The surroundings had become so quiet that it couldn't get any quieter. The nobles' wide-eyed gazes all turned to me. They clearly looked flustered.
'Right. This is exactly the reaction I wanted!'
They must have been thoroughly sick of my mischief. I lifted my head even higher to look more insolent.
I shouted forcefully and struck the throne handle violently. Bang! The people's eyes widened even more.
Thud! Suddenly, Gadenia Duke knelt down and sobbed. I was taken aback, feeling like I had become a disrespectful grandson.
'No, who is this grandfather trying to make a disrespectful grandson out of!'
"I have brought a meager gift and have disgraced Your Majesty, who is so precious to us! Sob, sob..."
What could I do with this grandfather? Suddenly, a headache arose, and I clutched my head with both hands. I hadn't anticipated such a development, and I felt like slapping my past self.
"Ah, it's not lacking. It's too much! Shop! Oh, I like it!"
"Ah, how can Your Majesty's heart be so beautiful? To cover the faults of this unworthy old man..."
"Grandfather, please stand up..." (Grandfather, please stand up...)
"This unworthy old man has no shame, sob."
Despite my earnest plea, Gadenia Duke didn't remove the stigma of being a disrespectful grandson from me. The hall was now filled with a sea of tears from the Duke and my flustered self, while the Emperor sat indifferently and the nobles were frozen in shock. I waited for Gadenia Duke to regain his sanity, believing that would resolve the situation. But...
Suddenly, a group of nobles rushed in and knelt on either side of Gadenia Duke, bowing their heads.
"Your Majesty, I am sorry for bringing such a meager gift!"
The situation was not only unresolved but was worsening smoothly. The nobles confessed the inadequacy of the gifts they had prepared and begged for my forgiveness.
"I will also give the patent rights for the gem-cutting technique passed down in our family..."
"I will also give all the seedlings of the Illusionary Tree imported from the Ioleka Kingdom!"
They were all clamoring to offer additional gifts. I sat there in a daze, unable to do anything.
"Stop it! Your Majesty wants more gifts!"
I suddenly felt like I had become a gang boss collecting unpaid debts. The solemn atmosphere of the birthday celebration had long vanished, and the hall had almost turned into a market. I turned my head slightly, hoping the Emperor would resolve this situation.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Mabel?"
"What do I do?" (What do I do?)
Suddenly, why did he bring up the gift? The Emperor, who smiled beautifully, handed me something—[Orphe Kingdom's Surrender Document]. ...It was a surrender document.
"Last year, I gave you this country, so this year, it's the neighboring country."
"Of course, it's still lacking."
I stared at the Emperor, who looked serious while holding the surrender document. My face must have been even more serious. The pleading subjects and the still sobbing Gadenia Duke. And the Emperor, who was deeply pondering which country to conquer. I grabbed the back of my neck.
'It's a surrender, a surrender.'
After the chaotic celebration, I returned to my bedroom, leaning weakly on Zabie. Lying on the bed, I felt a bit better. Oscar, who followed me, smiled brightly and stroked my head.
"Now, my birthday gift—."
At the mention of 'birthday gift,' I screamed and hid under the blanket.
'Birthday gifts are too scary. I think I have a trauma...!'
Just hearing the word made my hands and feet cold and my heart race. Of course, after only two birthdays, I had received absurd gifts each time. The first time, it was a country. The second time, it was also a country.
No matter how I thought about it, the list of gifts was too serious. Including the gifts the nobles suddenly offered with tears streaming down their faces, it was dizzying.
'At least I managed to stop the additional gifts...'
Even if they were greedy for power, wasn't their flattery a bit excessive? The thought of the nobles looking at me with manic eyes, competing to give gifts, sent shivers down my spine. As I fidgeted under the blanket, I realized it was suddenly quiet outside.
I pulled the blanket down to my neck and peeked out. I met Oscar's eyes, which were propped up by his hands.
I was amazed. Oscar, adorned with a flower, looked incredibly handsome and good-looking. How could he be so beautiful? I suddenly realized how impressive his genes were.
"Why are you like that, Mabel?"
"Are you not going to accept my gift?"
At the mention of the gift, my heart pounded anxiously, but I managed to hold it in. I didn't want to disappoint Oscar.
"What is it?" (What is it?)
"Can you give me your hand?"
I extended my hand, still trembling. Oscar took out a small box from his pocket and fiddled with my wrist.
Oscar gave me a silver bracelet with a green gem. Under the light, the bracelet sparkled beautifully.
'Now that I think about it, this looks familiar... Ah!'
It was the same design as the necklace Oscar gave me last year.
"This bracelet adjusts its size according to the wearer. Isn't it amazing?"
It was much better than the gifts of shops, countries, and mines. Feeling much lighter, I smiled. Of course, I was also excited because I usually couldn't eat much chocolate. But Oscar's reaction was strange.
"Do you... like the chocolate that much?"
If he asked if I liked it, I did... Nod. As I nodded, Oscar's expression darkened.
"I see... So you like Enrique's gift better..."
"Is Enrique's gift better than mine?"
"Then do you like mine better?"
This was almost a 'Mom or Dad?' level question. If I chose Oscar, I would be ignoring the sincerity of Enrique, who had sent the gift. If I chose Enrique, Oscar would be disappointed. In the end, I could only give the most obvious answer.
Oscar visibly became gloomy. I grabbed his hand tightly, flustered.
"Well, it's a secret, but I like Oscar's gift a little more." (Well, it's a secret, but I like Oscar's gift a little more.)
Finally, Oscar smiled broadly. I smiled back, thinking to myself.
The Regent's office was bustling as usual, handling the Emperor's duties. Gustav's expression darkened as he organized the list of gifts received by Mabel.
"Your Highness, a birthday gift from Abellard has arrived."
"Of course, he never misses a chance."
Especially annoyed, Esseban frowned. Gustav laughed awkwardly.
"Still, since the Emperor is the protagonist of the prophecy, he won't give up easily."
Although he had made Mabel the Emperor, he couldn't be completely at ease. They, who lived for and by the gods, blindly desired Mabel, the seed of the gods. Thus, he anticipated all sorts of tricks. The gift from Abellard was a holy relic of the Holy Empire. Its use was unknown, but it contained an enormous amount of divine power.
"It's just a useless rock. Throw it away."
Esseban's judgment on the holy relic was merciless. Gustav flinched.
"Is that really okay? Even though it's a holy relic?"
Although he agreed it was a useless rock, he couldn't completely ignore the symbolic meaning of the gift. Esseban waved his hand irritably.
"Send it back. Just get it out of my sight."
Gustav closed the gift box from Abellard and placed it in a corner.
"Eidan has shown no movement today."
"Any attempts to contact him?"
"We can't leave it like this indefinitely."
The demon from Develin, the boy who had revealed his name as Eidan, had been staying in a separate palace and hadn't left it since. He had never shown any dissatisfaction with the strict surveillance.
'Did he really mean what he said before?'
That the constraints would loosen if he was near Mabel. Perhaps Mabel was the only way to dispel the magic Veron had cast, but Esseban's decision remained unchanged.
"Make sure he never meets Mabel."
That night, the squeaks made a surprise visit. I was startled by their unexpected visit and apologized.
"Sorry. No cheese..." (Sorry. No cheese...)
Getting cheese from the kitchen wasn't a one-time thing, but I couldn't go there often now because it was embarrassing. However, the squeaks looked up at me as if the cheese didn't matter.
[This. The male gave it, squeak.]
The other squeak spat out what it was holding. Its attitude was clearly irritable, and I was startled. Indeed, their tempers were no joke.
I picked up what the squeak had spat out. It was a tiny note. When I opened it, something was written: [From tonight to tomorrow morning. Balcony.]
If the male they mentioned was Eidan, why did he send me a note? And what did this mean?
[If you ask again, give me cheese, squeak.]
I looked down at the note with a troubled heart. From the surveillance, I was sure he hadn't contacted Develin. But if the squeaks had known about his existence beforehand, the story would be different.
'These easy-to-manipulate squeaks might have been bought off by bigger cheese and deceived me.'
What was his intention in calling me? Did he want to meet me? Secretly? What should I do?
'...No, how did he even know I had the squeaks watching him?!'