The Mansion Awaits Spring - Chapter 32

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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 32
April arrived at Special Investigation Unit Division 1 alongside Kritz, guided by police officers through the doors.
While waiting in the reception room attached to Pejin’s office, she encountered no one.
She rose and moved toward where the teapot sat.
But the teapot was empty—not merely empty, but one that had never been used since purchase.
April peered inside the teapot with a puzzled expression.
Then, hearing someone open the door, she turned.
Paul entered, removing his hat.
“What brings you here, Miss April?”
“I came to ask Pejin for something.”
“The Police Commissioner?”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps you should try his house? He’s off duty today, so he’s at home….”
Before Paul could finish, Logan suddenly thrust his head around the corner.
“He’s probably fighting a terribly difficult battle.”
“A difficult battle…. A hangover, you mean?”
At April’s sharp gaze, Logan laughed, and Paul—feeling a shared responsibility—wore an embarrassed expression and sighed.
April accepted the coat Paul retrieved from the rack and pulled it on. “It seems he doesn’t work very hard. The teapot’s never been used.”
“No, he’s certainly not the diligent type.”
“That’s surprising.”
At April’s words, Paul smiled in a way that reminded her of a concealed serpent stirring.
April had thought Paul was a forthright man without guile, so that snake-like smile felt oddly out of place.
April asked, “Does the word surprising sound strange to you?”
“Ah, yes.”
Paul hesitated, then continued in his usual hearty tone. “Most people don’t know the Police Commissioner well. It’s rare to hear someone say something surprising about him.”
“Is that so? Well, I have been away from the Grand Duchy for a long time.”
April nodded, and Paul asked, “What exactly was surprising about him?”
“Well…… Pejin was never the faithful type, though he was steadfast about other things—at least, that’s how I remember him.”
“Was he?”
“So I suppose I thought his diligence would come naturally too.”
She smiled as she spoke. “Then let’s head to Pejin’s house.”
“Yes, I’ll arrange a carriage.”
Paul answered accordingly.
* * *
Since returning from the Amusement Park, Pejin had been plagued by inexplicable nightmares.
In his dreams, skeletal hands gripped his throat. Though he couldn’t see the face, in the dream Pejin arbitrarily assumed who the attacker was.
Mostly, they were members of the Runos Family.
No—truthfully, they were all Runos. The Previous Runos Patriarch, the Runos Lady, even the Runos Grand Duchess herself—all clawed at his throat.
It felt as though the dead demanded something as they strangled him.
There was only one reason all these Runos were angry with him.
April Runos.
Pejin thrashed against the grip, only to open his eyes when a shaking hand roused him urgently. His butler Pascal was waking him.
“Young Master!”
“……Damn it.”
Pejin cursed at empty air.
His hands gripped the bed sheets as though for purchase. Cold sweat ran down his entire body.
“What exactly am I dreaming about every single night like this….”
Pascal, who knew Pejin had been suffering from nightmares these past few days, spoke with excessive concern, his voice growing strained. “Indeed, what sort of dream….”
Pejin, as though the Runos Grand Duchess herself sat upon his chest, struggled to raise his upper body and asked, “Who’s come?”
Seeing the commotion outside as preparations were made for a visitor, Pejin asked, and Pascal replied with evident relief, “Miss April has arrived.”
“April? Runos?”
“Yes, Miss April Runos.”
“Why would she suddenly come to someone else’s house?”
Pejin complained irritably and rose to search for his robe, but Pascal spoke firmly.
“That won’t do.”
Pausing at his butler’s unexpected refusal—Pascal normally brought him what he wanted before he even asked—Pejin waited.
Pascal continued with resolve. “A young lady of the Runos Family has come. How could you possibly think of going out in a robe? You must dress properly.”
“If it were the Runos Grand Duchess or someone of that rank, perhaps, but it’s only April Runos….”
“If the Grand Duchess had come, it wouldn’t be me waking you.”
“True—by now you’d already have lectured me mercilessly for still being in bed.”
The two shared a small laugh at the thought of the Runos Grand Duchess, and through it, worry and anxiety were washed away somewhat.
Pejin eventually capitulated to Pascal’s nagging and retrieved formal attire for the first time in ages.
At home he typically wore only a loose robe; when he went out, he wore either a police uniform or formal dress, treating work clothes as casual wear. Formal attire felt strange and uncomfortable.
It was much the same for April, who wandered the patio of her own volition.
April blinked in bewilderment. “Formal attire?”
“You’re cold—why are you waiting out here? Go inside.”
“Why would someone from the Grand Duchy worry about being cold?”
April reproached him.
As she said, Grand Duchy natives were so resilient to cold that they rarely wore coats even when temperatures dropped below freezing. Though April was relatively sensitive to cold, she was still far hardier than those from outside the Grand Duchy, and having worn a thick fur coat, Pejin’s concern was unnecessary.
April found his unfamiliar formal attire curious and, almost without thinking, scrutinized his appearance as she asked, “Why the formal dress?”
“Pascal insisted. Said I should mind my manners with a guest.”
“That so?”
“He can’t forget the impression the Grand Duchess left. She was that formidable.”
At his words, April laughed. “Right—if our grandmother had come, you’d be hearing about a dozen different faults by now.”
“The Grand Duchess would probably find twenty.”
April nodded in agreement with his words and murmured, “I miss my grandmother.”
“Do you know what’s strange about the Grand Duchess?”
“What?”
“That despite scolding me so harshly, I find myself missing her too.”
April looked up at Pejin, seeing the yearning for the Grand Duchess written across his face.
That expression stirred something subtle and warm in her chest.
Once in the reception room, Pejin asked, “You said you had something to ask?”
“Yes.”
April withdrew a letter from her handbag.
As Pejin reached to take it, April held firm, preventing him from grasping it, and added, “Don’t laugh when you read it. And if you grant this favor, I’ll reward you properly.”
“Fine, let go.”
April released the letter with a distrustful expression.
Pejin unfolded the letter she had written and began to read.
The letter’s request—to open doors for her entry into High Society—was no laughing matter.
It was a difficult favor, and April knew the odds of refusal were far greater.
Pejin placed the letter back in its envelope and set it on the table. “So you want to enter High Society so you can bear an heir, is that it?”
“Yes.”
“And your desire for revenge against your brother?”
At Pejin’s question, April regarded him silently.
Pejin read in her that she had no intention of answering and no thought of denying it. He spoke. “Why should I help someone who might harm your 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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