“Then are you free tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Unlike a moment ago, Arsian nodded at once, and resentful groans burst out from the people around them.

“Hey.”

“Wow... did you see his face change?”

“When we asked, he acted like we were talking insane nonsense and didn’t even pretend to listen.”

Whether they complained or not, Arsian walked straight up to Camilla and listened only to her voice.

“We’re having a small party of our own tomorrow.”

“You’re going too?”

“Of course.”

“Okay.”

Camilla smiled faintly and lightly ruffled Arsian’s hair as he nodded without resistance.

“Come looking nice.”

“Yeah. You don’t dress up.”

“Huh? Why?”

“You’re pretty even if you just come as you are.”

“......”

If anyone else had said something like that, she would have snorted, asked what kind of cheap line they thought they were trying, and then mocked them for using an outdated pickup line.

That’s strange.

Hearing words like that come out of Arsian’s mouth, all she could do was smile.

She did not dislike the sight of him saying something like that with a completely serious face.

“Damn.”

“Ugh...!”

“So annoying.”

Of course, everyone else watching looked horrified, as if they had just witnessed something unbearable.

“Hey, you two are painful to look at, so go somewhere else.”

“Gladly.”

“W-what?”

“No! Leave Camilla here and go by yourself!”

Ignoring the chorus of complaints, Arsian immediately took Camilla by the hand and left with her.

*****

“Where’s Rio?”

“He went out, sir.”

“With whom?”

Already dressed to go out himself, Arsian tilted his head at the unusual quiet in the house.

Unlike most households, this place had always been steeped in silence.

But after Rio came, it had grown much livelier.

Today, however, the house was quiet. As though no one were there at all.

“He said he had something to do with Lady Sena and went out.”

“......”

Listening to the butler’s answer, Arsian glanced around the house with a strange feeling.

Was it always like this?

He had spent his entire life surrounded by this stillness, so why did it feel unfamiliar now?

Just the absence of the children made the entire house feel empty.

“His Grace also said he had an appointment today and went out.”

He had not even asked, yet the butler informed him that the Duke of Sepra was not home either.

“I heard you’re having a small party with your friends today?”

At old butler Baol’s question, Arsian turned to look at him again. Had he mentioned his plans for today?

“Lady Camilla told me.”

“Camilla did?”

At the mere sound of her name, Arsian’s entire presence softened, and a faint smile appeared on the butler’s face.

“I hope you have a pleasant time, Young Master.”

Arsian stared blankly at the old butler for a moment. He was not a man who usually offered personal remarks.

“...I will.”

In the end, only a short reply left his mouth. Feeling awkward for some reason, Arsian quickly left.

“Heh heh.”

Watching Arsian go, the butler bowed his head deeply.

When Baol raised it again, the smile at the corners of his mouth was deeper than before.

Now, everyone in this house knew.

Arsian had changed a great deal.

Baol, who had watched Arsian grow up since childhood, could feel it more clearly than anyone.

The boy who had always looked as if he were being chased by something, as if he were standing precariously on a sheet of ice, was nowhere to be found anymore.

He was standing on solid ground now, on green earth where warm sunlight fell and new shoots were just beginning to break through.

And the Duke of Sepra, whom Baol had served for so long, was standing there with him now.

It’s all thanks to her.

He knew very well who had led those two, once stranded in that freezing wind, into such gentle sunlight.

Thinking of Camilla, who had somehow become the true power in this house, the butler smiled again in quiet satisfaction.

“It’s spring.”

His gaze turned toward the window.

And he found himself thinking that this year’s spring would be very warm indeed.

*****

“This should be the place.”

When Arsian arrived at the meeting place, he frowned slightly.

They said they were holding the party in a small hall at the Sorpel estate, so why was it so quiet?

Not a single light was leaking out through the windows. Was this not the right place?

Come to think of it, no one guided me here, either.

Even usually, when he went to see Camilla, he had almost never been escorted by anyone. More often than not, he came secretly at night.

But today felt a little strange. On the way here, he had hardly seen any servants at all. No steward, no maids.

“Hm.”

For now, Arsian stepped into the appointed place. He pushed hard against the tightly shut doors of the hall.

And the moment he did—

Pop! Pop-pop! Pop!

A series of small explosions rang out inside the pitch-dark space. The lights came back immediately afterward.

“Arsian!”

“Happy birt—!”

The brightened hall was full of people.

But the faces of those who had started to shout their congratulations stiffened one by one.

“......”

“......”

Ravi, who had made and set off what Camilla called fireworks, along with everyone else, stared at Arsian speechlessly.

Not a single fleck of confetti had landed on him.

A transparent barrier surrounded his body. In that tiny instant, he had cast a defensive spell.

An awkward silence fell over the hall.

What exactly was happening here?

The moment Arsian’s brow started to crease—

Pop!

Another small firework went off. This time, the confetti packed inside it showered straight down over him.

“Happy birthday, Arsian.”

It was Camilla.

“...Birthday?”

Only then did Arsian seem to recover from his daze, and at that unexpected word, his lips parted on their own.

“Yeah. It’s your birthday today.”

“Today is?”

He looked around the hall again, as if only just noticing it.

Come to think of it, there were quite a few strange things here.

Odd, colorful balls floated in the air. What was inside them that they could hang there like that?

On the wall, a flashy message wishing him a happy birthday had been put up. That decoration was unfamiliar too.

Arsian stared blankly, completely unlike himself.

“I think he’s actually flustered.”

“This was worth preparing!”

Everyone watched him with delight.

Camilla had prepared everything for this party herself. She had Ravi make the fireworks, the letter balloons for the wall, and even the balloons that floated in the air.

I wanted to give him a special birthday party.

She thought it would be nice to decorate it in a modern style.

Lila and Elisha had squealed over and over about how pretty the different balloons and fireworks were when they saw them, but maybe Arsian did not like them?

“......”

Arsian still stood there blankly without saying much of anything. Camilla stared at him.

“Arsian?”

“...Yeah.”

“Were you surprised?”

“A little......”

Only when he sensed her concern did Arsian finally offer a faint smile.

“Well then, shall we get the party started properly?”

At Petro Jayvillan’s words, music began to fill the hall, and only then did people start enjoying the party.

They had said it would be [N O V E L I G H T] a small gathering among acquaintances, but there were more people in the hall than expected.

Not only the volunteer club members, but also several knights from the various houses whom they had often run into while dealing with the Eva Church were there.

“Big brother! Happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday, Young Master.”

So that was where they had gone after saying they had plans since morning. Rio and Sena were here too.

Rio ran over and threw himself into Arsian’s arms, then held out something he had been carrying in his hand.

“It’s a present!”

What Rio handed him was a small flowering branch.

“It’s spring.”

“Spring?”

“Yeah! Sis said this is spring. So I’m giving spring to you first!”

“......”

Arsian’s face went blank all over again.

Spring...

Soon, he bent one knee to meet Rio at eye level, and unlike usual, a soft smile settled on his face.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah!”

He lightly ruffled Rio’s head as the boy beamed up at him.

“......”

When Arsian lifted his gaze, he found his father too, the Duke of Sepra, standing with the other dukes. So that urgent appointment had brought him here?

My birthday.

Had he ever once lived as if something like that mattered?

This was a house where being born was itself a curse.

What, exactly, was there to celebrate?

But...

“Arsian, do you want this? I made all the food here myself.”

“You made it yourself?”

“Yeah.”

But maybe now, maybe now it was all right.

“Tell everyone else not to touch it.”

“Huh? Why? I’m actually pretty good at cooking. You can trust it.”

“I’m going to eat it all. It’s too precious to give to anyone else.”

“Really? Then try this too.”

If there could be even one person—just one—who celebrated the fact that he had been born... maybe that was all right now.

“Will you two cut it out already?”

“Could you maybe think of the people listening?”

“I-I’ve got goosebumps.”

“Damn, I can’t even look at you two! Get away from each other already!”

Used to their behavior by now, the others shot them mercilessly sour looks.