeting after such a long time. So I got dressed up a little.”
“She’s not on my side. Things changed after you started dating.”
He grumbled irritably before continuing.
“Still, thanks to you being beautiful, the shock of having to become Logan’s junior is fading a bit.”
“Why would that be shocking? Even if you serve in the Grand Duchy Police, you’d be given a rank equivalent to what you had in the Empire, wouldn’t you?”
“My rank would be higher anyway—I have bloodline. But a junior is still a junior.”
Even as he spoke, Pejin’s gaze never wavered. Moreover, the more he looked at her face, the better his mood seemed to become. His expression, which had been full of complaint just moments before, gradually softened, and eventually he even smiled.
“I really do like you a lot. If just seeing your face can put me in a good mood.”
The laughter threaded through his voice sounded quite genuinely pleased, and April found herself smiling in return without meaning to. With that ease restored, something caught her eye.
“Wait a second.”
This time it was April who frowned, reaching out to grab Pejin’s face with her hand. Then, seeing the scar remaining on his cheek, she asked.
“What’s this?”
“What?”
“The scar on your cheek.”
“It’s still there?”
Pejin clicked his tongue. It seemed quite a while had passed since he was hit, but his recovery had apparently slowed since the Explosion.
“It’s nothing serious.”
He tried to brush past it, but April wouldn’t let go of his face. Seeing her stern expression, he suddenly felt cold sweat break out, wondering what he’d done wrong.
April asked.
“Why did you get hurt?”
Then Pejin, avoiding her gaze, replied.
“I’d like to say some woman you don’t know hit me.”
“Would like to say?”
“Because if I did, you wouldn’t get jealous—instead you’d probably think, oh, I see, you must have done something to deserve it. So I can’t say that.”
“You know me well. So tell me honestly.”
“Well, the Emperor sometimes has moments where he acts on impulse.”
“Why would he act on impulse?”
“When he found out you’d bought provisions, his mood wasn’t good. Of course, it’s fortunate he doesn’t know more than that. If he’d found out about the foreign currency transaction, I’d probably be dead by—”
……
“—now. Well, that’s all in the past anyway. I even got a personal apology. He said he was sorry.”
As Pejin spoke, April’s expression didn’t soften. If anything, it grew worse—and Pejin didn’t dislike that.
He then asked her tentatively.
“Why are you so angry? What does it matter to you if I get hit?”
Then April asked back, her voice low.
“Why are you so composed? Aren’t you angry? You’re an adult now with a high position. This shouldn’t be happening to you, should it? That’s why you climbed up there in the first place.”
At her words, Pejin paused.
Then he murmured.
“Now that you mention it, that does seem right.”
“What?”
“At first, I didn’t become a police officer for my own safety.”
……
“When I was young, I thought I’d be going back to the Grand Duchy soon. That didn’t work out. Now it’s become a ridiculous excuse.”
For a moment, he recalled his brother.

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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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