MCAV Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Maybe I should have come earlier?

Heirin clicked his tongue as he looked toward the door that was closing.

Well, at least Rosaline was inside. She wasn’t a clueless child—she would carry out her role properly.

Then suddenly, he noticed a pair of green eyes staring straight at him.

How strange.

It should have been their first meeting, yet she looked oddly familiar. And her reaction had been unusual.

She had tried to hide it, but there was no way she could fool Heirin’s eyes. How many years had he spent in the cutthroat social world? This much was nothing to him.

Where have I seen her before?

The problem was, he couldn’t remember. Judging from her reaction, it probably hadn’t been a pleasant encounter. But there were many such people—too many to count.

Heirin glanced at the now fully closed door, then turned away.

“You’re strict. As a fellow spirit master, can’t I at least offer congratulations?”

Lucas glared at him.

“No need for congratulations.”

“As I said before, that’s for Ronschka to decide.”

“This is a gathering of the servants. People like us are better off not joining in.”

“Even though you’re his teacher?”

“Yes.”

A lie—Heirin could tell Lucas had originally planned to attend, but changed his mind when he saw him.

Otherwise, would Lucas really have come all the way here with a gift? Heirin gave a small laugh.

“Sounds like you’re not close to your student.”

“Closer than you think.”

“I could get even closer.”

“Heirin, stop.”

“You’re the one who should stop.”

Heirin was the type who couldn’t rest until he got what he wanted. Naturally, Lucas blocking him only made him more displeased—he hadn’t liked him much to begin with.

“I’ll arrange another meeting later. Convince her then.”

Adele had only recently received the documents. She needed time to think, so Lucas was trying to buy as much time as possible.

“Do I really need your permission for that?”

“If you don’t, I’ll block you with everything I have. Remember, this is my mansion.”

At Lucas’s words, Heirin raised his hands.

“Fine, I’ll leave it for today.”

Then he walked away down the corridor.

Left behind, Lucas looked at the dining hall door for a moment before turning away. He thought he might need to arrange another birthday celebration for Ronschka later.

Inside the dining hall

“Mom?”

Ronschka called again. His mother had been acting strange ever since she saw that red-haired spirit master.

“Ronschka?”

“Mom, are you sick?”

“No, I’m fine. Right, your name was Rosaline? Since you’re here, let’s play together.”

Adele forced a warm smile at Rosaline.

She felt like she could collapse at any moment, but she didn’t want to ruin Ronschka’s first birthday party. She was determined to hold on.

“Come here.”

At Adele’s words, Rosaline nodded and held out the box she had been carrying.

“It’s a birthday present.”

“A birthday present?”

Adele hesitated for a moment, then accepted it and handed it to Ronschka. He looked at it with a curious expression before opening it.

Click—inside was a glowing stone, more like a raw gem than a polished jewel.

Wasn’t this too expensive? Should she refuse it? It was surely something that man had prepared. She didn’t want to accept even a single coin from him.

But… it’s Ronschka’s birthday.

Her head began to ache, like something sharp was stabbing into her brain.

Ronschka could tell his mom was acting strange, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to ask why, to ask if she disliked that man too.

But he held back—because he knew how hard she had prepared for today.

Because he knew she wanted to make him happy.

So he kept quiet, and instead tried his best to smile—brightly.

To Rosaline, it felt like a dream.

At first, all she thought about was doing what her father had told her. Wear a pretty dress, smile, and give the birthday boy the present. If she could make him like her, even better.

That was all. But… what was this?

Rosaline blinked as she looked at the gentle woman smiling at her—it was like the warmth of midday sunlight.

Before she knew it, she had taken her hand. The hand was as warm as the smile, and it didn’t pull away. Instead, it held hers and guided her to the table.

The food on the table was plain compared to her own birthday feasts. The dishes weren’t fancy, but the plates were full, and people were laughing as they served themselves.

The noisy atmosphere felt a little awkward.

“Is there something you want to eat?”

Rosaline pointed at something, and her plate was piled high.

She hesitated, then tasted it—and it was delicious. Maybe even better than what the chef at House Weatherfield could make.

“More, please.”

Her plate was soon full again. She ate quietly until she glanced at Ronschka and Leon.

They weren’t eating neatly—food was smeared around their mouths, and they used their forks like shovels.

Somehow, it looked tastier that way.

Would it taste better if I ate like that?

Rosaline hesitated, then copied them. Her mouth was soon full, and she quickly drank her juice in one go.

The cup was immediately refilled.

“Is it good?”

She nodded. Her father would call this noisy, messy, and disorderly.

But why was the food so good, and why did she feel so excited?

“What was your name again?” Leon asked.

“Rosaline!” she blurted, the word bouncing out without elegance. Embarrassed, she closed her mouth, but no one seemed to care.

“I’m Leon.”

“Mm. Nice to meet you, Leon.”

She already knew—her father had told her—but she smiled as if hearing it for the first time.

“Happy birthday, Ronschka!”

“Happy birthday!”

The words of congratulations, and the paper flowers fluttering down from somewhere, filled her eyes and ears.

How nice.

She thought back to her own birthdays—sitting on the highest chair in a huge hall, receiving congratulations and gifts from many people.

But she had always known they weren’t looking at her. Their eyes were on her father. The gifts weren’t for her—they were for him.

That was why, no matter how nice the gift, she never felt happy.

In comparison, the small gifts Ronschka received—a flowerpot, a notebook, a little pouch, a basket of cookies—seemed far more precious.

Rosaline felt embarrassed. She had brought a gift too, but it was one her father had prepared.

“Ronschka.”

She spoke to him as he puffed his cheeks and ate. His red eyes looked at her with an unreadable expression.

“Sorry.”

For what? his expression seemed to say.

“I didn’t bring you a gift.”

“Isn’t that a gift?” Leon cut in.

“That’s from my father.”

“Oh.” Leon nodded and went back to eating.

“I’ll give you mine later.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I will.”

“What will you give?”

“Anything.”

Rosaline made up her mind. She began thinking hard about what to give him. And the more she thought about giving something, the happier she felt.

When the meal ended, an enormous pudding appeared—not the usual bread pudding, but a bright yellow, jiggly pudding topped with brown syrup. It was so sweet and delicious that she ate a lot.

“All right, now that we’ve eaten, shall we play?”

Play? How?

Rosaline stood up without thinking and followed the others. When she got lost, Adele took her hand, and Ronschka held her other hand tightly.

“Do you like playing the towel game?”

Towel game? Rosaline didn’t know what that was.

“First, we sit in a circle and choose the ‘catcher.’ The catcher puts a towel behind someone’s back. That person has to quickly get up and chase the catcher before they run all the way around the circle.”

She didn’t fully understand from the explanation, but when everyone sat in a circle, her heart began to race.

Leon and Ronschka sat right beside her.