***

On a night when the rain was falling steadily.

A candle was secretly lit in the first-floor reception room of the Blanche annex, which had been shrouded in darkness.

This created long shadows on the wall of five figures gathered in a circle around it.

Among them, a woman with ash-gray hair spoke gravely.

“I’ve called you all here at this hour to relay some very important information.”

Her voice was so serious that everyone remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

Soon, Terry continued, as if reciting the solemn introduction of a novel.

“I have discovered something. That Lady Belinda’s birthday is fast approaching!”

“…?”

What’s the big deal about that? Isn’t it something to celebrate?

Terry sighed, seemingly frustrated at the question marks floating above everyone’s heads except Cheshire’s.

“How can you be so dense! Everyone, don’t you understand? We are now facing the greatest challenge of our lives!”

“Ah, this is quite a serious problem indeed.”

Terry lamented that Cheshire was the only one who understood her meaning.

“Does anyone here know what the Master lacks?”

“…?”

“…Does anyone have any idea what the Master might want as a gift?”

Only then did shock appear on the faces of the group.

Even Leo, who had been nodding off like a sick chicken, suddenly snapped to attention as if doused with cold water and began to ponder seriously.

Vivian, Terry, Cheshire, Leo, Cedric.

“First of all, the Master probably wouldn’t want anything that can be bought with money.”

“She certainly wouldn’t want meat either…”

“Power… well, she has enough of that already…”

“Something Lady Belinda doesn’t have…”

Silence fell over the room.

Everyone seemed to have realized the gravity of the situation.

Terry, as if she had anticipated this, suddenly began to summarize the meeting’s resolution.

“Everyone, I propose one motion here. From now on, we form an alliance! If anyone discovers something the Master needs or wants, we share it!”

There was no reason to refuse.

And so, unbeknownst to Belinda, the Ultimate Gift Competition was launched.

***

What awaited Cedric after the secret meeting ended was a message from Sir Penadel.

“How did the investigation go?”

-As Your Grace instructed, I found Master Servator. He’s living in seclusion in Baluasten territory after retirement.

When Sir Penadel’s explanation ended, Cedric, uncharacteristically, sighed and cast his gaze out the window.

What reflected on his retina was the scenery of the capital city not covered in snow, but what came to mind was the image of Belinda’s back as she ran down the dark forest path.

That image remained stuck in his mind like a shard of ice, refusing to melt away.

“Come to think of it, you’re in quite a pitiful state too. To end up in a position where you’re just following the tail of a woman like me.”

“Be honest with me now, Sir. Tell me it was dreadful to follow my orders.”

If words had a visible form, Belinda’s words would have been a sharp sword without a handle.

Not only would it wound the opponent, but it would also slash the hands of the one wielding it.

Cedric, being an undefeated swordsman, had more than enough leeway to dodge her sword.

However, instead of turning away and retreating to where Belinda’s voice couldn’t reach, he stepped closer, allowing her sword to pierce through his body.

Because only then could he grasp her bloodied hands.

“You are an admirable person, My Lady.”

It was a pain he would gladly endure if only he could convey those words to her.

‘This probably goes far beyond the mindset of an escort knight.’

He wanted not only to protect Belinda’s life but also to ensure that not even the shadows of the forest or the frozen snow could touch a single strand of her hair.

He wished she wouldn’t suffer alone in silence.

He wanted everyone in the world to know that she was a good person.

“Penadel, I think I… might have special feelings for Lady Blanche.”

-I must have… misheard you?

“For some reason, I can’t leave Lady Blanche’s side. I can’t take my eyes off her out of concern.”

At those words, the iron bird beyond the cage opened its beak so wide that the joints creaked.

-Your Grace! Finally!

“So this emotion must be…”

-It must be!

“Paternal love?”

-…

“I think I felt exactly like this when I saw Endymion being born.”

-…

“Although I’m not the Lady’s father, this is surely…”

-Your Grace, please be honest with me.

“Ask away.”

-You don’t like me, do you?

Cedric, unable to understand, simply answered honestly.

“I don’t know why you’re saying that. If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have made you my aide-de-camp.”

-Then please stop this now! Unless you’re determined to torment me, please stop saying things that will incur the wrath of countless people watching Your Grace’s story from another world!

“What are you talking about?”

-I don’t know either! It’s just… I just had a feeling it might be like that!

Penadel was now almost sobbing.

-Oh, woe is me. At an age where I could be seeing grandchildren, I’m coaching my nearly fifty-year-old lord in romance, oh, woe is me.

“It’s not romance.”

-Oh nooo.

Penadel’s wailing continued for quite sometime after that.

As a result, it was a long while before the conversation returned to the main topic.

After hearing about Belinda’s birthday, Penadel sent a message in a voice that sounded 10 years older than before.

-Your Grace, please continue to ponder over Lady Blanche’s birthday gift. I will prepare something on my own.

“You will?”

-Yes. Just to let you know, the gift I’m preparing is from Sir Cherry to Lady Blanche, not from Sir Penadel.

“That… makes sense.”

Since Lady Blanche believes Sir Penadel and Sir Cherry to be different people, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to prepare and send separate gifts.

-Your Grace, when the gift arrives, you can choose whether to give it to the Lady or not, thinking it’s from me.

“But your attitude is quite disrespectful…”

-Your Grace always says that when you have nothing else to say. No more to add, right? I’m hanging up now.

“…Alright.”

Click.

The iron bird in the cage drooped its head and closed its eyes as if dead.

It was a week later when the gift from Penadel and the documents about Master Servator arrived at the Blanche mansion.

***

For the past few days, the looks in the eyes of our household members have been unsettling.

It’s as if they’re hyenas eyeing their prey.

Even if I just twitch a fingertip, they all sharpen their eyes and keenly observe where my hand is going.

When I ask why, they all play dumb and just shake their heads, saying it’s nothing.

What’s even more absurd is that Cheshire has joined in on this situation.

“Can any of you even swallow your food right now?”

At my fierce words, everyone’s attention at the dinner table turned to me.

I calmed my boiling insides with a glass of cold water and spoke calmly.

“Instead of cowering like whimpering puppies, why don’t you all bark if you have something to say?”

“Lady Belinda, are you upset because it seems like we’re distancing ourselves from you…?”

“Ratchet, shut your mouth.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Leo immediately covered his mouth with both hands.

Your heart is in the right place, but there’s no need to translate like that right now, Leo.

I scrutinized each person sitting around the table, glaring fiercely.

There’s something going on.

Something that only I don’t know about.

I decided to focus on Vivian, who seemed the easiest target.

“Vivian, why don’t you try barking?”

Vivian glanced at the others around her before cautiously opening her mouth.

“Woof?”

Oh? What’s this?

More persistent than I thought?

I expected her to spill her guts like a sea cucumber that supposedly vomits its innards when poked, but surprisingly, Vivian started to hold out quite well.

However, even that didn’t last long.

She started sweating profusely under my gaze, then gradually melted like ice cream under the scorching sun.

“I… well… you see…”

“Master.”

“Can’t you see I’m talking to Vivian right now? Don’t interrupt…”

“I’d like to discuss the reward for the previous request.”

Cheshire’s move was obvious, but it was an issue I couldn’t ignore.

I shot Vivian a sharp look, signaling that I’d be watching until the end, then turned to Cheshire.

“What do you want?”

“It’s not difficult.”

Cheshire propped his arms on the table, rested his chin on his interlocked hands, and spoke with a slight smile.

“Are you free on the evening of the New Year’s Festival the day after tomorrow?”

I noticed Terry flinching slightly from the corner of my eye.

“And if I am?”

“Then go on a date with me. That’s the reward I want.”

Crack.

At those words, Sir Penadel, who had been pushed to the far end of the dinner table when joining today’s feast, made an uncharacteristically loud noise.

Looking back, I saw that while cutting the steak on his plate with a knife, he had… cut through the plate itself?

“I misjudged my strength.”

Sir Penadel said, casually pulling out the knife that had pierced through the plate and was halfway embedded in the table.