The Serpent of Paradise - Chapter 25

When the sound of horses reached the Edenhurst mansion, one of the servants inside peered outside with a grim expression. He assumed another creditor had come to cause trouble. But he recognized the visitor. It was the man everyone in the mansion had desperately awaited for some time.

Forgetting all decorum, the servant cried out in surprise.

“Lord Mikhail is here! Lord Mikhail has returned!”

Though Mikhail was merely a guest who stayed once and left, the servant welcomed him as though the master of the mansion had returned.

The moment the countess learned Mikhail had returned to Edenhurst, she ran for the first time in her life. She reached the entrance faster than anyone else, and joy spread across her face when she saw Mikhail. But it lasted only a moment. She froze when she saw Anastasia in his arms. Then she noticed Mikhail looking at her with smiling lips but cold eyes.

“It’s been a long time, Countess.”

The countess’s gaze shifted to the woman lying limp in Mikhail’s arms.

“That is….”

Why was Anastasia, whom she agreed to send away in exchange for money and a temporary supply of food from the grocer, in his arms?

Seeing the countess’s gaze fixed upon Anastasia, Mikhail swallowed a sneer.

“On my way here, I saw Miss Anastasia in a difficult situation and offered my assistance. She nearly suffered a heinous act too vile to put into words.”

At the words heinous act, the countess averted her gaze. Inwardly, she cursed the grocer. That vulgar brute. He hadn’t even tried to conceal the lust gleaming in his eyes when he asked for Anastasia, so apparently, he intended to take her once before they even reached his home. How long could the journey possibly take? How could he fail to restrain himself, attack her along the way, and let Mikhail catch him?

“Miss Anastasia appears to need some rest, so I’ll offer my proper greetings a little later.”

Without even excusing himself, Mikhail walked past the countess and entered the mansion. He headed unhesitatingly toward the spacious guest room he used during his previous visit. Anastasia was already asleep in his arms as though she had fainted. That was for the best. Otherwise, the moment she saw the countess, she would undoubtedly have turned deathly pale and begun trembling as before.

A hollow laugh escaped Mikhail when he entered the room. Even if the mansion was ruined, this was a truly wretched sight. Everything that could be torn away was gone. Not only the beautiful furniture, but even the curtains had been ripped down, allowing the brilliant sunlight to stream inside unobstructed. The bed where he slept was completely stripped of its sheets, and even the ornaments once fastened to its four legs were gone.

Perhaps they decided the bed would be too difficult to transport and use elsewhere, or perhaps they intended to return with a larger wagon later. Either way, it was fortunate that at least this remained.

After laying Anastasia on the bed, Mikhail removed his jacket and draped it over her. Just then, the clamor of carriages sounded outside. When he approached the window, he saw numerous carriages and freight wagons arriving. At the head of the group, Yuri, whom he had secretly left behind in the capital, was waving.

When Mikhail went downstairs, Yuri greeted him with great enthusiasm.

“Lord Mikhail! It’s been a long time!”

“What about the task I gave you?”

“Everything is perfectly prepared.”

On his way back from the Central Plains, Mikhail sent a telegram to the capital. He ordered Yuri to bring furniture and people to fill the empty Edenhurst.

“Fill it so that nothing is lacking….”

Mikhail glanced toward the room.

“Befitting the occupants of each room.”

***

While Yuri reported his work in the capital to Mikhail, Igor instructed the Sokolov assistant butler who came with Yuri on what to do with the mansion.

“First, prepare somewhere for him to stay. Ah, and take care of the kitchen too.”

The assistant butler was an experienced man. Before entering Mikhail’s service, he worked at several mansions. He quickly familiarized himself with Edenhurst as a whole by asking the remaining servants about its layout and facilities. Once he understood the entire structure, he divided the servants who came with him into groups and assigned each group an area and its duties.

Naturally, the first place the assistant butler decided to restore was the room once used by the former count. It was the room reserved for the master of the mansion. After the former count’s death, the countess left the room vacant rather than putting it to any particular use, so her son could use it whenever he returned. But now, instead of the master she awaited, a new master would occupy it.

Not even a desk remained in the bare room, but the bed, desk, and bookshelves unloaded from the freight wagons were quickly arranged inside. They were all identical to the furniture Mikhail used in Sokolov, though their colors differed slightly to suit the Edenhurst mansion.

They were also pieces Yuri prepared in advance after his stay at Edenhurst.

Once the furniture was properly arranged, dozens of servants began decorating the mansion. They went about their tasks silently and confidently, as though they had lived at Edenhurst since birth.

The windows, which contained nothing but dusty panes, were cleaned, and purple curtains were hung. The curtains were tied at the center with Flanre gold-thread tassels that couldn’t be obtained in the capital even by paying a premium, leaving buyers with no choice but to wait. Every single curtain was adorned with them.

The wooden floors, left exposed after the carpets were taken, were swept clean of dust and freshly oiled. Exotic carpets imported through Schweik were laid over them. Even the imperial family couldn’t easily obtain such items. Mikhail was the only person who established trade with Schweik, which was still an enemy nation only a year ago.

Under the hands of dozens of servants, the room Mikhail would use regained its former splendor and order. No, it became even more magnificent and orderly than before.

“What in the world….”

The countess was speechless as she watched the mansion transform so rapidly. She was the mistress of the mansion. Yet strange servants were now rearranging her home as they pleased without her permission. But what if she stopped them?

When she thought about it, there was no reason to stop them. Mikhail brought these things of his own accord to restore the prosperity they once enjoyed, so why should she prevent him? And… was there any need to stop him and risk displeasing him?

After some thought, the countess abandoned the idea of asserting her authority. The reward for her surrender came swiftly. Before long, her room was also filled with precious objects.

While the servants worked to ensure the comfort of Mikhail and several others, Mikhail was receiving Yuri’s report on the situation in the capital.

“So the Empress Dowager has her hands full because of Schweik.”

“That’s right. Since the ceasefire, every proposed agreement has repeatedly fallen through. But for some reason, Schweik took a step back this time and offered terms more favorable to Novgod.”

Since entering a ceasefire half a year ago, the two countries have continued to drag matters out without finding any common ground. That was all the more true because neither side won nor lost the war. Then Schweik suddenly proposed an agreement unfavorable to itself. Naturally, the imperial family wanted to determine their true intentions.

“What is the schedule for the negotiations with Schweik?”

“It seems they’ll spend the entire summer going back and forth to settle on a draft agreement. The Empress Dowager is apparently leaving for the summer palace with the emperor next week.”

“I suppose the emperor’s health has deteriorated further?”

“Yes. Apparently… there are even rumors that his recent seizure was so severe it damaged his brain.”

“Is that so?”

Mikhail frowned at the news of the emperor’s condition. The emperor, the Empress Dowager’s son, was the root of her power. So whenever something happened to him, suspicion fell not upon the Empress Dowager but upon others. Of course, Mikhail was the first person subjected to such scrutiny.

“Isn’t the Empress Dowager behind it?”

Mikhail found it absurd every time people looked at him with suspicion. The emperor was brilliant when he was young. Yet immediately after the previous emperor died and he ascended the throne, he suddenly began suffering seizures and grew physically weak. Wasn’t that how the Empress Dowager became regent?

The emperor’s death would benefit Mikhail. But the person who benefited most from the emperor remaining alive in his sickly condition was the Empress Dowager.

“She probably is.”

“What an extraordinary woman. So even her own son is nothing more than a tool to her.”

“Indeed.”

Yuri clicked his tongue as he answered. The stack of documents they reviewed beside them continued to grow taller. When the lengthy report ended, Yuri said, “In any case, the capital seems likely to remain quiet throughout the summer, so why don’t you take this opportunity to rest for an extended period?”

“Did Igor tell you to say that?”

“Yes.”

Yuri answered as though it were only natural.

“And another thing….”

Yuri suddenly thrust his fist toward Mikhail. More precisely, toward his side. Just before the fist connected, Mikhail’s own fist flew toward Yuri’s face. But Yuri swiftly stepped back and avoided it.

Before Mikhail caught him and forced him to study accounting, Yuri made loans in the back alleys of Sokolov and fled faster than anyone else. Yuri smirked and said, “See? You can’t even hit me properly.”

Mikhail sighed at Yuri’s words. When he lifted his jacket, the bloodstained shirt beneath it came into view. Igor treated the wound in a hurry, but it reopened and wouldn’t heal easily.

“You were stabbed quite deeply this time. Your muscles were damaged as well, so please take it easy and rest this summer. Construction on Pier Seven is proceeding smoothly anyway, and there aren’t any particular problems. Besides, if you move around at a time like this and something happens to the emperor, you’ll only make it easier for people to call you his assassin.”

Yuri was right. The wound was deeper than expected, and because it failed to heal properly at first, his body was weakened as well. It seemed best to spend at least a few weeks quietly.

“Fine. I’ll spend this summer at Edenhurst.”

“When will you hold the wedding?”

Since he decided to rest anyway, it would be more convenient to take care of everything during the summer. Yet for some strange reason, Mikhail didn’t want to set a date. Even though it was something he needed to deal with as soon as possible.

“I’m still considering it. But I intend to take care of it before the end of summer.”

“Understood.”

Thinking he said everything he needed to say, Yuri told Mikhail to rest well, then left and closed the door. When the door opened, the assistant butler standing outside bowed.

“Come in.”

Realizing the man had something to say, Mikhail summoned him inside.

“What is it?”

“The countess wishes to speak with you. I told her you were resting and sent her away.”

“How many times has she come?”

“Three times through a maid and twice in person.”

“Igor will come up with a suitable excuse. Tell her whatever he gives you.”

“Understood. And Miss Anastasia is awake.”

“Is she?”

At those words, Mikhail rose without hesitation and ordered the assistant butler, “From now on, come in and report anything related to Miss Anastasia immediately.”

***

Mikhail stepped into the corridor and headed for Anastasia’s room. The servants passing through the corridor bowed deeply when they saw him. The people Yuri brought were selected from among the quickest and most discreet servants working at the Sokolov mansion. Over the next few days, they would transform Edenhurst to resemble the Sokolov mansion while obeying their master’s commands. Of course, they had only one master.

With the mansion now completely filled with his people, Mikhail leisurely made his way toward Anastasia’s room. But a short while later, his relaxed expression stiffened. A loud voice came from her room.

“No! Go away!”

It was unmistakably Anastasia’s voice. Mikhail immediately opened the door.

“What is going on?”

His voice rose before he realized it. As Mikhail entered, the maids inside quickly bowed their heads. Mikhail looked around the room.

The first thing he saw was Anastasia crouching on the far side of the bed, only her terrified eyes visible. She clutched the layers of clothing around her body with both hands, her eyes brimming with tears.

“What happened?”

“We were trying to help the young lady change her clothes, but she resisted fiercely….”

The maid held a thin linen dress and the clothes Mikhail had ordered them to bring. On the floor lay the dusty, torn garments the maids apparently managed to remove after some effort. Realizing what had happened, Mikhail ordered them, “Wait outside.”

The maids immediately turned to obey his command, but Mikhail spoke again.

“Leave the clothes.”