“Uh. It seems the winter is approaching; the weather is quite cold, isn’t it? Penton.”

“……?”

“…….”

It was a time when Yune was eating homemade cookies with the Penton family.

Due to the biting cold wind, they didn’t realize the carriage had arrived until the door opened. Marquis Kito removed his gloves gracefully, as if he were entering his own home.

“……Marquis?”

“Oh? Rej was here too! What luck.”

Penton Marquis and his wife, sitting on the sofa, along with myself, were surprised, and our lips hung open.

In a week, Marquis Kito will play the final match, concluding the championship. Considering the upcoming crucial match, I thought he would be training his mind in the capital… Why is he here?

Ignoring the bewildered faces directed at him, Marquis Kito took off his coat.

“Oh, cookies? I was just craving something sweet.”

“I baked them myself! Marquis!”

“Yune? You baked them? They are really well-baked, Yune. Will I catch up to you soon?”

After taking a bite of the cookie, Marquis Kito commented on the pleasant scent of butter and suggested adding more milk. In response, Yune promised to make even more delicious cookies next time. It was a conversation between the two of them.

“……Um, Marquis. Isn’t there a final game scheduled for this week?”

“It got postponed. It’s my first time experiencing this.”

“What?”

I heard for the first time that the final game had been postponed. Penton Marquis seemed equally surprised, and looking at Marquis Kito, his brows furrowed.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”

“It hasn’t been officially announced yet. In summary… it seems that some of the players who made it to the finals committed misconduct. The competition authorities haven’t disclosed the details of how the misconduct occurred. It’s a significant-scale act, and discussions about the judgment are ongoing. There may be more cheaters who haven’t been exposed yet.”

“So?”

“I just finished the investigation and came down. Even so, it will take a few days to investigate all the participants thoroughly. In the end, the final game has been postponed, and I heard it is scheduled exactly one month from now.”

Marquis Kito showed no change in expression as if discussing someone else’s business. The faces of Marquis Penton, his wife, and Yurik were serious upon hearing the unexpected news. My face probably won’t look much different.

“Well. It’s fortunate that they haven’t sold tickets for the final competition yet. Oh, by the way, I bought a gift while in the capital.”

Marquis Kito brought a bag he had entrusted to the maid when he entered.

Inside the large bag were three neatly wrapped gift boxes. Two were about the size of a palm, but the remaining one was so large that one might wonder how it could fit in the bag.

“Here, Yurik. This one is yours!”

“T-thank you.”

“Hurry and open it!”

Marquis Kito said with evident joy. Opening the wrapping paper with a slightly puzzled expression, Yurik saw a small rabbit doll inside. Yurik’s face began to blush.

“I… I don’t like this kind of thing anymore…”

“Eh? Did you grow up while I was away? You used to like such cute things before.”

“Marquis! What about mine? Do I have one too?”

“Of course, Yune has one too.”

Marquis Kito handed a small box to Yune. Then, what about the large box?

“Rej.”

“…Yes?”

Recognizing my gaze, Marquis Kito took out the large box. Along with the thought, the box was placed in front of me. Still not feeling it, I was absentminded when Marquis Kito pushed my box in front of me.

“It’s yours.”

“…….?”

“A week ago, you turned eleven, right? Congratulations, Rej.”

It was mine.

Looking at the box with hesitation, I untied the red ribbon that matched my hair color.

After removing the wrapping paper, I carefully inspected the items hidden inside the box. One of the two gifts was a silver pocket watch with a picture of a finch, and the other was an incredibly thick book.
Each page of the book was empty. It wasn’t an ordinary book but something I could use and record whenever I wanted. The texture of the paper was firm and soft. It seemed like a feather quill pen would write well on it.

“Do you like it?”

“…Very much. Thank you, Marquis.”

A smile formed naturally. Birthdays are this enjoyable… and gifts have significant meaning.

Due to various tasks, my father hadn’t come to the mansion for a few days. Because of that, I, who could freely roam around the Polong street, received many gifts from my siblings and got to enjoy a delicious cake.

A day later, led by Yurik, I received congratulations at the Penton mansion. The Marquis and his wife gave me three summer dresses and three winter dresses, while Yune meticulously wrapped the muffins she had made all night.

Lastly, Yurik personally put a sapphire necklace around my neck. I don’t know how the twelve-year-old Yurik got such an expensive item, but I was delighted.

Yurik even promised to give me an even more splendid gift next year while looking at my face.