MSBEA SS 19

After Ilion brought Pino back to the classroom, Pino’s attitude began to change little by little. He made efforts to mix with the other children and occasionally showed smiles. The most surprising thing was that he started following Ilion around.

“What did you do?”

“I just did what I learned from you.”

“From me?”

What exactly did I teach him? Though I pestered Ilion to tell me more details, he only gave that cryptic answer. As if it was their secret.

Somehow, I felt like I understood how parents with teenage sons must feel.

“I’ll go to the orphanage today too since I have work.”

“Then I’ll…”

“Duke, you have lots of work to do. So just come pick me up later. Let’s have dinner outside together.”

When I pointed at the pile of work on his desk, Ilion showed a displeased expression. This from someone who used to care about nothing but work.

But since it wasn’t something that could be postponed indefinitely, Ilion reluctantly nodded.

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“Alright. I’ll come pick you up.”

I waved goodbye and left the mansion to get in the carriage. Inside, Spinel and Royden were already seated.

“Ilion’s not coming?”

“He has a lot of work.”

“I thought it would be hard to leave him behind.”

“I asked Sebastian in advance to submit all the reports at once.”

I shrugged my shoulders to show off my meticulousness and Royden smiled brightly and said.

“Master is really good at scheming!”

“Could you say I’m wise instead?”

Correcting Royden’s words, I rubbed my arms as the weather seemed somewhat chilly.

“By the way, isn’t it cold lately? I wonder if winter is coming already.”

Looking at the colored leaves outside the window, I muttered, but Royden and Spinel tilted their heads as if they didn’t know what I meant. Right, my mistake for asking the wrong people.

“Isn’t the Duke coming today?”

As soon as we arrived at the orphanage, the children started looking for Ilion without fail.

“The Duke is busy today so he couldn’t come with us.”

The children looked a bit gloomy at my words. Kids, am I really not welcome at all?

“I knew you’d be like this, so I brought desserts!”

When I raised both hands full of sweet snacks, the children burst into laughter as if they had never been gloomy. Yes, at this age, sweets are still better than Ilion!

Phew, winning children’s hearts is really not easy.

The children sat around the table and started sharing the snacks. I carefully approached them.

“Actually, I came today because I have something to ask of you.”

The children, with cookie crumbs all over their mouths, asked.

“A favor? What is it?”

“There’s something I’d like your help with.”

As I explained the situation while bringing up the topic, their round eyes soon began to sparkle brightly.

A cold wind was blowing through the window. How had time passed so quickly? Ilion turned away from the pile of documents and stood up from his seat.

Come to think of it, Sebastian had been unusually quiet today too.

Did he step out for a moment?

With Royden and Spinel away from home as well, the mansion felt particularly empty.

Ilion recalled Ravenne’s words about coming to pick her up for dinner. She hadn’t specified what time to come. Would it be okay to go now?

While debating whether to take a carriage or teleport, Ilion made his decision and put on his coat. It wasn’t even a question worth pondering. After all, he wanted to see Ravenne as soon as possible.

After arriving at the open space in front of the orphanage, Ilion looked around. Though the sun was setting, it was still too early for the children to be inside.

“Did they go in early?”

Ilion thought nothing of it and moved into the orphanage building. Just then, Ravenne burst through the front door.

“Why, why did you come so early?”

“I finished work early, but… should I not have come?”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

Ravenne waved her hands in panic.

“Are they all inside?”

As he tried to enter the house to greet the children, Ravenne blocked the entrance.

“Um, they’re all inside.”

“Then why are you blocking the door?”

“Well, you can’t go in right now. You have to go in a little later.”

Ilion crossed his arms and looked at the rambling Ravenne.

Looking at how she was meeting his eyes directly, it didn’t seem like she was hiding anything.

Wondering what was going on, he listened carefully for a moment and heard children’s voices from inside. As he tried to listen more carefully to the whispering voices,

“Ahhh, don’t listen! Don’t listen!”

“What?”

Ravenne shouted while covering his ears with both hands.

“A-are you showing interest in others when you have such a beautiful wife right here?”

What’s this about now? Though she often said things he couldn’t understand, even for her, this was unusual.

“When did I?”

“An-anyway. Don’t focus on anything else, focus on me!”

Given how she was saying things she normally wouldn’t, she must be hiding something. What could it be?

Well, it’s not like he minded playing along.

“Alright. I’ll focus on you then.”

Ilion wrapped his arms around Ravenne’s waist and gazed intently at her face.

And for a while, a silent standoff continued.

Around the time her cheeks were turning as red as the sunset, Ravenne was the first to declare defeat.

“Ugh, I can’t take it anymore.”

She covered her eyes in embarrassment and muttered to herself, and at the same time, the door opened and Royden appeared. Royden looked at the two with cold eyes.

“What are you doing when there are so many kids around?”

Seeing the unwelcome guest’s appearance, Ravenne quickly escaped from Ilion’s embrace and rubbed her flushed cheeks. Ilion glanced regretfully at his arms, which no longer had a place to rest.

“We weren’t doing anything.”

More accurately, we couldn’t do anything. Ilion coldly retorted to the tactless Royden and went inside.

‘I wonder what she was trying to hide that made her say things she normally wouldn’t.’

Ilion’s question was answered the moment he opened the classroom door where the children were gathered.

As soon as he opened the classroom door, along with the pop of firecrackers, the children’s voices rang out.

“Happy birthday, Duke!”

While he stood dumbfounded at the sound of the firecrackers, Ravenne who had followed added.

“It’s your birthday today.”

Ilion let out a short “Ah–” of surprise. Come to think of it, today was the last day of October.

Until now, he didn’t know when his birthday was, so he never celebrated it separately.

Even after regaining his memories, habits don’t change so easily.

But…

Ilion looked around carefully. Even Sebastian, whose whereabouts he’d been wondering about, was here.

“Happy birthday, Duke!”

“Here, a present!”

“I wrote you a letter!”

The children gathered around Ilion one by one, handing him crumpled letters and necklaces made of colored paper.

“Th-thank you.”

Ilion held the gifts in both arms and expressed his thanks with a dazed expression. Watching him, Ravenne explained.

“When I asked for help saying I wanted to throw a birthday party, everyone gladly agreed. We all made the cake together too. Everyone said they really wanted to congratulate you, they worked so hard making it.”

Ilion opened one of the letters he had received. The letters written in clumsy handwriting were filled with the children’s hearts.

‘Happy birthday!’

‘Thank you for being born!’

‘Let’s play together again next time!’

‘I hope the Duke will be happy!’

‘Thank you for telling me it’s okay. Happy birthday.’

As Ilion carefully examined the letters, he slowly exhaled and furrowed his brow. Otherwise, he felt he might cry a little.

In his childhood, he had considered it fortunate that he couldn’t remember his birthday.

Because he was a cursed child, one who shouldn’t have been born. It didn’t make sense for someone like him to receive congratulations on the day of his birth.

So the young Ilion used to comfort himself by thinking it was better not to know.

“Thank you everyone. For celebrating my birthday.”

Ilion expressed his gratitude once more.

Though his heavily choked voice was tinged with tears, Ravenne decided to pretend not to notice.

That evening, Ilion took the children outside, saying he wanted to repay them for their gifts. The autumn night sky was already full of stars as the sun set early.

“What are you going to do?”

Along with the children, I too looked at Ilion with an expectant face.

Ilion smiled slightly and shot fireworks high into the sky. The bursting fireworks spread out sparkling in rainbow colors.

Spinel and Royden, seemingly unable to just watch, shot up fireworks while showing off their magic. Though they promised not to use magic, it seems they changed their minds.

The children, enchanted by the fireworks decorating the sky, crowded around the three. Of course, I once again became the odd one out. If I had known this would happen, I would have brought my artifact!

“The Duke is just like a prince from a fairy tale!”

“Yes! He’s so cool!”

“Hey, princesses? The prince is already married to me? So don’t set your sights on him?”

When I poked my head between the children gathered around Ilion and made that comment, the children burst into laughter.

“Wow, look over there!”

The children’s attention, who had been laughing heartily, focused on one spot. There, a huge whale made of magic was flying through the night sky. It seemed to be Royden’s work.

The children praised Royden saying how amazing it was, and Royden, who had been quite starved for attention, shrugged his shoulders.

Thanks to that, we who were momentarily freed, sat together on the grass.

The sound of children’s laughter continued endlessly as they jumped up and down trying to catch the whale.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t heard it yet.”

“Heard what?”

“The reason you started doing charity work.”

Ah, that.

When I tried to explain the reason, I somehow felt a bit shy and scratched my cheek.

“I just… hoped there wouldn’t be any children crying alone like you did. If children wandering the streets had a place to lean on, and people to lean on, if they could grow up a bit happier because of that…”

After pausing for a moment, I looked into Ilion’s eyes.

“I thought maybe that could comfort your wounded childhood a little bit.”

He was silent, and I somehow found myself watching his reaction. Wondering if I, who didn’t know his past, had tried to comfort him too presumptuously.

“Was that too presumptuous of me?”

To my question, Ilion slowly shook his head.

“Not at all. I just didn’t know you thought about it that deeply.”

“What are you saying? I was so worried about you. I was serious when I said I would have left home with the young master.”

When I grumbled earnestly, Ilion let out a small laugh.

“I know you were serious.”

He briefly kissed the back of my hand while looking at me.

“Thank you. For giving me such a wonderful memory.”

“It would be troublesome if you get too moved by this.”

I smiled playfully while looking at Ilion.

“We’ll make many more memories together. You’re not going to cry every time, are you?”

“Weren’t you supposed to pretend you didn’t see it today?”

“Ah, was I?”

Without hiding my escaping laughter, I tightly hugged Ilion’s arm and leaned my head on it.

The blooming fireworks were beautifully decorating the night sky as if they would never be forgotten.

Looking at those fireworks, I made a small wish inside.

May the memories we build from now on shine as beautifully as these fireworks.