After the incident, April remained in the basement, refusing to come out, which led the police to retreat from the Lunos mansion. That night, the entire mansion was illuminated by gas lamps. With the stakes that had previously obstructed the view now gone, the mansion's glow resembled a massive wildfire in the pitch-black night. This light was enough to unsettle all the nearby residents.
The next day, newspapers covering the incident were delivered all over the right island.
[Mass Fainting of Police Officers Investigating Lunos Mansion…]
Some tabloids even spread false information.
[One Officer Missing During Investigation.]
[The Curse of the Lunos Couple Executes Uninvited Guests in the Mansion.]
Sensational errors sold more copies than accurate reports.
From 11 AM, the Grand Duke’s residence bustled with visitors hurriedly disembarking from carriages, eager to discuss the articles. The Grand Duchess, Heidi Deus, who did not particularly enjoy gossip, already felt a headache coming on. Her husband, Miller Deus, the head of the Grand Duchy, paced around the room, hands behind his back, acting uncharacteristically anxious.
“What if she really is a witch?”
“Then she would have killed me first.”
Heidi’s sharp remark made Miller sigh.
“That’s what I’m worried about.”
Miller reproached himself for merely placing her under house arrest. He should have killed April Lunos and erased the Lunos family from the world. Now, even if only for today, April had become more feared by the citizens of the Grand Duchy than the Grand Duke himself.
As Heidi tried to leave the bedroom, Miller blocked the door.
“Fejin will be here soon. Let’s hear the report before you go out.”
“I’ll go out first.”
“At least find out what to say before you do.”
“I don’t want to see Fejin.”
Heidi said, looking uncomfortable. Miller rubbed his forehead with his hand.
When Fejin, who hadn’t visited the Grand Duke’s residence in a long time, showed up, his presence was awkward. Even after more than seven years, lingering emotions made the couple uneasy.
Miller said, “There’s no other way. You go out first, then.”
“I’ll say I know nothing.”
“We still understand each other well.”
He replied, smiling slightly and kissed Heidi's forehead before opening the door for her.
Not long after Heidi left, Fejin arrived in the sitting room connected to the bedroom. Yawning, he sat across from Miller, crossing his legs.
“It seems every guest at the Grand Duke’s residence wants to ask me something.”
“They probably have a lot of questions. Thanks to your uncooperative attitude, we’re postponing the welcome party.”
“What would the police do at a party?”
“Tell interesting stories?”
“There are none, so I definitely shouldn’t attend.”
Fejin responded uncooperatively as Miller had mentioned, picking up a biscuit from the table and placing it on his plate. He spread butter between two biscuits that sprinkled sugar and took a big bite. Despite Miller's curiosity about what happened at the Lunos mansion, Fejin remained uncooperative. As a result, Miller couldn't get much information from his younger brother.
* * *
The vegetation of the Grand Duchy wasn’t very rich. Due to the cold land, the season when flowers bloomed was extremely short, and the rest was covered in snow. Perhaps because flowers were scarce, the people of the Grand Duchy had a great obsession with them. On the left island, located far south of the right island, various flowers grew, and a ship carrying flowers traveled between the two islands daily. The flowers arriving daily by ship mostly allowed the mansions of the nobles, including the Grand Duke's residence, to feel spring and summer temporarily. The flowers, once they began to wilt, were taken to the market again, and commoners bought them to decorate their homes. Thus, flowers were a precious import in the Grand Duchy.
The garden of the Grand Duke’s residence was also beautifully decorated with flower baskets. Heidi, calming people anxious about the witch, thought of Fejin Deus, her husband’s younger brother and the only remaining family.
Heidi was pleased yet reluctant to meet Fejin. Even Miller, her husband, didn’t fully understand what Fejin wanted. Miller, sharing Heidi’s sentiment, was both happy and wary of Fejin’s return. It was because Fejin was no longer the child who left the island years ago. Until they could figure out what he wanted, they couldn't wholeheartedly welcome his return.
So far, most of the police officers in the Grand Duchy were former military officers from the Empire. Fejin was the first generation from the Grand Duchy to graduate from the Empire’s military academy and be appointed as an officer in the Empire’s police force. With such opportunities, Fejin's ultimate goal was likely to rise to the highest position in the Empire's police force. If so, there wouldn’t be a big problem; once the April issue was resolved, he could return to the Empire. Miller thought that would be positive for the Grand Duchy. The problem was if Fejin wanted something else. For example, love, restructuring the police system of the Grand Duchy, or even the prosperity of his homeland were things Miller found wary.
“Inspector Fejin was so lovely when he was a child.”
Heidi looked at the speaker, who had a subtle smile. It was a woman from the Soar family, the aunt of Paul Soar from the 1st Division of the Lasa Empire Special Investigation Headquarters. Paul was Fejin’s right-hand man, so whatever was said at this table would surely reach Fejin’s ears. The woman continued, looking at Heidi.
“Wasn’t he, Your Grace? He always tried to get your attention.”
“He was at an age when he needed motherly affection.”
Heidi cut off softly. Since the Soar woman hinted at romance, the Grand Duchess defined it as motherly affection. However, Fejin, who was entering the Grand Duke’s residence at that moment, disrupted her efforts.
Born as the second son of the Grand Duke’s family and orphaned at a young age, Fejin had a distinctive rebellious look as if nothing pleased him. However, his uniform and walk were impeccable, reflecting the discipline of his youth spent in the academy. The mix of compensatory freedom given by adults who pitied him for losing his parents and the strict regulations of the academy shaped Fejin Deus.
“Oh my, how handsome…”
An elderly woman unconsciously muttered and quickly covered her mouth. Even from a distance, Fejin still had the doll-like face of his childhood. His smooth, white skin and long eyelashes played the most significant role in shaping his beautiful face. Even he realized early on that he had exceptional looks. Born into the most powerful family in the Grand Duchy, with nothing he couldn’t obtain in the world—except his parents and his first love.
