“Oh! A carefully prepared red carpet for the Miss from the morning!”

Last year, it was flower petals, and this time, was it a red carpet? While Felix shouted, Delina moved toward the dining room.

After receiving Betty’s congratulations in the morning and another noisy greeting from Felix, now… When she entered the dining room…

“Delina!”
As Delina entered the dining room, Zen smiled and waved. Standing next to him, Calix and Valion also nodded their heads in greeting to Delina.

“Happy birthday.”

Zen was the first to present a gift to Delina. Holding something precious in both hands, Zen handed it to Delina.

“Is it flowers?”

“Yes, flowers.”

However, Delina quickly realized that it wasn’t flowers blooming in the Duke’s garden. The appearance of the flowers and the new scars on Zen’s body were saying so.

“You…! Isn’t this something that only blooms on the cliffs of the mountain peak? But you brought this?”

“Yes.”

“Just giving flowers blooming in the garden would be fine… And you’re not seriously injured anywhere?”

“No, I’m not.”

Zen just smiled as if he liked receiving the gift. Calix, standing next to Zen, seemed to have very sleepy eyes for some reason.

“Why are you in that state again?”

Delina asked with a puzzled expression, seeing that the boy, who was usually energetic in training, was like this. Calix pointed to the cake as if supplementing his explanation.

“I made this.”

It was a huge and splendid five-tiered cake placed on the dining table. Felix added, nodding his head, as if supplementing Calix’s words.

“Don’t say anything, Miss. Lord Zen has been making this for a week from the kitchen.”

“…”

“Since he’s a lord now, he made this cake alone. If it were me, I might have stayed in bed for days.”

Indeed, as Felix said, the cake was the largest and most splendid cake Delina had ever seen. Staring at the cake, Delina opened her mouth.

“The cake is really beautiful. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“But it’s so big, when will I eat… No, no. I guess I can eat it all.”

Delina, who alternately looked at Calix and Zen, soon accepted the size of the cake. Then Valion spoke.

“Happy birthday, clown.”

“Thank you, Valion.”

“…I’ll give you the gift I mentioned later.”

“Yes, sure. You can give it to me later.”

It wasn’t an incredibly grand and splendid birthday celebration. However, Delina was happy with just that. She knew how much each of their congratulatory messages and the thoughtful gifts meant to her.

“Now, now. Miss. Since the candles are lit, if you have anything to say, please do.”

Felix, who had somehow lit the candles, led Delina to the center. Staring at the flickering flames, Delina slowly opened her mouth.

“Thank you all for celebrating my birthday like this.”

During the few years in the Duke’s residence, the young girl became an adult and received overwhelming love. However, Delina didn’t forget. Along with her growth, the day when the flames roared horribly was getting closer.

“Well, and in the future, I don’t know how many more years we can do this, but… I hope we can all be healthy together like this. That’s my wish.”
After finishing her speech, Delina casually blew out the candles. A moment of silence followed, and Felix, imitating wiping away tears, swept his fingers across his eyes.

“Oh my, Miss. How wonderfully you’ve grown into such a warm-hearted person… Oh, indeed, Miss. Shouldn’t you just live in the Duke’s residence without getting married for the rest of your life? From now on, I’ll just oppose it. I’m against Miss getting married.”

“Enough already, let’s eat the cake together. It looks delicious.”

“…”

“Quickly. I’ve been enduring supper today just to eat a lot.”

Although no one said it, the gaze directed at Delina was warm. Sensing their eyes, Delina, feeling a bit embarrassed, quickly gathered everyone with a gesture.

“Um, I apologize for interrupting the celebration.”

However, the atmosphere didn’t last long. It was because of the servant who entered after opening the restaurant door.

“What is it?”

“I’m truly sorry. A lady has arrived at the front gate of the Duke’s residence, and it seems like Your Grace should check it.”

“Why now?”

“Well… The thing she brought seems to be related to Your Grace…”

The servant spoke, glancing at Valion repeatedly. Delina could understand. The reason why the servant urgently called Valion and the identity of the lady at the front gate of the Duke’s residence.

Birthday.

To someone, it might be an ordinary day, but to someone else, it could have a special meaning. And now, another special day was beginning for Delina.