IWBAACTWITOS Chapter 24

I looked at the enormous cake the head chef had made and couldn't close my mouth in astonishment.

'What, why is there a five-tier cake for a five-year-old's birthday?'

Until last year, the cake had been normal-sized.

Though it was extremely delicious, of course. Standing in front of the huge cake, I just stood there not knowing what to do.

"What's wrong? Don't you like the cake?"

"The cake is too big."

"But you said when something's king-sized, it's king-cute."

"No, that was about cats!"

At my answer, everyone burst out laughing at once. The five-tier cake was about as tall as me.

"Now, we'll cut the cake later, so the birthday girl should greet her guests."

"Guests? Is someone coming?"

Until last year, my birthday party attendees had been just the people from the estate. The only difference this year was that Yan had been added? Since we lived in the same house anyway, did I really need to formally greet him?

"Your friend will be coming soon, Tilly."

"......My friend?"

I hadn't been able to go to the imperial palace for the past month since I'd been staying by Rayan's side. Because of that, it had been a long time since I'd seen Asher.

"My friend, Asher? He's coming? Today? When? When he comes, will we play together?"

I was happy to meet Asher, but this was also a chance to introduce Asher and Yan. I couldn't recreate the time they spent together like brothers in the original, but I at least had to make them into good friends.

Unable to hide my joy, I asked with a smile when Asher would come. But there was a sound of something dropping behind me, so Roxana couldn't answer my question.

When I turned around, Yan stood there with a deeply shocked expression. What had fallen to the floor was a prettily wrapped gift box.

"Who's Asher?"

"My friend."

"......"

Yan's expression twisted for a moment before he collected himself and picked up the dropped gift box.

'Is he jealous?'

Well, that could be. Kids that age often fight over who's closer friends. Besides, Yan tended to depend on me quite a bit.

'I guess I'll have to mediate between them since Yan is still quite guarded.'

"Asher is a five-year-old boy, one year older than me. No wait, I'm five now too, right? We're all the same age? It'll definitely be more fun if the three of us play together."

"Do we have to play with three people?"

"Don't you want to? There are more games we can play with three people."

"R-really?"

"Yeah! Usually rock-paper-scis—I mean, games are more fun with more people."

"Mm."

Yan nodded, won over by the idea that three people playing together would be more fun.

"But......"

"But?"

"I'm shy, so hold my hand."

"......"

'Oh my god, how can such a cute kid exist?'

Though his wariness of the ducal household people had lessened, Yan still didn't seem used to making friends.

Unable to handle this unbearable adorableness, I couldn't continue speaking, when Yan deliberately lowered his head slightly and looked up at me, asking.

"......Don't want to?"

"Of course not. Of course I'll hold it!"

When I held out my hand, Yan smiled brightly and firmly grasped my hand.

Not long after, Asher came in holding Charlotte's hand. Asher, whom I was seeing after a long time, still boasted doll-like beauty.

"Hi!"

"Hi, Tilly."

Asher greeted me and then looked at Yan beside me. He glanced briefly at my tightly held hand, then smiled and greeted Yan too.

"Hi to you too."

"......"

Even at Asher's greeting, Yan kept his mouth firmly shut and lowered his head. Unfazed by Yan's silence, Asher naturally asked me.

"Tilly, who's next to you?"

"My little brother."

At the answer of little brother, Asher looked momentarily surprised, but soon realized it was a joke and played along with a smile.

"Really? I thought Tilly's little brother was still a baby."

"Yeah, our baby."

"......I'm not a baby. I'm Tilly's older brother."

"But if you're an older brother, you should know to greet back when someone greets you."

"......Hello."

"Yeah, hello. I'm Aegis."

"Rayan."

"Hm, okay. Nice to meet you."

Having finished introductions with Yan, Asher let go of Charlotte's hand and took my hand instead. With my remaining free hand now captured too, I looked at the adults with my eyes pleading for help.

But with no intention of helping poor me, the adults just smiled.

Especially Charlotte, standing right in front of me, had the same look as when we first met—when she wanted to capture me alive.

"What do I do. So cute."

Charlotte in simple, comfortable outdoor clothes stamped her feet, unable to hide her delight.

'No, ma'am. Please take your son home.'

Asher had been subtly pulling me toward his side with a beaming face, which was quite troublesome.

Yan glared at Asher and pulled me back toward his side. It was a moment predicting difficulties and hardships ahead between the two and for me.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Tilly, happy birthday to you."

On the magnificently sized cake that made my chest swell every time I saw it, five candles stood.

It had been five years since I was born into this world—long if you thought of it as long, short if you thought of it as short.

It was still too hard to completely let go of my 28 years of life, but I felt I'd at least finished preparing myself to live here.

'Five years old. No, am I thirty-three now?'

I hadn't been particularly conscious of it, but when I thought about it, I realized I was in my thirties. So I decided not to raise my age and remain in my twenties forever.

"Wish! You have to make a wish."

At the word wish, I pressed my hands together. Last year I'd wished to please let me escape from this dream.

I knew wishes made on birthdays don't come true, but still, if you're going to make a wish anyway, it's better to make it on a special day.

'May everyone find happiness according to the original's happy ending.'

When I blew out the five candles with my breath, Asher was the first to hand me a birthday present.

In the large box was a cat doll similar in size to my rabbit doll.

Looking at the golden fabric and amethyst eyes, it seemed to be modeled after me.

"Actually I wanted to give you a real cat as a present, but Mother said life isn't something you can casually give as a gift, so I prepared a doll instead. Do you like it?"

'Wow, as expected of proper home education.'

When I smiled softly and hugged the doll to my chest, Asher's expression brightened.

"Tilly, me too......"

Unlike Asher, Yan held out his gift with an uncertain expression. The ribbon was identical to the ribbon on the gift the Nanny had prepared.

When I opened it, a sweet smell wafted out along with chocolate cookies packed inside. I took one out and ate it—a rich sweetness spread through my mouth.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah."

I took out another cookie and tried to put it in Yan's mouth. But Yan shook his head and refused the cookie.

"Then Asher, say ah."

"Huh?"

While Asher was flustered, I shoved the cookie into his mouth without hesitation. He was momentarily confused by the sudden cookie and tried to push it away, but soon feeling the sweet taste, grabbed the cookie himself and started eating.

"It tastes better when we eat together. Right? Yan, you won't eat either? Then Asher and I will share between just the two of us?"

That must have been unacceptable, because Yan opened his mouth, and I put a cookie in his mouth too.

The two children beside me stopped their nerve war and obediently ate their cookies.

'Oh my sweet babies eating so well.'

How nice now that it's quiet. Food really is the way to shut mouths. Thinking that, I walked around the table and gave a cookie to everyone sitting there.

The last turn was Roxana and Julian. After handing a cookie to Roxana, I hesitated briefly in front of the expectant Julian.

'Come to think of it, since it really snowed, Julian's cotton-throwing plan became unnecessary.'

"There's none for Dad."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to give you one!"

"Please give Dad one too."

"No."

Julian put on a deliberately sad expression, but couldn't completely erase the smile hanging on his lips. The people around also watched with smiles as I teased Julian.

"What should Dad do to get one too?"

"Let me go play outside."

"You want to play?"

"Yeah."

Julian and Roxana simultaneously looked out the window. Snow was falling heavily enough to cover the garden in white.

They seemed to be worrying whether it was okay to let me out in this weather, but originally when it snows, you're supposed to run around a bit.

"Alright. But you have to eat lots and dress warmly before going out."

"Okay."

I gave Julian a cookie and returned to my original seat, holding out my hands as if to say give me the next present.

There were plenty of gifts piled up in my room, but they were closer to bribes trying to curry favor with the ducal household rather than presents celebrating my birthday.

Since I didn't particularly want things sent by people I didn't know, I planned to open only gifts I received directly or that the estate people had prepared. Understanding my feelings well, the Nanny brought only the estate people's gifts and her own gift, not bothering to bring others.

I liked all the estate people's gifts, but my favorite was the headband the Nanny had made herself.

Like the flower crown I'd given her as a gift, the craftsmanship of creating flowers with white petals and yellow centers through crochet was admirable.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, I like it."

I took off the tiara on my head and put on the headband the Nanny gave me.

"Am I pretty?"

"The prettiest in the world."

I pushed away Julian's face as he sneakily approached for a kiss and smiled prettily at the Nanny.

I was expecting the Nanny, unable to bear my cuteness, to clutch her heart in reaction, but the Nanny just smiled.

Was it my imagination that the smile looked sad somehow?

'The Nanny makes that face sometimes.'

As I kept staring at the Nanny while making eye contact with her, Julian tapped my shoulder to turn my gaze back.

It was Charlotte's turn last, and she looked at me with expectant eyes. I hesitated briefly at the not-very-large box before untying the ribbon and opening it. Looking at the tiara with jewels much larger than the small tiara I wore today, I tilted my head.

'What does this mean?'

Only people from the three families could wear crowns. If this had been given to a girl from another family, it would mean accepting her as the future crown princess.

We had definitely decided to treat the engagement talk with Asher as if it never happened, so why give this gift?

'How should I react?'

I couldn't purely rejoice, nor could I show displeasure. I raised my head and met Charlotte's eyes.

Perhaps realizing I understood the double meaning in the gift, an apologetic look seeped into Charlotte's expression.

I'd thought we'd settled things last time, but apparently Philius still had lingering intentions.

'Is this old man trying to have a go at me?'

This gift wasn't Charlotte's gift.

Instead of beaming and saying thank you like with the previous people's gifts, I put on a capitalist smile and answered very politely.

"Thank you."