Fifteenth Birthday
The Valentine count's manor was busier than it had ever been.
People of every sort filled the halls to overflowing. Servants hurried back and forth through the mansion.
"Haa…"
In the midst of it all, Milia had tucked herself into a quiet corner out of sight and let out a low sigh.
"You look exhausted."
Just then a girl approached her with a bright, cheerful face and asked the question.
She stood a good two heads taller than Milia—quite tall for a girl her age. Her features were sharp, her hair a reddish-brown, and beneath it her deep orange eyes sparkled.
Arge fen Rumenia.
Daughter of the Duke of Rumenia, one of the kingdom's five great houses, and one of the very few people Milia counted as a close personal friend.
"Don't even start… I'd heard about it, but I never dreamed it would be this hard…"
All she had done was return people's greetings. Simple enough—until the number climbed into the hundreds. Even if a greeting and a brief exchange took only a minute, a hundred people meant a full hundred minutes.
"Just accept it. It was the same for me."
"Somehow that just makes me more annoyed…"
The way Arge said it—as if the only thing that mattered was that it wasn't her problem—made Milia narrow her eyes and grumble.
At that moment—
"Good evening, Lady Valentine."
"Good evening."
A young man approached and offered a greeting. Milia instantly changed her expression, answering with perfect courtesy as though the earlier exhaustion had never existed.
Who was he again…
He looked about her age, a boy with a simple, honest face.
"Forgive the late introduction. I am Rible Black of the Rible count's house."
"A pleasure, Young Master Rible."
Milia answered with her best professional smile while her mind began sifting through everything she knew about the Rible family. They were a central noble house, yet they held no real territory to speak of, and their influence lagged even behind most viscounts and barons—a thoroughly unremarkable house.
"So. What brings you here?"
"Nothing particular. Meeting like this is fate in its own way. I simply thought we might talk a little."
"I see."
Milia smiled as she replied, but she was far from dense enough to miss his intent. For a house that was noble in name only, survival meant forging ties with families that actually held power. And the Valentine count's house was perfect for men like him.
"You've gone to the trouble of seeking me out, but I'm afraid I'm rather tired tonight."
"Pardon? B-but…"
Milia's weak voice left Black flustered.
"Do understand. She may not look it, but the poor thing was so excited about today she didn't sleep a wink."
Black seemed determined not to let go of the lifeline in front of him and was clearly searching for a way to keep the conversation going—until Arge's follow-up strike sank the attempt completely.
"…I understand."
When the daughter of one of the kingdom's five great ducal houses spoke that firmly, only a fool or a man with a death wish would press further. Unable to hide his disappointment, Black turned away with a defeated look and vanished into the crowd.
"Thanks, big sister."
"You owe me one, you know?"
"For something this small?"
Milia answered with a listless face and gazed out the window.
"I wonder if Schwarz is all right…"
It was a gathering to celebrate her own birthday, yet her mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of her dragon. Honestly, she wanted nothing more than to escape this stifling party hall right now and soar through the night sky with him. But doing something like that on a day like today would earn her a house-arrest order without question, so she couldn't.
"Time really does fly. That tiny little crybaby is already fifteen. Your big sister is truly moved."
"Can I hit you just once?"
"Trying to kill me?"
Arge let out a soft laugh at the murderous look on Milia's face. She could afford the leisure only because she knew the girl wasn't serious.
"Anyway. You're fifteen now—isn't it about time you started thinking about certain things?"
Arge narrowed her eyes as she asked.
"Hm? About what?"
"What else? A boyfriend."
"W-what…!?"
Milia, who had been tilting her head, trailed off at Arge's answer. She was a girl in the bloom of youth, and having inherited Melissa's looks so strongly she was quite the beauty herself. It would have been only natural for her to have a boyfriend—yet in truth she had no romantic experience whatsoever.
"Don't tell me you…"
"…"
Watching Milia try to change the subject, Arge let out a short, incredulous sigh.
"Keep this up and you'll end up in a convent and die an old maid."
"Th-that's none of your business!"
Naturally, she had not the slightest intention of doing any such thing.
"Don't just train all the time—go meet some boys. A girl like you would have men lining up just for the chance."
"Big sister!!"
Unable to take any more of Arge's nagging, Milia let out a sharp cry, and for a moment every gaze nearby turned toward them.
"A-ahem…!! Save that kind of talk for when it's just the two of us."
"Honestly… you're hopeless."
Feeling awkward, Milia cleared her throat briefly while Arge shook her head in resignation.
A short while later the surrounding stares drifted away again…
"I'm leaving."
"Go on. Get some rest. You look completely worn out."
Arge nodded at how much more haggard Milia looked compared to a few moments ago. After greeting this many guests, even Bernus would have nothing more to say to her.
Leaving Arge waving goodbye behind her, Milia carefully slipped out of the party hall, hiding her exhaustion as best she could, and headed for her room.
Passing through the noisy corridor, she returned to her chambers, gently opened the door, and collapsed face-first onto the bed.
"A boyfriend… huh."
Muttering the words, she rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
"I don't know."
What mattered most to her had always been the promise from five years ago.
I'll get stronger. Strong enough that no one will ever be able to hurt you.
If she became strong enough to keep that promise… then maybe she could think about it seriously.
With that thought, Milia yawned widely, her face already drowsy.
"Might as well sleep…"
She had to rise early again tomorrow. Muttering to herself, she got up, changed into her nightclothes, lay down on the bed, and drifted off—never knowing, even in her dreams, that someone was watching her.
It's lively over there.
From the direction of the manor, elegant music and the constant chatter of people never ceased. To Schwarz, of course, it was nothing more than noisy racket.
"Fuu…"
He tried to sleep, but the clamor made it impossible. At last he rose reluctantly, opened the barn door, and stepped outside.
Even though it was spring, the night air was quite chilly.
"Kruuung…"
Letting out a low groan, he stretched his body in a way that looked almost catlike. He smacked his lips, then looked up at the sky.
Scattered clouds, stars strewn across the heavens, and a great full moon.
Maybe I'll go for a walk.
Staying here would only mean more sleeplessness from the noise. Better to take a stroll until things quieted down.
With a low rumble he unfurled his pair of wings and began to beat them slowly—when suddenly…
—Rustle.
"…?"
A sound from somewhere made Schwarz tilt his head and look toward its source, but nothing was there.
"Kruung?"
Must have misheard, he thought, and started flapping his wings again.
—Click.
"Grrung?"
But the mysterious sound came once more. It was coming from above. Schwarz lifted his head toward it.
"Kruung?"
And what met his eyes was the open window of Milia's room.
Something felt wrong. The window was open, yet there was no sign of Milia. It might have seemed trivial, but whenever she opened that window she always greeted him. No matter how long he waited, she never appeared.
Then—
"…!!"
Something strange caught his eye. Not a breath of wind stirred. The night was so still that even the rustle of grass was silent. And yet the curtains at Milia's window were being drawn aside unnaturally—exactly as if something invisible had climbed through and gone inside.
Something was there.
The moment the thought formed, Schwarz began changing his form without a second's hesitation. He might be seen, but he had no time to care about that now.
In a matter of seconds he had shifted into a half-dragon shape—part human, part dragon—and in a single bound he leapt up to the floor where Milia's room lay.
And what met his eyes was a man standing before Milia, a dagger gleaming with blue light raised high above her.