The gentle sound of the piano drifted through the gaps of sunlight, the ambiguous atmosphere dyed the wallpaper with the orange glow of the hanging lights, filling every empty space.
“Lyte, look at this. I wrote it.”
Noi pulled Lyte over to the message wall in the café.
Her coffee was already prepared, but the birthday cake still needed a few crucial steps.
To avoid being disturbed, she had specially instructed them to bring it over only when everything was ready.
Lyte silently looked at the note that read, [Hehe, I’m about to get married~ I’m not envious of your relationship at all.]
He gave a self-mocking smile.
“Lyte? Do you want to write one too?”
She carefully examined Lyte.
Sensing the girl’s gaze, he immediately put away his expression and nodded.
Picking up the fountain pen, he hesitated for a long time on the sticky note before finally writing:
[I hope Vivi can live a happy and fulfilling life.]
Then, ignoring Noi’s attempt to stop him, he placed his note directly over hers, covering up her declaration of marriage.
“Uh…”
The white-haired girl opened her mouth to speak, but Lyte glanced at her and explained lightly, “It’s better when wishes are stacked together, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
But… Isn’t it strange to write something like that?
Shouldn’t it be about us spending a wonderful life together?
“Don’t overthink it. Let’s go, the cake will be here soon.”
Without any intention of further explanation, Lyte turned and left, not even waiting for her.
After sitting down, he buried himself in his phone.
Again…
So annoying.
Noi’s sharp senses told her that something must have happened with Lyte, but she still wanted to believe he wouldn’t scare her again.
‘He had sworn, after all—how could he lie to me?’
Returning to their seats, the two sat in silence for a moment.
The fresh, elegant décor, the dreamy and gorgeous paintings on the walls, and a small vase with a bouquet of various flowers on each table—the fragrance was overwhelming.
She had carefully chosen the best seat, where they could enjoy so many beautiful scenes, yet he didn’t care at all, just kept tapping away on his phone.
‘I want to smash it.’
Noi stared resentfully at Lyte, who was engrossed in his phone.
He looked up at her for a moment, then returned his attention to the screen.
“Lyte, how was your chat with Deta?”
That was the only odd thing she could think of—it must be her doing.
With a gentle, patient smile, Noi clasped her hands together, nervously rubbing the back of one hand with the other.
“Oh, it was fine. I sent her to the station to return to the Imperial Capital, so I was a bit late.”
“I see…”
‘It was fine?’
‘What does that mean? I don’t want to hear such a vague answer.’
‘And sending her back to the Imperial Capital—what’s that about? Isn’t my birthday more important than seeing her off? She has bodyguards to protect her, so why do I have to come after her?’
“Then… were you handling something important, Lyte? Do you need my help?”
“No, it’s already taken care of.”
Lyte let out a subtle sigh, as if releasing some burden.
He put his phone on the table and calmly glanced at the food.
“Mm… then let’s eat.”
Watching Lyte absentmindedly poke at taro fries filled with condensed milk, Noi felt a wave of sour pain in her heart.
‘Why are you giving me the silent treatment? I don’t even know what I did to make you dissatisfied. Can’t you tell me…? I just want a ‘thank you,’ I want to become someone you like even more…’
Feeling aggrieved, Noi muttered inwardly for a while, then forced a stiff smile as she pushed a cup of black coffee toward Lyte.
“Lyte… want to try the coffee? I remember you like drinking it.”
The black-haired man sitting across from her took the coffee, sipped it, and frowned in displeasure.
“No sugar? Don’t you know I like rock sugar in it?”
His harsh, reproachful tone and the way he put down the cup all revealed his agitation.
“Uh… sorry, my fault.”
Her heart was weighed down with gloom, so heavy she could barely breathe.
Noi’s vision flickered, the mental pressure making her feel dizzy and lost.
Under the orange lights, everything before her eyes seemed dreamlike and unreal.
She was just a fragile, sensitive person—being scolded so harshly would only leave her wanting to cry but unable to.
Why is it so easy to fall in love, but so hard to get along…
Her fingers trembled as she scooped rock sugar into the cup with a spoon, repeating the motion mechanically several times, until a loud shout stopped her.
“That’s enough! If you add any more sugar, I’ll choke on it.”
“Ah! Sorry, sorry, I’m just not feeling well…”
Startled by his sudden outburst, she gasped, and the spoon fell with a clink into the cup.
Holding her forehead, Noi breathed in and out slowly.
Her eyes felt swollen, her mind dizzy, her stomach nauseous—she wanted to throw up.
It seemed like the nearby customers were watching them…
‘Don’t look, please, I’m just a lowly, ugly woman who can’t do anything to make him satisfied.’
“I’m… not feeling well.”
She reiterated her state, but Lyte gave no response, silently eating the fries she ordered, drinking the coffee she made, his indifference breaking her heart.
‘It’s my birthday, yet I’m working like a servant. I don’t want this—I want you to hold me… is that too much to ask?’
“Your cake, miss. Happy birthday! Have a wonderful date with your boyfriend~”
The clueless server brought over the pre-ordered birthday cake.
Noi had made sure it was three layers high, worried Lyte would go hungry, and had even asked the staff to write a blessing on the base of the cake plate, hoping it would make things sweet and happy.
But now, she couldn’t smile at all.
“Lyte, do you want some?”
“Click”
Lyte put down his fork and silently stared at the table, not even glancing at the freshly arrived three-layer cake.
Noi’s chest rose and fell as she looked at Lyte with sorrowful eyes.
She pinned her hopes on his reaction this time.
As long as there was a chance, she could clear up the misunderstanding.
‘Was it just me being too sensitive?’
‘That’s right, I’m just overthinking. Lyte isn’t the kind of man who’d give me the silent treatment, right?’
“No, you eat. I have something to do, so I’m leaving. You can pay the bill—consider it covering the cost of the phone I bought you.”
Something to do… leaving first?
What does that mean?
‘Why are you brushing me off?’
Lyte braced his hands on the table, got up, and turned to leave without even a word of farewell.
“Lyte, didn’t you promise to spend my birthday with me?”
Noi grabbed Lyte’s hand, trying for one last chance to save things.
He stopped, turned to look at her, and gave a false smile.
“Fine, I’ll wait for you to make your wish before I go.”
“…Okay.”
Holding back tears, Noi returned to her seat in silence.
Lyte slowly came back, as if just going through the motions.
She stuck eighteen candles into the cake, just as she’d planned, intending to hint that she was ready to take on the responsibilities of a Family Matron—but now, it all seemed meaningless.
Afterward, she looked at the birthday hat, looked at Lyte—he was staring at her irritably, with not a trace of affection in his eyes.
‘Why are you always so good at pretending? You do care about me, don’t you? We just kissed an hour ago, almost went further—there’s no way I’m just a convenient prop for you, right?’
Lighting the candles, she forced a birthday girl’s happy smile, knowing she probably wouldn’t get to hear Lyte sing her a birthday song.
She simply pressed her hands together in silent prayer, making her wish as planned.
[I hope Lyte, our children, and I can spend our lives together in peace and happiness.]
Such a simple wish—it had just seemed so possible, so why did everything change so suddenly…
Is this goodbye?
He should change his mind, right?
The fool’s game should be over, right?
Noi opened her eyes, wanting to say something more to Lyte.
But what made her heart ache was that, the moment she closed her eyes to make her wish, Lyte had already walked out on his own.
He was now outside the café.
“Lyte!”
‘Unwilling… I’m not willing to accept this!’
Noi hurried after him, forcefully pushing open the door.
The wind chime was pulled down by her strength, clattering to the floor.
“Lyte, stop messing with me! Tell me, what happened? Why are you treating me like this?”
Noi gripped Lyte’s arm tightly.
He didn’t look at her.
Instead, he lowered his head and, one by one, forcefully pried her fingers off, pushing her away to a distance.
He looked up at her, his expression complicated—almost like he was smiling, almost like he was crying,
confused, surprised, as if countless masks of emotion overlapped, making it impossible to see his true feelings.
But then, as if making up his mind, his expression settled—what appeared was the disgust and exhaustion of someone who had fallen out of love.
“Noi Vielrich, let’s break up.”