The Mansion Awaits Spring - Chapter 222

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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 222
Miller withdrew the dye from the drawer and examined its contents for a long moment. When the Emperor had received them upon their arrival in Rasa, he had spoken gently of the need to demonstrate loyalty to Rasa now that they had settled here. The meaning was unmistakable—he was demanding proof of loyalty.
Before, Miller had understood in his mind that Pejin had been required to furnish such proof since childhood. He had dimly grasped that because Pejin was performing this duty in his stead, he himself had remained relatively free from the demands of the Rasa Empire. There had been few direct acts of betrayal required of the Dieusz Grand Duchy. He had even felt a faint moral superiority about it.
But now that this burden had become entirely his own, everything had changed. A hunger for stability rose within him, alongside a craving for recognition.
And above all, a terror gripped him—not the vague unease of uncertainty about the future, but something overwhelming and immediate.
That fear emanated from the bustling Capital City of the Rasa Empire, from the Imperial Palace that dwarfed the Grand Duke’s Residence beyond comparison, from the wealth and labor that flooded the city, and from the Emperor who held absolute power in his hands.
Miller gazed at the dye and thought of Pejin.
Before coming to Rasa, during their arrival, and ever since, the one Miller had thought of most deeply and frequently was Pejin.
At some point, Miller had realized after coming here how keenly he had depended on Pejin’s care. Pejin had been tempering the Emperor’s moods all along so that he himself could live a comfortable life.
Now that shelter had vanished, and the time had come when he must manage everything himself.
For him, this dye was the greatest weapon.
Miller made every effort to avoid the gaze of young Pejin—that innocent look that seemed to follow him, pursuing him from behind.
“You did it too. You were trying to survive as well. Your submission to the Emperor wasn’t only because of me.”
Miller focused on the fact that Pejin had come to Right Island in order to make April the cause of the fog.
He chose to believe that Pejin had been the first to betray Right Island. He affirmed it to himself again and again. He forcibly suppressed the reason that sought to undermine this belief. He avoided sound judgment.
Miller knew why Pejin had made such a choice. There was no hope for the Dieusz Grand Duchy. Rasa was overwhelmingly strong.
So choosing Rasa was the right thing to do. It was rational, even clever. He tried to believe this, but it was difficult.
At that time, Pejin had harbored no doubt that Rasa would easily occupy the Grand Duchy. He had merely hoped for it to happen slowly. He had prayed it would not be cruel.
If Pejin himself became police commissioner, then even if the Emperor designated all the people of the Grand Duchy as second-class citizens as he had done now, Pejin would be able to offer them strength. The reason the Grand Duchy people who are now second-class citizens cannot help even when they seek aid from nobles is the same as Pejin’s thinking—because there is no one with the authority of a police commissioner.
But April had changed Pejin. Like fog, like a witch, she had clouded his thoughts.
And in the end, she had clouded Miller’s thoughts as well.
To Miller Dieusz, the man who had killed his own parents, April had sought cooperation. She had asked him to care for Right Island, to save it. She had made her plea to him with tears of blood in her eyes.
Miller’s hands trembled more severely now. Some of it was muscular, but much of it was surely from the excessive drinking. And the emotional toll was great—fear, guilt, regret.
Miller abandoned the idea of handing the dye over to the Emperor and placed it back in the drawer. But his decision did not hold for long.
Heidi returned home only at dawn. She held a bouquet made of roses, as many as her years, and the two brothers—sons of the local lord—who had been with her until this hour had accompanied her to the door. Miller, standing at a second-floor window, cracked open the curtain and peered down at the street below. The three lingered as though reluctant to part, conversing in front of the house.
“Thank you for the bouquet. There are so many roses. When did I grow old like this?”
In response to Heidi’s remark, one of the brothers spoke.
“But because of that, the bouquet is all the more beautiful and full, isn’t it?”
“Well, that’s certainly a point.”
“Next year there will be one more rose. You will still be as beautiful as ever, madam.”
At his words, Heidi burst into bright laughter.
Heidi had been drinking, and her back was to Miller, but the brothers had not. One of them glanced up toward Miller. Upon spotting Heidi’s husband, he merely let out a quick chuckle. He did not greet him, and instead even gently caressed Heidi’s arm. It meant that Miller Dieusz posed no threat to them whatsoever.
After seeing off the brothers, Heidi entered the house. Coming downstairs, she caught sight of Miller glaring at her and wore an uncomfortable expression.
“You haven’t slept?”
……
Before and now, Heidi had always loved being cherished. Miller had known this about her from before, and so the present situation struck him as all the more abhorrent.
Since coming to Rasa, the two had frequently quarreled over trivial matters. But most of those quarrels had ended quickly. Neither of them had a disposition to escalate a fight.
But now, Miller could endure it no longer.
“Which one do you prefer?”
“What?”
“Is it the older one again this time?”
At Miller’s sarcastic remark, Heidi’s brow narrowed—a rare expression for her.
“I’m just trying to maintain a friendly relationship. You know it’s not like that. How can you say such a thing? They’re both married, and this isn’t just insulting to me, but to those two men as well.”
In response to Heidi’s words defending the brothers, Miller’s voice grew even quieter.
“Being together until this hour of the morning—that’s just a friendly relationship?”
Heidi laughed in disbelief at his observation and continued.
“Fine, it’s more than a friendly relationship. I’m trying to grow closer to them. But this isn’t just for me, either.”
“No?”
“I said it from the beginning. They’re the most powerful family in this region. I need to become closer to them. That way they’ll protect us later, won’t they?”
……
“Miller, this is for our family.”
“For the family, you’d even commit adultery?”
At Miller’s cynical question, Heidi fell silent. Unable to believe what she had just heard, a complex tangle of emotions flickered across her large, beautiful eyes. After a long pause, Heidi nodded slowly.
“Yes, if it’s for the family, I could even commit adultery.”
……
“Miller, aren’t you anxious about our future?”
“I am anxious. But I’d rather be anxious—I don’t think I could leave my two children and commit adultery.”
“You have no power at all.”
At last, Heidi threw those words at him. Miller responded with a cold laugh, turning the question back on her.
“What kind of stable life are you hoping for in a situation like this? Do you still have standards? Some measure of how well you need to live, at minimum?”
Miller continued speaking calmly to Heidi, whose expression grew increasingly rigid.
“By any chance… is that standard still April Lunos?”
“…… Stop.”
“Can’t you let it go? The inferiority complex—can’t you finally stop harboring it?”
Upon hearing Miller’s words, Heidi could finally restrain herself no longer and struck his cheek hard. As though he had anticipated the blow, Miller took it and merely sighed once afterward.
Their children seemed to have been awake since Heidi arrived home. At the sound of the commotion, there came the noise of a door opening briefly and then closing again.
At that sound, Miller, having barely composed himself, spoke.
“If you’re thinking of committing adultery for the family’s sake, don’t. The Emperor has invited us to dinner. At that time, I will make a deal for our future.”
“What… deal?”
Heidi, whose hand had moved on impulse in her drunkenness and rising emotions, asked with remorse softening her voice. Miller answered her.
“You don’t need to know. Just prepare yourself to meet the Emperor.”
After saying this to Heidi, Miller turned back toward the stairs. And without looking back at her, he spoke.
“I’ll sleep in the study tonight.”
“…… Yes. I’ll check on the children and sleep.”
“Don’t. You’re drunk. Do it when you’re sober.”
Leaving Heidi in the room, trembling as she exhaled, Miller headed toward the study. And once again, he withdrew the dye.
“There’s no choice.”
He murmured it to himself. There was no choice, truly no choice. He deceived himself—if there was something to protect, then Pejin surely would have done the same.
Four days later, the couple set out for the Imperial Palace in the Capital City at the Emperor’s invitation.

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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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