MWC Chapter 39

Chapter 39. First Birthday

 

Adelen lay on the bed, clasping both hands together as she stared at the ceiling.

A birthday.

Something she had never even considered suddenly appeared in her life.

Some people said it was fine to celebrate one’s birthday alone, but Adelen didn’t want to go that far. She believed that for it to truly be a birthday, someone else had to celebrate it for you.

And now, she actually had a birthday.

It wasn’t something she had declared herself, like, “From today, I’ll call this my birthday, so please celebrate it.” No, other people had decided it for her. They created this day and told her they would celebrate it. It was a real birthday.

She was so excited that she couldn’t sleep that night.

And today—her birthday had finally arrived.

 

“Alright, the star of the day should sit right here, in the center.”

She had no idea how the morning had passed.

The birthday party was set for lunchtime. Since Rakalt’s schedule was open around then, they decided on that time.

When noon arrived, the head butler came in carrying a cake. A few knights followed him into the room.

Originally, the plan was for a small, simple celebration with just the head butler, Adelen, and the baby.

But the head butler insisted that since this was a real birthday party, it couldn’t be that small. He expanded the scale and invited more people.

And so, from Adelen’s perspective, what turned into quite a lively birthday party unfolded.

 

“The birthday girl must wear a flower crown.”

As soon as Adelen sat in the middle of the sofa, a flower crown was gently placed on her head.

“Wow, Adelen! With that flower crown, you look just like a princess. So pretty.”

“So pretty! Seriously! I never realized Adelen was this beautiful.”

As the head butler showered her with compliments, the knights quickly followed suit, adding their own words of praise.

Adelen, overwhelmed with embarrassment, fidgeted non-stop with her hair, the flower crown, and the hem of her clothes.

She had never been the type to enjoy attention. Even the focus of just a few people felt so suffocating that she wanted to run away.

 

“Aduwe? Ippu?”

“Oh my, even our little one knows prettiness when he sees it. Yes, say it—Adelen is pretty.”

“Aduwe ippua!”

Even the baby joined in.

Adelen was dumbfounded by the baby’s selective learning.

No matter how many times she had tried to teach him to say Happy Birthday, he couldn’t do it. But pretty? He picked it up instantly!

It didn’t matter who said it—being called pretty was too embarrassing for her to handle.

Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape. Then, her gaze landed on the sofa by the window—where Rakalt was sitting, watching everything.

 

“…?!”

The unfamiliar expression on his face made Adelen swallow nervously.

Had she done something wrong?

That was the first thought that popped into her head.

Her master had a deep frown on his face, looking away from the scene entirely.

She hadn’t expected him to wear a party hat and pop confetti along with them, but… she had thought he might at least be happy for her.

Instead, his expression said he found this whole situation uncomfortable—so much so that he couldn’t even bear to look.

I need to end this quickly!

Rather than asking what was bothering him, it was better to just wrap things up as soon as possible.

 

“Aduwe, ippua! Ippu! Aduu!”

The baby seemed to love saying pretty and repeated it nonstop.

“Alright, little one. Today is Adelen’s birthday. That’s why we’re having a birthday party.”

Adelen quickly grabbed the baby’s tiny hands and tried once again to teach him how to say Happy Birthday.

This was the main goal for today.

If she could accomplish this properly, maybe it would ease her master’s irritation a little.

She kept glancing at Rakalt for his reaction as she gently shook the baby’s hands.

“Let’s try saying it. Birthday?”

“Aduuu!”

“No, it’s Adelen’s birthday.”

“Aduu! I-Ippu!”

“…”

He wasn’t usually the most obedient learner, but did he really have to be this stubborn right now?

Adelen sighed. Everything felt like a failure on her part. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at her master anymore.

 

“Butler, the candles—candles, please.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

The butler was quick to react.

Although he was a bit slower than Adelen, he had also noticed Rakalt’s darkening expression.

He agreed with Adelen’s silent decision—wrapping this up quickly was for the best.

His urgency was so great that his hands moved as swiftly as a knight’s sword, lighting the candles on the cake in an instant.

 

“Alright, let’s sing the birthday song. One, two, three—”

The moment the candles were lit, the butler started clapping and led the group in singing.

The knights joined in as well.

Adelen sat the baby on her lap, holding his hands together to help him clap along.

“♪ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Adelen~ Happy birthday to you~ ♪”

“Aduu! Uung, i! Chuka!”

“Huh?”

Partway through the song, something amazing happened.

The baby, who had only been making meaningless sounds, suddenly started mimicking the melody. His pronunciation was far from perfect, but the rhythm and tone were unmistakably close.

In that moment, Adelen completely forgot about Rakalt’s mood.

The baby is about to complete his task!

 

“O-One more time!”

Adelen urged them to sing the song again.

And then again. And again.

The song repeated over and over, to the point where the candles melted down and coated the cake in wax.

It was the first birthday cake she had ever received. The first candles she had ever blown out.

Truthfully, she had wanted to make a wish and blow them out properly.

But this moment was far more important.

 

“Aduuwe! Saei chukaaangda!”

“My goodness!”

The baby had finally said Happy Birthday correctly.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Adelen pulled him into a tight hug.

The baby giggled and hugged her neck in return.

“Oh my, our genius baby! Brilliant baby! I knew you could do it! One more time, what was that? Happy Birthday, Adelen.”

“Aduwe, saei chukaaangda!”

“One more time!”

“Aduwe, saei chukaa!”

“Oh my goodness!”

Adelen couldn’t contain her pride and playfully patted the baby’s bottom.

The baby, who preferred everything to be done with great force, seemed satisfied by the firm pats.

With this, their goal had been achieved.

Today’s birthday party was a complete success.

The knights clapped along, celebrating the accomplishment.

“Congratulations, Adelen! You did it!”

“Thank you! It’s all thanks to you knights! …And the butler, of course.”

Now that everything was settled, it was time to turn her attention back to her master.

She had put him on hold for long enough.

 

“And, Master…”

Rakalt’s voice came before she could finish her sentence.

“Happy birthday.”

For a brief moment, as she turned her head, countless thoughts rushed through Adelen’s mind.

Is he even angrier now? Or is he completely ignoring me?

But to her surprise, her master was clapping along with the others while looking at her.

And he even offered her a birthday greeting.

“Th-Thank you, Master.”

Of course, given his expressionless face and crossed legs, there was no way his congratulations were heartfelt.

But Adelen was deeply grateful that he hadn’t overturned the table.

 

“My birthday… the fact that you acknowledged it, allowed a birthday party for the baby, permitted the knights to be invited, and all the kindness you’ve always shown me… Thank you for everything.”

Seizing the opportunity, Adelen expressed her gratitude for all the things she had never had the chance to say.

Lately, she had become quite bold at times, but whenever her master’s gaze turned cold, she immediately cowered.

Even now, she was shrinking a little.

But having said everything she wanted, she felt a weight lift off her chest, and a bright smile spread across her face.

Rakalt, who had been watching Adelen bow deeply with that same blank expression, suddenly muttered as if offering a word of advice.

“…I told you to take it for granted.”

“Hehe… I’ll try my best!”

The one thing her master valued most—effort.

But that was something she had no intention of putting effort into.

 

Hearing Adelen’s response, Rakalt gave a small nod, gesturing with his chin as if to tell her to carry on.

The party wasn’t over yet.

Seeing his promising young maid behave so properly, the butler smiled proudly and guided Adelen back to her seat.

 

“Alright, now you need to blow out the candles and make a wish.”

“Yes!”

“Candles, hmm…”

Because they had sung for so long, the candles had completely melted away.

“Uh… should I bring an oil lamp instead?” the butler asked awkwardly.

“Haha, it’s fine. I blow out a flame every night anyway.”

Adelen waved a hand, laughing.

She didn’t need to make a wish.

She was already living with an excess of everything she could have ever wished for.

***

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