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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A Belated Birthday Gift
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It was strange that I wasn't hurt at all when I set the Snake Pit on fire and jumped.
I recalled the bizarre circumstances and rummaged through my pockets.
I found the unfinished knot ornament and placed it in Kivrin's hand.
Kivrin suddenly held his breath. Then, inhaling very slowly, he hugged the knot ornament to his chest.
“It's not finished, but it's all I have… I'll give you something much prettier next time we meet. Think of it as a bribe. You have to stay out of trouble and come back safely to the room next to mine, okay?”
Kivrin nodded.
I ruffled Kivrin's hair and stood up.
Just then, Kivrin muttered quietly.
“Del is… No, I'm not the worst. And I'm not crazy.”
Huh?
I turned back.
But Kivrin had already pulled the blanket completely over his head.
…He doesn't want me to argue, just to agree, right?
“I'll keep that in mind.”
I scurried over to Mera.
As a sign of my trust in Kivrin, I deliberately left Viscount Rose's feather on the display cabinet.
“Thank you, Mera.”
Mera smiled as I hugged her tightly.
Mera walked down the hallway without pushing me away as I clung to her, happy to see her after so long.
“If you just endure for a few more days, you'll be able to speak freely with the Young Lord again, just like before. Although, the Duchess has taken to her bed, lamenting that he didn't have to inherit the Duke's personality…”
Mera said, her eyes losing focus.
Having learned a fair bit about Menelik recently myself, I had no desire to argue.
Kivrin's past self had quite a temper, but Menelik was no pushover either. He'd caused a lot of trouble too.
It was no wonder Winter was worried about Kivrin's personality.
I was rubbing my eyes and nearly missed a step on the stairs, but Mera quickly caught me.
“You must be very tired. I'll escort you to your bedroom.”
“I'm fine… Ugh, I don't think I'm fine.”
A wave of drowsiness washed over me, as if I were the one being sealed.
I was so sleepy it was hard to even think, so I collapsed the moment I reached my bedroom.
I don't know how long I'd been asleep when someone gently shook me awake.
“Cheria.”
Who is it?
“Mmm, want to sleep more…”
“Just wake up for a moment.”
It was Winter's voice.
When I opened my eyes in surprise, Winter gave me a proud look.
“There's somewhere we need to go.”
…Where?
The question didn't leave my lips.
Winter helped my groggy self up, put a coat on me, and then lifted me into her arms and carried me off somewhere.
“A certain incoherent someone told me yesterday was your birthday.”
“Ha, haha…”
I broke out in a cold sweat.
Winter ignored my reaction, as if to say Menelik deserved to be bad-mouthed.
“I caught it in a hurry, but I doubt you'll be disappointed.”
While I rubbed my eyes to chase away the sleepiness, Winter moved to a place rarely frequented by the staff.
A strange altar had been set up before my eyes.
Soon, Winter set me down in front of a hunted animal with an arrow embedded in its eyeball.
So that's why she said she *caught* it, not *prepared* it…
“It's a snow wolf. Its fur is so white, isn't it? What do you think?”
“It's the f-first time I've ever received a gift like this.”
My sleepiness vanished completely.
“I heard you find other gifts burdensome, so I tried the Moritian way. The closest family member hunts an animal and presents it as a gift. They say performing a rite wards off the recipient's misfortune. The more carnivorous the animal, the better the effect.”
“…”
“Of course, Moritia had already fallen by the time I was born, so this is all just what I've heard.”
“…”
“Strangely, its eyes looked purple, just like yours. So it made me think of you.”
“Aha, so you thought of me and shot it right in the eye…”
Excuse me?!
Winter nonchalantly tucked the animal under her arm.
“Its snout is a bit dirty because it was gnawing on a whale carcass when I shot it.”
“Just how far did you go…?”
“Ask Emil later. He passed out from teleporting me so many times.”
Her reply was tinged with a faint laugh.
Winter pulled the arrow from the animal's eye, placed it on the altar, and began to burn it along with some herbs.
She carefully laid the animal down and offered a prayer, promising not to forget its sacrifice.
Winter was completely focused on the task itself.
At this point, I feel like my birthday was just a convenient excuse.
Still, I didn't feel bad about it.
Winter definitely said, 'the closest family member.'
“I'd like to hang the pelt in your villa.”
I tilted my head.
“My villa?”
“Yes, your villa.”
“I don't… I don't have one.”
I barely managed to take a single gold coin with me when I left the county…
Winter tilted her head.
“Did Kivrin not tell you? He already finished transferring the deed.”
Huh?
“I can assure you of that. It's the best of all the villas Kivrin personally owns. The surrounding scenery is beautiful, too. The color of the seawater is especially unique.”
“…”
The corners of Winter's lips curled up.
“Did you really think Kivrin would just let it go?”
But Kivrin had been the very first one to wish me a happy birthday.
According to Menelik, he'd even read to me all night after I fell asleep.
Suddenly, Winter paused, lost in thought. “Hmm.”
“If Kivrin scared you during the day…”
“No! The Young Lord isn't scary at all!”
I quickly denied it. I was only startled at first; later, I had my hands full trying to console him while he cried.
Winter didn't look particularly surprised.
“Actually, Ric was like that too. He was never scary to me, but at some point, the people around me started disappearing one by one.”
“Hahaha…”
It was a moment that made me seriously worry about Kivrin's future.
Just then, the flames turned a dark purple.
Winter urged me on.
“It's almost done. You have to make a wish.”
“Um… Please let me not get sick?”
I made a simple wish and looked at Winter.
“You should make a wish too, Mother!”
“Maybe I'll wish for Cheria to be by my side again next year.”
“Th-that's cheating…”
Winter smiled, seeing the blatant emotion on my face.
“I wish Ric would at least develop better social skills than a royal from a fallen kingdom, and I wish Kivrin wouldn't take after Ric any more than he already has. Of course, I love Ric, but I admit he has a lot of personality flaws.”
“…”
“You heard that Ric tried to kill Kivrin, right? I wasn't in my right mind back then. I nearly beat Ric to death before that. Does it make any sense to kill your own child just because you're getting some flak? I'm getting angry again just thinking about it. I should have bashed his head in more.”
From Kivrin's perspective, wouldn't even an out-of-her-mind Winter have been incredibly reassuring?
As expected, Winter was the only one I could trust.
The flames died down very slowly.
Gazing at the same scene as me, a somewhat calmer Winter whispered.
“I'm sorry for waking you. I wanted to celebrate with you before the day was truly over. Before I met Ric, I always spent my birthdays alone. It's… it seems like nothing, but sometimes it makes you feel strange, you know?”
A warm feeling spread through my chest.
I clung to Winter and nuzzled my head against her.
“You know, yesterday, the Young Lord wished me a happy birthday the second it turned midnight. The Duke also stayed with me the whole time so I wouldn't have to face the people from the Temple alone. My birthday next year will probably be even better! Because I'll be right here, next to you, Mother!”
“Hmm…”
I was in trouble.
I'd grown fond of Kivrin, Winter, and Menelik at a terrifying speed.
I couldn't let my young husband and my parents-in-law meet an ending fit for a tragedy.
Winter lifted me high in her arms.
“Those fools from the county are truly idiotic.”
“…”
“To me, the way you think of happy days before sad ones makes you more lovely than any treasure… I can't understand how they sold you off so cheaply.”
It was the first time I'd ever looked down at Winter's face.
A smile more befitting a villain than a hero played on her lips.
“So even if they ask for you back, I will never give you up.”
Mother is the best!
* * *
The aftereffects of the second warp, which hit me late, were worse than the first.
I was bedridden for three more days even after Winter's celebration.
I was dumbfounded to hear that Viscount Rose, far from visiting me, had suddenly taken a vacation and disappeared.
It seemed they were completely unaware that Kivrin's sealing spell had been temporarily broken.
While my trust in Viscount Rose plummeted, word that my birthday had passed spread quietly.
Mera gave me a scarf she'd knitted herself from expensive yarn, and Yelena gave me a box of medicinal herbs and a book titled *A Long, Healthy Life: You Can Do It Too* as birthday gifts.
On top of that, even Emil gave me an artifact containing a map of the duchy, leaving me bewildered.
“Does the Young Lord's wife normally get this many presents even without a birthday party?”
“What does it matter? Just take them. Presents are a good thing.”
Said my father-in-law, who had shown up empty-handed.
