Birthday Gift
In the capital of the Yumariel Empire, Cheselo, an absolutely stunning beauty stood in front of the clock tower chosen as their meeting place.
Deep golden hair that looked as if spun from pure gold and crimson eyes that burned like flames. She drew every gaze—man or woman—without exception. It was Cynthia Rebellion.
“What the…?”
Rian, who had arrived ten minutes early, stared at her with a bewildered expression. Every person in the square had their eyes glued to her breathtaking appearance, but she seemed used to the attention. With an indifferent face, she simply stared at the clock tower, as if checking the time while waiting for her appointment.
“She’s never this early…”
Seeing Cynthia like this filled Rian with a strong sense of unease. Until now, he had always arrived at their meeting spots first, and Cynthia would show up twenty to thirty minutes late. He had come today without any expectations, assuming it would be the same.
‘D-Don’t tell me… she wants to break off the engagement?’
It might have been an extreme thought, but he couldn’t help it. Her behavior up until now had pointed in that direction, and he couldn’t think of any other reason she would arrive before him. If she had come early because she wanted to end things quickly, it made perfect sense.
“Gulp… I guess I have to go over there.”
He couldn’t back out now that he had already reached the meeting place. Rian took several deep breaths before walking toward her.
“Lady Rebellion?”
“…Hello.”
Cynthia’s tone was curt as she greeted Rian. Beside her, her escort knight Liner glared at him with sharp eyes, but Rian had no attention to spare for the man. Cynthia’s strange behavior was far too concerning.
“You’re early today.”
“Yes. It just happened that way.”
“Ah, I see… Have you been waiting long?”
“I waited a reasonable amount.”
“I’m sorry. I should have come sooner…”
“The appointed time hasn’t arrived yet.”
‘Sigh.’
This was it. These short, clipped answers. Their relationship remained awkward precisely because of this. No matter how hard he tried to keep a conversation going, she would end it in a single sentence, leaving him with nothing more to say.
‘I might really need to prepare myself this time…’
“What are you thinking about so hard, Lord Veilburg?”
“…It’s nothing. Shall we go now, Lady Rebellion?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Rian put on his usual kind smile and began escorting her.
‘Does she really dislike me that much…?’
Two hours had passed since they met at the appointed place. It was already time for their date to end. For an engaged couple’s date, it was ending far too quickly, but considering Cynthia’s usual pace, it wasn’t surprising.
“Lord Veilburg. Let’s stop here for today.”
“Understood.”
Cynthia moved to say goodbye almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind. It wasn’t surprising. This had always been the case, and he had expected it. Still, it was impossible not to feel his confidence waver just a little.
‘I did my best in my own way… but if she doesn’t like me, there’s nothing I can do.’
“……”
“……”
What kind of expression was on his face right now? Her gaze had been fixed on his face for a while now. She could have just said goodbye and left.
“…Ah. That’s right.”
“?”
“Would you accept this?”
It was the birthday gift he had prepared. He had planned to give it to her before the date ended, but it had ended up a little late.
‘Well, giving it now should be fine.’
“Happy birthday, Lady Rebellion.”
“Pardon?”
“Your birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it? I wanted to congratulate you in person, but since you’re busy, I’ll just give you the gift.”
“…I told you not to prepare anything like this…”
“Still, I am—at least for now—your fiancé. I should at least prepare a gift.”
He held the gift out to her with a pleading look. She hesitated for a moment before finally accepting it.
‘She took it.’
The mood wasn’t particularly good, but just seeing her holding the gift brought him great comfort. At the very least, it proved that the time they had spent together so far hadn’t been completely meaningless.
“Thank you.”
“Pardon?”
“For today’s date. I enjoyed it.”
“……”
“Then I’ll be going now. Please return home safely, Lady Rebellion.”
“…Yes. You too… Lord Veilburg. Please return home safely.”
‘Well, I did everything I could.’
Feeling satisfied, Rian left the area.
“……”
“……My lady, are you feeling unwell?”
“……”
After Rian left, only Cynthia and Re Liner remained. Liner spoke to her when he saw her staring blankly at the gift, but Cynthia was so lost in thought that she didn’t even hear his voice.
‘……What is this uncomfortable feeling?’
Just looking at the gift box made her feel strangely uneasy. Today’s date had been the same as always. She had simply followed Rian Veilburg’s lead, enjoyed the date, and prepared to part ways once their allotted time was up. But today…
‘Something felt… different.’
His answer had come immediately, as if he had been waiting for it. The moment she heard it, his expression had changed. The man who always smiled like a good-natured person had, for some reason, given a bitter smile and nodded today.
In a way, that reaction was exactly what she had wanted. But—
Crinkle—
“Why did he give me something like this…?”
Irritated for no clear reason, she slightly crumpled the wrapping paper. He must already know. Although there would be no grand birthday party, she was having a small gathering with her close friends. Even though it was a meeting among friends, as her fiancé, Rian had the right to attend. After all, he was—at least for now—her fiancé. It was perfectly natural for a man to celebrate his fiancée’s birthday.
‘Even though I’ve been acting this way… he still prepared a birthday gift?’
What had he been thinking when he prepared this? It couldn’t have been pleasant. If she were in his position, she would never have prepared such a gift. It would have hurt her pride, and preparing a gift in that situation would have seemed utterly pathetic.
“I will dispose of it for you.”
“…What?”
Reiner’s voice suddenly cut in.
“I will throw this gift away for you.”
“…Why would you throw it away?”
“Pardon? W-Well… I’m sorry. I thought you would want it discarded, my lady.”
“……”
She understood what he meant. She intended to break off the political marriage with the Veilburg family. She planned to officially end things with Rian and erase every trace of him. To answer Bihar’s ‘confession’ someday, she needed to eliminate all remnants of her former fiancé.
“……You’re right. Here.”
“Yes.”
When Reiner, now holding the gift, began walking toward a nearby trash bin—
“Not there.”
“Pardon?”
“Throw it away somewhere I can’t see.”
“…? Understood.”
“Why is the young lady acting like this today?”
Following Cynthia’s order, Liner had moved to a spot where she could no longer see him. The unnecessarily troublesome command irritated him greatly, but he didn’t feel like cursing her. The person he actually wanted to curse was Rian Veilburg, who clung to Cynthia like a leech.
“Tsk. If you’re going to bother her, at least know when to disappear. Why drag out such a boring date for so long?”
Everything Rian did displeased him. The way he failed to read the room and enjoyed dates with the young lady, the way he kept smiling like an idiot even after being blatantly ignored. To Reiner, the sight of a man calmly enduring a woman’s disregard was extremely unpleasant.
“How annoying.”
Thud!
He finally found a trash bin and tossed the gift box inside before turning around. Since he had come farther than necessary, he planned to return to Cynthia right away. But at that moment, a familiar man entered his field of vision.
“What exactly are you doing right now?”
“!?”
Rian was standing not far away. He looked frozen stiff, apparently quite shocked by what he had just witnessed.
‘Damn it! Why is he here!?’
Even for Reiner, the current situation was incredibly awkward. He had simply followed Cynthia’s orders, but she probably wouldn’t want Rian to see this. After all, throwing away a gift received on the same day made her seem heartless.
“Sir Reiner. Isn’t that the birthday gift I gave to Lady Rebellion?”
“……”
“Say something. Why are you throwing away my gift…”
“Is there a problem?”
“…Pardon?”
‘I have no choice but to brazen it out.’
Since he had already been caught, there was no turning back. He had to push forward shamelessly. In any case, Cynthia intended to break off the engagement with Rian, so even if his favorability dropped here, it wouldn’t matter.
“If you’re done talking, I’ll be on my way.”
“What… No matter how much of a knight from a grand ducal house you are, this is extremely rude. Explain yourself properly before you leave.”
“And if I refuse? What will you do about it?”
“What will I do? You’re underestimating me. Do you really want me to cause a scene?”
‘…Damn. That would be troublesome.’
Until now, Liner had maintained an attitude of disregarding Rian, but considering the difference in their status, his behavior was highly problematic. Rian was the legitimate heir to Count Veilburg. On the other hand, Liner was merely a knight serving a grand ducal house. No matter how much protection the grand ducal house offered, openly insulting a noble could very well end his career as a knight.
“……I was simply following orders.”
“……Did Lady Rebellion order you to do this?”
“That is all I have to say. If you’re curious, ask the young lady yourself.”
“……”
Tremble—
Perhaps because this incident was humiliating, Rian’s body shook slightly. Unlike his usual bright and smiling demeanor, he now looked visibly shaken. Liner watched him with a tense expression before turning away to return to Cynthia. Staying with Rian any longer would only cause more problems.
‘I-It should be fine, right? They’re going to break up anyway…’