"Miss, happy birthday!"
Ria greeted Tiel with a wide smile as she woke her up. Still groggy from sleep, Tiel sat up slowly and smiled faintly.
"Ugh, thanks, Ria..."
Today was Tiel's birthday.
To be more precise, it was the birthday created by Asterian.
Chender Nestian had told Tiel that her actual birthday was an "unlucky day" and had never told her when her birthday was. As a result, Tiel had no knowledge of her true birth date.
The same was true for Asterian. Because they didn't inform her of Lena's anniversary, Asterian had come to regard the day Lena had disappeared as her memorial.
However, the fact that Tiel didn't have a birthday wasn't something the four men of Asterian could tolerate. As a result, Tiel was given a birthday.
Since they were picking a day for her birthday, they decided to choose a date that Tiel would like. They had her choose her favorite season when she was seven years old.
Tiel wasn't sure if it was okay to pick her birthday like this, but when asked to choose, she picked spring.
Tiel loved spring the most.
Spring was when the snow in Nestian started to melt. Though flowers didn't bloom in Nestian due to the snow-covered land, the winds became warmer.
And spring in Asterian was far more beautiful than in Nestian. All around, spring flowers bloomed, and green sprouts sprouted.
After the harsh winter, spring would inevitably arrive. That's why Tiel loved it the most.
Taking Tiel's opinion into account, Alpheus and Karsus chose the most beautiful day of that spring to make it her birthday.
From then on, every spring, Tiel's birthday was celebrated in Asterian.
Tiel, still groggy, got up and ran her hand through her hair in a combing motion.
Ria, who had been holding the comb, gently brushed through Tiel's fine, beautiful white hair and spoke.
"Aren't you sad that you're not having a birthday party?"
"I don't have any friends, so there's no reason to be sad... I like spending it with my family the most."
Tiel smiled brightly. Ria, seeming relieved, smiled back. Though she had told Tiel that spending time with family was the best, she had secretly felt guilty about Tiel not being able to have a birthday party.
'But I've hardly ever had a party.'
When Tiel was twelve or fourteen, Ferdie and Ludian had helped organize small tea parties, but she had never had a grand party at the Asterian estate.
Before Tiel arrived, Asterian would host large, extravagant parties for Ludian and Ferdie's birthdays, but after Tiel arrived, they refrained from having parties to accommodate her dislike of strangers. Therefore, Tiel never felt the need for a party and was not upset about it.
Tiel changed into her indoor clothes and left her room.
"Miss! Congratulations!"
"Head of the family! Happy birthday!"
The passing servants warmly smiled and wished Tiel a happy birthday. Tiel replied with a gentle smile.
"Thank you!"
Although Tiel found the title of "head of the family" unfamiliar, the servants of Asterian had started to refer to her as "head of the family" instead of "miss" as Tiel grew older. However, many still called her "miss," and she continued to hear both titles interchangeably.
The gardener had beautifully decorated the garden with spring flowers for the occasion, and the servants had thoroughly cleaned the estate. Every hallway was filled with the spring flowers Tiel loved.
Of course, among them were the "Nestian flowers" that Ferdie had brought, showing his thoughtful care.
Though the situation didn't allow for a large party, Karsus still wanted to make sure Tiel's birthday was celebrated beautifully within the estate, and his heart was reflected in the preparations.
"Tiel."
Tiel turned her head at the light touch on her shoulder. It ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) was Ferdie standing there.
"Brother!"
As soon as Tiel saw him, she hurriedly spoke.
"I haven't been able to make the orb yet. I need to put the ability inside, but it's taking quite a while…"
However, Ferdie interrupted her, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
"Don't worry about the orb. We can do it later. No need to force yourself. If it's too hard, don't worry about it; I'll figure it out."
Tiel nodded as she followed Ferdie.
The reason she had overslept was that she had been up late working on the "light orb" that Ferdie had asked for. However, whether it was because of her abilities or something else, the orb wasn't absorbing the power as it used to. She had even tried putting her fish abilities inside it, but they also avoided entering the orb.
When Ferdie told her not to worry about it, Tiel felt a little relieved.
"Come on, it's your birthday. Let's have breakfast with the family."
Tiel took Ferdie's hand and headed to the dining room.
Karsus, Alpheus, and Ludian had already arrived and were seated, waiting for Tiel.
Tiel naturally sat next to Karsus. Opposite her sat Ludian.
Ferdie seemed like he wanted to say something but sat at a slightly distant seat from Tiel without speaking.
"Tiel, happy birthday."
Alpheus said with a warm smile, a stark contrast to the stern expression he had shown when yelling at Olivia earlier.
"Did you sleep well? Thank you for the congratulations, Grandpa!"
Tiel responded brightly as she sat down.
Alpheus handed Tiel a small gift box. Tiel smiled and took it with joy.
"Here's your present. I'm not sure if you'll like it, but I put a lot of thought into it. I hope you like it."
"I know I'll like it already! Anything from you, Grandpa, is great."
At her words, Alpheus laughed heartily, shaking his head.
"I'll give you my gift after breakfast, in your room."
"Me too."
Ferdie and Ludian said. Tiel nodded, placing the gift box beside her for now.
"My gift will come a little later."
Karsus said, looking at Tiel. Tiel nodded again. Honestly, she didn't care much about presents. What mattered was that her family was with her and cared for her.
"Then let's eat."
As soon as Alpheus finished speaking, everyone picked up their utensils. Tiel cut a small piece of meat and put it in her mouth.
Ludian, like a carnivore, cut a large piece and stuffed it in his mouth, while Ferdie cut small pieces like Tiel and chewed them carefully.
Perhaps because today was a special day, the meal was more splendid and delicious than usual.
"I heard they paid special attention to dessert today, since it's your birthday."
"I'll make sure to thank them after the meal!"
"That's not a bad idea."
Karsus replied as he cut into his steak.
"By the way, didn't the Crown Prince say he would visit the estate today?"
Alpheus turned to Karsus. But the response came not from Karsus, but from Ferdie and Ludian.
"The Crown Prince has been coming to our estate for quite some time now."
"I thought they lived together."
"That's some casual talk, isn't it?"
Karsus chided, and Ferdie and Ludian shrugged, returning to their meal.
Tiel nodded.
"Yes, he said he would come today. He mentioned he has a gift for me too."
After finishing a tender piece of meat, Tiel took a sip of water.
Then, suddenly...
"…?"
Tiel's eyes widened.
She accidentally dropped her crystal water cup, which crashed to the floor with a sharp sound.
The glass shards scattered, but Tiel couldn't pay attention to the broken cup. She froze, her eyes wide in shock.
"…Tiel?"
Ludian, sensing something was wrong, lowered his fork and asked.
Tiel tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't come out. It was as though she couldn't speak anymore…
"Tiel!"
Karsus called out, pulling Tiel into his embrace. But Tiel couldn't respond, couldn't even hug him back.
Her vision blurred.
An intense, unknown force seemed to be tearing through her body from within, something both familiar and unfamiliar. It felt like…
'Ian…'
In that instant, Tiel realized something was wrong with Ian Dross.
But she couldn't rush to him.
She collapsed to the ground almost immediately.