Chapter 34

Before the maid entered the room, I had already finished getting dressed to a certain degree, rubbing my eyes which still hadn’t fully opened. After washing my face and rinsing my mouth, I reached for the handle of the closet to decide on today’s dress right when a knock sounded.

“Come in.”

Muttering a reply while smoothing down my unruly curly hair with my palm, the maid offered a polite bow and quietly stepped up to my side without a sound.

“Good morning, Lady Bertia. Happy birthday.”

My brain stalled for a moment at the unfamiliar words before quickly catching up.

Ah, that’s right. I’d completely forgotten. Today was my birthday.

In this world, birthdays weren’t really all that major of an event. Festivals tied to the church, like the Foundation Day or the Day of the Stars’ Providence, were far more bustling by comparison.

If there was one single exception, it would probably be birthday parties for royalty. Even then, since those weren’t official state functions, the culture surrounding birthdays didn’t really exist for ordinary nobles.

“Thank you, Ruti.”

“Not at all. Perish the thought.”

The one delivering that expressionless and detached reply was my personal maid, Ruterinu. With a stone-faced mask akin to a noh theater actor, her facial muscles were even deader than Schwarz’s.

However, on the inside, her tension level was sky-high, she was easily spooked, and she was surprisingly caring. I once heard she worked as a maid for our household purely for the sake of her family. It was just that her emotions rarely ever showed on her face, which apparently caused her to get bounced around from one mansion to another in the past.

Well, if you were a child, she’d probably scare you to tears.

When it came to romance, she was beyond backward, painfully shy, and blushed instantly. Very easy to read.

She was harboring a one-sided crush on the butler assigned to Will, and I even flattered myself that we were close enough to occasionally chat about love stories.

“Milady. Please take this.”

What Ruti handed me, completely expressionless, was a small white box tied with a purple ribbon.

At a glance, it looked just like a present.

“What is this?”

“Please check it for yourself. It is addressed to Milady.”

Nodding, I carefully placed it on top of the dressing table.

When I neatly untied the ribbon, the box popped open all on its own, fluttering upward as if by sheer magic.

My hands froze in astonishment. I could sense Ruti catching her breath beside me.

Inside lay a floral hair ornament and a letter.

My name was written on the front. Flipping it over, the sender’s name was penned in a remarkably polished handwriting that hardly looked like it belonged to a child: Dylan Vermelio.

When I opened the letter, a gentle wave of floral scent drifted out. It was the exact same fragrance as the flowers the Prince had conjured up with magic before.

Written on stationery decorated with illustrations resembling violets, the letter contained neat congratulatory words and an apology for not being able to visit the estate today due to unforeseen circumstances.

It also included lines about wanting to get along well in the future and playing together again.

To top it all off came the very last sentence.

I love you.

I love you? Love……? Eh??

Since I had never written or sent a letter before, I had no clue, but was it normal in this world to tack on that particular sentence at the very end?

Was it as common and popular as starting with “Dear” and ending with “Sincerely”?

When I secretly asked Ruti beside me, she turned bright red while keeping her completely blank expression, so I figured it probably wasn’t normal at all. Maybe it was a special birthday specification.

The Prince’s thoughtfulness was astonishingly meticulous. The box that had opened by itself and vanished afterwards was surely the Prince’s magic, and this fragrant stationery was likely magical as well.

Aside from the Prince’s magic, I had never smelled a floral scent quite like this before.

It had a sweetness mixed with a refreshing crispness, yet it wasn’t unpleasant or artificial in the slightest. Even though it was clearly an artificially produced aroma, for it to feel this natural left only magic as a possibility.

I carefully folded the letter back up and put it away in my desk drawer.

I should try writing a letter back to him sometime.

“Bell, I’m coming in.”

“Father. Good morning.”

Entering with a moderate knock was Father, dressed in a sharp, immaculate suit right from the morning. Despite supposedly sharing my curly hair, there wasn’t a single stray hair out of place.

Returning his greeting with a beaming smile, Father seemed to be in remarkably high spirits.

“My lovely Bertia, happy birthday.”

“Thank you very much.”

When I smiled back at his gentle grin, the next instant, Father’s lips curled up into a sly, villainous smirk.

“Now then, Bell. We’re going on a family vacation to Patios Island.”

“……Eh?”

At the abrupt announcement, I stared at him with question marks floating over my head, but Father turned his back and started walking out of the room without saying another word.

“Eh!? Right now?!”

“That’s right. There wouldn’t be any other days we could go, after all. I’ll give you the details inside the carriage, so follow along.”

“I haven’t even packed or gotten dressed properly yet.”

“However, you’re dressed well enough to leave the house. Aren’t you, Luterinu?”

“As you command, Lord Tybus.”

True enough, my hair was neatly arranged, and ever since the Prince’s sudden house call, I had resolved never to lounge around sloppily in my room anymore.

Though I occasionally used to take afternoon naps, I hadn’t even done that lately because I was too busy with lessons and tutoring.

As I flurriedly panicked, Ruti prompted me with a look. Perhaps due to our long years together, even without an expression, I could vaguely tell what she wanted to say. That look clearly meant: Just obey Father for now.

Giving a quiet nod to show I understood, I hurried after Father out of the room.

Stepping outside the estate, a massive carriage was waiting just beyond the gates. It was the large traveling carriage usually reserved for long-distance trips, built a size larger to accommodate luggage and a comfortable ride.

It was vastly more comfortable than ordinary carriages, though its weakness was that its tight turning radius made it unable to navigate narrow spaces.

“A-Are we really going right now……?”

“Of course. Will and Cilly are already inside.”

When I stared at the carriage in disbelief, Will popped his head out from the window.

“Sister! Hurry up!!”

Will looked thoroughly excited, acting up right at the very edge of the line where Mother wouldn’t snap at him.

While I stood there dumbfounded, Father gave me a gentle push on the back.

“I kept the schedule a secret from you, Bell. It’s your birthday, after all—surprises are much more exciting, aren’t they?”

“That’s true……. Thank you, Father. I’m very, very excited!”

Looking up at Father, I thanked him with a bright smile, to which Father continued with a soft chuckle.

“Actually, it seems someone or other happened to mention this family vacation to the Prince.”

My body stiffened with a sharp jolt.

Someone or other meant me, didn’t it? Was talking about it to the Prince a bad move……?

“I was demanded a satisfactory explanation by His Highness. I was sweating bullets when it looked like I might actually get talked into a corner by him, you know? Aren’t you a lucky girl to have such an overly competent fiancé, Bell?”

Hearing it phrased with such obvious sarcasm, my face paled as I had no idea what I had done wrong. When Father got angry, he was terrifying. Honestly, even scarier than Mother.

Provoking Father’s wrath meant certain death in our household.

However, noticing my reaction, Father narrowed his eyes with a mischievous glint.

“You are truly cherished, Bell.”

Tilting my head in confusion.

Father smiled warmly once again.

“Every single movement of yours is reported directly to His Highness. Outings and parties are limited exclusively to those His Highness attends.”

“……Eh?”

What was that supposed to mean? Was I being watched?

Did I do something wrong?

Seeing me pale once more, Father’s smile didn’t waver in the least.

“I understand why you’d find it terrifying, though.”

Patting my head, Father gave a casual shrug.

He kept saying things I couldn’t make heads or tails of. It felt like we weren’t on the same wavelength at all. He always glossed over the crucial details, making things unnecessarily confusing.

I wished he would just spell it out clearly if there was something going on. As I stared up at him, Father narrowed his eyes.

“His Highness just makes you want to root for him, you know.”

Lifting his hand from my head, he said it with sudden, bright cheer.

Then he spun around to face me and flashed a grin.

“He’s just like me, completely head over heels for Cilly.”

I couldn’t quite fathom what Father was trying to get at. But for some reason, a creepy chill rippled down my spine, causing me to lightly rub my own arms.