<CHAPTER 5>

A swelling sense of pride washed over Elodie, and she gently stroked Kabil’s face.

His beautiful black hair and pink eyes. Even now, she could already see the makings of the incredibly handsome man he would become.

Thanks to eating and sleeping well, his skin was smooth, fair, and healthy. Even his lips were soft and unblemished, no longer cracked like before.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Madam?”

“No reason. You’re just so pretty.”

“Am I pretty?”

“Of course. You’re the prettiest thing in the whole world, Kabil. My baby.”

“My baby?”

“Yes. It means my little one.”

Elodie pulled Kabil into her arms and gently patted his back. Kabil stretched out his short arms and wrapped them around Elodie’s waist.

She was surprised by how strong his little arms already were.

“When I grow as tall as a grown-up, I’ll hug you too, Madam.”

“Yes, yes. Grow up big and strong, my baby.”

Elodie smiled as she stroked Kabil’s soft hair.

Once Kabil grows up, the princess will probably be the one getting carried in his arms. But I raised him, so surely he’ll give me at least one hug.

If she ever got the chance, she wanted to be swept up in a princess carry at least once.

Elodie smiled as she imagined the marks that would be carved into the wall year after year, then let out a sigh.

It saddened her to think that once Kabil left for war, she wouldn’t be able to mark his growth for a whole ten years.

In the novel, the war lasted ten years.

It was a war fought along the eastern border of the Fria Continent, against the Kingdom of Urta on the Eastern Continent.

Urta possessed overwhelming military might and continued conquering the surrounding kingdoms. Along the way, they brutally slaughtered civilians.

And their ultimate target was the Hecross Empire.

Urta held the upper hand during the first few years, but once Kabil began to grow, the tide of the war turned.

Kabil would become the key figure who led the war to victory with his brilliant strategy and extraordinary martial prowess. He would even become the first Sword Master in the history of the continent.

My baby is going to become someone this incredible.

Her heart swelled with pride, yet at the same time, there was a strange discomfort lingering somewhere in her chest. It was an odd feeling, as though she had one foot sunk into a muddy swamp.

One of the kingdoms conquered by Urta was the Kingdom of Dayev, the homeland of the female protagonist in the novel.

The heroine was a princess of the Kingdom of Dayev and a prisoner of the Urta army.

Kabil would be the first person to discover and rescue the princess after she escaped from enemy territory.

It was their fateful first meeting.

But that was still a long way off.

The thought of not seeing Kabil for all those years made Elodie sad.

I want to watch every moment as he grows up…

She wanted to see Kabil as a boy falling in love, too. How adorable would he be…?

Still, until then, I should keep recording everything faithfully.

Elodie wanted to give Kabil as many little memories as she could.

A strange ache lingered faintly in one corner of her heart, but Elodie pretended not to notice it.

For now, the pain was so faint that it was barely there.

* * *

A few days later.

“His birthday?”

Elodie stared at Norman with wide eyes, wearing an expression as though she had heard the word birthday for the very first time.

“……Yes, My Lady.”

“Hmm……”

At Elodie’s lukewarm response, Norman fidgeted nervously.

Kabil’s birthday was fast approaching.

In the past, when Norman had been searching for the maid who had given birth to the Duke’s child, the maid’s elderly father had handed him a letter from his daughter.

The letter, which was practically her last will and testament, contained very little information about Kabil.

It only listed his name and date of birth.

Norman had faithfully kept a record of his lord’s birthday ever since.

And while he was at it, he had thought it would be a good idea to find out My Lady’s birthday as well.

So he checked the documents he had received from Count Meclaire at the time of the marriage.

As it happened, My Lady’s birthday was also coming up soon.

Strangely enough, Kabil and Elodie’s birthdays were only two days apart.

That was why Norman had come to suggest celebrating My Lady’s birthday together with Lord Kabil’s.

But…… her reaction was not exactly encouraging.

Could she have some unpleasant memories associated with her birthday?

The thought made Norman’s head spin.

Count Meclaire was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a loving father.

There’s no way that man ever properly celebrated his children’s birthdays……

“My Lady, perhaps I’ve made a mistake……”

“I’d love that!”

After pondering for a moment, Elodie suddenly broke into a radiant smile and nodded.

Norman was left dumbfounded by the abrupt change in her mood.

“Pardon?”

“A birthday party sounds wonderful!”

“Then…… would it be all right if we prepared everything together?”

“Yes, absolutely!”

Only after hearing Elodie’s confident reply did Norman’s face brighten.

“Understood, My Lady!”

He bowed deeply and left the room.

Wow, a birthday.

The moment she heard the word, Elodie searched through her memories.

And within the fragmented memories of young Elodie that she had gained through reincarnation, she found a memory of birthdays.

It was an extremely faint memory, as though it had been torn into tiny scraps of paper.

Count Meclaire had an enormous number of children. There were the children born to his wife, illegitimate children born to his mistresses, and even children born to maids……

In such an environment, there was no way Count Meclaire could have properly celebrated every child’s birthday.

Elodie had been fortunate enough to be born as the legitimate daughter of his wife, but her mother had shown absolutely no interest in her children.

Elodie had not even been particularly close to her siblings.

She did remember one older brother telling her “Happy Birthday” exactly once.

And when she thought about her birthday in her previous life, before she died, things were even more bleak.

She had been an orphan and didn’t even know her exact date of birth.

There was no way she had ever had a proper birthday party.

Is this going to be my first birthday party?

Elodie’s heart swelled with anticipation.

“What’s a birfday?”

At that moment, Kabil, who had been lying beside Elodie while studying his letters, asked curiously.

“A birthday? Hmm. A birthday is the day Kabil was born into this world.”

“Is it a good thing?”

“Of course it is. It’s a day when you get presents. And you get to eat lots of delicious food.”

“Do I get to eat sweets, too?”

“Yes. On that day, you can eat as much as you want.”

“Wow! Really?”

At the thought of being able to eat as many sweets as he wanted, Kabil clapped his hands excitedly.

Kabil had also grown up suffering abuse at an orphanage, so he had probably never had a proper birthday party either.

Elodie began wondering what kind of present she should give him.

Since he’s still a little boy, would a toy be the best choice?

Even as she pondered, Elodie’s gaze fell on the sheet of paper Kabil had been scribbling on.

“Kabil, you got this one wrong.”

“……”

At Elodie’s correction, Kabil’s expression immediately fell.

His lower lip stuck out in a tiny pout, and he looked adorable.

Elodie stroked Kabil’s head and corrected the mistake for him.

“But you got this one right. Good job, Kabil.”

As soon as she praised him, Kabil’s gloomy expression vanished as though it had never been there, replaced by a bright smile.

Kabil was developmentally delayed, so he was also slow to learn letters.

But surprisingly, he was remarkably quick when it came to learning the Ancient Language.

Well, he is the male lead who will eventually become a Sword Master……

Elodie had always been naturally gifted with the Ancient Language. Out of curiosity, she had begun teaching Kabil a few words here and there, and he picked them up much faster than ordinary language.

However, it wasn’t as though anyone could simply learn the Ancient Language if they were taught it.

A person needed to possess a naturally high affinity for mana to have an easier time mastering it.

Apparently, Kabil had been born with an exceptional aptitude for mana.

Well, he was destined to become a Sword Master, after all.

A Sword Master was someone who used their own mana to create aura.

Mages and Sword Masters had one thing in common: they could manipulate mana freely.

Elodie thought that if she taught Kabil the Ancient Language well now, it might prove immensely useful to him in the future, so she diligently continued his lessons.

It was almost like a parent eagerly teaching a young child English in hopes that it would help them someday.

* * *

Not long afterward, the long-awaited day of the birthday party finally arrived.

Elodie had made a stuffed rabbit especially for Kabil herself.

The maids had helped her, but since it was her first attempt, the result was rather clumsy.

Maybe I should have just bought one……

Of course, ever since she had discovered the gold coins, she had more than enough money.

But she wanted to make it herself.

After all, it was going to be Kabil’s very first birthday present.

“My Lady, are your fingers all right?”

Marie asked worriedly.

Elodie glanced at the finger she had repeatedly pricked with the needle and shook her head.

“I’m fine.”

“But you finished it beautifully! It’s so cute. I’m sure Lord Kabil will love it, too.”

“You think so?”

It’s a little…… rough.

For one thing, the stuffed rabbit’s ears were slightly different in length. Its eyes also looked a little crooked.

Still, it was already finished. What else could she do?

Elodie deliberately blurred her vision and pretended not to notice the imperfections as she wrapped the rabbit.

Once she had finished wrapping the present, Marie dressed Elodie in an outfit she had never seen before.

It was an adorable dress decorated with pink ribbons.

“What’s this dress?”

“The maids and I made it ourselves. It’s your birthday present, My Lady!”

“You’re incredibly talented. You could make a business out of this.”

You could even open a workshop here in the castle……

At Elodie’s response, Marie burst into laughter as though she had never expected such a thing to be said.

“Anyway, thank you. I really love it.”

“I’m so glad, My Lady. Now, let’s go!”

Marie held out her hand.

Elodie stared at it for a moment.

Being treated like a child was a little uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do about it when she had a child’s body.

When she finished changing and stepped outside, Kabil was pacing anxiously in front of the door.

“Kabil.”

When Elodie held out her hand, Kabil hurried over and grabbed it tightly.

Watching them from behind Kabil, Norman exchanged a proud look with Marie.

Holding Kabil’s hand, Elodie walked down the stairs toward the dining hall.

“Congratulations, Lord Kabil! My Lady!”

“Happy Birthday!”

The moment the dining hall doors opened, the servants who had been waiting inside erupted into cheers and began singing.

“……Waaah!”

The sudden commotion startled Kabil so badly that he burst into tears.

In that sense, the surprise party had been a tremendous success.

The servants began murmuring in confusion, while Elodie quickly soothed Kabil.

“There, there, Kabil. Look over there. It’s a cake!”

“……”

The moment he heard the word cake, Kabil’s crying stopped dead.

In the middle of the long dining table sat a huge cake, something he had only ever seen in storybooks.

Kabil’s eyes sparkled with wonder.

As soon as Kabil stopped crying, broad smiles spread across the faces of the servants who had been so flustered moments before.

Elodie let out a sigh of relief.

Truthfully, she had known about the surprise party for quite some time.

They had been terrible at hiding it.

For days, the servants had been gathering conspicuously in little groups and whispering among themselves.

Then, whenever Elodie appeared, they would scatter like startled fish.

Just like carp in a pond……

At first, she had wondered if something was going on, but every word she overheard was about things like cakes, storybooks, and a special birthday.

Even this morning, when Elodie tried to go near the dining hall, the servants had desperately stopped her and steered her somewhere else.

She had been dying to tease them about it, but Elodie had valiantly held herself back for their sake.

And so, the birthday party with the castle servants began.

It was simple, but warm and intimate.

Warm candlelight flickered all around the table, while logs crackled brightly in the fireplace.

“Now, for Lord Kabil and My Lady, I’ve prepared a special dish that I’ve been particularly ambitious about!”