In the hospital room, a small birthday party was underway.
Milin had finally changed into a magnificent dress featuring a fur shawl identical to her mother’s.
Surrounded by her closest family and teachers, she celebrated her sixteenth birthday.
“Ahaha… the cake is here!”
Meliya pushed a cart carrying the cake through the door.
Her exaggerated tone reminded Lian of a villain from a television drama she had seen in the past… but she quickly pushed the thought aside.
In everyday life, Meliya was simply a person who loved to be expressive and playful.
‘Even after being apart from her for so long, I still feel like I know her inside and out.’
“How is it? This pumpkin cake is a masterpiece of your mother’s confidence. Though, it might be a bit disappointing since it isn’t as large as the ones from past festivals.”
“Not at all! I much prefer this one baked by Mother’s own hands over those massive ones we could never finish! This way, nothing goes to waste!”
“But we usually distribute the festival cakes to the citizens anyway…”
Fearful that her mother might show even a hint of sorrow, Milin, wearing a crown of flowers, shook her head like a rattle.
Her crown had been hand-woven by her mother.
Lian noticed that the crown was adorned with perfectly arranged blossoms of the two most famous and rare flowers in the Northland — the Thousand-day Lotus and the Moon-soul White.
Meliya also wore a flower crown on her head. It was one Milin had woven for her.
Unlike Milin’s, however, her crown was made almost entirely of Thousand-day Lotuses… with only a single Moon-soul White tucked inside.
“Why are you staring so intently? Do you want a flower crown too? If you want one, I can give it to you, Lian.”
“…I don’t want a flower crown from an old woman like you.”
“What — did — you — say?”
“Can you two give it a rest? You’re both so loud I’m about to die from the noise…”
Sephy sat between the two bickering rivals like a living barrier.
She propped up her cheek with her hand, looking miserable and perpetually half-asleep, just as she always did.
“Speaking of which, I wanted to ask… Sephy, what have you been doing these past two days? I couldn’t get in touch with you at all.”
“My Main Control Avatar was taken out by the Demon Race. That doppelganger wasn’t like the ones you see on the street… if it gets destroyed, I fall into a deep sleep for a long time. But as soon as I woke up… I was forced to deal with the mess you all left behind.”
“Your Main Control Avatar was taken out? Could that have been Fei—”
“What are you all still chattering about? It’s time to blow out the candles!”
Meliya stepped in front of the three of them. She had already placed the candles on the pumpkin cake.
Much like the people in the original world Lian came from, the people of this world used this method to celebrate birthdays for themselves or others.
According to the routine, it was time for congratulations. Sephy was the first to stand up.
“I’ll go first then — Happy Birthday. Although a lot has happened… as one of your teachers, I hope that at least in this moment, you can leave those troubles behind and enjoy the present. After all, birthdays happen every year, but a coming-of-age ceremony only happens once.”
With that, Sephy pulled a bracelet from her robes. It was strung with shimmering, iridescent pearls, and the large bead at the center looked particularly familiar to Lian.
“Is that a Communication Pearl?” Lian asked foolishly.
“That’s right.”
“You’re giving Milin that thing?”
“What do you know!” Sephy snapped, looking as if she wanted to smack Lian’s head.
However, hindered by her height, she could only settle for resentfully swatting Lian’s backside.
“Do you think these are common items found on the street? Making this thing is incredibly difficult and complex. I haven’t even made more than ten of them yet!”
“Ouch… it’s actually such a precious item? I saw you give it away so casually, and Meliya… the Duchess has one too, so I thought it wasn’t that rare.”
“Thank you, Teacher Sephy. But you said it’s a Communication Pearl? And Mother has one too…?”
“Not just your mother. Your sister Lian and Teacher Vera have them as well. Meliya, show her how it works.”
Sephy sat back on the bed as if she couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
Meliya had no choice but to smile wryly and take out her own pearl to demonstrate the usage to her daughter.
After seeing how it worked, Milin’s expression turned into one of pure surprise and joy.
“Does this… does this mean I can contact Mother from anywhere in the future?”
“It requires Magic Power. And it’s not indestructible… but if it breaks, just send it back to me to fix.”
“Thank you, Teacher Sephy! I really love it!”
With eyes shining, Milin ran over and squeezed Sephy’s hand. Sephy gave her a tired smile.
“Then, it is my turn.” Vera stood up and straightened her clothes. Seeing her so formal, Milin swallowed nervously and stood before her.
“What I have to say is likely the same as your Teacher Sephy.” Vera wore a gentle smile on her face, an expression so rare that Milin was momentarily stunned.
“Happy Birthday. I didn’t expect you to grow into such a fine young lady so quickly.”
“Hehe… quickly? I feel like it’s been a long time… especially when you were forcing me to swing a sword.”
“In that case, you must focus even more on your training from now on. For that reason, this is my gift to you.”
Vera reached for the sword at the head of the bed — the one that had stayed by her side throughout the war.
She had sent someone to fetch it from her residence. She handed the sword, scabbard and all, into Milin’s hands.
“This is the sword I used to protect your mother before you were born. While it doesn’t compare to those powerful Relics… it is no ordinary magic weapon. Even if you use your full strength, it should remain undamaged.”
“Teacher Vera… are you… are you really giving this to me?”
Milin held the sword, asking as if she couldn’t believe her own ears or eyes.
Since she was a child, she had always envied the majestic look Vera had while wearing this sword… she had imagined more than once how cool she would look wearing it herself.
“Of course. You have proven you have the strength and courage to be worthy of it,” Vera said, gently stroking Milin’s head. “I am proud of you, my dear disciple.”
“Teacher Vera…!” Milin hugged Vera around the waist and began to sob.
She cried for a while, then suddenly looked up as if remembering something, asking Vera, “Should… should I be crying right now? Even though I’m an adult now…”
“What does it matter? It has nothing to do with being an adult or a child. When you want to cry, just cry out loud. Forget about you… even the Hero is only human… they cry too when they are in pain or sorrow.”
Vera held Milin… and hearing those words, Lian suddenly felt a tremor run through her.
She didn’t know who Vera’s words were meant for… but she did indeed shed tears because of them.
Sephy, who was sitting beside her, didn’t look at her but handed her a handkerchief.
“Wipe them away. Don’t wait until it’s your turn and look like a mess.”
“Thank you… Sephy.”
Lian quickly wiped away her tears and composed herself.
Then, taking advantage of the long hug between Vera and Milin, she slipped out of the room to prepare the birthday gift she intended to present.
“Teacher Vera… thank you so much! I’ll never slack off during training again…! I will use this sword to protect Mother in your stead!”
Since she was wearing her dress, Milin carefully placed the sword beside her.
Then she began to look around the room… only to find someone missing.
“Where is Sister Lian—”
“I — I’m here! Sorry to keep you waiting!”
Lian pushed open the door, drenched in sweat and carrying a silver tray.
On the tray sat an exquisite set of red ceramic tea tools that perfectly matched Milin’s hair color and her usual style.
Lian had specially ordered this in the city using her wages from the past few days at the Duchess’s Household along with money she borrowed from several colleagues at the Xīlong Pavilion.
When her colleagues, led by Tilly, heard she was buying a gift for the Young Lady, they intended to just give her the money… but Lian refused no matter what, eventually signing a loan note instead.
Lian uncovered the teacup in front of Milin, revealing steaming hot black tea.
Just from the appearance, Milin could tell the ratio of milk and tea was exactly right… so she picked up the cup and took a sip.
“…It’s delicious.”
“Really? That’s wonderful! What score do I get this time?”
Hearing the appraisal, Lian wiped the sweat from her brow, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
But she then worriedly asked the same question as before.
“Ten points.”
“It’s not on a hundred-point scale, is it…?”
“A ten-point scale. It’s truly delicious.”
“Really?! That’s great, that’s so great! Ugh…”
Milin held the teacup and took another sip.
She realized that this tea tasted exactly like the tea Feiyin brewed… looking at the ecstatic Lian, who was even sobbing with relief, she realized Lian must have specially asked Feiyin for guidance to be able to brew tea like this.
Looking at Lian, she felt incredibly warm… but then she suddenly remembered something she had ignored.
“Then, is it Mother’s turn?”
“Wait a moment, I haven’t finished my congratulations—”
“Please wait,” Milin interrupted the conversation between her mother and Lian, asking the question that instantly chilled the cheerful atmosphere.
“Where is Feiyin? I haven’t seen her since I got back… where is she?”
“…”
Seeing everyone fall silent, Milin turned to her mother in confusion.
“Mother, you must know where she is, right? For her not to show up even for my birthday… I’m going to be very angry with her.”
“Milin… my child.”
Seeing the troubled expressions on everyone’s faces, Meliya had no choice but to take her daughter’s hand and sit with her on the edge of the bed, telling her everything she had heard from Lian and Vera.
“I don’t believe it! You’re all lying to me… you’re talking nonsense!”
“Good girl…”
“Mother… even you’re going to lie to me?! There’s no way Feiyin is a traitor… shouldn’t you know that better than anyone?”
“Milin, what your mother said is true. She really is—”
“Shut up! How many days have you even been by my side? Do you have any idea how long Feiyin… how long she has been with me?!”
Lian tried to defend Meliya… only to be met with Milin’s furious scream. Milin looked at the two silent teachers beside her in disbelief.
“Hey… Teacher Vera, Teacher Sephy. Tell me? This is just a cruel joke. I saw with my own eyes that Feiyin was also restricted by that guy… she was right beside me. When I won the contest before, she even brought a handkerchief to wipe my sweat.”
“Milin…”
Sephy didn’t say a word. But her gaze had already given Milin the answer. Vera started to say something, but Milin didn’t want to hear it anymore.
“Fine… all of you… this really is the greatest gift for my birthday! I won’t believe a single word of this nonsense!”
With that, Milin threw off her mother’s hand and rushed straight out of the room.
She took nothing… neither the bracelet, the sword, nor the tea set.
She ignored everyone who greeted her along the way and ran back to her own residence, the Tower.
As the Head Maid, Feiyin’s quarters were not in the Youlin Courtyard where the other maids lived… because she was Milin’s personal attendant, her residence had to be very close to her master.
Her quarters were on the middle floor of that high tower. Milin rushed to her door and pounded on it repeatedly.
“Feiyin, Feiyin! Get out here!”
She shouted for a while, but there was no movement. So she pulled up the rug at the corner of the stairs and dug out the key to Feiyin’s room.
‘If one day you wake up and I’m still asleep… just use the key under the rug at the corner of the stairs to open my room and wake me up, okay?’
She had never used this key once. But this time she had to.
She inserted the key into the lock, and the door opened with a click.
What appeared before her was a room arrangement she was very familiar with.
They lived in the same tower, after all. Whenever Milin’s room was being deep-cleaned, she would go to Feiyin’s room to pass the time.
On the door’s notice board, there were still remnants of a cleaning schedule Feiyin had written in chalk.
The numbers, traced over repeatedly, were proof of their life together.
A four-poster bed with iron edges stood in the center of the room, the mattress and sheets perfectly clean, without a speck of dust in the folds.
Against the wall near the window stood a row of wooden multi-drawer cabinets, which Feiyin used to store clothes and various sundries.
She didn’t have many clothes… aside from her maid uniforms, there were only a few slightly worn dresses.
But every piece was meticulously washed, ironed flat, and stacked neatly in the drawers.
There was also a desk in the room. On either side of the desk were oak bookshelves.
The etiquette books, history textbooks, and romance novels that Milin had long grown bored of browsing in her spare time were arranged neatly on the shelves — she and Feiyin both knew the contents of those books by heart.
She turned her gaze to the desk… and found amber-colored gullies formed by solidified candle wax.
Several quill pens were slanted in the ink bottle, and a stack of brand-new account books with fresh ink sat at the corner of the desk — she was certain they had been reorganized within the last two days.
Then Milin froze… because she saw a stack of new paper next to the account books, and the top sheet clearly had several large words written on it.
“To my dear Young Lady:”
In a panic, she picked up the stack of paper and began flipping from the second page.
“I believe that by the time you see these papers, I will no longer be by your side. I feel very regretful that I can no longer continue to accompany you.”
“You bastard!”
Milin cursed out loud… because only that single sentence was written on that page. She tossed the paper aside and continued to the next one.
“Please do not call me a bastard. I have my own difficulties as well.”
“Who cares what your difficulties are… and why is there only one sentence per page!”
She threw another page away.
“Because it’s more atmospheric to write this way, isn’t it?”
“…I’m really going to get angry!”
“Please don’t be angry. I’m just teasing you like I always do. It’s very fun, right?”
“Are you watching me from somewhere? Get out here right now!”
Milin clutched the paper in her hands and roared at the room. But no one answered her… she screamed out the window, and then she shouted in the hallway.
There was nothing but her own echo. She had no choice but to suppress her rage and continue to the next page.
“I’m not watching you. I can do this because I know you, Young Lady, as well as I know myself.”
“You…”
“Young Lady, I must tell you something: the things your mother and your teachers told you are true — I am a very, very bad person. I have lurked by your side all these years just to do bad things.”
“You’re talking nonsense! You’re lying! Ugh… waaaaaaaah!”
Milin slumped to the floor, crying bitterly. Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, she flipped to the next page.
“Please do not cry. You know I have never lied to you. So you can also believe my next words:”
“I don’t want to believe it… unless you’re willing to come back… please… come back quickly…”
“I will always love you. I swear it by the two people I love most — my love for Milin Klauschel is in no way inferior to theirs. Everything I did was so that you and your family could truly find happiness. Of course… there was also a tiny bit of selfishness involved. But that is unimportant, wouldn’t you say?”
Milin no longer had the strength to flip the next page. There was only one sheet left.
She knelt on the floor, her tears soaking the ink on the final piece of paper.
“Happy Birthday, my Young Lady. Please accept this as my gift to you.”