“Hmm? Where did Aslan go?”
“He went out with Knight Sister for something.”
“What? Without a word, just while I was washing my face…?”
Julia pouted, unable to hide her disappointment.
Charlotte, observing Julia’s demeanor, tried to guess her true feelings.
“Ah! I can’t figure it out at all!”
“Huh? What can’t you figure out…?”
Charlotte had to give up quickly.
How could Mister understand Julia’s sincerity just by looking at her expressions, gestures, and way of speaking?
How was that even possible?
She just couldn’t comprehend it.
“Did you two talk about anything while I wasn’t around?”
“Hmm? Ah, no? Nothing?”
“Really?”
Charlotte hastily shook her head in response.
Though, she did hear something monumental—about how no matter what harsh words Julia uttered, Mister would always interpret them as her true feelings.
Of course, Charlotte had no intention of sharing this revelation with Julia.
If Julia learned that no matter how clumsily she spoke, Mister always understood her intentions, she wouldn’t even try to be honest in the future.
And that would be annoying.
It was probably the same reason why Mister had kept this a secret all this time.
“…It’s so frustrating.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why do you always provoke me like this? Why do you keep taking on the villain’s role and pushing me like you’re teasing me?”
“But if I didn’t do this, you wouldn’t change, Julia.”
“…”
Charlotte’s nonchalant reply left Julia speechless.
She knew it was true.
Without Charlotte’s shock tactics, she’d probably still be denying her feelings for Aslan.
From Charlotte’s perspective, it must have been frustrating to watch.
‘It’s time for me to change…’
Julia clenched her fists, resolving herself.
She knew Aslan would eventually approach her.
She knew Charlotte would help her become the Countess.
Because of this, she had remained indecisive, unable to fully embrace honesty.
But in the end, it was her own step to take.
Even if it scared her, she had to muster the courage.
Julia felt she could now resolve to convey her true feelings to Aslan.
‘But then again, when Mister said he cared about me as much as he does about Julia… Was that just a polite comment…?’
Suddenly, Mister’s words echoed in Charlotte’s mind.
She bit her lip lightly, letting out a soft groan.
It was probably just something he said out of politeness.
After all, Julia was so cute, quiet, and the epitome of a perfect lady.
Meanwhile, Charlotte was always running around, lively to a fault—there was nothing ladylike or endearing about her.
Surely, if Mister were to choose a bride, it would obviously be Julia.
‘But then again, Mister has never lied to me before. Except once. Or twice… Was it three times…?’
Occasionally, very occasionally, he would tease her—but Mister had never lied to her otherwise.
He always said things with a sincere heart, even when he seemed secretive or scheming.
He wasn’t the type to say empty words just to make someone feel good.
So if he said it, he probably meant it.
Did that mean Mister truly cared about her as much as he did Julia?
Why?
No matter how much Charlotte pondered, she couldn’t understand.
“Julia, do you think I’m cute?”
“Of course you’re cute.”
“In what way?”
“Hmm… You’re healthy? Your bright smile cheers everyone up? And also…”
As Julia listed Charlotte’s traits, Charlotte grew increasingly perplexed.
None of those were traits of a cute girl—they were more like the attributes of a charming child…
Mister wasn’t someone who liked kids, so why would these traits make him interested in her?
The more she thought about it, the more lost she felt.
“Argh! I don’t know! Thinking too much made me hungry!”
“I feel like I could use a snack, too…”
Charlotte shook her complicated thoughts away and stood up abruptly.
Julia, feeling a bit peckish herself, followed suit.
Watching Julia closely, Charlotte tilted her head.
“But Julia, you’re almost always indoors, right?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“And you move way less than I do.”
“It’s not that I move less—it’s that you move way too much…”
Though her activity levels were significantly higher, Julia seemed to eat far more.
Charlotte barely had time for snacks between meals because of her training, but Julia was always munching on something—whether reading, studying, or chatting with spirits.
Where did all that food go when she didn’t even move much?
Rubbing her chin thoughtfully, Charlotte came to a sudden realization.
“Ah.”
“What? What is it?”
“Nothing… I just thought… Julia probably needs more nutrition …”
Charlotte’s gaze shifted to Julia’s chest, and she sighed as the epiphany struck.
Gingerly touching her own chest, Charlotte felt a wave of gloom.
Of course… Julia had another area that needed growth.
It made sense that she’d need to eat more.
Curiosity only led Charlotte to hurt her own feelings.
“Hmm? But the kitchen looks busy.”
“What’s going on? Maid Sisters!”
As they approached the dining area, they saw maids and cooks bustling about in the hallway.
Didn’t they usually start meal prep later?
And even if they were preparing, it was rare to see so many staff involved.
“Are there a lot of people coming for dinner today?”
“Ah. Didn’t the Lord tell you? It’s the Lord’s birthday today, so we’re putting a little extra effort into the dinner.”
“Birthday!? Really?”
His birthday!
Julia and Charlotte’s mouths fell open in surprise.
They couldn’t understand why no one had mentioned it until now. But then again, with someone like Aslan, who was so indifferent, it made sense that he might forget his own birthday.
Charlotte quickly accepted that explanation.
“I want to give Mister a gift!”
“How about a refill for the massage card?”
“I already gave him 100 more just recently!”
“Oh, right.”
“How about a cake?”
Julia hesitated for a moment before speaking carefully.
A birthday cake. As soon as she said it, Charlotte felt she knew exactly what Julia was talking about.
Back in the days when she lived in the orphanage.
When she earned a few coins by polishing shoes and went to the market, there was always one shop that caught her eye.
It was a bakery with a beautiful display case.
Inside the display case, there were always huge cakes.
Every time she saw a cheerful family enter the bakery, buy a cake, and leave, she felt a deep sense of envy.
The memory of holding hands with Charlotte and Yuri while watching that family leave still lingered clearly in Julia’s mind.
“A cake … I want to give it to Aslan.”
“Cake? Well, I don’t think the Lord has ever had a birthday cake… but we do have bread and cream, so maybe you two can make it yourselves?”
“We’ll make it! We’ll make it ourselves and give it to him!”
Charlotte jumped up excitedly.
Mister had never received a birthday cake!
Though she herself had never had one, she vividly remembered how happy the family looked when they were walking away with their cake, surrounded by laughter.
It was a once-a-year occasion, and she was determined to give Aslan that same feeling.
.
.
.
“Choosing a large location for the building was a good decision. There shouldn’t be any issues with expanding.”
“Yes. At this rate, we can increase the number of employees threefold.”
After visiting the Ariente territory, it became clear that there were no problems with expanding Vermont Security.
The land granted to them within the Ariente domain was so vast that there was still plenty of space for more buildings.
They were even considering building a training ground and dormitories in a larger complex.
Right now, due to the lack of facilities, employees often had to travel back and forth between the territory and the city.
But building a complex would solve that problem.
“I think I’ll skip dinner today. I need to focus on planning the complex.”
“Huh? You can’t miss dinner today. You’re the guest of honor…”
“Guest of honor? What do you mean by that?”
“Hah… I can’t believe you forgot. Today is Mister’s birthday.”
“Ah.”
Today was Aslan Vermont’s birthday…
Charlotte hadn’t even thought about it.
It wasn’t even her birthday, so she had no reason to focus on it.
While she would have liked to forget about it and move on, she knew that the staff had been preparing food since morning for the occasion.
Ignoring it would feel wrong, so she decided to attend dinner.
…Next year, she’d make sure to tell them to just prepare food like usual.
“Happy birthday, Mister!”
“Aslan, it’s your birthday, right? So here’s the cake!”
“…?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is speechless with emotion.]
Arriving at the mansion with little expectation.
As soon as I got out of the carriage, I heard a loud voice and turned around to find Charlotte and Julia running toward me, carrying a giant cake above their heads.
I thought they had bought the cake while I was out.
But upon closer inspection, this wasn’t a store-bought cake.
It wasn’t something you’d find at a bakery…
There were spots where the cream was unevenly applied, and it looked like someone couldn’t resist taking a bite, with parts of it missing as if chewed by rats, and the bread itself was a bit misshapen.
It was clear without saying anything—it was homemade.
“Hehehe. You said it was your birthday, so… It’s not like I was really paying attention, I just bought it from the local bakery.”
“That’s right! We bought it! Doesn’t it look delicious?”
“Go ahead and wipe off the cream on your face before talking.”
“Ah…!?”
Could it be that the children made this cake for me?
It certainly looked rough and poorly made, but.
This was undoubtedly the most beautiful cake I had ever seen.
‘At this rate, I can’t help but celebrate this day every year.’
I had planned to let Aslan Vermont’s birthday pass as if it never existed.
But because of the children, it became a special day.
I think I could call today my birthday from now on.
[Kyaaah! Did you finally make a chocolate cake for me? Hand it over! Let me taste it!]
“This one is for Aslan, though…”
“Oh! Right! We were supposed to make a cake for Dirt-Dirt too, weren’t we?”
[Oh, right…? You guys… have you seriously forgotten about me all this time…?]
With excited footsteps, Dirt-Dirt rushed over and stopped in place. His face looked as if the sky had fallen.
