Thank you so much Not a Coffee Lover for the Kofi. ❤️⭐
★★★★★★★★★★
“Alright, let’s leave it. Let’s eat now.”
I took the food out of the basket.
I had been a bit greedy and bought a large chicken, and it ended up filling the basket that I usually use. So, I had to bring another basket of the same size today.
“…You’re just endlessly pulling things out today.”
“Yeah. It’s your birthday after all. No matter what a birthday meal is, it has to be generous.”
On the table, there was roast chicken, bread, potato salad, meatballs, vegetable soup, fruits, and more.
“Wow, it looks so lavish. This should be enough even for the Emperor’s birthday feast, right?”
“…Really?”
“Yes. It would have been nice if you could see it too. Food is something you enjoy with your eyes before you eat it….”
“…….”
I muttered softly, and unintentionally, a sense of disappointment slipped into my words. Somehow, Clyde looked guilty.
“…I’m sorry.”
“What? There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s not your fault that you can’t see.”
“…….”
“Actually, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t have said unnecessary things… I was wrong. Let’s just forget I mentioned it.”
“…Ruby.”
Clyde bit his lip slightly.
“Listen, Ruby. The truth is…”
“Come on, let’s eat quickly. What do you want to try first?”
I interrupted him loudly, causing Clyde’s words to get buried.
Clyde hesitated for a moment and then opened his mouth again.
“Then, let’s start with roast chicken…”
“Oh, so you’re the type to start with the tastiest thing? Sure. I’ll take the drumstick off for you.”
I pulled the chicken drumstick and handed it over to Clyde. He hesitated for a moment, then took a big bite of the meat. While he chewed, his eyes gradually widened.
“How is it? Is it similar to the taste your mother used to make?”
“Oh. I’m surprised. It tastes just like I remember.”
“Just as you said, crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, right? I put quite a bit of effort into cooking it that way. I finally managed to pry the recipe out of Rosa, even though she insisted it was a trade secret.”
As I excitedly talked, Clyde smiled softly. It might sound repetitive, but his face was truly beautiful.
“More please. I want more.”
“Sure. There’s plenty, so eat as much as you want. Oh, speaking of that, I wonder if you can’t eat as much as you used to with your current body…?”
“No, I’ll eat it all, no leftovers.”
“No need to overexert yourself. You can eat the leftovers later.”
But in the end, Clyde managed to finish all the food I brought.
It wasn’t like he rushed through it as he might have done before. He savored every bite, chewing slowly and thoroughly. And he kept saying how delicious it was. I could feel that he was trying to show as much sincerity as possible to the food I brought him.
“Wow, you really ate it all, that’s amazing…. How did all that food fit into your slender body? And your stomach didn’t even bulge. Amazing…”
Seeing me exclaim in admiration, Clyde shrugged his shoulders.
“I think I could eat more.”
“What? No way!”
When he was younger, I thought he ate well because he was a growing boy, but at this point, I couldn’t help but think that his digestive system was completely different from mine. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was also due to the influence of his mixed demon blood.
I cleared the table and brought out a pumpkin pie. I lit the candles and placed a dotted party hat on Clyde’s head. I made it myself last night.
“…What is this?”
“It’s a hat that the birthday person wears. Now I’m going to sing you a birthday song.”
“A birthday song…?”
Clyde’s expression was one of complete bewilderment. It wasn’t surprising. After all, these were all customs that only existed in my previous life.
“Yep. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, my dear Clyde. Happy birthday to you.”
I clapped along to the rhythm as I sang the song by myself. Clyde sat there, looking dazed and dumbfounded.
“Now close your eyes and make a wish.”
“…A wish?”
“Yeah. You can’t say what the wish is. Otherwise, it won’t work.”
“If you don’t say it, will it work? Is there some kind of magic involved?”
“No, no magic involved. But there’s still an effect. I think…maybe.”
“…….”
As my confidence in my own words waned, Clyde’s expression shifted to one of incredulity.
“Did you make a wish?”
“No, wait a moment. …Okay, done.”
“Then go ahead and blow on the candles to put them out.”
“Blow? Is that part of this wish ritual too?”
“Yeah. They’re right in front of your face. Just go ‘hoo’ and blow them out.”
Clyde hesitated, then followed my instructions, blowing on the candles to extinguish them.
I clapped my hands again and let out a cheer.
“Wow, you got them all in one go! Well done. It’s not easy for someone doing it for the first time to blow them all out at once.”
“…….”
“Now, then…”
“There’s still more?”
Clyde asked with a slightly bored expression.
“Yep. A gift.”
“A gift? What about everything you’ve done so far?”
“What? Like the roasted chicken? Of course, I made that because it’s your birthday, but that’s separate from a birthday gift. How can it be a birthday without a gift? Just wait a moment.”
I took out a present from my bag. It was a scarf and gloves, prepared to brace for the upcoming winter. Although I bought them in Bellum, both were quite high-quality.
I wrapped the scarf around Clyde’s neck and put gloves on his hands.
“The gloves seem a bit big, probably because they’re meant for men. But they’ll fit perfectly once you go back to your original form.”
“…….”
Clyde had an unreadable expression and remained silent.
“Why that look? Not happy? Were you hoping for something else?”
“No, it’s not that… It’s just that I’m always receiving from you. I have nothing to give back to you.”
“Come on, saying that makes it sound like I’m expecting something in return for taking care of you.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
“I know, I’m just kidding.”
I said with a smirk.
“If you really want to show appreciation, just keep your promises from before and don’t break them. That’s more than enough.”
“…….”
Clyde nodded quietly in response to my words.
Clyde devoured the peanut pumpkin pie without leaving a single crumb behind.
Even though I told him he didn’t need to force himself to finish it all, he quietly, methodically consumed every piece as if in a contest.
“Since you’re transformed, how about we go outside for a bit? We could test how warm the scarf and gloves are.”
“…would that be okay?”
“Yeah. Just be careful when we are outside. Remember, you have to call me ‘Miss Eila’ instead of Ruby and use formal language.”
“I know that, but….”
“Then let’s go. I’ll lead the way, so just hold my hand tightly and you’ll be fine.”
In truth, there was a place I really wanted to go with Clyde if we could go out together. Today being Clyde’s birthday made it even more special than usual.
“Shall we go then, Sapphire?”
“Sure, Miss Eila.”
Clyde stood up, his expression a little hesitant.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At that moment, Nita and Aslan were hiding outside the mansion where Sapphire lived.
“…How long are we going to keep doing this? Weren’t we here to see Eila’s friend?”
In response to Aslan’s words, Nita brought his finger to his lips, signaling silence.
“Shhh. Don’t speak so loudly. This is the basics of surveillance.”
“You think I know anything about that? Besides, why would we need to do surveillance here? We already know that Eila has a separate agent from the Twilight Moon assigned as her escort.”
“We don’t know what might happen, so we can’t let our guard down. It was you who said that. Now be quiet. Or you can just go home by yourself.”
“…….”
Aslan frowned.
Eila had declared, ‘If you ever try to investigate Sapphire again, I won’t meet you ever again.’ While it was hard to believe she’d actually carry through with that, it was certain that she’d explode in anger if she found out.
Eila had shown that level of anger only once in twenty years. While he hoped not to see that side of her again, it was clear that if provoked, her anger would be intense.
“Fine. I’ll go first then. If you get caught, it has nothing to do with me.”
Aslan tried to stand up, but the entrance door to the mansion opened. Aslan quickly lowered his stance again.
Eila came out of the mansion, holding hands with Sapphire.
“Is that her friend?”
“…Yeah.”
Nita took out a monocle lens from his pocket and put it on. It was a magic item that allowed him to see distant objects up close.
“Is her vision still not restored?”
Sapphire seemed to be walking under Eila’s guidance.
“Eila mentioned that her senses were mostly back. She even declined the nurse I arranged for her.”
“Hmm.”
Nita observed Sapphire closely.
“Somehow, her face looks familiar, like I’ve seen it before.”
“What? Where?”
“I don’t know. It’s strange. A beauty of that caliber shouldn’t be forgettable.”
Nita had a keen eye for recognizing people. Once he saw a face, he wouldn’t forget it easily. It was a talent quite suitable for a guardian knight protecting the royal family.
Eila had told Aslan that Sapphire had been living in Bellum all this time and that she was seeing her face for the first time now. If that was true, then either Eila was lying to Aslan, or Sapphire had deceived Eila.
The former option would be a relief in some way. But the latter had the potential to be a significant problem.
If this Sapphire woman was weaving some sort of scheme involving Eila, it was impossible to sit idly by.
“…Ah.”
“Did you remember something?”
“Yeah. That woman… Doesn’t she resemble that guy?”
“That guy?”
“Haylan Peridot.”
At Nita’s words, Aslan involuntarily narrowed his eyes, his expression hardening.
𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊
Oh snap….hahahahahha. RUN!!!!!