Cake (1)
"Hm? Where'd Aslan go?"
"He said he had some business and headed out with one of the knight sisters!"
"What? I step away to wash my face for two seconds and he just vanishes without a word…"
Yulia pouted, making no effort to hide her disappointment.
Charlotte stared hard at her, trying her best to figure out what was going through that head of hers—
"Uwaah! I don't get it at all!"
"Huh? Don't get what…?"
—and gave up almost immediately.
Mister can tell exactly how serious she is just from her expression, her gestures, the way she talks. How is that even possible!?
She simply could not wrap her head around it.
"Did you two talk about anything while I was gone?"
"Huh? N-no? Nothing at all?"
"Really?"
Charlotte shook her head in a hurry.
She had heard something huge, of course.
That no matter how rough Yulia's words got, they all got translated in Mister's ears into pure, unfiltered feelings from the heart…
Naturally, she had zero intention of telling Yulia any of that.
If Yulia found out she could talk like a complete mess and still be understood perfectly, she would never bother trying to be honest again.
And that just felt too unfair. Charlotte hated the idea.
Mister had probably been hiding the same secret for the exact same reason.
"…Something about this is so annoying."
"Huh? Why?"
"Is that the only way you know how to push me? Why do you always cast yourself as the villain and needle me like that…"
"Because if I don't do it this way, you never change, Yulia."
"…"
Charlotte's blunt answer left Yulia completely speechless.
Because it was true.
Without Charlotte's shock therapy, she would still be denying that she liked Aslan even now.
Looking at it from Charlotte's side, it must have been incredibly frustrating to watch.
I have to change now…
Yulia clenched her fists tight and made the resolution.
She already knew Aslan would come to her first.
She already knew Charlotte would help her become the Count's wife.
And that was exactly why she had stayed so lukewarm all this time, never quite managing to be honest.
But in the end, taking that step was still her job.
Even if she was scared, she would find the courage.
She felt ready, finally, to bare her true feelings to Aslan.
Still… when Mister said he was just as interested in me as he was in Yulia… that was just something he said to be nice, right…?
The words Mister had spoken suddenly floated back into Charlotte's mind, and she bit her lip with a tiny whimper.
It had to have been empty courtesy.
Yulia was so cute and demure—a girl through and through.
Meanwhile Charlotte was always racing around, full of energy, with zero of the soft, pretty qualities a girl was supposed to have.
So of course, if Mister ever chose a bride, it would be Yulia. That was what she had always thought.
But Mister has never lied to me. Except once. Wait, twice… three times…?
Except for those rare, very rare occasions when he was teasing her, Mister never lied to her.
That was just how he was.
On the surface he always looked like he was scheming something, like he was hiding things—
—but he always treated people with a sincere heart.
He was not the type who tossed out empty compliments just to make someone feel good, either.
So if Mister said something, it was almost always the truth.
Which meant… he really was just as interested in her as he was in Yulia…?
But why?
No matter how much she groaned and fretted over it alone, she could not make sense of it.
"Yulia. Am I… cute?"
"Of course you are?"
"In what way?"
"Mmm… how healthy you are? The way you smile so bright it makes everyone around you happy too? And also…"
Every time Yulia carefully listed another good point, Charlotte only grew more confused.
Those were all ways a kid was cute, not ways a girl was cute…
Mister did not seem like the type who liked little kids, so why would those things make him interested in her?
The more she thought about it, the deeper the maze became.
"Uuugh! I give up! I used my brain too hard and now I'm starving!"
"I think I'm starting to want a snack too…"
Charlotte shook her tangled head and jumped to her feet.
Yulia, feeling a little peckish herself, trailed after her.
Charlotte peered at her and tilted her head.
"But Yulia, you pretty much always stay indoors."
"Yeah?"
"And you move around way less than I do."
"That's less 'I move too little' and more 'you move way too much'…"
Charlotte's activity level was leagues ahead—
—and yet, when she really looked at it, Yulia seemed to eat far more.
Charlotte only managed three meals a day plus one or two snacks because she was always training and never had time.
Yulia, on the other hand, was forever munching on something while reading, studying, or chatting with her spirits.
She barely moved, so where did all that food even go?
Charlotte stroked her chin, thinking hard, then—
"Ah."
"Whaaat? What is it?"
"Nothing… I just thought… of course Yulia would need a lot of nutrition…"
Her gaze dropped below Yulia's neck, and she let out a sigh of dawning realization.
Poke, poke.
She patted her own chest and immediately grew depressed.
Well…
Yulia had one more place that still needed to grow, so of course she would eat more…
Charlotte had only earned a wound to her heart from her own pointless curiosity.
"Hmm? The kitchen looks awfully busy, though?"
"What's going on? Maid-sisters!"
Heading toward the dining hall, they could already see maids and cooks bustling about in the corridor.
Didn't meal prep usually start later than this?
No—even when they were preparing a meal, it was rare for this many people to be mobilized.
"Is a big crowd coming for dinner tonight?"
"Oh. The Master didn't tell you? Today's the Master's birthday, so we're putting a little extra effort into dinner."
"Birthday!? For real?"
Birthday!
The completely unexpected news left both Yulia and Charlotte with their mouths hanging open.
They wondered for a second why he had never mentioned that today was his birthday—
—then quickly accepted it. With Aslan's indifferent personality, it was entirely possible he simply forgot his own birthday existed.
"I want to give Mister a present!"
"How about refilling his massage vouchers?"
"I already made a hundred more of those and gave them to him recently!"
"Ah. Right."
"What about… a cake?"
After a thoughtful silence, Yulia carefully spoke up.
Birthday cake. The moment those words left her mouth, Charlotte understood exactly what she meant.
Back in their orphanage days,
whenever they went to the market with the coins they had earned polishing shoes, there was always one shop that stole their eyes.
The bakery with the magnificent display case.
A huge cake always sat inside that case.
Every time they watched a happy-looking family walk in, buy a cake, and walk out with it, how jealous they had been.
Yulia still had a crystal-clear memory of standing there for ages, holding Charlotte's and Yuri's hands, staring at that family's retreating backs.
"A birthday cake made with real care… I want to give one to Aslan."
"A cake? The Master has never actually eaten cake on his birthday before… but we do have bread and cream, so would you girls like to try making one yourselves?"
"We'll make it! We'll make it! We want to make it ourselves and give it to him!"
Charlotte bounced up and down, completely fired up.
Mister had never received a birthday cake even once!
They themselves had never eaten one either, so they did not really know what it was like—
—but they clearly remembered how the families carrying cakes home had laughed without end, looking so happy.
On this one day of the year, they simply wanted to give Mister that feeling as a gift.
"Good thing we chose a wide site. Expansion work won't be a problem."
"Yes. At this rate, our employee capacity will triple."
The results of the visit to the Arient territory were in.
They had confirmed there would be no real issues expanding Belmont Security.
The land granted within the Arient territory was so vast that they could still put up many more buildings.
Aslan was even considering constructing an entire complex centered around the training grounds and dormitories while they were at it.
Right now the lack of amenities forced employees to keep traveling back and forth to the city in the Arient territory.
Building a complex would solve that as well.
"I'll skip dinner tonight. I need to think about the complex layout."
"Pardon? You can't miss dinner today, my lord. You're the guest of honor…"
"Guest of honor? What are you talking about?"
"Haah. Just as I thought—you'd forgotten. Today is your birthday, Master."
"Ah."
Today was Aslan Belmont's birthday…
He had not even thought to care.
It was not his own birthday to begin with, and it was not a special day in any way.
If he had his way he would simply forget about it and move on—
—but the servants had surely been working hard since midday preparing food for the family head's birthday.
It would be rude to ignore that, so he decided to attend the meal after all.
…Starting next year, he would have to order them to cook as usual.
"Happy birthday, Mister!"
"Aslan, it's your birthday, right? So—cake!"
"…?"
Evil God 'Kali' is overwhelmed with emotion and at a loss for words.
He arrived at the mansion with no particular expectations.
The moment he stepped down from the carriage, a pair of cheeky voices called out, and he turned to look—
—only to discover Charlotte and Yulia charging toward him with an enormous cake balanced on their heads.
He had assumed they bought a cake while he was out,
but a closer look made it clear this was no store-bought cake.
For something sold at a bakery…
There were patches where the cream had not been spread properly, spots that looked like someone had taken a bite because they could not hold back, and the bread itself was lopsided and crooked.
Even without anyone saying a word, the homemade look was unmistakable.
"H-hmph. Since it was your birthday. Not that I particularly cared or anything. We just bought it at the neighborhood bakery."
"That's right! We bought it! It'll taste great, right?"
"Wipe the cream off your face before you talk."
"Ah…!?"
A cake the children had made for him with their own hands.
It looked utterly shabby and crude, yes—
—but it was, without a doubt, the most beautiful cake he had ever seen.
If they do this, I'll have no choice but to commemorate this day every year.
He had planned to let Aslan Belmont's birthday pass like any other ordinary day.
Thanks to the children, it had become special after all.
From now on, his birthday could simply be today, every year.
"Kyaaaaaah! At last you've made a chocolate cake for me! Hand it over! Let me have a taste!"
"This is Aslan's, though…"
"Ah! That's right! We promised we'd make a cake for Huk-huk-i too, didn't we?"
"'Ah, that's right…?' Don't tell me you little brats completely forgot about me this whole time…?"
Huk-huk-i came barreling over in high spirits, then froze in place.
Its expression crumpled as if the sky itself had just fallen.