BRRC CH 35

Chapter 35 – The End of the Birthday

“So then, Laura wanted to pick out the newest magic wand toy, but I stopped her!”

“What? Daisy, you’re such a dummy! It’s still better than that silly princess hat!”

“Hehehe…”

I smiled awkwardly as I watched the two girls chatting excitedly.

They had introduced themselves as Laura and Daisy, both noble girls around my age.

After dessert, we were sitting together under the gazebo, eating cake and talking.

“The truth is, those magic wands that are popular right now are all… um, what was it again?”

“Oh, I know what you mean, but I forgot too!”

The two girls frowned, trying to remember the word. I hesitantly offered,

“…A marketing trick?”

Laura and Daisy turned to me at once.

“Wow, that’s it! Marketing!”

“Right! My dad said they just carve wood to trick kids into buying them! It’s a scam!”

“Whoa, really…” I smiled again, awkwardly.

‘Didn’t Daisy say she was seven?’ I thought.

What a shame. She was already learning about the dark side of the toy market instead of enjoying her childhood.

Then Laura puffed up her cheeks.

“No wonder! I bought all the colors, but none of them had any real magic!”

“What? You actually believed that? Hahaha!”

Daisy laughed so hard she nearly fell over, and Laura’s eyebrows shot up sharply.

“Hey. If you keep teasing me, I’ll tell your mom.”

“Go ahead~!” Daisy stuck her tongue out and pulled down one eyelid.

Laura jumped up from her seat.

‘Wait, are they actually fighting?!’

Panicking, I looked between them and quickly tried to stop it.

“D-Daisy! Lady Laura! Please don’t—”

“Catch me if you can!!!”

“Ugh! You run so slow anyway!”

Daisy darted behind me, using me as a shield, and Laura came chasing right after her, skirts flaring as she yelled.

“Hey! Don’t hide behind the birthday girl, that’s cheating!”

“My dad says life is a battlefield, you princessy fool!”

And just like that, a full-blown chase began around the gazebo.

I turned desperately toward Arwin and Crown Prince Tian, who were watching from a distance.

They both tried not to laugh—snickering behind their hands—but whenever their eyes met, they immediately went cold again.

“Ahaha! Look at Laura! What kind of count’s daughter runs like that?!”

“Oh yeah?! You ogre dung pile!!”

…Ogre dung pile.

I blinked, speechless.

And then—

“Daisy! Stop right there!”

“Laura!! How dare you run around like that!”

Two elegant noblewomen rushed over from the direction of the Empress Dowager and Sharon Abner’s table.

My eyes widened.

‘So they’re their mothers.’

“Didn’t I tell you not to run! What kind of behavior is this in public!”

“Daisy, this is the second time today you’ve fought with Laura—in front of the Empress Dowager no less!”

Both women were former attendants of the Empress Dowager.

“Laura, what did I tell you before we came here, hmm?” Lady Rieri scolded, arms crossed.

Daisy wasn’t safe either—her mother, Lady Harper, was even scarier.

“I told you not to misbehave! What did I say before we left home!”

“Ow! Ow, Mom, that hurts!”

Lady Harper’s voice boomed as she gave her daughter’s backside a few sharp swats.

“Does it hurt? Good! My head hurts, Daisy!”

I watched her pinch the bridge of her nose and sighed softly.

When Lady Harper noticed me, she hurried over.

“Lady Annelia! I’m so sorry—did we frighten you? My daughter can be such a handful…”

“Oh dear, look at that! There’s dust on your dress!” Lady Rieri rushed over too, gently brushing my sleeve.

“I-it’s okay! Ria’s fine!” I stammered.

But Lady Rieri didn’t step back until my dress looked spotless again.

Daisy and Laura slowly came forward, still glaring at each other and pouting.

“Both of you—fix your faces,” Lady Harper said coldly.

The two girls instantly looked away from each other.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile faintly.

It reminded me of days long ago—

“Teacher! Ria hit me!”
“Mika started it first!”
“You two again?! Go sit in the corner and think about what you did!”

The scoldings at the orphanage had sounded just like this.

“Lady Ria is only five years old, yet she’s so well-behaved,” Lady Rieri said, sighing dramatically.

“I’m so sorry this happened right near the end of your party.”

I looked up. The sky was already turning deep blue with evening.

Some guests had already begun leaving.

Lady Harper smiled kindly.

“Quite a few guests said their goodbyes early—they saw how busy you were playing and didn’t want to interrupt. They just thanked the Duke before heading home.”

“Ah, I see!”

Both women smiled warmly at me, clearly finding me adorable.

Then they turned to their daughters.

“Laura, Daisy. Go on, say goodbye properly. We were about to leave anyway.”

The girls’ faces fell instantly.

“But we didn’t even play properly yet…”

“Yeah! Lady Annelia hasn’t even seen the princess hat I gave her! She promised to show me later!”

“You two!” Lady Harper’s forehead twitched dangerously.

Quickly, I ran up to the girls before their mothers could start yelling again.

“Lady Laura! Lady Daisy! I had so much fun today!”

They blinked at me in surprise.

I took each of their hands and shook them firmly.

“Next time, if you invite me, I’ll come play again—with the Duke’s permission! I’ll bring the princess hat and the seashell necklace you gave me!”

Their faces lit up instantly.

Daisy turned to her mother eagerly.

“Mom! Can I invite her? Please?”

Lady Harper sighed but smiled at me kindly.

“Of course, Lady Annelia. The Harper family would be delighted to have you visit. Thank you for inviting us today.”

“And the Rieri family as well,” Lady Rieri added. “If you come, I’ll make plenty of sweets for you, alright?”

I hesitated, then bowed deeply.

“No, thank you! Ria’s the one who’s grateful—for coming to my fifth birthday!”

The two women’s faces melted with affection.

“Oh my goodness, how precious.”

“Now I understand why the Empress Dowager dotes on her so much.”

Laughing softly, they each took their daughter’s hand and left.

I watched them go for a long moment, then looked up.

The sky was painted a soft orange, with fluffy clouds drifting by.

I remembered what Miel had told me a few days ago—

“This really is your birthday, you know!”
“When they found you at the orphanage, there was a note wrapped in your blanket—with your name and your birthday on it!”

A strange feeling welled up inside me.

‘So today really is my birthday.’

I’d worn a pretty dress, eaten all sorts of delicious food, and now I was watching a sunset this beautiful.

In my previous life, everyone had called my birthday cursed.

They blamed me for celebrating the “wrong” child’s birthday—the orphan instead of the real noble heir, Lady Hyana.

But now…

I lowered my gaze and saw the colorful balloons still scattered all over the garden.

‘They’re so pretty.’

Even after looking at them a hundred times today, they were still just as beautiful.

“Ria?”

I turned. Arwin and Crown Prince Tian were standing nearby, calling my name.

I blinked up at them.