The Mansion Awaits Spring — Chapter 25

TH-THIS...

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!

YOU HAVE BEEN HOVERING AROUND ME THIS WHOLE TIME,

MAKING CRUDE, VULGAR JOKES.

YOU ARE WELL AWARE, ARE YOU NOT?

OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET ON MY NERVES.

SUPERINTENDENT.

IF I TRULY AM A WITCH, WHEN THE NEXT FOG ROLLS IN,

I WILL KILL THIS GENTLEMAN FIRST.

WHAT IS THAT WITCH SAYING?

HOW CAN SHE OPENLY THREATEN MURDER RIGHT IN FRONT OF A POLICE OFFICER...?

BUT IT IS TRUE THAT HE INSULTED HER,

SO BY RIGHT ISLAND'S LOGIC, EVEN IF SHE RETALIATES...

WATCH YOUR MOUTH IN FRONT OF HIS GRACE!

...THAT,

WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP TO THE INVESTIGATION.

P-PEJIN! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!

SHE IS THREATENING TO KILL YOUR COUSIN...!

DO SOMETHING...!

I WILL BE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SACRIFICE, COUSIN.

IF YOU HAPPEN TO DIE WHEN THE FOG RETURNS,

I WILL CONSIDER IT PROOF THAT SHE IS A WITCH,

AND I WILL LAUNCH AN INVESTIGATION IMMEDIATELY.

IF ANYONE WHO LAUGHED AT THAT VULGAR BEHAVIOR

HAPPENS TO DIE IN THE FOG, I WILL INVESTIGATE THAT AS WELL.

WINNING GREENBALL CREATED A FAVORABLE TIDE FOR APRIL.

I AM GOING TO GO CHANGE MY CLOTHES, SO WAIT FOR ME!

THE HARASSMENT THAT HAD BEEN TACITLY PERMITTED UNTIL NOW...

...WAS NEWLY CLASSIFIED AS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN FROM THIS DAY FORWARD.

THE SUNSPOT QUIETLY ENDURED AND SEETHED...

...EXPLODING AT THE CRUCIAL MOMENT TO COMPLETELY TURN THE TIDE.

Talking big when he won't even make it back...

COULD IT TRULY NOT BE ROMANTIC AFFECTION?

THEN WHY STEP UP WHEN IT IS SO UNLIKE YOU...?

THE HALL HAS BEEN QUITE CHAOTIC.

ESPECIALLY SINCE A VICTOR HAS EMERGED FROM THE GREENBALL MATCH WE WENT OUT OF OUR WAY TO HOST.

AH, HEIDI...

SINCE YOU WON THE GAME, YOU MUST STATE YOUR WISH, RIGHT?

BECAUSE THAT IS THE RULE.

WHAT IS MILLER'S WISH?

WHAT KIND OF WISH WOULD A GROWN MAN EVEN HAVE...?

I WILL YIELD MY WISH TO THE LADY.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY A WISH?

ACCORDING TO THE RULES, MY FAMILY'S CREST SHOULD BE HUNG IN THE COURT.

UNTIL THE NEXT VICTOR EMERGES.

MY LADY, THAT RULE WAS CHANGED A LONG TIME AGO.

IS THAT SO?

THEN, LET US CONSIDER THAT MY WISH.

RIGHT ABOVE THAT DIEUS CREST,

HANGING THE CREST OF MY FAMILY, HOUSE LUNOS.

HONESTLY, YOU...

...HAVE NOT CHANGED ONE BIT.

HANG THE BANNER OF HOUSE LUNOS IN THE COURT.

...IT SEEMS THE PARTY IS SLOWLY DRAWING TO A CLOSE.

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE, SO HOW ABOUT WE FINISH OFF WITH A SWIM?

LIKE TRUE MEN OF RIGHT ISLAND.

FINISHING OFF WITH A SWIM?

YOU WANT TO GO INTO THE SEA IN THIS FREEZING WEATHER?

THAT FEELS A BIT BARBARIC NOW, SO...

THE VAST MAJORITY OF RIGHT ISLAND'S ANCESTORS WERE PIRATES,

AND EVEN IF THEY FEARED THE WAVES, THEY NEVER FEARED THE SEA'S COLD.

WHETHER NOBLE OR COMMONER,

ENDING A PARTY WITH A SWIM IN THE SEA WAS A FAMILIAR TRADITION.

HOWEVER, THE PEOPLE IN THIS BANQUET HALL WERE WEARING EMPIRE-STYLE EVENING WEAR.

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE GRAND DUCHY, THE EMPIRE'S CULTURE WAS SOPHISTICATED,

WHILE RIGHT ISLAND'S CULTURE WAS SEEN AS OUTDATED,

WHICH IS LIKELY WHY THE ATMOSPHERE MAKES THEM HESITANT TO STEP FORWARD.

WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE.

THAT PERSON IS...

THAT IS MY UNCLE'S ONLY SON, KAYANI, IS HE NOT?

Are you really going to swim in this weather?

Well, you see...

KAYANI MORROW, 17 YEARS OLD.

HE USED TO ONLY COME UP TO MY WAIST.

HE HAS GROWN QUITE A BIT.

ACTUALLY, I GREW UP WATCHING MY FATHER DO IT, SO...

...I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO TRY.

SAME HERE. I WILL PARTICIPATE TOO.

ME TOO...!

ME TOO!

EVEN IF IT IS A BIT BARBARIC, A REAL MAN CANNOT BACK DOWN!

I WILL PARTICIPATE AS WELL!

W-WAIT...! WAIT A MOMENT!!

SUPERINTENDENT! AT LEAST TAKE OFF YOUR JACKET...!

AHHHHHHHH!!

H A H A H A

THE REASON I FELT SO SUFFOCATED ALL DAY...

...WAS IT BECAUSE I WAS INDOORS?

HOW REFRESHING.

BY THE WAY, WHERE IS APRIL?

LADY APRIL.

COULD WE...

...TALK FOR A MOMENT?