CH 27

5 – An April Fool’s Typhoon

“…Do the math. It’s April Fool’s Day.”

“No, I mean, the calculated date may be different from the actual calendar.”

“Ah… how many times do I have to tell you, Hyung? In any case, it’ll be held for two whole days, so it won’t matter if I miss a day!”

“But what if you miss a few days instead of just one?”

“Really, you’re driving me crazy!! We’ve been marking it since the first day of the new year, what’s wrong with you?! Do you want to make a plan or not?!”

“…Oh, don’t say~ It’s because I’m trying to be careful, you stupither!! Why don’t you try to respect your older brother’s meticulousness!! Gosh!”

“If you show off your meticulousness just one more time, I’m going to explode and die before I even try to escape!!”

‘Eiiish~ so noisy. I can’t tell if I should be happy to see you guys bickering like this. Still, I should be happy that Lettis, that punk, has finally got his act together?’ 

Once we all put our heads together and calculated the date, the conclusion we reached was roughly as follows: The banquet held at the Serpente’s Manor every early spring was a two-day celebration commemorating the first Duke’s victory. It’s a bit ironic that April Fool’s Day happened to be the anniversary, but anyway, as it was an important event held to a clan level, it would not be skipped even if the head of the family was deceased and the successor was absent. In other words, that day was the right day to proceed with the insurrection… 

“The thing is up to when they’ll come that day.” 

While Lettis rubbed his chin and muttered cautiously, I glimpsed at his left eye, which was still wrapped in a bandage. He said the wound had healed quite a lot, but he still couldn’t open his eyes. To Estelle, we just told her it was just a fall that hurt his eye area. Whether it was fortunate or not, she seemed to have accepted our lie straight away. If I had been her, I would have held some doubts, but my young lady had changed into a state of not showing any suspicions or motivations, no matter what was happening around her. At least the coughing had decreased. For Estelle’s sake, we had to succeed in escaping. Even if I couldn’t predict what would happen after that…

“It’s going to be hectic from the morning, so they probably will not come at all, or, if they do, they’ll come late at night. So I think it’s better to set the date for the second day of the banquet.”

“Wait, Hyung, if they come late at night, and we escape, where would we hide until dawn then?”

“…Well. Your relatives may change their minds and bring something delicious in the middle of the banquet?” At the deliberate, playful comment I made, Venya frowned and Lettis blushed. But then they were bickering once more.

“Damn, if someone comes in with a damn cake, I’ll shove it whole in their snout and choke them to death! I don’t care if Hyung cries because of the cake or not!”

“Hey, hey! I told you to stop bringing up the past!”

“Why? Are you feeling embarrassed now?”

“Hey!!!”

It was quite a sight to see his face, half wrapped in bandages, dyed bright red. Looking at it, it seemed like it was some agonizing memories. Although it was the same for all of us, we all accumulated a dark past we wouldn’t like to remember. I have seen things I didn’t want to see in a lifetime!

According to the original story I remember, Serpente’s Young Masters’ return was said to be around the late summer of this year. Of course, there was no way of knowing what had happened behind the scenes until they came back, returning home as if nothing had really happened. Above all, there was no way of knowing how the enormous fact that Serpente’s successors had been imprisoned for two years didn’t leak out at all. What made us keep quiet? Whatever the unknown background, this time it was going to be different. We will not appear in late summer but at the beginning of spring just a month from now, and in the middle of a banquet where all the guests of the imperial capital would be gathered, and we will reveal the truth.

After setting an escape date, the next thing to do was plan a raid. A plan to attack and neutralize our ‘food bearers.’ Once they open the mirror door and come in, we will be able to get out. 

As Venya had guessed, after the last commotion that seriously injured Lettis, Harris didn’t stop delivering food. He showed up every day as if dying to know what we were doing. And each time, we behaved like docile sheep, terrified like never before. In any case, whatever his intentions, we acted like scaredy-cats withering like grass. And so, Harris and his gorilla-like servant looked very pleased. Of course, regardless of their joy, our meals were still less than garbage. Still, we ate it without leaving any leftovers. Because to succeed in our escape, we had to squeeze any droplet of energy possible.

“Then, once more. I’m hiding on the stairs and Hyung is standing by the door. So when they come in…”

“No, it isn’t like that. I’ll be hiding, so you go ahead and attack first. Then I’ll pop out of the darkness and…”

“What the hell did you just read in the library? You have an eye injury, why are you trying to act cool?”

“It’s not that. What do you mean by acting cool? Are you making fun of your elder brother’s misfortune now?”

…Haaa. Worried. I’m just worried. 

It was also a task to decide which weapon to use for the big event. The only things that could be used were rusty and dull scissors and needles, silver candlesticks, and belts. No matter how much they let their guard down, it wasn’t enough to deal with two strong adults. We had to squeeze out our talents as much as we could. While Venya used blunt scissors and sharpen the ends of the gathered fragments of the broken ladder, Lettis practiced selecting the most suitable belt to use as a snare. They did that all day except when we were eating, so Estelle wondered what the hell they were up to.

“What the hell are brothers doing? Are they going to do another play?”

“…Kind of. You know, we’ll be out of here soon. We’re just getting ready.”

“Are you saying we’ll be going out of here…?”

“Mn. We’ll go out in a few more days. Then you won’t have to eat the food you don’t want to anymore. And you won’t have to vomit.”

Estelle stared at my face with her wide, empty, sky-blue eyes, then turned without saying a word and buried herself on the bed. After a moment, she mumbled,

“Either way, no one will recognize us now.”

Bewildered and worried, I approached and sat down. Then I whispered, hugging her bare shoulders that were only bones now.

“I can’t say. We’ve only been living here for about a year and a half. Wouldn’t all your friends still remember you and wait for you?”

“…Are you sure about that?”

“Well, of course. You will go out here, eat a lot of delicious food, study again, wear pretty clothes as much as you want, and you’ll go to a ball. Then everyone will be happy to see you, they won’t know what to do.”

The large glass marble-like eyes rolled for a moment as if they were trying to grasp what I was saying. I brushed her curly hair with my hands and kissed her thin face. 

‘My poor breast sister. My pitiful, sad lady… The pain suffered here would not be compensated by anything, but I’m determined to give my all to make her happy, no matter what happens in the future. Until the magical light of the past returns to these empty eyes, until she blooms again as the precious princess she is, I will do anything.’

“Sasha will come too?”

“Mh…?”

“If I go to a ball, will Sasha go with me?”

‘I- I don’t know? Will it be possible if I go as a chaperone?’ As I stuttered for a moment, Estelle abruptly sprung from the bed and slid straight to the closet. It had been a long time since I had seen her move so quickly and determined, so I just stared blankly.

“Let’s play the ball, Sasha. Practice with me.”

‘My- my lady?’ I was a bit flustered. ‘After all, we have a servant-master relationship. Ehem… no, it can’t be. There’s no reason to stop Estelle, who has shown vitality after a long time.’

Estelle’s dress that she brought a year and a few months ago reached her calf, but it didn’t matter. It had been a long time since we dressed up and played ball. To be honest, despite the circumstances, it was quite fun. To the extent that the kiddos that came after working in the library all day were perplexed.

“Brother! Brothers come here, too. Dance with us.”

“E, Estelle?”

They both looked suspicious at me as if I had done some kind of magic, but naturally, couldn’t refuse. That’s how the last days at the tower bell passed. Perhaps it was thanks to the expectation of leaving this place soon, or maybe it was to forget the anxiety, as if everyone had regained their same old joyfulness, we all laughed and babbled incessantly, preparing to escape.

And finally, the long-awaited April Fool’s Day arrived.