/
Surprised, she looked around with wide-open eyes, and all the guests who had arrived were all smiling while looking at Rieta.
What happened?
Even on the card she sent, the appointment time was obviously about an hour later than now.
“Everyone, why . . . are you here now?”
When Rieta asked with a bewildered face, everyone was laughing playfully.
Rieta looked back at Darrel, who was standing next to her.
With a face saying, how did this happen?
“I do not know.”
He shrugged his shoulders, making the same expression as the guests.
“It’s such an amazing coincidence. Everyone came so early.”
It seemed that Darrel contacted the people and asked everyone to come early.
To surprise Rieta.
You did care.
Recently, he had seen Rieta grunt about Noel quite a few times.
“Thank you, everyone.”
“Because happy coincidences happen on birthdays.”
As soon as those words were finished, the candle-lit cake approached Rieta.
Of course, Rieta blew out the candles with all her might.
“Did you make a wish?”
Rieta nodded her head eagerly.
She thought that she was lucky to be able to make a wish in a much more pleasant way than she imagined.
* * *
The birthday party was fun.
The Duke helped Rieta, who still found dancing difficult, to stand on his feet.
It was fun, as though she were walking on air for some reason.
And Elisha gave her a bracelet that he had made herself.
“You made it yourself? With Elisha’s hands?”
“Yes, I worked hard with my slow hands, thinking about the Princess.”
“Hey, you’re really slow.”
She didn’t mean to say that.
What Rieta just wanted to say was that his hands were a little bigger than others.
“Elisha had big hands so I thought it might be difficult for you to touch something so small.”
“It is not really big. It’s normal among knights.”
“What normal? Look here.”
Rieta quickly stretched out her hand and reached out.
Elisha put his palm against hers as she commanded.
Elisha’s fingers were much longer than Rieta’s.
“Look, it’s big. Darrel’s are not that big either.”
It must have been difficult to weave small beads like this by hand.
“Thank you.”
Rieta said to him while holding her hand with him.
“I am more thankful because you seem to be happy.”
“Yes, of course I’m very happy.”
After she had been with Elisha for a while, she went to see Sir Jenkins.
He was eating a chocolate cake, and his face was full of dissatisfaction.
“You don’t like the chocolate?”
“Cakes are the best. But a little while ago, the Duke flaunted himself in front of me.”
“Flaunted?”
“Yes. He said, ‘The Jenkins daffodils will bloom soon.’ Wicked bastard! He must be aiming for another precious piece of furniture in someone else’s house!”
Rieta wanted Sir Jenkins to be happy, so she placed the chocolate-dipped fruit on his empty plate.
It was his favorite.
“How can a man like the Duke be so anxious that he can’t take flowers from someone else’s house!”
Of course, Sir Jenkins’ complaints did not end easily.
However, it was be Rieta’s illusion that he looked happy somewhere.
As time passed, people arrived from the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor had sent a present to Rieta.
The Emperor used to take great care of Rieta whenever something like this happened.
It was probably because he was conscious that he was ultimately responsible for Rieta.
The King of Liz entrusted Rieta to the Emperor of the Mechidia Empire.
After seeing off the Emperor’s envoy, she checked the time and realized that it had been three hours since the party started.
The laughter of the grateful guests could still be heard in the banquet hall.
Was there anything interesting going on?
Rieta walked back to the banquet hall.
“Princess.”
At that time, the butler, who approached her quietly, called her for a moment.
“Yes?”
He seemed to be hiding something from Rieta.
It looked like something very enjoyable, too.
“Don’t tell me, I still have some surprises left?”
“Probably.”
“I am surprised enough that I no longer have a heart now.”
“Don’t worry. No matter how surprising it is, a person’s heart does not disappear.”
The butler looked around for a moment and then came right in front of Rieta.
“I just received a contact.”
“A contact?”
“It seems that the paper that has been approved for a loan is due to arrive at the mansion today.”
“Really?! I was prepared for it to take a month or so.”
It must have been that the butler paid attention for the schedule to be pushed up.
Rieta quickly grabbed his two hands.
“Thank you so much for your help.”
“I’m glad I was of help to the Princess.”
“Of course you were helpful!”
“And from now on, this is an old man’s own idea, will you listen?”
“What?”
When Rieta asked back, with her eyes shining, the butler hesitated a bit before telling the story.
“It is the job of the students who belong to the academy to carry the papers.”
“. . . Uh?”