MCAV Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ronschka’s Birthday!

Adele carefully held Ronschka’s hand and guided him forward. The child kept his eyes tightly shut. As soon as they arrived at the dining hall, she opened the door without hesitation.

“You can open your eyes now.”

“Happy Birthday!”

“Happy Birthday!”

“Happy Birthday, Ronschka!”

Voices erupted all at once. Ronschka flinched in surprise but soon smiled. Adele had already explained to him what a birthday was.

Originally, she wanted to keep it a complete surprise, but she changed her mind.

This was the first time Ronschka was celebrating his birthday properly. She wanted him to fully understand and enjoy it. So, she explained everything in detail.

“Ronschka, a birthday is…”

It’s the day you first came into this world. The day you cried for the first time.

Adele stopped talking for a moment. How had she felt when she gave birth to Ronschka?

‘Happy.’

Even if it was only for a few days, he was the child of someone she had cared for. She had cried, promising to make him happy no matter what.

But when did that promise start to fade? When Ronschka’s special powers began to appear? When she started feeling afraid of him? That was when the unhappiness began.

“Mom?”

“No, it’s nothing. That day is a blessed day. Everyone’s birth should be celebrated. That’s why we eat delicious food and have fun on birthdays.”

That was how Adele ended her explanation.

Ronschka didn’t seem to fully understand, but he didn’t ask any more questions. It made sense. No one had ever celebrated his birthday before. He probably didn’t even know when his birthday was.

That was why she wanted to make this one extra special.

“Ronschka, here’s your birthday cake!”

Leon suddenly appeared, grabbing Ronschka’s hand and leading him to the cake. It was a round, white cake with a few flickering candles on top.

“Blow them out! Then your wish will come true!”

Hearing Leon’s words, Ronschka puffed up his cheeks, determined to blow them all out in one go.

‘So cute!’

Adele clutched her chest, overwhelmed by his adorableness. For the first time in a while, her worries disappeared.

“Puuuuh!”

With a strange sound, Ronschka blew out all the candles at once. Applause filled the room.

Since many people were invited, the dining hall became lively in no time.

Adele had asked Lucas for permission to throw a big party for her son’s first real birthday celebration. Most of the guests were servants, but Lucas had agreed without hesitation.

People chatted loudly, shared food, and occasionally approached Ronschka to give him gifts.

Leon was the first to present his gift—a flower vase. He seemed nervous as he handed it over, as if he had put a lot of thought into it.

“You make flower bouquets every day.”

Madeleine’s gift was a new outfit.

“We received some high-quality fabric recently.”

Kish’s gift was a notebook.

“Study hard.”

Other guests also gave small gifts or warm congratulations. Though most weren’t wealthy, their gifts, when gathered together, created a heartwarming sight.

Finally, Adele handed her own gift to Ronschka.

“Thank you for being born, Ronschka.”

Ronschka looked at her with an unreadable expression as he took the gift. Then, suddenly, he hugged her tightly.

His grip around her waist felt especially firm. But Adele understood his feelings, so she quietly patted his back.

Then—

The door opened.

A small, adorable girl stood at the entrance.

She had neatly combed pink hair tied with a ribbon, looking so cute that Adele couldn’t help but gasp.

“Oh my!”

She had expected Lucas, but instead, a little girl she had never seen before appeared.

Was she a friend Ronschka made without her knowing? Or maybe the child of one of the servants?

Smiling, Adele approached and knelt down to meet the girl’s eye level.

Looking closer, she saw striking red eyes staring back at her.

“Hello.”

As Adele greeted her, the girl bowed politely and responded.

“Hello.”

Oh my, even the way she greeted people was adorable.

“What’s your name?”

Just as Adele asked, a shadow loomed behind the girl, and a deep voice answered instead.

“Rosaline.”

Rosaline?

As Adele repeated the name in her mind and looked up, she froze.

She recognized the man standing behind the girl.

Red hair. Red eyes.

A man who resembled Ronschka.

A man Adele could never forget.

Because—he was Ronschka’s biological father!

Adele swallowed the scream threatening to escape. Her fingers trembled violently.

‘Why is he here?!’

It felt like a terrible nightmare.

“Mom.”

But when Ronschka called out to her, she realized the truth.

This wasn’t a nightmare.

This was real.

Ronschka’s father was standing right in front of her.

Adele opened and closed her mouth several times but couldn’t find the right words.

What was she supposed to say?

It’s been a long time? Do you remember me? Your child is here?

A flood of thoughts rushed through her mind, but in the end, she said nothing.

Then, he spoke first.

“I’ve seen the child a few times, but this is my first time meeting you.”

The moment she heard those words, her mind went blank.

‘What… did he just say?’

She heard him clearly, but the meaning didn’t make sense.

What nonsense was he spouting?

First time? First time meeting her?

Then what about those days they spent together?

How could he forget?

How could he forget her?

Anger surged inside her.

The man she had waited for, the man she had longed for—had completely forgotten her.

To him, she wasn’t even worth remembering.

The pain and frustration were overwhelming, making it hard to breathe.

‘Get a grip!’

Adele clenched her teeth. She felt like she was being swallowed by the past she had tried so hard to leave behind.

She had promised herself never to return to that foolish past.

She forced herself to stay calm.

“I’m Rosaline’s father, Heirn. Nice to meet you.”

Adele straightened up, facing him directly.

To stop her hands from shaking, she clasped them together and pressed her nails into her skin. The slight pain kept her grounded.

His name. It was different from what he had told her before.

Back then, he had never used that name.

So, everything had been a lie.

If she let her emotions take over now, she would fall apart.

She could feel tears welling up.

‘Don’t cry.’

If she cried, Heirn would become suspicious.

If she wasn’t careful, he might find out about their past.

He might even realize that Ronschka was his son.

If that happened, he would take Ronschka away.

If she believed Heirn could make Ronschka happy, she would have let him go. But she knew the truth.

He wouldn’t make Ronschka happy.

He would only use him until he had no more use for him.

Adele suppressed her pain, forcing herself to smile.

She curved her lips into a warm, gentle smile.

Then, in a steady voice, she spoke.

“Nice to meet you. This is our first time meeting.”

Kish, who had approached Adele’s side, spoke with a stiff expression.

“Lord Heirin, what brings you here?”

“I heard it was Ronschka’s birthday today, so I came to celebrate. Right, Rosaline?”

“Yes.”

Rosaline showed the gift she had been holding in her arms—a box containing a spirit stone that Heirin had prepared for her.

Kish barely held back a sigh. He knew that Lucas had been trying to prevent Heirin and his daughter from meeting Adele.

In fact, Kish was the one who had gathered information about Heirin and passed it on to Adele.

“This is just a small birthday party. It’s not an event Lord Heirin needs to attend.”

“Is that so?”

Heirin smirked and turned around, speaking as he looked behind him.

“If Lucas can attend, then I think I should be able to as well, right?”

Behind him, Lucas had just arrived, standing with a stiff expression.

“Don’t you agree?”

“Heirin.”

“What’s the problem?”

Heirin smiled as he looked at Rosaline and Ronschka. So he brought his daughter along, knowing he would be turned away if he came alone.

Lucas felt irritated, but he couldn’t say anything in front of them.

If he said the wrong thing, Rosaline might end up getting hurt.

“Then we’ll step out. Rosaline alone should be enough to convey the birthday wishes.”

“Oh dear. I’d love to do that, but Rosaline can’t be without me. She’s still too young and inexperienced.”

“What does that have to do with a birthday party?”

Lucas pushed Rosaline inside the dining hall and shut the door.