~Chapter 111~
“Hold still for a bit!”
“Mm-hm!”
“There, all done!”
Rueiri glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Aisel had spent a long time playing with his long hair, braiding it neatly into two pigtails.
“Mother’s going to love this, you know?”
“Yeah. I don’t care if I look ridiculous. As long as it makes her smile.”
At Aisel’s playful remark, Rueiri laughed with her at his less-than-dignified appearance.
The wedding of Rueiri and Diana had been a modest one.
It was Diana’s second marriage, and instead of hosting a grand ceremony, she wanted to use the money to compensate those who had suffered because of her revenge. Rueiri fully agreed, knowing how sincere her remorse was.
Diana personally visited the people who had lent money to Calypso and repaid them in full. She never forgot to express both apology and gratitude.
At the wedding, Diana noticed Sawyer whispering something to Aisel, who blushed bright red.
Later, after the wedding, Aisel confessed to Diana:
“Mother… Sawyer…”
“Yes?”
“He asked me to be engaged to him.”
Aisel cupped her reddened cheeks with both hands like a bashful peach.
“No way!”
“Absolutely not!”
The voices rang out in unison—one from the visiting Duke of Pereshte, the other from Rueiri.
“And you are…?” The Duke raised an eyebrow.
“I’m Aisel’s father, of course,” Rueiri replied without backing down.
It felt as if sparks were flying between the two men.
“He even said he’d become a son-in-law, since the dukedom is rightfully Sister’s,” Rueiri added.
Aisel stood between them with a grin. “Then I approve.”
“As do I,” the Duke said at the same time.
Seeing the Duke and Rueiri acting like mirror images of each other, Diana and Aisel burst into laughter.
Afterward, Amadeus retired, and Rueiri rose to the position of Tower Master.
Though the Tower Master’s duties were immense, Rueiri always hurried back to spend time with Diana and Aisel.
But Diana too had grown busier. With the absorption of the Duchy of Ernst, her father—now Duke of Pereshte—had passed the marquisate to her, claiming it was too much for him. Suddenly, she found herself managing a marquisate.
Truthfully, her father also wanted to lightly interfere with Diana and Rueiri’s honeymoon. He had quietly looked forward to Diana and Aisel living with him at the marquisate. But Rueiri had swooped in like a hawk, and that dream was shattered. Still, thanks to magical devices developed with great expense, Aisel visited the ducal mansion every day, which soothed his heart.
“Everything’s ready, Lady Aisel.”
“Oh, finally!”
Today was Diana’s first birthday since the wedding, and the family planned to celebrate quietly together.
They decided to bake her birthday cake themselves.
Shane laid out the ingredients Catherine had requested—soft cream, chocolate, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries—colors so lovely they almost looked like jewels.
The cake base had been baked the night before by Rueiri and Aisel after much trial and error.
“Let’s do this, Dad!”
“Alright!”
Rolling up their sleeves and washing their hands, they got to work.
Aisel grabbed a spatula with confidence and spread a generous layer of cream over the cake.
“How’s that?”
“Perfect.”
Glancing at Rueiri, who watched the cake intently, Aisel suddenly wanted to play a prank. She dabbed some cream on her finger and tapped it onto his nose.
“Aisel…?”
“Hehe.”
“Is that a challenge?”
Rueiri grinned mischievously, scooping a lump of cream into his palm.
“You wouldn’t… not a royal, right?”
“For a Tower Master wizard…” His eyes gleamed dangerously.
“Titles don’t count.”
He hurled the cream like a snowball. It landed squarely on Aisel’s dress.
“Ahhh!”
Aisel shrieked with surprising ferocity for a noble young lady. They threw cream at each other like children until the room was a disaster.
Shane entered and froze in horror.
“Lord Rueiri?”
“Uh…”
Only then did Rueiri and Aisel look around at the chaotic mess.
“W-we’ll clean it! Right, Aisel?”
“Of course! We were just about to!”
Like guilty puppies, they quickly used magic to restore the room to pristine order.
Then they resumed, decorating carefully with raspberries, blueberries, and herb leaves. Though clumsy, their work carried warmth and joy.
“It’s done!”
They clapped their hands in delight. The cake, snowy white with colorful berries, looked beautiful and delicious.
“You brought the box, right?”
“Here it is.”
Rueiri placed the cake into the gift box. Then he leaned close to whisper something to Aisel.
“You’re really going to use that incredible magic just for this, Dad?”
“My power isn’t different from what Sister gave me. Where else would I use it if not here?”
Aisel laughed, shaking her head. Together, they carried the cake to the crystal terrace Rueiri had built as a wedding gift.
The terrace, enchanted to be warm in the cold and cool in the heat, was breathtaking. Today, the weather was perfect, and a gentle breeze flowed through the open roof.
Decorated with ribbons and flowers, it was a bit clumsy but full of love.
“All we need is for night to fall.”
“Let’s surprise her!”
They chuckled like true father and daughter.
As dusk arrived, Diana emerged in a lovely dress. She had taken extra time to prepare, wanting to look pretty on her birthday.
“Am I late?” She hurried, not wanting to keep them waiting.
But when she stepped outside, the terrace was dark.
“What are they up to now?” She smiled knowingly—clearly, they had planned a surprise.
Feigning innocence, she stepped inside.
“Aisel? Rueiri?”
At once, the two burst from the corner holding the cake.
“Happy birthday, Mother!”
“Happy birthday, Sister!”
“My! What’s this?”
Clearly handmade, the cake made Diana smile brightly as she pretended to be surprised.
“We made it together.”
Wearing silly cone hats, they puffed out their chests proudly.
Seeing Rueiri’s hair in pigtails, Diana laughed so hard tears formed.
“See? I told you she’d love it!”
“Of course—sometimes I’ll have to let Miss Aisel the hairstylist take over.”
Their playful chatter filled the terrace with laughter. Rueiri then stepped closer to Diana.
“That’s not all, Sister.”
“There’s more? I can’t wait.”
Dabbing away tears of laughter, she accepted a small box from him.
“What’s this?”
“Open it.”
Both Rueiri and Aisel watched eagerly.
Diana opened the box—and gasped.
A radiant object floated up, glowing with iridescent light.
“How beautiful…”
She reached out, and it soared into the night sky.
Pop! Boom!
Brilliant bursts of multicolored light filled the heavens like living fireflies.
“Wow…”
Enchanted, Diana and Aisel gazed at the dazzling display. Their eyes sparkled like stars.
Rueiri drew them both into his arms.
“I love you, Diana. I love you, Aisel!” he declared.
“I love you too, Mother, Father!” Aisel replied.
“And I love you both—so much words could never express it,” Diana whispered, holding them tight.
The lights swirled gently around them, then drifted upward, vanishing into the sky like stars.
Diana, once of the Pereshte Marquisate, knew then with certainty—she was truly happy.
And that happiness would remain by her side until the end of her days.
Because everything surrounding her now was no longer falsehood and pretense, but genuine love.
Looking at the two most precious people in her life, Diana smiled more happily than ever.
