The Mansion Awaits Spring — Chapter 26

LADY APRIL.

SARAH DIEUS, PEJIN'S COUSIN.

COULD WE...

...TALK FOR A MOMENT?

I APOLOGIZE FOR EARLIER.

I DIDN'T REALIZE I COULD BE SUCH A VULGAR PERSON EITHER.

YES, I DIDN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE SO VULGAR EITHER.

I'M NOT APOLOGIZING BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE A WITCH, LADY APRIL.

IT'S TRUE THAT I ACTED VULGARLY,

BUT I'M NOT FOOLISH ENOUGH TO BELIEVE IN SUCH SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENA.

I WILL FORGIVE YOU SINCE YOU MADE ME LAUGH.

I APPRECIATE YOU FORGIVING ME, BUT...

...I'M NOT SURE WHAT PART OF THAT WAS AMUSING.

More importantly, may I sit next to you?

By all means.

WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?

AH, PEJIN. I WAS JUST APOLOGIZING TO LADY APRIL...

...FOR WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER.

AND I HAVE FORGIVEN HER.

WELL, IN THAT CASE...

I WAS ALMOST DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, COUSIN SARAH.

YOU WOULD HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE.

IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN AWAY FROM HIGH SOCIETY FOR FAR TOO LONG.

TO THINK I WAS LAUGHING AT SUCH LOW-CLASS BEHAVIOR.

I'M DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF AS WELL.

I'M SURE THERE ARE MANY WHO SHARE MY SENTIMENTS.

THAT'S A RELIEF, THEN.

I"M COLD..

THEN WHY DID YOU JUMP INTO THE SEA?

BECAUSE IT LOOKED COOL.

IT DIDN'T LOOK COOL IN THE SLIGHTEST.

YOU LOOK EXACTLY LIKE SIR PAUL'S MUSTACHE.

Is someone talking about me?

WELL, PAUL'S MUSTACHE IS QUITE USELESS...

HOW AMUSING.

BY THE WAY, HAVE YOU HAD ANY LUCK FINDING A POTENTIAL HUSBAND?

AFTER COUSIN SARAH SPOKE TO YOU,

QUITE A FEW MEN SEEMED TO APPROACH YOU.

THEY WERE ALL RATHER MEDIOCRE, SO I'M NOT SURE...

I'D PREFER A FAMILY BETTER THAN HOUSE HUNTER, AT THE VERY LEAST.

HOUSE HUNTER? AREN'T YOU BEING TOO GENEROUS?

Their family standing is rather..

I QUITE LIKE THE CURLY HAIR OF THE PEOPLE IN THAT FAMILY.

I FIND IT MUCH MORE APPEALING THAN STRAIGHT HAIR.

WHAT ELSE IS A DEALBREAKER?

...I DESPISE BLUE EYES AS WELL.

BUT ABOVE ALL ELSE, WHAT I DESPISE THE MOST IS...

...A DIEUS.

HONESTLY, AS LONG AS THEY'RE HOSTILE TOWARD HOUSE DIEUS, ANYONE IS FINE.

HOW CAN YOU SAY SUCH THINGS RIGHT TO MY FACE...?

WHAT IS THIS?

I DEFINITELY FELT REFRESHED WHEN I WAS SWIMMING.

IS IT BECAUSE I'M INDOORS?

OR IS IT BECAUSE I'M TOO COLD...?

COUGH!!

COUGH!!COUGH!!

ARE YOU ALRIGHT?

GOODNESS, YOUR FEVER IS...

THIS WON'T DO.

STAY THE NIGHT AT MY HOUSE TODAY.

SLEEP IN THIS ROOM.

THE CHILDREN USED THIS BEDROOM AS A STUDY,

SO IT SHOULD BE WARM SINCE THE HEATING IS ON.

HERE, THESE ARE MY FATHER'S CLOTHES. CHANGE INTO THEM.

THEY'RE TOO THIN.

I'M FREEZING, SO GIVE ME SOMETHING THICKER.

STOP BEING SO STUBBORN.

WITH THE ROOM AT THIS TEMPERATURE, IT'S PERFECTLY WARM.

YOU ONLY FEEL COLD BECAUSE YOU'RE UNWELL RIGHT NOW.

IN FACT, YOU NEED TO WEAR THIN LAYERS TO BRING YOUR FEVER DOWN.

EVERYONE IN THE GRAND DUCHY ENDURES IT THIS WAY.

IF YOU'RE A PERSON OF THE GRAND DUCHY AS WELL,

THEN ACT LIKE ONE.

......

SO JUST QUIETLY GET CHANGED.

I'LL BRING YOU SOME MEDICINE.

THE FEELING OF MY NECK BEING CONSTRICTED...

...WASN'T BECAUSE I WAS IN A STUFFY ROOM.

THE REFRESHING FEELING I HAD WHEN I WENT INTO THE SEA...

...WASN'T BECAUSE THE SEA WAS COOL EITHER.

THE REASON I FELT REFRESHED EVEN AMIDST THAT SUFFOCATION...

...WAS ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF HER,

...APRIL.

DON'T TURN YOUR HEAD. YOU HAVE TO KEEP THE DAMP TOWEL ON TO LOWER YOUR FEVER.

TRY TO SLEEP A LITTLE MORE.

THEN WHAT ABOUT THIS SUFFOCATING TIGHTNESS AROUND MY NECK?

THAT MUST BE ENTIRELY...

...ENTIRELY MY OWN DOING.

PEJIN DIEUS, 13 YEARS OLD