🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 158
It was the height of summer, a day of unrelenting heat.
Today was a special day.
“Happy birthday, milady!”
“We sincerely wish our lady a happy birthday!”
The childcare team, who had failed last night to be the first to congratulate me because I went to bed early and the date had changed, now all congratulated me at once.
“Thank you.”
“This is a gift we’ve all chipped in for,”
Yuni said as she handed me the birthday present on behalf of everyone. I smiled at the golden “Well Done!” badge.
“Haha, what is this?”
The childcare team beamed proudly at my reaction.
“See? I told you she’d like it.”
“She really does like it.”
They laughed happily, as if the early-morning effort to deliver the gift had been worth it.
“The second gift will be given after the birthday party later!”
“Another gift?”
“Of course~!”
Like mischievous children, the childcare team giggled.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke said to expect a gift. Are you pleased?”
I nodded, the golden “Well Done!” badge pinned to my chest.
Yes, today was my birthday.
The Halbern mansion, unlike most noble households, was not particularly active in outside relations.
There were several reasons for this.
First, the Halbern family, known for guarding secrets, generally did not prefer outside contact. Second, the master of the Halbern family, Valer, had been away at the northern castle for a long time, halting whatever minimal contact had existed.
Lastly, Mehen, the duke’s representative, did not like visitors. Allowing outsiders inside could result in disasters, especially if they accidentally entered the sealed annex.
Yet today, the usually closed gates of the Halbern mansion swung wide open.
“Arel~!”
“Arelrel~~!”
However, not many people had arrived.
The twins and Duke Sperom.
“Arel!”
“….”
Pession and Harun. The mages who had managed to arrive here after fierce battles inside the magic tower.
The Saren Knights and Regent Duke Ludwig.
Though she did not come personally, Empress Ajeni sent an overwhelming flood of gifts on her behalf.
Harun gazed at the mountains of gifts bearing the royal crest and called Pession.
“By the way, Pession. Didn’t His Highness Sirua say he wanted to come to today’s birthday party?”
“Shh.”
“….”
It seemed someone had wanted to come but could not, and for some reason, it had been quietly left unspoken.
The garden birthday party, prepared with utmost care by nearly everyone at the Halbern mansion, was small and intimate, reflecting the birthday girl’s wish to avoid loud celebrations. It wasn’t extravagant, but the effort of those who prepared it made it enjoyable enough.
“Happy birthday!”
Arrellyn’s eyes widened at the three-tier birthday cake, but she soon smiled brightly at the thunderous applause.
The Duke of Sperom unconsciously admired the already famous beauty of the Halbern mansion’s radiant garden.
“The sunlight is lovely.”
“Indeed.”
Though the garden was filled with enticing paintings and sculptures at every glance, the Duke focused on something else.
“Arel, look at this.”
“This is our birthday gift. Isn’t it nice?!”
It was labeled as exclusively for Arrellyn. How could such well-behaved twins exist?
Having suffered all my life under mischievous twins, Duke Sperom was utterly shocked.
Hearing about it from his attendants had not prepared him for the impact of witnessing it in person.
“Indeed, the future of Sperom rests on Lady Arrellyn.”
As he alternated glances between Pession and the twins, seriously considering whether to marry into the family, a voice startled him.
“Why entrust the future of a respectable family to someone else’s daughter?”
Flinch.
Valer appeared with a smile, as if he had overheard. Why did his smile make me break out in a cold sweat?
“No, hear me out, Valer. This isn’t ill-intentioned…”
“Want to lose your business rights?”
“….”
The Duke of Sperom fell silent. A massive Big Deal that had passed between Sperom and Halbern days ago flashed in his mind.
“Ugh! If only it weren’t for the automobile business rights!”
The joint venture between Sperom and Halbern, which even involved the magic tower, included an artifact that could turn imagination into visual form, providing not only the car’s design and basic principles but also a bird’s-eye view of a future with automobiles. Giving up the rights was unthinkable.
Believing it to be the start of a transport and logistics revolution, he could not relinquish it.
“Do you have something to say?”
Sperom glared at Valer, who smiled as if nothing was wrong, holding the leash of another’s future.
“Annoying fellow.”
“Is this new?”
‘A guy younger than me…’
Regardless of the glare, Valer was too busy happily watching his daughter.
“So, have you prepared the birthday gift?”
“Oh, something incredible is ready.”
“How incredible?”
Valer chuckled without answering. The Duke’s eyes narrowed. Then, with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, Valer hinted:
“Look forward to it. It might even be good for Sperom.”
“…?”
Why would a birthday gift for someone else’s daughter benefit our family?
The sudden puzzle confused Duke Sperom, but Valer just smiled broadly.
“I hope your daughter likes it.”
For my life as Arrellyn, my birthday party had never been this grand.
“Wow.”
The childcare team always celebrated me yearly, but… a party with guests? That had never existed in my life. Mehen had always congratulated me, but birthdays had never been special.
In my life, even combining my past life, this was the brightest birthday party, and I couldn’t help smiling.
“It seems she’s happy it’s her birthday. She keeps smiling.”
“Right? Did she like our gift that much?!”
The twins’ birthday gift was a special commemorative platinum coin for the 100th anniversary of the Sperom Bank’s founding.
“Limited to only 10 worldwide!”
“Hohoho, we got one as a gift too!”
“We have two, so we’ll give you one.”
“It’s our treasure!”
Giving me one of only two coins made me realize just how special the twins considered me.
But I thought I had seen the same commemorative coin in the Halbern cabinet. Was it the same one?
“Anyway, thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
Harun gave me a portable security artifact, supposedly useful for finding missing children. I felt a little weird about that.
‘Does Harun know I was kidnapped and returned?’
Pession’s gift, however, was unexpected.
“Cute, isn’t it? It’s a divine beast.”
“So cute…!”
A small, round creature, like a tiny finch, climbed onto my hand.
“Despite its appearance, it’s intelligent, knows its owner, eats well, and plays well.”
“So cute!”
“I thought a dog-like pet might be better for walks.”
“No, I like it!”
Its small black eyes seemed to recognize me, and I couldn’t help but be drawn in.
So cute…
“I’m glad you like it.”
Pession smiled brightly, a smile I hadn’t seen in a long time, and I returned it.
“I can’t always be by your side, so I brought it to stay with you in my place.”
“Shion…”
For a moment, I saw a shadowed expression I had seen before, but Pession smiled brightly again.
‘I wish I could know what he’s thinking.’
Had Pession felt this way seeing me shut away once? I didn’t want to spoil this good day by asking.
With a radiant, sunny smile, Pession said:
“It’s nice being together.”
“Yes, it is.”
I wanted to live like this, and for some reason, that thought made me smile again.
That evening, after the modest but heartwarming birthday party ended, and all the guests had left, only my family remained. Three men who had not yet given me gifts surrounded me.
“So, what exactly is the birthday gift?”
What could they possibly be planning?
Even Mehen, who would usually intervene in such matters, stood quietly with his hands behind his back.
“Hoho, father’s birthday gift is…”
“…?”
Suddenly, father spread out a map.
Near the capital, in a barren wasteland, he drew a huge circle haphazardly.
“I’ll give you this.”
“…??”
What exactly is father giving me now?
