Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: 12th Birthday Ball (1)
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Time flew by, and Yuno's twelfth birthday had arrived.
Yuria, the Empress, had even come into the kitchen herself to issue all sorts of orders. The breakfast spread she prepared was extravagantly lavish, nothing like the usual fare.
Yuria disliked ostentatious meals due to her frugal nature, but she never skimped on her children's birthdays—especially not on the birthday of her most beloved son. It simply had to be even more splendid.
"Our Yuno~ Happy birthday~ Mommy worked really hard on this breakfast, so you have to eat it all up, okay? The main birthday party will be in the banquet hall, but Mommy just had to prepare your birthday breakfast herself."
In the Valkan Empire, children were considered to have shed their childish ways at twelve and were treated as proper adolescents. That was when they could make their debut in high society, making the twelfth birthday a major milestone.
"Mommy's got an amazing birthday present ready for you, so get excited~ I'll give it to you after breakfast. Muah!"
Yuria planted a light kiss on Yuno's cheek. Seeing this, Isabella and Marie came rushing over.
"Big sis has a birthday present for you too~ It's a kiss full of sister's love~ Mwah!"
"I'll give you a kiss too, Oppa~ Mwah~"
"Isabella sis! Marie! I don't need birthday presents like that!"
Yuno happily accepted his mother's kiss, but he was busy fending off his sisters as they smothered his cheeks with theirs.
Isabella and Marie ignored his protests completely, clinging to him and continuing their assault. Worried that pushing them away for real might hurt them, Yuno had no choice but to endure it.
In return, he gave each of them a light kiss on the forehead. Then he glanced at Eliza, who was standing off to the side.
"What? Why are you staring like that? Want a kiss from me too?"
"...No, I was just wondering if you had a present for me... Never mind."
Despite his words, once breakfast was over and Yuno was heading off to receive his mother's gift, Eliza grabbed him and handed something over.
"Here! Last month, you gave me a present for my twelfth birthday, remember? You didn't think I'd skip out on yours, did you?"
Yuno stared blankly at the completely unexpected gift.
"Don't just stand there all dazed—open it already. I put a ton of thought into this one."
Prodded by Eliza's insistence, Yuno tore open the gift box. Inside, a pair of glowing bracelets gleamed.
"These bracelets...?"
"Hehehe. A few days ago, I had to step out of the palace briefly because your intelligence chief invited me, right? I picked these up then. I mentioned wanting to pop into a magic tool shop, and the knight escorting me said it was fine as long as it was quick, so he took me along."
"Magic tools?"
"They're enchanted with weight adjustment magic. Just shout 'Weight Adjustment' and state the weight you want—from 1kg up to 200kg. Hardly anyone uses stuff like this, so they don't sell well, but the shopkeeper tried to charge a fortune anyway. If it weren't for the knight, I'd have gotten totally ripped off... Kyaa!!"
"Eliza!! Thank you!!! This is seriously, seriously helpful!! I love you! Eliza!!"
Overcome with gratitude, Yuno pulled Eliza into a tight hug and blurted out that he loved her. Of course, he meant it in a purely familial way, but that's not how it landed for Eliza. Her face flushed beet red.
"W-what... What did you just say...?"
"Aigoo! Mom's waiting for me. I'll treasure this forever~ The equipment at the knight training grounds was starting to feel too light anyway. Waa~!"
Eliza stared blankly in the direction Yuno had vanished.
'Ughhh!! He said he loves me! Saying it with that face is cheating!! Bad guy...'
Of course, she knew Yuno had just meant he was incredibly thankful.
But the impact of that handsome face delivering an "I love you" hit her way harder than expected. Eliza clutched her pounding heart for quite some time.
Then she fiddled with the necklace Yuno had given her for her twelfth birthday—the one that hadn't left her neck once since she'd received it.
"Mom~ I'm here~"
"Yuno, dear, head over there. Hohoho. Madeleine? Take Yuno and help him get changed."
Yuno stepped into the Empress's chambers, where Yuria waited surrounded by a flock of maids.
"Eh? Mom? Uh...? Huh?"
"This way, Your Highness."
Yuno was forcibly escorted by Madeleine, the chief maid of the Empress Palace, and a swarm of other maids. He stared at the tailcoat laid out before him.
"Madeleine... what's this?"
"Today marks Your Highness's twelfth birthday, so you'll need to attend balls starting now, yes? Her Majesty the Empress summoned the empire's finest designer and deliberated at length to create this outfit."
"Sigh~ These kinds of clothes are always so uncomfortable..."
He let out a sigh, but he couldn't very well refuse a birthday present from his mother. So Yuno allowed the maids to dress him in the tailcoat.
"Huh? It's more comfortable than I expected."
The tailcoat Yuria had prepared looked incredibly refined, yet it was surprisingly easy to wear.
"Her Majesty instructed the use of a brand-new material blended with rubber, tailored precisely to Your Highness's measurements. That's why it's so comfortable."
Lacking any superfluous jewel embellishments, the single-color tailcoat featured imperial crests embroidered in gold thread. It complemented Yuno's blond hair perfectly, lending him a charisma well beyond his years while blending in just the right touch of boyish charm.
Stepping out in his full attire, Yuno found Isabella, Marie, and even Eliza already gathered there. All three stared in stunned awe.
"Oh my god, is that really you, Yuno? I knew my little brother was handsome, but this is..."
"Oppa can't go to any balls for the next year. You have to wait until Marie turns twelve... All the vixens out there will come swarming to seduce him. We wait until Marie's old enough to guard you?"
Smack.
"Marie, you planning to keep spouting nonsense at Oppa? Do that again and Mom's gonna scold you! It's a good thing if lots of girls flock to him! That's how Yuno picks a nice bride, right?"
"Hmph~ Oppa can't get married! Marie's gonna be Oppa's bride!!"
Smack.
"Marie! What did I just say about getting scolded? And didn't Mom tell you to watch your mouth?"
As Marie got an earful from Yuria, Yuno wrapped his arms around Yuria to calm her down.
"Mom. I really love this present. I figured clothes like these would be impossible to wear comfortably... Hehehe, thank you so much."
Yuno expressed his thanks with a bright, beaming smile. Yuria's heart skipped a beat.
Her son—taller than her by now—had hugged her tight against his broad chest while flashing that handsome smile. Instinctively, she felt her womb quiver as the woman inside her, dormant for over a decade, began to stir.
'Ugh... Am I seriously getting turned on from my own son hugging me? That's insane! Insane! No way... Even if I am, I can't be... Yuno's my most precious boy.'
Denying the feeling outright, Yuria pulled away from his embrace and complimented him casually, as if nothing had happened.
"Our son's so handsome—what if all the noble ladies fawn over him at the ball tonight? Hehehe."
"Don't worry, Mom. Big sis Isabella's got my back. Ahem!"
"Tch... Next year, Marie's gonna stick to Oppa like glue."
As Yuria, Isabella, and Marie carried on their playful fussing, Eliza stared at Yuno in a daze for a long moment before snapping out of it and looking away.
Her heart continued to thump wildly, though, and she shot him furtive glances with a grumpy expression.
'Dressed up like that, he's way too cool. Jerk... Total jerk... Always messing with my feelings, then acting like it's nothing. So unfair...'
But Yuno had no inkling of Eliza's inner turmoil, leaving her to shed silent tears over her youthful, aching crush.
That evening, Yuno made his way to the main palace's banquet hall with a touch of excitement.
As the star of the party, it was tradition for him to arrive fashionably late, entering to cheers. He thus showed up a bit after the official start time and strolled down the palace corridor.
Even though the banquet was well underway, crowds of nobles and ladies still lingered in the hall, awaiting their cue to enter. They greeted Yuno with slight surprise and bows. Tense, he schooled his expression.
'Phew~ Can't afford any slip-ups that'll cause trouble for Mom...'
As he returned the nobles' greetings on his way to the waiting room, a voice called out from behind, halting his steps.
"Yuno? Oh my goodness! When did you get so tall? It's been ages—you look like a whole different person! Hehehe."
Turning around, he saw First Princess Diane.
She rarely left her palace and had yet to marry, earning her a reputation as an old maid. But as the empire's foremost alchemist pioneering its alchemy, not even the Emperor could force her hand.
"Ah... Diane sis? Long time no see."
"Goodness, I keep telling you to drop the formalities with sis! Our cute little Yuno being all stiff like that makes sis so sad. Boo hoo hoo."
'How am I supposed to be casual with a "sis" older than Mom?!'
"Hahaha... I'd love to be casual with you, sis, but... Heinrich bro scares me...."
"What? That brother of yours? Don't worry, Yuno. Next time sis sees Heinrich, she'll beat him half to death. You just relax in sis's arms, no worries. Hehe."
With that, Diane yanked Yuno into a hug and mashed his face down into her ample bosom.
"Ububub—sis! Mmph... Can't... breathe!"
"Hehehe, it's fine, it's fine. Want sis to nurse you? If Yuno wants it, sis'll whip up a lactation potion and feed you all you like."
'Oh, that sounds kinda... No, no, no... I'm loyal to Mom forever. Ugh.'
Tempted for a split second, Yuno thought of his mother and wriggled free from Diane's grasp. He shoved open the waiting room door and bolted inside.
Diane toyed with the door he'd vanished through, murmuring softly to herself.
"Our Yuno's all grown up, huh? Hah hah... Just a few more years, and he'll be mine... Ahh... That naughty boy who's had sis smitten since day one... One day, you'll stay in sis's arms forever. Yuno. Hehehe."
Had Yuno overheard, he'd have bolted in terror—but fortunately or not, her little soliloquy went unheard.